440 OTHER DETAILS OF NASKS.
quadrupeds, grazing animals and birds, and every-
thing which is similarly produced from any (aik) of
them^ and the characteristics of all things. Secondly,
that which is the production of the resurrection and
future existence, and the coming together and
separation at the Alnva^ pass ; the recompense
for the doers of good works and the punishment
for sinners occur through the future existence, and
such-like topics as these are.
6. The sixth Nask is Ashfi^f, the Ni^fir, and
the subdivisions of that are thirty-five. In this
Nask are the purposes of the stars (nu^ftm), the
zodiac, and the planets, the goodness and evil of
each constellation, and the movement of all the
planets in the signs of the zodiac (bClr^) and lunar
mansions (mahlgin nu^Am). They have trans-
lated it into Arabic and Persian, and the name
they have adopted for this book is Bfttsil, and in
Persian the name which is appointed for it is
Kapim^f&n.
7. The seventh is this which is Kid^ and is the
Pi^am, and its subdivisions are twenty-two. In
this Yag^^va Nask is the topic of the slaughtering
of quadrupeds and sheep, how they are to be
slaughtered, of which among the quadrupeds the
command is that it is allowable to eat, and of which
kind the eating is not allowable; how he who
slaughters shall strike at the time of the expiring of
the sheep. The more expenditure (saraf) one
makes upon a season-festival, so much the more is
the reward; how much it is expedient to bestow
upon the Dastftrs, Mobads, and H^rbads, and upon
the unwavering practisers of good works in the
good religion ; what merit accrues to every one
DtN-VIGIRGARD. 44 1
who celebrates a season-festival and consecrates
clothing for a soul, and who, for that reason, is in
the supreme heaven in the last times; and it is
necessary to give clothing to relations and the
righteous as a righteous gift, and to exercise media-
tion on the part of the righteous ; the five greater
and lesser days of the guardian spirits, and the
practice of good works on these ten days is enjoined
in this Nask. It is requisite for all people that they
shall read this book with good and wise under-
standing, that all may become aware of its topics.
8. The eighth Nask is that which is Ha^A, the
Ratu^tdlh, and the subdivisions of that Nask were
fifty when the accursed Alexander had the Nasks
burnt up, but after that, as they sought out this
Nask, only thirteen of those subdivisions came to
hand, and no more remained of those previously
existing. In this Nask are the reasons of per-
forming service, giving orders, and remaining at
the command of kings and at the command of
high-priests and judges ; the adornment-preserving ^
purpose of cities is declared, the command of re-
ligion, and things made magnificently (a^^^lhS),
grazing animals, birds, cattle, and fish ; everything
which is a production of Atihaniia^^ or Aharman ;
all the purposes of all the seas, mountains, and lands ;
and matters similar to such as are mentioned.
9. The ninth Nask is this which is Vangh^uJ,
and is the Barix; the subdivisions of that Nask
were first sixty, but after the accursed Alexander
only twelve remained. As to the information in
this Nask, just as there is the sovereignty for those
^Assuming that fr/vvinik, which might mean * important,' stands for pardasSnik.
442 OTHER DETAILS OF NASKS.
who are kings, so there is the usage which it is
necessary for them to practise, and the command of
the sentence of judges of the religion such as is
necessary to be executed ; the custody and pro-
tection for the world, and making each new city
flourishing; also the reasons of people, who are
false-speaking, sinners, and such-like, are mentioned
in this Nask. i
ID. The tenth Nask is that which is Dazdi,
the KaJ'srdb, and the subdivisions of that Nask
were formerly sixty, but after the accursed Alexander
only fifteen subdivisions remained. In that Nask
the topic is that which is wisdom and knowledge,
the reason of its being brought forth from the
mother, and the teaching of wisdom by demon-
stration, the performance of purification and the
speaking of truth ; bringing people from vileness
unto virtue, and bringing them from defilement and
pollution unto purity; greatness and good progeny
arise for people near kings, and how the habit of
people telling lies, to others and to kings, arises;
and such-like as these.
