Chapter XXI: Section III (7)

[467] The Sad-der naser (in prose) is an abridgment of
practical and ceremonial theology, called Sad-der, or “one
hundred doors,” because the hundred chapters of which it is
composed are like so many doors leading to heaven. Some
Parsees think that the original was written in Pehlvi. It is
positively said in the beginning of this treatise that it
has been drawn from the law: which proves that it makes no
part of the Zend-Avesta (_Zend-Av._, t. I. 2. P. Notices,
pp. xxix. xxx).

The Sad-der nazem (in verse) was versified by a Persian
called _Shahmard_, the son of _Malek Shah_, and terminated
in the month of Isfendermad (February) of the year 864 from
the installation of Yezdejerd, 1495 A. D., and brought from
Kirman to India by the Dustúr Pashutan Daji. This work has
been translated into Latin by the learned Hyde (_ibid._, p.
xxxiv). The Dabistan gives only a short abstract of it.――A.
T.

[468] See p. 298, where the same tale occurs.

[469] Yasht (see note, p. 258) signifies with the Parsees in
general prayers accompanied by efficacious benedictions, but
is here used to imply the panegyrics of several celestial
spirits, in which are enumerated their principal attributes
and their relation to Ormuzd and his productions, as
distributors of the blessings which this secondary principle
spreads over nature, and as declared enemies of Ahriman and
his ministers. According to the Parsees, each Amshasfand and
Ized had a peculiar Yasht; but of all these compositions
there only remain in the Zand eighteen which are authentic,
and a small part of the Yasht of Bahman.――D. S.

[470] Upon the Naú Roz, see note, p. 268.

[471] These are two short forms of prayer, like our
collects, which are frequently repeated in the Parsee
litanies. The _Ita ahu virio_, as translated by Anq. du
Peron, runs thus: “It is the desire of Ormuzd that the chief
of the law should perform pure and holy works: Bahman
bestows abundance on him who acts with holiness in this
world. O, Ormuzd! thou establishest as king whoever consoles
and nourishes the poor.” The _Ashem Vuhu_ thus: “Abundance
and paradise are reserved for him who is just and pure: he
is truly pure who is holy and performs holy works.”――D. S.

[472] _Kirfah_ means: 1. a good work; 2. a merit which
absolves from sin. The author of the Dabistán has so
abridged this Der that it is deemed proper to give it at
length according to Hyde’s translation: “It is manifest,
from the principles of religion, that we must concede due
authority to the Dustúr and must not deviate from his
commands, as he is the ornament and splendor of the faith.
Although thy good works may be countless as the leaves of
the trees, the grains of sand, the drops of rain, or the
stars in the heavens, thou canst gain nothing by them,
unless they be acceptable in the sight of the Dustúr: if he
be not content with thee, thou shalt have no praise in this
world: therefore, my son, thou shalt pay to the Dustúr who
teaches thee the tithe of all thou possessest (wealth and
property of every kind, gold and silver). Therefore thou,
who desirest to enjoy paradise to all eternity, pay tithes
to the Dustúr; for if he be satisfied with thee, know that
paradise is thine; but if he be not content with thee, thou
canst derive no portion of benefit from thy good works; thy
soul shalt not find its way to paradise; thou shalt have no
place along with angels; thy soul can never be delivered
from the fiends of hell, which is to be thy eternal abode:
but pay the tithes, and the Dustúrs will be pleased with
thee, and thy soul shall get to paradise without delay.
Truly the Dustúrs know the religion of all men, understand
all things, and deliver all (faithful) men.”――D. S.

[473] Hyde (p. 454) has “_Malkus_, whose enchantments
brought on the deluge.”

[474] _Sarúregh_, according to Hyde (_ibid._), “by whom (in
the time of Sâm) the world suffered oppression and injury.”

[475] “_Túr-Brátur_ (otherwise _Túri-Brátrush_ or _tresh_),
that villanous and obscene man, who destroyed Zardusht in
that religion which he supported by his zeal.”――(Hyde,
_ibid._). This name is perhaps a variation of _Parántárush_
(see p. 228).――A. T.

[476] See note, p. 297.

[477] The terms Miezd and Darun require some farther
illustration: the following is from the Zend-Avesta, vol.
II. p. 534. The Miezd, that is, meats previously blessed and
then eaten, either during or after the service; flowers,
fruits, especially pomegranates and dates; rice, fragrant
seeds, and perfumes; milk; the small cakes called Darun; the
branches of the Hom and its juice, called Perahom; the roots
of trees, particularly the pomegranate tree. The roots are
cut, the milk, and in general all these offerings, are
prepared with ceremonies described at great length in the
_Ravaets_, or “ritual treatises.” These offerings, and the
sacred implements, which are twenty-six in number, constitute
the thirty-three objects as specified by Zoroaster in the
latter part of the first Ha of the Izechné, vol. I. P. II.
p. 87: “I invoke and laud all the mighty, the pure Dustúrs
who have thirty-three objects around and near the Havan (the
vase for holding the Perahom): they are pure, according to
the ordinance of Zaradusht, who was instructed by the
Supreme Lord himself.” The Daruns are small cakes of
unleavened bread, nearly the form and thickness of a crown
piece: there are two or four of these offered, according to
the nature of the service. The Darun on which they place a
little dressed meat is called _Darun Fusesté_, or “offered
bread.”――D. S.

[478] The Afirgans, or Afernigáns, are the prayers and
benedictions recited during the Gahanbar or the last ten
days of the year, and on the anniversary of deceased parents
or relations: but the service on the third night after the
decease is not to be neglected, as in that case the soul of
the deceased would remain without protection until the
resurrection. On the third night, at the Oshen Gah, or
midnight, there are four services; one for each of the
angels, Rashin Rast, Ram Izad, and Surush, the fourth in
honor of the Ferouers of holy personages. In this last
service are recited nine Kardés, or portions of the
_Vispared_, and four dresses, fruits, and cheese are laid by
for the officiating priest, along with the Darun.

