Translated by James Darmesteter (From Sacred Books of the East, American Edition, 1898.)

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Sixteen perfect lands created by Ahura Mazda, and as many

plagues created by Angra Mainyu.

1.

Ahura Mazda spake unto Spitama Zarathushtra, saying: I have

made every land dear (to its people), even though it had no charms

whatever in it: had I not made every land dear (to its people),

even though it had no charms whatever in it, then the whole living

world would have invaded the Airyana Vaeja.

2.

[Clause 2 in the Vendidad Sada is composed of Zend quotations

in the Commentary that illustrate the alternative process of creation:

'First, Ahura Mazda would create a land of such kind that its

dwellers might like it, and there could be nothing more delightful.

Then he who is all death would bring against it a counter-creation.']

The first of the good lands and countries which I, Ahura Mazda,

created, was the Airyana Vaeja, by the Vanguhi Daitya.

Thereupon came Angra Mainyu, who is all death, and he counter-created

the serpent in the river and Winter, a work of the Daevas.

3.

There are ten winter months there, two summer months; and

those are cold for the waters, cold for the earth, cold for the

trees. Winter falls there, the worst of all plagues.

4.

The second of the good lands and countries which I, Ahura

Mazda, created, was the plain [Doubtful] which the Sughdhas inhabit.

Thereupon came Angra Mainyu, who is all death, and he counter-created

the locust, which brings death unto cattle and plants.

5.

The third of the good lands and countries which I, Ahura Mazda,

created, was the strong, holy Mouru.

Thereupon came Angra Mainyu, who is all death, and he counter-created

plunder and sin [Doubtful].

6.

The fourth of the good lands and countries which I, Ahura

Mazda, created, was the beautiful Bakhdhi with high-lifted banner.

Thereupon came Angra Mainyu, who is all death, and he counter-created

the ants and the ant-hills.

7.

The fifth of the good lands and countries which I, Ahura Mazda,

created, was Nisaya, that lies between the Mouru and Bakhdhi.

Thereupon came Angra Mainyu, who is all death, and he counter-created

the sin of unbelief.

8.

The sixth of the good lands and countries which I, Ahura Mazda,

created, was the house-deserting Haroyu.

Thereupon came Angra Mainyu, who is all death, and he counter-created

tears and wailing.

9.

The seventh of the good lands and countries which I, Ahura

Mazda, created, was Vaekereta, of the evil shadows.

Thereupon came Angra Mainyu, who is all death, and he counter-created

the Pairika Knathaiti, who claves unto Keresaspa.

10.

The eighth of the good lands and countries which I, Ahura

Mazda, created, was Urva of the rich pastures.

Thereupon came Angra Mainyu, who is all death, and he counter-created

the sin of pride.

11.

The ninth of the good lands and countries which I, Ahura Mazda,

created, was Khnenta which the Vehrkanas inhabit.

Thereupon came Angra Mainyu, who is all death, and he counter-created

a sin for which there is no atonement, the unnatural sin.

12.

The tenth of the good lands and countries which I, Ahura Mazda,

created, was the beautiful Harahvaiti.

Thereupon came Angra Mainyu, who is all death, and he counter-created

a sin for which there is no atonement, the burying of the dead.

13.

The eleventh of the good lands and countries which I, Ahura

Mazda, created, was the bright, glorious Haetumant.

Thereupon came Angra Mainyu, who is all death, and he counter-created

the evil work of witchcraft.

14.

And this is the sign by which it is known, this is that by

which it is seen at once: wheresoever they may go and raise a

cry of sorcery, there the worst works of witchcraft go forth.

From there they come to kill and strike at heart, and they bring

locusts as many as they want.

15.

The twelfth of the good lands and countries which I, Ahura

Mazda, created, was Ragha of the three races.

Thereupon came Angra Mainyu, who is all death, and he counter-created

the sin of utter unbelief.

16.

The thirteenth of the good lands and countries which I, Ahura

Mazda, created, was the strong, holy Chakhra.

Thereupon came Angra Mainyu, who is all death, and he counter-created

a sin for which there is no atonement, the cooking of corpses.

17.

The fourteenth of the good lands and countries which I, Ahura

Mazda, created, was the four-cornered Varena, for which was born

Thraetaona, who smote Azi Dahaka.

Thereupon came Angra Mainyu, who is all death, and he counter-created

abnormal issues in women, and barbarian oppression.

18.

The fifteenth of the good lands and countries which I, Ahura

Mazda, created, was the Seven Rivers.

Thereupon came Angra Mainyu, who is all death, and he counter-created

abnormal issues in women, and excessive heat.

19.

The sixteenth of the good lands and countries which I, Ahura

Mazda, created, was the land by the sources (?) of the Rangha,

where people live who have no chiefs.

Thereupon came Angra Mainyu, who is all death, and he counter-created

Winter, a work of the Daevas.

20.

There are still other lands and countries, beautiful and deep,

longing and asking for the good, and bright.

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Myths of Yima

1.

Zarathushtra asked Ahura Mazda: O Ahura Mazda, most beneficent

Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Who was the

first mortal, before myself, Zarathushtra, with whom thou, Ahura

Mazda, didst converse, whom thou didst teach the Religion of Ahura,

the Religion of Zarathushtra? 2. Ahura Mazda answered: The fair

Yima, the good shepherd, O holy Zarathushtra! he was the first

mortal, before thee, Zarathushtra, with whom I, Ahura Mazda, did

converse, whom I taught the Religion of Ahura, the Religion of

Zarathushtra. 3. Unto him, O Zarathushtra, I, Ahura Mazda, spake,

saying: 'Well, fair Yima, son of Vivanghat, be thou the preacher

and the bearer of my Religion!' And the fair Yima, O Zarathushtra,

replied unto me, saying: 'I was not born, I was not taught to

be the preacher and the bearer of thy Religion.'

4.

Then I, Ahura Mazda, said thus unto him, O Zarathushtra: 'Since

thou dost not consent to be the preacher and the bearer of my

Religion, then make thou my world increase, make my world grow:

consent thou to nourish, to rule, and to watch over my world.'

5.

And the fair Yima replied unto me, O Zarathushtra, saying:

'Yes! I will make thy world increase, I will make thy world grow.

Yes! I will nourish, and rule, and watch over thy world. There

shall be, while I am king, neither cold wind not hot wind, neither

disease nor death.'

6.

[]Vd2.6 is composed of unconnected Zend quotations,

which are no part of the text and are introduced by the commentator

for the purpose of showing that 'although Yima did not teach the

law and train pupils, he was nevertheless a faithful and a holy

man, and rendered men holy too (?).' See Fragments of the Vendidad.

Then I, Ahura Mazda, brought two implements unto him: a golden

seal and a poniard inlaid with gold. Behold, here Yima bears the

royal sway!

7.

[Obscure.]

8.

Thus, under the sway of Yima, three hundred winters passed

away, and the earth was replenished with flocks and herds, with

men and dogs and birds and with red blazing fires, and there was

room no more for flocks, herds, and men.

