had not yet been tempted or fallen.
The Pahlavi: Vimann ido ahvan 1 mariuman [aigh, levatman Ner.: Ye ni^aghnur bhuvana m mamishyanaOT.
Hubschmann: ‘ran durch ihnPlagen fiber dasLeben desMenschen zubringen.’, 2 Verbatim. Of these two spirits not- aright may choose the Dafcvas, since these we have beguiled (or have injured). To the- questioning ones upon came-he in-order-that he might-be-chosen (subjunctive middle) he-the worst mind. Thereupon to-furious- rapine they rushed-together in-order-that (yena) they might disease 3 Or, f to him: 7 some unnamed benefactor; hardly f to ns. The Pahlavi has, avo valman, but Ner. has only tatra^a. Observe ahmai in chap. XLIII, i, and in chap. XL VII.
4 Root an = in. The Pahlavi freely, pavan astfibih. He seems to have thought of nam -f- a_priv.
Kehrpem is feminine. Anma may be a neuter in apposition. Otherwise we must accept -ma as a suffix. Or can kehrpem (corpus) be a neuter here? The clothing of the spirits with cor- poreal natures enabled them to advance in the development of moral qualities by self-restraint and pursuit. As has been observed in the summary, no Fravashis appear in the Gathas. Havejwe here possibly an indication of the pre-existence of souls? If Aramaiti gave a body, it may be inferred that a period elapsed between the acts of the two spirits and this.
8 That bodies are to be given to the saints as at the first is tc YASNA XXX.
33 body) • be, (at the last), O Mazda! as it was when Thou earnest first with creations 1!
' * 8. And (when the great struggle shall have been fought out which began when the Daevas first seized the Demon of Wrath as their ally 2 ), and when the (just) vengeance shall have come upon these wretches, then,- O Mazda!. the Kingdom shall have been gained for Thee by (Thy) Good Mind (within Thy folk).. For to those, O. living Lord! does (that Good Mind s ) utter' his command, who will.deliver the Demon- of the Lie into the two hands 4 of the Righteous Order (as a captive to a destroyer).
9. - And ' may- we be such as those who bring on be inferred from Y&rt XIX, 89. (Which see in part ii of the translations of the Zend-Avesta,) S ' Verbatim. • To-this (to us?)-and with-Khshathra came, with- Manah Vohu, with Asha-and (Aramaiti) thereupon a-body the-con- dnuing gave Ar(a)maiti the strenuous (Aramaiti, or the body, a vigorous and strenuous thing)* Of these thine (or to thee) to let-it (the body)-be as tlion-camest in-ereations the-first "s § ee V erse 6; ‘ s What else can. be the subject of sasti?
4 Observe the pronounced personification of Righteousness. As a matter of course the ultimate sense is more commonplace, as is the case with all poetical matter. £ Into the hands of Asha/ is the same as to say, 6 into the power of the servant of God/ But would -this be a proper mode of rendering a line of real Chough ruddy primitive -poetry? Such renderings are commentary- rather than translation. The Pahiavi may be rendered as follows: Thus also in that creation [in the final body] hatred comes to these haters and sinners; [that is, the avengers shall execute chastisement upon them]. And; therefore, O Afiharmazd! what to thee is the sove- reignty, by that (so possibly) shall Vohfiman give a reward. Through these, O Aftharmazd! [through the religion of Auharmazd], when one is instructed in Righteousness, [that is, as to the interests of the pious] then the Drfig is given into one's hand, [the Drfi^ who is Aharmdk].
34 THE gAtHAS.
this great renovation, and make this world progres- sive, (till its perfection shall have been reached). (As) the Ahuras of Mazda 1 (even) may we be; (yea, like Thyself), in helpful readiness to meet 2 (Thy people), presenting (benefits 3 ) in union with the Righteous Order. For there 4 will our thoughts be (tending) where true wisdom shall abide in her home 6.
io. (And when perfection shall have been attained) then shall the blow of destruction fall upon the Demon of Falsehood, (and her adherents shall perish with her), but swiftest in the happy abode of the Good Mind and of Ahura the righteous saints 1 Otherwise, ‘the Ahura-Mazdas/ or, * O Mazda and the Ahuras V I think that the most natural rendering according to the grammar should first be given, notwithstanding something uncommon about it. c All the Ahura-Mazdas/ has been seen by Roth in chapter XXXI, 4.
