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SELECTIONS OF ZADSPRAM
Translated by E. W. West, from Sacred Books of the East, volume 5, Oxford University Press, 1897.
[Compare with tr of Zaehner, ZZZ341-343
The original state of the two spirits
They call these memoranda and writings the Selections (cidakiha) of Zadspram, son of Yudan-Yim.
In propitiation of the creator Ohrmazd and all the angels -- who are the whole of the heavenly and earthly sacred beings (yazdan) -- are the sayings of Ervad Zadspram, son of Yudan-Yim, who is of the South, about the meeting of the beneficent spirit and the evil spirit.
It is in scripture thus declared, that light was above and darkness below, and between those two was open space. 2. Ohrmazd was in the light, and Ahriman in the darkness; Ohrmazd was aware of the existence of Ahriman and of his coming for strife; Ahriman was not aware of the existence of light and of Ohrmazd. 3. It happened to Ahriman, in the gloom and darkness, that he was walking humbly (fro-tanu) on the borders, and meditating other things he came up to the top, and a ray of light was seen by him; and because of its antagonistic nature to him he strove that he might reach it, so that it might also be within his absolute power. 4. And as he came forth to the boundary, accompanied by certain others, Ohrmazd came forth to the struggle for keeping Ahriman away from His territory; and He did it through pure words, confounding witchcraft, and cast him back to the gloom.
For protection from the fiend (druj) the spirits rushed in, the spirits of the sky, water, earth, plants, animals, mankind, and fire He had appointed, and they maintained it (the protection) three thousand years. 6. Ahriman, also, ever collected means in the gloom; and at the end of the three thousand years he came back to the boundary, blustered (patistad), and exclaimed thus: 'I will smite thee, I will smite the creatures which thou thinkest have produced fame for thee -- thee who art the beneficent spirit I will destroy everything about them.'
Ohrmazd answered thus: 'Thou art not a doer of everything, O fiend!'
And, again, Ahriman retorted thus: 'I will seduce all material life into disaffection to thee and affection to myself.'
Ohrmazd perceived, through the spirit of wisdom, thus: 'Even the blustering of Ahriman is capable of performance, if I do not allow disunion (la barininam) during a period of struggle.' 10. And he demanded of him a period for friendship, for it was seen by him that Ahriman does not rely upon the intervention of any vigorous ones, and the existence of a period is obtaining the benefit of the mutual friendship and just arrangement of both; and he formed it into three periods, each period being three millenniums. 11. Ahriman relied upon it, and Ohrmazd perceived that, though it is not possible to have Ahriman sent down, ever when he wants he goes back to his own requisite, which is darkness; and from the poison which is much diffused endless strife arises.
And after the period was appointed by him, he brought forward the Ahunwar formula; and in his Ahunwar these kinds of benefit were shown: -- 13. The first is that, of all things, that is proper which is something declared as the will of Ohrmazd; so that, whereas that is proper which is declared the will of Ohrmazd, where anything exists which is not within the will of Ohrmazd, it is created injurious from the beginning, a sin of a distinct nature. 14. The second is this. that whoever shall do that which is the will of Ohrmazd, his reward and recompense are his own; and of him who shall not do that which is the will of Ohrmazd, the punishment at the bridge owing thereto is his own; which is shown from this formula; and the reward of doers of good works, the punishment of sinners, and the tales of heaven and hell are from it. 15. Thirdly, it is shown that the sovereignty of Ohrmazd increases that which is for the poor, and adversity is removed; by which it is shown that there are treasures for the needy one, and treasures are to be his friends; as the intelligent creations are to the unintelligent, so also are the treasures of a wealthy person to a needy one, treasures liberally given which are his own. 16. And the creatures of the trained hand of Ohrmazd are contending and angry (ardik), one with the other, as the renovation of the universe must occur through these three things. 17. That is, first, true religiousness in oneself, and reliance upon a man's original hold on the truly glad tidings (nav-barham), that Ohrmazd is all goodness without vileness, and his will is a will altogether excellent; and Ahriman is all vileness without goodness. 18. Secondly, hope of the reward and recompense of good works, serious fear of the bridge and the punishment of crime, strenuous perseverance in good works, and abstaining from sin. 19. Thirdly, the existence of the mutual assistance of the creatures, or along with and owing to mutual assistance, their collective warfare; it is the triumph of warfare over the enemy which is one's own renovation.
