* As in the case of a destructive conflagration.
' The words in brackets are supplied by guess, to fill up a blank space left by the repairer of B on one of his patches. In K the passage is shorter, and stands as follows : — 'and in that which is unlawful operation /'/ is troubled by the increase/
' The spirit of fires mentioned in § i. This dialogue seems to be a quotation from the original Pahlavi version of the Nask.
* Fire being called * the son of Aftharmas^.' « Both MSS. have * me ' by mistake.
* The passages in brackets are omitted in B, evidently by mistake.
Chapter Xi, 1 1 -Xii, 3. 189
Chapter XII. SUdikar Nask.
I. The eleventh fargaraf, the Yasna^ is about
the assembly of the angels of the spiritual existences
on account of the complaint of fire ; and the com-
plaint of fire in the assembly, with its statement of
this, too * : * I am not of the world here, and from
here I will extricate myself^ from the earth up to the
sky, and there I will shine on to the earth of seven
regions, like the moon and sun and even the divinely-
produced stars when they shine with their own
light/ 2. The words of Adharmasr^ about the just
complaining of fire as regards the contamination ^ of
the creatures, the impossibility of keeping the fire
undisturbed, and satisfying the fire concerning the
creation of the creatures for the worldly existence,
along with the disturbed condition of fire, too, owing
to the impossibility of maintaining * the uncreated
state which, with the freedom from disturbance of
fire also, was better ; likewise proclaiming the care of
it. 3. And the speech of the fire wcls thus : * If
there be not that one mode whereby I may thus
shine, owing to those that have acted according to
my request^, thou art aware, O AAharma-^^! there
* The Yasna of seven chapters, Av. yasna haptanghditi
(Yas. XXXV, 3-XLI, 6), here written asnd (for yfisne) in
both MSS.
' The spirit of fires, after repeating to the heavenly council the complaint he had already made to Afiharma^t/ alone, concludes with the same threat as in Chap. XI, 11.
' B giimfikhtakfh (K gftm^arakth) implies deterioration by an ' intermingling ' of evil.
* K omits these last four words by mistake.
* That is, if he cannot desert the world, owing to the necessity of stopping with those who act properly.
IQO DfNKAlU), BOOK IX.
are some among the creatures that I cannot grant so
much to : therefore carry me away, O A<lharma^^/ !
then give me away there ! and be thou carrying me
away into the midst 0/ Air&n-v^g'^ ! '
4. The propitious * jfire is from the creator Afl-
hzrmsizd, and it is produced by him in a dwelling,
without being handled (bard sft^ako) \ by aid of
bringing together *. 5. And so he spoke in words
thus : * Such is thine own growth, thou who art my
fire ! in every dwelling where thou comest, and in
every village, every community, and every province ;
and as exalted as thou are the water and plants, and
he, too, who is a guardian spirit of the righteous,
when they shall bring forward holy-water for de-
livering up to thee ^ ; and, when they shall bring
forward to thee firewood which is dry, a person —
through the light which he observes — has spoken of
it thus : " This is the GA^n-as^ ® fire." '
6. About so much reward of the hewer and
inspector and kindler of the firewood — when all
three shall do it for the sake of affection — as they
^ The primeval home of Majgf^a-worship, the abode of Yim, and the scene of ZaratOjt's first promulgation of the religion, the Airy- anem va6^6 of the Avesta (see Vend. I, i, 3, II, 21 ; Bd. XX, 32, XXXII, 3).
* Pahl. flfzfintk; the sp^nijta ('most bounteous') fire of Yas. XVII, II, XXXVI, 3. According to Pahl. Yas. XVII, 67 it * stands in heaven before Aiiharmase/ in a spiritual state.'
' Or it may mean * being rubbed out,' that is, * by friction;' but
compare the use of the word sClt/akth in Bk. VIII, Chap.
XXXVII, 19.
* Referring probably to the establishment of a sacred fire by bringing together every possible variety of fire that can be obtained.
" Merely as a formal oflfering, or for purifying the fire-stand, not for mingling with the fire itself.
