1 A high-priest who was prime minister of king Shahpühar II (A.D. 309-379). He is often mentioned in Pahlavi writings, but in the Avesta he is only alluded to, apparently, by the title Rástare- vaghezt in Yt. XIII, 106.
2 A translation of Av. spezta - ármaiti, the archangel Spen-
darmad. 3 So written, all three times in Pázand. He is the Avarethra-
88 DINKARD, BOOK VII.
21. This Avarethrabau, too, is an organizer whose
righteous guardian spirit we reverence, and zz
memory of MánüsZihar, the well-destined, and a pro-
genitor of Átürpád!, it says that ‘only from him
comes Avarethrabau;’ and Zhen also-arises this one
of the adversaries of the religion, the apostate of
apostates, whom they have even called the Mazdag-
like (Mazdagig-i£)* 22. As it says this, too,
about them, namely: ‘This religion of mine thou
dost survey with thoughts of spiritual life, thou dost
very thoroughly inspect 77, O Zaratüst! when many,
aware of apostates, call the performance of righteous-
ness and even the priesthood innocence, and few are
frank and practising z£? 23. In the revelation of the
Mazda-worshippers is this, namely: ‘ Thoroughly
look into revelation, and seek a remedy for them
and any whatever of them who have become dis-
turbing in the embodied existence, and uncaptivated
by the orthodox (à yin-aü mónd) righteousness which
is owing to the perfect existences ; and so they divide
the religion of the Mazda-worshippers through
division of race, they speak regarding the action of
their own followers, and give the endowment to
their own. 24. They grant supplies of food, so that
they may say the food is proportional to the hunger ;
they speak of procreation, and say that they say
lineage is through the mothers; and they approve
of wolfishness, so that they would act something like ———— ee — 0 COMM
bangh, son of Rastare-vaghent of Yt. XIII, 106, better known as Zaratüst, son of Atürpád in his old age, for whom the Andarz-i Atûrpâd-î Máraspendán was written. ! Whose pedigree is traced back to Mânûskîhar in Bd. XXXIII, 3. * Probably some disciple of Mánih, the heretic who had been
put to death a.p. 276-7. Mazdag was put to death A.D. 528. See S.B.E., vol. xxxvii, pp. 257 n, 278 n.
Chapter Vii, 21-27. 89
wolves zz the performance of gratifying their desires,
like that of the wolf's progeny behind the mother.
25. Moreover, they form their lineage through the
mothers; buying their women as sheep, they shall
carry off for profit even that son ox brother who is
the progeny, those that we have produced for your
companionship; you are not predominant, but Zave
remained in companionship ; you do not even believe
them, óz/ you do not establish an ordeal, although
24 zs evident that you will be acquitted; they lie
even to ZZe children, so that the advance of the
promise-breaker is through them, and even in their
own persons !.'
26. Here it speaks about the organization of the
religion óy the glorified? Khüsrót, son of Kavad,
thus: ' Upon their lingering behind, a man is pro-
duced who is righteous, the Glorified oze?, an
approver (khéniZár) of speech who is wise, whom
the convocation, on hearing the words that he utters,
speaks of as a high-priest; that is when he gives
out penance (sróshigih), so that he may effect the
punishment of sinners. 27. The constant out-
pouring of perplexity (pêk sháriZan) óy the per-
verters is the fear of that hero, as regards that
' This quotation, from a Pahlavi version of an Avesta text, would probably be very applicable to the state of the Persian people at many periods in the fourth and fifth centuries, when heresy was prevalent and orthodox Zoroastrianism was by no means universal. Some of the evils mentioned are inseparable from slavery at all times.
2 Literally * immortal-soulled, Anóshak-rübán, the usual title of king Khásró I, who reigned A.D. 531-578. Before he became king, a. D. 528 or 529, he had summoned an assembly of priests to condemn the heretic Mazdag, when the last important revision of the Pahlavi versions of the Avesta probably took place (see Byt. I, 6-8, and Néldeke’s Gesch. der Sas. pp. 463-466).
go DINKARD, BOOK VII.
convocation, when he casts them forth by expulsion
from the vicinity, so that he may make žem extin-
guished very quickly; owing to that, they, whose
producer is even he who is a person destroying the
righteous man, become gloomy on account of the
Glorified oxe, through Zzs smiting the spiritual life
of apostasy ; just as now, when he who is gloomy,
and of scattered intellect, is gloomy owing to you
of the Spitamas.’ 28. This, too, it states, namely :
‘In every way, I tell thee, O Zaratüst of the Spita-
mas! that their time is mistrustful (avévar) as to
him who is an open friend, and most deceitful both
to the wicked and the righteous; the Glorified oze
is a controller (aydkhtar) exalting the creatures,
and whoever is possessing the creatures of the
righteous ozes ', so that he remains again at work in
the doings of the Glorified oze, is he who is a com-
biner of the actions az an utterer of the true replies
of that Glorified one.’
29. And about the occurrence of a symptom of
the devastators of the sovereignty and religion of
the country of Irán one wonder, which is associated
with the religion, is even this which it mentions
thus: ‘Thereupon, when the first symptom of a
ravager of the country occurs, O righteous Zara-
tüst! then the more aggressive and more unmerciful
in malice becomes the tyrant of the country, and
through him, too, they ravage (réshénd) the house,
through him the village, through him the community,
through him the province, and through him even
the whole of that manifestation zz the country of
any teaching whatever that occurs through the
ravager of the country; and so the country should
* Of the good spirits.
Chapter Vii, 28-32. 91
keep a man who is observant and learned on the
watch, because information is in his mind. 3o.