By this formula he (Ahriman) was confounded, and he fell back to the gloom; and Ohrmazd produced the creatures bodily for the world first, the sky; the second, water; the third, earth the fourth, plants; the fifth, animals; the sixth, mankind. 21. Fire was in all, diffused originally through the six substances, of which it was as much the confiner of each single substance in which it was established, it is said, as an eyelid when they lay one down upon the other.
Three thousand years the creatures were possessed of bodies and not walking on their navels; and the sun, moon, and stars stood still. 23. In the mischievous incursion, at the end of the period, Ohrmazd observed thus: 'What advantage is there from the creation of a creature, although thirstless, which is unmoving or mischievous?' 24. And in aid of the celestial sphere he produced the creature Time (zurvan); and Time is unrestricted, so that he made the creatures of Ohrmazd moving, distinct from the motion of Ahriman's creatures, for the shedders of perfume (boi-dadan) were standing one opposite to the other while emitting it. 25. And, observantly of the end, he brought forward to Ahriman a means out of himself, the property of darkness, with which the extreme limits (virunako) of Time were connected by him, an envelope (posto) of the black-pated and ash-colored kind. 26. And in bringing it forward he spoke thus: 'Through their weapons the cooperation of the serpent (azho) dies away, and this which is thine, indeed thy own daughter, dies through religion; and if at the end of nine thousand years, as it is said and written, is a time of upheaval (madam kardano), she is upheaved, not ended.' n
At the same time Ahriman came from accompanying Time out to the front, out to the star station; the connection of the sky with the star station was open, which showed, since it hung down into empty space, the strong communication of the lights and glooms, the place of strife in which is the pursuit of both. 28. And having darkness with himself he brought it into the sky, and left the sky so to gloom that the internal deficiency in the sky extends as much as one-third over the star station.
Ahriman assaults the good creation
On the coming in of Ahriman to the creatures it is thus declared in revelation, that in the month Frawardin and the day Ohrmazd, at noon, he came forth to the frontier of the sky. 2. The sky sees him and, on account of his nature, fears as much as a sheep trembles at a wolf; and Ahriman came on, scorching and burning into it. 3. Then he came to the water which was arranged below the earth, and darkness without an eyelid was brought on by him; and he came on, through the middle of the earth, as a snake all-leaping comes on out of a hole; and he stayed within the whole earth. 4. The passage where he came on is his own, the way to hell, through which the demons make the wicked run.
Afterwards, he came to a tree, such as was of a single root, the height of which was several feet, and it was without branches and without bark, juicy and sweet; and to keep the strength of all kinds of trees in its race, it was in the vicinity of the middle of the earth; and at the self-same time it became quite withered.
Afterwards, he came to the ox, the sole-created, as it stood as high as Gayomard on the bank of the water of Daitya in the middle of the earth; and its distance from Gayomard being as much as its own height, it was also distant from the bank of the water of Daitya by the same measure; and it was a female, white and brilliant as the moon. 7. As the adversary came upon it Ohrmazd gave it a narcotic, which is also called 'bang,' to eat, and to rub the 'bang' before the eye, so that the annoyance from the assault of crimes may be less; it became lean and ill, and fell upon its right breast trembling.
Before the advance to Gayomard, who was then about one-third the height of Zartosht, and was brilliant as the sun, Ohrmazd forms, from the sweat on the man, a figure of fifteen years, radiant and tall, and sends it on to Gayomard; and he also brings his sweat on to him as long as one Ahunwar is being recited. 9. When he issued from the sweat, and raised his eyes, he saw the world when it was dark as night; on the whole earth were the snake, the scorpion, the lizard (vazak), and noxious creatures of many kinds; and so the other kinds of quadrupeds stood among the reptiles; every approach of the whole earth was as though not as much as a needle's point remained, in which there was no rush of noxious creatures. 10. there were the coming of a planetary star into planetary conjunction, and the moon and planets at sixes and sevens; many dark forms with the face and curls of Azi Dahak [Zohak] suffered punishment in company with certain non-Iranians; and he was amazed at calling the wicked out from the righteous.
Lastly, he (Ahriman) came up to the fire, and mingled darkness and smoke with it.
The soul of the primeval ox cries to Ohrmazd
And Goshorun, as she was herself the soul of the primeval ox, when the ox passed away, came out from the ox, even as the soul from the body of the dead, and kept up the clamor of a cry to Ohrmazd in such fashion as that of an army, a thousand strong, when they cry out together. 2. And Ohrmazd, in order to be much more able to keep watch over the mingled creatures than in front of Gayomard, went from the earth up to the sky. 3. And Goshorun continually went after him crying, and she kept up the cry thus: 'With whom may the guardianship over the creatures be left by thee?'
