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Pahlavi Texts, Part II (SBE18), E.W. West, tr. [1882], at sacred-texts.com


CONTENTS.

 

INTRODUCTION.

 

1.

General Remarks

xiii

2.

The Dâdistân-î Dînîk

xxii

3.

The Epistles of Mânûskîhar

xxv

4.

The Appendix

xxviii

 

Abbreviations used in this volume

xxxi

 

 

TRANSLATIONS.

 

 

DISTÂN-Î DÎNÎK

2

1.

Introductory

3

2.

Why a righteous man is better than all creatures, spiritual or worldly

11

3.

Why a righteous man is created, and how he should act

15

4.

Why a righteous man is great

20

5.

How temporal distress is to be regarded

22

6.

Why the good suffer more than the bad in this world

23

7.

Why we are created, and what we ought to do

25

8.

Whether good works done for the dead differ in effect from those ordered or done by themselves

26

9.

How far they differ

28

10.

The growth of good works during life

29

11.

Whether the growth of a good work be as commendable as the original good work

30

12.

Whether it eradicates sin equally well

30

13.

Whether one is made responsible for all his sins and good works separately at the last account, or only for their balance

31

14.

The angels who take account of sin and good works, and how sinners are punished

32

15.

The exposure of a corpse does not occasion the final departure of life, and is meritorious

34

16.

Whether the soul be aware of, or disturbed by, the corpse being gnawed

36

 

p. viii

 

CHAP.

 

PAGE

17.

Reasons for the exposure of corpses

38

18.

How the corpse and bones are to be disposed of

43

19.

Whether departed souls can see Aûharmazd and Aharman

44

20.

Where the souls of the righteous and wicked go

46

21.

The Dâîtih peak, the Kinvad bridge, and the two paths of departed souls

47

22.

Whether the spirits are distressed when a righteous man dies

50

23.

How the life departs from the body

51

24.

Where a righteous soul stays for the first three nights after death, and what it does next

53

25.

Where a wicked soul stays for the first three nights after death, and what it does next

55

26.

The nature of heaven and its pleasures

56

27.

The nature of hell and its punishments

57

28.

Why ceremonies in honour of Srôsh are performed for the three days after a death

58

29.

Why Srôsh must be reverenced separately from other angels

60

30.

Why three sacred cakes are consecrated at dawn after the third night from a death

61

31.

How a righteous soul goes to heaven, and what it finds and does there

63

32.

How a wicked soul goes to hell, and what it finds and suffers there

70

33.

The position and subdivisions of hell

74

84.

The two ways from the Dâîtih peak; that of the righteous to heaven, and that of the wicked to hell

76

35.

The continuance of mankind in the world till the resurrection

76

36.

The preparers of the renovation of the universe

77

37.

The contest of the good and evil spirits from the creation till the resurrection, and the condition of creation after the resurrection

80

38.

The effect of doing more good works than are necessary for attaining to the supreme heaven

120

39.

Reasons for wearing the sacred thread-girdle

122

40.

On the sacred shirt and thread-girdle, grace before and after eating, and cleansing the mouth before the after-'grace

133

41.

The sin of apostasy, and how to atone for it

136

42.

The good works of him who saves others from apostasy

139

 

p. ix

 

CHAP.

 

PAGE

43.

The distance at which the fire can be addressed, the use of a lamp, and the proper order of the propitiatory dedications, when consecrating a sacred cake

141

44.

Whether a skilful priest who is employed to perform ceremonies, but is not officially the priest of the district, should be paid a regular stipend

145

45.

The separate duties of priests and disciples

151

46.

When a priest can abandon the priesthood to obtain a livelihood

153

47.

Whether a priest who knows the Avesta, or one who understands the commentary, be more entitled to the foremost place at a sacred feast

155

48.

The advantage and proper mode of celebrating the ceremonial

159

49.

Whether it be lawful to buy corn and keep it long, so as to raise the price for the sake of profit

174

50.

Whether it be lawful to sell wine to foreigners and infidels

176

51.

The sin of drunkenness, and what constitutes immoderate drinking

178

52.

Whether a man who bargains to deliver wheat in a month, and takes a deposit, is bound to deliver the wheat if its market-price has risen enormously

180

53.

Whether it be lawful to sell cattle to those of a different religion

182

54.

Whether a man without a son can give away his property to one daughter on his death-bed; the laws of inheritance, and when an adopted son must be appointed, in such a case

183

55.

Whose duty it is to order the ceremonies after a death

187

56.

The laws of adoption and family-guardianship

188

57.

Those who are fit, or unfit, for adoption

190

58.

The three kinds of adoption

191

59.

The least amount of property that requires the appointment of an adopted son

192

60.

The sin of not appointing an adopted son, or of appointing a dishonest one

192

61.

The merit and demerit of family-guardianship

193

62.

The laws of inheritance

194

63.

Whether it be lawful to seize property from foreigners and infidels

196

 

p. x

 

CHAP.

 

PAGE

64.