9.

Then I warned the fair Yima, saying: 'O fair Yima, son of

Vivanghat, the earth has become full of flocks and herds, of men

and dogs and birds and of red blazing fires, and there is room

no more for flocks, herds, and men.'

10.

Then Yima stepped forward, in light, southwards, on the way

of the sun, and (afterwards) he pressed the earth with the golden

seal, and bored it with the poniard, speaking thus: 'O Spenta

Armaiti, kindly'Do this out of kindness to the creatures'

(Comm.) open asunder and stretch thyself afar, to

bear flocks and herds and men.'

11.

And Yima made the earth grow larger by one-third than it was

before, and there came flocks and herds and men, at their will

and wish, as many as he wished.

12.

Thus, under the sway of Yima, six hundred winters passed away,

and the earth was replenished with flocks and herds, with men

and dogs and birds and with red blazing fires, and there was room

no more for flocks, herds, and men.

13.

And I warned the fair Yima, saying: 'O fair Yima, son of Vivanghat,

the earth has become full of flocks and herds, of men and dogs

and birds and of red blazing fires, and there is room no more

for flocks, herds, and men.'

14.

Then Yima stepped forward, in light, southwards, on the way

of the sun, and (afterwards) he pressed the earth with the golden

seal, and bored it with the poniard, speaking thus: 'O Spenta

Armaiti, kindly) open asunder and stretch thyself afar, to bear

flocks and herds and men.'

15.

And Yima made the earth grow larger by two-thirds than it

was before, and there came flocks and herds and men, at their

will and wish, as many as he wished.

16.

Thus, under the sway of Yima, nine hundred winters passed

away, and the earth was replenished with flocks and herds, with

men and dogs and birds and with red blazing fires, and there was

room no more for flocks, herds, and men.

17.

And I warned the fair Yima, saying: 'O fair Yima, son of Vivanghat,

the earth has become full of flocks and herds, of men and dogs

and birds and of red blazing fires, and there is room no more

for flocks, herds, and men.'

18.

Then Yima stepped forward, in light, southwards, on the way

of the sun, and (afterwards) he pressed the earth with the golden

seal, and bored it with the poniard, speaking thus: 'O Spenta

Armaiti, kindly) open asunder and stretch thyself afar, to bear

flocks and herds and men.'

19.

And Yima made the earth grow larger by two-thirds than it

was before, and there came flocks and herds and men, at their

will and wish, as many as he wished.

20.

The Maker, Ahura Mazda, called together a meeting of the celestial

Yazatas in the Airyana Vaejo of high renown, by the Vanguhi Dairya.

The fair Yima, the good shepherd, called together a meeting of

the best of the mortals, in the Airyana Vaejo of high renown,

by the Vanguhi Daitya.

21.

To that meeting came Ahura Mazda, in the Airyana Vaejo of

high renown, by the Vanguhi Daitya; he came together with the

celestial Yazatas.

To that meeting came the fair Yima, the good shepherd, in the

Airyana Vaejo of high renown, by the Vanguhi Daitya; he came together

with the best of the mortals.

22.

And Ahura Mazda spake unto Yima, saying: 'O fair Yima, son

of Vivanghat! Upon the material world the evil winters are about

to fall, that shall bring the fierce, deadly frost; upon the material

world the evil winters are about to fall, that shall make snow-flakes

fall thick, even an aredvi deep on the highest tops of mountains'Even

where it (the snow) is least, it will be one Vitasti two fingers

deep' (Comm.); that is, fourteen fingers deep.

23.

'And the beasts that live in the wildernessThe

Comm. has, strangely enough, 'for instance, Ispahan.',

and those that live on the tops of the mountains'For

instance, Aparsen (the Upairisaena or Hindu-Kush).',

and those that live in the bosom of the dale'For

instance, Khorastan (the plain of Khorasan).' shall

take shelter in underground abodes.

24.

'Before that winter, the country would bear plenty of grass

for cattle, before the waters had flooded it. Now after the melting

of the snow, O Yima, a place wherein the footprint of a sheep

may be seen will be a wonder in the world.

25.

'Therefore make thee a Vara, long as a riding-ground on every

side of the square'Two hathras long on every side'

(Comm.) A hathra is about an English mile., and

thither bring the seeds of sheep and oxen, of men, of dogs, of

birds, and of red blazing fires. Therefore make thee a Vara, long

as a riding-ground on every side of the square, to be an abode

for man; a Vara, long as a riding-ground on every side of the

square, for oxen and sheep.

26.

'There thou shalt make waters flow in a bed a hathra long;

there thou shalt settle birds, on the green that never fades,

with food that never fails. There thou shalt establish dwelling-places,

consisting of a house with a balcony, a courtyard, and as galleryThe

last three words are of doubtful meaning..

27.

'Thither thou shalt bring the seeds of men and women, of the

greatest, best, and finest on this earth; thither thou shalt bring

the seeds of every kind of cattle, of the greatest, best, and

finest on this earth.

28.

'Thither thou shalt bring the seeds of every kind of tree,

of the highest of size and sweetest of odor on this earth'The

highest of size, like the cypress and the plane-tree; the sweetest

of odor, like the rose and the jessamine' (Comm.);

thither thou shalt bring the seeds of every kind of fruit, the

best of savor and sweetest of odor'The best of savor,

like the date; the sweetest of odor, like the citron' (Comm.).

All those seeds shalt thou bring, two of every kind, to be kept

inexhaustible there, so long as those men shall stay in the Vara.

29. 'There shall be no humpbacked, none bulged forward there;

no impotent, no lunatic; no malicious, no liar; no one spiteful,

none jealous; no one with decayed tooth, no leprous to be pent

up, nor any of the brands wherewith Angra Mainyu stamps the bodies

of mortals.

30.

'In the largest part of the place thou shalt make nine streets,

six in the middle part, three in the smallest. To the streets

of the largest part thou shalt bring a thousand seeds of men and

women; to the streets of the middle part, six hundred; to the

streets of the smallest part, three hundred. That Vara thou shalt

seal up with thy golden seal, and thou shalt make a door, and

a window self-shining within.'

31.

Then Yima said within himself: 'How shall I manage to make

that Vara which Ahura Mazda has commanded me to make?' And Ahura

Mazda said unto Yima: 'O fair Yima, son of Vivanghat! Crush the

earth with a stamp of thy heel, and then knead it with thy hands,

as the potter does when kneading the potter's clay.'

32.

[And Yima did as Ahura Mazda wished; he crushed the earth

with a stamp of his heel, he kneaded it with his hands, as the

potter does when kneading the potter's clayFrom the

Vendidad Sada..]

33.

And Yima made a Vara, long as a riding-ground on every side

of the square. There he brought the seeds of sheep and oxen, of

men, of dogs, of birds, and of red blazing fires. He made a Vara,

long as a riding-ground on every side of the square, to be an

abode for men; a Vara, long as a riding-ground on every side of

the square, for oxen and sheep.

