72. One marvel is several matters of evil deceit (vad gamás) which Dahak had done in Bápél ?
* This very slight allusion to the cure of Vistasp’s horse by Zaratüst is sufficient to show that this legend existed in the ninth century ; but the writer of the Dinkard seems inclined to trace it back to a tale that he vaguely relates in the earlier part of this section, and which he evidently found in older writings ; this tale, however, does not mention a horse, but only an animated body. The Persian Zaratüst-náma developes the legend of the sick horse, whose legs are drawn up to its belly, into 160 couplets.
? Babylon; see Yt. V, 29-31 ; XV, 19-21.
Chapter Iv, 70-75. 67
through witchcraft, and mankind had come to idol-
worship through that seduction, and 245 increase was
the destruction of the world; 644 through the
triumphant words of the religion, which Zaratüst
proclaimed opposing it, that witchcraft is all dissi-
pated and disabled.
73. One marvel is this which is manifested, with
wonders owing to Zaratüst, in controversy about the
religion with the famous learned of the realm, among
whom, known for learning zz the world, ave the
investigators (giráyagánó) of the words of speech ;
and among those ZZzzzgs which are more surprisingly
controversial ave those later (sibastar) words which
are to save their creatures by a later religion. 74.
Also to proclaim its truth intelligibly, and to make
king Vistásp and those previously learned men with-
out doubt as to the truth of the religion, the creator
Aühazmazd sends some sfzrz¢s, Vohümanó, Ashava-
histó, and the propitious fire', as a reminder to
Vistasp about the true prophesying of Zaratüst, and
the desire of Aühazmaz4 for the acceptance of the
religion of Mazda-worship dy Vistásp and for its
propagation in the world.
75. The wondrousness which is manifested to
Vistasp and those of the realm—both through the
travelling (véziZanó) of those archangels down
from the sky to the earth, and in ¢her travelling to
the abode of Vistasp—was like this which tevelation
mentions thus: “Then he who is the creator Aù-
hazmazd spoke 40 them, to Vohümanó, Ashava-
histó, and also the fire of Aühazmaz4, the propitious,
thus: “ Proceed! you wo are archangels, unto the
1 Compare Zs. XXIII, 7. F 2
68 DINKARD, BOOK VII.
abode of Vistásp, whose resources (2fzár) are cattle
and who is far aud widely famed, with a view to Zzs
reliance upon this religion (that is, till he shall stand
up for this religion); and, as regards the answering
words of the righteous Zaratüst of the Spitamas, to
approve the nature (zag sán) of those words." 76.
The archangels proceeded unto the abode of Vistásp,
whose resources are cattle and who is far and widely
famed ; their radiance, in that lofty residence, seemed
to him, that Vistásp, a heaven of complete light,
owing to their great power and triumph; this was
so that, when he thus looked upon it, the exalted
Kai-Vistasp trembled, all his courtiers (pésakó)
trembled, all his chieftains (pagó) were confused,
and he of the superior class as like the driver of
a chariot-horse.
77. ‘And the fire of Aühazmazd spoke, in the
words of heroes, thus: “ Fear not, for ¿kere is no
fearing for thee, zkou exalted Kai-Vistásp! they
have not come for alarming thy abode, as a reminder
of the deputed envoys of Argásp'; ‘here have not
come, for alarming thy abode, the two Khyóns of
* Av. Aregad-aspa, king of the Hvyaonas (Pahl. Khyóns), men- tioned in Yt. V, 109, 113, 116; XVII, 5o; XIX, 87. His war with Vistásp, for the purpose of compelling the latter to abjure his new religion, is described in the Yágkár-i Zarirán (see Geiger in Sitsungsberichten der p-p. und h. Classe der k. bayer. Akad. der Wiss. 1890, Bd. II, pp. 43-84). Argásp sends two envoys, Vidrafs the wizard and Námkhvást of the Hazárs, to demand Vistásp's sub- mission; this is refused defiantly by advice of Zarir, the king's brother; and both nations prepare for war. When the Iránians meet the Khyóns, Vistásp consults his vazir Gamasp, who prog- nosticates prodigious slaughter. And, after losing most of their chieftains (including twenty-three brothers and sons of Vistásp), the Iránians utterly annihilate the Khyón army. This war is called the “war of the religion’ in Bd. XII, 35; Byt, IIS
Chapter Iv, 76-81. 69
-` Argásp who demand tribute and revenue (sak va-
bázó); and /Zere has not come, for alarming thy
abode, the all-overpowering thief who is an injurer,
or the dog who is a highwayman. 78. We are three
who have come over (taristó) to thy abode, Vohà-
manó, Ashavahistó, and also the fire of the propitious
lord; of these thy knowledge is most wisely most
just. 79. If thou helpest vision, so that it becomes
wisdom for thee, the worldly exzs/euce requires the
good religion of the Mazda-worshippers, which pro-
ceeds purely through the recitation which Zaratüst
of the Spitamas ¢eaches. 80. Do thou chant the
Ahunavair, do thou praise perfect righteousness !,
and utter no worship? for the demons! because the
desire of Aühazmazd, as regards thee, is for thy
reliance upon this religion; 77 is also the desire of
the archangels, and the desire, as regards thee, of
the other sacred beings who are beneficent (sapir-
dahakó) and righteous.
