* Referring probably to the Bareshnflm ceremony which Zad- sparam wished <o dispense with in many cases.
328 EPISTLES OF MANOUSKIHAR.
ee eee eee ee ee ee
minds of other heads of the religion Zave promoted,
and shaped or altered decisions thereon, and settled
and issued orders thereon, could not have seen a
grievance (seg) therein. 9. And this, too, should be
observed among your requirements, that when the
fattiness? of the body is in wrinkles (Zin), so that four
perfect ones of the period are provided, even then
the opinion of a high-priest of the religion is greater
than every opinion, du¢ the law of the realm of
various kinds® is only through the deliberation of
the same perfect ones; to make him decide then is
not proper *.
10. And it would be desirable for you to take
account of that which is said thus: ‘Thou shouldst
not practise that, O Zaratdst! when thou and three
or four companions, in the village of a thanksgiver
of the assembly, shall say this: “Such is an evil
notion.”’ 11. These words of his are then not taken
into account by you; and 2z¢ is firmly and wz¢h acute
observation determined by you, and thought preser-
vative for yourself, that even the sin be not privately
(andarg) declared by me unto the assembly which
has deliberated at Shiraz®. 12. You order this, and
+ J omits this phrase.
* Reading mésakh or miskha; but it may be masagth, ‘squeezing.’
* J has merely the words, ‘even then the opinion of the high- priest for the realm,’ which gives a reverse meaning to the text.
* It appears from this, that when a supreme high-priest became very old, his worldly duties were put in commission, by being intrusted to a committee of four of the most learned priests; but the opinion of the superannuated high-priest was still supreme in spiritual matters, though not to be trusted in worldly affairs.
* Whither Manis4ihar had specially gone to hold this assembly before writing Ep. I (see Ep. I, iii, 13).
Epistle Ii, Chapter I, 9—-I4. 329
z¢ is known that if it were a statement of yours in
the assembly of the Tughazghuz', you would have
been still less a speaker in private.
13. I consider that you are as much under-hand
(air) about this, as regards yourself, as Zaratist? the
club-footed (apafrébd) when he arranged his gar-
ments (vakhshakih4a), and his club-foot is itself
overspread thereby even to himself, so that se was
then approved as good? by some of those of Kirman+
when they heard of z¢, and those of Rai® (Razik4n6)
wrote a reply that, if Ze should be appointed by you
also at a distance, Ze would then be approved by
them likewise as good. 14. This idea of yours is
more heinous than that act of his, the reply from
various sides is more mischievous, the disgrace
among the people is more unslumberable, the load
upon the soul is more consumingly heavy, and the
* Evidently some recent pretender to the supreme high-priest- hood, who had endeavoured to conceal the deformity that disquali- fied him for that office,
* That is, fit for the dignity he aspired to.
* Here written Girman (see Dd. XCIV, 13).
* Near Teher4n.
330 EPISTLES OF MANUSKIHAR.
severance from, and contest wth, Atharmazd and Zarattist become more incalculably perplexing. 15.
And this, too, is my summing up (khapir)!—when
your own acquaintance with the religion and salva-
tion of soul are zz such force—by the parable (4n-
guni-aitak6) of that physician of the body who,
when they asked about destroying the toothache,
thereupon gave his reply thus: ‘ Dig z¢ out!’ and
they rejoined thus: ‘He is always wanted as our
physician, so that he may cure even a tooth which.
is diseased ;’ I would extract its teeth? more plenti-
fully and wzthk more suspicion than he.
16. And if, also, those of the good religion in the
country of Iran be, therefore, always in want of the
learning and acquaintance with religion of zs priestly
lordship, so that he disperses the profession and the
preparation azd management of the remedy® of many
diseases, then he throws it away as a profession, and
there is not much of a necessity for the wisdom and
learning of 4zs priestly lordship. 17. For ¢here are
some of the present time would never vouchsafe
approval of a presiding fire‘, which is in many
modes an advance of foreign habits; azd of many
things which are in writing, of a nature easier and
more comfortable in a worldly sezse, they offer and
+ J converts the phrase into ‘very heinous to me,’ by reading avir and adding giran.
