` Meaning the period of Zaratüst's existence merely as a guardian spirit, the first period of the destroyer (§ 17) who then remained powerless in confusion (see Bd. I, 22).
* Or ‘sheltering with’ (ham-kar££ih).
` The personifications of the Avesta phrases for “good thought’ and ‘perfect rectitude, who are two of the seven that hold a superior position among sacred beings, somewhat similar to that of archangels. When a Parsi speaks of Aflharmasd as the first of the Ameshaspends, or archangels, he does not put him on an equality with the rest, any more than we put a commander-in-chief on an equality with his troops when we call him a good soldier.
* Another pronunciation of Ashavahistó.
* These last four archangels are personifications of the Avesta
Chapter Ti, 16-24. 23
“The conveying of Zaratüst down does not seem /o
be for me, because, having a mouth and having
a tongue, Ze will be a proclaimer to the world of
embodied beings. 20. If we convey Zaratüst down
on to the world of embodied beings, having a mouth
and having a tongue, as a proclaimer of the celestial
mansion, this is evident: they wz% say, concerning
the origin of him who is my righteous man, /Za/ we
frame him together with the water, with the land,
with the plants, and with the animals!. 21. There-
fore we wil carry off there, to the village of Pórà-
sháspó, him whom they wz% call Zaratüst of good
lineage of both natures, both of Néryósang * who is
of the archangels, and of Yim who is of mankind.’
22. Then the archangels framed together a stem
of Hóm the height of a man, excellent in colour,
and juicy where fresh ; also to carry off the guardian
spirit of Zaratüst to that stem of theirs, the arch-
angels made it go forth thither from that endless
light, and gave it up there also to the instinctive
intellect (ásnó vir). 23. Likewise their carrying
off was manifest around, and a wall was openly
displayed round them, but a restless one; the Hóm
was constantly provided with a mouth, where it was
suitable, and sap constantly oozed from the Hom
where it was moist.
24. And when thirty ? years of the 3,000 years of
phrases for * desirable dominion, bountiful devotion, completeness or health, and immortality.’
1 That is, as an inferior and irresponsible being.
? Here spelt Nérósang ; see Chaps. I, 29; II, 70; and Zs. XIII, 6, for this angel's influence on the royal race.
3 The MS. has 330 years, but the time intended is evidently that shortly before the birth of Zaratüst, and this third 3,000 years
24 DINKARD, BOOK VII.
well-disturbed ! worldly existence remained, Vohá-
manó and Ashavahistó then associated their pre-
eminence together, and turned off into the embodied
existence ; there they came up to where two birds
had settled in quest of progeny, and seven years
before the serpents devoured the inexperienced
progeny. 25. For their owz designs, Vohümanó
and Ashavahistó went on, and those birds consulted
them thus: ‘We have to offer homage, and our
want is that Hôm.’
26. The circumstances of those associated together
in pre-eminence and the request of these for that
Hêm were a double marvel; Vohümanó seized one
of those dvds by both legs, and the other ġy one;
he also brought them that Hóm, and gave it up to
them there, on that tree within ZZezx nest. 27. And
they uncovered above the serpents, that have gone
up to the progeny of the birds; then that guardian
spirit of Zaratüst started up, and the serpents on
the tree rushed also from them away towards the
demons ; z/ that guardian spirit of Zaratüst smote
them on the jaws, and the serpents fell down and
expired, which events have also occurred among
them till now, Zavzzg been requisite as regards
a aepriver of life (gan-gir) and any one of that
species. 28. And that Hóm was connected with
that tree; and on the summit of that tree, there
ended either when Vistáspó accepted the religion, in Zaratüst's forty-second year, or when Zaratüst received the religion in his thirtieth year, but this earlier date is the more likely.
' This word, hQ-afbigadig, is written in Pahlavi precisely like an-aibigadig, ‘without a destroyer,’ though its meaning is the
reverse, which is an unexpected cause of perplexity to a cursory reader,
Chapter Ii, 25-33. 25
where the nest of the birds was, it grew constantly fresh and golden-coloured '.