81. ‘“ And as the recompense in this life, if you
praise the good and pure religion of the righteous
Zaratüst of the Spitamas, we will give unto thee
a long reign and sovereignty, and the long lifetime
of a life of 150 years; we will give unto thee Good
Integrity and Rectitude ? which is long-continued in
desire for constantly assisting, good for assistance
1 That is, recite the Yathá-ahü-vairyó and the Ashem-vohü formulas.
? Pahl. 4-a £zisníh, literally, a ‘ non-worship, which may mean something worse than 'no worship;' but *execration or male- diction’ is usually expressed by gazisn, ' cursing, which is written exactly like yazisn, ‘ worship.’
8 Pahl, Aharisvang and R4é-astisnih, the equivalents of Av. Ashis-vanguhi and Rasástát who are spiritual personifications of the qualities mentioned in the text.
70 DINKARD, BOOK VII.
through constantly assisting, and not passing away ;
and we w7// give unto thee a son, Péshyótan! is Zzs
name, he is immortal, and so is undecaying, hunger-
less, and thirstless, living and predominant in both
existences, ‘hose of the embodied Zeizgs and of the
spirits. 82. Bul, as the recompense in this life, if
you do not praise the good azd pure religion of
the righteous Zaratüst of the Spitamas, we 2/7// not
convey thee up on high, and we will order thine
end; the vultures which exe mindful of decay w://
see and eat up those and these of thine, thy blood
will reach the ground, and the waters wz// not reach
thy body."'
83. One marvel is that connected with the confi-
dence (vd@vari-hastan6) of Vistásp in the religion,
even through that occurrence of the speech of the
archangels ; and, afterwards, the obedience (patya-
sai?) of his thoughts in the case of the delays
through the bloodshed owing to Argásp? the Khyón
and his attendant heroes (pas-gurdánó) through-
out the same Khyóns, because of the acceptance of
the religion. 84. Also, for the sake of daily and
visibly showing to Vistásp the certified victory over
Argásp and the Khyóns, and his own superior
position, unceasing rule, splendour, and glory, the
creator Adhaymazd sends, at the same time, the
angel Néryósang? to the abode of Vistásp, as a
reminder for the archangel Ashavahistó to give to
Vistásp to drink of that fountain of life, for looking
——————————éééR Ie
' Written Péshyáótanó, both here and in Chap.V, 12. He is the immortal priestly ruler of Kangdez, who was expected to come to restore the religion in Iran in the time of Aüshédar, see Bd. XXIX, 5; Byt. III, 25-32, 36-42, 51, 52.
* Here written Argadáspó; see $70
* Written Néróksang here and in $ 85.
CHAPTER Iv, 82-86. 71
into the existence of the spirits, the enlightening food
by means of which great glory and beauty are seen
by Vistásp.
