Avestae
Translated by E. W. West, from Sacred Books
of the East, volume 5, Oxford University Press, 1897.
In the
name of the creator Ohrmazd.
The
Zand-akas ('Zand-knowing or tradition-informed'), which is first about
Ohrmazd's original creation and the antagonism of the evil spirit, and
afterwards about the nature of the creatures from the original creation till
the end, which is the future existence (tanu-i pasino).
As
revealed by the religion of the Mazdayasnians, so it is declared that Ohrmazd
is supreme in omniscience and goodness, and unrivaled in splendor; the region
of light is the place of Ohrmazd, which they call 'endless light,' and the
omniscience and goodness of the unrivaled Ohrmazd is what they call
'revelation.'
Revelation
is the explanation of both spirits together; one is he who is independent of
unlimited time, because Ohrmazd and the region, religion, and time of Ohrmazd
were and are and ever will be; while Ahriman in darkness, with backward
understanding and desire for destruction, was in the abyss, and it is he who
will not be; and the place of that destruction, and also of that darkness, is
what they call the 'endlessly dark.'
And
between them was empty space, that is, what they call 'air,' in which is now
their meeting.
Both are
limited and unlimited spirits, for the supreme is that which they call endless
light, and the abyss that which is endlessly dark, so that between them is a
void, and one is not connected with the other; and, again, both spirits are
limited as to their own selves.
And,
secondly, on account of the omniscience of Ohrmazd, both things are in the
creation of Ohrmazd, the finite and the infinite; for this they know is that
which is in the covenant of both spirits.
And,
again, the complete sovereignty of the creatures of Ohrmazd is in the future
existence, and that also is unlimited for ever and everlasting, and the
creatures of Ahriman will perish at the time when the future existence occurs,
and that also is eternity.
Ohrmazd,
through omniscience, knew that Ahriman exists, and whatever he schemes he
infuses with malice and greediness till the end; and because He accomplishes
the end by many means, He also produced spiritually the creatures which were
necessary for those means, and they remained three thousand years in a
spiritual state, so that they were unthinking and unmoving, with intangible
bodies.
The evil
spirit, on account of backward knowledge, was not aware of the existence of
Ohrmazd; and, afterwards, he arose from the abyss, and came in unto the light
which he saw.
Desirous
of destroying, and because of his malicious nature, he rushed in to destroy
that light of Ohrmazd unassailed by fiends, and he saw its bravery and glory
were greater than his own; so he fled back to the gloomy darkness, and formed
many demons and fiends; and the creatures of the destroyer arose for violence.
Ohrmazd,
by whom the creatures of the evil spirit were seen, creatures terrible,
corrupt, and bad, also considered them not commendable (burzishnik).
Afterwards,
the evil spirit saw the creatures of Ohrmazd; there appeared many creatures of
delight (vayah), inquiring creatures, and they seemed to him commendable, and
he commended the creatures and creation of Ohrmazd.
Then
Ohrmazd, with a knowledge of which way the end of the matter would be, went to
meet the evil spirit, and proposed peace to him, and spoke thus: 'Evil spirit!
bring assistance unto my creatures, and offer praise! so that, in reward for
it, ye (you and your creatures) may become immortal and undecaying, hungerless
and thirstless.'
And the
evil spirit shouted thus: 'I will not depart, I will not provide assistance for
thy creatures, I will not offer praise among thy creatures, and I am not of the
same opinion with thee as to good things. I will destroy thy creatures for ever
and everlasting; moreover, I will force all thy creatures into disaffection to
thee and affection for myself.'
And the
explanation thereof is this, that the evil spirit reflected in this manner,
that Ohrmazd was helpless as regarded him, therefore He proffers peace; and he
did not agree, but bore on even into conflict with Him.
And
Ohrmazd spoke thus: 'You are not omniscient and almighty, O evil spirit! so
that it is not possible for thee to destroy me, and it is not possible for thee
to force my creatures so that they will not return to my possession.'
