his opposition to idolatry (see Yt. V, 49, 50 ; Bd. XVII, 7). This section appears to be an actual quotation from the Pahlavi version of the Nask, professing to give the words of Zaratdrt
^ K has dihik, ' a provincial.'
• The first two words of the first hd of the third G&tha (Yas. XL VII, i), which are converted into the Pahlavi appellation S/endmattd.
' By providing for the performance of the proper ceremonies for the benefit of one's own soul.
Chapter Xvi, 20-Xvii, 9. 205
the righteous man; and that liberal good work incrcdises from time io time ^ ^sAfrom day to day.
4. About the bridge penalty of him who is a
mourner (navlnl^ir) and j^^-wounder in the three
nights after a death, and how // is as though they
who are living should again pour melted ore on a
human being. 5. About the punishment for a
woman who gives herself in marriage to a righteous
man, and comes away * from him ; such as when a
hedgehog • should be constantly going in and coming
out by her sexual organ ; and the cutting off of her
way from the best existence. 6. About the non-
deliverance of a soul of the wicked from hell till the
future existence. 7. About the punishment of the
wicked there is this, too, it is as though a sheep
which is alive should be remaining tied by the legs,
head downwards, and there should be a specific exu-
dation of its toes through running at the nose *.
8. About the G4thas for an ordeal* of the spiritual
existence^ which is concealed in every mode, being
without a footing (^p^-p&stak6), as it were, for him
who is a righteous chanter of the Githas.
9. The excellence ^righteousness is perfect.
^ Pahl. vidanS&nag vidan&dnag, a hybrid equivalent of zam&nak zam&nak (see Bk. VIII, Chap. XXXV, 6 n). ' B has * relapses.' ' Compare AV. LXX.
* Pahl. (dzs angdstd zahih-1-i mdyagdnik pavan vintk-ta^ ai, ¥oT mdyagtnik, 'specific' (which occurs, however, in BL VIII, Chap. XX, 166), we can read mds&nik, 'tumerous or coagulating,' or we may consider it equivalent to mi^yi^ntk, 'lamentable.'
* Compare the reference to the ordeal by fire in Pahl. Yas. XLVI, 6 ; the earlier part of the chapter is also somewhat of a homily upon the references to the wicked and righteous in the same hd.
206 DtNKA^D, BOOK DC.
Chapter XVIII. SH^ar Nask.
1. The seventeenth fargar//, Y6zl\ is about where
he is who shall commit any of these five sins *, and,
thereby perverted from the religion, has diminished
his own life and destiny ^ : — A human being when
he contentedly reverences a demon in spiritual lord-
ship (ahfilh) and priestly authority (ra//lh), one
steadfast in religion when he so reverences one un-
steadfast in religion, a teacher when he so reverences
one who is no teacher and ignorant, one acquainted
with the Githas when he so reverences one unac-
quainted with the Gdthas and unintelligent
(anashnds) *, and a helpful one when he so reverences
an unhelpful and unwise one.
2. This, too, where also they are who unlawfully
slaughter a sheep, ^?r beast of 6urden,^hi{^ diminishes
their life and destiny. 3. And so, too, those also
who think scornfully of AAharma^r^, O pure and
righteous SpltAmAn ! and their own religion, the
strength of the righteous and thy disciples.
Chapter XIX.
SUdkar Nask.
I. The eighteenth fargar^, A^-md-yavi*, is
VT J?T^ ^^^l ^""'^ ""^ ^^^ '^^°^^ ^ o^ the third Gdtha (Yas.
«\: ' '^' ^^^® ^"^^^^ yeztk in Pahlavi.
B omits ' sins.' s Or' glory'
» ll \^' ^T ^'^ ^^^- ^^"^ ^^ ^^^^ imperfectly.
XLTX xN f . '^''''^^ ^^ ^^^ *^^d ^^ of the third Gdtha (Yas. ALIX, I), here written a^-md-tyiibo in Pahlavi.
Chapter Xviii, I-Xix, 3. 207
about the pregnancy of the demon from him who
has eaten and chattered in sinfulness towards Khftr-
daof and Am(irda^^, or who makes water when
standing ^ or who heedlessly sees his semen. 2.
And the hussy ^ who spills (^fty^rfo) anything after
sunset (hAk-frdshm6k-da^/), or who scatters a
morsel (dinar) ^food to the north, at night, with-
out a recitation of the Ahunavair *.