2 The Pahlavi has the gloss [aighran hamishako ban^ainan madam tanft i pasino kfinirno], needlessly enlarged of course, but showing the proper root, which is mi/; (so Spiegel.)
3 Or possibly sustaining (the feeble). The Pahlavi reads simply dedrunimo.
4 The Pahlavi renders hathra in the Indian sense as asir*, end-, lessly; so others elsewhere. Hathra and yathri are of course distinctly in. antithesis.
5 The Pahlavi mihano, Persian makan. That maetha is an ad- verbial instrumental meaning, ‘in one's home/ seems the more probable from the two hathra, yathrd, adverbs of place. Compare, for instance, athra-yathra in XLVI, x6, where shagiti follows. Hubschmann, ‘Dort mogen (unsre) Sinne sein, wo die Weisheit thront / see also huntoir in the next verse.
The Parsi-persian MS. has — Aedfino (sic), ham ma kih an i tft hastam (sic); [ku an i tfi *hwej hastam] in — rasta'hiz kardan andar ^ihan.
( c ) X-ih- minion bed [kfi minim pah— darad] a s axi^a dandi hast [k&, a hir i kiz pah neki bih danad] andar makan.
YASNA XXX.
35 shall gather, they who proceed in their walk (on earth) in good repute 1 (and honour) 2.
1 1. Wherefore, O ye men! ye are learning 3 (thus) these religious incitations which Ahura gave in (our) happiness 4 and (our) sorrow 5. (And ye are also learn- ing) what is the long wounding for the wicked, and the blessings which are in store for the righteous. And when these (shall have begun their course), salvation shall be (your portion 0 )!'
1 Pahlavi, * mftn vadfind zak i.rapir namik!h= they are creating a good repute/ as if zaze^te were understood in the sense of pro- duce. See the sense * bear 7 as given for ha, Rig-veda 843, 2 (X, 1 7). The analogy is, however, not strong.
2 The Pahlavi translation may Here be rendered as follows: Thus in that dispensation [in the later body] the Dr ug [who is Gan- rak Minavad] will be overthrown [ ] when (his) host is scattered. Thus they move keenly on [to seize the reward], which is attained through the good citizenship of Voh&man [when they shall have dwelt in piety]. They who are creating a good renown are thus moving on toward Auharmazd and Ashavahist [that is, the person who is of good repute goes forward to seize the reward].
3 Once more the anomalous form amhkhtimo meets us in the Pahlavi. May this not be intended to express ‘ learning/ whereas imfizurno would express 4 teaching? * I hardly think so.
4 The Pahlavi translation is only remotely if at all responsible for yfoiti^a as = sua sponte. This would require hv iti as = Hv£t\ with difficulty comparing ‘ yim ’ and ‘ ye m s (?). It is generally considered now as=hu*f iti; but the letter seems doubtful.
5 Read amti= £ with impeded progress.’ ‘ In prosperity or adver- sity/ But these are conjectures.
6 The Pahlavi: Aetuno akhar valmanran aito nadhkfh. I do not think that we ought to regard the words of the original as expressing universal restoration. But they may well have given the first indication toward this later view. Literally, they state it, but not when correctly understood.
(Supplementary note. The Pahlavi word y6mai which transcribes ye snd in verse 4 cannot mean £ by day/ Its imperfect form induced the translators to translate rfizha and bhfimandale, but these scholars, as in many other instances, hinted at a correction.)
THE GiTHAg.
YASNA XXXI.
The Progress and Struggles of the Cause.