34.

There he made waters flow in a bed a hathra long; there he

settled birds, on the green that never fades, with food that never

fails. There he established dwelling-places, consisting of a house

with a balcony, a courtyard, and a gallery.

35.

There he brought the seeds of men and women, of the greatest,

best, and finest on this earth; there he brought the seeds of

every kind of cattle, of the greatest, best, and finest on this

earth.

36.

There he brought the seeds of every kind of tree, of the highest

of size and sweetest of odor on this earth; there he brought the

seeds of every kind of fruit, the best of savor and sweetest of

odor. All those seeds he brought, two of every kind, to be kept

inexhaustible there, so long as those men shall stay in the Vara.

37.

And there were no humpbacked, none bulged forward there; no

impotent, no lunatic; no one malicious, no liar; no one spiteful,

none jealous; no one with decayed tooth, no leprous to be pent

up, nor any of the brands wherewith Angra Mainyu stamps the bodies

of mortals.

38.

In the largest part of the place he made nine streets, six

in the middle part, three in the smallest. To the streets of the

largest part he brought a thousand seeds of men and women; to

the streets of the middle part, six hundred; to the streets of

the smallest part, three hundred. That Vara he sealed up with

the golden ring, and he made a door, and a window self-shining

within.

39.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! What are the

lights that give light in the Vara which Yima made?

40.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'There are uncreated lights and created

lightsThe Commentary has here the following Avestan

quotation: 'The uncreated light shines from above; all the created

lights shine from below.'. The one thing missed

there is the sight of the stars, the moon, and the sun, and a

year seems only as a day.

41.

'Every fortieth year, to every couple two are born, a male

and a female. And thus it is for every sort of cattle. And the

men in the Vara which Yima made live the happiest life'They

live there for 150 years; some say, they never die' (Comm.).'

42.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Who is he who

brought the Religion of Mazda into the Vara which Yima made? Ahura

Mazda answered: 'It was the bird Karshipta, O holy Zarathushtra!'

43.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Who are the

Lord and the Master there? Ahura Mazda answered: 'Urvatat-nara,

O Zarathushtra! and thyself, Zarathushtra.'

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The Earth

1.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy one! Which is the

first place where the Earth feels most happy? Ahura Mazda answered:

'It is the place whereon one of the faithful steps forward, O

Spitama Zarathushtra! with the log in his hand, the Baresma in

his hand, the milk in his hand, the mortar in his hand, lifting

up his voice in good accord with religion, and beseeching Mithra,

the lord of the rolling country-side, and Rama Hvastra.'

2,3.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy one! Which is the

second place where the Earth feels most happy? Ahura Mazda answered:

'It is the place whereon one of the faithful erects a house with

a priest within, with cattle, with a wife, with children, and

good herds within; and wherein afterwards the cattle continue

to thrive, virtue to thrive, fodder to thrive, the dog to thrive,

the wife to thrive, the child to thrive, the fire to thrive, and

every blessing of life to thrive.'

4.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy one! Which is the

third place where the Earth feels most happy? Ahura Mazda answered:

'It is the place where one of the faithful sows most corn, grass,

and fruit, O Spitama Zarathushtra! where he waters ground that

is dry, or drains ground that is too wet.'

5.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy one! Which is the

fourth place where the Earth feels most happy? Ahura Mazda answered:

'It is the place where there is most increase of flocks and herds.'

6.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy one! Which is the

fifth place where the Earth feels most happy? Ahura Mazda answered:

'It is the place where flocks and herds yield most dung.'

7.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy one! Which is the

first place where the Earth feels sorest grief? Ahura Mazda answered:

'It is the neck of Arezura, whereon the hosts of fiends rush forth

from the burrow of the Druj.'

8.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy one! Which is the

second place where the Earth feels sorest grief? Ahura Mazda answered:

'It is the place wherein most corpses of dogs and of men lie buried.'

9.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy one! Which is the

third place where the Earth feels sorest grief? Ahura Mazda answered:

'It is the place whereon stand most of those Dakhmas on which

the corpses of men are deposited.'

10.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy one! Which is the

fourth place where the Earth feels sorest grief? Ahura Mazda answered:

'It is the place wherein are most burrows of the creatures of

Angra Mainyu'Where there are most Khrafstras' (noxious

animals)..

11.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy one! Which is the

fifth place where the Earth feels sorest grief? Ahura Mazda answered:

'It is the place whereon the wife and children of one of the faithful,

O Spitama Zarathushtra! are driven along the way of captivity,

the dry, the dusty way, and lift up a voice of wailing.'

12.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy one! Who is the first

that rejoices the Earth with greatest joy? Ahura Mazda answered:

'It is he who digs out of it most corpses of dogs and men.'

13.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy one! Who is the second

that rejoices the Earth with greatest joy? Ahura Mazda answered:

'It is he who pulls down most of those Dakhmas on which the corpses

of men are deposited.'

-----------------------------------------------------

14.

Let no man alone by himself carry a corpse. If a man alone

by himself carry a corpse, the Nasu rushes upon him, to defile

him, from the nose of the dead, from the eye, from the tongue,

from the jaws, from the sexual organs, from the hinder parts.

This Druj Nasu falls upon him, [stains him] even to the end of

the nails, and he is unclean, thenceforth, for ever and ever.

15.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy one! What shall be

the place of that man who has carried a corpse [alone]? Ahura

Mazda answered: 'It shall be the place on this earth wherein is

least water and fewest plants, whereof the ground is the cleanest

and the dryest and the least passed through by flocks and herds,

by the fire of Ahura Mazda, by the consecrated bundles of Baresma,

and by the faithful.'

16.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy one! How far from

the fire? How far from the water? How far from the consecrated

bundles of Baresma? How far from the faithful?

17.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'Thirty paces from the fire, thirty

paces from the water, thirty paces from the consecrated bundles

of Baresma, three paces from the faithful.

18,19.

'There, on that place, shall the worshippers of Mazda erect

an enclosure, and therein shall they establish him with food,

therein shall they establish him with clothes, with the coarsest

food and with the most worn-out clothes. That food he shall live

on, those clothes he shall wear, and thus shall they let him live,

until he has grown to the age of a Hana, or of a Zaurura, or of

a Pairishta-khshudra.

20,21.

'And when he has grown to the age of a Hana, or of a Zaurura,

or of a Pairishta-khshudra, then the worshippers of Mazda shall

order a man strong, vigorous, and skillful'Trained

to operations of that sort' (Comm.), to cut the

head off his neck, in his enclosure on the top of the mountain:

and they shall deliver his corpse unto the greediest of the corpse-eating

creatures made by the beneficent Spirit, unto the vultures, with

these words: "The man here has repented of all his evil thoughts,

words, and deeds. If he has committed any other evil deed, it

is remitted by his repentance: if he has committed no other evil

deed, he is absolved by his repentance, for ever and ever."'

22.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy one! Who is the third

that rejoices the Earth with greatest joy? Ahura Mazda answered:

'It is he who fills up most burrows of the creatures of Angra

Mainyu.'

