UNIVERSITY OF
ILLINOIS LIBRARY
AT URBANA -O ;A,WAIGN
BOOKS I ACKS
(J
THE DABISTAN,
MADAJME VEUVE DONDEY-DUPRE,
Printer to the Asiatic Societies of London, Paris, and Calcutta,
46, rue St-Louis, Paris.
THE
DABISTAN,
OR
SCHOOL OF MANNERS,
TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL PERSIAN,
WITH NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS,
DAVID SHEA,
OF THE ORIENTAL DEPARTMENT IN THE HONORABLE EAST INDIA
COMPANY'S COLLEGE;
ANTHONY TROYER,
MEMBER OF THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETIES OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, OF CALCUTTA
AND PARIS, AND OF THE ETHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF PARIS;
EDITED, WITH A PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE, BY THE LATTER.
VOLUME I.
PARIS:
PRINTED FOR THE ORIENTAL TRANSLATION FUND
OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND.
SOLD BY
BENJAMIN DUPRAT, BOOKSELLER TO THE BIBLIO I HEQLfi KOYALE,
7. RUE DU CLOITRE SAINT-BEVOIT.
AND ALLEN AND CO., LEADENHALL-STP.EET, LONDON.
1843.
TO
JHemorg
OF
THE RIGHT HONORABLE
Etc,, etc , etc.
\M
CONTENTS
#/* the Preliminary Discourse.
Page
PART I.
Introduction.
Section I. How the Dabislan first became known its
author the sources of his information. . . iii
II. Discussion on the Dcsatir .................. xix
PART II.
Synopsis of the dynasties, religions, sects, and philosophic opi-
nions treated of in the Dabistan.
Section I. The first religion the dynasties of Mahabad,
Abad Azar, Shai Abad, Shai Giliv, Shai Mah-
bad, and Yasan ......................... hvi
II. The Peshdadian, Kayanian, Ashkanian, and
Sassanian dynasties their religious and
political institutions ................... Ixxvii
III. The religion of Zardusht, or Zoroaster ..... Ixxxiii
IV. The religion of the Hindus ............. . cv
V. Retrospect of the Persian and Indian religions cxx
VI. The religion of the Tabitian (Tibetans) ...... cxxv
VII. The religion of the Jews ............ . ..... ibid.
VIII. The religion of the Christians ........... cxxvi
IX. The religion of the Musclmans ............. cxxviii
X. The religion of the Sadakiahs .............. cxli
XL The religion of the Roshenians ............ cxlv
XII. The religion of the Ilahiahs .............. cxlvii
XIII. The religion of the Philosophers .......... cliii
XIV. The religion of the Sufis ................ clxix
XV. Recapitulation of the Contents of the Dabistan ibid.
PART III.
Conclusion.
Section 1. General appreciation of the Dabistan and its
author ................................ clxxix
II. Notice concerning the printed edition, some
manuscripts, and the translations of the
Dabistan ............................. clxxxviii
CONTENTS
Of the Dabistdn (vol. I.)
Page
Introduction of the Author 1
CHAPTER I.
Of the religion of the Parsian 4
Section I. Tenets and ceremonies observed by the Sipasian and
Parsian 5
Description of the worship rendered to the seven pla-
nets, according to the Sipasian faith 35
II. Description of the Sipasian sect 87
III. The laws of the Paiman-i-Farhang and the Hirbed Sar 147
Descriptions of the gradations of Paradise 150
Description of the infernal regions 152
IV. An account of the Jamshapian sect 193
V. The Samradian sect 195
VI. The tenets of the Khodaiyan 201
VII. The system of the Radian ibid.
VIII. The Shidrangian creed 203
II. The Paikarian creed ibid.
X. The Milanfan system 204
XL The system of the followers of Alar 206
XII. The Shfdanian faith 207
XIII. The system of the Akhshiyan sect. ibid.
XIV. The followers of Zardusht 211
Account of the precepts given by Zardusht to the
king and all mankind 260
The Sad-der, or " the hundred gates" of Zardusht 310
Enumeration of some advantages which arise from
the enigmatical forms of the precepts of Zar-
dusht's followers , . . 351
Summary of the contents of the Mah-zend 353
XV. An account of the tenets held by the followers of
Mazdak 372
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE.
PART I.
INTRODUCTION.
I. How THE DABISTAN FIRST BECAME KNOWN ITS
AUTHOR THE SOURCES OF HIS INFORMATION. .
It is generally known that sir William Jones was
the first who drew the attention of Orientalists to
the Dabistan. This happened five years after the
beginning of a new era in Oriental literature, the
foundation of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta by that
illustrious man. It rnay not appear inopportune
here to revive the grateful remembrance ol one who
acquired the uncontested merit of not only exciting
in Asia and Europe a new ardor for Oriental stu-
dies, but also of directing them to their great ob-
jects MAN and NATURE ; and of endeavoring, by
word and deed, to render the attainment of lan-
guages conducive to the required knowledge equally
easy and attractive.
IV PKELIMINAKY DISCOURSE:
Having, very early in life, gained an European
reputation as a scholar and elegant writer, sir Wil-
liam Jones embarked ' for the Indian shores with
vast projects, embracing, with the extension of sci-
ence, the general improvement of mankind. 2 Four
months after his arrival in Calcutta, 3 he addressed
as the first president of the Asiatic Society, a small
but select assembly, in which he found minds
responsive to his own noble sentiments. A rapid
sketch of the first labors of their incomparable
leader, may not be irrelevant to our immediate
subject.
In his second anniversary discourse, 4 he proposed
a general plan for investigating Asiatic learning,
history, and institutions. In his third discourse, he
traced the line of investigation, which he faithfully
followed, as long as he lived in India, in his annual
public speeches : he determined to exhibit the pro-
minent features of the five principal nations of Asia
- the Indians, Arabs, Tartars, Persians, and Chi-
nese. After having treated in the two following
years of the Arabs and Tartars, he considered in his
sixth discourse 5 the Persians, and declared that he
1 In April, 1783.
2 He landed at Calcutta in September, 1783.
3 In January, 1784.
4 Delivered in February, 1785.
s In February, 1789.
INTRODUCTION.
had been induced by his earliest investigations to
believe, and by his latest to conclude, that three
primitive races of men must have migrated origi-
nally from a central country, and that this country
was Iran, commonly called Persia. -Examining with
particular care the traces of the most ancient lan-
guages and religions which had prevailed in this
country, he rejoiced at " a fortunate discovery, for
" which," he said, " he was first indebted to Mir
'* Muhammed Hussain, one of the most intelligent
" Muselmans in India, and which has at once dissi-
** pated the cloud, and cast a gleam of light on the
" primeval history of Iran and of the human race,
" of which he had long despaired, and which could
" hardly have dawned from any other quarter;"
this was, he declared, " the rare and interesting
" tract on twelve different religions, entitled the
Sir William Jones read the Dabistan for the first
time in 1787. I cannot refrain from subjoining here
the opinion upon this work, which he communi-
cated in a private letter, dated June, 1787, to J. Shore,
esq. (afterwards lord Teignmouth); he says: "The
* ' greatest part of it would he very interesting to a
" curious reader, but some of it cannot be translated.
" It contains more recondite learning, more enter-
1 The works of sir William Jones, with the lite of the author, by lord
Teignmouth, in 13 vols. Vol. 111. p. HO. 1807.
VI PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE:
** taining history, more beautiful specimens of poetry,
** more ingenuity and wit, more indecency and blas-
* ' phemy, than I ever saw collected in a single vo-
** lume; 1 the two last are not of the author's, but
' ' are introduced in the chapters on the heretics and
' " infidels of India. 2 On the whole, it is the most
" amusing and instructive book I ever read in Per-
" sian." 3
We may suppose it was upon the recommendation
of sir William Jones, that Francis Gladwin, one of
the most distinguished members of the new Society,
translated the first chapter of The Dabistdn, or
' * School of Manners," which title has been preserved
from due regard to the meritorious Orientalist, who
first published the translation of a part of this work.
The whole of it was printed in the year 1809, in
Calcutta, and translations of some parts of it were
published in The Asiatic Researches.* It is only at
present, more than half a century after the first
public notice of it by sir W. Jones, that the version
1 I shall hereafter give some explanations upon this subject.
2 There appears in the printed edition no positive ground for the opi-
nion above expressed; we find, however, frequent repetitions of the same
subject, such as are not likely to belong to the same author; we know,
besides, that additions and interpolations are but too common in all
Oriental manuscripts.
3 The Persian text, with the translation of the first chapter, appeared
in the two first numbers of the New Asiatic Miscellany. Calcutta, 1789.
This Knglish version was rendered into German by Dalberg, 1809.
4 These translations are mentioned in the notes of the present version.
INTRODUCTION. Vll
of the whole work appears, under the auspices and
at the expense of the Oriental Translation Com-
mittee of Great Britain and Ireland.
Who was the author of the Dabistan? Sir Wil-
liam Jones thought it was composed by a Muham-
medan traveller, a native of Kachmir, named Moh-
san, but distinguished by the assumed surname of
Fdnij " the Perishable."
Gladwin 1 calls him Shaikh Muhammed Mohsin, and
says that, besides the Dabistan, he has left behind
him a collection of poems, among which there is a
moral essay, entitled Masdur ul asas, " the source of
" signs;" he was of the philosophic sect of Sufis,
and patronised by the imperial prince Dara Shikoh,
whom he survived ; among his disciples in philo-
sophy is reckoned Muhammed Tahir, surnamed Ghaw-
n, whose poems are much admired in Hindostan.
Mohsan's death is placed in the year of the Hejira
1081 (A. D. 1670).
William Erskine, 2 in search of the true author of
the Dabistan, discovered no other account of Mohsan
Fani than that contained in the Gul-i-Rdana, ' ' charm-
" ing rose," of Lachmi Naraydn, who flourished in
Hyderabad about the end of the 18th or the begin-
ning of the 19th century. This author informs us,
under the article of Mohsan Fani, that ' * Mohsan, a
1 New Asiatic Misc., p. 87.
2 Transactions of the Literary Society of Bombay, vol. II. p. 374.
Vlll PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE:
" native of Kachmir, was a learned man and a
" respectable poet; a scholar oi ' Mulla Yakub, Sufi of
" Kachmir; and that, after completing his studies,
" he repaired to Delhi, to the court of the emperor
" Shah Jehan, by whom, in consequence of his great
*' reputation and high acquirements, he was appoin-
" ted Sadder, * chief judge,' of Allahabad; that
" there he became a disciple of Shaikh Mohib ulla,
" an eminent doctor of that city, who wrote the
" treatise entitled Teswich, ' the golden Mean. '
" Mohsan Fani enjoyed this honorable office till
* ' Shah Jehan subdued Balkh ; at which time Nazer
" Muhammed Khan, the Wall, ' prince,' of Balkh,
" having effected his escape, all his property was
*' plundered. It happened that in his library there
*' was found a copy of Mohsan's Diwan, or ' poeti-
" ' cal Collection,' which contained an ode in praise
*' of the (fugitive) Wali. This gave such offence
*' to the emperor, that the Sadder was disgraced and
** lost his office, but was generously allowed a pen-
" sion. He retired (as Lachmi informs us) to his
" native country, where he passed the rest of his
" days without any public employment, happy and
" respected. His house was frequented by the
" most distinguished men of Kachmir, and among
"the rest by the governors of the province. He
" had lectures at his house, being accustomed to
' ' read to his audience the writings of certain authors
INTRODUCTION. IX
" of eminence, on which he delivered moral and
' ' philosophical comments. Several scholars of note,
" among whom were Taher Ghawri (before men-
" tioned) and Haji Aslem Salem, issued Irom his
44 school." He died on the before mentioned date.
" It is to be observed that Lachmi does not mention
" the Dabislan as a production of Mohsan Fani,
" though, had he written it, it must have been his
4 ' most remarkable work . "
Erskine goes on to recapitulate some particulars
mentioned in the Dabistan of the author's life, and
concludes that it seems very improbable that Mohsan
Fani and the author of the Dabistan were the same
person. In this conclusion, and upon the same
grounds, he coincides with the learned Vans Ken-
nedy. '
Erskine further quotes, 2 from a manuscript copy
of the Dabistan which he saw in the possession of
Mulla Firuz,in Bombay, the following marginal note
annexed to the close of chapter XIV. : ** In the city
** of Daurse, a king of the Parsis, of the race of the
" imperial Anushirvan, the Shet Dawer Huryar,
" conversed with Amir Zulfikar Ali-al-Husaini (on
" whom be the grace of God!), whose poetical
" name was Mobed Shah. " This Zulfikar Ali, who-
ever he was, the Mulla supposes to be the author of
1 Transactions of the Literary Society of Bombay, vol. II. pp. 243-244.
2 Ibid., pp 37B-37A.
X PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE:
the Dabistan. Erskine judiciously subjoins: " On so
" slight an authority, I would not willingly set up an
' ' unknown author as the compiler of that work ; but
" it is to be remarked that many verses of Mobed's
(t are quoted in the Dabistan, and there is certainly
' ' reason to suspect that the poetical Mobed, whoever
" he may be, was the author of that compilation."
'* To this let it be added, that the author of the
" Dabistan, in his account of Mobed Serosh, says'
"' that one Muhammed Mohsan, a man of learning,
"told him that he had heard Mobed Serosh give
"three hundred and sixty proofs of the existence
4 * of God . This at least makes Muhammed Mohsan ,
u whoever he may be, a different person from the
" author of the Dabistan."
I cannot omit adding the following notice annexed
to the note quoted above: '* Between the printed
" copy and Mulla Firuz's manuscript before alluded
"to, a difference occurs in the very beginning of
** the work. After the poetical address to the
" Deity and the praise of the prophet, with which
'< the Dabislan, like most other Muselman works,
" commences, the manuscript reads : ' Mohsan Fani
" * says,' and two moral couplets succeed. In the
" printed copy, the words ' Mohsan Fani says,'
1 See the present Transl., vol. I. pp. 113-114. A mistake is Here to be
pointed out: at p. 114, 1. 11, the name of Kaivan has been substituted
for that of Mobed Serosh.
(t
INTRODUCTION. XI
which should occur between the last word ot the
first page and the first word of the second are
omitted. As no account of the author is given
in the beginning of the book, as is usual with
Muselman writers, Mulla Firuz conjectures that a
' ' careless or ignorant reader may have considered
** the words ' Mohsan Fani says' as forming the
*' commencement of the volume, and as containing
* ' the name of the author of the whole book ; whereas
" they merely indicate the author of the couplets
" that follow, and would rather show that Mohsan
** Fani was not the writer of the Dabistan. This
" conjecture, I confess, appears to me at once
* 4 extremely ingenious and very probable. A com-
" parison of different manuscripts might throw
" more light on the question."
Concerning the opinion last stated, I can but re-
mark, that in a manuscript copy of the Dabistan,
which I procured from the library of the king of
Oude, and caused to be transcribed for me, the very
same words : " Mohsan Fani says," occur (as I have
observed in vol. I. p. 6, note 3), preceding a rabad,
or quatrain, which begins :
"The world is a book full of knowledge and of justice," etc. etc.
These lines seern well chosen as an introduction
to the text itself, which begins by a summary of the
whole work, exhibiting the titles of the twelve chap-
ters of which it is composed. As the two copies
XII PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE:
mentioned (the one found in Bombay, the other in
Lucknow) contain the same words, they can hardly
be taken for an accidental addition of a copyist. I
found no remark upon this point in Mr. Shea's
translation, who had two manuscript copies to refer
to. Whatever it be, it must still remain unde-
cided, whether Mohsan Fani was there named only
as the author of the next quatrain or of the whole
book, although either hypothesis may not appear
destitute of probability ; nor can it be considered
strange to admit that the name of Mohsan Fani was
borne by more than one individual. 1 shall be per-
mitted to continue calling the author of the Dabistan
by the presumed name of Mohsan Fani.
Dropping this point, we shall now search for
information upon his person, character, and know-
ledge in the work itself. Is he really a native of
Kachmir, as here before stated?
Although in the course of his book he makes fre-
quent mention of Kachmir, he never owns himself
a native of that country. In one part of his narra-
tive, he expressly alludes to another home. He
begins the second chapter upon the religion of the
Hindus (vol. II. p. 2) by these words: " As incon-
" slant fortune had torn away the author from the
" shores of Persia, and made him the associate of
** the believers in transmigration and those who
" addressed their prayers to idols and images, and
INTRODUCTION.
" worshipped demons * V Now we know that
Kachmir is considered as a very ancient seat, nay
as the very cradle, of the doctrine of transmigration,
and of Hinduism in general, with all its tenets, rites,
and customs ; and that from the remotest limes
to the present it was inhabited by numerous adhe-
rents of this faith; how could the author, if a native
of Kachmir, accuse inconstant fortune for having
made him elsewhere an associate of these very reli-
gionists with whom, from his birth, he must have
been accustomed to live? The passage just quoted
leaves scarce a doubt that the shores of Persia, from
which he bewails having been torn, were really his
native country.
When was he born?
He no where adduces the date of his birth ; the
earliest period of his life which he mentions, is the
year of the Hejira 1028 (A. D. 1618) : ' in this year
the Mobed Hushi'ar brought the author to Balik
Natha,a great adept in the Yoga, or ascetic devotion,
to receive the blessing of that holy man, who pro-
nounced these words over him: " This boy shall
''acquire the knowledge of God." It is not stated in
what place this happened. The next earliest date
is five years later, 1035 of the Hejira (A. D. 1623). a
1 See vol. II. p. 137.
2 See vol. II. p. 145.
Xiv PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE :
He says that, in his infancy, he came with his friends
and relations from Patna to the capital Akbar-abad,
and was carried in the arms of the Mobed Hushiar
to Chatur Vapah, a famous ascetic of those days.
The pious man rejoiced at it, arid bestowed his bless-
ing on the future writer of the Dabistan ; he taught
him the mantra, " prayer," of the sun, and appointed
one of his disciples to remain with the boy until the
age of manhood. We have here a positive state-
ment: in the year 1623 A. D., he was c< in his
" infancy," and carried " in the arms of his pro-
" tector. " Giving the widest extension to these
expressions, we can hardly think him to have been
either much older or younger than seven or eight
years : not much older, for being in some way car-
ried in the arms of the Mobed ; nor much younger,
having been taught a hymn to the sun, and he might
have been a boy of three years when he received the
first-mentioned blessing from Balik Natha. We
may therefore suppose him to have been born about
the year 1615 of our era, in the tenth year of the
reign of the emperor Jehangir. We collect in his
work fifty-three dates relative to himself between
the year 1618 and 1653. From 1627 to 1643, we
see him mostly in Kachmir and Lahore, travel-
ling between these two places; in 1643, he was at
the holy sepulchre, probably at Meshhad, which
appears to be the furthermost town to the West
INTRODUCTION. XV
which he reached ; from 1654 to 1649, he dwelt in
several towns of the Panjab and Guzerat; the next
year he proceeded to Sikakul, the remotest town in
the East which he says he has visited ; there he fell
sick, and sojourned during 1655, at which epoch, it
the year of his birth be correctly inferred, he had
attained his thirty-eighth year. We have no other
date of his death than that before stated : if he died
in 1670, it was in the eleventh year of the reign of
Aurengzeb, or Alemgir. Mohsan Fani would there-
fore have passed his infancy, youth, and manhood
mostly in India, under the reigns of the three empe-
rors, Jehangi'r, Shah Jehan, and Aurengzeb.' It
was the state of religion, prevailing in those days in
Hindostan that he describes.