This composition differs from that in XXX as descending from the more general to the particular, and from the doctrinal to the practical. One might even trace an immediate connection, urvM occurring in the last verse of the one and in the first of the other. It is, of course, very possible that the verses before us are only a remnant of those which originally constituted the piece, and here and there one- may have been interpolated from other scriptures.
Some writers prefer to assume a loss of the original text or an addition to it at the smallest change of tone, and to assume also a change of subject with it. I do not regard it as very useful to lay too much stress upon these, occurrences.
Whether caused by gaps or interpolations, they do not at all affect the fact that the subject-matter is homogeneous and contem- poraneous; and, probably, like many more modern compositions, the verses gain in rhetorical effect by being weeded of repetitions.
We might divide as follows i, 2, an address to the congregation to be connected with XXX as its concluding words; 3-5, an address to Ahura; 6, an address to the faithful; 7-17, to Ahura; 18, to the congregation; 19, to Ahura; 20, 21, to the congregation; 22, an addition.
Treating the section then as containing homogeneous matter which combines well into a unit, I proceed as follows. The sage chants his hymn in the presence of the multitude as before.
1. He declares that while he is reciting things unwillingly heard by the hostile party, those same truths are valued as the best of existing things by those who are sincerely devoted to Mazda, their good disposition quickening their perception.
2. He then declares that if the truths of the holy Religion are not yet clearly seen by the instrumentalities provided, he will ap- proach them still more effectively in accordance with the especial regulation of the spiritual chieftainship, which Ahura Mazda had prepared in response to the lament of the soul of the Kine; i, e. of the Iranian herds and people possibly as representing the entire holy, or clean, creation upon earth. And he further asserts that this regulation concerns the struggle of the two parties, and will bring the cause of the Righteous Order to a successful issue.
3* Changing his address to Ahura, he proceeds to pray at once YASNA XXXI.
37 for that satisfying decision which would be the natural result of the regulation 'just, promised, and which could be given by the instru- mentality of the Sacred Fire and holy ritual, affording mental keen- ness to the two contending parties. And he declares that this is the doctrine which should be proclaimed for the conversion of mankind. Here' we observe that the Zarathujtrian Mazda-worship was aggressive and missionary in its spirit, and in a proselyting sense by no means indifferent to the final destiny of the Gentile world. (The later and traditional system announced indeed the restoration and so the conversion, of all men, and that ridt as an object proposed to the efforts of charity, but as a necessary result (so by inference; see BundahLr (West), pp. 126, 129), i can find no trace of this in the Gathas.
Here we have only the effort to convert.)
4. Addressing all the Bountiful Immortals, and with the striking title of the Ahuras of Mazda, he prays for the establishment of the 4 mighty kingdom 9 by means of which he might overcome the per- sonified and aggressive falsehood of the opposing and persecuting Da^va- worshippers.
5. In order to enable himself to fulfil his mission, he asks for prophetic and judicial knowledge as to what ought to be done, or as to what is about to happen in the immediate future.
6. He lauds the Mathra which we may suppose him to recognise as delivered to him afresh in answer to his prayer for prophetic light, and he praises co-ordinately with the Word of God that Sovereign Authority of Ahura, which was to be established in a kingdom where goodness would increase, and be prosperous, if not predominant.
7. He takes the heavenly bodies as evidence of the wisdom of Him who created the Sacred Order personified as the ‘ Immortal 9 Asha, and also the Good Mind, his equal. And he ascribes the support and extension of their hallowing influence to Ahura, be- cause He never changes.
8. He reiterates, in expressions which form the basis for another hymn, his conception of Mazda as the supreme object of devotion, as the father of the Good Mind personified as His child, as the creator of the Righteous Order, and as both the controller an£ the judge of human actions. Therefore the Good Mind and Right- eousness are to be worshipped as standing in the closest possible relation to him.