85. Just as this passage of revelation mentions
thus: ‘And he who is the creator AühazmazZ spoke
to the angel Néryósang thus: “ Proceed az4 travel,
O Néryósang the assembler!! unto the abode of
Vistásp, whose resources are cattle and who is far
and widely famed, and thou shalt say this to Ashava-
histó, thus: * O Ashavahistó! do thou authoritatively
take this fine saucer (tastó), which is fully finer than
the other saucers that ave made (that is, the cup
(gam) is as fine as is possible to make for royalty),
and carry up to Vistásp the Hôm and Vars? (mái)
which are for us; and do thou give it? unto the
ruler Vistásp to drink up, by whose word it is
accepted. " 86. Ashavahistó authoritatively taking
the fine saucer from him, also, thereupon, gave it
unto the exalted ruler Kai-Vistásp to drink from *;
and the ruler of the country (dih), the exalted Kai-
Vistásp, lay down when divested of Zs robes, and
he spoke to Hátós5 thus: “ You, O Hátós! are she
1 Compare Vd. XXII, 7.
? A lock of three, five, or seven hairs from the tail of a white bull, that is tied to a metal thumb-ring which is put into the Hóm-strainer when the Hóm-juice is about to be poured through it. See Haug’s Essays, 3rd ed., pp. 397-403. This ring and lock of hair may be the relic of a hair-sieve that may have been used for straining the Hóm-juice in former times.
8 The saucer, or cup, of strained Hóm-juice.
* The foregoing twenty-six words, excepting two, have been here repeated by the writer of the old Bombay MS., after turning over a folio.
5 Av; Hutaosa, wife of Vistásp and descendant of Nédar (Av. Naotara); see Yt. XV, 35, 36. According to the later authority of the Yádkar-i Zarí;àn, $ 48, she was also a sister of Vistasp.
72 DINKARD, BOOK VII.
pce ES
whom the prompt ability (t@z6 hünar) of Zaratüst of
the Spitamas should reach; and through the dili-
gence of the prompt ability of Zaratüst of the
Spitamas, you? would expound the religion of
Aühazmazd and Zaratüst."'
87. One marvel is this which is declared, that
when Vistásp, accepting the religion, praises right-
eousness, the demons in hell are disabled, and the
demon Aeshm ? rushes to the country of the Khyóns
and to Axgásp, the deadly one of the Khyóns, because
he was the mightiest of the tyrants at that time; and
the most hideous of all, of so many of them in the
country of the Khyóns, are poured out by him for
war.
88. And here, too, is manifested a great wonder
also to the host (ram) of Irán who have been coming
there, unto the residence of Argásp the Khyón, like
this which revelation mentions thus: ‘ Then, just at
the time his legion is separately displayed, Aeshm
the unredeemable (tanépüharak) adheres (gére-
védó) to him, as eng himself without escort
(aguróh), and quite opposes (barà sperezéd5)
him, because: “You, who are a Khyón, Zave become
unlucky through want of success after you engage
in conflict." 89. Henceforth, it is not that the
victory of Iran has come over foreigners and
Khyóns—through companionship at the abode of
that man who is mightier by the birth of Zaratüst
The similarity of her name to that of Atossa, the wife and sister of Cambyses, whom Darius afterwards married, is striking.
* As the verbal forms of the present third person singular and second person plural are alike in Pahlavi, it is doubtful which personal pronoun to use,
* The demon of Wrath; see Bd. XXVIII, 15-17.
Chapter Iv, 87-V, I. 73
of the Spitamas—when that hideous sovereignty of
Argásp, the deadly Khyón, is swallowed up by him
(Vistasp), for the confusion of the deadly species
(that is, ‘ey are further smitten by him, one through
the other; and are swallowed together by him,
mutually struggling and through mutually devour-
ing). 90. And apart from him, that bitter az4 well-
hardened Khyón that is quite disabled by him the
good L7s/ásb, that deadly fend is disturbed about
him of eloquent abilities (Zaxa/Zs?); and so he
grumbled at the hideous sovereignty thus: * Prompt
ability comes into existence and the Khyón came;
thereupon prompt ability comes into existence and
the Iranian has come.’
CHAPTER V.
from the acceptance of the religion dy Vistásp on-
wards til the departure (vikhézó) of Zaratdst,
whose guardian spirit is reverenced, to the best
existence, when seventy-seven years? had elapsed
onwards from Zzs birth, forty-seven onwards from