Then
Ohrmazd, through omniscience, knew that: If I do not grant a period of contest,
then it will be possible for him to act so that he may be able to cause the
seduction of my creatures to himself. As even now there are many of the
intermixture of mankind who practice wrong more than right.
And
Ohrmazd spoke to the evil spirit thus: 'Appoint a period! so that the
intermingling of the conflict may be for nine thousand years. For he knew that
by appointing this period the evil spirit would be undone.
Then the
evil spirit, unobservant and through ignorance, was content with that agreement;
just like two men quarreling together, who propose a time thus: Let us appoint
such-and-such a day for a fight.
Ohrmazd
also knew this, through omniscience, that within these nine thousand years, for
three thousand years everything proceeds by the will of Ohrmazd, three thousand
years there is an intermingling of the wills of Ohrmazd and Ahriman, and the
last three thousand years the evil spirit is disabled, and they keep the
adversary away from the creatures.
Afterwards,
Ohrmazd recited the Ahunwar thus: Yatha ahu vairyo ('as a heavenly lord is to
be chosen'), &c. once, and uttered the twenty-one words; He also exhibited
to the evil spirit His own triumph in the end, and the impotence of the evil
spirit, the annihilation of the demons, and the resurrection and undisturbed
future existence of the creatures for ever and everlasting.
And the
evil spirit, who perceived his own impotence and the annihilation of the
demons, became confounded, and fell back to the gloomy darkness; even so as is
declared in revelation, that, when one of its (the Ahunwar's) three parts was
uttered, the evil spirit contracted his body through fear, and when two parts
of it were uttered he fell upon his knees, and when all of it was uttered he
became confounded and impotent as to the harm he caused the creatures of
Ohrmazd, and he remained three thousand years in confusion.
Ohrmazd
created his creatures in the confusion of Ahriman; first he produced Vohuman
('good thought'), by whom the progress of the creatures of Ohrmazd was advanced.
The evil
spirit first created Mitokht ('falsehood'), and then Akoman ('evil thought').
The
first of Ohrmazd's creatures of the world was the sky, and his good thought
(Vohuman), by good procedure, produced the light of the world, along with which
was the good religion of the Mazdayasnians; this was because the renovation
(Frashegird) which happens to the creatures was known to him! 26. Afterwards
arose Ardwahisht, and then Shahrewar, and then Spandarmad, and then Hordad, and
then Amurdad.
From the
dark world of Ahriman were Akoman and Andar, and then Sovar, and then Nakahed,
and then Tairev and Zairik.
Of
Ohrmazd's creatures of the world, the first was the sky; the second, water; the
third, earth; the fourth, plants; the fifth, animals; the sixth, mankind.
On the
formation of the luminaries:
Ohrmazd
produced illumination between the sky and the earth, the constellation stars
and those also not of the constellations, then the moon, and afterwards the
sun, as I shall relate.
First he
produced the celestial sphere, and the constellation stars are assigned to it
by him; especially these twelve whose names are Varak (the Lamb), Tora (the
Bull), Do-patkar (the Two-figures or Gemini), Kalachang (the Crab), Sher (the
Lion), Khushak (Virgo), Tarazhuk (the Balance), Gazdum (the Scorpion), Nimasp
(the Centaur or Sagittarius), Vahik (Capricorn), Dul (the Water-pot), and Mahik
(the Fish);
which,
from their original creation, were divided into the twenty-eight subdivisions
of the astronomers, of which the names are Padevar, Pesh-Parviz, Parviz, Paha,
Avesar, Beshn, Rakhvad, Taraha, Avra, Nahn, Miyan, Avdem, Mashaha, Spur, Husru,
Srob, Nur, Gel, Garafsha Varant, Gau, Goi, Muru, Bunda, Kahtsar, Vaht, Miyan,
Kaht.