23.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy one! Who is the fourth

that rejoices the Earth with greatest joy? Ahura Mazda answered:

'It is he who sows most corn, grass, and fruit, O Spitama Zarathushtra!

who waters ground that is dry, or drains ground that is too wet.

24.

'Unhappy is the land that has long lain unsown with the seed

of the sower and wants a good husbandman, like a well-shapen maiden

who has long gone childless and wants a good husband.

25.

'He who would till the earth, O Spitama Zarathushtra! with

the left arm and the right, with the right arm and the left, unto

him will she bring forth plenty of fruit: even as it were a lover

sleeping with his bride on her bed; the bride will bring forth

children, (the earth will bring forth) plenty of fruit.

26,27.

'He who would till the earth, O Spitama Zarathushtra! with

the left arm and the right, with the right arm and the left, unto

him thus says the Earth: "O thou man! who dost till me with

the left arm and the right, with the right arm and the left, here

shall I ever go on bearing, bringing forth all manner of food,

bringing corn first to thee'When something good grows

up, it will grow up for thee first' (Comm.) Perhaps: 'bringing

to thee profusion of corn' ('some say, she will bring to thee

15 for 10;' Comm.)."

28,29.

'He who does not till the earth, O Spitama Zarathushtra! with

the left arm and the right, with the right arm and the left, unto

him thus says the Earth: "O thou man! who dost not till me

with the left arm and the right, with the right arm and the left,

ever shalt thou stand at the door of the stranger, among those

who beg for bread; the refuse and the crumbs of the bread are

brought unto thee'They take for themselves what is

good and send to thee what is bad' (Comm.), brought

by those who have profusion of wealth."'

30.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy one! What is the

food that fills the Religion of Mazda [lit: what is the stomach

of the law?]? Ahura Mazda answered: 'It is sowing corn again and

again, O Spitama Zarathushtra!

31.

'He who sows corn, sows righteousness: he makes the Religion

of Mazda walk, he suckles the Religion of Mazda; as well as he

could do with a hundred man's feet, with a thousand woman's breasts'He

makes the Religion of Mazda as fat as a child could be made by

means of a hundred feet, that is to say, of fifty servants walking

to rock him; of a thousand breasts, that is, of five hundred nurses'

(Comm.), with ten thousand sacrificial formulas.

32.

'When barley was created, the Daevas started up; when it grewdoubtful,

then fainted the Daevas' hearts; when the knots camedoubtful,

the Daevas groaned; when the ear came, the Daevas flew away. In

that house the Daevas stay, wherein wheat perishesdoubtful.

It is as though red hot iron were turned about in their throats,

when there is plenty of corndoubtful.

33.

'Then let people learn by heart this holy saying: "No

one who does not eat, has strength to do heavy works of holiness,

strength to do works of husbandry, strength to beget children.

By eating every material creature lives, by not eating it dies

away."'

34.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy one! Who is the fifth

that rejoices the Earth with greatest joy?

Ahura Mazda answered: '[It is he who kindly and piously givesThe

Asho-dad or alms. The bracketed clause is from the Vendidad Sada.

to one of the faithful who tills the earth,] O Spitama Zarathushtra!

35.

'He who would not kindly and piously give to one of the faithful

who tills the earth, O Spitama Zarathushtra! Spenta Armaiti will

throw him down into darkness, down into the world of woe, the

world of hell, down into the deep abyssConjectural

translation..'

36.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy one! If a man shall

bury in the earth either the corpse of a dog or the corpse of

a man, and if he shall not disinter it within half a year, what

is the penalty that he shall pay?

Ahura Mazda answered: 'Five hundred stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra,

five hundred stripes with the Sraosho-charana.'

37.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy one! If a man shall

bury in the earth either the corpse of a dog or the corpse of

a man, and if he shall not disinter it within a year, what is

the penalty that he shall pay?

Ahura Mazda answered: 'A thousand stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra,

a thousand stripes with the Sraosho-charana.'

38.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy one! If a man shall

bury in the earth either the corpse of a dog or the corpse of

a man, and if he shall not disinter it within the second year,

what is the penalty for it? What is the atonement for it? What

is the cleansing from it?

39.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'For that deed there is nothing that

can pay, nothing that can atone, nothing that can cleanse from

it; it is a trespass for which there is no atonement, for ever

and ever.'

40.

When is it so?

'It is so, if the sinner be a professor of the Religion of Mazda,

or one who has been taught in it.

'But if he be not a professor of the Religion of Mazda, nor one

who has been taught in it, then his sin is taken from him, if

he makes confession of the Religion of Mazda and resolves never

to commit again such forbidden deeds.

41.

'The Religion of Mazda indeed, O Spitama Zarathushtra! takes

away from him who makes confession of it the bonds of his sin;

it takes away (the sin of) breach of trustDoubtful.

From the commentary it appears that draosha must have meant a

different sort of robbery: 'He knows that it is forbidden to steal,

but he fancies that robbing the rich to give to the poor is a

pious deed' (Comm.); it takes away (the sin of)

murdering one of the faithful; it takes away (the sin of) deeds

for which there is no atonement; it takes away the worst sin of

usury; it takes away any sin that may be sinned.

42.

'In the same way the Religion of Mazda, O Spitama Zarathushtra!

cleanses the faithful from every evil thought, word, and deed,

as a swift-rushing mighty wind cleanses the plain'From

chaff' (Comm.).

'So let all the deeds he doeth be henceforth good, O Zarathushtra!

a full atonement for his sin is effected by means of the Religion

of Mazda.'

----------

Contracts and offenses

I.

1.

He that does not restore a loan to the man who lent it, steals

the thing and robs the man"He is a thief when

he takes a view not to restore; he is a robber when, being asked

to restore, he answers, I will not" (Comm.).

This he doeth every day, every night, as long as he keep in his

house his neighbour's property, as though it were his own.

Ia.

2.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How many in

number are thy contracts, O Ahura Mazda? Ahura Mazda answered:

'They are six in number, O holy Zarathushtra. The first is the

word-contract; the second is the hand-contract; the third is the

contract to the amount of a sheep; the fourth is the contract

to the amount of an ox; the fifth is the contract to the amount

of a man; the sixth is the contract to the amount of a field,

a field in good land, a fruitful one, in good bearing.'

3.

The word-contract is fulfilled by words of mouth. It is canceled

by the hand-contract; he shall give as damages the amount of the

hand-contract.

4.

The hand-contract is canceled by the sheep-contract; he shall

give as damages the amount of the sheep-contract. The sheep-contract

is canceled by the ox-contract; he shall give as damages the amount

of the ox-contract. The ox-contract is canceled by the man-contract;

he shall give as damages the amount of the man-contract. The man-contract

is canceled by the field-contract; he shall give as damages the

amount of the field-contract.

5.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man break

the word-contract, how many are involved in his sin? Ahura Mazda

answered: 'His sin makes his Nabanazdishtas answerable for three

hundred (years).'