The word _Vispered_ admits of two meanings: 1. “the
knowledge of “every thing,” _Vispé Khirad_;” 2. “all the
chiefs,” _Vispé Rad_. The latter meaning seems more
analogous to the Vispered, as it begins by invoking the
chiefs of all beings――such as the first of the heavens, the
first of the earth, the first of aquatic creatures, etc.
Zoroaster is supposed to have repeated to the Brahmin
Chingégratch this Vispered, which begins thus: “I invoke and
laud the first of the heavens, the first of the earth, the
first of aquatic beings, the first of terrestrial beings,
the first of brilliant and intelligent beings, the holy,
pure, and great Chingégrâtchás;” and it ends with “I invoke
and laud the bull exalted on high, who makes the herbage to
grow in abundance; this bull, the pure gift, who has given
(being) to the pure man.” The Vispered is divided into
twenty-seven _Kardés_, or “sections,” and probably formed
part of the Baghantást of the fifteenth Nosk of the Avesta.
It is recited by day, as well as the Izeshneh (Yazishnah),
and with a Barsom, or “bundle, of thirty-five branches of
trees.

Izeshné (Yazishnah) means a prayer setting forth the
greatness of the personage thus addressed. It is composed of
seventy-two Há, which the Parsees divide into two parts: the
first part contains twenty-seven Há, addressed to Ormuzd and
his creation; the second contains prayers addressed to the
Supreme Being; it speaks of man, of his wants, of the
several genii charged to protect him, etc. The word Há,
which signifies a portion of the Izeshné, is derived from
the Zend Hâetîm, or Hâtarim, portions. From Hâtaum is also
formed “Had,” which signifies “measure, limit.” The Izeshné
probably formed part of the Setud-yesht, the first Nosk of
the Avesta, or of the Setud-gher, the second Nosk. The
Izeshné is performed at the _Gah Havan_, or “sunrise;” when,
recited by itself without other prayers, the Izeshnéh Sadah
is read with the same ceremonies as the Vendidad Sâdeh,
excepting that the _Barsom_, or “sacred bundle of twigs”
[see hereafter, p. 319], consists then of only twenty-three
branches. The Vendidad and Vispered cannot be recited
without the Izeshné, and the Barsom for these two offices
consists of thirty-five branches.

The term _Sâde_ means “pure,” or the text without a
translation.

The two works, the Izeshné and Vispered, joined to the
Vendidad, the twentieth Nosk of the Avesta, form the
Vendidad Sadé, which the Mobeds are obliged to recite every
day, commencing at the _Gâh Oshen_, or “midnight,” or before
day-break, so that it may be finished before sunrise.

Purifications, ordinances, marriages, in short all the
ceremonies of the law, depend on the due celebration of this
office.――D. S.

[479] Lest demons or wizards should take them away and use
them in their enchantments.――D. S.

[480] Upon Váj, see note, p. 296.

In this translation, the reading of the manuscript has been
followed as being the most simple: there seems however
something omitted. Annexed is the form of prayer recited in
Váj, which means mental recitation: it is taken from
Anquetil du Perron:

THE PRAYERS RECITED BY PARSEES BEFORE MEAT.

_Etha aad avirmede._――“Ormuzd is king: now I make Izeshné to
Ormuzd the giver of pure flocks, the giver of pure waters,
of pure trees, the giver of light, of earth, and of every
kind of good.” This is to be recited once.

_Eshem Trihu._――“Abundance and paradise are reserved for the
just and undefiled person; he who does heavenly and pure
works.” To be recited three times.

PRAYERS AFTER MEAT.

_Ethu ahu Virio._――“It is the desire of Ormuzd that the
chief (of the law) should perform pure and holy works.
Bahman gives (abundance) to him who acts with holiness in
the world. O Ormuzd! thou establishest as king whoever
comforts and nourishes the poor.” To be repeated twice.

_Eshem vuhu._――“Abundance and paradise, etc.” To be repeated
once.

_Ehmarestchi._――“Mayest thou remain always effulgent with
light! may thy body be always in good condition! may thy
body ever increase! may thy body be ever victorious! may thy
desires, when accomplished, ever render thee happy! mayest
thou always have distinguished children! mayest thou live
for ever! for length of time! for length of years! and
mayest thou be received for ever into the celestial abodes
of the holy, all radiant with light and happiness! enjoy a
thousand healths, ten thousand healths.”

_Kereba mezada._――This form of prayer shall be quoted
hereafter.

_Eshem Vuhu._――“Abundance and paradise, etc.” To be repeated
once.

The commentator on this gate has evidently confounded Váj or
Váz with the Barsum; this mistake is not to be attributed to
the author of the Dabistán.――D. S.

[481] Strabo, observes Anquetil (_Zand-Avesta_, p. 532),
alludes to the Barsom, where he says of the Magi: τὰς δὲ
ἀπωδὰς ποιουνται πολὺν ῥαβδων μυρικίνων λεπτων δέσμην
κατέχοντες· “They make their prayers a long time, holding a
bundle of slender twigs of tamarisk in their hands”
(_Geog._, lib. XV. p. 733).――D. S.

[482] See pp. 292-3.

[483] Anquetil du Perron says (_Zend-Avesta_, t. II. p.
601): “Of all the religions known, that of the Parsís is
perhaps the only one in which fasting be neither meritorious
nor even permitted. The Parsí, on the contrary, believes to
honor Ormuzd by nourishing himself well: because the body,
fresh and vigorous, renders the soul stronger against the
bad genii; because the man, feeling less want, reads the
word with more attention, and feels more courage for
performing good works; consequently several celestial
spirits are especially charged with watching over the
welfare of man: Rameshné, Kharom, Khordád, and Amerdád give
abundance and pleasures to him, and it is the last of the
Izeds mentioned who produces in the fruits the taste and
flavor which lead men to apply them to that use for which
Ormuzd has created them.”――A. T.

[484] The cock is an animal held in great esteem by the
Parsees, who are enjoined to keep one in their houses;
Bahrám (Mars) appears under this form (_Zend-Avesta_, t. II.
pp. 290. 602). The cock is called a Persian bird, and,
according to Athenæus, cocks came first from Persia (see
Hyde, p. 412).――A. T.

[485] In the fifth period of eighty days were created the
282 Sardah, or genera of birds and animals, viz.: 110 of
birds and 172 of animals (Hyde, _Rel. Vet. Pers._, p.
164).――D. S.