The origin of Gâyômard, Mashyâîh, and Mashyayôîh

197

65.

The origin of next-of-kin marriage

199

66.

Regarding the cost of religious rites, and whether a priest's tot fees can be reduced when others will take less

201

67.

The cause of the rainbow

210

68.

The cause of the phases of the moon

210

69.

The cause of eclipses

212

70.

The causes of river-beds

213

71.

What things happen through destiny, and what through exertion

214

72.

The seven heinous sinners, and the necessity of avoiding him who commits unnatural intercourse

216

73.

Whether the stench of such intercourse reaches the sky

220

74.

Whether that stench disturbs the archangels

221

75.

Whether the angels raise such a sinner from the dead at the resurrection

222

76.

Whether it be a good work to kill such a sinner

223

77.

Why such intercourse is a heinous sin

224

78.

Why adultery is heinous, and how one can atone for it

227

79.

The sin of not repeating the full grace before drinking (when one is able to do so), and how one can atone for it

233

80.

Regarding him who does not order ceremonies

237

81.

About the ceremonies for the living soul

237

82.

About him who pays for ceremonies and him who takes the money without performing them

242

83.

Whether a priest must undertake all religious rites

244

84.

Whether gifts to the priesthood for ceremonies can be diminished or increased

245

85.

The advantages of increasing such gifts

246

86.

The harm of diminishing such gifts

248

87.

Why it is good to give such gifts

249

88.

About the cost of religious rites in Pârs

250

89.

Whether when a man has once resolved to go into Pârs, with gifts for the priesthood, it be lawful for him to send another man with the gifts

254

90.

The seven immortal rulers in the region of Khvanîras before the coming of the good religion

255

91.

The nature and material of the sky

259

92.

The course and benefit of the water of Arekdvisûr

262

 

p. xi

 

CHAP.

 

PAGE

93.

star's seizing of water from the ocean to rain it upon the earth, and his conflict with Apâôsh

264

94.

Conclusion

269

 

 

EPISTLES OF MÂNÛSKÎHAR

277

 

EPISTLE I. To the good people of Sîrkân.

 

1.

Introductory compliments, acknowledging receipt of a complaining epistle

279

2.

Deploring the false opinions in circulation, owing to the fiend, about the purification ceremonies

282

3.

Excusing any defects in this epistle for various reasons detailed

286

4.

Deprecating the disuse of the Bareshnûm ceremony, as decreed by his brother; such disuse being contrary to scripture and the commentaries

292

5.

Alluding to the one-sided view of the opinions of the commentators adopted by the decree they had sent

298

6.

Discussing the different statements of the commentators as to the number of purifiers and washings

301

7.

Discussing the proper quantities of liquids to be used, and the 300 pebbles

304

8.

Regarding the stirring up of the bull's urine when fetid, as mentioned in the Sakâdûm Nask

309

9.

Deciding that the commentary which teaches the most efficient mode of purification is to be followed, when there are no special reasons for acting otherwise

312

10.

Reserving other matters for special instructions to the priests, but warning them not to obey the decree now denounced

316

11.

Arranging for the enforcement of his decision, until he can write further, or come himself; and concluding with benediction and date

320

 

 

EPISTLE II. To his brother, Zâd-sparam.

 

1.

Acknowledging receipt of a former epistle, and announcing the arrival of complaints about his brother's reprehensible decree

324

2.

Disapproving of the decree and its mode of dealing with the commentaries, whose exact agreement is as unlikely as the simultaneous occurrence of several particular conjunctions of the planets

331

 

p. xii

 

CHAP.

 

PAGE

3.

Exhorting him not to seek for new rules, but to adhere strictly to the old customs

336

4.

Reasserting his opinions, and protesting against the notion that the decree was in accordance with the practice of all the purifiers in Irân

341

5.

Commenting upon the secrecy with which the decree had been prepared, and the evil consequences resulting from it

343

6.

Persuading him to remain steadfast in the faith, and threatening him if he should not

348

7.

Explaining that he had previously written to Sîrkân, and would shortly come there himself; but ordering the appointment of proper purifiers

350

8.

Mentioning his general epistle to all of the good religion in Irân, and describing the evil consequences of continued disobedience, including the possibility of his own retreat to foreign lands

352

9.

Giving further instructions for satisfying the discontented, and opposing the heterodox; and concluding without date

354

 

 

EPISTLE III. To all of the good religion in Irân. Forbidding the substitution of a fifteenfold washing for the Bareshnûm ceremony; and dated A.Y. 250 (A.D. 881)

359

 

 

APPENDIX

367

I.

Legends relating to Keresâsp

369

II.

The Nîrang-i Kustî

383

III.

The meaning of Khvêtûk-das

389

IV.

The Bareshnûm ceremony

431

V.

Finding a corpse in the wilderness

455

 

INDEX

459

 

CORRECTIONS

479

 

Transliteration of Oriental Alphabets adopted for the Translations of the Sacred Books of the East

481

 


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