6.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man break

the hand-contract, how many are involved in his sin? Ahura Mazda

answered: 'His sin makes his Nabanazdishtas answerable for six

hundred (years).'

7.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man break

the sheep-contract, how many are involved in his sin? Ahura Mazda

answered: 'His sin makes his Nabanazdishtas answerable for seven

hundred (years).'

8.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man break

the ox-contract, how many are involved in his sin? Ahura Mazda

answered: 'His sin makes his Nabanazdishtas answerable for eight

hundred (years).'

9.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man break

the man-contract, how many are involved in his sin? Ahura Mazda

answered: 'His sin makes his Nabanazdishtas answerable for nine

hundred (years).'

10.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man break

the field-contract, how many are involved in his sin? Ahura Mazda

answered: 'His sin makes his Nabanazdishtas answerable for a thousand

(years).'

11.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man break

the word-contract, what is the penalty that he shall pay? Ahura

Mazda answered: 'Three hundred stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra,

three hundred stripes with the Sraosho-charana.'

12.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man break

the hand-contract, what is the penalty that he shall pay? Ahura

Mazda answered: 'Six hundred stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, six

hundred stripes with the Sraosho-charana.'

13.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man break

the sheep-contract, what is the penalty that he shall pay? Ahura

Mazda answered: 'Seven hundred stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra,

seven hundred stripes with the Sraosho-charana.'

14.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man break

the ox-contract, what is the penalty that he shall pay? Ahura

Mazda answered: 'Eight hundred stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra,

eight hundred stripes with the Sraosho-charana.'

15.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man break

the man-contract, what is the penalty that he shall pay? Ahura

Mazda answered: 'Nine hundred stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra,

Nine hundred stripes with the Sraosho-charana.'

16.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man break

the field-contract, what is the penalty that he shall pay? Ahura

Mazda answered: 'A thousand stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, a

thousand stripes with the Sraosho-charana.'

IIa.

17.

If a man rise up with a weapon in his hand, it is an Agerepta.

If he brandish it, it is an Avaoirishta. If he actually smite

a man with malicious aforethought, it is an Aredush. Upon the

fifth Aredush he becomes a Peshotanu.

18.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! He that committeth

an Agerepta, what penalty shall he pay? Ahura Mazda answered:

'Five stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, five stripes with the Sraosho-charana;

'On the second Agerepta, ten stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, ten

stripes with the Sraosho-charana;

'On the third, fifteen stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, fifteen

stripes with the Sraosho-charana;

19.

'On the fourth, thirty stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, thirty

stripes with the Sraosho-charana;

'On the fifth, fifty stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, fifty stripes

with the Sraosho-charana;

'On the sixth, sixty stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, sixty stripes

with the Sraosho-charana;

'On the seventh, ninety stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, ninety

stripes with the Sraosho-charana.'

20.

If a man commit an Agerepta for the eighth time, without having

atoned for the preceding, what penalty shall he pay?

Ahura Mazda answered: 'He is a Peshotanu: two hundred stripes

with the Aspahe-ashtra, two hundred stripes with the Sraosho-charana.'

21.

If a man commit an Agerepta, and refuse to atone for it, what

penalty shall he pay? Ahura Mazda answered: 'He is a Peshotanu:

two hundred stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, two hundred stripes

with the Sraosho-charana.'

22.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man commit

an Avaoirishta, what penalty shall he pay? Ahura Mazda answered:

'Ten stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, ten stripes with the Sraosho-charana;

'On the second Avaoirishta, fifteen stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra,

fifteen stripes with the Sraosho-charana;

23.

'On the third, thirty stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, thirty

stripes with the Sraosho-charana;

'On the fourth, fifty stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, fifty stripes

with the Sraosho-charana;

'On the fifth, seventy stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, seventy

stripes with the Sraosho-charana;

'On the sixth, ninety stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, ninety stripes

with the Sraosho-charana.'

24.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man commit

an Avaoirishta for the seventh time, without having atoned for

the preceding, what penalty shall he pay? Ahura Mazda answered:

'He is a Peshotanu: two hundred stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra,

two hundred stripes with the Sraosho-charana.'

25.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man commit

an Avaoirishta, and refuse to atone for it, what penalty shall

he pay? Ahura Mazda answered: 'He is a Peshotanu: two hundred

stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, two hundred stripes with the Sraosho-charana.'

26.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man commit

an Aredush, what penalty shall he pay? Ahura Mazda answered: 'Fifteen

stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, fifteen stripes with the Sraosho-charana;

27.

'On the second Aredush, thirty stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra,

thirty stripes with the Sraosho-charana;

'On the third, fifty stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, fifty stripes

with the Sraosho-charana;

'On the fourth, seventy stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, seventy

stripes with the Sraosho-charana;

'On the fifth, ninety stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, ninety stripes

with the Sraosho-charana;

28.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man commit

an Aredush for the sixth time, without having atoned for the preceding,

what penalty shall he pay? Ahura Mazda answered: 'He is a Peshotanu:

two hundred stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, two hundred stripes

with the Sraosho-charana.'

29.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man commit

an Aredush, and refuse to atone for it, what penalty shall he

pay? Ahura Mazda answered: 'He is a Peshotanu: two hundred stripes

with the Aspahe-ashtra, two hundred stripes with the Sraosho-charana.'

30.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man smite

another and hurt him sorely, what is the penalty that he shall

pay?

31.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'Thirty stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra,

thirty stripes with the Sraosho-charana;

'The second time, fifty stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, fifty

stripes with the Sraosho-charana;

'The third time, seventy stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, seventy

stripes with the Sraosho-charana;

'The fourth time, ninety stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, ninety

stripes with the Sraosho-charana;

32.

If a man commit that deed for the fifth time, without having

atoned for the preceding, what penalty shall he pay? Ahura Mazda

answered: 'He is a Peshotanu: two hundred stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra,

two hundred stripes with the Sraosho-charana.'

33.

If a man commit that deed and refuse to atone for it, what

penalty shall he pay? Ahura Mazda answered: 'He is a Peshotanu:

two hundred stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, two hundred stripes

with the Sraosho-charana.'

34.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man smite

another so that the blood come, what is the penalty that he shall

pay? Ahura Mazda answered: 'Fifty stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra,

fifty stripes with the Sraosho-charana;

'The second time, seventy stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, seventy

stripes with the Sraosho-charana;

'The third time, ninety stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, ninety

stripes with the Sraosho-charana;

35.

If a man commit that deed for the fourth time, without having

atoned for the preceding, what penalty shall he pay? Ahura Mazda

answered: 'He is a Peshotanu: two hundred stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra,

two hundred stripes with the Sraosho-charana.'

36.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man smite

another so that the blood come, and if he refuse to atone for

it, what penalty shall he pay? Ahura Mazda answered: 'He is a

Peshotanu: two hundred stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, two hundred

stripes with the Sraosho-charana.'