The reason why he was unable to destroy the primeval man for thirty years
This was the highest predominance of Ahriman, for he came on, with all the strength which he had, for the disfigurement of the creatures; and he took as much as one-third of the base of the sky, in a downward direction, into a confined and captive state, so that it was all dark and apart from the light, for it was itself, at the coming of the adversary, his enemy among the struggles for creation. 2. And this is opposing the renovation of the universe, for the greatest of all the other means of the fiend, when he has come in, are of like origin and strength this day, in the sleep of the renovation, as on that when the enemy, who is fettered on coming in, is kept back.
Amid all this struggling were mingled the instigations of Ahriman, crying thus: 'My victory has come completely, for the sky is split and disfigured by me with gloom and darkness, and taken by me as a stronghold; water is disfigured by me, and the earth, injured by darkness, is pierced by me; vegetation is withered by me, the ox is put to death by me, Gayomard is made ill by me, and opposed to those revolving are the glooms and planets arranged by me; no one has remained for me to take and pervert in combat except Ohrmazd, and of the earth there is only one man, who is alone, what is he able to do?'
And he sends Astwihad upon him with the thousand decrepitudes (auzvarano) and diseases which are his own, sicknesses of various kinds, so that they may make him ill and cause death. 5. Gayomard was not secured by them, and the reason was because it was a decree of appointing Time (zurvan) in the beginning of the coming in of Ahriman, that: 'Up to thirty winters I appoint Gayomard unto brilliance and preservation of life.' 6. And his manifestation in the celestial sphere was through the forgiveness of criminals and instigators of confusion by his good works, and for that reason no opportunity was obtained by them during the extent of thirty years.
For in the beginning it was so appointed that the star Jupiter (Ohrmazd) was life towards the creatures, not through its own nature, but on account of its being within the control (band) of the luminaries; and Saturn (Keyvan) was death towards the creatures. 8. Both were in their supremacy (balist) at the beginning of the creatures, as Jupiter was in Cancer on rising, that which is also called Jivan ('living'), for it is the place in which life is bestowed upon it; and Saturn was in Libra, in the great subterranean, so that its own venom and deadliness became more evident and more dominant thereby. 9. And it was when both shall not be supreme that Gayomard was to complete his own life, which is the thirty years Saturn came not again to supremacy, that is, to Libra. 10. And at the time when Saturn came into Libra, Jupiter was in Capricorn, on account of whose own lowness, and the victory of Saturn over Jupiter, Gayomard suffered through those very defects which came and are to continue advancing, the continuance of that disfigurement which Ahriman can bring upon the creatures of Ohrmazd.
The first battle, that of the sky with Ahriman.
When in like manner, and equally oppressively, as his (Ohrmazd's) creatures were disfigured, then through that same deterioration his own great glory was exhibited; for as he came within the sky he maintains the spirit of the sky, like an intrepid warrior who has put on metal armor; and the sky in its fortress spoke these hasty, deceitful words to Ahriman, thus: 'Now when thou shalt have come in I will not let thee back;' and it obstructed him until Ohrmazd prepared another rampart, that is stronger, around the sky, which is called 'righteous understanding' (ashok akasih). 2. And he arranged the guardian spirits of the righteous who are warriors around that rampart, mounted on horses and spear in hand, in such manner as the hair on the head; and they acquired the appearance of prison guards who watch a prison from outside, and would not surrender the outer boundaries to an enemy descended from the inside.
Immediately, Ahriman endeavors that he may go back to his own complete darkness, but he found no passage; and he recapitulated, with seeming misgiving, his fears of the worthiness which is to arise at the appearance of the renovation of the universe at the end of the nine thousand years.
As it is said in the Gathas, thus: 'So also both those spirits have approached together unto that which was the first creation -- that is, both spirits have come to the body of Gayomard. Whatever is in life is so through this purpose of Ohrmazd, that is: So that I may keep it alive; whatever is in lifelessness is so through this purpose of the evil spirit, that is: So that I may utterly destroy it; and whatever is thus, is so until the last in the world, so that they (both spirits) come also on to the rest of mankind. And on account of the utter depravity of the wicked their destruction is fully seen, and so is the perfect meditation of him who is righteous, the hope of the eternity of Ohrmazd.'
