Vendidad 18

Fargard XVIII

'There is many a one, O holy Zarathustra!' said Ahura Mazda, 'who wears a wrong Paitidâna, and who has not girded his loins with the Religion; when such a man says, "I am an Athravan," he lies; do not call him an Athravan, O holy Zarathustra!' thus said Ahura Mazda.

'He holds a wrong Khrafstraghna in his hand and he has not girded his loins with the Religion; when he says, "I am an Åthravan," he lies; do not call him an Åthravan, O holy Zarathustra! thus said Ahura Mazda.

He holds a wrong twig in his hand and he has not girded his loins with the Religion; when he says, "I am an Âthravan," he lies; do not call him an Åthravan, O holy Zarathustra!' thus said Ahura Mazda.

He wields a wrong Astra mairya' and he has not girded his loins with the Religion; when he says, "I am an Athravan," he lies; do not call him an Athravan, O holy Zarathustra!' thus said Ahura Mazda.

He who sleeps on throughout the night, neither performing the Yasna nor chanting the hymns, worshipping neither by word nor by deed, neither learning nor teaching, with a longing for (everlasting) life, he lies when he says, "I am an Athravan," do not call him an Athravan, O holy Zarathustra!' thus said Ahura Mazda.

Him thou shalt call an Åthravan, O holy Zarathustra who throughout the night sits up and demands of the holy Wisdom, which makes man free from anxiety, and wide of heart, and easy of conscience at the head of the Kinvat bridge, and which makes him reach that world, that holy world, that excellent world of Paradise.

(Therefore) demand of me, thou upright one! of me, who am the Maker, the most beneficent of all beings, the best knowing, the most pleased in answering what is asked of me; demand of me, that thou mayst be the better, that thou mayst be the happier.'

Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda: 'O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! What is it that brings in the unseen power of Death?'

Ahura Mazda answered: 'It is the man that teaches a wrong Religion'; it is the man who continues for three springs without wearing the sacred girdles, without chanting the Gâthas, without worshipping the Good Waters.

'And he who should set that man at liberty, when bound in prison, does no better deed than if he should cut a man's head off his neok.

For the blessing uttered by a wicked, ungodly Ashemaogha does not go past the mouth (of the blesser); the blessing of two Ashemaoghas' does not go past the tongue; the blessing of three is nothing; the blessing of four turns to selfcursing.

'Whosoever should give to a wicked, ungodly Ashemaogha either some Haoma prepared, or some Myazda consecrated with blessings, does no better deed than if he should lead a thousand horse against the boroughs of the worshippers of Mazda, and should slaughter the men thereof, and drive off the cattle as plunder.

'Demand of me, thou upright one! of me, who am the Maker, the most beneficent of all beings, the best knowing, the most pleased in answering what is asked of me; demand of me, that thou mayst be the better, that thou mayst be the happier.'

Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda: 'Who is the Sraoshâ-varez of Sraosha? the holy, strong Sraosha, who is Obedience incarnate, a Sovereign with an astounding weapon.'

Ahura Mazda answered: 'It is the bird named Parôdars', which ill-speaking people call Kahrkatâs, O holy Zarathustra! the bird that lifts up his voice against the mighty Ushah:

"Arise, O men! recite the Ashem yad vahistem that smites down the Daêvas. Lo! here is Bushyăsta, the long-handed, coming upon you, who lulls to sleep again the whole living world, as soon as it has awoke: 'Sleep!' [she says,] 'O poor man! the time is not yet come."

"On the three excellent things be never intent, namely, good thoughts, good words, and good deeds; on the three abominable things be ever intent, namely, bad thoughts, bad words, and bad deeds."

On the first part of the night, Atar, the son of Ahura Mazda, calls the master of the house for help, saying:

"Up! arise, thou master of the house! put on thy girdle on thy clothes, wash thy hands, take wood, bring it unto me, and let me burn bright with the clean wood, carried by thy well-washed hands. Here comes Âzi, made by the Daêvas, who consumes me and wants to put me out of the world."

On the second part of the night, Atar, the son of Ahura Mazda, calls the husbandman for help, saying: Put

"Up! arise, thou husbandman! on thy girdle on thy clothes, wash thy hands, take wood, bring it unto me, and let me burn bright with the clean wood, carried by thy well-washed hands. Here comes Åzi, made by the Daêvas, who consumes me and wants to put me out of the world."

On the third part of the night, Atar, the son of Ahura Mazda, calls the holy Sraosha for help, saying: "Come thou, holy, well-formed Sraosha, [then he brings unto me some clean wood with his well-washed hands.] Here comes Âzi, made by the Daêvas, who consumes me and wants to put me out of the world."