And all
his original creations, residing in the world, are committed to them; so that
when the destroyer arrives they overcome the adversary and their own
persecution, and the creatures are saved from those adversities.
As a
specimen of a warlike army, which is destined for battle, they have ordained
every single constellation of those 6480 thousand small stars as assistance;
and among those constellations four chieftains, appointed on the four sides,
are leaders.
On the
recommendation of those chieftains the many unnumbered stars are specially
assigned to the various quarters and various places, as the united strength and
appointed power of those constellations.
As it is
said that Tishtar is the chieftain of the east, Sataves the chieftain of the
west, Vanand the chieftain of the south, and Haptoring the chieftain of the
north.
The
great one which they call a Gah (period of the day), which they say is the
great one of the middle of the sky, till just before the destroyer came was the
midday (or south) one of the five, that is, the Rapithwin.
Ohrmazd
performed the spiritual Yazishn ceremony with the archangels (amahraspand) in
the Rapithwin Gah, and in the Yazishn he supplied every means necessary for
overcoming the adversary.
He
deliberated with the consciousness (bod) and guardian spirits (farohar) of men,
and the omniscient wisdom, brought forward among men, spoke thus: 'Which seems
to you the more advantageous, when I shall present you to the world? that you
shall contend in a bodily form with the fiend (druj), and the fiend shall
perish, and in the end I shall have you prepared again perfect and immortal,
and in the end give you back to the world, and you will be wholly immortal,
undecaying, and undisturbed; or that it be always necessary to provide you
protection from the destroyer?'
Thereupon,
the guardian spirits of men became of the same opinion with the omniscient
wisdom about going to the world, on account of the evil that comes upon them,
in the world, from the fiend (druj) Ahriman, and their becoming, at last, again
unpersecuted by the adversary, perfect, and immortal, in the future existence,
for ever and everlasting.
On the
rush of the destroyer at the creatures it is said, in revelation, that the evil
spirit, when he saw the impotence of himself and the confederate (ham-dast)
demons, owing to the righteous man, became confounded, and seemed in confusion
three thousand years.
During
that confusion the arch-fiends of the demons severally shouted thus: 'Rise up,
thou father of us! for we will cause a conflict in the world, the distress and
injury from which will become those of Ohrmazd and the archangels.'
Severally
they twice recounted their own evil deeds, and it pleased him not; and that
wicked evil spirit, through fear of the righteous man, was not able to lift up
his head until the wicked Jeh came, at the completion of the three thousand
years.
And she
shouted to the evil spirit thus: 'Rise up, thou father of us! for I will cause
that conflict in the world wherefrom the distress and injury of Ohrmazd and the
archangels will arise,'
And she
twice recounted severally her own evil deeds, and it pleased him not; and that
wicked evil spirit rose not from that confusion, through fear of the righteous
man.
And,
again, the wicked Jeh shouted thus: 'Rise up, thou father of us! for in that
conflict I will shed thus much vexation on the righteous man and the laboring ox
that, through my deeds, life will not be wanted, and I will destroy their
living souls (nismo); I will vex the water, I will vex the plants, I will vex
the fire of Ohrmazd, I will make the whole creation of Ohrmazd vexed.'
And she
so recounted those evil deeds a second time, that the evil spirit was delighted
and started up from that confusion; and he kissed Jeh upon the head, and the
pollution which they call menstruation became apparent in Jeh.
He
shouted to Jeh thus: 'What is thy wish? so that I may give it thee.' And Jeh
shouted to the evil spirit thus: 'A man is the wish, so give it to me.'
The form
of the evil spirit was a log-like lizard's (vazak) body, and he appeared a
young man of fifteen years to Jeh, and that brought the thoughts of Jeh to him.
Afterwards,
the evil spirit, with the confederate demons, went towards the luminaries, and
he saw the sky; and he led them up, fraught with malicious intentions.
He stood
upon one-third of the inside of the sky, and he sprang, like a snake, out of
the sky down to the earth.