[486] According to Hyde’s translation of the _Sad-der_ (p.
471): _caput ejus expiare oportet_, “an expiation is to be
performed over his head.”――A. T.

[487] _Mezda_ or _Maz-dao_, in Zand, according to Rask,
means “God;” Bohlen and Mr. Bopp believe that this word is
of the same family as the Sanskrit _mahat_, “great;” M.
Eugene Burnouf, in a learned discussion, justifies the
interpretation “_multiscius_” given of this word by
Neriosengh (see _Commentaire sur le Yacna_, pp. 70-77).――A. T.

The form of prayer called _Kimna va Mazda_ is probably the
same as the Kereba Mazda (_Zend-Avesta_, t. II. p. 6), which
is as follows: “Grant, O Ormuzd, that my good works may
efface my sins; grant joy and content to my purified soul!
give me a share in all the good works and holy words of the
seven regions of the earth! May the earth enlarge itself!
may the rivers extend their courses! may the sun ever rise
on high! may such be the portion of the pure in life,
according to the wishes which I make.”――D. S.

[488] For _yarshanom_, which is in the manuscripts and in
the edition of Calcutta, read _Barashnom_. This is the name
of one of the four sorts of purifications prescribed to the
Parsees; that called the _Barashnom of nine nights_, is
believed the most efficacious. It is performed in a garden
or in a retired place, where a piece of ground 90 feet in
length and 16 feet in breadth is chosen for it, and, after
having been cleaned and surrounded by a narrow ditch and a
hedge, covered with sand. Therein, after the celebration of
ceremonies during one or three days, a Mobed traces a number
of furrows or trenches, called _Keishs_, and forms several
heaps of stones according to prescribed rules; he prepares a
beverage of ox’s urine and water mixed with other sacred
liquids: this the person to be purified drinks in sacred
vases, then enters into the _Keishs_, accompanied by Mobeds
and a dog; there he strips, and receives on his body wine
poured over him, and washes himself with that given him by
the Mobed. During prayers recited by the purificator and
himself, he passes over several heaps of stones, his right
hand on his head and his left upon the dog, and is then
rubbed with dust; in his progress over other heaps of
stones, he washes himself several times with water. This
done, the purified person goes out of the trenches, and
performs other ablutions with water before he dresses and
puts on the _Koshti_, or “girdle.” The individual who takes
the _Barashnom_ remains separated from other men during nine
days, and at the end of the third, sixth, and ninth night,
he washes himself with a prescribed quantity of wine and
water, and is subject to other ceremonies. This is a very
short abstract of the ceremonies practised in our days; in
the _Vendidad Sadé_, other very minute particulars and
prayers are given for the performance of purification, the
usages of which have in the course of time undergone some
changes. See a completely detailed account of these rites of
purification in Anquetil’s elaborate work, _Zend-Avesta_, t.
I. 2. P. pp. 353-367, and t. II. pp. 545-548, with a plan of
the place upon which the Barashnom is performed.――A. T.

[489] According to Olugh Beigh (Hyde, p. 190), the name of
the five supplementary days of the Persian year of 360 days
are as follows: Ahnavád, Ashnavád, Isfendamád or Máz,
Vahshat or Vahást, and Hashúnesh or Hashtuvish (see also p.
62. n.).――A. T.

[490] According to Anquetil (_Zend-Avesta_, II. p. 575) the
name of the five supplementary days is _Farvardians_, that
is, “the days of the Fervers of the law:” on these days, as
the Persians believe, the souls of the blessed and those of
the damned come to visit their relations, who receive them
with the greatest magnificence in their houses, purified and
adorned for the occasion.

In the composition of the name Farvardigán, appears to have
entered the word Gáhs, which denotes also the Epagomenes,
and five female Izeds, or angels, who have formed, and
preserve, the bodies, and are occupied in heaven to weave
garments for the just (_Zand-Avesta_, I. 2. P. p. 221).――A. T.

[491] It may be recollected that, during the short period of
the French Republic, the year was of twelve months, each of
thirty days, with the addition of five supplementary days,
called by some _Sansculotides_; these were festivals,
consecrated, the 1st, to Virtue; the 2nd, to Genius; the
3rd, to Labour; the 4th, to Opinion; and the 5th, to
Recompense; every fourth or leap-year, there was a 6th day,
devoted to the Revolution.――A. T.

[492] The manuscript reads: “Let her eat bread at night,
having wrapped up the hand in her sleeve and over that a
towel.”――D. S.

[493] _Yasht_ is not found among the names of the Nosks
enumerated in the note, pp. 272-275.――A. T.

[494] Every city and village must have the tree called
_Aderán_, or _Aderán Sháh_, or “the chief of fires.”
_Ader_ is the Pá-zend of Ateré, which signifies fire; which
word, in Parsee writings, means the several fires which
showed themselves to mankind under different forms, and also
their presiding genii; whilst Atesh signifies the common
fire. When a kitchen fire has been used three times, the
Parsees are bound to take it to the Aderán: the other fires
must be taken thither on the expiration of seven days, on
the day of Ader and those of his co-operating genii. The
fire Aderán itself is taken once every year, or at least
every three years, to the fire _Behram_, which is the result
of one thousand and one fires, taken from fifteen different
kinds of fire. In strictness there should be an Ader Behrám
in every province, and according to some Dustúrs, in every
city. On the expiration of a certain period, they take the
ashes of the Behrám, Aderán, and other fires into the
fields, and strew them over the cultivated grounds. It
requires a ceremonial of thirty days to prepare the Behrám
fire (_Zend-Avesta_, t. II. p. 531).――D. S.

[495] The Parsees use for their purifications seven things:
plain water; _Padiav_ water; water of power, or _ab-í-zúr_
(according to Hyde, golden water) _Yeshtí_ water; earth;
_Noreng gomez_, or ox’s urine; and _Noreng gomez yeshtá_.
They must take care to have the plain water and the earth
free from all kind of impurity.――D. S.