* That is, he would drive the morbid ideas from his brother’s mind.
® Meaning the practice of the Bareshnim ceremony, for which the priests were specially required.
* Probably because they saw no necessity for the presence of the fire at the sacred ceremonies. He is warning his brother that his heretical teachings would soon make the people imagine that they could dispense with the priesthood altogether:
EPISTLE II, CHAPTER I, I5-Il, 3. 331
always give more than he who is a priest; and, a¢
last, no one ever accepts azy except him who is
astute in evil azd wicked?.
CuapTerR II.
1, I fave also examined that writing? in detail,
and z¢ is very unprepared for the remarks of the
learned and those acquainted with the religion, for
the sentences concocted save to be divided, and the
slender demonstration is disconnected (aparvan-
didd); so I consider that z¢ is not sent to be seen,
as regards which such a course wou/d, indeed, de a
cause of terror to purifiers. 2. /¢ is so written that,
while on account of ¢#a¢ same terror they are very
much alarmed, and are thorough in maintaining the
duty of the continuance of care for water and bull's
urine, and of the formula of the operation, they
shall more fully perform z¢ as a duty provided for
high-priests; even from that I am more fully of
opinion that your like judgment and own concession
have produced this explanation.
3. When I saw in the decree, such as that which
you have written, that each time ove comes unto a
purifier who washes zz such manner as is declared
1 That is, some priest who teaches such heresies. These terms are those applied to the demons themselves in Pahl. Vend. XIX, 140, 141, 147.
* The decree of Zid-sparam, a copy of which had been sent to him by the people of Sirkan (see Ep. I, iv, 7).
* The two liquids used in the purifying ceremony of the Bare- shnfim (see App. IV).
332 EPISTLES OF MANOSKIHAR,
in revelation—which is evident, indeed, from zs
existence when fe is a religious purifier, ad also
from your priestly lordship’s knowledge of the rite;
indeed, there is no use of ¢Za¢ same decree unless
the scripture of revelation, likewise, be so—Ze is to
do z¢ with very strict observation, zow, since, owing
to the reception of terror by the purifiers, that pre-
paration is evidently to produce, as regards their
own disposition and movements, much harm azd ir-
regularity, azd perplexed thoughts among the people,
the discredit of the decreer is generated therefrom,
and it would have been more reasonable to consider
the terror and doubt of the purifiers in another way.
4. That which is so explained by you as though
it would remain accomplished azd would be in notice
—and this is written by you like as it were from
a teaching of some description—is not proper; be-
cause, thus, every rite in the performance of the
desired operation, even by one s¢mg/e teaching, is
suitable, which, like the preparation for the state-
ments of lying litigants, is very like, d¢ not correct.
5. For when there are some who have furthered
Médy6k-mah' better than the teaching of Afarg,
z¢ is well when every single rite in the teaching is
right; and as ¢o his rite z¢ is not very clear that
deliverance? is promoted by maintaining z/. 6. Even
on that occaston when Médyék-mah has mentioned
threefold washing, azd Afarg once washing®, Méd-
yok-mah is the after deponent and Afarg the prior
* See; Ep. Lovyuti 2 From pollution.
* In Pahl. Vend. IX, 132, 7 (see App. IV), where the threefold washing is connected with the name of Afarg, and the once washing with that of Médy6k-mah; but Ep. I, vi, 7-9 agrees with the state- ment here.
Epistle Ii, Chapter Ii, 4-9. 333
deponent?; and, on that account, the statement is to
be made as long as Méd¢yék-mah is preserved, dé
as regards the opinion of the words of Afarg’ z¢ is
to be maintained in a state of preservation.
