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Pahlavi Texts, Part IV (SBE37), E.W. West, tr. [1892], at sacred-texts.com


CHAPTER XXXVII.

Varstmânsar Nask.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 'produced the dawn and noontide (aûsh rêpisp3. e. I fashioned sovereignty and the desired complete mindfulness together 4, and produced, for more advantageous disclosure, a son (bermanar-aê) for a father 5; the disclosure that discloses a male and the impregnation of a female, and in that disclosure a son was produced by me for the father, O Zaratûst!' f. So the evil spirit observed, and he called upwards from the abyss thus: 'O beneficent spirit! thou art the creator of all creatures, but I will make all thy creatures old, O beneficent spirit!'

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g. About the religion becoming progressive 1 in every one, through its renovation of the universe and its future existence, there is this, too, namely: 'This thy religion of Zaratûst is the width of the world, and righteousness is the best of religions; this thy religion of Zaratûst is the improvement of the world, which is first supplied by righteousness and complete mindfulness in the reason (vârôm) of those who recite this thy revelation (dênô) 2 of the Mazda-worshippers, O Zaratûst! this thy good religion is the best which it is possible to provide with righteousness for one's own. h. Thou shouldst proclaim this to kinsmen and confederates, to priests and him who is most active in the country; as to those who will dispute 3 this thy religion of the Mazda-worshippers, thou shouldst proclaim this over the earth of seven regions, unto that which is the furthest of houses, villages, communities, and provinces: "Do thou openly curse 4 these who are heretical towards me, thou united Mazda-worship of Zaratûst, opposed to the demons, which is the ordinance of Aûharmazd 5!"'

i. Aûharmazd spoke thus: 'I will exalt this which is beloved by thee, the religion of the Mazda-worship of Zaratûst, opposed to the demons, which is the ordinance of Aûharmazd. j. If this which is thine had not been further loved by me, the Mazda-worship of Zaratûst, that is opposed to the demons and is the ordinance of Aûharmazd, would have lapsed into disaster (vinâsisnŏ) 6, so that the profession

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of the religion of the Mazda-worshippers would be destroyed, that is, the religion would not have become progressive, and no one would be after the benefiters. k. But, owing to that love, O Zaratûst! the religion of the Mazda-worshippers becomes progressive 1 even then up to the production of the renovation of the universe, even then until the perpetual life of the existences, even then till the raising up of the dead, and even then up to the full atonement of the spirits.'

l. About being despised in hell; the wicked are scornful to a wicked one, and to the spirits apart from the wicked; and it is the creator who, even after saving the others from hell, and the three nights stewing in hell 2, is to cause the preservation of them also—after those three nights—from that misery, and every one attains to happiness. m. This, too, that Zaratûst enquired of Aûharmazd thus: 'How have the ignorant demons, O Aûharmazd! ever been good rulers 3? How do they think of them in the world thus, that their happiness arose from them?' n. And Aûharmazd spoke thus: 'They have been demons, O Zaratûst! and evil-ruling; not well-ruling, even for a reward, do they produce the work of righteousness 4.'

o. Perfect righteousness is excellence.


Footnotes

270:3 See Pahl. Yas. XLIII, 5d: aûshahînŏ va-rapîspînŏ = Av. ushau arem-pithwa.

270:4 Ibid. 7 b.

270:5 Ibid. 7 c. The verbal causative stem vindîn, 'cause to find, or obtain, disclose,' is twice spelt without its first letter, out of four occurrences; and bermanar is hybrid Zvâris for pûsar, in which berman = pûs.

271:1 See Pahl. Yas. XLIII, 8 c.

271:2 Ibid. 11 d.

271:3 Ibid. 13 c.

271:4 Assuming that nafôrinŏ stands for nafrînŏ.

271:5 See Pahl. Yas. I, 65.

271:6 See Pahl. Yas. XLIII, 19 d.

272:1 See Pahl. Yas. XLIII, 15 d, 17 d.

272:2 The three nights’ final punishment of those worthy of death, to be inflicted at the time of the resurrection (see Bd. XXX, 13, 16).

272:3 See Pahl. Yas. XLIII, 20 a.

272:4 Ibid. 20 e.


Next: Chapter XXXVIII