* One of the three original sacred fires, which is said to have
Chapter Xii, 4-1 1. 191
are possessing righteousness. 7. About the char-
acter and reward of the washer (dsndtdr) and the
producer of the purity and cleansing of that which
the fire has dropped ^ of the introducer of the fire-
wood and the washer upwards ^, of the stirrer of the
fire and the carrier-away of the firewood, who are
strictly directed ; the lawful work done with a
cooking-'pot and such-like, and the sin of him who is
a disturber of it 8. About the destroyer of that
which the fire has dropped, and the introducer of
damp firewood into it 9. About the blessing of
fire for people by whom it is satisfied.
10. About advice as regards not bringing to the
fire that which is due to theft, or the power of ex-
tortion, and the grievous bridge-judgment^ of him
who is bringing it ; also the defilement (ild^an) and
hurting of the fire from that which occurs when he
likewise consecrates his hoard (hanbari^no), owing
to the corruption by the demons * thus arisen. 1 1 .
This, too, that it is owing to want of attention to
fire when it is not at every menstrual excitement
they produce, in a woman assisted by a propensity
been established, in the time of king Kat-Kh(isr6, upon the Asna- vand mountain in Atillr-pdtakan, not far from Lake K^kz&X. (see Bd. XVII, 7 ; Zs. XI, 8-10).
^ B srtkht6, K srakht6, both here and in § 8 ; compare Av. sras^.
^ Pahl. irdz Ssndtdr must mean one who washes in the mode defined by the Av. frasn^iti, as distinguished from upasnditi, in Vend. VIII, 98, 99, Ep. II, iii, 2 ; this mode is explained as Idldik, 'upwards,' and distinguished from the frd^gftno, 'downward mode,' in Ep. II, iv, 2.
' B inserts ' thus arisen through the demons,' the same phrase as concludes the section.
* K has * owing to a single word of the demons,' by substituting a£vak gdbixno for dh^kini^no.
192 dInkard, book IX.
for a son (pAs ra^lh), iAai the progeny is a son.
12. And about the penalty for^ the progress of
other impropriety which occurs to fire ; also adoui
the person who has attained to the guardianship of
fire and does not lawfully control eV.
^ Assuming that p a stands for pavan.
« See Bk. VIII, Chaps. XX, 64, XXXI, 39.
• A sin twice as great as an Aredii^ (see Bk. VIII, Chap. XXXI,
^ The sin of talking while eating, praying, or any other occasion when a prayer iy^g) has been taken inwardly, as a spell, and is not yet spoken out.
* A personification of the liturgy, Av. mathra spent a, *the bounteous text.'
Chapter Xii, 12-23. 193
17. About the coming of Ast-vtd4^/ ^ at all times,
to mortals whom death has reached *, and also whom
it has not. 1 8. About the ideas of the wicked, that
the best existence does not exist, that the production
of the renovation of the universe does not occur, that
there are no dead whom they raise up thereby, and
it is not that change one attains. 1 9. This, too, that is
false, for the same reason they observe, being wicked ;
because the best existence exists, there occurs a
production of the renovation which is good, they
raise up the dead thereby, and thus one attains that
change.
20. About an admonition as to not making
lamentation and weeping over those passed away ;
and, after the passing away of every righteous one
of the religion to the spirits, one is not to augment
the distress of the very spirit of life by making
lamentation and weeping over the departed. 21.
And this, too, that the guardian spirits of the
righteous claim no lamentation and weeping after
their own ceremonial and the blessing of righteous
men. 22. This, too, that the body of every one is
not of like will with the soul ; food is the desire of
the body, and also a store of wealth; righteous
action is the desire of the soul, and also the gifts
which they give away.
23. About an enquiry of the righteous ZarattUn
as to who it is who has banished (^pArtnlrfo) all
goodness and perfection from his own selfy but
thinks them not banished, and does not complain of
* Av. Astd-vtdhdtu, one of the demons of death (see Bd. XXVIII, 35 ; Dd. XXXVII, 44).
' Those who have attained old age, the natural time of death.