9. He ascribes the 4 Immortal 9 Piety to Him as well She is His own, and elsewhere His own daughter. He is declared, as in 33 THE GATHAS.
chapter XXIX, to be the Creator of the Kine, and of Under- standing, (His own intelligence), to guide Him in the disposition of the 'destiny of the holy Iranian people. And according to it He makes the path for the Kine, which as a matter of course has no meaning as applied to bucolics, but is full of meaning when read in view of the wail of the Kine’s Soul in chapter XXIX, and of the intervention of the Deity in her behalf, for He actually appointed Zarathuitra to meet her necessities. He adds, however, that ’her free choice is not abolished by the construction c of this path/ It is elsewhere called the ‘ religion of the Saviour-prophets/ and she is free to proceed in it, guided by the first prophet, the ideal husband- man, or she can follow the profaner nomad.
so. But he thankfully exclaims that she does not pause in in- decision, nor does she choose perversely. She selects the guardian appointed by Ahura, the diligent and pious husbandman, elsewhere identified with Zarathurtra himself. He is rich with the spiritual wealth of the Good Mind; and she rejects in his favour the idle and free-booting nomad, excluding him from all share in the sacred religious system.
ii* The composer then delineates the straggle which inevitably follows this establishment of the needed means of deliverance. When Mazda has completed the inspiration of doctrines, teaching whither the one endowed with free volition (like the Kine [verse 9] ) should direct his choice in action (12), there upon the spot, as it were, the ignorant Baeva-worshipper makes himself heard beside God’s spokesman. But the prophet is consoled by the reflection that the pious mind will not question the evil Spirit, or the good Spirit superficially. It searches both the Spirits, questioning them, as it were, in their very home. (Hence it is that Ahura speaks so folly concerning Angra Mainyu, delineating his opposition to Him in extended detail. See XLV, 2.)
13. The composer is still more reanimated by the certainty that Ahura is gazing into the depths of all questions, trivia! and profound; which is to say that he observes most closely the men who are dis- cussing them. And he declares that he also sees the cruel injustice of the punishments which the tyrants visit upon the smallest offences, as well as the more flagrant wickedness of those who persecute his adherents without even a pretence of justice.
14. As he recalls, the divine forecasting omniscience, he asks Ahura once more concerning the future which was close at. hand with its portentous events. 'And he inquires as to the nature of the veritable and not iniquitous confessions, which were properly due to YASNA XXXI.
39 be made by the righteous believer in order to avert the impending calamities, and secure the upper hand in the straggle for the throne* And he inquires also as to the proper expiatory prayers which were to be offered by the. believer. He does not however fail to inquire analogously concerning the wicked, nor to ask how they, as well as the righteous, shall be situated in the final consummation.
15. Particularising as to the latter, he asks what shall be the punishment for those who succeed in installing an evil monarch, one of the Ba^va-party, a prince who cannot exist without the ruth- less persecution of the pious husbandman, who repudiates the Lie- demon presiding over the counsels and efforts of the opposing religion.
i6« tie further asks how and by what actions the wise man may become like Ahura, or his faithful adherent, the expressions used implying deep religious feeling.
1 7. Striving to arouse the perceptions of his hearers, he inquires as to which one of the two parties holds to the greater or more im- portant religion, the disciple of Asha, the personified Righteous Order Ahura* s immediate creature (see above), or the opponent And he prays that no blind guide may deceive him, or those who belong to him, ‘ but that the enlightened, yea, even Ahura Himself, may speak to him, and become the indicator and demonstrator of the truth/ 18. Closing this address to the Deity, he turns to the congrega- tion, vehemently forbidding them to listen to the doctrines of his opponents, warning them against the rain and death which would ensue, and fiercely appealing to the sword.
19. Once more addressing Ahura, he prays that they may on the contrary listen to Him who has power to vindicate the conscientious Zaratlmrtrian, inculcating veracity upon him, and encouraging him in its practice; and this by means of the holy sacrifice, or ordeal of the Fire.