From his earliest age he appears to have led an
active life, frequently changing his residence. Such
a mode of life belongs to a travelling merchant or
philosopher, and in our author both qualities might
have been united, as is often the case in Asia. Moh-
san Fani, during his travels, collected the diversified
and curious materials for the Dabistan ; he observed
with his own eyes the manners and customs of dif-
ferent nations and sects. He says himself at the
conclusion of his work : " After having much fre-
" quented the meetings of the followers of the five
1 Jehangir reigned from 1605 to 1628.
Shah Jehan 16281659.
Aurengzeb - 1659-1707.
XVI PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE:
" before-said religions," Magians, Hindus, Jews,
Nazareans, and Muselmans, " the author wished
" and undertook to write this book; and what-
' ' ever in this work, treating of the religions of dif-
" ferent countries, is stated concerning the creed
" of different sects, has been taken from their
" books, and for the account of the persons belong-
" ing to any particular sect, the author's informa-
" tion was imparted to him by their adherents and
" sincere iriends, and recorded literally, so that no
' * trace of partiality nor aversion might be perceived :
' ' in short, the writer of these pages performed no
" more than the task of a translator." This decla-
ration, even to a severe critic, may appear satisfac-
tory. Sir William Jones called him' a learned and
accurate, a candid and ingenious author. A fur-
ther appreciation of Mohsan Fani's character is
reserved for subsequent pages. We can, however,
here state, that he sought the best means of infor-
mation, and gives us what he had acquired not only
from personal experience, which is always more or
less confined ; not only from oral instruction, which
is too often imperfectly given and received; but also
from an attentive perusal of the best works which
he could procure upon the subject of his investiga-
tion. Of the latter authorities which the author
produces, some are known in Europe, and we may
1 The Works of sir W. Jones, vol. IV. pp. 16 and 105.
INTRODUCTION. XVH
judge of the degree of accuracy and intelligence with
which he has made use of them. Of others, nothing
at all, or merely the name, is known. This is
generally the case with works relative to the old
Persian religion, which is the subject of the first
chapter, divided into fifteen sections.
The authorities which he adduces for this chapter
are as follow :
1. The Amighistan (vol. I. pp. 15. 26. 42), without
the name of its author.
2. TheDmfor(vol. I. pp. 20. 21. 44. 65), an heaven-
bestowed book.
3. The Darai Sekander (vol. I. pp. 34. 360), com-
posed by Dawir Haryar.
4. The Akhteristan, " region of the stars" (vol. I.
pp. 35. 42).
5. The Jashen Sadah, *' the festival of Sadah"(the
16th night of January) (vol. I. pp. 72. 112).
6. The Sdrudi-mastan, " song of the intoxicated"
(vol. I. p. 76. vol. II. p. 136): this and the
preceding work composed by Mobed Hushiar.
7. The Jam-i-Kai Khusro, *' the cup of Kai Khusro, '
a commentary upon the poems of Azar Kaivan,
composed by Mobed Khod Jai (vol. I. pp. 76.
84. 119.
8. The Sharistan-i-Danish wa Gulistan-i-birtish, " the
" pavilion of knowledge and rose-garden of
b
XV1I1 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE:
44 vision" (vol. I. p. 77. 89. 109), composed
by Far/anah Bahrain.
9. The Zerdusht Afshar (vol. I. p. 77), work of the
Mobed Serosh, who composed also:
10. Nosh Dam, "sweet medicine" (vol. I. p. 11 4); and
11. The Sagangubin, " dog's honey" (vol. I. p. 114).
12. The Bazm-gah-i-durvishan, " the banquetting-
t( room of the durvishes" (vol. I. pp. 104.
108), without the name of the author.
13. The Arzhang Mam, ' ' the gallery of Mani ' ' (vol . 1 .
p. 151).
14. The Tabrah-i-Mobedi, *' the sacerdotal keltio-
" drum " (vol. I. p. 123), by Mobed Paristar.
15. The Dadistan Aursah (vol. I. p. 131).
16. The Amizesh-i-farhang (vol. I. p. 145), containing
the institutes of the Abadiah durvishes.
17. The Mihin farush (vol. 1. p, 244).
18 The Testament of Jamshid toAbtin (vol. I. p. 195),
compiled by Farhang Dostiir.
19. Razabad, composed by Shi'dab.
20. The Sdnydl, a book of the Sipasians (vol. II.
p. 136), containing an account of a particular
sort of devotion.
21. The Rama zastan of Zardusht (vol. I. p. 369 and
vol. II. p. 136).
22. Huz al Hayat (vol. II. p. 137), composed by
Ambaret Kant.
23. The Samrad Nameh, by Kamkar (vol. I. p, 201).
DISCUSSION ON THE DESATIK. XIX
Besides other writings oi'Zertusht, in great num-
ber, which the author has seen.
These works are most probably of a mystical
nature, and belong to a particular sect, but may
contain, however, some interesting traditions or
facts of ancient history. Of the twenty- three books
just enumerated, a part of the third only is known
to us, namely, that of the Desatir.
II. DISCUSSION ON THE DfiSATIR.
This word was considered to be the Arabic plural
of the original Persian word dostur, signifying " a
" note-book, pillar, canon, model, learned man;"
but, according to the Persian grammar, its plural
would be dosturdn, or dosturha, and not desdtir.
From this Arabic form of the word an inference was
drawn against the originality and antiquity of the
Desatir; but this of itself is not sufficient, as will
be shown.
Other readings of the title are Dastdnir, in one
passage, ' and Wasdtir* in two other places of Glad-
win's Persian text, and the last also in a passage of
the printed edition . 3 The first is not easily accounted
See note, vol. I. p. 20.
2 Ibid., p. 44.
3 Calcutta edition, p. 30, line 6.
XX PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE :
for, and is probably erroneous ; but ihe second is
found in the index of the printed edition, ' under the
letter j, -yaw, and explained : " the name of the book
" of Mahabad ;" it cannot therefore be taken for a
typographical error, and is the correct title of the
book, as I now think, although I formerly 2 pre-
ferred reading Desdtir. It is derivable from the
Sansrcit root &*^ was, '* to sound, to call," and
therefore in the form of wasdtis or wasdtir (the r and
s being frequently substituted for the msarga} it sig-
nifies " speech, oracle, precept, command." It is
also in connection with the old Persian word wak-
shur, " a prophet." Considering the frequent sub-
stitution in kindred languages of ba for va, and ba
for bha, it may also be referred to the root w bha-
sha, " to speak," 3 which, with the prepositions part
and saw, signifies " to explain, expound, discourse."
Hence we read in the Commentary of the Desdtir
the ancient Persian word basdtir* (not to be found in
modern Persian vocabularies), which is there inter-
preted by u speculations," in the following passage :
See vol. I. p. 534. 2 j^y., p. 65.
3 M. Eugene Burnouf, to whose most valuable judgment I had the
pleasure to submit the question, prefers the derivation from bha'sh,
because this word in Zend would be wdsh, as the Zend w represents
exactly the Sanscrit bh, which aspiration did not exist in the ancient
idiom of Bactrian Asia. This sagacious philologer hinted at a comparison
with the Persian usta, or awesta, upon which in a subsequent note.
* See the Persian text of the Dasatir, p. 377.
DISCUSSION ON THE DESAT1R. XXI
" the speculations (basatir) which 1 have written on
" the desdtir."
I shall nevertheless keep, in the ensuing Dis-
sertation, the tide Desatir, because it is generally
adopted. Besides, in the Mahabadian texl, the van,
j frequently occurs for the Persian ddl, > thus
we find ,j 3 b wdden, for ^b, ddden, " to give;"
and wdrem, pb , for ddrem, >jb, "I have;" but
1 am aware that the two letters, so similar in their
form, may be easily confounded with each other by
the copyist or printer.
The extract from the Desatir contained in the
Dabistan was thought worthy of the greatest atten-
tion by sir William Jones, as before mentioned; nay,
appeared to him " an unexceptionable authority,"
before a part of the Desatir itself was published in
Bombay, in the year 1818, that is, twenty-four years
after the death of that eminent man.
The author of the Dabistan mentions the Desatir
as a work well known among the Sipasians, that is,
the adherents of the most ancient religion of Persia.
According to his statement, the emperor Akbar
conversed frequently with the fire-adorers of Guze-
rat ; he also called from Persia a follower of Zer-
dusht, named Ardeshir, and invited (ire-worshippers
from Kirman to his court, and received their reli-
gious books from that country ; we may suppose (he
XX11 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE:
Desatir was among them. So much is positive,
that it is quoted in the Sharistan chehar chemen, a
work composed by a celebrated doctor who lived
under the reigns of the emperors Akbar and Jehan-
gir, and died A. D. 1624. The compiler of the
Burhani Kati, a Persian Dictionary, to be compared
to the Arabic Kamus, or " sea of language," quotes
and explains a great number of obsolete words and
philosophic terms upon the authority of the Desatir :
this evidently proves the great esteem in which this
work was held. Let it be considered that a dic-
tionary is not destined for the use of a sect merely,
but of the whole nation that speaks the language, and
this is the Persian, considered, even by the Arabs,
as the second language in the world and in paradise. '
It is to be regretted that Mohsan Fani did not
relate where and how he himself became acquainted
with the Desatir. I see no sufficient ground for the
supposition of Silvestre de Sacy 2 and an anony-
mous critic," that the author of the Dabistan never
saw the Desatir. So much is certain, that the ac-
count which he gives of the Mahabadian religion
1 Tableau de V Empire ottoman, by M. d'Ohson, t. II. p. 70.
2 Journal des Savons, ftvrier 1821, p. 74. The Persian passage
which de Sacy quotes, and in which there is Destanir for Dasatir, is
taken from the text published by Gladwin, and not from the printed
Calcutta edition.
3 See Asiatic Journal and Monthly Register for British India and its
Dependencies, vol. VIII., from July to Dec. 1819, p. 357.
DISCUSSION OK THE DESATIK. XXJil
coincides in every material point with that which is
contained in that part of the sacred book which was
edited in Bombay by Mulla Firuz Bin-i-Kaus. '
This editor says in his preface (p. vi) : " The
" Desatir is known to have existed for many years,
"' and has frequently been referred to by Persian
" writers, though, as it was regarded as the sacred
" volume of a particular sect, it seems to have been
** guarded with that jealous care and that incom-
" municative spirit, that have particularly distin-
" guished the religious sects of the East. We can
'* only fairly expect, therefore, that the contents
" should be known to the followers of the sect."
Mulla Firuz employs here evidently the term sect
with respect to the dominant religion of theMuham-
medan conquerors, whose violent and powerful in-
tolerance reduced the still faithful followers of the
ancient national religion to undergo the fate of a
persecuted sect. But we shall see that the doctrine
of the Desatir is justly entitled to a much higher
pretension than to be that of an obscure sect.
Whatever it be, Mulla Firuz possessed the only
1 The Desatir, or sacred writings of the ancient Persian prophets in
the original tongue; with the ancient Persian version, and commentary
of the fifth Sasan ; published by Mulla Firuz Bin-i-Kaus. Bombay, 1818.
Mulla Firuz is supposed to possess the only copy of the Desatir extant.
He allowed sir John Malcolm to take a copy of it, which, by some acci-
dent, was lost by Doctor I,eyden (See Transact, of the Lit. Soc. of Bom-
bay, pp. 342 and 349).
XXIV PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE:
manuscript of the work then known in Bombay. It
was purchased at Isfahan by his father Kaus, about
the year 1778, from a bookseller, who sold it under
the title of a Gueber book. Brought to Bombay, it
attracted the particular attention of Mr. Duncan, then
governor of Bombay, to such a degree, that he began
an English translation of the work, which was inter-
rupted by his return to England. The final comple-
tion of the version was owing to the great encourage-
ment which sir John Malcolm gave Mulla Firuz in
consequence of the high opinion which sir William
Jones had publicly expressed of the Dabistan, the
author of which drew his account of the ancient
Persian dynasties and religions chiefly from the
Desatir. There is an interval of one hundred and
thirty-three years 1 between the composition of the
Dabistan and the fortuitous purchase of the manu-
script copy of the Desatir, by Kaus in Isfahan ; as it
would be assuming to much to suppose that the latter
is the same from whichMohsan Fani drew his inform-
ation, we can but admit that the agreement of both,
in the most material points, affords a confirmation of
each respective text.
The great Orientalist Silvestre de Sacy, on re-
viewing the Desatir, 2 says: " We are in a man-
1 Mohsan Fani marks the time of his composing the Dabislan (vol. II
l. 50) to be the year of the Hejira 1055 (A. D. 1645).
a See Journal des Savons, No. for January, 1821, p. 16.
DISCUSSION ON THE DESAT1R. XXV
44 ner frightened by the multitude and gravity of
" the questions which we shall have to solve, or at
* * least to discuss ; for every thing is here a problem :
* ' What is the age of the book ? Who is its author?
44 Is it the work of several persons ; or the divers
' ' parts of which it is composed, are they written by
" one and the same author, although attributed to
*' different individuals, who succeeded each other
" at long intervals? The language in which it was
" written, was it, at any epoch, that of the inhabi-
44 tants of Persia, or of any of the countries com-
" prised in the empire of Iran? Or is it nothing
** but a factitious language, invented to support an
' ' imposture ? At what epoch were made the
" Persian translation accompanying the original
44 text, and the commentary joined to this transla-
" tion? Who is the author of the one and the
44 other? Are not this translation and this commen-
44 tary themseh r es pseudonymous and apocryphal
" books; or may not the whole be the work of an
" impostor of the latter centuries? All these ques-
44 tions present themselves in a crowd to my mind ;
'* and if some of them appear to be easily answered.
t6 others offer more than common difficulties."
Well may a person, even with far greater pre-
tensions than mine can be, hesitate to attempt the
discussion of a subject which frightened the illustrious
Silveslre de Sacy; but as the Desalir is one of the
XXVI PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE:
principal sources from which ihe author of the
Dabistan drew his account of the Persian religion
and its divers sects a considerable part of his work
I cannot dispense with presenting the subject in
the state in which the discussions hitherto published,
by very respectable critics, have left it. If I venture
to ofler a few remarks of my own upon it, it is only
in the hope of provoking further elucidations by
philologers who shall examine the Mahabadian text
itself, and by arguments drawn from its fundamen-
tals decide the important question whether we
shall have one language more or less to count
among the relics of antiquity?
Instead of following the order in which the ques-
tions are stated above, I will begin by that which
appears to me the most important, namely: " the
" language in which the Desatir is written, is it
" nothing but a factitious language invented to sup-
'* port an imposture?"
The forgery of a language, so bold an imposture,
renders any other fraud probable ; through a false
medium no truth can be expected, nor even sought.
But, in order to guard against the preconception of
a forgery having taken place, a preconception the
existence of which may, with too good a foundation,
be apprehended, 1 shall first examine, as a general
thesis, whether the invention of a language, by one
individual or by a few individuals, is in itself pro-
DISCUSSION ON THE DESATIR. XX VII
bable and credible. I shall only adduce those prin-
ciples which have received the sanction of great phi-
lologers, among whom it may be sufficient to name
baron William Humboldt, and claim the reader's
indulgence, if, in endeavoring to be clear, I should
not have sufficiently avoided trite observations.
Tracing languages up to their first origin, it has
been found that they are derived from sounds ex-
pressive of feelings ; these are preserved in the roots,
from which, in the progressive development of the
faculty of speech, verbs, nouns, and the whole lan-
guage, are formed. In every speech, even in the
most simple one, the individual feeling has a con-
nection with the common nature of mankind ; speech
is not a work of reflection : it is an instinctive crea-
tion. The infallible presence of the word required
on every occasion is certainly not a mere act of
memory ; no human memory would be capable of
furnishing it, if man did not possess in himself
instinctively the key, not only for the formation of
words, but also for a continued process of asso-
ciation : upon this the whole system of human
language is founded. By entering into the very
substance of existing languages, it appears evi-
dent that they are intellectual creations, which do
not at all pass from one individual to others, but
can only emerge from the coexisting self-activity
of all.
XXVI11 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE:
" - That one the names of things contrived,
" And that from him their knowledge all derived,
" Tis fond to think." *
As long as the language lives in the mouth of a
nation, the words are a progressive production and
reproduction of the faculty to form words. In this
manner only can we explain, without having re-
course to a supernatural cause, how millions of
men can agree to use the same words for every
object, the same locution for every feeling.
Language in general is the sensible exterior vest-
ment of thought ; it is the product of the intelli-
gence, and the expression of the character of man-
kind; in particular it may be considered as the
exterior manifestation of the genius of nations : their
language is their genius, and their genius is their
language. We see of what use the investigation
of idioms may be in tracing the affinities of na-
tions. History and geography must be taken as
guides in the researches upon tongues ; but these
researches would be futile, if languages were the
irregular product of hazard. No : profound feeling
and immediate clearness of vivid intuition act with
wonderful regularity, and follow an unerring ana-
1 Lucretius, book V., Transl. of Dr Creech:
" putare aliqueni turn nomina distribuisse
" Rebus, et inde homines didicisse vocabula prima
" Desipere est."
DISCUSSION ON THE DESATIR. XXIX
logy. The genesis of languages may be assimilated
to that of works of genius 1 mean, of that creative
faculty which gives rules to an art. Thus is it the
language which dictates the grammar. Moreover,
the utmost perfection of which an idiom is suscep-
tible is a line like that of beauty, which, once attain-
ed, can never be surpassed. This was the case
with some ancient tongues. Since that time, man-
kind appear to have lost a faculty or a talent, inas-
much as they are no more actuated by that urgency
of keen feeling which was the very principle of the
high perfection of those languages.
Comparative philology, a new science, sprung up
within the last thirty years, but already grown to an
unforeseen perfection, has fixed the principles by
which the affinities of languages may be known,
even among the apparently irregular disparities
which various circumstances and revolutions of the
different nations have created. This would have
been impossible, if there did not exist a fundamental
philosophy of language, however concealed, and a
certain consistency, even in the seemingly most
irregular modification of dialect, for instance, in
that of pronunciation. But, even the permutation
of letters in different and the most rude dialects, has
its rules, and follows, within its own compass, a
spontaneous analogy, such as is indispensable lor
the easy and common practice of a society more or
XXX PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE!
less numerous. Thus sounds, grammatical forms,
and even graphical signs of language have been sub-
jected to analysis and comparison ; the significant
radical letters have been distinguished from the
merely accidental letters, and a distinction has been
established between what is fundamental, and what
is merely historical and accidental.