[496] _Padiav_ means “what renders or is rendered (pure)
like water.” To impart this quality to water, the officiating
priest puts it in a large vase, out of which he fills a
smaller vessel; he afterwards pours out some of the water
three times from the smaller into the larger vessel,
accompanying each act with certain forms of prayer, on which
the water becomes Padiav.――D. S.

[497] See note, p. 325.

[498] According to Anquetil Du Perron, _Khushnuman_
signifies one who is pleased or favorable: this name is
given to a short prayer, or collect, which contains the
principal attributes of the being to whom it is addressed:
there are two kinds of it, the greater and the less: in the
former, after every attribute they repeat: “I offer thee
Izechné,” or “I praise and magnify thee;” in the latter form
this is only repeated after the enumeration of all the
attributes.――D. S.

[499] See note, p. 315, Hyde translates _Darún yeshtén_, by
“expiatory banquet:” but according to Anquetil (_Zend-Avesta_,
t. I. 2. P. p. 237) the Darún Yeshté is a Parsi office,
which begins thus:

“With the Barsom raised over the Zúr, I address in prayer
the great Ormuzd, brilliant in light and glory; also the
Amshaspands; and thee, O Fire! son of Ormuzd!
I address in prayer the wood and the perfumes!
. . . . thee, O Fire, son of Ormuzd!
. . . . the pure, the chiefs who walk in dignity
in this world!
I make Khushnuman; I address my prayer to Ormuzd, to the
Amshaspands, to the pure Surúsh, to the Fire of Ormuzd, the
great, the exalted, the holy!
I pray to the holy, pure, and great Vendidad given to Zoroaster!
. . . . . . . . Gahs.
. . . . . . . . Gahanbars, or the six
periods of creation.――
. . . . . . . . Years and laud them.”

_Darun yeshté_ also signifies “Festival Darúns,” or banquets
preceded by the recitation of the Izeshné, the Vendidad, and
the Darun, for which the officiating priest receives a new
dress. This bears out Hyde’s translation.――D. S.

[500] The forms Jethá ahú viríyo, Eshem Vehu, and Jetha âúd
Jezmídé have been given under GATE 22.――The Homoctenaum is a
short prayer: “To think with purity, to act with purity, to
perform and execute it, to teach others the same, such is my
undertaking. I teach the same to men: may it turn to my
good!” The Hockhshéthrôtemâé: “The king who is pure and
elevated as I am, I will give him his desires; of him I,
Ormuzd the holy and heavenly, will take peculiar care.――”
The printed copy reads for Jétha âad Jezmédé, the words
اهم بريم يزمندی ايتا اهو. But as one manuscript reads Jétha âád
Jezmédé, it has been retained. The Hemoctaum and Hokhshéthrôtemâé
are also conjectural, as the two manuscripts and printed
copy present different readings. In the latter these are
read Homesham and Hochastar.――D. S.

[501] In the Vendidad Sadé (_Zend-Avesta_, t. I. 2. P. p.
386) we find: “The world is engendered from water; and at
present there are in the water two primeval aquatic dogs and
thousands of their females which produce by copulation
thousands of their species. To smite these aquatic dogs
causes all good things to be parched up; from that city or
place shall depart all that is sweet to the taste: wholesome
viands, health, longevity, abundance, rain, the source of
good, the profusion of temporal blessings; also whatever
grows on the earth, such as grain and pasturage.”――D. S.

[502] In page 564, _Zend-Avesta_, t. II. we find: “The
Parsees who are desirous of leading happy lives, and of
having children who do them honor, must employ four priests
to repeat the Izeshné during three consecutive days and
nights: this rite is called the _Zindeh Ravan_, or ‘verifier
of the soul (at the moment of death).’”

Surúsh, or Surúsh Ized, performs a most important part in
Parsee mythology (see note, p. 7).――D. S.

[503] According to Anquetil du Perron, the following are
some of the ceremonies practised on such occasions. On the
approaching departure of the soul from the body, they
perform the _Sag-díd_ (the dog-saw) by presenting a dog
before the dying person, and that the animal may be induced
to look at him, they throw some bits of bread or meat near
the person. Without doubt Bardesanes, in _Euseb. præp. Evan.
lib._, p. 277, alludes to this custom where he says: “All
the Medes expose the dying, whilst yet breathing, to dogs
which have been carefully trained for that purpose;” and in
like manner (_Euseb. præp. Evang._, l. I. p. 11-12), where
he says: “Among the Hyrcanians and Caspians, some exposed
persons whilst yet alive to birds of prey and dogs; others
only the deceased: but the Bactrians exposed old people
whilst yet alive to dogs.” (See hereafter the note to GATE
77.)

The Parsees believe that, immediately after death, the soul,
like a feeble new-born infant, flutters during the first day
around the place where the person died; on the second,
around the Keshé, or place in the Dakhmé where the body is
deposited; and on the third around the Dakhmé or Parsi
burying-place; on the fourth, near the bridge of Chinavad,
where he is interrogated by Mithra and Rashné Rast, who also
weigh his actions. During the three first days, they
celebrate the Surúsh Yasht, the Surúsh Darún, the Patet
Mokhtat (of souls), and the Surúsh Afergan. Patet signifies
a general confession of all sins a person may have committed.
Afergáns and Afrins are prayers in the form of thanksgivings
accompanied with supplications and benedictions. On the
third night, at the Gah Oshen, they celebrate four Daruns:
the first in honor of Rashné Rast; the second of Raon Ized;
the third of Surúsh, with six Darúns, three large and three
small; and the fourth in honor of the Ferouers of the
Saints: with this last they place four dresses, along with
fruits and cheese, all of which are for the officiating
priest.――D. S.

[504] The Niyayish is an humble and submissive form of
prayer, of which there are five, addressed to five Izeds,
and containing their panegyrics: the sun, Mithra, the moon,
the female Ardouisur, and the fire Behrám. Amongst the
attributes of Ardouisur are: making females prolific, pure,
giving them happy child-births, supplying milk, etc. The
great Vorôokeshé makes every thing grow and exist in those
places where it flows, and whither it bears the element of
water, from the source Ardouisur of a thousand channels and
a thousand arms, each of which extends to a journey of forty
days as performed by a well-mounted horseman.――D. S.