And this was the first contest, that of the sky with Ahriman.
The second battle, that of the water.
And as he (Ahriman) came secondly to the water, together with him rushed in, on the horse Cancer, he who is the most watery Tishtar; the equally watery one, that is called Avrak, gave forth a cloud and went down in the day; that is declared as the movement of the first-comers of the creatures. 2. Cancer became a zodiacal constellation (akhtar); it is the fourth constellation of the zodiac for this reason, because the month Tishtar is the fourth month of the year.
And as Tishtar begged for assistance, Vohuman and Haoma are therefore cooperating with him in command, Burj of the waters and the water in mutual aid, and the righteous guardian spirits in keeping the peace. 4. He was converted into three forms, which are the form of a man, the form of a bull, and the form of a horse; and each form was distinguished in brilliance for ten nights, and lets its rain fall on the night for the destruction of noxious creatures. 5. The drops became each separately like a great bowl in which water is drawn, and as to that on which they are driven, they kill all the noxious creatures except the reptiles, who entered into the muddiness of the earth.
Afterwards, the wind spirit, in the form of a man, became manifest on the earth; radiant and tall he had a kind of wooden boot (mukvo-ae-i darino) on his feet; and as when the life shall stir the body, the body is advancing with like vigor, so that spirit of the wind stirs forth the inner nature of the atmospheric wind, the wind pertaining to the whole earth is forth, and the water in its grasp is flung out from it to the sides of the earth, and its wide-formed ocean arose therefrom.
It (the ocean) keeps one-third of this earth, and among its contents are a thousand sources and fountains, such as are called lakes (var); a thousand water-fountains, whose water is from the ocean, come up from the lakes and are poured forth into it. 8. And the size of some of all the lakes and all the fountains of water is as much as a fast rider on an Arab horse, who continually compasses and canters around them, will attain in forty days, which is 1900 long leagues (parasang-i akarik), each league being at least 20,000 feet.
And after the noxious creatures died, and the poison therefrom was mixed up in the earth, in order to utterly destroy that poison Tishtar went down into the ocean; and Apaosh, the demon, hastened to meet him, and at the alarm of the first contest Tishtar was in terror (pard). 10. And he applied unto Ohrmazd, who brought such power unto Tishtar as arises through propitiation and praise and invoking by name, and they call forth such power unto Tishtar as that of ten vigorous horses, ten vigorous camels, ten vigorous bulls, ten mountains when hurled, and ten single-stream rivers when together. 11. And without alarm he drove out Apaosh, the demon, and kept him away from the sources of the ocean.
And with a cup and measuring bowl, which possessed the diligence even of a guardian spirit (farohar), he seized many more handfuls of water, and made it rain down much more prodigiously, for destruction, drops as large as men's heads and bulls' heads, great and small. 13. And in that cloud and rain were the chastisement and beating which Tishtar and the fire Vazisht inflicted on the opposition of Apaosh; the all-deciding (vispo-vicir) fire Vazisht struck down with a club of fire, all-deciding among the malevolent (kebarano).
Ten days and nights there was rain, and its darting was the shooting of the noxious creatures; afterwards, the wind drove it to the shore of the wide-formed ocean, and it is portioned out into three, and three seas arose from it; they are called the Puitik, the Kamirid, and the Gehan-bun. 15. Of these the Puitik itself is salt water, in which is a flow and ebb; and the control of its flow and ebb is connected with the moon, and by its continual rotation, in coming up and going down, that of the moon is manifested. 16, The wide-formed ocean stands forth on the south side as to (pavan) Alburz, and the Puitik stands contiguous to it, and amidst it is the gulf (var) of Sataves, whose connection is with Sataves, which is the southern quarter. 17. In the activity of the sea, and in the increase and decrease of the moon, whose circuit is the whole of Iran, are the flow and ebb; of the curving tails in front of the moon two issue forth, and have an abode in Sataves; one is the updrag and one the down-drag; through the up-drag occurs the flood, and through the down-drag occurs the ebb. 18. And Sataves itself is a gulf (var) and side arm of the wide-formed ocean, for it drives back the impurity and turbidness which come from the salt sea, when they are continually going into the wide-formed ocean, with a mighty high wind, while that which is clear through impurity goes into the Aredvisur sources of the wide-formed ocean. 19. Besides these four there are the small seas.