And then the holy Sraosha wakes up the bird named Parôdars, which ill-speaking people call Kahrkatâs, and the bird lifts up his voice against the mighty Ushah:

"" Arise, O men! recite the Ashem yad vahistem and the Nâismi daêvô Lo! here is Bushyasta, the long-handed, coming upon you, who lulls to sleep again the whole living world as soon as it has awoke: 'Sleep!' [she says,] 'O poor man! the time is not yet come.

"On the three excellent things be never intent, namely, good thoughts, good words, and good deeds; on the three abominable things be ever intent, namely, bad thoughts, bad words, and bad deeds."

And then bed-fellows address one another: "Rise up, here is the cock calling me up." Whichever of the two first gets up shall first enter Paradise: whichever of the two shall first, with well-washed hands, bring clean wood unto Atar, the son of Ahura Mazda, Atar, well pleased with him and not angry, and fed as it required, will thus bless him:

"May herds of oxen and sons accrue to thee may thy mind be master of its vow, may thy soul be master of its vow, and mayst thou live on in the joy of thy soul all the nights of thy life." 'This is the blessing which Atar speaks unto him who brings him dry wood, well examined by the light of the day, well cleansed with godly intent.

And whosoever will kindly and piously present one of the faithful with a pair of these my Parôdars birds, a male and a female, O Spitama Zarathustra! it is as though he had given' a house with a hundred columns, a thousand beams, ten thousand large windows, ten thousand small windows.

And whosoever shall give meat to one of the faithful, as much of it as the body of this Parôdars bird of mine, I, Ahura Mazda, need not interrogate him twice; he shall directly go to Paradise.'

The holy Sraosha, letting his club down upon her, asked the Drug: 'O thou wretched, worthless Drug! Thou then, alone in the material world, dost bear offspring without any male coming unto thee?'

The Drug demon answered: 'O holy, well-formed Sraosha! It is not so, nor do I, alone in the material world, bear offspring without any male coming unto me.

For there are four males of mine; and they make me conceive progeny as other males make their females conceive by their seed.'

The holy Sraosha, letting his club down upon her, asked the Drug: 'O thou wretched, worthless Drug! Who is the first of those males of thine?'

The Drug demon answered: 'O holy, well-formed Sraosha! He is the first of my males who, being entreated by one of the faithful, does not give him anything, be it ever so little, of the riches he has treasured up.

'That man makes me conceive progeny as other males make their females conceive by their seed.'

The holy Sraosha, letting his club down upon her, asked the Drug: 'O thou wretched, worthless Drug! What is the thing that can undo that?'

The Drug demon answered: 'O holy, well-formed Sraosha! This is the thing that undoes it, namely, when a man unasked, kindly and piously, gives to one of the faithful something, be it ever so little, of the riches he has treasured up.

He does thereby as thoroughly destroy the fruit of my womb as a four-footed wolf does, who tears the child out of a mother's womb.'

The holy Sraosha, letting down his club upon her, asked the Drug: 'Othou wretched, worthless Drug! Who is the second of those males of thine?'

The Drug demon answered: O holy, well-formed Sraosha! He is the second of my males who, making water, lets it fall along the upper forepart of his foot.

'That man makes me conceive progeny as other males make their females conceive by their seed.'

The holy Sraosha, letting his club down upon her, asked the Drug: O thou wretched, worthless Drug! What is the thing that can undo that?'

The Drug demon answered: 'O holy, well-formed Sraosha! This is the thing that undoes it, namely, when the man rising up and stepping three steps further off, shall say three Ahuna-Vairya, two humatanẩm, three hukhshathrôtemãm, and then chant the Ahuna-Vairya and offer up one Yên hê hâtãm.

'He does thereby as thoroughly destroy the fruit of my womb as a four-footed wolf does, who tears the child out of a mother's womb.'

The holy Sraosha, letting his club down upon her, asked the Drug: thou wretched, worthless Drug! Who is the third of those males of thine?'

The Drug demon answered: 'O holy, well-formed Sraosha! He is the third of my males who during his sleep emits seed.

'That man makes me conceive progeny as other males make their females conceive progeny by their seed.'

The holy Sraosha, letting his club down upon her, asked the Drug: '0 thou wretched, worthless Drug! What is the thing that can undo that?'

The Drug demon answered: 'O holy, well-formed Sraosha! this is the thing that undoes it, namely, if the man, when he has risen from sleep, shall say three Ahuna-Vairya, two humatanãm, three hukhshathrôtemãm, and then chant the Ahuna-Vairya and offer up one Yênhê hâtãm.

He does thereby as thoroughly destroy the fruit of my womb as a four-footed wolf does who tears the child out of a mother's womb.'