29. After the coming of her who bore Zaratist,
to Pórüsháspó for marriage, Vohümanó and Arda-
vahistó, thus associated together in their pre-
eminence, came up there to Pórüsháspó in the
cattle-pasture of the Spitámas, and their thoughts
were confined to that Hôm brought by them. 30.
Then Póráüsháspó walked forth, with spiritual desire,
up to the water of the Dáit?, because the require-
ment of the spirits is the spiritual knowledge ? that
spirits are ever-beneficial; and that Hóm «was also
seen by him, when it had grown on that tree, on the
inside of the nest. 31. Then Pórüsháspó thought
thus: ‘It is for me, really (madam-24-am) to pro-
ceed and, even as ere is no reaching by me up to
that Hóm, that tree must be cut down, for apart from
that, O Hôm of Aühazmazz! thou seemest fresh,
so that the benefit of something from thee wall de
advantageous.'
32. Then Pórüsháspó walked on and washed
their clothes acquiescently (patásig), and here a
great wonder was manifest to Pórüsháspó. 33. About
this it says that, all the while that Pórüsháspó
washed their clothes, Vohümanó then proceeded
from the uppermost third of the tree unto the
middle of it, whereon z¢ was the desire of Pórü-
! Or it may be ‘ verdant.’
2 Av. Dáitya, a mythic river in Afran-vég (Bd. XX, 13); a favourite place for religious rites, see Yt. V, 17, 104, 112; IX, 25, 29; XVII, 45, 49, 61. Or it may be merely mayá-i shêd, ‘brilliant water.’
3 Reading mainég-danisnith, but the MS. has maínóg
dénó-dániíh which might be translated ‘spiritual knowledge of
religion,’ though the latter Pahlavi word is unusual.
26 DÍNKARD, BOOK VII.
sháspó to be conveyed. 34. Then Pórüsháspo,
having washed the clothes, walked up to it and,
thereupon gathering up the whole of that Æóm, all
of it was then also appropriated by him through
assistance like that of that archangel, just as what
thou offerest for the food-sustenance of a friend's
son of two years or three years of age; and it
seemed to him that archangel’s joyful payment.
35. Carrying off their Hóm, Pórüsháspó spoke of
it to Zzs noble (mas) wife thus: ‘So thou, O Dak-
dàüb! shouldst keep their Hôm in custody, all the
while that their Hóm fulfils duty and routine.’
36. One marvel is this which zs declared, that
the coming of the nature (góhar) of the body of
Zaratüst, through water and vegetation, to the
bodies of Zzs parents, is manifested as a great
wonder of the creator to the multitude. 37. As
revelation mentions z/ thus: ‘Thereupon, when
Aühazmazd had produced the material (dahisnó)
of Zaratüst!, the nature of Ais body then, in the
presence of Aühazmazd, fled on Zowards the material
of Zaratüst.'
38. About Khûrdaď and Mirdad? bringing the
cloud-water down in a compassionate manner ever
anew, drop by drop, and completely warm, for the
delight of sheep and men, awd—with as much seed
as the roving of two rampant bulls zoz/d thereby
cast upon the plants wich have grown, all of every
species—¢hey are casting 7¢ upon those other plants
at that time, even upon the dry owes; and the — M ni P a e RE * Compare § 3. * These two archangels have special charge of water and vegetation (see Sls. XV, 25-29), and here they are represented as acting in a manner usually ascribed to Tistar, the Dog-star.
Chapter Ii, 34-43. 27
nature of Zaratüst came from that water to those plants.