Thereupon, when the second symptom of a ravager d
the country occurs, Gc. . à
31. Thereupon, when the third palatal a a ravager
of the country occurs, the priestly people are dis-
turbing the tradition, so that they speak nothing
wisely; it is even on this account they do not accept
them, and it is not when ome speaks truly /Za/ the
ravager of the country believes them, and through
him, too, they ravage the house, through him the
village, through him the community, through him the
province, and through him even the whole of that
manifestation zz the country of any teaching what-
ever that occurs through the ravager of the country ;
and so, too, the country should keep a man who is
observant and learned on the watch, because infor-
mation is in his mind. 32. Thereupon, when the
fourth symptom of a ravager of the country occurs,
it upsets the replenishment of the fires, and upsets
those men of the righteous, so that they shall not
undertake the care of them ; and thus they shall not
convey the holy-water to him who is a priestly
authority, so that they may not produce the seizing
upon the stipend of the priestly authorities dy him
who is the ravager of the country ; through him, too,
they ravage the house, through him the village,
through him the community, through him /4e ro-
vince, and through him even the whole of that
1 The whole of this section is omitted in the old MS., evidently by mistake. Perhaps the second symptom of devastation was con- nected with the evil deeds of the warrior class, but this is very uncertain, Passages of four or five words are also omitted by the
MS. in $$ 31, 32.
92 DÍNKARD, BOOK VII.
manifestation zz the country of any teaching what-
ever that occurs through the ravager of the country ;
and so, too, the country should keep a man who
is observant azd learned on the watch, because
information is in his mind.’
33. About the collapse of the sovereignty of Irán,
it also states this, namely : * That very villain (mar),
O Zaratüst! brings those provinces on to running
astray, so that he may make those quite dissevered
which constitute the existence of that powerful sove-
reignty; and then he is a thorough assailant of the
righteous, then he is an assailant of the righteous
with eagerness. 34. That same deadly ove (mar),
O Zaratüst! does not continue living long after-
wards; moreover his offspring disappear (that
is, they perish utterly); but his soul falls to the
bottom of the gloomy existence which is horrible
hell, and upon their bodies every kind of unseemly
unhappiness comes from themselves, owing to their
own actions when they give approval to the im-
prisonment of a guardian of spiritual afazrs who is
eloquent, true-speaking, and righteous. 35. Against
that deadly ove he contends, O Zaratüst! for the
spiritual lordship az priestly authority that I approve
as good for the whole embodied existence; also
against the preparation of a decree to produce evil
decisions, and against the dismissal of litigants,
whether heterodox or orthodox, who are of a family
of serfs of a far-situated village and are making
petitions,’
36. ‘And as /o the land, too, over which he
wanders, the evil spirit utterly devastates their
country through pestilence and other misery; and,
moreover, strife which is tormenting falls upon that
Chapter Vii, 33-39. 93
country, besides demon-worship which is iniquitous,
and besides slander which is iniquitous. 37. And
the strife which is iniquitous is not to be dissipated
(apási-aitanó) from that country, nor the demon-
worshippers who ave iniquitous, nor the slander
which is iniquitous, before the Zzz when they give
approval to him, to the priest who is a guardian
of spiritual afazrs, who is eloquent, true-speaking,
and righteous; and it is when they give him
approval, that they obtain healthfulness for their
country when they pray for z¢, and not irregularly
from him, O Zaratist!’
38. And this which is recounted is a statement
that is execrated (nafrig-aitó) by many, details
from the Avesta as to occurrences ¢hat will arise
after Vistásp until the dispersion (angévisnó) of
the sovereignty of Iran from the country of Iran;
zt ís also declared that this which is written happened
to the knowledge of those of the world. 39. This,
too, is about the evidence of the above :— And
if this which is declared from the Avesta, as to what
happens after Kai-Vistásp until the end of the sove-
reignty of Irán, should not have happened, and zz
being the pre-eminence of the Avesta which really
became this present treasure, it thereby ensues,
owing to its position in that former', and the
manifest absence of the destruction of those rulers
and high-priests from Vistasp onwards in this /aZ/er ?,
that it could not be connected with us ?.'
1 The above declaration from the Avesta.
? The present Avesta itself.
* Meaning perhaps that, for some good reason, it could not be communicated to us in the extant Avesta. If § 39 be not a later addition to this chapter, it implies that the prophetical quotations from the Avesta, regarding the history of the religion after the time
94 DÍNKARD, BOOK VII.
ee aana
CHAPTER VIII.
and is openly specified after the collapsing of the
sovereignty of Iran and the country of Iran; also the
end of the millennium of Zaratüst and the arrival
of Afishédar the descendant of Zaratást '.
2. There is this marvellousness, really over-
throwing the blessedness of the knowledge of former
government, revealed by the Avesta about the ninth
and tenth centuries, that which is an indicator of
circumstances (aégünóih) now visible, such as the
dispersion of the sovereignty of Iran from the
country of Irán, the disturbance of just law and
custom, the predominance of ZZose with dishevelled
hair ?, and the haughty profession of ecclesiastics *.
3. Also the collection and even connection of all
their four systems of belief (vévari-hastanó)* to-
of Vistásp, were no more extant in the Avesta, when the Dinkard was compiled, than they are now.
! The contents of Chaps. VII-XI have some connection with the following summary in Dk. VIII, xiv, 11, 12:—‘ And about the nature of the advancement of the people of the period, the separa- tion of centuries and millenniums, and the signs, wonders, and perplexity which are manifested in the world at the end of each millennium in the world. Also as to the birth azd arrival of Aüshédar, son of Zaratüst, at the end of the first millennium, and a report of him and his time, and of the many destroyers of the organizers of the period between Zaratüst's millennium and the coming of Adshédar.’