In the
month Frawardin and the day Ohrmazd he rushed in at noon, and thereby the sky
was as shattered and frightened by him, as a sheep by a wolf.
He came
on to the water which was arranged below the earth, and then the middle of this
earth was pierced and entered by him.
Afterwards,
he came to the vegetation, then to the ox, then to Gayomard, and then he came
to fire; so, just like a fly, he rushed out upon the whole creation; and he
made the world quite as injured and dark at midday as though it were in dark
night.
And
noxious creatures were diffused by him over the earth, biting and venomous,
such as the snake, scorpion, frog (kalvak), and lizard (vazak), so that not so
much as the point of a needle remained free from noxious creatures.
And
blight was diffused by him over the vegetation, and it withered away
immediately.
And
avarice, want, pain, hunger, disease, lust, and lethargy were diffused by him
abroad upon the ox and Gayomard.
Before
his coming to the ox, Ohrmazd ground up the healing fruit, which some call
'binak,' small in water openly before its eyes, so that its damage and
discomfort from the calamity (zanishn) might be less; and when it became at the
same time lean and ill, as its breath went forth and it passed away, the ox
also spoke thus: 'The cattle are to be created, and their work, labor, and care
are to be appointed.'
And
before his coming to Gayomard, Ohrmazd brought forth a sweat upon Gayomard, so
long as he might recite a prayer (vaj) of one stanza (vichast); moreover,
Ohrmazd formed that sweat into the youthful body of a man of fifteen years,
radiant and tall.
When
Gayomard issued from the sweat he saw the world dark as night, and the earth as
though not a needle's point remained free from noxious creatures; the celestial
sphere was in revolution, and the sun and moon remained in motion: and the
world's struggle, owing to the clamor of the Mazendaran demons, was with the
constellations.
And the
evil spirit thought that the creatures of Ohrmazd were all rendered useless
except Gayomard; and Astwihad with a thousand demons, causers of death, were
let forth by him on Gayomard.
But his
appointed time had not come, and he (Astwihad) obtained no means of noosing
(avizidano) him; as it is said that, when the opposition of the evil spirit
came, the period of the life and rule of Gayomard was appointed for thirty
years.
After
the coming of the adversary he lived thirty years, and Gayomard spoke thus:
'Although the destroyer has come, mankind will be all of my race; and this one
thing is good, when they perform duty and good works.'
And,
afterwards, he (the evil spirit) came to fire, and he mingled smoke and
darkness with it.
The
planets, with many demons, dashed against the celestial sphere, and they mixed
the constellations; and the whole creation was as disfigured as though fire
disfigured every place and smoke arose over it.
And
ninety days and nights the heavenly angels were contending in the world with
the confederate demons of the evil spirit, and hurled them confounded to hell;
and the rampart of the sky was formed so that the adversary should not be able
to mingle with it.
Hell is
in the middle of the earth; there where the evil spirit pierced the earth and
rushed in upon it, as all the possessions of the world were changing into
duality, and persecution, contention, and mingling of high and low became
manifest.
This
also is said, that when the primeval ox passed away it fell to the right hand,
and Gayomard afterwards, when he passed away, to the left hand.
Goshorun,
as the soul of the primeval ox came out from the body of the ox, stood up
before the ox and cried to Ohrmazd, as much as a thousand men when they sustain
a cry at one time, thus: 'With whom is the guardianship of the creatures left
by thee, when ruin has broken into the earth and vegetation is withered, and
water is troubled? Where is the man of whom it was said by thee thus: I will
produce him, so that he may preach carefulness?'
And
Ohrmazd spoke thus: 'You are made ill, O Goshorun! you have the illness which
the evil spirit brought on; if it were proper to produce that man in this earth
at this time, the evil spirit would not have been oppressive in it.'