From these considerations I conclude :
First That the forgery of a language is in itself
highly improbable ;
Secondly That, if it had been attempted, compara-
tive philology is perfectly capable of detect-
ing it.
Taking a large historical view of this subject, we
cannot suppress the following reflection : The forma-
tion of mighty and civilized states being admitted,
even by our strictest chronologers, to have taken
place at least twenty-five centuries before our era, it
can but appear extraordinary, even after taking in
account violent revolutions, that of so multitudinous
and great existences, only such scanty documents
should have come down to us. But, strange to say,
whenever a testimony has escaped the destruction
of time, instead of being greeted with a benevolent
although discerning curiosity, the unexpected stran-
ger is approached with mistrustful scrutiny, his voice
is stifled with severe rebukes, his credentials dis-
DISCUSSION ON HIE DESATIR. XXXI
carded with scorn, and by a predetermined and
stubborn condemnation, resuscitating antiquity is
repelled into the tomb of oblivion.
I am aware that all dialectical arguments which
have been or may be alleged against the proba-
bility of forging a language, would be of no avail
against well-proved facts, that languages have been
forged, and that works, written in them, exist.
We may remember the example adduced by Rich-
ardson ' of a language, as he said, *' sufficiently
" original, copious, and regular to impose upon
" persons of very extensive learning," forged by
Psalmanazar. This was the assumed name of a
an individual, whom the eminent Orientalist calls
a Jew, but who, born in 1679, in Languedoc or
in Provence, of Christian parents, received a Chris-
tian, nay theological education, as good as his first
instructors, Franciscans, Jesuits, and Dominicans
could bestow. This extraordinary person threw
himself at a very early age into a career of adven-
tures, in the course of which, at the age of seventeen
years, he fell upon the wild project of passing for a
native of the island of Formosa, first as one who
had been converted to Christianity, then, as still a
pagan, he let himself be baptized by a Scotch minis-
ter, by whom he was recommended to an English
bishop ; the latter, in his pious illusion, promoted
1 Richardson's Dictionary, preface, Ixvii.
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE :
at once the interests of the convenor, and the fraud
of the neophyte. l This adventurer who was bold
enough, while on the continent, to set about in-
venting a new character and language, a grammar,
and a division of the year into twenty months, pub-
lished in London, although not twenty years old,
a translation of the catechism into his forged lan-
guage of Formosa, and a history of the island with
his own alphabetical writing, which read from right
to left a gross fiction the temporary success of
which evinces the then prevailing ignorance in his-
tory, geography, and philology. But pious zeal and
fanaticism had changed a scientific discussion into a
religious quarrel, and for too long a lime rendered
vain the objections of a few truly learned and clear-
1 This man, who never told his true name, was from the age of fifteen to
seventeen a private teacher then passed for an Irishman -went to Rome
as a pilgrim with a habit stolen from before an altar where it was lying
as a votive offering of another pilgrim wandered about in Germany,
Brabant, Flanders indolent, abject, shameless, covered with vermin and
sores entered the military service of Holland, which he left to become
waiter in a coffee-house in Aix-la-Chapelle enlisted in the troops of the
elector of Cologne. He acted all these parts, with those above-mentioned,
before be was baptised under the name of George, by a Scotch clergy-
man, and, having learned English, passed over to England to be protected
by Compton, the lord-bishop of London. At the expense of the latter,
he studied at Oxford became a preceptor- chaplain of a regiment fell
back into indolence, and lived upon alms. (See A New and General
Dictionary, London, 1798, vol. XII ; and Vie de plusieurs Personnages
ctlebres des Temps anciens et modernes, par C. A. Walckenaer, membre
de Vlnittitut, tome II. 1830. )
DISCUSSION ON THE DESATIR. XX XI II
sighted men ; until the impostor, either incapable
of supporting longer his pretensions or urged by
his conscience, avowed the deception, and at last
became a truly learned good and estimable man. '
We see this example badly supports the cause of
forged languages.
In 1805, M. Rousseau, since consul-general of
France at Aleppo, found in a private library at Bagh-
dad a dictionary of a language which is designated
by the name of Baldibalan, interpreted " he who
" vivifies," and written in Arabic characters called
Neshki; it was explained in Arabic, Persian, and
Turkish. The unknown author of the dictionary
composed it for the intelligence of mysterious and
occult sciences, written in that language. The
highly learned Silveslre de Sacy had scarce been
informed of this discovery, when he sought and
found in the Royal Library, at Paris, the same dic-
tionary, and with his usual diligence and sagacity
published a short but lucid Notice of it. 2 What he
said therein was sufficient for giving an idea of the
manner in which this language participates in the
grammatical forms of Arabic, Persian, and Turkish.
1 This change took place in his thirty-second year he learned Hebrew
and became an honest man, esteemed by Samuel Johnson ; he wrote eleven
articles in a well-known work, the Universal History, and his own Life
at the age of seventy-three years ; the latter work was published after his
death, which happened in his eighty-fourth year, in 1763.
a See JVof ices et Extraits des Manuscrit$, vol. IX. pp. 365-396.
XXXIV PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE:
Silvestre de Sacy, as well as M. Rousseau, have
left it uncertain whether the language be dead or
living ; by whom and at what period it was formed,
and what authors have made use of it. The former
adds, that some works written in Balaibalan are
likely to be found in the hands of the Siifis of Persia.
This language deserves perhaps a further exa-
mination. All that is positive in the just-adduced
statement of the two great Orientalists may be said
of any other language, which is not original but com-
posed, as for instance the English or the Dutch, of
more than one idiom. We can but admit that, at all
times an association of men for a particular purpose,
a school of art, science, and profession may have,
has, and even must have, a particular phraseology.
Any modification of ancient, or production of new,
ideas, will create a modified or a new language ; any
powerful influence of particular circumstances will
produce a similar effect ; this is a spontaneous repro-
duction, and not the intentional forgery of a lan-
guage.
Such a forgery, even if it could remain undetected,
which it cannot in our times, would but furnish a
curious proof of human ingenuity, to which no
bounds can be assigned ; but the true and sole object
of a language could never be attained by it ; because,
never would a great number of independent men
be disposed, nor could they be forced, to adopt the
DISCUSSION ON THE DESATIR. XXXV
vocabulary, grammar, and locutions of a single man,
and appropriate them to themselves for the perpe-
tual expression of their inmost mind, and for the
exchange of their mutual feelings and ideas. ' To
effect this, is a miracle ascribed to the Divinity, and
with justice ; being the evident result of the Heaven-
bestowed faculty of speech, one of the perpetual
miracles of the world.
Of this a prophet must avail himself who an-
nounces to the world the important intelligence of
a heavenly revelation. The great purpose of his
sacred mission implies the widest possible proclam-
ation of his doctrine in a language generally intel-
ligible, which a forged language never can be. If,
as was surmised, 2 the Desatir be set up as a rival
to the Koran, it must have been written in a na-
tional language for a nation; the Persians owned
as theirs the Maha badian religion, the identical one
which history, although not under the same name,
attributes to them in remote ages, as will result
from an examination of the doctrine itself.
Considering the knowledge required, and the
difficulties to be overcome in forging a language in
1 I am here applying to the forger of a language what Lucretius, in
continuation of his above quoted verses (p. xxx), urges against the belief
that a single individual could ever have been the inventor of human
speech.
2 By Norris, Asiatic Journal, vol. IX., November, 1820, p. 430.
XXXVI PKELIMINAKY DISCOURSE I
such a manner as to impose, even for a time, upon
the credulity of others, we shall conclude lhat nothing
less than direct proof is requisite for establishing
such a forgery as a real fact. Now, what arguments
have been set forth for declaring the language of the
Desatir to be nothing else than " an artificial idiom
" invented to support an imposture?"
Silvestre de Sacy says: 1 *' It is difficult indeed,
" not to perceive that the multiplied relations which
" exist between the Asmdni, heavenly,' and Per-
44 sian languages are the result of a systematic
44 operation, and not the effect of hazard, nor that of
" time, which proceeds with less regularity in thealtera-
" lions to which language is subjected."
I must apologise for here interrupting this cele-
brated author, for the purpose of referring to what
nobody better than himself has established as a per-
emptory condition of existence for any language, and
what he certainly never meant to deny, but may per-
haps here be supposed to forget namely, lhat a lan-
guage is not ' 4 the effect of hazard, " and although
4 ' not the result of systematic combination," yet, as
an instinctive creation, shows surprising regularity,
and that an evident rule predominates in the altera-
tions which time produces in languages.
Silvestre de Sacy proceeds : " The grammar of
4< the Mahabadian language is evidently, for the
1 Journal des Savons, February, 1821, pp. 69-70.
DISCUSSION ON THE DBS ATI II. XXXVH
*' whole etymological part, and even (which is sin-
" gularly striking) in what concerns the anomalous
** verbs, tracked from (calqude sur) the Persian gram-
" mar, and as to the radical words, if there lye
** many of them the origin of which is unknown,
" there is also a great number of them in which
*' the Persian root, more or less altered, may be
" recognised without any effort."
Erskine examined, without the least communica-
tion with the French critic, the Mahabadian lan-
guage, and says : l "In its grammar it approaches
'* very nearly to the modern Persian, as well in the
" inflection of the nouns and verbs, as in its syn-
" tax." Norris- takes the very same view of it.
These highly respectable critics published their
judgment upon the Mahabadian language before the
comparison of several languages with the Sanscrit
and between each other had been made by able
philologers, creators of the new science of compara-
tive philology. According to the latter, the proofs of
the real affinity of language, that is, the proofs that
two languages belong to the same family, are to be
principally and can be properly deduced, from their
1 See Transact, of the Lit. Soc. of Bombay, vol. II. : " On the Authen-
" ticity of the Desatir, with remarks on the Account of the Mahabadi
" Religion contained in the Dabistan," by William Erskine, esq., p. 360.
2 The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Register for British India and its
Dependencies, Novemb. 1820, p. -421 et seq.
XXXVlii PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE:
grammatical system. Thus, for instance, the forms
of the Greek and Latin languages are in several
parts nearly identical with the Sanscrit, the first bear-
ing a greater resemblance in one respect, the latter
in another ; the Greek verbs in mi, the Latin declen-
sion of some nouns appear, to use the expression
of the illustrious author, " traced from each other
" (caiques I'un sur I'autre)." These two languages
seem to have divided between them ihe whole sys-
tem of the ancient grammar, which is most per-
fectly preserved in the Sanscrit. This language
itself is probably, with the two mentioned, derived
from a more ancient language ; we meet in them
three sisters recognised by their striking likeness.
This, although more or less weakened and even
obliterated in some features, remains upon the whole
still perceptible in a long series of their relations :
I mean in all those languages which are distinguished
by the name of Indo-yermanic, to which the Persian
belongs.
But, in deciding upon the affinity of languages,
not only the grammatical forms are to be examined,
but also the system of sounds is to be studied, and
the words must be considered in their roots and deri-
vations. The three critics mentioned agree that the
language of the Desatir is very similar to the Persian
or Deri, not only in grammar, but also in etymo-
logy ; a great number of the verbal and nominal
DISCUSSION ON THE DESA.TIR. XXXJX
roots are the same in both. This similarity would,
according to comparative philology, lead to the con-
clusion that either the one is derived from the other,
or that both proceed from a common parent; but
nothing hitherto here alleged can justify the suppo-
sition of invention, forgery, or fabrication of the so-
called Mahabadian language.
We continue to quote the strictures of Silvestre de
Sacy : " There is however a yet stronger proof of
" the systematic operation which produced the
" factitious idiom. This proof I derive from the
" perfect and constant identity which prevails be-
" tween the Persian phraseology and that of the
'* Mahabadian idiom. The one and the other are,
" whenever the translation does not degenerate into
" paraphrase or commentary, which frequently
" happens, traced from each other (caiques Yun sur
" Vautre] in such a manner that each phrase, in both,
44 has always the same number of words, and these
" words are always arranged in the same order.
" For producing such a result, we must admit two
" idioms, the grammar of which should be perfectly
** alike, as weil with respect to the etymological
" part as to the syntax, and their respective dic-
" tionaries offering precisely the same number of
" words, whether nouns, verbs, or particles: which
" would suppose two nations, having precisely the
4< same number of ideas, whether absolute or rela-
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE:
" tive r and conceiving but the same kind and the
" same number of relations."
If what we have already stated be not unfounded,
the last quoted paragraph, which the author calls
" a yet stronger proof of the systematic operations
" which produced the factitious idiom" must be
acknowledged not to have the weight which he
would attribute to it. If the Mahabadian and Per-
sian be languages related to each other, " a perfect
" and constant identity of phraseology between
" them both," if even so great as it is said to be, is
not only possible, but may be fairly expected in the
avowed translation of theDesatir into Persian. Such
identity is most religiously aimed at in versions of a
sacred text. Need I adduce modern examples of
translations which, in point of phraseological con-
formity with their original, may vie with the Persian
version of the Mahabadian text? The supposition
that two nations have the same number of ideas,
absolute or relative, is far from being absurd : it is
really the fact with all nations who are upon the
same level of civilisation ; but the present question
is of the writings of the same nation, which, pos-
sessing at all times a sort of government and reli-
gion fundamentally the same, might easily count an
obsolete language of its own among the monuments
of its antiquity.
On that account, we cannot see what the former
DISCUSSION ON THE DESAT1R. Xl
arguments of the critic gain in strength by the addi-
tion : "that the perfect identity of conception falls
" in a very great part upon abstract and metaphysi-
" cal ideas, in which such a coincidence is infinitely
" more difficult than when the question is only
" of objects and relations perceptible to the senses."
A great similarity is remarked in all forms of
thinking. Little chance of being contradicted can
be incurred in saying, that the fundamental ideas
of metaphysics are common to all mankind, and
inherent in human reason. The encyclopedian
contents of the Dabistan, concerning the opinions
of so many nations, would furnish a new proof of
it, were this generally acknowledged fact in need
of any further support.
Silvestre de Sacy acknowledges that the Asmani
language contains a great number of radical words,
the origin of which is not known. Erskine says : '
" It is certainly singular that the language in which
" theDesatir is written, like that in which the Zend-
*' A vesta is composed, is nowhere else to be met
" with. It is not derived from the Zend, the Peh-
** levi, the Sanscrit, Arabic, Turkish. Persian, or
" any other known language." ******
** The basis of the language, and the great majority
" of words in it, belong to no known tongue. It
** is a mixture of Persian and Indian words. A
1 The work quoted, p. 360.
Xlii PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE:
" few Arabic words occur." Norris 1 also found
lhat a great part of the language appears to have
little resemblance to any other that was ever spoken.
A judgment, so expressed, might induce an impar-
tial mind to ascribe originality to at least a part of
the Asmani language ; which would naturally render
the other part less liable to suspicion, inasmuch as
it would have been not less difficult to execute, but
less easy to conceal, a partial than a total forgery.
Nevertheless it so happens that the dissimilarity
from any other, as well as the similarity to one par-
ticular idiom, are both equally turned against the
genuineness of the language in question : where dis-
similarity exists, there is absolute forgery where
similarity, an awkward disguise !
Erskine continues: " The Persian system it is
" unnecessary to particularise; but it is worthy of
" attention that, among the words of Indian origin,
*' not only are many Sanscrit, which might happen
" in a work of a remote age, but several belong to-
" the colloquial language of Hindustan : this is sus-
" picious, and seems to mark a much more recent
** origin. Many words indeed occur in the Desatir
* * that are common to the Sanscrit and to ihe vulgar
Indian languages (the author quotes thirty-four of
them); many others might be pointed out. Bui
the most remarkable class of words is that which
The Asiatic Journal, November, 1820, p. 421 el seq.
t(
DISCUSSION ON THE DESATIR.
" belongs to the pure Hindi ; such 1 imagine are the
' ' word shet, ' respectable, ' prefixed to the names
*' of prophets and others (twenty-four are adduced).
' ' Whatever may be thought of the words of Persian
" descent, it is not probable that those from the
'* Hindustani are of a very remote age; they may
' ' perhaps be regarded as considerably posterior to
4< the settlement of the Muselmans in India."
Strongly supported by the opinion of respectable
philologers, I do not hesitate to draw a quite con-
trary conclusion from the facts slated by Erskine.
It should be remembered that, in the popular or
vulgar dialects are often found remains of ancient
tongues, namely, roots of words, locutions, nay
rules of grammar which have become obsolete, or
disappeared in the cultivated idioms derived from
the same original language. It was not without
reason that the illustrious William Humboldt recom-
mended to the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Bri-
tain and Ireland, l to examine, on behalf of general
Oriental philology, the different provincial dialects
of India. Even the gibberish of gypsies is not to
be neglected for that purpose. 2
Thus, if we are not greatly mistaken, the very
1 An Essay on the best means of ascertaining the affinities of Oriental
languages, by baron W. Humboldt, in the Transactions of the Royal
Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, vol. II. part I. p. 213.
2 Colonel Harriot on the Oriental Origin of the Gypsies. Ibid., 518.
xlJV PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE :
arguments alleged to show that the Mahabadian
language is an invention or forgery, lead rather to
a contrary conclusion. Duly sensible of the great
weight of authority which opposes the result of
my inquiry, I sought an explanation of the severe
judgment passed upon the Desatir, and venture to
surmise that it was occasioned by the certainly extra-
vagant claim to a heavenly origin and incredible anti-
quity which has been attached to this work. Such
pretensions, taken in too serious a light, can but
hurt a fixed, if not religious, belief. Every nation
acknowledges but one heavenly book, and rejects
every other. Hence arises a very natural, and even
respectable pre-conception against all that appears
without the limits traced by religion, or mere early
habit and adopted system. Thus a severe censure
is provoked. To annihilate at once the impertinent
pretension to a divine origin, all that ingenuity can
suggest is brought forward to prove the book to be
a fraudulent forgery ; to strip it of the awful dignity
of antiquity, it must by any means be represented
as the work of yesterday. But error is not fraud,
and may be as ancient as mankind itself; because
credulous, a man is not the forger of a document. If
the Mahabadian language is not that primitive idiom
from which the Sanscrit, the Zend, and other lan-
guages are derived, it does not follow that it is " a
V mere jargon, fabricated with no great address to
DISCUSSION ON THE DESATIH. xlv
" support a religious or philosophical imposture ;"'
if it was not spoken in Iran long before the esta-
blishment of the Peshdadian monarchy, it does
not follow " that it has at no time belonged to any
** tribe or nation on the face of the earth."
However I may appear inclined in favor of the
Desatir, I shall avoid incurring the blame of unfair
concealment by adding to the names of the great
critics above quoted, adverse to this work, the
great one of William von Schlegel. I must avow
it; the celebrated author declares the Desatir, 2 inti-
mately connected with the Dabistan, to be * * a forgery
*' still more refined (than that of the Brahman who
" deceived Wilford), 3 and written in a pretended
" ancient language, but fabricated at pleasure." As
he, however, presents no arguments of his own, but
only appeals in a note to the articles written by Sil-
vestre de Sacy and Erskine, there is no occasion here
for a further observation concerning this question.