39. One marvel is this which zs declared, that, in
order that the nature of Zaratüst shall come unto
Ais parents, after! the mounting of the archangels
Pórüsháspó drives six white cows, with yellow ears,
up to those plants. 40. And here is manifested a
great wonder, such as revelation mentions thus:
Two? of those cows, unimpregnated, Zad become
full of milk, and the nature of Zaratüst came
from the plants to those cows, and is mingled with
the cows milk; it is owing thereto ¢#a¢ Pórüsháspó
drove those cows back. 41. And Pórüsháspó spoke
to Dûkdâûb thus: ‘O Dükzaáüb! in two of those
cows, which are unimpregnated and have not calved,
milk Aas appeared; do thou milk those cows, which
are the splendour and glory of the cows and of any
embodied existence whatever. 42. And Ddkdadb
arose and, taking that pail of hers which had a four-
fold capacity, she also milked from them the milk
which was in them, and a great fart of what they
gave up to her she had to throw away; and the
nature of Zaratüst was in that milk.
43. One marvel is this which is manifested in the
struggle of the adversary for concealing and spoiling
that milk, 7zs¢ as revelation mentions thus: There-
upon, at that time, the demons formed ‘themselves
into an assembly, and the demon of demons growled
thus: ‘You demons become quite unobservant :
that food is really supplied fresh, so that the forma-
tion is settled which w2// extend as far as to that
1 Reading akhar instead of adén, ‘then.’ 2 [n some places the singular number is used, in others the
plural,
28 DINKARD, BOOK VII.
man who will be the righteous Zaratüst; which of
you wz// undertake his destruction, all the while that
he exists for mankind, so as to make 4zm more con-
temptibly impotent?’ 44. Aéshmak!, astute in
evil, growled thus: ‘I wall undertake his destruc-
tion. 45. Astute in evil, he rushed away with
thrice fifty of the demons who are Karaps of
Késhmak; and that village was partly uprooted
and partly destroyed* by him, fellow-workers were
ruined, and the number of fellow-eaters of broken
victuals, attending the great, was not broken up,
among whom was he that had repelled his authority.
46. Žt is declared that, afterwards, Pórüsháspó
asked again for that Hôm from Dakdadb, and he
pounded it, and with that cows' milk?, into which
the nature of the body of Zaratüst had come, he
here mingled the guardian spirit of Zaratüst, and
the nature of the body came at once into union
with it.
47. One marvel is this which zs declared, that
Pórüsháspó and Dûkdâûb drank up that Hôm and
milk, when they were mingled together and an-
nounced to Aühazmaz4 ; and here occurred a com-
bination of the glory, guardian spirit, and bodily
nature of Zaratüst into a mancZz/d. 48. And a
great wonder is manifested to both of them, through
that which revelation mentions thus: Thereupon,
both have embraced the first /i* with desire
* The whirlwind demon; see Bd. XXVIII, 24. Compare Chap. IV, 6r.
? The usual effects of a hurricane.
* The mingling of milk with pounded Hóm still constitutes part of the Parsi ceremonial; see Haug's Essays, 3rd ed., p. 405.
* Pahl. ' ko/À 2 lâlâ fratim vapdidd havánd.'
Chapter Ii, 44-53. 29
for a son, and the demons shouted out unto them,
in the villainous speech of sinfulness, thus: ‘Why
shouldst thou act like this, vile’ Pórüsháspó ?’
whereupon they started up like people who are
ashamed. 49. A second Ze they have embraced,
and the demons shouted out unto them, in villainous
speech ; whereupon they started up like people who
are ashamed. 50. A third zīme they have embraced
thus, with desire for a son; and the demons shouted
out unto them, in villainous speech ; whereupon they
started up like people who ave ashamed. 51. And
they spoke with one another about z, and continued
at this duty, and accomplished it ?, saying : ‘We will
not so stop without accomplishing something, not
even though both Rak and Nédar should arrive here
together? 52. Then that manchz/d who was the
righteous Zaratüst became complete, and here below
there came together the nature of the body, the
guardian spirit, and the glory of Zaratüst in the
womb of his mother.
53. One marvel is this which is declared, that,
after the combination of Zaratüst in the womb of
his mother, the demons strove anew wonderfully
1 Reading anág, but it may be intended for hana=aé, ‘O;
2 Pahl. ‘afshan madam har szfió, aéghshánó pavan akósh fráz validüntó.'"