■ 20. He solemnly warns those who would seduce the righteous of their -ultimate fate, and adds that their sorrows will be self-induced, if they persevere in their hostility. Their own consciences (as we see from Ya st XXII) would not only bring on their ruin, but would form a part of their punishment.
21. On the other hand, happiness and immortality will be the lot of the faithful. And these ‘eternal two? will be given to them, accompanied by the fulness of Righteousness, and the exuberant vigour of the Good and Kindly Mind within them and bestowing its blessings upon them, 40 THE gAtBAS.
22. In conclusion he apostrophises the manifest -certainty of the truths which he declares, and,, addressing Ahura, animates the faithful not merely with the hope of the objective recompense, but with the prospect of being efficient as servants of God.
Translation* 1. These doctrines (therefore) we are earnestly declaring to You as we recite them forth from memory, words (till now) unheard 1 2 (with faith) by those who by means of the doctrinal vows 8 of the harmful Lie are delivering the settlements of Righteousness to death, but words which are of the best unto those who are heartily devoted to Ahura 3.
2. And if by this means the indubitable truths 4 * are not seen in the soul 6 *, then as better (than these words) I will come to you all (in my person) with 1 Roth, ' wollen wir Worte Mnden — ungern gehort von denen, welche nach des Unholds Geboten,* &c. Hiibschmann preferring * wir sprechen Worte nlcht anhorbar fur diejenigen 9 (Casuslehre, s. 233). A dative of the pronoun is certainly more natural than the abla- tive as inst. But on the whole agushta seems better in its ordinaiy sense, although in so rendering we are obliged to supply a word* 2 Valmandn mun pavan afringinih 1 Dr% zak i Ahariyfh gihan fears maren£in§nd z The Pahlavi may be rendered as follows: Both these benedic- tions, which I (we) recite as yours [the A vesta, and Zand], we are teaching by word to him who is no hearer, [to the destroyer of sanctity (the heretical persecutor) [. Those who utterly slay the world of righteousness through the benedictions of the Dr% [ ], even those might be an excellent thing, if they would cause progress in what belongs to AHharmazd.
4 Read perhaps advayio; see the PahiavL Otherwise 6 the way f advdo as panthas; but the participle* does not agree.. Compare for meaning kavlm ddvayantam, sikM advayasF ' The Pahlavi renders e in the soul* freely by 4 believes: * Pavan nikirijrno la himnun^ ar pavan zak f agimanlMk The general indications are to be Observed.
* Is it aloe.?
YASNA XXXI.
41 that power, and in that way according to which Ahura hlazda knows and appoints His ruler 1, that ruler over both the two (struggling) bands 2, in order that we (in obedience to him), may live ac- cording to Righteousness s.
3. And that keenness, that deciding satisfaction, which Thou hast given by (Thy) Spirit 4, and (Thy) Fire, and by Thy Righteousness (itself) to the two battling 5 (sides), do Thou declare unto us, O Ahura! that vow which is for the seeing 6 (as those endowed with mental light). Yea, do Thou declare this that we may know it, O Mazda! With the -tongue of Thy mouth do Thou speak it (that as I preach its mighty truths 7 ) I may make all the living believers 8!
2 Comp. chap. XXIX, 2, where the Ratu is discussed; here the word might be the abstract 3 Roth, dleser beiden Parteien (Yasna XXXI)/ 3 He repels and condemns the evil, and he hallows and helps the good.
4 Most striking is the use of mainyu. It is s the Spirit '= God. It is 4 His Spirit/ It is also used of man's spirit 5 Or, ‘from the two ara ni;’ but see asay&o in verse 2; The Pahlavi translator has avo patkan/arano shnikht&rih; so uniformly. 'In Y. XLIII, 12, Kg and most MSS., except K4, and likewise excepting the printed B.V. S.? read ranoibyd which excludes the dual form; also the fire is not mentioned there. It is however far ■ from impossible that the present Pahlavi translation may be a growth beyond an earlier one more in accordance with arawi. The strivers, or fighters, might describe the two rubbing-sticks (?).