As to von Schlegel's opinion upon the Dabistan, I
reserve some remarks upon it for another place.
General arguments, opposed to general objec-
tions, may produce persuasion, but are not sufficient
for establishing the positive truth concerning a sub-
1 Erskine, loco cit., p. 372.
2 See Reflexions sur I'Etude de$ Langues asiatiques, adressdes a
*tr James Mackintosh. Bonn, 1832, pp. 51-52. *
3 See Asiatic Researches, vol. VIII. Lond. ed. 8. p. 254.
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE :
ject in question. It is necessary to dive into the
Mahabadian language itself for adequate proofs of
its genuineness. I might have justly hesitated to
undertake this task, but found it already most ably
achieved by baron von Hammer, ! in whom we do
not know which we ought to admire most, his vast
store of Oriental erudition, or the indefatigable ac-
tivity, with which he diffuses, in an unceasing series
of useful works, the various information derived not
only from the study of the dead letter in books, but
also from converse with the living spirit of the actual
Eastern world. This sagacious reviewer of the
Desatir, examining its language, finds proofs of its
authenticity in the nature of its structure and the
syllables of its formation, which, when compared to
the modern pure Persian or Deri, have the same rela-
tion to it as the Gothic to the English; the old Per-
sian and the old Germanic idioms exhibit in the
progress of improvement such a wonderful concor-
dance and analogy as can by no means be the result
of an ingenious combination, nor that of a lucky
accidental coincidence. Thus, the language of the
Desatir has syllables of declension affixed to pro-
nouns, which coincide with those of the Gothic
and Low German, but are not recognisable in
the modern form of the Persian pronouns. This is
1 See Heidelberger Jahrbiicher der Literatar Vom Janner te Juni
1823, N s 6. 12. 13. 18. 20.
DISCUSSION ON THE DESATIR.
also the case with some forms of numerical and
other words. The Mahabadian language contains
also a good number of Germanic radicals which
cannot be attributed to the well-known affinity of
the German and the modern Persian, because they
are no more to be found in the latter, but solely in
the Desatir. This has besides many English, Greek,
and Latin words, a series of which baron von Ham-
mer exhibits, and -which ought to be duly noticed
a considerable number of Mahabadian words,
belonging also to the languages enumerated, are
sought in vain in any Persian dictionary of our
days ! Surely, an accidental coincidence of an in-
vented factitious language, with Greek, Latin, and
Germanic forms would be by far a greater and more
inexplicable miracle, than the great regularity of
this ancient sacred idiom of Persia, and its con-
formity with the modern Deri. It is nevertheless
from the latter that the forgery is chiefly inferred.
Moreover, the acute philologer, analysing the
Mahabadian language by itself, points out its essen-
tial elements and component parts, that is, sylla-
bles of derivation, formation, and inflexion. Thus
he adduces as syllables of derivation certain vowels,
or consonants preceded by certain vowels ; he shows
certain recurring terminations to be syllables of
formation for substantives, adjectives, and verbs;
he sets forth particular forms of verbs, and remark-
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE:
able expressions. All this he supports by numerous
examples taken from the text of the Desatir. Such
a process enabled him to rectify in some places the
Persian translation of the Mahabadian text.
I can but repeal that my only object here is to
present the question in the same state that I found
it ; and am far from contesting, nay, readily admit,
the possibility of arguments which may- lead to a
contrary conclusion. Until such are produced, al-
though not presuming to decide, I may be permit-
ted to believe that the language of the Desatir is no
forgery ; I may range myself on the side of the
celebrated Orientalist mentioned, who, ten years
after the date of his review of the Desatir (ten years
which, with him, are a luminous path of ever-
increasing knowledge), had not changed his opinion
upon the language of the Desatir, and assigns to it 1
a place among the Asiatic dialects; according to him,
as it is more nearly related to the new Persian than
to the Zand and the Pehlevi, it may be considered
as a new intermediate ring in the hermetic chain
which connects the Germanic idioms with the old
Asiatic languages ; it is perhaps the most ancient
dialect of the Deri, 2 spoken, if not in Pars, yet in
1 See Journal asiatique, tome XII. juillet 1833, pp. 24-26.
2 Ibidem, pp. 20-21. Deri was spoken on the other side of the Oxus,
and at the foot of the Paropamisus in Balkh, Meru, in the Badakhshan,
in Bokhara and Bamian. The Pehlevi was used in Media proper, in the
DISCUSSION ON THE DESATIR. \lix
the north-eastern countries of the Persian empire, to
wit, in Sogd and Bamian. When it ceased to be
spoken, like several other languages of by-gone ages,
the Mahabadian was preserved perhaps in a single
book, or fragment of a book, similar in its solitude
to the Hebrew Bible, or the Persian Zend-Avesta.
At what epoch was the Desatir written?
The epoch assigned to it, according to different
views, is the sixth 1 or the seventh 2 century of our
era, even the later time of the Seljucides, who reigned
from A. D. 1057 to 1195. The latter epoch is adop-
ted as the earliest assignable, by Silvestre de Sacy,
who alleges two reasons for his opinion : the one is
his belief that the new Persian language, in which
the Desatir was translated and commented by the
fabricator of the original or Mahabadian text did
not exist earlier ; the second reason refers to some
parts of the contents of the Desatir. I shall touch
upon both these questions.
It is useless to discuss what can never be ascer-
tained, who the author of the Desatir was. But
this work would be unintelligible without the Per-
sian translation and commentary. Silvestre de Sacy
towns of Rai, Harnadan, Ispahan, Nehawend, and Tabriz, the capital of
Azar bijan. Beside the Deri and Pehlevi, Persian dictionaries reckon five
other dialects, altogether twelve dialects, of ancient and modern Persian.
1 Tfioluck. Sufitmus, sive Theosophia Pantheistica, p. HI.
a Norris, Asiatic Journal, November, 1820, p. 430.
d
1 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE I
asks: " Are not this translation and this com-
'* mentary, themselves pseudonymous and apo-
" cryphal books, and is not the whole, perhaps,
" the work of an impostor of the last century?" In
answering this, I shall be guided by the baron
von Hammer, who wrote his review of the Desatir
before he had seen that of the Journal des Savans,
but, after having perused the latter, declared that
he had nothing to change in his opinion. Although
the commentator, to whom the honor of being the
inventor of the Mahabadian language is ascribed,
follows in the main the ancient text word for word,
and substitutes commonly a new for the obsolete
form of the term, yet frequent instances occur (some
of which baron von Hammer adduces) which prove
that the interpreter did not clearly understand the
old text, but in place of the true meaning gave his
own arbitrary interpretation. The proper names
even are not always the same. Besides and this
is most important the doctrines contained in the
Desatir and in the Commentary differ from each
other. In the books of the first Mahabadian kings
we find the fundamental ideas of the Oriental philo-
sophy, such as it was before its migration from Asia
to Europe; but in the commentary we perceive the
development of the Aristotelian scholastic, such as
it formed itself among the Asiatics, when they had,
by means of translations, become acquainted with the
DISCUSSION ON THE DESATIR. li
Stagirite. We shall revert to this subject hereafter.
Whatever it be the discrepancies between the ori-
ginal text and the interpretation, as they would
certainly have been avoided by the author of both ,
prove that they are the works of two different per-
sons, probably with the interval of a few centuries
between them.
The Persian translator and commentator is said
to be the fifth Sassan, who lived in the time of the
Persian king Khusro-Parviz, a contemporary of the
Roman emperor Heraclius, and died only nine years
before the destruction of the ancient Persian mo-
narchy, or in the year 643 of our era. It must be
presumed that the five Sassans, the first of whom
was a contemporary of Alexander, 525 years before
Christ, were not held to be immediate successors to
each other, but only in the same line of descent ;
otherwise an interval of 946 years, from Alexander
to Parviz, comprehending the reign of thirty-one
Arsacides and twenty-two Sassanian princes, would
be given to no more than five individuals, which
absurdity ought not to be attributed to the commen-
tary of the Desatir. In general, so common is it
with Asiatics to deal with names of celebrity as if
they were generic names, that it is very frequently
impossible to be positive about the true author of a
work. There appears in the present case nothing
to prevent us from placing the translator and com-
Ill PRELIMINARY DISCUSSION.
mentator of tbe Desatir (whether a Sassan or not)
in the seventh century of our era.
The translation and commentary of the Desatir
are written in what the best judges consider as
very pure Persian, though ancient, without any
mixture whatever of words of Arabic or Chaldean
origin, and conformable to the grammatical system
of modern Persian. But when was the latter,
formed? As the opinion upon this epoch involves
that upon the age of the composition itself, I shall
be permitted to take a rather extensive historical
view of this part of the question.
Setting aside the Mahabadian kings mentioned
in the Desatir and Dabistan, we know that Gil-
shah, Hoshang, Jamshid (true Persian names) are
proclaimed by all Orientalists as founders of the
Persian empire and builders of renowned cities in
very remote times. This empire comprised in its
vast extent different nations, speaking three princi-
pal languages, the Zand, Pehlevi, and Parsi. Among
these nations were the Perm, " Persians," properly
and distinctively so called. We are informed by
Herodotus' that there were different races of Persae,
of whom he enumerates eleven. Those who inha-
bited originally Fars, Fanistan, Penis,' 2 a country
Clio, lib. I.
2 In the Bible it is called Paras, or Faras, and reckoned as extensive
as Great and Little Armenia, or as Hungary, Transylvania, Slavonia,
DISCUSSION ON THE DESATIH. III!
double the extent of England, and gave their name
to the whole empire, certainly spoke their own
idiom, the Parsi or Farsi. A national language may
vary in its forms, but never can be destroyed as
long as any part of the nation exits ; can we doubt
that the Persians who, once the masters of Asia,
although afterwards shorn of their power, never
ceased to be independent and formidable, preserved
their language to our days?
We may consider as remains of the oldest Persian
language, the proper and other names of persons,
places and things mentioned by the most ancient
historians ; now, a number of such words, which
occur in the Hebrew Bible, ' in Herodotus, and other
Greek authors, are much better explained from
modern Persian than from Zand and Pehlevi. In
the Armenian language exist words common to the
Persian, none common to the Pehlevi; 2 therefore,
in very remote times Persian and not Pehlevi was
the dominant idiom of the Iranian nations with
whom the Armenians were in relation. More posi-
tive information is reserved for posterity, when
the cuneiform inscriptions upon the monumental
Croatia, and Dalmatia together.- (See Gatlerer's Weltgeschichle Il ter
Theil, Seite 9. )
1 In the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther.
2 See Observations sur les Monumem historiques de I'ancienne Perse,
par Etienne Quatremere. Journal des Savons, juin et juillet 1840,
pp 347-348.
llV PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE I
rocks and ruins, to be found in all directions within
the greatest part of Asia, shall be deciphered by
future philologers, not perhaps possessing greater
talent, but better means of information from all-
revealing time than those of our days, who have
already successfully begun the great work Grote-
fend, Rask, St. Martin, Burnouf, Lassen, etc.
Let us now take a hasty review of a few principal
epochs of the Persian empire, with respect to lan-
guage, beginning only from that nearest the time, in
which Persia was seen and described by Herodotus,
Ctesias, and Xenophon, not without reference to the
then existing national historical records. Khosru
(Cyrus) the Persian King, placed by the Occidentals in
the seventh century before our era, 1 having wrested
the sceptre from the hands of the Medes, who spoke
Pehlevi, naturally produced the ascendancy of his
national idiom. This did not sink under his imme-
diate successors, Lohrasp and Gushlasp. Although
under the reign of the latter, who received Zardusht
at his court in the sixth century B. G., 2 the Zand
might have had great currency, yet it certainly
declined after Gushtasp, as his grandson Bali man.
1 The Orientals place him in the tenth century B. C.
2 According to Richardson (see the preface of his Diet., p. vi ), the
Farsi was peculiarly cultivated by the great and learned, above 1200
years before the Mu hammed an era, i. e. above 600 years R. (!.. which
epoch is commonly assigned to (iushtasp's reign.
DISCUSSION ON THE DESATIR. Iv
the son of Isfendiar, favored the cultivation of the
Parsi. ' This language was perfected in Baktria
( the original name of which country is Bdkhter,
" East," an old Persian word) and in the neigh-
boring Transoxiana ; there the towns Bamian, the
Thebes of the East, and Balkh, built by Lohrasp and
sanctified by Gushtasp's famous Pyraeum, besides
Merv and Bokhara, were great seats of Persian arts
and sciences. The Parsi, thus refined, was dominant
in all the royal residences, which changed according
to seasons and circumstances; it was spoken at the
court of the Second Dara (Darius Codomanus), and
sounds in his own name and that of his daughters
SiJdra(Statira), "star, "and /?os/tawa(Roxana),' < splen-
*' dor," whom the unfortunate king resigned with
his empire to Alexander.* This conqueror, intoxi-
cated with power, endeavored to exterminate the
Mobeds, the guardians of the national religion and
science ; he slew many, but dispersed only the
majority. From the death of Alexander (325 B. C.)
to the reign of Ardeshir Babegan (Artaxerxes), the
founder of the Sassanian dynasty (200 A. D.), a
1 See Hammer's Schone Redekunste Persiens, Seite 3 et seq.
2 Strabo, who flourished in the beginning of the Christian era. and
drew his information mostly from the historians of Alexander, refers
probably to the time of the Macedonian conquest, when he says (xv. 2,
** 8, fol. 724, edit. Gas.) : that the Medians, Persians, Arians, Baktrians,
and Sogdians spoke almost the same language. This probaMy was that
of the (hen leading nation, the Persian.
Ivi PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE I
period of more than five centuries is almost a blank
in the Persian history ; but when the last-mentioned
king, the regenerator of the ancient Iranian mo-
narchy, wishing to restore ils laws and literature,
convoked the Mobeds, he found forty thousand of
them before the gate of the fire-temple of Barpa. '
Ammianus Marcellinus, in the fourth century of our
era attests, that the title of king was in Deri, " court-
" language," yet the Pehlevi was spoken concur-
rently with it during the reigns of the first twelve
Sassanian princes, until it was proscribed by a for-
mal edict of the thirteenth of them, Bahrain gor, in
our fifth century. Nushirvan and Parviz, in the
sixth century, were both celebrated for the pro-
tection which they granted to arts and sciences.
We have on record a school of physic, poetry, rhe-
toric, dialectics, and abstract sciences, flourishing
at Gandi sapor, a town in Khorasan : the Persian
must have then been highly cultivated. We are
now in the times of Muhammed; were they not
Persian, those Tales, the charm of which, whether
in the original or in the translation, was such, that
the Arabian legislator, to counteract it, summoned
up the power of his high-sounding heaven-inspired
eloquence, and wrote a part of the Koran against
them? If he himself had not named the Deri as
the purest dialect of the Persian, what other Jan-
1 Hammer, loc. cit , p. 7.
DISCUSSION ON THE DESAT1R. Ivii
guage could we believe he admired for its extreme
softness so much as to say, that the Almighty used
it when he wished to address the angels in a tone of
mildness and beneficence, whilst he reserved the
Arabic for command? 1 Such a fact, or such a tra-
dition, presupposes a refined, and therefore long-
spoken language. After Muhammed's death, his
fanatic successors attempted to bury under the ruins
of the Persian empire even the memory of its an-
cient religion and language but they did not suc-
ceed : the sacred fire was saved and preserved beyond
the Oxus ; it was rekindled in Baktria, that ancient
hearth of Persian splendor ; there poetry and elo-
quence revived, but could not raise their voices
until princes of Persian origin became lieutenants
of the Muhammedan khalifs. It was under Nasr,
son of Ahmed the Samanian, in the beginning of our
tenth century, that RUDIGI rose, the first celebrated
new Persian poet, but he found, he did not create
the language, more than Homer created Greek,
Dante Italian, or Spenser English. A great author,
in whom the genius of his nation is concentrated,
does no more than aptly collect into a whole the
idiom which exists every where in parts, and elicit
its pre-existing resources. Thus under his pen the
language can appear to spring up with all its beau-
1 Works of sir \V. Jones, vol. V. p. 426, Transactions of the Literary
Society of Bombay, vol. II. p. 297.
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE:
ties as Minerva, equipped in armour, sprung forth
from the head of Jupiter.
Such being the historical indications relative to
the Persian language, we cannot participate in the
doubts of Silvestre de Sacy, nor find Erskine 1 just in
disdaining even to make a comment upon the credi-
bility of the hypothesis " that the Persian language
" was completely formed in the age of the latter
" Sassanians. " It would be rather a matter of
wonder that the Par si, related to the most ancient
and most cultivated language in the world, should
not have been much sooner fitted for the harmonious
lays of Ferdusi ! a matter of wonder indeed, that
the Persians, who taught the Arabs so much of
their religion heaven and hell, should have re-
mained behind them in the refinement of their idiom !
that they, who could scoff at the Tazis as eaters
of lizards, should not have possessed, in the seventh
century, a language to contend with that people,
who themselves possessed celebrated poets long
before Muhammed ! 2
1 Loco cit., p. 363.
2 See the preface to the most valuable work Le Divan d'Amro 'Ikais,
par le baron Mac Guckin de Slane, Paris, 1837, pp. viii and ix. The
learned author confirms that celebrated Arabian poems existed before the
introduction of the Muhammedan religion, which, for a certain time,
averted the Arabs from the cultivation of poetry and history. We shall
here add (which would have been more appropriately placed in the note
upon Amro 'I Kais, in vol. Ill p. 65, and will correct the same) that (hi?
DISCUSSION ON THE DESATIR. IJX
It is for ever regrettable that overpowering Mu-
hammedism should have spoiled the original admir-
able simplicity of one of the softest languages in the
world, by the intrusion of the sonorous but harsher
words of Arabic, and imposed upon us the heavy
tax of learning two languages for understanding
one ; but, as the translation of the Desatir is free
from words of an Arabic or Chaldean origin, should
we not fairly conclude, that it was executed before
the Muhammedan conquest of Persia ? So did Nor-
ris, and so Erskine I can but think would have
done, if his judgment and penetration, usually so
right and acute, had not been prepossessed by the
idea of an imposture, which he had assumed as
proved or self-evident, whilst this was the very point
of contestation. Thus, " the very freedom from
4 * words of foreign growth, which the learned natives
" consider as a mark of authenticity, appeared to
(i him the proof of an artificial aud fabricated style."