3. This, too, that only the soul is constantly
desirable for the body, even through this alone,
that this perishable body* [is a worldly state of
righteousness, and, by rousing up(lili-payamijnlh)*
when thou wouldst sleep on, the righteousness] is on
the advance when thou wouldst have retreated ; and
^ Av. haurvat&t, 'completeness, or health,' and ameretSt, Mmmortality;' the archangels who have special charge of water and plants, respectively (see Sis. XV, 25-29), and are said to be injured by the sin of talking while eating and drinking those things (see Chap. IX, 2).
* Thereby polluting more ground than is necessary (see Sis. X,6)-
' See Chap. XI, 5 n.
^ K does not mention the latter sinful action. The reason of the sin of such actions is that they may be considered as ofiferings to the demons (who are supposed to come from the north and to be powerful at night) unless protected by the Ahunavair (see Bk. VIII, Chap. I, 7) used as an exorcism (see Sd. XXX, 1,2; Sis. X, 7, XII, 18).
' B has ' even through the assertion that this is corporeal and perishable.' The passage in brackets occurs only in K.
• This appears to be the most probable reading of the word which occurs again in § 5, where it is written Idld-dpayami^nih in K, which form is also found in Hn. I, 23, where it translates Av. ustryamnd. For the latter member of this compoimd see also Chap. XX, 6, 7. For the syllable yam we might substitute gam or ^am without much alteration of meaning, or even dam if we translate by * fanning up, exciting.'
208 DtNKAiU), BOOK IX.
the righteousness, in arising, is like thee in every
coming and departure ; through fetching and de-
livering the breath it shall become good reward,
abundant reward, and the reward of righteousness.
4. When the body shall act so, the soul is rejoiced
^/w? shall utter a blessing for the body thus : ' Happy
may it he for thee, O perishable body ! whom I have
made tall, and whom I have brought near to the
best existence.' 5. And when the body shall not
accept the progress («fr4s) of the soul, and says it is
evil progress on rousing up, evil progress on advanc-
ing, [and evil progress upwards, the soul is a demon] ^
and shall offer [lamentable] ^ words thus : * Evil art
thou, O perishable body ! whom I made dwarfish
(ga^flk), and whom I have brought near to the
worst existence.*
6. About where M^^ ^^^ unaccustomed (av^^akS),
imperfect, and secret signs of short life, and the
healthfulness guttering the Ahunavair^ andAshexvi^
for it. 7. This, too, that, when thou wouldst squat
for making water, thou recitest the Ahunavair, and
the Ashem, afterwards, when thou wouldst stand
up ; so that any demon, or fiend, shall least injure
thee. 8. And when thou wouldst go in unto thy
wife (ndrlk), thou recitest first the Ahunavair, and
the Ashem, afterwards, when thou wouldst be coming
together*; for so thou wouldst be making that, too,
which arises — which is thy son — more righteous and
* The words in brackets are omitted in K. 8 See Bk.VIII, Chap. 1,7.
' See Chap. Ill, i ; here, and in §§ 7, 8, it is expressed by Pabl. ahar^yih, 'righteousness,' being an abbreviation of its usual appellation, ' praise of righteousness,' in Pahlavi.
* Pahl. * amat andarg hakhtd vadtdiinifi a£.'
Chapter Xix, 4-Xx, 2. 209
more successful through the Ashem. 9. This, too,
that, when thou wouldst go into a house, thou shouldst
be oflFering homage, and do thou utter the Ahuna-
vair, for the spirit of the house and for everything
of the material existence of the righteous which is
and was and will be in that dwelling.
10. Also about the corruption (tava^tand) of the
wicked, and the calamity (sAr) which is unjustly
distributed by them in the realm ^.
1 1 . Excellence that is perfect is righteousness.
Chapter XX.
SUdkar Nask.
1. The nineteenth fargar^?, Ka</-m6i-urvd^ is
about where the souls, when they come together,
extol the soul of him who was a virtuous high-priest,
a friend of the soul, because he did not injure it, a7id
guarded it from hell.
2. About the darkness, the intensity (bfir'^vS-
hdmandlh) and far-reaching bottomlessness of the
blackness, and the absence of goodness in hell ; and
the proximity to stenches, close concealment ®, sleet-
pelted clambering (pl^nakS-b&llnlh), frozen ad-
^ Like Yas. XLIX this fargar</ begins with special references to the wicked, and returns to them towards the end.