[505] According to Hyde’s version Gojestah, or Gosakhtah,
became the devil, because he lapsed from the truth and
lessened it. When he saw he had to contend against the
truth, he fell prostrate in astonishment during a thousand
years, and dared not venture to approach the world, but
remained groaning and trembling in his own place. I cannot
find this tradition in the _Zend-Avesta_, according to
which, Bomasp is the demon of falsehood. On the authority of
GATE 91, I prefer reading Gokhastah to Kusastah, or “the
broken.” Hyde (p. 180) mentions that the Indo-Persians
reckon Gegjesta Ghanáminu the immediate minister of
Ahriman.――D. S.

[506] According to an ancient custom which is observed even
in our days, the mouth of a dying Parsí is applied to that
of a dog, who is to receive the man’s last breath. This
custom may have occasioned the belief that the Persians let
dogs devour their sick and dying. So says Herodotus (l.
III.); Strabo (l. XI.) names the Bactrians and Sogdians as
feeding for this purpose certain dogs, whom they call
“buriers of the dead;” Cicero (Tusc., l. XLV) mentions the
same of the Hyrcanians. Certainly, different customs
prevailed in different times among the numerous nations who
inhabited the vast empire of Persia: hence may be explained
the various and sometimes contradictory accounts of ancient
authors whose affirmation, denial, and silence, with respect
to a particular fact, may however, in many instances, with
equal truth but with due restriction, be applied to
particular places and epochs.――A. T.

[507] The Parsis, from the most ancient to our times,
neither bury nor burn their dead, but expose them to be
devoured by birds and wild beasts. They fear to pollute the
earth and the fire, which they hold sacred. It is, however,
well established that they built formerly very magnificent
sepulchres for kings and eminent men, to whom probably the
privilege of such monumental graves was confined.――A. T.

[508] The readings in the manuscript and printed copy are
both erroneous; therefore Yarshanom, Pituft Irash, and Tipat
Barash have, on the authority of Anquetil Du Perron, been
changed into Barashnom, and Patet Iran.

[509] Among the animals, cows, sheep, and fowls are
particularly specified.――D. S.

[510] For Eshem Vehu, see GATE 22.

[511] The same is said of Mohammed, see note, p. 3.

[512] If the epoch of Kaíomars be adopted according to
Ferdusi, 3529 B. C., that of Zoroaster would be = 529 years
before our era. In the Mojmel al Tavarikh (IVth chapter,
upon the chronology of the philosophers and some kings of
Rúm) it is stated that, since Zoroaster appeared, 1700 years
had elapsed to the time of the author, who wrote in the year
1530 of the Hejira, or A. D. 1126; therefore Zoroaster would
have lived 574 years B. C. If the 1700 years be taken for
lunar years, the epoch would answer to 522 before the
Christian era.――A. T.

[513] For _Pávyáb_, or according to Anquetil du Perron,
_Padiav_ water, see GATE 54. This word may perhaps be
derived from the Sanskrit पू _pú_, “to purify;” पवित्र
_pavitra_, “pure;” पवित्रं _pavitram_, “water, rain,
cleansing in general, a sacrificial implement.”――A. T.

[514] For Adar Behrám, or the fire of Behram, see note on
GATE 53. Instead of Var Behrám and Vār Behrām of the
manuscript, and Varcháram of the edit. of Calcutta, Adar
Behrám has been adopted on Hyde’s authority.――D. S.

[515] Bahrám is the most active of the Izeds, the king of
all the beings; with a celestial body, receiving his glory
and splendor from Ormuzd, he presides over the 20th day of
the month; he bestows health and victory, and combats the
Dívs. He appears under the form of a young man of fifteen
years, and under those of different animals; that of a cock
has already been mentioned (see note, p. 324); he appears
besides as a bull, a horse, a camel, a ram, a he-goat, a
lamb. He is also identified with the planet Mars, and acts a
great part in the ancient history of Persia. See _Zand-Avesta_,
t. I. 2. P. pp. 83. 86. 91; t. II. pp. 98. 287. 289. 290.
294. 321. 356. and in other places.――A. T.

[516] The Calcutta edition reads _Pímasídím_; the above
agrees nearly with the name given by Anquetil, which is
_Hamespethmédem_. The other names of the Gahambars,
according to the spelling of that author, are, from the
first to the fifth, as follow: _Medïozerem_, _Medïoshem_,
_Peteschem_, _Eïathrem_, and _Médïarem_. The statement
relative to these six festivals, as contained in the Afrín
of the Gahambar _Zend-Avesta_, t. II. pp. 82-87) coincides
with that of the Dabistán. Ormuzd himself holds out
remunerations to those who rightly celebrate each of these
days, and condign punishments to those who neglect the
prescribed observances.――A. T.

[517] In the _Ardi Viraf nameh_ we read, that the river of
hell, most black and frigid, is made of the tears of those
who mourn for the dead; to the surviving friends silence and
pious mussitation in remembering the merits of the dead are
recommended.――A. T.

[518] See note, p. 105.

[519] Nothing existed before the first principle began the
work of creation; this principle is called in the
_Bun-Dehesh Zaruam akarené_, “the boundless time;” that is,
“sine extremitatibus anterioribus et posterioribus.”
Distinct from it is “the long time,” which is said to be
created by God, and not “self-existing” as the first. Among
the productions of this first principle, some are “self-creating,”
such as Ormuzd and Ahriman (see note, pp. 235-236); others
act only upon what exists already, such as the three
substances――the primordial light, the primordial water, and
the primordial fire. This is the doctrine expressed in Zand,
Pehlvi, and the most ancient Persian books. The above
statement about the eternal existence of the heavens seems
therefore not in accordance with it. The Abádians or the
Kaiomarsiáns acknowledged the good principle under the name
of _Yezdan_, and the bad principle under that of _Ahriman_;
but they believed that the first only was from eternity, and
not the last; or in other terms, that light only was eternal
and darkness created. The cosmogony of this sect was the
same as that related in the _Bun-Dehesh_, or as that of
Zoroaster; it is briefly as follows: The primordial bull was
the principle of all irrational creatures as well as of the
human race. According to the _Izeshné_ and the _Bun-Dehesh_,
the primitive man came forth from the side of the bull; he
was called in Zand _gaya mereta_, and in Pehlvi _gayo mard_;
a word compounded of _gaya_, “bull or life,” and of
_mĕrĕta_, “mortal,” or “man;” hence came _Gayomars_, or
_Kaïomars_, the name of a most ancient Persian king (see
note, p. 29). From the seed of Gayomard sprung a tree which
was shaped like two men, and the fruit of which comprised
ten different species of men; from these two bodies came the
twins Meshia and Meshiané, man and woman, the ancestors of
mankind. Although created for happiness, they were seduced
by Ahriman, and averted from the adoration of Ormuzd; they
wandered in the wilderness, were addicted to hunting, clad
in skins of animals, and their posterity peopled the earth.