If even there are some Arabic words to be found
in the text and the translation of the Desatir, this
affords no fair inference that these works had not
been composed before the Arabs conquered Persia,
because those words might have come from Pehlevi,
in which there is a mixture of Arabic, and there are
also Persian words in the Koran ; most naturally,
poet (see loc. cit., p. xvi et seq. ) flourished at an epoch anterior to Mo-
hammed, and died probably before the birth of that extraordinary man.
Ix PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE:
as there subsisted from times immemorial relations
between Persia and Arabia.
What I have said will, if I am not mistaken, suffi-
ciently justify the conclusion, that the Persian idiom
could in the seventh century have attained the re-
gularity and form of the present Persian, such at
least, as it appears in the Commentary of the Desatir,
not without a very perceptible tincture of obso-
leteness.
I need scarce remark that the title asmdni, ' ' hea-
"venly," belongs exclusively to the* superstitious ad-
miration with which the Desalir is viewed. Nor are
its fifteen books to be taken for sacred works of so
many prophets who succeeded each other after such
long intervals of time ; yet nothing prevents us, as I
hope to show, from believing some parts of them
very ancient. Neither are these of the same anti-
quity. Thus, prophecies which are certainly inter-
polations made after the events, occur in them, not
otherwise than in the Indian Puranas, the funda-
mental parts of which are nevertheless now ad-
mitted to be as ancient as the Vedas themselves.
We find in the two last books of the Desatir are
mentioned : the contest between the Abbasides and
the descendants of Ali ; the adoption of Muham-
medism by almost the totality of Iran ; inimical
sects, and the power of the Turcomans super-
seding that of the Arabs; the latter parts must cer-
DISCUSSION ON THE DESATIR. hi
tainly have been composed after the taking of Bag-
dad by Hulogu in 1258 of our era. The fifteenth
book of the Desatir is probably apocryphal.
As to the doctrine of the Desatir, Erskine says : '
" I consider that the whole of the peculiar doc-
" trines, ascribed to Mahabad and Hoshang, is bor-
" rowed from the mystical doctrines of the Persian
' ' Siifis, and from the ascetic tenets and practices of
" the Yogis and Sanyasis, of India who drew many
" of their opinions from the Vedanta-school." But
this involves the great historical question, concern-
ing the origin of Siifism and the whole Indian phi-
losophy, which is by some (not without foundation)
believed to have been spread throughout a great part
of Asia. It is quite gratuitous, I may say, to regard
them " as having had no existence before the time
" of Azar Kaivan 2 and his disciples in the reigns of
" Akbar and Jehanguir, and as having beende-
' ' vised and reduced into form between 200 and 300
"years ago in the school of Sipasi-philosophers."
Nor can I admit as better founded the following in-
sinuations of the same ingenious critic : *' Nor shall
" I inquire whether many of the acute metaphysical
te remarks that abound in the commentary and the
" general style of argument which it employs have
" not rather proceeded from the schoolmen of the
1 Loco citato, p. 372.
* See vol. I. pp. 87 et seq.
Ixii PRELIMINARY DIRCOURSE :
" West, than directly from the Oriental or Aristo-
*' telian philosophy." To this may be answered :
It is highly problematic, whether the translator of
the Desatir ever knew any schoolman of the West,
but it is certain that he, as an Asiatic and a Persian,
knew the Oriental philosophy, the fundamentals of
which were preserved in the first books of the De-
satir, as we have already said; but the commentator
could but participate in the modification, which the
ancient doctrine had undergone in his age, after
its. return from the West to the East, in translations
of Greek philosophical works into Asiatic languages.
Thus, in the Desatir and its commentary I borrow
the words of baron von Hammer: " We see
'* already germinating the double seed of reason and
" light, from which sprung up the double tree of
4< rational and ideal philosophy," which spread its
ramifications over the whole world, and lives and
flourishes even in our times.
The commentator was no ordinary man: living,
as we may believe, in the first half of the seventh
century, he possessed the sciences of his learned
age ; flourishing under the reign of king Khosru
Parviz, who professed the ancient Persian religion
in his letter to a Roman emperor of the East, 2 and
1 Heidelberger Jahrbiicher, loc. cit. Seite 313.
2 The Dabistan (see Pers. text, Calcutta edit., p. 69, and English transl.,
vol. I. p. 145) quotes verses containing this profession, addressed by
DISCUSSION ON THE DESATIH.
tore to pieces Muhammed's written invitation to
adopt Islam'; in this yet unshaken state of national
independence, the fifth Sassan preserved pure his
creed and style from the influence of the Arabian
prophet. The translator and commentator of.the
Desatir says of himself: 2 "I loo have written a
'*' celebrated book under the name of Do giti, ' the
" 'two worlds', full of admirable wisdom, which
* 4 1 have derived from the most exalted intelligence,
" and in the eminent book of the famous prophet,
" the King of Kings, Jemshid, there is a great deal,
" concerning the unity which only distinguished
" Ascetics (Hertasp) can comprehend, and on the
** subject of this transcendant knowledge I have
" also composed a great volume Pertu estdn, ' the
" ( mansion of light,' which 1 have adorned by
Khosru Parviz to a Roman emperor, whose name, however, is not men-
tioned. During the reign of this Persian king, two emperors ruled in the
East, namely, Mauritius, whose daughter Parviz married, and Hera-
clius, by whom he was defeated towards the end of his life. I found it
probable, but had no authority to assert (see vol. I. p. 145, note 2), that
the above-stated profession was made to Mauritius ; but those verses by
themselves deserve attention, as they establish the adherence of Parviz to
the religion of Hoshang, in contradiction to several historians, according
to whom he adopted Christianity: this assertion seems founded upon his
great attachment to the celebrated Mary, or Chin'n, his Christian wife,
and daughter of a Christian emperor, the said Mauritius .
2 Muhammed, when informed of the ignominious reception which the
Persian king gave to his letter and ambassador, said : " God will tear his
" empire, as he tore my letter, to pieces." (Herbelot. )
3 The Desatir, p. 99.
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE I
'* evidence deduced from reason, and by texts from
" the Desdtir and Avesta, so that the soul of every man
" may derive pleasure from it. And it is one of the
" books of the secrets of the great God."
This is a most important declaration. The com-
mentator considered the Desatir and the Avesta as
sources of delight TO ALL MEN. And he was right.
The doctrine of the former work now under con-
sideration is found every where, not denied either
by the ancients or moderns; it is the property of
mankind. As such, ' ' it does not belong to any particular.
" tribe or nation :" in which point, although in quite
another sense, we agree with Erskine, but we may
dissent from the learned author, when he taxes it to
be (C a religious or philosophical imposture, which
" needed the support ofa fabricated language." After
careful examination, I must conscientiously declare,
I discover no imposture aimed at by any artifice;
there was no secret to be concealed ; nothing to be
disguised ; the Mahabadian religion is as open as its
temple, the vault of heaven, and as clear as the
lights, flaming in their ethereal attitudes; its book
is a sort of catechism of Asiatic religion ; its prayer
a litany of Oriental devotion, in which any man may
join his voice.
Thus have I endeavored, to the best of my
power, to exhibit faithfully what has hitherto been
alleged for and against the authenticity of the book,
DISCUSSION ON THE DESATIR. IxV
which is one of the principal authorities of the
Dabistan. If the author of this latter work was,
as the often-quoted ingenuous author supposes,
" in strict intimacy with the sects of enthusiasts
" by whom the Desatir was venerated, and whose
" rule it was," we may so much the more rely upon
the truth of his account concerning such a reli-
gious association. If he professed the new religion,
which the emperor Akbar had endeavored to
found, as this was a revival of the ancient Persian
religion, we may reasonably presume, that he
would have searched, and brought to light writings
concerning it which were concealed, neglected, or
little known; he would have cautiously scrutinized
the authenticity of the documents, and conscien-
tiously respected the sacred sources of that faith,
which, after a careful examination of all others,
deserved his preference; nothing justifies the sup-
position, that he would forge any thing himself, or
countenance, or not be able to detect, the forgery
of others. However this be, Mohsan Fani's charac-
ter will be best known by the perusal of his work;
after a rapid synopsis of its contents, to which 1 will
now proceed, I shall be permitted to point out, as
briefly as possible, some of the merits and defects
conspicuous in his composition.
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE :
PART II.
SYNOPSIS OF THE DYNASTIES, RELIGIONS, SECTS,
AND PHILOSOPHIC OPINIONS, TREATED OF IN
THE DABISTAN.
I. THE FIRST RELIGION THE DYNASTIES OF MAHABAD,
ABAD AZAR, SHAI ABAD, SHAI GILIV, SHAI MAHBUL,
AND YASAN.
Mohsan Fani exhibits the remarkable notions,
dogmas, customs, and ceremonies of twelvereligions,
and their various sects, without giving more of their
origin and genesis than the names of their founders.
The very first principle of all religion is referred,
by some, to a primitive Divine revelation; by others,
to a natural propensity of the human mind to super-
stition. However this may be, history confirms the
suggestions of psychology, that admiration was one
of the principal sources of religious feelings ; how
should man not be struck with the glories of the sky?
Therefore, the adoration of stars was one of the
most ancient religions. It needed no prophet : it is
** the poetry of heaven," imprinted in eternal charac-
ters of fire upon the ethereal expanse. Prometheus,
SYNOPSIS OF THE DABISTAN. Ixvii
enumerating the benefits which he bestowed upon
untutored barbarians, says : '
" At random all their works
" Till I instructed them to mark the stars,
" Their rising, and, a harder science yet,
" Their setting. 2
According to all traditions, astronomy was one
of the first sciences cultivated by men. 3 The stars
not only occasioned the institution, but also served
to announce the regular return, of religious feasts ;
thus they became, as called by Plato, " the instru-
" ments of time," men were at once induced and
taught by religion to count months and years. As-
tronomy, in her feast-calendars, consecrated upon
an altar the first fruits of her labors.
Upon the star-paved path of heaven man was
conducted to the sanctuary of the supreme Being.
In general, the first feeling of" the Divine (ro Sstov),"
seizing the human mind with its own supernatural
power, elevated it at once above the material con-
Eirpaudov, e's ft =k.-3 .11*31 B _\J w\J.~o . A. T.
11
have found out some few effects of the influence of
the seven planets, but are ignorant of the natures and
influences of the slow-moving or fixed stars. The
possessors of Farddt and Far lab, or those who are
directed by inspiration and revelation, have laid
down that every star, whether fixed or planetary,
is regent during certain periods of several thousand
years : one thousand years being assigned to each
star, without the association of any other : on the
termination of which, in the subsequent millennia,
both the fixed and planetary stars are successively
associated with it that is, in commencing the series
with a fixed star, we call the fixed star which is Lord
of the Cycle, the First King ; on the termination of
the millennium appropriated to him, another fixed
star becomes partner with the First King, which
partner we style First Minister : but the supremacy
and dominion of the period belong exclusively to the
First King : on the termination of the second mil-
lennium, the period of office assigned to the First
Minister expires, and another star is associated with
the First King; and so on, until the fixed stars are
all gone through : on which Saturn becomes asso-
ciated with the First King, and continues so during
a thousand years, and so with the other planets,
until the period of association with the moon arrives:
then terminates the supremacy of the fixed star,
named the First King, and his authority expires.
li
After the First King, the star associated with him
in the second millennium, and which was called the
First Minister, now attains the supremacy and be-
comes Lord of the Cycle, during which cycle of
sovereignty we style him the Second King, with a
thousand years appropriated to his special rule as
before stated . In the following millennium another
fixed star becomes his associate, as above mentioned,
and goes through a similar course. When the period
of the moon's association arrives, the moon remains
joined with the Second King during a millennium,
on the completion of which, that fixed star, the term
of whose sovereignty has passed away, and who
commenced the cycle, under the style of First King,
is associated with the Lord of the Cycle, styled the
Second King ; after which, the empire of the Second
King's star also terminates and becomes transferred
to another : thus all the fixed stars in succession
become kings, until they are all gone through, on
which the principality and supremacy come to Shat
Kaivan, or * the Lord Saturn,' with whom in like
manner the fixed stars and planets are associated
for their respective millennia, when the dominion
comes to the Shat Mdh, or ' Lunar Lord,' his period
is ended as before stated, the cycle completed, and
one great circle or revolution has been described.
On the expiration of this great period, the sove-
reignty reverts to the First King ; the state of the
15
revolving world recommences ; this world of forma-
tion and evanescence is renovated ; the human be-
ings, animals, vegetable and mineral productions
which existed during the first cycle, are restored to
their former language, acts, dispositions, species and
appearance, with the same designations and dis-
tinctions ; the successive regenerations continually
proceeding on in the same manner. The prince of
physicians, Abu Alt (whose spirit may God sanc-
tify ! ) expresses himself to this purport :
" Every form and image, which seems at present effaced,
" Is securely stored up in the treasury of time -
" When the same position of the heavens again recurs,
" The Almighty reproduces each from behind the mysterious veil."
It is here necessary to remark, that their meaning
is not, that the identical spirits of Abad, Kaiomors,
Sidymakand Hushang shall be imparted to the iden-
tical material bodies long since abandoned, or that
the scattered members of the body shall be reassem-
bled and reunited: such sentiments, according to
them , are absurd and extravagant : their real belief
is this, that forms similar to those which have passed
away, and bodies resembling the primitive ones,
their counterpart in figure, property and shape, shall
appear, speaking and acting exactly in the same man-
ner. How could the exalted spirits of the perfect,
which are united with angels, return back? They
also maintain that men do not arise from their own
species, without father or mother : but they affirm
14
that, as a man and woman were left at the com-
mencement of the past cycle, so there shall two
remain in the present cycle, for the continuance
of the human race. For although the heavens are
the sires of the three natural kingdoms or pro-
ductive principles, and the elements their mother,
yet this much only has been imparted to us, that
man is born of man, and is not produced after any
other fashion.
The followers of the ancient faith call one revolu-
tion of the regent Saturn, a day; thirty such days,
one month ; twelve such months, one year ; a mil-
lion of such years, one fard; ' a million fard, one
vard; a million vard, one mard; a million mard, one
jdd; three thousand jdd, one vdd; and two thousand
vdd, one zdd. * According to this mode of compu-
tation, the happiness and splendor of the Mahaba-
dian dynasty lasted one hundred zad of years. They
believe it impossible to ascertain the commencement
1 According to Gladwin, after g.lj once followed in a series by . ka
the same word is to be always understood thus i^j3 S,'j . 1 Vft <^t\3
is not a thousand fard, but one million fard This word is not in the Bur
han : I have therefore followed Gladwin's authority. But in the Desa-
tir, or " Sacred Writings of the ancient Persian Prophets in the original
tongue," published at Bombay in 1818, the following passage occurs in
the commentary of the Vth Sasan ( English transl. p. 36) : " They call a
thousand times a thousand years a ferd; and a thousand ferds, a werd;
and a thousand werds, a merd ; and a thousand merds, a jad; and
three thousand ja ds,awa'd; and two thousand ttYtd*, a2o'd;"etc D. S.
15
of human existence ; and that it is not to be compre-
hended by human science : because there is no epoch
of identical persons, so that it is absolutely impos-
sible to form any definite ideas on the subject, which
resembles an arithmetical infinite series. Such a
belief also agrees with the philosophy and opinions
of the Grecian sages.
From the authority of esteemed works, they ac-
count Mdhdbdd the first of the present cycle ; as in
reality he and his wife were the survivors of the
great period, and the bounteous Lord had bestowed
on them so immense a progeny, that from their
numbers, the very clefts of the mountains were
filled. The author of the Amighistan relates, that
they were acquainted only to a trifling degree with
the viands, drinks and clothing which through the
bounty of God are now met with : besides, in that
cycle there existed no organization of cities, systems
of policy, conditions of supremacy, rules of authority
and power, principles of Nushdd or law, nor instruc-
tion in science and philosophy, until through the
aid of celestial grace, joined to the manifold favors
and bounties of God, the uncontrolled authority of
Mdhdbdd pervaded alike the cultivated region and
the wild waste; the wide expanse of land and sea.
Through divine illumination, in conjunction with
his spiritual nature, the assistance of his guiding
angel and the eyes of discernment ; and also what
16
he had seen and heard in the past cycle, he medi-
tated on the creation of the world : he then clearly
perceived that the nine superior divisions, and the
four lower elements, the subjects of existence, are
blended and associated with distinct essences and
accidents, so as to combine together opposing move-
men Is with contrary dispositions and natures : and
that the aggregate of this whole indispensably re-
quires a supreme bestower of connection, a blender
and creator : also that whatever this bestower of
relation wills, and this all perfect in wisdom does,
cannot be destitute of utility and wisdom : Mahabad
therefore dispatched persons to all quarters and
regions of the world, to select from land and water
all productions and medicinal plants held in esteem
for their various properties ; these he planted in a
proper site, so that by the aid of the terrene and
aqueous particles, the influence of atmospheric
temperature, in conjunction with the sidereal ener-
gies, their powers of vegetation, nutritious qualities,
and properties might be ascertained. At the time
of promulgating this excellent purpose, the sove-
reign of the starry host entered in glory the mansion
of Aries ; and the rapidly-sketching painter of des-
tiny drew forth the faces of the brides of the gar-
dens (blossoms and flowers): then, through the
efficacy of command, experiment, and examination,
Mahabad extracted from the various flowers, fruits,
leaves and fibres, the different alimentary substances,
medicinal compounds, viands and beverages. He
next commanded all sorts of ores to be fetched from
the mines and liquified in the furnace, so that the
different metals concealed in them became visible.
Out of iron, which combines hardness and sharp-
ness, he formed warlike weapons for the brave ;
jewels, gold, silver, rubies, sapphires, diamonds,
and chrysolithes, in which he observed smoothness
and capability of polish, he assigned as decora-
tions for kings, military chieftains, and matrons.
He also ordered persons to descend into the deep
waters and bring forth the shells, pearls, corals, etc.
People were commanded to shear the fleece of sheep
and other animals : by him also were invented the
arts of spinning, weaving, cutting up, sewing and
clothing. He next organized cities, villages, and
streets ; erected palaces and colonnades ; introduced
trade and commerce ; and divided mankind into four
classes. The first was composed of Hirbeds, Mobeds, '
1 A> xB) " Hirbed" (see Thomas Hyde, Vetcrum Persarum et Partho-
rum et Medorum Religionis Uistoria, Oxonii,i f l60, p. 369-372) was
called a priest of the fire-worship ; according to oriental authors, a priest
of the ancient Persians was in general, called formerly \ amwz), " to teach, to learn;" the second nisarian
is the same with f.U*^ nisari, the common Persian word for a war-
rior; the third, nasudi, is a Pehlevi noun (see Hyde, p. 437); the fourth,
Ahnukhu'shi, appears composed of _*** ', ahnu, "provisions, meat" (to
be traced to yifsjch, ahnika, " daily work, food"j, and of ~^,*^,
khushi, " good, content," or from Jl^locL, kha'stan, " to ask." Upon
the four classes of the people see also History of the early kings of
Persia, translated from the Persian of Mirkhond, entitled the Rauzu-
" us-safa" by David Shea," p. 108-113. A. T.