* The first three words of the fourth, and last, hi of the third Gdtha (Yas. L, i), here written kae/-indk-ravako in Pahlavi.
' Compare A V. LIV, 5-8 : — *As close as (tang -i^) from the ear to the eye, and as many as the hairs a horse has in his mane, so many in number the souls of the wicked stand, but they do not see, nor do they hear a sound, one from the other, and every one, there- fore, thinks that he is alone/ For a description of hell see also Dd. XXVII.
2lG DtNKAW), BOOK IX.
vancing, painful condition, distressed state, and
awful fear of those in hell, 3. This, too, that is
thrown open (lakhv&r ramltun^f) ovef it, from the
D<i peak*, which is in Afrin-v^, to AlbOr'^*, and
below the middle of which is the gate of hell, is the
A'lnva^/ bridge * which is the route (vi//dr) of every
one, righteous or wicked ; the width across the route
of the righteous is a breadth of nine spears, each
one the length of three reeds, but the route for the
wicked becomes like the edge of ^ razor.
* Or iTaka^-t Ddttt (see Pahl. Vend. XIX, loi ; Bd. XII, 7).
* Av. hara berezaiti, the range of lofty mountains supposed to surround the world (see Bd. V, 3-5).
' Here called iSrinak6-piihal, and Jf'tj-vi^arg in § 4; for a fuller description of it see Dd. XXI, 2-7. Allusion is made to it in Yas. L, 7.
* ACiharmaafif, speaking to Zaratiijt. The whole of this para- graph appears to be quoted verbatim from the original Pahlavi text of the Nask,
5 See Chap. IX, 6.
* See Bk, VIII, Chap. XLIV, 16.
Chapter Xx, 3-1 0. 2h
lascivious (^^hlk) promise is more awful, O Splti-
m&n ! 6. So I say unto thee, O Spltimin ! that
thou shouldst not seize a wanton (^6hlk) for use —
that is, do not make her lAy wife — and with com-
pulsion (dpayami^nth) ^^her^ — that is, do not let
thyself \vt with her. 7. And if thou shouldst seize
a courtezan for use, and with compulsion of her,
thou mayst not dismiss her afterwards, neither in
adversity, nor in prosperity, neither on account of
fondness for self, wox for life ; because he who seizes
a courtezan for use, and with compulsion, and shall
dismiss her on account of fondness for self, or for
life, becomes thereby a breaker of promises to the
house, village, community, or province, that gives
her life (valman zlvln^^o), and to the soul that
animates her */
8t So breaking the promise comes upon the chil-
dren that are theirs, through evil teaching ; and he
who is wicked is lying down without children at the
bottom of hell. 9. That is, there is nothing what-
ever of^ happiness for the wicked, that happiness
which is produced abundantly by him who is A<i-
harmasr^.
10. Perfect righteousness is excellence.
* Or, perhaps, * with approach to her ' (see Chap. XIX, 3 n). If Apadamixnfh were read, it might mean 'aspiration, or attach- ment ' for her.
^ This implies that the woman, being a notorious sinner, cannot reasonably complain of bodily injury on being dismissed ; but her soul and the community are grievously injured by her being thus driven into further sin, and for this injury the man's soul will be made responsible.
' K has * none even of this/
212 dIsKARD, book IX.
Chapter XXI. SiidJiar Nctsk.
1. The twentieth fargar//, VohA-khshathrem S
is about the oppressive actions of the sovereignty
which Dah&k^ exercised over the earth of seven
regions, and the forward progress of his commands
owing to a surrounding of terrors.
2. About DahAk's enquiry of the members of the
assembly, regarding the reason of the affliction of
the collected people, after the cutting up of Yim'
and the accession (khfirtf&ylh) of Dahik; and the
people's saying, tn reply to Dah&k, that Yim had
kept away want and destitution, hunger and thirst,
decay and death, lamentation and weeping from the
world, besides the cold and heat of the immoderate
mingling of the demon with mankind. 3, And this,
too, that* *a giver of comfort was Yim — that is,
those things were produced by him which are the
comfort of mankind — and he was a giver of desire
for them, so that his happiness zvas through the
gratification produced — that is, mankind gratified
him through virtue. 4. And Aii^ak*, who made
^ The first two words of the fourth Githa (Yas. LI, i), here
written vohftk-khshatar (B) and v6hiik-khshatar (K) in
Pahlavi.