But Ormuzd did not forsake his creatures. In order to
emancipate them from the rule of Ahriman, he destined to
them his word, the law of Zartusht, who always existed, but
his _feruer_, that is, “the ideal of his perfection,” was to
be produced by Zardusht’s fire.

He was to be preceded by _Hom_, the first apostle of the
law, whom Jemshid followed. This king and prophet erected
but few fire-temples; mankind venerated the elements and the
stars, not without a number of evil genii, and a gross
superstition began to prevail. For opposing this and
renewing the primitive law, Zardusht appeared.――A. T.

[520] It appears quite conformable with true psychology to
derive the origin of the evil spirit from jealousy, as was
said in the note at p. 236, or from apprehension, doubt,
suspicion, or envy, as above.――A. T.

[521] According to the _Boun Dehesh_ (_Zend-Avesta_, t. II.
pp. 347-348), Ormuzd will during three thousand years move
alone; during three other thousand years, his operations
will be blended with those of his adversary; the subsequent
three thousand years will belong to Ahriman; and in the last
three, completing the period of twelve thousand years, the
author of evil shall disappear; and at the resurrection of
the dead and the renewal of the bodies――previous to which
event are to appear the three posthumous sons of Zoroaster
(see note, pp. 281-282)――the world shall be without evil
during all ages.

The ultimate fate of Ahriman is stated in the _Vendidad Sadé
Izeshné_ and _Vispered_, as follows (_Zend-Avesta_, t. I. 2.
P. p. 169): “That unjust, that impure being, who is a Div
but in his thoughts; that dark king of the Darwands, who
understands nothing but evil; he shall, at the resurrection,
recite the Avesta, and not only himself practise the law of
Ormuzd, but establish it even in the habitations of the
Darwands.” Moreover it is said (_Zend-Avesta_, t. II. pp.
415-416), that Ahriman, that lying serpent, shall at the end
of ages be purified by fire, as well as the earth be freed
from the dark abode of hell; Ormuzd and Ahriman, accompanied
by all the good and evil genii, shall sing the praises of
the author of all good.”――A. T.

[522] Záíd and Amru are two names which grammarians use in
giving an example for any two individuals, such as may be
said A. and B.――A. T.

[523] The author of the _Dabistán_ names no other famous
teachers or sectaries of Magism, after the death of
Zoroaster, besides Ardai Viraf, Azarbád, and Mazdak: he
treats of this last in particular in the subsequent section,
previously to which we cannot omit adverting to Mani or
Manes, whose name occurs in this book but once occasionally,
as that of a painter (see note, p. 205). He is however much
more reputed as the founder of a new doctrine, called from
him _Manichæism_, which spread its ramifications widely
through the Christian world. According to several authors,
Mani was a Christian priest, and pretended to act the part
of Paraclet, the announced successor to Jesus Christ;
according to Khondemir, he endeavored to substitute himself
for Mohammed, to whom that prophecy respecting a Paraclet
was applied by the Muselmans. However it be, Mani’s
Enghelion, or Gospel, has not been preserved, nor any other
work written by himself; the books of his followers too,
such as could be found, were burnt. His religion is stated
to have been a mixture of Magism, Brahmanism or Buddhism,
Judaism, and Christianism; Shahristani, often quoted in this
work, and Mohammed Ibn el Nedim el Werrak, author of the
Fehrist (a history of literature), agree in representing his
doctrine as a branch of Magism with some Christianism
ingrafted upon it.

The two points attributed to Mani by the commentator of the
Desátir, namely, the permission to kill harmless animals,
and the prohibition of sexual intercourse, belong rather to
the ethical or practical, than to the theological, part of
his religion, which distinguished itself by particular
dogmas and opinions relative to the duality of principle,
good and bad, light and darkness, involving other metaphysical
questions. These, we know, were common to other religions in
all times. Before Manes, Christian sects combined the said
principles with the dogmas of their religion: so did the
followers of Basilides, Marcion, Bardesanes, Valentius, and
others. These, as well as after them the disciples of Manes,
happen to be not seldom confounded with the Gnostics, which
name was applied to different sectaries, chiefly Neo-platonics,
from the earliest to later times of Christianism. The
Manichæans rejected the Old Testament entirely, and partly
the New, which they interpreted according to their opinion.
They disputed about the nature of Jesus, and modified
Christian theology; they believed a region inhabited by God
and the pure spirits, prior to the creation; a world,
created of an eternal and self-existing matter; ten heavens
and eight earths; two empires, the one of light and the
other of darkness; the last, ruled by the great Lord, called
“matter;” demons with material souls and bodies; the soul no
part of the divinty, but united with the body to govern it;
two souls in every man; the propagation of souls; a
transmigration of souls into animals; the stars, and every
thing in nature, even the stones, animated; the rotundity of
heaven and of the earth; antipodes; and other theses too
many to be all enumerated in this place. They had besides
particular rites of worship, from which the veneration of
the sun, the moon, and other stars, was not excluded; they
were averse to matrimony, and generally austere in their
manners. See about this extensive subject the _Mémoires_ of
the learned Abbé Foucher, in the _Hist. de l’Acad. Royale
des Insc. et Belles-Lett._, t. xxix, and the work quoted,
_Hist. crit. de Manichée_, by Beausobre.――A. T.