6 Aimar (sic), vig&nfir, This meaning suits the connection ad- mirably. The word is otherwise difficult, and this general sense is followed by some who do not so often cite the Pahlavi translator.
1 See verse 1.
8 Roth, *wie ich alle lebenden bekehren soil/ So also the general indication of the Pahlavi translator. Pavan Mzvano t Lak — zfvandak&n harvist-gun Mmnund.. Observe that the religious system contemplated universal proselytism.
42 THE gAtHAS.
4. And when the Divine Righteousness shall be inclined to my appeal 1, and with him all those (remaining ones who are as) Mazda’s 2 (own) Ahuras then with the blessedness- (of the reward), with (my) Piety and with Thy Best Mind (active within me), I will pray 3 for that mighty Kingdom by whose force 4 we may smite the Lie-demon 5.
5. Aye, do Thou tell me that I may discern it, since through (Thy) Righteous Order the better (lot) is 6 given; tell me this that I may know it with (Thy) Good Mind (as it speaks within me), and that I may ponder 7 that to which these my truths® belong (and 1 The general indications karituntar and bavihunam point to the proper sense.
2 Or, with Roth, ‘wenn wirklich sich rnfen lassen die Ahura*- Mazdas/ Otherwise, ‘ O Mazda and the Ahuras/ Hiibschmann also maintained that Mazdau was here a plural; (see his Y. XXX, 10.)
3 Roth, rendering ishasa in accordance with the Pahlavi, f erbitte ich/ 4 Man pavan zak i valman gurdih — khushh/o Dr %6 a& sufficiently indicates the proper sense. Roth, c kraft deren wir den Unhold bemeistern mogen/ 6 The Pahlavi may be rendered thus: Since in that dispensation [in the final body], I shall be an invoker of Ashavahut, ' and of Auharmazd also [ ]; and of her who is veneration £ Spendar- mad [ ], I desire [that best of things which is the reward] of Vohiman. Let also that authority which belongs to my people [ ] be from the' strong one [ ] by whose fortitude [ ] the Dr% is overcome [ ].
7 i am far from sure that the indication of the Pahlavi is not correct here. According to it, when properly understood, we have here an accusative with the' infinitive; ‘ that I should establish/ Its own translation is however avoli yehabunai. Men = man or mam; m(g )~ rg the nasal vowel. The Pahl translator recognises men elsewhere as=mfnimo. It was from no ignorance (!) of the particular word that he wrote ‘ li ’ here.
£ Or * my prophet; * qomp B r/shi; _ that is, i that with which my prophet is concerned/ YASNA XXXI, 43 of which my prophet speaks; yea), tell me those things, O Mazda Ahura! which may not be, and which may be 1.
6 2. And that verily shall be the best of all words to Him which the All~(wise one) will 3 declare to me in very deed, that word which is the Mathra of Welfare and of Immortality (for it proclaims His beneficent power). And to the Great Creator (shall there be) a Realm such as that (whose strength I asked for victory 4 ), and which (at the last) shall flourish 5 in its holiness to His (glory 6 )!
7. (For He has sovereign control.) He -who con- ceived of these (truths of the Mathra) as their first (inspirer), (and as He thought their existence they 1 Or, possibly, 1 which shall not be, or which shall be.’ Is the subjunctive here used to express obligation? Roth has s was nicht sein soil oder was sein soil/ Ner. may be rendered as follows: Tell it to me distinctly [ ], that which is the highest gift, and which is given to me through sanctity; [that is, because duty and righteousness are fulfilled by me, the best gift of thy reward (is gained) by this means; but how is it possible to make it (actually) one’s own?]. Grant me the knowledge through the best mind; [that is, declare that intelligence to me which comes through good conduct], and by which also safety is (secured) to me [ ]. And declare either that which is not, or that which is, O Great Wise One, the Lord! [ ].
s An interval of silence seems here to intervene, or lost verses leave an unexplained transition. The sage turns again to the people.
