Vendidad 16

Fargard XVI

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One If there be in the house of a worshipper of Mazda a woman who has the whites or sees blood, what shall the worshippers of Mazda do?

Ahura Mazda answered: 'They shall clear the way of the wood there, both plants and trees; they shall strew dry dust on the ground; and they shall isolate a half, or a third, or a fourth, or a fifth part of the house, lest her look should fall upon the fire.'

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How far from the fire? How far from the water? How far from the consecrated bundles of Baresma? How far from the faithful?

Ahura Mazda answered: 'Fifteen paces from the fire, fifteen paces from the water, fifteen paces from the consecrated bundles of Baresma, three paces from the faithful.'

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How far from her shall he stay, who brings food to a woman who has the whites or sees the blood?

Ahura Mazda answered: 'Three paces from her shall he stay, who brings food to a woman who has the whites or sees the blood.' In what kind of vessels shall he bring her bread? In what kind of vessels shall he bring her barley-drink? 'In vessels of brass, or of lead, or of any common metal s'

How much bread shall he bring to her? How much barley-drink shall he bring? 'Two danares of dry bread, and one danare of liquor, lest she should get too weak. 'If a child has just touched her, they shall first wash his hands and then his body.

If she still see blood after three nights have passed, she shall sit in the place of infirmity until four nights have passed. 'If she still see blood after four nights have passed, she shall sit in the place of infirmity until five nights have passed.

If she still see blood after five nights have passed, she shall sit in the place of infirmity until six nights have passed. 'If she still see blood after six nights have passed, she shall sit in the place of infirmity until seven nights have passed.

'If she still see blood after seven nights have passed, she shall sit in the place of infirmity until eight nights have passed. 'If she still see blood after eight nights have passed, she shall sit in the place of infirmity until nine nights have passed.

'If she still see blood after nine nights have passed, this is a work of the Daêvas which they have performed for the worship and glorification of the Daêvas. 'The worshippers of Mazda shall clear the way of the wood there, both plants and trees;

They shall dig three holes in the earth, and they shall wash the woman with gômêz by two of those holes and with water by the third. 'They shall kill Khrafstras, to wit: two hundred corn-carrying ants, if it be summer; two hundred of any other sort of the Khrafstras made by Angra Mainyu, if it be winter.'

If a worshipper of Mazda shall suppress the issue of a woman who has the whites or sees blood, what is the penalty that he shall pay? Ahura Mazda answered: 'He is a Peshôtanu: two hundred stripes with the Aspahê-astra, two hundred stripes with the Sraoshô-karana.'

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! If a man shall again and again lasciviously touch the body of a woman who has the whites or sees blood, so that the whites turn to the blood or the blood turns to the whites, what is the penalty that he shall pay?

Ahura Mazda answered: For the first time he comes near unto her, for the first time he lies by her, thirty stripes with the Aspahê-astra, thirty stripes with the Sraoshô-karana. For the second time he comes near unto her, for the second time he lies by her, fifty stripes with the Aspahê-astra, fifty stripes with the Sraoshô-karana. 'For the third time he comes near unto her, for the third time he lies by her, seventy stripes with the Aspahê-astra, seventy stripes with the Sraoshô-karana.'

For the fourth time he comes near unto her, for the fourth time he lies by her, if he shall press the body under her clothes, if he shall go in between the unclean thighs, but without sexual intercourse, what is the penalty that he shall pay? Ahura Mazda answered: 'Ninety stripes. with the Aspahê-astra, ninety stripes with the Sraoshô-karana.

'Whosover shall lie in sexual intercourse with a woman who has the whites or sees blood, does no better deed than if he should burn the corpse of his own son, born of his own body and dead of naêza, and drop its fat into the fire.

All wicked, embodiments of the Drug, are scorners of the judge: all scorners of the judge are rebels against the Sovereign: all rebels against the Sovereign are ungodly men; and all ungodly men are worthy of death.'