And, afterwards, there were made to flow from Alburz, out of its northern border, two rivers, which were the Arvand -- that is, the. Diglat, and the flow of that river was to those of the setting sun (val frod-yehevundano) -- and the Veh was the river of the first-comers to the sun; formed as two horns they went on to the ocean. 21. After them eighteen great rivers came out from the same Alburz; and these twenty rivers, whose source is in Alburz go down into the earth, and arrive in Xwaniratha.
Afterwards, two fountains of the sea are opened out for the earth, which are called the Chechast -- lake which has no cold wind, and on whose shore rests the triumphant fire [Adar] Gushnasp -- and, secondly, the Sovar which casts on its shores all turbidness, and keeps its own salt lake clear and pure, for it is like the semblance of an eye which casts out to its edges every ache and every impurity; and on account of its depth it is not reached to the bottom, for it goes into the ocean; and in its vicinity rests the beneficial fire [Adar] Burzin-Mihr.
And this was the second contest, which was with the water.
The third battle, that of the earth
And as he (Ahriman) came thirdly to the earth which arrayed the whole earth against him -- since there was an animation of the earth through the shattering -- Alburz grew up, which is the boundary of the earth, and the other mountains, which are amid the circuit of the earth, come up 2244 in number. 2. And by them the earth was bound together and arranged, and on them was the sprouting and growth of plants, wherefrom was the nourishment of cattle, and therefrom was the great advantage of assistance to men.
Even so it is declared that before the coming of the destroyer to the creatures, for a thousand years the substance of mountains was created in the earth especially as antagonism came on the earth, and settled on it with injury -- and it came up over the earth just like a tree whose branch has grown at the top, and its root at the bottom. 4. The root of the mountains is passed on from one to the other, and is arranged in connection with them, and through it is produced the path and passage of water from below to above, so that the water may flow in it in such manner as blood in the veins, from all parts of the body to the heart, the latent vigor which they possess. 5. And, moreover, in six hundred years, at first, all the mountains apart from Alburz were completed. 6. Alburz was growing during eight hundred years; in two hundred years it grew up to the star station, in two hundred years up to the moon station, two hundred years up to the sun station, and two hundred years up to the sky. 7. After Alburz the Aparsen mountain is the greatest, as it is also called the Avar-royishn ('up-growth') mountain, whose beginning is in Sagastan and its end unto Pars and to Cinistan.
This, too, is declared, that after the great rain in the beginning of the creation, and the wind's sweeping away the water to the ocean, the earth is in seven portions a little above it, as the compact earth, after the rain, is torn up by the noise and wind in various places. 9. One portion, moreover, as much as one-half the whole earth, is in the middle, and in each of the six portions around is as much as Sagastan; moreover, as much as Sagastan is the measure of what is called a karshwar ('region') for the reason that one was defined from the other by a kesh ('furrow'). 10. The middle one is Xwaniratha, of which Pars is the center, and those six regions are like a coronet (avisar) around it. 11. One part of the wide-formed ocean wound around it, among those six regions; the sea and forest seized upon the south side, and a lofty mountain grew up on the north, so that they might become separate, one from the other, and imperceptible.
This is the third contest, about the earth.
The fourth battle, that of the plants
As he (Ahriman) came fourthly to the plants -- which have struggled (kukhshi-aito) against him with the whole vegetation -- because the vegetation was quite dry, Amurdad, by whom the essence of the world's vegetation was seized upon, pounded it up small, and mixed it up with the rain-water of Tishtar. 2. After the rain the whole earth is discerned sprouting, and ten thousand special species and a hundred thousand additional species (levatman sardako) so grew as if there were a species of every kind; and those ten thousand species are provided for keeping away the ten thousand diseases.
Afterwards, the seed was taken up from those hundred thousand species of plants, and from the collection of seed the tree of all germs, amid the wide-formed ocean, was produced, from which all species of plants continually grow. 4. And the griffin bird (simurgh) has his resting-place upon it; when he wanders forth from within it, he scatters the dry seed into the water, and it is rained back to the earth with the rain.
And in its vicinity the tree was produced which is the white Haoma, the counteractor of decrepitude, the reviver of the dead, and the immortalizer of the living.
This was the fourth contest, about the plants.