37.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man smite

another so that he break a bone, what is the penalty that he shall

pay? Ahura Mazda answered: 'Seventy stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra,

seventy stripes with the Sraosho-charana;

'The second time, ninety stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, ninety

stripes with the Sraosho-charana;

38.

If he commit that deed for the third time, without having

atoned for the preceding, what penalty shall he pay? Ahura Mazda

answered: 'He is a Peshotanu: two hundred stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra,

two hundred stripes with the Sraosho-charana.'

39.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man smite

another so that he break a bone, and if he refuse to atone for

it, what is the penalty he shall pay? Ahura Mazda answered: 'He

is a Peshotanu: two hundred stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra, two

hundred stripes with the Sraosho-charana.'

40.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man smite

another so that he give up the ghost, what is the penalty that

he shall pay? Ahura Mazda answered: 'Ninety stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra,

seventy stripes with the Sraosho-charana;

41.

If he commit that deed again, without having atoned for the

preceding, what is the penalty that he shall pay? Ahura Mazda

answered: 'He is a Peshotanu: two hundred stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra,

two hundred stripes with the Sraosho-charana.'

42.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man smite

another so that he give up the ghost, and if he refuse to atone

for it, what is the penalty he shall pay? Ahura Mazda answered:

'He is a Peshotanu: two hundred stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra,

two hundred stripes with the Sraosho-charana.'

43.

And they shall thenceforth in their doings walk after the

way of holiness, after the word of holiness, after the ordinance

of holiness.

IIIa.

44.

If men of the same faith, either friends or brothers, come

to an agreement together, that one may obtain from the other,

either goods, or a wife, or knowledge, let him who desires goods

have them delivered to him; let him who desires a wife receive

and wed her; let him who desires knowledge be taught the holy

word,

45.

during the first part of the day and the last, during the

first part of the night and the last, that his mind may be increased

in intelligence and wax strong in holiness. So shall he sit up,

in devotion and prayers, that he may be increased in intelligence:

he shall rest during the middle part of the day, during the middle

part of the night, and thus shall he continue until he can say

all the words which former Aethrapaitis have said.

IVa.

46.

Before the boiling water publicly preparedThis

clause is intended against false oaths taken in the so-called

Var-ordeal (see par. 54 n.) It ought to be placed before par.

49 bis, where the penalty for a false oath is given.,

O Spitama Zarathushtra! let no one make bold to deny having received

[from his neighbor] the ox or the garment in his possession.

47.

Verily I say it unto thee, O Spitama Zarathushtra! the man

who has a wife is far above him who lives in continence; he who

keeps a house is far above him who has none; he who has children

is far above the childless man; he who has riches is far above

him who has none.

48.

And of two men, he who fills himself with meat receives in

him Vohu Mano much better than he who does not do so; the latter

is all but dead; the former is above him by the worth of an Asperena,

by the worth of a sheep, by the worth of an ox, by the worth of

a man.

49.

This man can strive against the onsets of Asto-vidhotu; he

can strive against the well-darted arrow; he can strive against

the winter fiend, with thinnest garment on; he can strive against

the wicked tyrant and smite him on the head; he can strive against

the ungodly fasting Ashemaogha.

IVb.

49 (bis).

On the very first time when that deed has been done, without

waiting until it is done again,

50.

down thereIn hell. the pain for

that deed shall be as hard as any in this world: even as if one

should cut off the limbs from his perishable body with knives

of brass, or still worse;

51.

down there the pain for that deed shall be as hard as any

in this world: even as if one should naildoubtful

his perishable body with nails of brass, or still worse;

52.

down there the pain for that deed shall be as hard as any

in this world: even as if one should by force throw his perishable

body headlong down a precipice a hundred times the height of a

man, or still worse;

53.

down there the pain for that deed shall be as hard as any

in this world: even as if one should by force impaledoubtful

his perishable body, or still worse.

54.

Down there the pain for that deed shall be as hard as any

in this world: to wit, the deed of a man, who knowingly lying,

confronts the brimstoned, golden, truth-knowing water with an

appeal unto Rashnu and a lie unto Mithra.

55.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! He who, knowingly

lying, confronts the brimstoned, golden, truth-knowing water with

an appeal unto Rashnu and a lie unto Mithra, what is the penalty

that he shall payIn this world.? Ahura

Mazda answered: 'Seven hundred stripes with the Aspahe-ashtra,

seven hundred stripes with the Sraosho-charana.'

----------

Purity laws

I

1.

There dies a man in the depths of the vale: a bird takes flight

from the top of the mountain down into the depths of the vale,

and it feeds on the corpse of the dead man there: then, up it

flies from the depths of the vale to the top of the mountain:

it flies to some one of the trees there, of the hard-wooded or

the soft-wooded, and upon that tree it vomits and deposits dung.

2.

Now, lo! here is a man coming up from the depths of the vale

to the top of the mountain; he comes to the tree whereon the bird

is sitting; from that tree he intends to take wood for the fire.

He fells the tree, he hews the tree, he splits it into logs, and

then he lights it in the fire, the son of Ahura Mazda. What is

the penalty he shall pay?

3.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'There is no sin upon a man for any

Nasu that has been brought by dogs, by birds, by wolves, by winds,

or by flies.

4.

'For were there sin upon a man for any Nasu that might have

been brought by dogs, by birds, by wolves, by winds, or by flies,

how soon all this material world of mine would be only one Peshotanu,

bent on the destruction of righteousness, and whose soul will

cry and wail! so numberless are the beings that die upon the face

of the earth.'

5.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Here is a man

watering a corn-field. The water streams down the field; it streams

again; it streams a third time; and the fourth time, a dog, a

fox, or a wolf carries some Nasu into the bed of the stream: what

is the penalty that the man shall pay?

6.

[Repeat st. 3.]

7.

[Repeat st. 4.]

8.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Does water kill?

Ahura Mazda answered: 'Water kills no man: Asto-vidhotu binds

him, and, thus bound, Vayu carries him off; and the flood takes

him up, the flood takes him down, the flood throws him ashore;

then birds feed upon him. When he goes away, it is by the will

of Fate he goes.'

IIb.

9.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Does fire kill?

Ahura Mazda answered: 'Fire kills no man: Asto-vidhotu binds him,

and, thus bound, Vayu carries him off; and the fire burns up life

and limb. When he goes away, it is by the will of Fate he goes.'

III.

10.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If the summer

is past and the winter has come, what shall the worshippers of

Mazda do? Ahura Mazda answered: 'In every house, in every borough,

they shall raise three rooms for the dead.'

11.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How large shall

be those rooms for the dead? Ahura Mazda answered: 'Large enough

not to strike the skull of the man, if he should stand erect,

or his feet or his hands stretched out: such shall be, according

to the law, the rooms for the dead.

12.

'And they shall let the lifeless body lie there, for two nights,

or for three nights, or a month long, until the birds begin to

fly, the plants to grow, the hidden floods to flow, and the wind

to dry up the earth.

13.