5 The Pahlavi has Auharmazd avand (sic) khua&yih iand din valman vakhshec? Vohumano.
8 The Parsi-persian MS. is as follows: TJ hast buland, kih an man SgahthS. (sic) gu-i arkarah [ ] mansar i tamam raftani; [ku> tamim pMairn pah rah i mansar baz an *hw&?i i Hormuzd ras£d], kih pah Sawtb darad — bi-marg raftani azar [ ]. Hormuzd — *hudai iand andar u afzayed Bahman [Kui* padir&hi pah tan i mard — £andi (?) Hdrmuzd pah tan mihm'an].
v 44 THE G.&THAS.
(all) as (His) glorious 1 (conceptions first) clothed them- selves in the stars 2 ), He is through His understanding the Creator 3 of the Righteous Order. And thus likewise He supports His Beneficent Mind (in His saints). And these (holy creatures) may'st Thou cause to prosper by Thy Spirit (since they are Thine own), O Ahura Mazda! Thou who art for every hour the same 4!
8. Therefore 5, as the first® did I conceive of Thee, O Ahura Mazda! as the one to be adored with the mind in the creation, as the Father of the Good Mind within us, when I beheld Thee 7 with my (enlightened) eyes as the veritable maker of our Righteousness, as the Lord of the actions of life 8!
9. Thine, O Ahura! was Piety; yea, Thine, O Creator of the Kine! was understanding and the 1 Mfinax avo rdshanih gumikhto khvSrlh. Hvithra. and khvarih can hardly mean ‘ comfortable ’ here. ‘ Ease ’ is the later sense.
2 Rao&bir certainly means, with illuminating objects, stars or shining lights.
4 Pavan minavadikih vakhshin&f [ ] mfin kevanii ham khfi</ii.
8 Compare the frequent expression ‘sperztem a/ Thwa meNhi,’ in chap. XLIII.
7 When I seized Thee (took Thee in) with my eye. The Pahlavi: Amatam [ ] pavan hamiashmih avo ham vakhdumf homanih.
8 D6n ahvino pavan kunirno khurfai homanih.
Ner. may be rendered as follows: Thus thou wert thought at the first by me, O Great Wise One, the Lord! when thou wert engaged in the production of Gvahmana [ ]. In which (produc- tion) they apprehend the father of the Best Mind when they observe him with a full-faced look [ ]. (And thou art the father) of that creation which is manifestly righteous; [that is, thou makest the purer creation good in conduct]. Thou art a King in the world as to action; [that is, where it is fitting to confer a benefit, and also where it is fitting to inflict a punishment, in each of these thou art capable].
YASNA XXXI.
45 YASNA XXXI.
45 Spirit \ when Thou didst order a path for her (guiding). Fjrom the earth’s tiller (aided 2 ) she goeth 3 (in that allotted way), or from him who was never tiller. (Thy path hath given her choice 4.)
io. (But she did not pause in temptation.) Of the two she chose 5 the husbandman, the thrifty toiler in the fields 6, as a holy master endowed with the Good Mind’s wealth 7. Never, Mazda! shall 1 His spe«ta mainyu; otherwise 4 spiritual (understanding)/ but mainyu is used elsewhere (verse 3 and 7) alone, and certainly not as an adjective even with a substantive understood. The render- ing 4 spirit ' as 4 Thy spirit * is suspiciously significant; but what is the help? We are forced by grammar so to translate.
2 The ablative has this force as in Asha/ ha£a.
3 I can hardly accede to an infinitive here: -t& is a rare infinitive termination in Gathic. Also the infinitive seldom falls to the end of the sentence. The Pahlavi has yattm6<f, a present; but the Pahlavi should never be positively cited for the forms, as it is free.