11. The eleventh Nask was Manangh6, the
Vl^t&spfiflf, and the subdivisions of that Nask were
sixty, but after the accursed Alexander only ten
remained. In this Nask is the topic of the
sovereignty of Gft^sp, and ZaratOrt the SpttAmSn,
having brought the religion from AOharma^//, king
Gu^tisp accepted it, and made it current in the
world ; and such-like as these.
12. The twelfth is .S'^yaothananSm, the Kh6st,
and the subdivisions of that Nask were first twenty-
two, but after the accursed Alexander only six
remained. Among those six, which are the first
dJn-vigirgard. 443
portions (zizp = Ar. ^izb), the topics in one portion
are the attributes (si fit) of the creator ACiharma^:^/,
and the understanding of them ; also being without
doubt about the religion of ZaratO^t, the SpltfimSn,
all the duty and good works which are prescribed in
the religion, and such-like. In the second portion is
the reason of service for kings, the truth of the
religion, submission to all its commands, and with-
holding ones hand from evil actions, so that it has
become far from mischief. In the third portion is
that which is the debt for performers of virtuous
position, the advantage of good works, the final
release from hell, and such-like. The fourth is the
reason of the creation of the world, the practice of
agriculture, the cultivation of trees, the date-tree
and every fruit-tree; whence arises most strength
for people and animals ; being under the command
of the practisers of good works and the virtuous,
and being under the command of the high-priests,
and such-like as they are. In the fifth portion all
the specimens of mankind are mentioned : they who
are of great knowledge, who are kings, judges, and
the sages of the religion ; in the second specimen
are they that have to keep watch over all the cities,
and to make the enemy confounded; in the third
specimen are these whose object one mentions in
//4^ /^rw * husbandmen ; ' the fourth specimen which
one mentions are these who are the greatly-skilled
and sitters in the market, grandiloquent to repel
loss, giving one-tenth to the high-priest and king,
and offering praise on hardened knees, the last
reward of which is that one obtains in the spiritual
existence.
1 3. The thirteenth Nask is that which is Angh^u5,
444 OTHER DETAILS OF NASKS.
the spend; its subdivisions are sixty which are
precious unto people of pedigrees (mAyagdn) and
those who possess much avidity for virtuous actions
and have to proceed in the f otsteps (pAl-rapih) of
the great and religious; also accounts of ZaratArt,
who is born from the womb of DOghd^re/o, till ten
years of age. Every DastOr and Mobad shall recite
this Nask in purity, and with ease and the proper
words, for several days, and shall obtain every
desire of his own, or any wish which he claims on
account of (bari rit-1) others.
14. The fourteenth Nask is that which is
Mazddi; the name Zira^t is appointed yi^r zV, and
the subdivisions of that Nask are twenty-two. In
like manner this Nask is sent by Afiharma^rf, which
is to make manifest to the people what is the
purpose of that science through which mankind are
born from the womb of a mother, how many in-
dividuals among them will die away from the womb,
and how many individuals will live; how many
persons and people among them become kings, and
how many, meanwhile (flm&), exercise apostleship,
that is, the high-priesthood ; how many are the
grandest of people, and how many are the meanest
of mankind, aftd in what mode this occurs ; from
first to last, the time people are born and all those
topics are in this Nask.
15. The fifteenth is Khshathrem^i, and the
name of that Nask is Baghfin-ya^t, and its sub-
divisions are seventeen. In it are the topics of
Afihanna^^/ the lord and the archangels, the know-
ledge of their attributes, and the service and sub-
limity of Aflharmas^; at what time every Gdh
occurs until the future existence, and what duty is
DtN-VIGIRGARD. 445
performed ; offering praise for every benefit from
AAharma^fl?, and obtaining benefit from him ; the
appearance of the archangels, and knowing what is
such-and-such an appearance of such-and-such an
archangel in the future existence. This Nask used
in the service of Aflharmasr^ and the archangels is
very excellent.