'And as soon as the birds begin to fly, the plants to grow,

the hidden floods to flow, and the wind to dry up the earth, then

the worshippers of Mazda shall lay down the dead (on the Dakhma),

his eyes towards the sun.

14.

'If the worshippers of Mazda have not, within a year, laid

down the dead (on the Dakhma), his eyes towards the sun, thou

shalt prescribe for that trespass the same penalty as for the

murder of one of the faithful; until the corpse has been rained

on, until the Dakhma has been rained on, until the unclean remains

have been rained on, until the birds have eaten up the corpse.'

IV.

15.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Is it true at

thou, Ahura Mazda, seizest the waters from the sea Vouru-kasha

with the wind and the clouds?

16.

That thou, Ahura Mazda, takest them down to the corpses? that

thou, Ahura Mazda, takest them down to the Dakhmas? that thou,

Ahura Mazda, takest them down to the unclean remains? that thou,

Ahura Mazda, takest them down to the bones? and that then thou,

Ahura Mazda, makest them flow back unseen? that thou, Ahura Mazda,

makest them flow back to the sea Puitika?

17.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'It is even so as thou hast said, O

righteous Zarathushtra! I, Ahura Mazda, seize the waters from

the sea Vouru-kasha with the wind and the clouds.

18.

'I, Ahura Mazda, take them to the corpses; I, Ahura Mazda,

take them down to the Dakhmas; I, Ahura Mazda, take them down

to the unclean remains; I, Ahura Mazda, take them down to the

bones; then I, Ahura Mazda, make them flow back unseen; I, Ahura

Mazda, make them flow back to the sea Puitika.

19.

'The waters stand there boiling, boiling up in the heart of

the sea Puitika, and, when cleansed there, they run back again

from the sea Puitika to the sea Vouru-kasha, towards the well-watered

tree, whereon grow the seeds of my plants of every kind by hundreds,

by thousands, by hundreds of thousands.

20.

'Those plants, I, Ahura Mazda, rain down upon the earth, to

bring food to the faithful, and fodder to the beneficent cow;

to bring food to my people that they may live on it, and fodder

to the beneficent cow.'

V.

21.

'This is the best, this is the fairest of all things, even

as thou hast said, O pure [Zarathushtra]!'

With these words the holy, Ahura Mazda rejoiced the holy Zarathushtra:

'Purity is for man, next to life, the greatest good, that purity,

O Zarathushtra, that is in the Religion of Mazda for him who cleanses

his own self with good thoughts, words, and deeds.'

22.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! This Law, this

fiend-destroying Law of Zarathushtra, by what greatness, goodness,

and fairness is it great, good, and fair above all other utterances?

23.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'As much above all other floods as is

the sea Vouru-kasha, so much above all other utterances in greatness,

goodness, and fairness is this Law, this fiend-destroying Law

of Zarathushtra.

24.

'As much as a great stream flows swifter than a slender rivulet,

so much above all other utterances in greatness, goodness, and

fairness is this Law, this fiend-destroying Law of Zarathushtra.

'As high as the great tree stands above the small plants it overshadows,

so high above all other utterances in greatness, goodness, and

fairness is this Law, this fiend-destroying Law of Zarathushtra.

25.

'As high as heaven is above the earth that it compasses around,

so high above all other utterances is this Law, this fiend-destroying

Law of Mazda.

'[Therefore], he will apply to the Ratu, he will apply to the

Sraosha-varez; whether for a draona-service that should have been

undertaken and has not been undertaken; or for a draona that should

have been offered up and has not been offered up; or for a draona

that should have been entrusted and has not been entrusted.

26.

'The Ratu has power to remit him one-third of his penalty:

if he has committed any other evil deed, it is remitted by his

repentance; if he has committed no other evil deed, he is absolved

by his repentance for ever and ever.'

VI.

27.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If there be

a number of men resting in the same place, on the same carpet,

on the same pillows, be there two men near one another, or five,

or fifty, or a hundred, close by one another; and of those people

one happens to die; how many of them does the Druj Nasu envelope

with corruption, infection, and pollution?

28.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'If the dead one be a priest, the Druj

Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama Zarathushtra! she goes as far as

the eleventh and defiles the ten.

'If the dead one be a warrior, the Druj Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama

Zarathushtra! she goes as far as the tenth and defiles the nine.

'If the dead one be a husbandman, the Druj Nasu rushes forth,

O Spitama Zarathushtra! she goes as far as the ninth and defiles

the eight.

29.

'If it be a shepherd's dog, the Druj Nasu rushes forth, O

Spitama Zarathushtra! she goes as far as the eighth and defiles

the seven.

'If it be a house-dog, the Druj Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama Zarathushtra!

she goes as far as the seventh and defiles the six.

30.

'If it be a Vohunazga dog, the Druj Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama

Zarathushtra! she goes as far as the sixth and defiles the five.

'If it be a Tauruna dog, the Druj Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama

Zarathushtra! she goes as far as the fifth and defiles the four.

31.

'If it be a porcupine dog, the Druj Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama

Zarathushtra! she goes as far as the fourth and defiles the three.

'If it be a Gazu dog, the Druj Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama Zarathushtra!

she goes as far as the third and defiles the two.

32.

'If it be an Aiwizu dog, the Druj Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama

Zarathushtra! she goes as far as the second and defiles the next.

'If it be a Vizu dog, the Druj Nasu rushes forth, O Spitama Zarathushtra!

she goes as far as the next, she defiles the next.'

33.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If it be a weasel,

how many of the creatures of the good spirit does it directly

defile, how many does it indirectly defile?

34.

Ahura Mazda answered : 'A weasel does neither directly nor

indirectly defile any of the creatures of the good spirit, but

him who smites and kills it; to him the uncleanness clings for

ever and ever.'

35.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If the dead

one be such a wicked, two-footed ruffian, as an ungodly Ashemaogha,

how many of the creatures of the good spirit does he directly

defile, how many does he indirectly defile?

36.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'No more than a frog does whose venom

is dried up, and that has been dead more than a year. Whilst alive,

indeed, O Spitama Zarathushtra! such a wicked, two-legged ruffian

as an ungodly Ashemaogha, directly defiles the creatures of the

good spirit, and indirectly defiles them.

37.

'Whilst alive he smites the water; whilst alive he blows out

the fire; whilst alive he carries off the cow; whilst alive he

smites the faithful man with a deadly blow, that parts the soul

from the body; not so will he do when dead.

38.

'Whilst alive, indeed, O Spitama Zarathushtra! such a wicked,

two-legged ruffian as an ungodly Ashemaogha robs the faithful

man of the full possession of his food, of his clothing, of his

wood, of his bed, of his vessels; not so will he do when dead.'

VII.

39.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! When into our

houses here below we have brought the fire, the Baresma, the cups,

the Haoma, and the mortar, O holy Ahura Mazda! if it come to pass

that either a dog or a man dies there, what shall the worshippers

of Mazda do?