THE FIFTEENTH SECTION GIVES AN ACCOUNT OF THE TENETS HELD BY THE FOLLOWERS OF MAZDAK.――Mazdak was a holy and learned man, contemporary with king Kobad; his religion was extensively diffused, but he was at last put to death by the illustrious Nushirvan; his tenets were as follow: from the commencement without beginning, the world had two creators; the agent of good, _Yazdan_, “God,” or “light;” and the agent of evil, _Ahriman_, or “darkness.” The supreme God is the author of good, and from him proceeds nothing but good; consequently, intelligences, souls, heavens, and stars are his creation, in all which Ahriman has no share whatever; the elements and their combinations are, in like manner, the productions of the Lord; the influence of fire imparts warmth to those stricken with cold; the breathing of the winds gives coolness and ease to those consumed by heat; the water satisfies those parched with thirst; the earth is the place of ambulation. In like manner, their combinations, such as gold and silver among minerals; the fruit-bearing trees among vegetables; the ox, horse, sheep, and camel, of animals; the pious and beneficent among mankind, are his creation: but the consuming of animals by fire; the destruction of living creatures by the sultry simoom (wind); the foundering of ships in floods; the cutting bodies asunder by iron, or their being pricked by thorns; rapacious and noxious animals, such as lions, tigers, scorpions, serpents, and the like, are all the works of Ahriman; and as he has no share in the empyreal heaven, they style it _Behisht_; but as he possesses a joint authority in the elemental world, opposition has consequently arisen, and no form subsisting in it is possessed of permanent duration. For example: the Almighty bestows life, and Ahriman puts to death; life is the creation of God, death that of Ahriman; God produced health, Ahriman, pain and disease; the Bestower of blessings created paradise, Ahriman, hell; the worship of the Lord is therefore most meet, as his kingdom is immense; and Ahriman has no power, except in the elemental world; in the next place, the spirit of every one devoted to God ascends on high, but that of Ahriman’s servants abides in hell. Wisdom therefore requires the man of intelligence to separate himself from the Ahrimans; for although the author of evil may afflict such a person, yet on being delivered from the body, his soul ascends to Heaven, whither Ahriman has not the power of coming.

In some parts of the _Desnad_,[524] Mazdak says: “Existence arises from two principles or sources, _Shíd_ and _Tár_,” _i. e._: ‘light’ and ‘darkness,’ which he afterwards interprets to mean God and Ahriman. He afterwards says: “The works of light result from choice, but those of darkness from accident; light is endued with knowledge and sensation, darkness is ignorant; the mixture of light and darkness is accidental, and the disengagement of light from darkness is also accidental, and not the result of choice; whatever is good in this world is an advantage emanating from light, whilst evil and corruption arise from darkness; when the parts of light are separated from darkness, the compound becomes dissolved, which means resurrection.” Again, he says in the same volume: “There are three roots, or principles: water, fire, and earth; when these are blended together, the tendency to good or evil arising from their mixture is also accidental; whatever results from their purest parts tends to good, and whatever is derived from their grosser parts tends to evil.” He says in the same volume: “God is seated on a throne in the world, the source of all things, just as kings are on the throne of sovereignty in the lower world. In his presence are the four energies, namely, _Bázkushá_, or ‘power of discrimination;’ _Yáddah_, or ‘power of memory;’ _Dáná_, or ‘faculty of comprehension;’ and _Surá_, or ‘gladness;’ in like manner as the affairs of royalty turn on four persons: “the Supreme Pontiff, the principal Hirbud, the commander in chief of the forces, and the master of the revels. And these four persons conduct the affairs of the world through the agency of seven others, inferior to them in rank, namely, chieftain, administrator, _Banúr_,[525] _Dairván_ (head of a monastery), agent, _Dostúr_, and slave; which seven characters comprehend under them the twelve _Rawání_, or ‘orbits’ of spirits, namely: the speaker, giver, taker, bearer, eater, runner, grazer, slayer, smiter, comer, goer, and abider. Whatever man unites in himself the four energies, the seven agents, and the twelve qualities, becomes in this lower world like a creator or protector, and is delivered from all kinds of embarrassment.”

It is also stated in the same volume: “Whatever is not according with the light and agrees with darkness, becomes wrath, destruction, and discord. And whereas almost all contentions among mankind have been caused by riches and women, it is therefore necessary to emancipate the female sex and have wealth in common: he therefore made all men partners in riches and women; just as they are of fire, water, and grass,” In the same volume we find: “It is a great injustice that one man’s wife should be altogether beautiful, whilst another’s is quite the contrary; it therefore becomes imperative, on the score of justice and true religion, for a good man to resign his lovely wife for a short time to his neighbour, who has one both evil and ugly; and also take to himself for a short time his neighbour’s deformed consort.”

Mazdak has also said: “It is altogether reprehensible and improper that one man should hold a distinguished rank, and another remain poor and destitute of resources: it is therefore incumbent on the believer to divide his wealth with his coreligionist; and so taught the religion of Zardusht, that he should even send his wife to visit him, that he may not be deprived of female society. But if his coreligionist should prove unable to acquire wealth, or show proofs of extravagance, infatuation, or insanity, he is to be confined to the house, and measures adopted to provide him with food, clothing, and all things requisite: whoever assents not to these arrangements is consequently a follower of Ahriman’s, and they get contributions from him by compulsion.”

_Farhád_, _Shíráb_, and _Ayin Hoshpúyár_ adopted this creed; besides these, _Muhammed Kúlí_ the Kurd, _Ismail Bég_, the Georgian, and _Ahmadai of Tiran_ (a village near Ispahan) possessed this faith. From them it has been ascertained, that the followers of Mazdak do not at present assume the dress of Gebers, but practise their religion secretly among the Muhammedans. They also showed the author the volume of Mazdak, called the _Desnad_, written in old Persian, which _Ayin Shakib_, the grandfather of _Ayin Hosh_, translated into popular Persian. _Farhod_ was a man of great intelligence, and assumed the name of _Muhammed Said Beg_ among the Muhammedans: Shirab went under the name of _Shir Muhammed_, and _Ayin Hosh_ under that of _Muhammed Akil_; and as they were eminent in their peculiar science, they possessed the volume called the _Desnád_. Such is the detailed account of the Parsi systems, agreeably to the promise made in the beginning of this work, into which not a single one has been admitted which has not either been taken from their own books, or heard from the followers of the respective creeds, as their enemies have, from hostile motives, falsely ascribed to them various erroneous doctrines.[526]

[524] Desnad, the volume which contains the doctrines of
Mazdak.――D. S.