1 The text of Gladwin has ~jll^,,> 7 destdrur, the edition of Calcutta
and the manuscript of Oude have Dasa'tir. The single volume published
under that name at Bombay (see note page 14), if genuine at all, can be
21
in which are formed all languages and sciences.
This work consisted of several volumes, containing
a certain number for each dialect. In it was also
the language called Asmdni, or the Celestial, not a
trace of which has remained in any of the languages
spoken by the inhabitants of this lower world.
Abdd also assigned a language to every nation, and
settled each in a suitable place : and thus were pro-
duced the Parsi, Hindi, Greek and such like.
According to this sect, authentic revelation is only
obtained by the world of ecstacy or similitude, called
Mdnistdn; but from the time of Mdhdbdd,a\\ the pro-
phets who were sent were in accordance with his
faith ; not one of them being opposed to his law.
MlerMdhdbdd, appeared thirteen apostles who, with
him, were styled the fourteen Mdhdbdds : they were
called by the common name of Abdd, and acted on
every occasion in conformity to their ancestor and
his Celestial Code : and whatever revelation was
made to them tended to corroborate the faith of
iMdhdbdd. ' After them, their sons in due succession
obtained sovereign power, after their fathers, and
devoted themselves to j ustice. The followers of this
considered but as a very small part of the great work, said to comprehend
all languages and sciences. A. T.
1 This faith is also called Fersenda'j, and the great A'bad himself
Ferza'ba'd, and Bu'zu'ga'bad, (Dasal., Engl. Transl., p. 27, 58, 187).
-A.T.
sect also believe that all ihe prophets and kings were
selected from the heads of the most distinguished
families.
Next to this dynasty, known as the Mahabadian,
comes Abad Azdd, who withdrew from temporal
power and walked in the path of devotion and seclu-
sion. It is recorded, that in their time, the realm
was highly cultivated; treasures were abundant ; lofty
palaces, ornamented with paintings and exciting
admiration ; colonnades attracting the heart ; the
Mobeds celebrated, profoundly learned, worshippers
of God, undefiled, equally eminent in good words
and deeds ; soldiers, well-appointed and disciplined,
with corresponding trains of attendants and officers;
mountain-resembling elephants ; chargers like frag-
ments of Alburz, ' rapid in their course ; swift-paced
animals for riding ; numerous camels and dro-
medaries ; well-trained cavalry and infantry, and
leaders who had experience in the world ; precious
stuffs ; vases of gold and silver ; thrones and crowns
of great price ; heart-delighting tapestries and gar-
dens with other such objects, the like of which exists
not at present, and were not recorded as being in
1 Burz, with the Arabic article Al-burz, is a mountain in Jebal or
Irak Ajemi, not far distant from, and to the north of, the town Yezd in
the province of Pars, where, from very remote times to our days, a great
number of fire-temples existed. Alburz belongs to a fabulous region ;
this name is given to several mountains, among which tin- great Caucasus
is distinguished from the tirah, or " little," Alburz. A. T.
existence in the treasures or reigns of the Gilsftdidu
monarchs.
However, on the mere abandonment of the crown
by Abad Azdd, every thing went to ruin ; so much
blood was shed that the mills were turned by streams
of gore ; all that had been accomplished by the inven-
tions and discoveries of this fortunate race was for-
gotten ; men became like savage and ferocious beasts,
and as in former times resumed their abodes in the
mountain-clefts and gloomy caverns ; those superior
in strength overpowered and oppressed the weaker.
At last some of the sages eminent for praise-worthy
language and deeds, and who possessed the volume
of Mahabad, assembled and went into the presence
of Jai Afrdm, the son of Abad, who, next his sire
was the most undefiled and intelligent of men, and
became one of the great Apostles : he passed his
time in a mountain cave, far removed from inter-
course with the world, and was styled Jai on account
of his purity, as in the Abddi or Azdri language, a
holy person is called Jai : ' the assembled sages with
one voice implored his justice, saying : " We know
" of no remedy for preserving the world from ruin,
" excepting the intercourse of thy noble nature with
" mankind." They afterwards recited to him the
1 This word reminds of flrr, jina, or jrrr, jama, from f^", jf, ' to
conquer' or ' excel,' a generic name of distinguished persons, belonging
(o the Jaiua sect of Hindus. A. T.
24
counsels, testamentary precepts, traditions and me-
morials of the Abddidn princes on the great merit of
this undertaking. He did not however assent, until
a divine command had reached him, when through
the influence of revelation and the presence of the
decree-bearing angel, Gabriel, he arose and assumed
the high dignity, The realm once more flourished,
and the institutes of Abdd resumed their former
vigor. The last of the fortunate monarchs of the
Jai dynasty was Jai Atdd, who also retired from
mankind ; when the dominion had remained in this
family during one aspdr of years. It is written in
hooks of high authority that Jai Afrdm was called
the son of Abdd Azdd, because next to his noble
ancestor no individual possessed such great perfec-
tions : but in reality many generations intervened
between them : besides, Jai Afrdm was descended
from the sons of Abdd Azdd, so that there is a wide
interval between Shdi Giliv and Jai Abdd: in like
manner between Shdi Mahbul and Ydsdn, and be-
tween Ydsdn and Gilshdhi there must have elapsed
multiplied and numerous generations.
Those who would understand the doctrines of this
faith must know, the process of numeration among
this profoundly-thinking sect is as follows ; by tens,
hundreds and thousands : one saldm equal to one
hundred thousand; one hundred salim,one sliamdr;
one hundred shdmar, one aspdr; one hundred aspdr,
25
one rddah; one hundred rddah, one arddah; a hun-
dred arddah, one rdz ; a hundred rdz, one ardz ;
and a hundred ardz, one bidraz.
Now that their system of computation has been
explained, I shall proceed with their history. They
say that when his attendants found not the auspi-
cious monarch Jai Aldd, neither amongst his cour-
tiers, nor in the royal apartments, or harem, nor in
the house of praise, or place of prayer, the affairs of
the human race fell once more into disorder : at
length the sages and holy men went and represented
the state of affairs to the praise- worthy apostle Shdi
Giliv, son of Jdi Aldd, who was then engaged in the
worship of the Almighty. This prince, from his
great devotion and unceasing adoration rendered to
God, was called Shdi and Shdyi, that is a god and a
God-worshipper : his sons were therefore styled
Shdyidn. When the sages had stated the case, the
first Shdyidn prince, Shdi Giliv, having reflected on
the cruelty practised towards the animal creation,
arose, through the influence of a celestial revelation
and Divine light, and sat in his illustrious father's
throne. After this happy dynasty came Shdi Mah-
6ii/,when the Shdiydn empire had lasted one shamdr
of years.
After these came the Ydsdnidn, so called from
Ydsdn, the son of Shdi Mahbul : this prince was
exceeding wise, intelligent, holy and celebrated ; the
26
apostle of the age : and being in every respect worthy
of supreme power, was therefore called Ydsdn, or the
meritorious and justly exalted. ' His mighty sire
having withdrawn from mankind, retired into seclu-
sion, and there giving himself entirely up to the
worship of God, the affairs of the human race again
relapsed into disorder. Tradition informs us, that
when these auspicious prophets and their successors
beheld evil to prevail amongst mankind, they inva-
riably withdrew from among them as they could
not endure to behold or hear wickedness; and sin
had no admission to their breasts. When the chain
of worldly repose had been rent asunder, Yasan, in
obedience to a Divine revelation, seated himself on
the throne of sovereignty, and overthrew evil. Of
this happy dynasty the last was Ydsdn Ajdm, when
this admirable family had graced the throne during
ninety and nine saldm of years. The author of the
Amiyhistdn says : ' * The years which I have men-
tioned are farsdls of Saturn : one revolution of the
regent Saturn, which is allowed to be thirty years,
they call one day ; thirty such days, one month ; and
twelve such months, one year." This is the rule
observed by the Yezddnidn, who write down the
various years of the seven planets after this manner :
1 This is evidently the Sanskrit word dUiy, yas'as, " fame, glory,
celebrity, splendor," and yaKcu-J, yas'asvan, " famous, celebrated."
-A. T.
27
such is the amount of the saturnian farsdl. This
same system of computation is applied to thefarsdls
of Mars, Venus, Mercury and the moon, a day of
each being the time of their respective revolutions :
they at the same time retain the use of the ordinary
lunar and solar months.
It is also to be observed that, according to them,
the year is of two kinds; one the farsdl, which is
after this manner: when the planet has traversed
the twelve mansions of the zodiac, they call it one
day; thirty such days, one month; and twelve such
months, one year ; as we have before explained under
Saturn. Similar years constitute thefarsdls of the
other planets, which they thus enumerate ; the far-
sals of Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the sun, Venus, Mer-
cury, and the moon : the months of the farsdl they
csAlfarmdh; the days of the farmah, farroz. The
second kind of years is, when Saturn in the period of
thirty years traverses the twelve mansions, which
they call a saturnian karsdl; the karmdh is his re-
maining two years and a half in each mansion,
Jupiter describes his period in twelve common years;
this time they call the hormuzi karsdl ; and the hor-
muzi karmdh is his remaining one year in each man-
sion : and so with regard to the others. However,
when we speak of years or months in the accounts
given of the Gilshdiydn princes, solar and lunar
years and months are always meant; day implies the
28
acknowledged day ; and by month is meant the resi-
dence of the Great Light in one of the zodiacal man-
sions ; and by year, his passing through the zodiac ;
a lunar month is its complete revolution, and tra-
versing all the signs, which year and month are also
called Timiir. '
When Yasan Asam had abandoned this elemen-
tary body and passed away from this abode of
wickedness, the state of mankind fell into utter
ruin, as his son Gitshdh, who was enlightened in
spirit, intelligent in nature, adorned by good deeds,
feeling no wish for sovereign power, had given
himself so entirely up to the service of God, that
no one knew the retreat of this holy personage.
Men therefore, shutting up the eyes of social inter-
course, extended the arm of oppression against each
other ; at once the lofty battlements and noble edi-
fices were levelled to the ground ; the deep fosses
filled up ; mankind being left destitute of a head, the
bonds of society were broken; slaughter was car-
ried to such excess, that numerous rivers flowed
with currents of blood, streaming from the bodies of
the slain : in a short time not a trace was left of the
countless treasures and the boundless stores, the
amount of which defied the computations of imagin-
ation. Matters even came to such an extremity, that
1 (, lad win has i^J, nimur ; the edition of Calcutta and the manu-
script of Oude have **> timur. A. T.
men threw off the institutes of humanity, and were
no longer capable of distinguishing the relative values
of precious stones, wares and commodities : they left
not a vestige remaining of palaces and cities; but
like ferocious and savage beasts, look up their dwell-
ing in the mountain caverns- Besides this, they
fought against each other, so that the multitudes of
the human race were reduced to a scanty remnant.
On this, Gilshdh 1 of exalted nature, in obedience to
a revelation from heaven, and to the command of the
ruler of the universe, became the sovereign of man-
kind : he restored the institutes of justice, and reas-
sembled the members of his family, who, during his
seclusion, had totally dispersed : on this account he
was styled Abu-l-Bashr, or " the Father of the hu-
man race," because with the exception of his family,
the great majority of the others having fallen in their
mutual contests, the survivors had adopted the pur-
suits and habitudes of demons and of wild beasts :
Kaiomors, or Gilshdh, with his sons, then proceeded
to give battle to the vile race, and disabled their
1 Gil-shah, " Earth-King, "also " the King formed of clay." According to
the Mojmil-al-Tavarikh (see Extracts from this work by Julius Mohl, Esq. ,
Journ. Asiat., February 1841, p. 146), he was so called, because he go-
verned the then not inhabited earth. Gil-shah is one of the names given
to the first man or King; in the Desa'tir (pp. 70, 131) he is called Gio-
mert, Gilshadeng; by others Kaiomars (see also Rauzat-us-Safa of Mirk-
hond, translated by D. Shea, p. 50). A. T.
50
hands from inflicting cruelly on the harmless ani-
mals : all that we find in Histories of Kaiomors, and
his sons fighting against demons, refers to this cir-
cumstance, and the systems of faith which sanction
the slaughter of animals were all invented by this
demon-like race. In short, the only true Ruler of
the world transmitted a celestial volume to Kaio-
mors, and also selected for the prophetic oifice
among his illustrious descendants, Siydmak, Hii-
shany, Tahmuras, Jems hid, Faridun, Minucheher,
Kai Khusro, Zaratusht, Azdr Sdsdn the first, and
Azdr Sdsdn the fifth, enjoining them to walk in con-
formity with the doctrines of Mahabad and Kaio-
mors 5 so that the celestial volumes which he be-
stowed on those happy princes, all their writings
and records were in perfect accord with the code of
Mdhdbdd : with the exception of Zaratusht, not one
of this race uttered a single word against the book
of Abad : and even Zaratiisht's words were, by the
glosses of the Yezddnidns, made to conform to the
Mdhdbddian code they therefore style Zaratusht,
" Waklishur-i-Simbari," or the parable-speaking
prophet.
The Gilshaian monarchs constitute four races ;
namely, the Peshdddian, Kaidnidn, Ashkdnidn, and
Sdsdnidn : the last of these kings is Yezdejird, the son
ofSheriar: the empire of these auspicious sovereigns
lasted six thousand and twenty-four years and five
31
months. ' During their existence, the world was
arrayed in beauty : Kaiomors,* Siyamak,* Htishatuj*
named the Peshdddidn, Tahmuras/ surnamed the
Enslaver of Demons, and Jemslud, 6 through celestial
1 This number differs considerably from the chronology of other Asia-
tics. Here follow the periods enumerated in the Epitome of the ancient
History of Persia, extracted and translated from the Jehan Ara, by
Sir Wil. Ouseley ( p. 71-74).
The Pcshdadian ruled ( the mean of 4 different data ) . . 2531 years.
Kaianian ( 4 ) . . 704
Ashkanian ( 11 ) . . 352
Sasanian ( 7 ) . . 500
TOTAL 4087 years.
As Yezdejird's reign terminated 651 or 653 years of our era, the begin-
ning of the Peshdadfan, according to the Dabistan, is placed 6024651
=5373 years before J. C. A. T.
a Adopting the just computed period of 4087 years between Yczdegird
and the 1st of the Pfehdadian, Kaiomars would have begun to reign 3436
years before Christ; according to the Shahnamah, it was 3529 years before
our era ; Sir W. Jones places him 890 years B. C. (see his Works, vol. XII,
Svoedit. p. 399).
3 Siyamak the son of Gilshah or Kaiomors, was killed in a battle agains t
the Divs.
ACCORDING TO FERDUSI : ACCORDING TO SIR W. JONES :
* Hushang began to reign 3499 years B. C. ; 865 years B. C.
r ' Tehmiiras 3469 ; 835
G Jemshid 3429 ; 800
Jemshid, also called Jermshar in the Desa'tir (pp. 88, 89), according to
Ferdusi the son of Tehmuras, according to the Zend-Avesta the son of
Vivergham, brother or son of Tahmuras. He, or rather his dynasty, ruled
700 years the Persian empire. He is believed to have been the first who
amongst the Persians regulated the solar year, the commencement of
which he fixed at the vernal equinox, about the 5th of April (see Zend-
Avesta, by Anquetil du Perron, vol. II, p. 82). He is also distinguished
revelations, Divine assistance, the instruction of
Almighty God, unerring prudence, and just views,
having followed in all things what we have recorded
concerning Mahabad and his illustrious children,
introduced the rules of Divine worship, the know-
ledge of God, virtuous deeds, purity of conduct,
modes of diet, clothing, the rites of marriage, the
observance of continence, with all kinds of science,
letters, books, professions, solemn festivals, ban-
quets, wind and stringed musical instruments, cities,
gardens, palaces, ornaments, arms, gradations of
office, the distinctions of the two sexes with respect
to exposure and privacy, the diffusion of equity, jus-
tice, and all that was praiseworthy.
After these, the Gilshaiyan ruled, through divine
inspiration and the communication of the Almighty
added to their intelligence, so that the greater part
of the splendor, pomp, and beauty we now behold
in the world is to be attributed to this happy race :
many however of the excellent institutions of this
happy dynasty have fallen into disuse and a few
only remain.
The following is the sum of the Sipdsidn creed :
from the commencement of Mdftdbdd's empire to the
by the epithet Sad-wakhshur, which signifies " hundred prophets;" to
him is ascribed the book Javedan Ehirad, " eternal intelligence," which
is said to have been translated into Greek, with other books, by order of
Alexander (see Desa'tir, English transl. pp. 79, 153, 163). A. T.
53
end of Yezdejird's reign, the great majority, nay all
the individuals of this chosen race, with the excep-
tion of Zokah, ' were models of equity, character-
ized by justice and piety, perfect in words and deeds.
In this holy family, some were prophets, all were
saints, righteous and God-fearing persons, with
realms and armies maintained in the highest order.
They also acknowledge the apostles and princes
prior to Gils hah, from Mdhdbdd to Ydsdn A jam, as so
eminently pious, that in no degree whatever did wick-
edness enter into their conversation or actions : nor
did they at any time deviate from the Paymdn-i-Far-
hang, or " Excellent Covenant," which is the code
of Mahabad, nor omit the performance of any duty;
they also held that the stars are exceedingly exalted,
and constitute the Kiblah 2 of the inhabitants of this
lower world.
1 Zohak, the son of a sister of Jemshid, usurped the throne of his uncle
and sovereign, according to Ferdusi, 2729 years B. C. ; according to Hel-
vicus, 2248; according to Jackson, 1964 ; but only 780 years B. C., accord-
ing to Sir W. Jones who, in general, fixes the ancient Persian reigns much
lower than other chronologers. Zohak is also called Pivar-asp, or Bivar-
asp, from the circumstance of his always keeping ten thousand Arabian
horses in his stables, for Bivar, says Ferdusi, from the Pehlevi, in counting
means in the Dari tongue, ten thousand (see Rauzat-us-safa, Translat.,
p. 123 ; and also Mojmel-al-Tavarikh). The empire which Zokah founded
is identified by some historians with the Assyrian monarchy of Semiramis,
or with a Semitic domination in general. It lasted, according to the
Orientals, 1000 years ; according to Ctesias, Diodorus Siculus, Justin and
Syncellus 13 or 1400, according to Herodotus only 520. years. A. T.