Then he shall speak unto Spenta Ârmaiti, saying: 'O Spenta Armaiti, this man do I deliver unto thee; this man deliver thou back unto me, against the happy day of resurrection; deliver him back as one who knows the Gâthas, who knows the Yasna, and the revealed Law, a wise and clever man, who is Obedience incarnate.

Then thou shalt call his name "Firecreature, Fire-seed, Fire-offspring, Fire-land," or any name wherein is the word Fire.'

The holy Sraosha, letting his club down upon her, asked the Drug: 'O thou wretched, worthless Drug! Who is the fourth of those males of thine?'

The Drug demon answered: 'O holy, well-formed Sraosha! This one is my fourth male who, either man or woman, being more than fifteen years of age, walks without wearing the sacred girdle and the sacred shirt.

At the fourth step we Daêvas, at once, wither him even to the tongue and the marrow, and he goes thenceforth with power to destroy the world of Righteousness, and he destroys it like the Yâtus and the Zandas.'

The holy Sraosha, letting his club down upon her, asked the Drug: 'O thou wretched, worthless Drug, what is the thing that can undo that?'

The Drug demon answered: 'O holy, well-formed Sraosha! There is no means of undoing it;

When a man or a woman, being more than fifteen years of age, walks without wearing the sacred girdle or the sacred shirt.

'At the fourth step we Daêvas, at once, wither him even to the tongue and the marrow, and he goes thenceforth with power to destroy the world of Righteousness, and he destroys it like the Yâtus and the Zandas.'

Demand of me, thou upright one! of me who am the Maker, the most beneficent of all beings, the best knowing, the most pleased in answering what is asked of me; demand of me that thou mayst be the better, that thou mayst be the happier.

Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda: 'Who grieves thee with the sorest grief? Who pains thee with the sorest pain?'

Ahura Mazda answered: 'It is the Gahi, O Spitama Zarathustra! who mixes in her the seed of the faithful and the unfaithful, of the worshippers of Mazda and the worshippers of the Daêvas, of the wicked and the righteous.

'Her look dries up one-third of the mighty floods that run from the mountains, O Zarathustra; her look withers one-third of the beautiful, golden-hued, growing plants, O Zarathustra;

Her look withers one-third of the strength of Spenta Armaiti; and her touch withers in the faithful one-third of his good thoughts, of his good words, of his good deeds, one-third of his strength, of his victorious power, and of his holiness.

'Verily I say unto thee, O Spitama Zarathustra! such creatures ought to be killed even more than gliding snakes, than howling wolves, than the wild she-wolf that falls upon the fold, or than the she-frog that falls upon the waters with her thousandfold brood.'

Demand of me, thou upright one! of me who am the Maker, the most beneficent of all beings, the best knowing, the most pleased in answering what is asked of me; demand of me that thou mayst be the better, that thou mayst be the happier.

Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda: 'If a man shall come unto a woman who has the whites or sees blood, and he does so wittingly and knowingly, and she allows it wilfully, wittingly, and knowingly, what is the atonement for it, what is the penalty that he shall pay to atone for the deed they have done?'

Ahura Mazda answered: 'If a man shall come unto a woman who has the whites or sees blood, and he does so wittingly and knowingly, and she allows it wilfully, wittingly, and knowingly;

He shall slay a thousand head of small cattle; he shall godly and piously offer up to the fire the entrails thereof together with Zaothra-libations; he shall bring the shoulder bones to the Good Waters.

'He shall godly and piously bring unto the fire a thousand loads of soft wood, of Urvâsna, Voht-gaona, Vohû-kereti, Hadhâ-naêpata, or of any sweet-scented plant.

He shall tie and consecrate a thousand bundles of Baresma; he shall godly and piously offer up to the Good Waters a thousand Zaothra-libations, together with the Haoma and the milk, cleanly prepared and well strained,-cleanly prepared and well strained by a pious man, and mixed with the roots of the tree known as Hadhâ-naêpata.

He shall kill a thousand snakes of those that go upon the belly, two thousand of the other kind; he shall kill a thousand land-frogs and two thousand water-frogs; he shall kill a thousand corn-carrying ants and two thousand of the other kind.

He shall throw thirty bridges over canals; he shall undergo a thousand stripes with the Aspahê-astra, a thousand stripes with the Sraoshō-karana.

This is the atonement, this is the penalty that he shall pay to atone for the deed that he has done.

If he shall pay it, he makes himself a viaticum into the world of the holy ones; if he shall not pay it, he makes himself a viaticum into the world of the wicked, into that world, made of darkness, the offspring of darkness, which is Darkness' self '