7. As to that which Afarg as said*, that ‘two
purifiers are requisite, Médyék-mah Zas also said
that one is plenty; azd, since the teaching of S6-
shans? is similar evidence to his, as to that which is
said by him, they have thus been more unanimous
that when there is one it would be proper; azd as
several high-priests have announced just the same
evidence, avd Afarg himself azd other priests have
been of the same opinion where z/ is the performance
of the beginning of the Vikaya (‘exorcism’)*, Méa-
yok-mah is preserved. 8. Not on this account, that
Afarg is more preservative® through once washing,
is the operation to be performed according to the
teaching of Afarg, but the once washing from Afarg
who is the prior deponent, azd the one purifier from
Médyék-mah who is the most corroborated are to be
accepted and to be conducted.
9g. And even the computers of the stars would
make the position of the stars which exists when
that of the sun avd moon is from the direction (min
zik) of Satvaharan®, that of Saturn from the direc-
1 The words pastmal, ‘after deponent,’ and pésm4l, ‘prior deponent, are here written alike (see Ep. I, vi, 10, note).
* In Pahl. Vend. IX, 132, d (see App. IV and compare Ep. I, vi, 1-4).
5 See Ep. I, y, 1. * See Ep. I, vi, 6.
* From pollution (see § 6).
* The high-priest of the Parsis in Bombay is of opinion that the names of the three ‘ directions’ mentioned in this section are the Pahlavi forms of the names of three of the lunar mansions, whose
334 EPISTLES OF MANUOSKIHAR.
tion of Avénak, and that of Mars from the direction
of Padramgés, a position which sends much good,
and is said Zo de capable of undoubtedly (anarangak)
bringing on maturity of strength. 10. That this is
to be seen as an occurrence (gast6) is a conjunction
(nazdakd) which is not possible’, because, if the
conjunction of Satvaharan de exact, yet, since Saturn
and Mars are not at ¢hety conjunctions (min nazdak),
its effect is not a good configuration (khfip tang);
if the conjunction of Avénak de exact, yet, since the
sun, moon ?, azd Mars are not at their conjunctions,
its effect is not good; azd if the conjunction of Pad-
ramgdés de exact, yet, since the sun, moon, and
Saturn are not® at their conjunctions, the effect is
PAzand appellations are given in Bd. II, 3; and he identifies Satva- haran with Kahtsar, Avénak with Avdem, and Padramgés with Padévar. The reading of all these names is, however, very uncer- tain. Satvaharan is written Satéharan three times out of the five occurrences of the name, and the first syllable might easily be read Gaht=Kaht, so as to correspond with the Pazand; on the other hand, the reading Sat corresponds with Sata-bhishag or Sata-taraka, the Sanskrit name of the 25th lunar mansion, Kahtsar. As Paz. Avdem seems to be merely Pahl. afdtim, ‘last,’ I prefer identifying Avénak (which can also be read Avérak) with the ninth lunar mansion, Avra (Avrak in Bd. VII, 1, Avrak in Zs. VI, 1), the Sans. Aslesha. Padramgés is also written Padramgés twice out of the three occurrences of the name; its identification with Padévar makes it the first lunar mansion, the Sans. Asvini. The aspect of the heavens, therefore, which is here mentioned as very auspicious, has the sun and new moon in the latter part of Aquarius, Saturn in the first part of Aries, and Mars in the latter part of Cancer, that is, twice as far from Saturn as the latter is from the sun and moon.
* That is, it very rarely happens ; as rarely as the exact agree- ment of three different commentators, whom these three conjunc- tions are intended to represent.
* The MSS. omit 14, ‘not,’ by mistake.
Beret th, CHAPTER IT, tO-12. 335
not good; on account of! which, in any conjunction
which is not exact, they believe z¢ possible. for a
firm mind also to accomplish this auspicious labour
(sukh-varzisn6), but they say the just and wise
should make the decision?. 11. So that this one is
a very good position, because that which is truly
issuing (rast-tag) through the conjunction of Satva-
haran is from that mighty Satvaharan’, axd that of
Satvaharan dezng better through the conjunction of
Padramgés, that is done‘.
12. You skou/d understand that of the same kind
is the similitude of the three teachings, of which you
have written, with this similitude which I 4ave por-
trayed® and ordered to form azd scheme, so that
you may look at it more clearly, from a proper
regard for your own deliverance®, for the sharp