2 Kiblah signifies that part to which people direct their face in prayer,
3
34
In the lime of Ddwir Hdrydr (the author ofDarai
Sekander), who was of the Kaidnian race and a fol-
lower of the Yezdanian faith, some one said: " The
" prophets and faith are higher in dignity than the
sun." Dawir replied : " Where are now the forms
" and bodies of that description of men?'* On
which that person having stated the names of the ci-
ties and burial places of the prophets, Dawir rejoined:
" During their whole lifetime, the form of no pro-
" phet or saint ever emitted light, even the distance
" of one day's journey, and since they have been
" committed to the earth, not a single ray has been
" shed from their graves : and they are now so
' ' blended with the dust that not a trace of them is
" left!" The person then said : "the spirits of the
" prophets and saints are exceedingly resplendent."
Dawir retorted : " Behold what amount of light is
4 ' diffused by the solar globe ! whereas the bodies of
" your saints are destitute of splendor ; therefore
" rest assured that his spirit is more resplendent
" than theirs. Know besides, that the sun is the
" heart of the heavens : if he existed not, this world
' ' of formation and dissolution could not continue :
" he brings forth the seasons and the productive
" energies of nature ; moreover, the prophets were
'* not in the beginning, nor are they in existence
the temple of Mecca to the devout Muhammedans : in a general sense,
it means the object of our views or wishes. A. T.
, 35 '
'* now : but the world endures, the seasons rejoice,
* ' and the people are gladdened : this much how-
" ever may be conceded, that the prophets and
4 ' saints are more exalted than the remainder of the
** human race." On hearing this, that person was
silenced. Lastly, it is stated in the Akhtaristdn,
that the Sipasian tenets were, that the stars and
the heavens are the shadows of the incorporeal
effulgences ; on this account they erected the tem-
ples of the seven planets, and had talismans formed
of metal or stone, suitable to each star: all which
talismans were placed in their proper abode, under
a suitable aspect : they also set apart a portion
of time for their worship and handed down the
mode of serving them. When they performed the
rites to these holy statues, they burned before them
the suitable incense at the appointed season, and
held their power in high veneration. Their tem-
ples were called Paikaristan, or " image-temples,"
and Shidistdn,or" the abodes of the forms of the lu-
minous bodies."
DESCRIPTION OF THE WORSHIP RENDERED TO THE SEVEN
PLANETS ACCORDING TO THE SlPASIAN FAITH. It IS Stated
in the Akhtaristan, that the image of the regent
Saturn was cut out of black stone, in a human shape,
with an ape-like head ; his body like a man's, with
a hog's tail, and a crown on his head; in the right
36
hand a sieve ; in the left a serpent. His temple was
also of black stone, and his ofticiating ministers were
negroes, Abyssinians and persons of black com-
plexions : they wore blue garments, and on their
fingers rings of iron : they offered up storax and
such like perfumes, and generally dressed and offered
up pungent viands; they administered myrobalam,
also similar gums and drugs. Villagers and hus-
bandmen who had left their abodes, nobles, doc-
tors, anchorites, mathematicians, enchanters, sooth-
sayers and persons of that description lived in the
vicinity of this temple, where these sciences were
taught, and their maintenance allowed them : they
first paid adoration in the temple and afterwards
waited onthe king. All persons ranked among the
servants of the regent Saturn were presented to the
king through the medium of the chiefs and officers
of this temple, who were always selected from the
greatest families in Iran. The words Shat and Tim-
sar are appellations of honor, signifying dignity,
just as Sri in Hindi, and Hazrat in Arabic.
Theimage of the regent/formtudfJupiter) was of an
earthy color, in the shape of a man, with a vulture's '
face : on his head a crown , on which were the faces of
a cock and a dragon ; in the right hand a turban ; in
the left a crystal ewer. The ministers of this temple
1 The text has -o ', Herges, a bird, feeding on carcasses, and living
one hundred years. A. T.
37
were of a terrene hue, dressed in yellow and white ;
they wore rings of silver and signets of cornelian ;
the incense consisted of laurel-berries and such like ;
the viands prepared by them were sweet. Learned
men, judges, imans, eminent vizirs, distinguished
men, nobles, magistrates and scribes dwelt in the
street attached to this temple, where they devoted
themselves to their peculiar pursuits, but principally
giving themselves up to the science of theology.
The temple of the regent Bahram l (Mars) and his
image were of red stone : he was represented in a
human form, wearing on his head a red crown : his
right hand was of the same color and hanging down;
his left, yellow and raised up : in the right was a
blood-stained sword, and an iron verge in the left.
The ministers of this temple were dressed in red
garmenls ; his attendants were Turks with rings of
copper on their hands ; the fumigations made before
him consisted of sandaracha and such like ; the
viands used here were bitter. Princes, champions,
soldiers, military men, and Turks dwelt in his street.
Persons of this description, through the agency of
the directors of the temple, were admitted to the
king's presence. The bestowers of charity dwelt
in the vicinity of this temple ; capital punishments
were here inflicted, and the prison for criminals
was also in that street.
1 Bahram is also called Ifanishram (Desatir, Engl. transl. p. 79).
38
The image of the world-enlightening solar regent
was the largest of the idols ; his dome was built of
gold-plated bricks : the interior inlaid with rubies,
diamonds, cornelian and such like. The image of
the Great Light was formed of burnished gold, in
the likeness of a man with two heads, on each of
which was a precious crown set with rubies ; and
in each diadem were seven sdrun or peaks. He was
seated on a powerful steed ; his lace resembling that
of a man, but he had a dragon's tail ; in the right
hand a rod of gold, a collar of diamonds around his
neck. The ministers of this temple were dressed in
yellow robes of gold tissue, and a girdle set with
rubies, diamonds, and other solar stones : the fumi-
gations consisted of sandal wood and such like : they
generally served up acid viands. In his quarter
were the families of kings and emperors, chiefs,
men of might, nobles, chieftains, governors, rulers
of countries, and men of science : visitors of this
description were introduced to the king by the chiefs
of the temple.
The exterior of Wahid's 1 (Venus) temple was of
white marble and the interior of crystal : the form
of the idol was that of a red man, wearing a seven-
peaked crown on the head : in the right hand a flask
of oil, and in the left a comb: before him was burnt
saffron and such like ; his ministers were clad in
1 Nahid appears also under the name of Ferehengt'ram (ibid., p. 90).
39
white, iine robes, and wore pearl-studded crowns,
and diamond rings on their fingers. Men were not
permitted to enter this temple at night. Matrons
and their daughters performed the necessary offices
and service, except on the night of the king's going
there, as then no females approached, but men only
had access to it. Here the ministering attendants
served up rich viands. Ladies of the highest rank,
practising austerities, worshippers of God, belong-
ing to the place or who came from a distance, gold-
smiths, painters and musicians dwelt around this
temple, through the 'chiefs and directors of which
they were presented to the king : but the women
and ladies of rank were introduced to the queen by
the female directresses of the temple.
The dome and image of the regent Tir* (Mercury)
was of blue stone; his body that of a fish, with a
boar's face : one arm black, the other white ; on his
head a crown : he had a tail like that of a fish ; in
his right hand a pen, and in the left an inkhorn.
The substances burnt in this temple were gum mas-
tic and the like, tts ministers were clad in blue,
wearing on their fingers rings of gold. At their
feasts they served up acidulous viands. Vizirs, phi-
losophers, astrologers, physicians, farriers, account-
ants, revenue-collectors, ministers, secretaries, mer-
chants, architects, tailors, fine writers and such like,
3 Tir, also Temira'm (ibid., p. I02\ A. T.
40
were stationed there, and through the agency of the
directors of the temple, had access to the king : the
knowledge requisite for such sciences and pursuits
was also communicated there.
The temple of the regent Mah (the moon) was
of a green stone ; his image that of a man seated on
a white ox : on his head a diadem in the front of
which were three peaks : on the hands were brace-
lets, and a collar around the neck. In his right
hand an amulet of rubies, and in the left a branch
of sweet basil : his ministers were clad in green and
while, and wore rings of silver. The substances
burnt before this image were gum arabic and such
like drugs. His attendants served up salted viands.
Spies, ambassadors, couriers, news-reporters, voy-
agers, and the generality of travellers, and such like
persons resided in his street, and were presented to
the king through the directors of the temple. Be-
sides the peculiar ministers and attendants, there
were attached to each temple several royal commis-
sioners and officers, engaged in the execution of the
king's orders; and in such matters as were con-
nected with the image in that temple. In the Khu-
ristar or " refectory of each temple," the board was
spread the whole day with various kinds of viands
and beverages always ready. No one was repulsed,
so that whoever chose partook of them. In like
manner, in the quarter adjacent to each temple, was
41
an hospital, where the sick under the idol's protec-
tion were attended by the physician of that hospi-
tal. Thus there were also places provided for tra-
vellers, who on their arrival in the city repaired to
the quarter appropriated to the temple to which
they belonged. l
It is to be observed, that although the planets are
simple bodies of a spherical form, yet the reason
why the above-mentioned images have been thus
formed, is that the planetary spirits have appeared
in the world of imagination to certain prophets,
saints, and holy sages under such forms; and under
which they are also connected with certain influ-
ences ; and as they have appeared under forms dif-
ferent from these to other persons, their images
have also been made after that fashion.
1 It was from time immemorial to our days the practice of the Asiatics
to refer the common affairs of life to the stars, to which they attribute a
constant and powerful influence over the nether world. Thus Hnmaiun the
son of Baber, emperor of India (see the History of Ferishta, translated by
general John Briggs, vol. II, p. 71) " caused seven halls of audience to be
" built, in which he received persons according to their rank. The first,
*' called the palace of the Moon, was set apart for ambassadors, messen-
'' gers and travellers. In the second, called the palace of Vtarid (Venus),
" civil officers, and persons of that description, were received ; and there
" were five other palaces for the remaining five planets. In each of these
" buildings he gave public audience, according to the planet of the day.
" The furniture and paintings of each, as also the dresses of the house-
" hold attendants, bore some symbol emblematical of the planet. In
" each of these palaces he transacted business one day in the week."
-A.T
42
When the great king, his nobles, retinue and the
other Yezdanian went to the temple of Saturn, they
were arrayed in robes of blue and black hues ; ex-
pressed themselves with humility, moving with a
slow pace, their hands folded on the breast. In the
temple of Hormuzd (Jupiter), they were dressed in
his colors, as learned men and judges. In that of
Baliram (Mars) they were clad in the robes peculiar
to him, and expressed themselves in an arrogant
manner but in the temple of the Sun, in language
suitable to kings and holy persons ; in that of Yenus,
they appeared cheerful and smiling ; in the temple
of Mercury they spoke after the manner of sages and
orators ; and in the moon's, like young children and
inferior officers.
In every private house there were besides images
of the stars, a minute description of which is given
in the Akhtaristan. They had also, in every tem-
ple, the spherical or true forms of the several
planets.
There was a city called the royal abode or sardi,
lacing which were seven temples. On each day of
the week, in the dress appropriated to each planet,
the king exhibited himself from an elevated tabsar
or window, fronting the temple of the planet, whilst
the people, in due order and arrangement, offered
up their prayers. For example, on Sunday or
Yakshambalt, he shewed himself clad in a yellow
kaba or tunic of gold tissue, wearing a crown of the
same metal, set with rubies and diamonds, covered
with many ornaments of gold from the tabsar, the
circumference of which was embossed with similar
stones : under this window, the several ranks of the
military were drawn out in due gradation, until the
last line took post in the kashudzdr or ample aren,
in which were posted soldiers of the lowest order.
When the king issued forth, like the sun, from the
orient of the tabsar, all the people prostrated them -
selves in adoration, and the monarch devoted him-
self to the concerns of mankind. The Tdbsdr is a
place of observation in a lofty pavilion, which the
princes of Hindustan call ajahrokah or lattice win-
dow : on the other days, the king appeared with simi-
lar brilliancy from the other Tabsars. In like man-
ner the king, on their great festivals, went in choice
garments to the temples of the several images : and
on his return seated himself in the Tabsar, facing the
image of the planet, or, having gone to the Rozis-
tdn or Dddistdn, devoted himself to the affairs of
state. This Rozistan was a place which had no
tabsar, where the king seated himself on the throne,
his ministers standing around in due gradation.
The Dddistdn was the hall of justice, where, when
the king was seated, no one was prevented from
having access to him : so that the king first came to
the Tabsar, then to the rdzislan, and lastly to the
Dadistan. Also on whatever day a planet moved
out of one celestial house to another, and on all great
festival days, the king went to the temple appro-
priate to the occasion. Each of the planetary forms
had also its peculiar Tabsar, in the same manner as
we have before stated concerning the royal Tabsar ;
and on a happy day, or festival, they brought the
image to its Tabsar , The king went first and offered
up prayer, standing in the Tabsar of the image, the
nobles placed around according to their gradations,
whilst the people were assembled in great multitudes
in the Kashudzdr, offering up prayers to the planet.
According to what is stated in the Timsdr Da-
sdtir, 1 that is, in the " Venerable Desatir," the Al-
mighty Creator has so formed the celestial bodies,
that from their motions there result certain effects
in this lower world, and, without doubt, all events
here depend on the movements of these elevated
bodies ; so that every star has relation to some event,
and every mansion possesses its peculiar nature :
nay, every degree of each sign is endued with a dis-
tinct influence : therefore the prophets of the Lord,
in conformity to his orders, and by great experience,
1 Gladwin has ^yU^ kt** > timar Vasatir, the manuscript of Oude
jju.v~O il^y, tima'r dasya'tir, the edition of Calcutta j-A-O J^VJ'j
ti'msa'r dasatir, which is the right reading, as the word " timsar" is ex-
plained in the index of obsolete or little known terms by these words :
Jax) dsjJo, " a word expressing respect." - A. T.
have ascertained the properties inherent in the de-
grees of each celestial mansion , and the influences
of the stars. It is certain that whenever the agent
does not agree with the passive, the result of the
affair will not be fortunate ; consequently, when the
prophets and sages desired that the agency of the
planet should be manifested advantageously in the
world, they carefully noted the moment of the star's
entering the degree most suitable to the desired
event : and also to have at a distance from that point,
whatever stars were unfavorable to the issue. When
all had been thus arranged, whatever was connected
with the productive cause was then completed : they
then bring together whatever is connected with caus-
ation in the lower world : thus all the viands, per-
fumes, colors, forms, and all things relating to the
star, being associated, they enter on the undertaking
with firm faith and sure reliance : and whereas the
spirits possess complete influence over the events
which occur in the lower world, when therefore the
celestial, terrestrial, corporeal and spiritual causes
are all united, the business is then accomplished.
But whosoever desires to be master of these powers,
must be well skilled in metaphysics ; in the secrets
of nature; and having his mind well stored with the
knowledge of the planetary influences, and ren-
dered intelligent by much experience. As the union
of such qualifications is rarely or never found, the
46
trulh of this science is consequently hidden from
men. The Abadidn moreover say, that the prophets
of the early faith, or the kings of Farsistdn and the
Yezddnidn, held the stars to be the Kiblah of prayer,
and always paid them adoration, especially when a
star was in its own house or in its ascendant, free
from evil aspects ; they then collected whatever bore
relation to that planet, and engaged in worship,
seating themselves in a suitable place, and suffering
no one to come near them : they practised austeri-
ties ; and on the completion of their undertaking, ex-
hibited kindness to the animal creation.
In the year 1061 of the Hegira (A. D. 1651) the
author, then in Sikakul of Kalany, ' was attacked
by a disease which no application could alleviate.
An astrologer pronounced, that " the cause of this
'* malady arises from the overpowering force of
the regent Mars;" on which, several distinguished
Brahmins assembled on the fourth of Zikadah (the
9th October) the same year, and having set out the
image of Bahrain and collected the suitable per-
fumes, with all other things fit for the operation,
employed themselves in reading prayers and re-
citing names ; at last, their chief, taking up with
great reverence the image of Mars, thus entreated:
1 Cicacole, a town in the northern districts of the Coromandel coast,
anciently named Kalinga, the ancient capital of an extensive district of
the same name, lat. 18 21' N., long. 83 37 'E. A. T.
47
" O illustrious angel and celestial leader! moderate
'* thy heat, and be not wrathful : but be merciful lo
" such a one" (pointing to me). He then plunged the
image into perfumed water ; immediately on the
immersion of the image, the pain was removed.
In front of each temple was a large fire-temple,
so that there were seven in all : namely, the Kaiwan-
dzar, Hormuz-dzar, Bahrdm-dzar, Hdr-dzar, JNahid-
dzar, Tir-dzar, and Mdh-dzar, so that each fire-
temple was dedicated to one of the seven planets, and
in these they burnt the proper perfumes. They
assert that, during the flourishing empire of the early
monarchs, several sacred structures, such as those
of the Kabah and the holy temple of Mecca ; ! Jeru-
salem ; the burial-place of Muhammed ; the asylum
of prophecy, in Medina; the place of repose of
Ah', 2 the prince of the faithful in Najf ; the sepul-
chre of Imam Husain in Kerbela ; 3 the tomb of Imam
1 The Muhatnmedans distinguish particularly two temples, or mosques :
the first, the principal object of their veneration, is the Masjed al Haram,
or " the Sacred mosque," that is to say, the temple of Mecca, where is
also the Kdbah, or " the Square-edifice," built, as they say, by Abraham
and his son Ismael. The second of the temples is the Masjed al Nabi,
" the mosque of the Prophet," who preached and is buried in it.
(Berbelot.)A.. T.
2 AH, the son of Abu Taleb, the cousin and son in law of Muhammed.
Ali was assassinated in the mosque of Kufa, and buried near this town,
in the province of Irak, the Babylonian, on the right bank of the Eu-
phrates. A. T.
3 Kerbela is a district of Irak, the Babylonian, or of Chaldaea, not far
48
Musa 4 in Baghdad ; ' the mausoleum of Imam Reza
in Sanabad of Tiis; and the sanctuary of Ali in
Balkh, 7 were all in former times idol and fire-tem-
ples. They say .that Mahabad after having built a
fire temple, called Hqftsur or seven ramparts, in Is-
takhar of Persia, 8 erected a house to which he gave
the name of Abdd, and which is at present called the
Kdbah: and which the inhabitants of that country
werecommanded to hold in reverence : among the
images of the Kdbah was one of the moon, exceed-
ingly beautiful, wherefore the temple was called
Mdhydh (Moon's place) which the Arabs generally
changed into Mekka. They also say that among the
images and statues left in the Kabah by Mahabad and
from Kufa, and west of the town called Kaser Ben Hobeirah It is famous
on account of the death and sepulchre of Hossain, the son of Ali, who
was killed there, fighting against the troops of Yezid, son of M on via, who
disputed the khalifat with him.- A. T.
4 Musa was the seventh of the twelve Imams whom the Shiites revere.
He was born in the year of the Hegira 128 (745 A. D. ), and died in 183
(799 A. D.).-A. T.
5 Baghdad, a town in the province Irak Arabi.
6 The Imam Reza was the eighth Imam of the race of Ali ; he was called
Ali Ben Mussa al Kadhem, before he received the title Reza or Redha (one
n whom God is pleased ) from the Khalif Almamum, when the latter
appointed him his successor, but survived the Imam, who died A. D. 818.