4 Observe that we are forced by every dictate of logic and common sense to avoid the commonplace rendering here. Cattle do not have 4 paths', made for them, nor do they cry aloud for an overseer, or complain at the ■ appointment of one who does not appear to them promising; nor is it one main effort of religion 4 to content the soul of cattle/ Cattle, as the chief article of wealth, are taken to signify all civic life. The 4 path 9 is the path for the people to walk in, securing safety for soul and life and herds. The adhvan is 4 the way' which 4 is the religious character- istics and teachings of the prophets' (XXXIV, 13).
5 Observe that this cow (some would say s ox ') chooses her master, unlike other cattle. But observe also, what is more inter- esting, that she seems reconciled to the guardian appointed by Ahura. In Y. XXIX, 9, she actually 4 wept ' at the naming of the pusillanimous Zarathuitra, desiring a kingly potentate. Now, how- ever, we see that she must have dried her tears, as she is satisfied with the simple workman whom he represents notwithstanding high rank.
6 In the later Avesta this first vastrya fmyawt is declared to be Zarathurtra.
1 Mun fmih pavan VoMmano.
THE GATHAS.
the thieving 1 nomad share the good creed 2. (For the Kine’s choice would bestow it 3!)
11. (And this doctrine was the first of rules to regulate our actions. Yet the opposer speaks beside Thee.) For when first, O Ahura Mazda! Thou didst create the (holy) settlements, and didst reveal the religious laws 4; and when Thou gavest (us) understanding from Thine own mind, and madest our (full) bodify life 5, and (didst thus determine) actions (by Thy power), and didst moreover deliver to us (nearer) injunctions whereby (as by a rule) the wisher may place his choices 6, 12. (There strife at once arose, and still is raging.) There (beside Thy prophet) the truthful or liar, the enlightened or unenlightened, lifts his voice (to utter 1 Pahlavi davasaha^; Ner. pratarayitre.
2 KhupodioshmurLmih. ‘ Judicial blindness * is everywhere indi- cated. (The wicked are kept from the sight of the truth.) Htibschm., Casuslehre, ‘ der frohen Botschaft/ 3 This seems implied.
4 Or, 4 madest the worlds and the souls (?)/ 6 Geldner admirably 4 flesh.’ The Pahlavi: tanA-homan'dano ^an yehabun<£ Notice that 4 bodily life or flesh 9 is mentioned after 5 understanding/ Compare Y. XXX, 7, where Aramaiti gives 6 a body 9 after previous creations.
G The Pahlavi has the following interesting gloss: [That is, even the actions and teachings of the pious are given forth by thee; and this was also given in this wisdom of thy mind]. And when there is a person in whom there is a desire for the other worlds that desire is granted to him by thee; [that is, what is necessary when he is arriving in the other world, this which is thus required (or desired) by him at that time, is given by thee — through that which is thy mind and wisdom]. Although not able to follow the in- dications of the Pahlavi fully, I think that there is no® question but that we have an important statement in the last line. It does not seem to me possible to render less profoundly than 5 where the wisher may place his choices/ his religious preferences and beliefs, including all moral volition.
YASNA XXXI.
47 his faith), and with devoted mind and heart 1. (But without hindrance from this striving, or pausing with feeble search 2, our) Piety steadily 3 questions the two spirits 4 (not here on earth) but (there in the spirit- world) where (they dwell as) in their home 5.
13. (Yea, my Piety questions searchingly, for Thou, O Maker! hast Thy view on all; we cannot question lightly.) What questions are asked which are open 6 (permitted to our thoughts), or what ques- tions (are asked) which are furtive 7 (hiding themselves from the light), or (what decision soever we may make, and the man) who for the smallest sin binds on the heaviest penance, on all 8 with Thy glittering eye(s) as a righteous guard Thou art gazing 9!
1 Avo zak libbemman. 2 See verse 13.
8 Pavan ha^imo i: the Persian MS. (Hang XII, b) transliter- ates khezisno: Ner. has mano-uttMnena (sic). Or, 4 immediately/ 4 The evil as well as the good spirit is questioned. The two spirits of Y. XXX, 3-6 were here inspiring the conflict.