Forth
Goshorun walked to the star station (payak) and cried in the same manner, and
forth to the moon station and cried in the same manner, and forth to the sun
station, and then the guardian spirit of Zartosht was exhibited to her, and
Ohrmazd said thus: 'I will produce for the world him who will preach
carefulness.'
Contented
became the spirit Goshorun, and assented thus: 'I will nourish the creatures;'
that is, she became again consenting to a worldly creation in the world.
Seven
chieftains of the planets have come unto the seven chieftains of the
constellations, as the planet Mercury (Tir) unto Tishtar, the planet Mars
(Warharan) unto Haptoring, the planet Jupiter (Ohrmazd) unto Vanand, the planet
Venus (Anahid) unto Sataves, the planet Saturn (Kevan) unto the great one of
the middle of the sky, Gochihar and the thievish (dujgun) Mushpar, provided
with tails, unto the sun and moon and stars.
The sun
has attached Mushpar to its own radiance by mutual agreement, so that he may be
less able to do harm (vinas).
Of Mount
Alburz it is declared, that around the world and Mount Terak, which is the
middle of the world, the revolution of the sun is like a moat around the world;
it turns back in a circuit owing to the enclosure (var) of Mount Alburz around
Terak.
As it is
said that it is the Terak of Alburz from behind which my sun and moon and stars
return again.
For
there are a hundred and eighty apertures (rojin) in the east, and a hundred and
eighty in the west, through Alburz; and the sun, every day, comes in through an
aperture, and goes out through an aperture; and the whole connection and motion
of the moon and constellations and planets is with it: every day it always
illumines (or warms) three regions (karshwar) and a half, as is evident to the
eyesight.
And
twice in every year the day and night are equal, for on the original attack,
when it (the sun) went forth from its first degree (khurdak), the day and night
were equal, it was the season of spring; when it arrives at the first degree of
Kalachang (Cancer) the time of day is greatest, it is the beginning of summer;
when it arrives at the sign (khurdak) Tarachuk (Libra) the day and night are
equal, it is the beginning of autumn; when it arrives at the sign Vahik
(Capricorn) the night is a maximum, it is the beginning of winter; and when it
arrives at Varak (Aries) the night and day have again become equal, as when it
went forth from Varak.
So that
when it comes back to Varak, in three hundred and sixty days and the five Gatha
days, it goes in and comes out through one and the same aperture; the aperture
is not mentioned, for if it had been mentioned the demons would have known the
secret, and been able to introduce disaster.
From
there where the sun comes on on the longest day to where it comes on on the
shortest day is the east region Sawahi; from there where it comes on on the
shortest day to where it goes off on the shortest day is the direction of the
south regions Fradadhafshu and Widadhafshu; from there where it goes in on the
shortest day to where it goes in on the longest day is the west region Arezahi;
from there where it comes in on the longest day to there where it goes in on
the longest day are the north regions Wourubareshti and Wourujareshti.
When the
sun comes on, it illumines (or warms) the regions of Sawahi, Fradadhafshu,
Widadhafshu, and half of Xwaniratha; when it goes in on the dark side, it
illumines the regions of Arezahi, Wourubareshti, Wourujareshti, and one half of
Xwaniratha; when it is day here it is night there.
On the
conflict of the creations of the world with the antagonism of the evil spirit
it is said in revelation, that the evil spirit, even as he rushed in and looked
upon the pure bravery of the angels and his own violence, wished to rush back.
The spirit of the sky is himself like one of the warriors who has put on armor;
he arrayed the sky against the evil spirit, and led on in the contest, until
Ohrmazd had completed a rampart around, stronger than the sky and in front of
the sky. And his guardian spirits (farohar) of warriors and the righteous, on
war horses and spear in hand, were around the sky; such-like as the hair on the
head is the similitude (anguni-aitak) of those who hold the watch of the
rampart. And no passage was found by the evil spirit, who rushed back; and he
beheld the annihilation of the demons and his own impotence, as Ohrmazd did his
own final triumph, producing the renovation of universe for ever and
everlasting.