40.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'Out of the house, O Spitama Zarathushtra!

shall they take the fire, the Baresma, the cups, the Haoma, and

the mortar; they shall take the dead one out to the proper place

whereto, according to the law, corpses must be brought, to be

devoured there.'

41.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! When shall they

bring back the fire into the house wherein the man has died? 42.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'They shall wait for nine nights in winter,

for a month in summer, and then they shall bring back the fire

to the house wherein the man has died.'

43.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! And if they

shall bring back the fire to the house wherein the man has died,

within the nine nights, or within the month, what penalty shall

they pay?

44.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'They shall be Peshotanus: two hundred

stripes with the Aspahe-astra, two hundred stripes with the Sraosho-karana.'

VIII.

45.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If in the house

of a worshipper of Mazda there be a woman with child, and if being

a month gone, or two, or three, or four, or five, or six, or seven,

or eight, or nine, or ten months gone, she bring forth a still-born

child, what shall the worshippers of Mazda do?

46.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'The place in that Mazdean house whereof

the ground is the cleanest and the driest, and the least passed

through by flocks and herds, by the fire of Ahura Mazda, by the

consecrated bundles of Baresma, and by the faithful;'

47.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How far from

the fire? How far from the water? How far from the consecrated

bundles of Baresma? How far from the faithful?

48.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'Thirty paces from the fire; thirty

paces from the water; thirty paces from the consecrated bundles

of Baresma; three paces from the faithful;-

49.

'On that place shall the worshippers of Mazda erect an enclosure,

and therein shall they establish her with food, therein shall

they establish her with clothes.'

50.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! What is the

food that the woman shall first take?

51.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'Gomez mixed with ashes, three draughts

of it, or six, or nine, to send down the Dakhma within her womb.

52.

'Afterwards she may drink boiling milk of mares, cows, sheep,

or goats, with pap or without pap; she may take cooked milk without

water, meal without water, and wine without water.'

53.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How long shall

she remain so? How long shall she live thus on milk, meal, and

wine?

54.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'Three nights long shall she remain

so; three nights long shall she live thus on milk, meal, and wine.

Then, when three nights have passed, she shall wash her body,

she shall wash her clothes, with gomez and water, by the nine

holes, and thus shall she be clean.'

55.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How long shall

she remain so? How long, after the three nights have gone, shall

she sit confined, and live separated from the rest of the worshippers

of Mazda, as to her seat, her food, and her clothing?

56.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'Nine nights long shall she remain so:

nine nights long, after the three nights have gone, shall she

sit confined, and live separated from the rest of the worshippers

of Mazda, as to her seat, her food, and her clothing. Then, when

the nine nights have gone, she shall wash her body, and cleanse

her clothes with gomez and water.'

57.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Can those clothes,

when once washed and cleansed, ever be used either by a Zaotar,

or by a Havanan, or by an Atare-vakhsha, or by a Frabaretar, or

by an Abered, or by an Asnatar, or by a Rathwishkar, or by a Sraosha-varez,

or by any priest, warrior, or husbandman?

58.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'Never can those clothes, even when

washed and cleansed, be used either by a Zaotar, or by a Havanan,

or by an Atare-vakhsha, or by a Frabaretar, or by an Abered, or

by an Asnatar, or by a Rathwishkar, or by a Sraosha-varez, or

by any priest, warrior, or husbandman.

59.

'But if there be in a Mazdean house a woman who is in her

sickness, or a man who has become unfit for work, and who must

sit in the place of infirmity, those clothes shall serve for their

coverings and for their sheets, until they can withdraw their

hands for prayer.

60.

'Ahura Mazda, indeed, does not allow us to waste anything

of value that we may have, not even so much as an Asperena's weight

of thread, not even so much as a maid lets fall in spinning.

61.

'Whosoever throws any clothing on a dead body, even so much

as a maid lets fall in spinning, is not a pious man whilst alive,

nor shall he, when dead, have a place in Paradise.

62.

'He makes himself a viaticum unto the world of the wicked,

into that world, made of darkness, the offspring of darkness,

which is Darkness' self. To that world, to the world of Hell,

you are delivered by your own doings, by your own religion, O

sinners!'

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Purity laws

I.

1.

How long shall the piece of ground he fallow whereon dogs

or men have died? Ahura Mazda answered: 'A year long shall the

piece of ground he fallow whereon dogs or men have died, O holy

Zarathushtra!

2.

'A year long shall no worshipper of Mazda sow or water that

piece of ground whereon dogs or men have died; he may sow as he

likes the rest of the ground; he may water it as he likes.

3.

'If within the year they shall sow or water the piece of ground

whereon dogs or men have died, they are guilty of the sin of "burying

the dead" towards the water, towards the earth, and towards

the plants.'

4.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If worshippers

of Mazda shall sow or water, within the year, the piece of ground

whereon dogs or men have died, what is the penalty that they shall

pay?

5.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'They are Peshotanus: two hundred stripes

with the Aspahe-astra, two hundred stripes with the Sraosho-karana.'

6.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If worshippers

of Mazda want to till that piece of ground again, to water it,

to sow it, and to plough it, what shall they do?

7.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'They shall look on the ground for any

bones, hair, dung, urine, or blood that may be there.'

8.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If they shall

not look on the ground for any bones, hair, dung, urine, or blood

that may be there, what is the penalty that they shall pay?

9.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'They are Peshotanus: two hundred stripes

with the Aspahe-astra, two hundred stripes with the Sraosho-karana.'

II.

10.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man shall

throw on the ground a bone of a dead dog, or of a dead man, as

large as the top joint of the little finger, and if grease or

marrow flow from it on to the ground, what penalty shall he pay?

11.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'Thirty stripes with the Aspahe-astra,

thirty stripes with the Sraosho-karana.'

12.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man shall

throw on the ground a bone of a dead dog, or of a dead man, as

large as the top joint of the fore-finger, and if grease or marrow

flow from it on to the ground, what penalty shall he pay?

13.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'Fifty stripes with the Aspahe-astra,

fifty stripes with the Sraosho-karana.'

14.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man shall

throw on the ground a bone of a dead dog, or of a dead man, as

large as the top joint of the middle finger, and if grease or

marrow flow from it on to the ground, what penalty shall he pay?

15.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'Seventy stripes with the Aspahe-astra,

seventy stripes with the Sraosho-karana.'

16.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man shall

throw on the ground a bone of a dead dog, or of a dead man, as

large as a finger or as a rib, and if grease or marrow flow from

it on to the ground, what penalty shall he pay?

17.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'Ninety stripes with the Aspahe-astra,

ninety stripes with the Sraosho-charana.'

18.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man shall

throw on the ground a bone of a dead dog, or of a dead man, as

large as two fingers or as two ribs, and if grease or marrow flow

from it on the ground, what penalty shall he pay?

19.

Ahura Mazda answered: 'He is Peshotanu: two hundred stripes

with the Aspahe-ashtra, two hundred stripes with the Sraosho-charana.'

20.

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man shall

throw on the ground a bone of a dead dog, or of a dead man, as

large