194 DiNKA/U), BOOK IX.
that loss^ 24. And the reply of Aftharmasrrf, that it
is he who is deceived ^ by his own tongue through
the utterance of words, so that, through speaking
falsely, he has become worthy of death. 25. This,
too, that for him it is the weapon of the evil spirit ;
even so complete mindfulness is the reign of Spendar-
ma^J?^ and thus a liar is more a power for the religion
when a man, on account of dulness of thought, gives
no reply, so that he may not speak falsely through
dulness of thought.
29. This, too, that that which is the earliest con-
troller (ay Akhtdr) of sin is thought which is subdued*,
then forgiveness, then shame, and then listening;
and, afterwards, through the sinfulness of the fiend ^,
^ B has ' and there is no complaint of the loss.'
• K ztvint^o.
' The female archangel who has special charge of the earth and virtuous women (see Sis. XV, 20-24); she is a personification of Av. spewta drmaiti, 'bountiful devotion,' of which phrase the latter word is translated by Pahl. bdndak-minijnth, ' complete mindfulness.' See also Bk. VIII, Chap. IX, 3, and S. B. E., vol. xviii, pp. 393, 396.
• K addhm ; B has khfishm, 'wrath,' here, but not so in § 27. » See Bk. VIII, Chap. VII, 5, 9.
• B has * he who is a controller of sin is Vohiiman, owing to thinking of the spirits, which is subdued.'
^ K has only ' through sinfulness.'
Chapter Xii, 24-Xiii, 3. 195
one becomes a promise-breaker. 30. This, too, that
they shall bring every man who is a wounder before
the convocation composed of any priest who is a con-
troller of recitation (srdyi^nS ayiikht^r), any priest
who is of the district (id eh Ik), any priest who is of
an out-district (afi-sdehlk), and any priest who is the
mans own kinsman.
31. ' Thus say I unto thee, O SpltimAn ! let there
be no breach of promise ; neither when the conversa-
tion, that they would make a support, was with the
wicked, and there is no great judiciousness in it ; nor
when it was with those of thine own religion, the
righteous, as to anything of great judiciousness ;
because both of them are promises, both with the
wicked and the righteous \*
32. It is the excellence of righteousness that is perfect.
Chapter XIII. SUdkar Nask.
I. The twelfth fargar^, Ujtavaiti^ is about the
exaltation of Zaratftjt through the satisfaction of
water, and the hope of all creatures for him. 2.
And about the impure recitation of a text, when^ the
text is not uttered by a high-priest. 3. This, too,
that the text which a man who is corrupted may
* This admonition occurs repeatedly (see Chap. XX, 5 ; Yt. X, 2 ; AV. LII, 7).
' The appellation of the first hd of the second Gdtha (Yas. XLIII) which begins with the words UJt& ahm&i yahmdi ujti ; it is here written adjtavdito in Pahlavi.
' Assuming that miin, 'which/ stands for amat; the Pazand of both words being practically the same. Or, it may be, ' also Mm who does not utter the text through a high-priest.'
196 dInKARD, book IX.
offer is an impropriety (adlndth) for that which is
an uncorrupted place. 4. This, too, is declared,
that a greedy man whose belly is filled by accumula-
tion— ^and the end of every sin is, to him, only for
the gratification of the body — one considers just like
a gallows to which ^Aere is a foundation (^lp6) of
every impurity. 5. This, too, that a bird (v&6)
practises that habit (sSin) even that it kills those
outright which have become large in our midst,
which are the serpents produced by the demons. 6.
This, too, that yiTT invocation (azbiyi^no) of the
sacred beings thinking with speaking, speaking with
acting, and acting without deceitfulness are effectual.
7. About the pure goodness of the archangels,
and the union of their thoughts, words, and deeds
together ; their bountifulness, nurturing, and protec-
tion are the cause ^ of the prosperity of the world.
8. About the production of Zaratflit 6y Adharm^d
with a goodness like his own. 9. This, too, that
whoever gives anything to the disciples of ZaratArt,
his reward and recompense are just as though the
thing had been given by him to Zaratft^t *.