16. The sixteenth is Ahurii, and they have
appointed it the name NiyAr&m; the subdivisions
of that Nask are fifty-four, about the reason of
preserving wealth and placing it out, agreement and
measure by the cubit and handful ; everything the
creator AAharma^^ has ordained as uncontaminated,
release from hell, and how to walk in the path of
reverence and worship ; what is in the mind of man,
and what is everything in the body of man ; and
such-like as these that are mentioned.
17. The seventeenth Nask is that which is K,and
the name they have appointed yi?r it is Asp&r6m;
one mentions sixty-five subdivisions of it, and in this
Nask is every religious topic which all persons well
understand, and the punishment suffered by sinners,
which they receive in their last career ; everything
which is uncontaminated is allowable, and what is
not uncontaminated is not allowable; the stars
preside over the destiny of mankind ; and such-like
as these.
18. The eighteenth Nask is that which is Yim,
that has the name Duvcisardzad appointed yj7r ity
and the subdivisions of it are likewise sixty-five. In
this Nask are the reasons of next-of-kin marriage,
forming connections among relations, and such-like
as these.
19. The nineteenth Nask is Driguby6, the name
446 OTHER DETAILS OF NASKS.
of which is Askdram, and is of fifty-two stanzas
(v^>^astihcL), about the giving of orders, exercise of
authority, and practising wisdom in everything;
producing the resurrection, by which every person
passed away is made living again, and the mal-
formations of Aharman and the demons are withered
away ; and such-like.
20. The twentieth Nask is that which is Dada^/,
that they call iy its name of Vendld&fl?, where the
meaning 0/ this is * the law against the demons,'
which is of twenty-two fargar^s. The topic 0/ it is
what preserves mankind from evil and pollution,
and will restrain them from the menstruous, dead
matter, pestilence, and running sores. Of all the
twenty-one Nasks the Nask of * the law against the
demons' has alone remained entire; while several
remain scattered by the wickedness (^Omlh) of the
accursed Alexander, this Nask of the Vendldfirf
remained in hand, and owing to its elucidation the
religion of Mas^a-worship exists now.
21. The twenty-first Nask is Vis td rem, whose
name one calls Hiflf6kht, and its fargar^fe are said
to be thirty. In it are much excellence and many
miracles, and the vile Aharman becomes far from
every one who recites this Hd^6kht, and it makes
him extinct, and the reciter comes near unto AAhar-
xxsSiZd and becomes purified from sin.
22. NoWi alas! if all these Nasks do not remain,
so that one is not able to solemnize them, that is
for this reason, that the accursed Alexander, the
Arfiman, took several transcripts — in the ArAman
language and characters (hurOfo)— of any among
those twenty-one Nasks which were about the stars
and medicine, and burnt up the other Nasks; and
DtN-VIGIRGARD. 447
the soul of the accursed Alexander, the Rfiman,
will remain wretched and burnt in gloomy hell till
the resurrection, owing to his own vileness which
injured the religion of ZaratAit,
23. After the villany of Alexander, an assemblage
of several high-priests, who were sages of the
religion, brought the Avesta of all of them from
various places, and made a collection of so much
Avesta and Zand as the sacred (ya^td) Yasna,
Vlspera^/, Vendtdi^, ArdSl-fravaraf, and other scraps
of the Avesta, the DarAn, -^frlngin, and the
Commands of the religion ; all these were written,
and the BOndahi^ book was correctly written ; and
all such, among them, as were not written, which did
not come into the thoughts of the sages, departed, on
that account, from the midst of the many topics of
revelation.
24. Just as it is said that there were twenty-one
Nasks, there are first, in seven Nasks, the topics
of the religion of Ma^^/a- worship, in the second
seven Nasks are the topics of medical practice, and
in the third seven Nasks the topics and capabilities
of the stars are mentioned.
Nask-Fragments
That Are
STILL EXTANT.
[37] G g