The fifth battle, that of the animals
As he (Ahriman) came fifthly to cattle -- which struggled against him with all the animals and likewise as the primeval ox passed away, from the nature of the vegetable principle it possessed, fifty-five species of grain and twelve species of medicinal plants grew from its various members; and forasmuch as they should see from which member each one proceeds, it is declared in the Damdad Nask. 2. And every plant grown from a member promotes that member, as it is said that there where the ox scattered its marrow on to the earth, grain afterwards grew up, corn and sesame, vetches and peas; so sesame, on account of its marrow quality, is itself a great thing for developing marrow. 3. And it is also said that from the blood is the vine, a great vegetable thing -- as wine itself is blood -- for more befriending the sound quality of the blood. 4. And it is said that from the nose is the pulse (maysh or masah) which is called donak, and was a variety of sesame (shamaga), and it is for other noses. 5. And it is also said that from the lungs are the rue-like herbs which heal, and are for the lung-disease of cattle. 6. This, rooted amid the heart, is thyme, from which is Vohuman's thorough withstanding of the stench of Akoman, and it is for that which proceeds from the sick and yawners.
Afterwards, the brilliance of the seed, seized upon, by strength, from the seed which was the ox's, they would carry off from it, and the brilliance was entrusted to the angel of the moon; in a place therein that seed was thoroughly purified by the light of the moon, and was restored in its many qualities, and made fully infused with life (janvar-homand). 8. Forth from there it produced for Eranvej, first, two oxen, a pair, male and female, and, afterwards, other species, until the completion of the 282 species; and they were discernible as far as two long leagues on the earth. 9. Quadrupeds walked forth on the land, fish swam in the water, and birds flew in the atmosphere; in every two, at the time good eating is enjoyed, a longing (av-dahan) arose therefrom, and pregnancy and birth.
Secondly, their subdivision is thus: -- First, they are divided into three, that is, quadrupeds walking on the earth, fish swimming in the water, and birds flying in the atmosphere. 11. Then, into five classes, that is, the quadruped which is round-hoofed, the double-hoofed, the five-clawed, the bird. and the fish, whose dwellings are in five places, and which are called aquatic, burrowing, oviparous, wide-traveling, and suitable for grazing. 12. The aquatic are fish and every beast of burden, cattle, wild beast, dog, and bird which enters the water; the burrowing are the marten (samur) and musk animal, and all other dwellers and movers in holes; the oviparous are birds of every kind; the wide-traveling sprang away for help, and are also those of a like kind; those suitable for grazing are whatever are kept grazing in a flock.
And, afterwards, they were divided into genera, as the round-hoofed are one, which is all called 'horse;' the double-hoofed are many, as the camel and ox, the sheep and goat, and others double-hoofed; the five-clawed are the dog, hare, musk animals, marten, and others; then are the birds, and then the fish. 14. And then they were divided into species 2, as eight species of horse, two species of camel, ten species of ox, five species of sheep, five species of goat, ten of the dog, five of the hare, eight of the marten, eight of the musk animals, 110 of the birds, and ten of the fish; some are counted for the pigs, and with all those declared and all those undeclared there were, at first, 282 species; and with the species within species there were a thousand varieties.
The birds are distributed into eight groups (ristako), and from that which is largest to that which is smallest they are so spread about as when a man, who is sowing grain, first scatters abroad that of heavy weight, then that which is middling, and afterwards that which is small.
And of the whole of the species, as enumerated a second time in the Damdad Nask, and written by me in the manuscript (nipik) of 'the summary enumeration of races' -- this is a lordly summary -- the matter which is shown is, about the species of horses, the first is the Arab, and the chief of them is white and yellow-eared, and secondly the Persian, the mule, the ass, the wild ass, the water-horse, and others. 17. Of the camel there are specially two, that for the plain, and the mountain one which is double-humped. 18. Among the species of ox are the white, mud-colored, red, yellow, black, and dappled, the elk, the buffalo, the camel-leopard, the ox-fish, and others. 19. Among sheep are those having tails and those which are tailless, also the wether and the Kurishk which, because of its trampling the hills, its great horn, and also being suitable for ambling, became the steed of Manuschihar. 20. Among goats are the ass-goat, the Arab, the fawn (variko), the roe, and the mountain goat. 21. Among martens are the white ermine, the black marten, the squirrel, the beaver (khaz), and others. 22. Of musk animals with a bag, one is the Bish-musk -- which eats the Bish poison and does not die through it, and it is created for the great advantage that it should eat the Bish, and less of it should succeed in poisoning the creatures -- and one is a musk animal of a black color which they desired (ayufto) who were bitten by the fanged serpent -- as the serpent of the mountain water-courses (mako) is called -- which is numerous on the river-banks; one throws the same unto it for food, which it eats, and then the serpent enters its body, when his serpent, at the time this happens, feeds upon the same belly in which the serpent is, and he will become clear from that malady. 23. Among birds two were produced of a different character from the rest, and those are the griffin bird and the bat, which have teeth in the mouth, and suckle their young with animal milk from the teat.