[525] A word not in the dictionaries; if derivable from बाण
_bána_, “an arrow,” it may signify “an archer, head-archer;”
if from बाणी _bání_, “speech,” it may be “a speaker, an
orator.”――A. T.

[526] This first chapter of the Dabistán, here finished,
represents the Sabæismus, or the worship of the heavenly
bodies, and the formation of society by a race of kings,
called the Máhábádiáns, who were succeeded by the Péshdádiáns,
and other known dynasties of the Persian kings. We see laid
down the principal features of Asiatic monarchies which have
been preserved from times immemorial to our days. The
Dabistán, it is true, blends the ideas of more recent epochs
with those of the highest antiquity, and introduces sects of
later times, the origin of which he traces back to the times
of Abád, Húshang, and Zohák. It is however clear, that a
very ancient religion prevailed in Asia, consisting of two
principal points: the first was the adoration of the Creator
of all good, whose unity was acknowledged very early by the
enlightened class of men; the second point was the detestation
of the author of all physical and moral evil. This religion
inculcated purity of thoughts, words, and actions, and a
tender regard for animal life; not without a great number of
liturgical rites, dietetical observances, and other
regulating customs in private and public. We may comprise
under the general name of “Magismus” the fourteen religions
mentioned in this chapter, the last but one of which,
namely, that of Zardusht, appears to have been but a new
systematic arrangement, not without a partial reform, of the
old general religion of Asia, which has also been attributed
to a more ancient Zardusht.

The duality of principle (good and bad) seems to come home
to the common feeling of mankind; but it implies metaphysical
questions about the creation, anteriority, posteriority,
derivation and duration of light and darkness, about which
the different sects are divided by their dogmas and
opinions. That of the Zardushtiáns derived from God light
and darkness, and considered the last as a shadow inseparable
from the body. Zardusht was a dualist, inasmuch as he
adopted light and darkness, as two eternal principles
opposed to each other, and also inasmuch as he taught two
immediate authors of good and evil, who were independent of,
and absolutely contrary to, each other: but he was an
unitarian, inasmuch as he subordinated these authors to the
eternal decrees of the Supreme Being, who to him was the
only principle of the universe, with respect not only to its
original creation, but also to all its physical and moral
accidents.

Although subdivided into sects, Zardusht’s religion appears
to have been dominant, until the forcible introduction of
Muhammedanism among the Persians, and zealously supported by
the preaching of four wise men, called Sásán, who lived from
240 to 643 of the Christian era.

Here follow the principal epochs of the Zardushtián religion
from the time of Gushtasp to the end of the ancient Persian
monarchy:

THE REIGNS OF ACCORDING TO FERDUSI.

I. GUSHTASP _from_ 652 _to_ 505 B. C. Then lived Zardusht.

II. ALEXANDER ―― 337-323 id. The First Sásan (Desátir,
pp. 185. 186).

III. ARDESHIR BABEGAN ―― 200-240 A. D. Arda Viraf.

IV. SHAPUR II ―― 240-271 id. } Arzabad, the son of
} Marasfand, Sásan II.
} (Desát, p. 188.)
V. BAHRAM, the son of } Mani.
Hormuzd ―― 272-276 id. }

VI. KOBAD ―― 488-531 id. Sásan III. Mazdak.

VII. KHOSRU PARVIS ―― 591-628 id. } The Fourth and the
VIII. YEZDEJERD ―― 632-652 id. } Fifth Sásan.
――A. T.

END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.

ERRATA.

P. 31 (note) last line. Instead of “He,” read “Hushang.” This
part of the note, to begin from “Hushang,” ought to have been
placed higher up, at the beginning of the last paragraph,
before “Jemshid,” also called “Jemshar.”

P. 57 (note) l. 5. Instead of “assumed by,” read “given to.”

PARIS:

Printed by Madame V^{e} DONDEY-DUPRÉ,

46, rue St-Louis, au Marais.

Transcriber Note:

This book was written in a period when many words had not become standardized in their spelling. Words and names have multiple spelling variations, inconsistent hyphenation and inconsistent accent marks. Misspelled words in English, Greek, Persian and Sanskrit were left unchanged. Accent marks for transliterations of Persian and Sandskrit were standardized with accents placed above vowels, and letters d, t, and s; a high comma precedes aspirated consonants, such as h, d, t, and s. Words in italics are surrounded by underscores, _like this_. Superscripts are within braces, preceded by a carat, e. g. 1^{er}.

Duplicate words were removed. Obvious printing errors, such as upside down, backwards, or missing letters, and letters in the wrong order, were corrected. Spaces were added or removed between words, as appropriate. Quotation marks and parentheses were adjusted to standard usage. Missing stops were added to abbreviations and ends of sentences. Missing commas were added between items in lists. Commas were changed to stops at ends of sentences.

Footnotes were numbered sequentially and were moved to the end of the section in which they occurred. Anchors for Footnotes 69, 85, 192, 364, 479, 482, 489 are missing in the original; for 69, 85, 364, 489, anchors were added where they likely belonged. Location for anchors 192 and 482 could not be determined. There are two anchors to Footnotes 117, 138, and 232.

Noted, not changed:

The word “ibid” occasionally is not in italics.
III^{ter} Buch, should be des III^{ten} Buches, footnote 87.
For consistency, paragraph number V., should be 5., on page clxiv.
The word “sir” is occasionally lower case as a title.
Dots were used instead of ditto marks in footnote 499.
Page cite in footnote 105 should be 134, not 190, as printed.
In the errata at the end of the book, P. 31 (note) refers to footnote 256,
and P. 57 (note) refers to footnote 292.

Other changes:

Removed extraneous comma between “latter formed,” page lii.
Changed semicolon to full stop after “East India Company,” page clxxxix.
Changed colon to semicolon after the word “completed,” page 20.
Changed colon to semicolon in series of phrases in the quotation on page 150.
Changed stop to colon, third paragraph, page 196.