This is the fifth contest, as to animals.
The sixth battle, that of mankind
As he (Ahriman) came sixthly to Gayomard there was arrayed against him, with Gayomard, the pure propitious liturgy (Mahraspand), as heard from Gayomard; and Ohrmazd, in pure meditation, considered that which is good and righteousness as destruction of the fiend (druj). 2. And when he (Gayomard) passed away eight kinds of mineral of a metallic character arose from his various members; they are gold, silver, iron, brass, tin, lead, quicksilver (avginako) [mercury], and adamant; and on account of the perfection of gold it is produced from the life and seed.
Spandarmad received the gold of the dead Gayomard, and it was forty years in the earth. 4. At the end of the forty years, in the manner of a Rivas-plant, Mashye and Mashyane came up, and, one joined to the other, were of like stature and mutually adapted; and its middle, on which a glory came, through their like stature, was such that it was not clear which is the male and which the female, and which is the one with the glory which Ohrmazd created. 5. This is that glory for which man is, indeed, created, as it is thus said in revelation: 'Which existed before, the glory or the body?' And Ohrmazd spoke thus: 'The glory was created by me before; afterwards, for him who is created. the glory is given a body so that it may produce activity, and its body is created only for activity.' 6. And, afterwards, they changed from the shape of a plant into the shape of man, and the glory went spiritually into them.
The seventh battle, that of fire
As he (Ahriman) came seventhly to fire, which was all together against him, the fire separated into five kinds, which are called the Propitious, the Good diffuser, the Aurvizisht, the Vazisht, and the Supremely-benefiting. 2. And it produced the Propitious fire itself in heaven (garothman); its manifestation is in the fire which is burning on the earth, and its propitiousness is this, that all the kinds are of its nature. 3. The Good diffuser is that which is in men and animals, and its business consists in the digestion of the food, the sleeping of the body, and the brightening of the eyes. 4. The Aurvazisht is that which is in plants, in whose seed it is formed, and its business consists in piercing the earth, warming the chilled water and producing the qualities and fragrance of plants and blossoms therefrom, and elaborating the ripened produce into many fruits. 5. And the Vazisht is that which has its motion in a cloud, and its business consists in destroying the atmospheric gloom and darkness, and making the thickness of the atmosphere fine and propitious in quality, sifting the hail, moderately warming the water which the cloud holds, and making sultry weather showery. 6. The Supremely-benefiting, like the sky, is that glory whose lodgment is in the Warharan fire, as the master of the house is over the house, and whose propitious power arises from the growing brightness of the fire, the blazing forth in the purity of the place, the praise of God (yazdano), and the practice of good works. 7. And its business is that it struggles with the spiritual fiend, it watches the forms of the witches -- who walk up from the river, wear woven clothing, disturb the luminaries by the concealment of stench, and by witchcraft injure the creatures -- and the occurrences of destruction, burning, and celebration of witchcraft, especially at night; being an assistant of Srosh the righteous.
And in the beginning of the creation the whole earth was delivered over into the guardianship of the sublime Farnbag fire, the mighty [Adar] Gushnasp fire, and the beneficial Burzin-Mihr fire, which are like priest, warrior, and husbandman. 9. The place of the fire Farnbag was formed on the Gadman-homand ('glorious') mountain in Khvarizem, the fire [Adar] Gushnasp was on the Asnavand mountain in Ataro-patakan, and the fire Burzin-Mihr on the Revand mountain which is in the Ridge of Vishtasp, and its material manifestation in the world was the most complete.
In the reign of Hooshang, when men were continually going forth to the other regions (karshwar) on the ox Sruvo, one night, half-way, while admiring the fires, the fire-stands which were prepared in three places on the back of the ox, and in which the fire was, fell into the sea, and the substance of that one great fire which was manifest, is divided into three, and they established it on the three fire-stands, and it became itself three glories whose lodgments are in the Farnbag fire, the [Adar] Gushnasp fire, and the Burzin-Mihr.
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