-A.T.
7 Balkh, a town in Khorasan, situated towards the head of the river
Oxus, in lat. N. 36 28'; long. 65 16'.
* Persepolis, in Persia proper.
49
his renowned successors, one is the black stone, '
the emblem of Saturn. They also say that the pro-
phet of Arabia worshipped the seven planets, and
he therefore left undisturbed the black stone or Sa-
turn's emblem, which had remained since the time
of the Abadian dynasty ; but that he broke or car-
ried away the other figures introduced by the Ko-
reish, and which were not formed according to the
images of the stars. In most of the ancient temples
of Persia they had formed the symbol of Venus in
the figure of a Mihrab, or arch, like the altar of the
mosques : consequently the present Mihrab, or altar,
is that identical symbol : which assertion is also
proved by the respect paid to Friday or the day of
Venus.
Ibrahim (Abraham), the friend of God, pursued
the same conduct; that is, he rejected the idols
1 For the black stone, consult Dart's Antiquities of Westminster,
vol. II, p. 12; Matthew of Westminster, p. 430. D. S.
Stones, especially when distinguished by some particular form* or
colour,, were in the most ancient times venerated as the only then pos-
sible monuments, consecrated to some respected person, or to some Di-
vinity. Thus the ancient Arabians venerated a square stone as sacred
(see Selden de Dls Syris, p. 291, 292). It is known that the Muhamme-
dans bestow a particular veneration upon a black stone, which is attached
to the gate of their mosque at Mecca (Herbelot, Bibl. orient, sub voce).
It is evident that the followers of Muhammed, who is the prophet of a
comparatively recent religion, appropriated to themselves more than one
object and place of the most ancient veneration by merely changing its
name, and attaching to it a legend in accordance to their own belief.
-A. T.
50
which were not of ihe planetary forms : and the
reverence paid by him to the black stone, according
to ancient tradition, seems to prove that point.
Isfendiar , the son of king Gushlasp ' conformed also
to this practice ; nay Socrates the Sage, in like man-
ner, forbad the people to worship any other forms
except those of the planets, and commanded the
statues of the kings to be removed. Moreover, the
holy temple of Jerusalem, or Kundizh-huhkt* was
erected by Zohak, and Faridun 2 kindled in it the
holy fire. But long before Zohak's time, there were
several idol and fire temples in that place. In the
same manner, they say, that when Faridoon turned
his attention to the overthrow of Zohak, during his
journey his brethren having hurled a rock at him,
this revered prince, who was skilled and mighty in
1 According to Ferdusi in his Shah-namah, Gushtasp (Darius, son of
Hystaspcs, 519 B.C.) was induced by Zcrdusht to adopt a reformed doc-
trine which prescribed the adoration of fire, and was probably a purer
sort of Sabaeism, as practised by the most enlightened magi of very an-
cient times. Isfendiar, Gushtasp's son, a zealous promoter of this reli-
gion, erected fire-temples in all parts of his empire ( see also Rauzat-us-
safa, Shea's transl., p. 285). A. T.
* The Persian text of Gladwin reads: v.xCJLS' " Gangdezh."
2 Faridun, the son of Abtin, restored the power of the Pe'shdadian
according to Ferdusi, 1729 years B. C.; according to Sir W. Jones and
other chronologers, 750 years before our era. Faridun, or rather his
dynasty, reigned 500 years; according to the Boundehesh and theMujmel-
ul-tavarikh during the 500 years of Feridun, twelve generations inter-
vened between Faridun, and Manutcheher, his grandson. A. T,
51
all the extraordinary sciences, manifested a won-
derous deed : he prayed to the Almighty that it
might remain suspended in the air, so that the stone
even to this day is known as Kuds KhaliL They
also say that in Medina, ' the burial place of the pro-
phet, there was formerly an image of the moon : the
temple in which it was, they called Mahdinah, or the
" Moon of Religion," as religion is the moon of
truth, from which the Arabs formed Medinah.
They in like manner relate, that in the most noble
Najf, where now is the shrine of Ali, the prince of
the faithful, there was formerly a fire-temple called
Faroyh pirdi (the decoration of splendor), and also
"Nakqf,"oTNa akaft(uo injury),whichis at present
denominated Najf. Also at Karbald, the place where
the Imam Husain reposes, there was formerly a fire-
temple called Mahydrsur Urn* and Kar bala (sublime
agency), at present called Karbela.
Also in Baghdad, where the Imam Musa reposes,
was a fire-temple called Shet Pirdyi (decoration): and
in the place where rest the remains of the great
Jmam Abu Hanifah, of Kufah, was a temple called
Huryar (sun's friend) : also in Kufah, on the site of the
1 Medina signifies a town in general, but in particular that of Jatreb,
in Arabia, in the province of Hajiaz, to which town Muhammed fled
when obliged to abandon Mecca, on the 16th July, 622 of our era, which
is the first year of the Hejira, " flight." A. T.
* The text of Gladwin reads. Jic. \j~\\Jiut " Mahlarsu'z Urn"
52
mosque, was a fire-temple called Roz-Azar (the day
of fire) : and in the region of Tiis, on the site oflmam
Resa's shrine, was a fire-temple called Azar Khirad
(the fire of intellect) it was also known by many
other appellations, and owes its erection to Fari-
diin. Also when Tus, the son of Ndzar, 1 came to
visit Azar-i- Khirad, he laid near it the foundation of a
city which was called after his name. 2 In Balkh,
where is now the sanctuary of the Imam, formerly
stood a temple called Mahin Azar (great fire), now
known under the name of Nobahdr. In Ardebil, 3
the ancient Dizh-i-Bahman* (Rahman's fort), Kai
Khosrii, on reducing the citadel, constructed there
a fire- temple called Azari-Kdus, 5 which now serves
as the burial place of the shaikh Sufi Ud-Din, the
ancestor of the Safavean princes : 6 they also assert
1 Nazar is the eighth king of the Pe"shdadian, placed by Ferdusi 1109
years B. C. ; by the modern chronologcrs 715-708 B. C. He had two
sons, Tiis and Gustaham.
2 The foundation of the town Tus, in Khorasan, is also attributed to
Jemshid.
3 Ardebil, a town in the province called Azerbijan, which is a part of
the ancient Media.
4 Bahman, son of Isfendiar.
5 Kaus, the second king of the Kaian dynasty, whose reign began,
according to Ferdusi, 955 years B. C. ; he is supposed by western histo-
rians, to be Darius, the Mede, of the Greeks, and placed by them 600,
634-594 years B. C. A. T.
6 The Safavean dynasty began in 1499 A. D. by Shah-Ismail, who
derives his origin from Musa, already mentioned as the seventh imam of
the Muselmans. All his ancestors were considered as pious men and
55
that there were fire-temples in several parts of In-
dia : as in Dwaraka, ' was the temple of Saturn,
called Dizh-i-Kaiv an ( Saturn's fort), which the Hin-
doos turned into Dwaraka: and in Gya also was an
idol temple, called Gah-i-Kaivan, or " Saturn's resi-
dence," which was turned into Gya. * In Mahtra
also was an idol temple of Saturn, the name of
which was Mahetar, that is the chiefs or mahetar
resorted thither; which word hy degrees became
Mahtra. ** In like manner several places among
some as saints. The first of this family who gained a great reputation
was Shaik Sufi Ud-din, from whom this dynasty takes the name of Sufa-
viah. His son was Sudder Ud-din. The monarchs of that time used to
visit his cell. Timur asked him what favour he could bestow on him.
The saint answered: " Set free all the prisoners whom thou hast brought
" from Turkey." The conqueror granted this request, and the grateful
tribes declared themselves the disciples of the man to whom they owed
their liberty. Their children preserved the sacred obligation of their
ancestors, and placed the son of the pious Eremite upon the throne of
Persia. (Malcolm's Hist, of Persia. ) A. T.
1 Dwaraka, an ancient town, built by Krichna, destroyed by a revolu-
tion of nature ; actually exists a town and celebrated temple of that name,
in the province of Guzrat, situated at the S. W. extremity of the penin-
sula, lat. 22 21' N. ; long. 69 15' E.
* The true name is Ga'ya, a town in the province of Bahar, 53 miles
south from Patna, lat. 24 49' N. ; long. 85 5' E. It is one of the holy
places of the Hindus, to which pilgrimages are performed. It was made
holy by the benediction of Vichnu, who granted its sanctity to the piety
of Gaya the Rajarchi ; or according to another legend, to Gaya, the Asura,
who was overwhelmed here by the deities, with rocks. This place is also
considered by some Hindus either as the birthplace or as the residence
of Buddha, from which circumstance it is usually termed Buddha-Gaya
(Hamilt. E. I. Gazetteer. Wilson's Diet, sub voce). A. T.
"* Mathura, a town in the province of Agra, situated on the east side of
54
the Christians and other nations bore names which
show them to have been idol-temples. When the
Abadian come to such places, they visit them with
the accustomed reverence, as, according to them
holy places are never liable to abomination or pol-
lution, as they still remain places of worship and
adoration : both friends and foes regarding them as
a Kiblah, and sinners, notwithstanding all their
perverseness, pray in those sacred edifices. Rai
Gopi Nath ' thus expresses himself:
Shaikh ! behold the dignity of my idol-house ;
Even when destroyed, it remains the house of God!
There is not on record a single word repugnant
to reason from the time of Mahabad to that of Yasan
Ajam ; and if they have recourse to allegory, they
then express its figurative nature. From these
princes to the Gilshaiyan there are many figurative
expressions, all of which they interpret. For ex-
ample, they say that the tradition of Siamak being
slain by the hand of a demon implies, that in suc-
cessive battles, through ignorance of himself and
God, he unwittingly destroyed this elementary body ;
thus, wherever, in the language of this sect, mention
the Jumna, 30 miles N. E. by N. from the city of Agra, lat. 27 32';
long. 77 37 'E. This place is much celebrated and venerated by the
Hindus, as the scene of the birth and early adventures of Krichna ( Ha-
milt. Gazet.). A. T.
1 This is an entirely Indian name : Gopinath, " the lord of the cow-
" herds' wives," a name of Krichna. A. T.
55
is made of a demon, they always understand a man
of that description, as has been explained in the
Paiman-i-ferhancf, or * * Excellent Code. " They also
maintain that, in some passages, the rendering the
demons obedient, and slaying them, is a figurative
mode of expressing a victory gained over the plea-
sures of sense, and the extirpation of evil propensi-
ties : in like manner, whatever is related about the
appearance of angels to virtuous and holy persons,
is the revelation and vision of good spirits, whilst in
a state of sleep, transport, recovery from excess, or
abstraction from the body ; which states are truly
explained in this work. They say that Zohak's two
serpents, do-mar, and ten fires (vices) or deh ak,
imply irascibility and sensuality: the devil, his car-
nal soul, and in some places his disposition the
two pieces of flesh which broke out on Zohak's
shoulders in consequence of his evil deeds, appeared
to the human race like serpents, the pain caused by
which could only be alleviated by the application of
human brains. They also say that the celebrated
Simuryh 1 (griflin) was a sage, who had retired from
the world and taken up his peaceful abode in the
1 According to oriental Romance, the Si-murgh, or Enka, is endowed
\vith reason. He acts a considerable part in the Shah-namah, as tutor
to Zal, the father of Rustam. In the Kaherman Namah, this bird in a
conversation with Kaherman, the hero, states that it has existed during
many revolutions of ages and beings prior to the creation of Adam. It
is called Si-murgh, as being equal in magnitude to thirty birds. A. T.
56
mountains : he was therefore called by this name,
and. was the instructor of Dastan, the son of Sam ;
so that Zal, through his instruction, attained the
knowledge of the occult sciences. As to the current
tradition about Kai-Kaus attempting to ascend to
Heaven, and his downfall, this occurred, according
to them, during his sleep, and not when he was
awake. Kai Nishin, his brother, who had retired
from all intercourse with mankind, thus interprets
the adventure of Kaus : " The four eagles are the
" four elements; the throne, the predominating
" passions; the lance, their energy and impetuosity
" in the desire of sensual gratifications; the thighs
"of flesh, their various pursuits of anger, passion,
' ' lust, and envy ; their ascent implies that they may
" be subdued by religious austerities, and by the aid
' ' of their energy be made the means of ascending
" to the world on high and the supreme Heaven ;
" their fall, instead of reaching Heaven's eternal
" mansions, intimates that if, even for a short pe-
" riod, we become careless about repressing evil
' ' propensities, and desist from the practice of mor-
" tification, the passions will return back to their
" nature, or wander from the eternal paradise, the
" natural abode of souls:" the hemistich, " during
" one moment I was heedless, and he was removed
"from me a journey of a hundred years " is applic-
able to such a state.
57
I ! us t ;un 's ' bringing back Kai Kaus lo his throne
from the forest into which he had fallen, means, his
bringing back intelligence into the king's soul, and
turning him back from the desert (lit. meadow), of
natural infirmity : Kai Kaus therefore, by direction
of Kai Nishin, his younger brother, but his elder
in purity of faith and good works, remained forty
days in retirement, until in the state of sleep,
through the awakening of his heart, he beheld this
heavenly vision. They also assert, whatever mo-
dern writers have declared, relative to Khizr 2 and
Iskander, having penetrated into the regions of dark-
ness, where the former discovered the fountain of
life immortal, means, that the Iskander, or the intel-
lectual soul, through the energy of the Khizr, or
1 Rustam appears to be a personification of the heroic times of the
Persians, the Medes and the Scythes. He was born under the reign of
Manucheher, after the year 1299 B. C., and died under that of Gustasp,
after the year 625 before our era ; his existence comprises therefore 604
years. He was the lord of Sejestan, and extended his domination over
Zabulistan and Kabul ; but the circle of his actions comprehends a great
part of Asia between the Indus, the Indian and the Caspian seas.
2 Khizar is confounded by many with the prophet Elias, who is sup-
posed to dwell in the Terrestrial Paradise, in the enjoyment of immor-
tality. According to Eastern traditions, Khizr was the companion, vizir
or general of the ancient monarch, named Zu-al-Kurnain, or " the Two-
horned;" a title which was also assumed by Alexander the Great. Accord-
ing to the Tarikh Muntakhab, this prophet was Abraham's nephew, and
served as guide to Moses and the children of Israel, in their passage of the
Red sea and the desert. The same author tells us, that Khizr lived in
the time of Kai Kobad, at which time he discovered the fountain of life.
(Herbelot). A. T.
58
reason, discovered, whilst in the stale of human
darkness, the water of life, or the knowledge of the
rational sciences, or the science which forms the
proper object of intellect as to what they say about
Iskander's returning back empty-handed, by that is
meant, that to expect eternal duration in this eva-
nescent abode being altogether absurd, he conse-
quently could not attain that object, and therefore
departed to the next world. What they record
about Khizr 's drinking of that water, means, that
the perfection of intellect exists not through the
medium of body, and that reason has no need of
body, or any thing corporeal, either as essence or
attribute.
In some passages they interpret the tradition after
this manner ; by Khizr is meant the intellectual
soul, or rational faculty, and by Iskander the animal
soul, or natural instinct; the Khizr of the intellec-
tual soul, associated with the Iskander of the animal
soul, and the host (of perceptions) arrived at the
fountain-head of understanding, and obtained im-
mortality, whilst the Iskander of the animal soul re-
turned back empty-handed. ' It must be remarked,
1 Ferdusi in his Shah-namah narrates that: Secander was in search of
the water of life, accompanied by Khizr. The prophet attained his pur-
pose, but the king lost his way in the dark. The troops of the latter
followed a mare running after her foal, until they found themselves in a
place full of pebbles sounding beneath their feet, and heard a voice
from heaven, saying: " Take, or leave, the stones; sorrow of the heart
59
lhat this sect explain after this manner, whatever
transgresses the rules of probability, or cannot be
weighed in the balance of comprehension ; in short,
all that is contrary to reason. They also say purifi-
cation is of two kinds ; the amiyhi or true, and the
ashkari or apparent : the first consists in not defil-
ing the heart with any thing ; in not attaching it
to the concerns of this treacherous world, emanci-
pating it from all ties and prejudice, maintaining
no connection with any object whatever, and wash-
ing away all bias from the soul. The Ashkari, or
apparent, consists in removing to a distance what-
ever appears unclean ; consequently this purifica-
tion is effected with water which has undergone no
change of color, smell, or taste: that is, which is
free from bad color, smell, or taste; if otherwise,
rose-water and suchlike are more to be commended.
Ablution requires a kur, or a measure of lustral
water ; that is, according to them, the measure for a
man, is that quantity into which he can immerge his
head ; for an elephant, a quantity proportioned to
his bulk ; and for a gnat, a single drop of water.
They reckon it meritorious to recite the prayers and
texts of the Shat Dasdlir, relative to the unity of the
" awaits you in any case." And so it happened. At day-break, the
stones picked up were found to be precious rubies ; all were grieved : the
one for not having taken more, the others for not having taken any, of
them. A. T.
60
self-existent Creator, the great dignity of intelligence
and souls, with the pains of the superior and infe-
rior bodies ; after which they repeat the benedictions
of the seven planets, particularly on their days, and
offer up the appropriate incense. The worshipper
after this recites the praises of the guardian of the
month, and those of the days of the month ; for ex-
ample, if it be the month of Farvardin, l the believer
repeats benedictions on that angel, and then on each
of the regents of the days of that month : particu-
larly the regent of that day called by the same name
as the month : which day is also regarded as a festi-
val. 2 For instance, in the month of Farvardin, he
utters benedictions on the angel Farvardin, who is
one of the cherubim on whom that month is depen-
dent ; if it be the first day of the month, called the
1 Farvardin presides over the 19th day of the month, and over the first
month of the year (Zend-Avesta, by Anquetil du Perron, II, p. 320-337).
Hyde (p. 239) says: the first month, March, in theJelali-year(or the new
Persian era of Jelaluddin) which first month was July in the old year, is
called Farvardin, and he endeavours to derive this word from the mo-
dern Persian. Anquetil du Perron (I, l re part. p. 493) rejects Hyde's
etymology, and says that Farvardin signifies in Zend " the Fervers (the
souls) of the law." Hyde himself seems to enter into this sense, in saying
(p. 240) : " Iste Angelus (Farvardin ) creditur praeesse Animabus quae in
Paradiso" (this angel is believed to preside over the souls who are in
Paradise). A. T.
2 The Calcutta manuscript, translated by Gladwin, differs in this pas-
sage from the printed copy of Calcutta, 1224 of the Hejirah, A.D. 1809,
and also from two excellent manuscripts : the Calcutta copy has been
followed. -D. S.
61
day of Hormuz (the angel who superintends the first
day of the month), the believers address their bene-
dictions to Hormuz; and act in a similar manner on
the other months and their respective days. Accord-
ing to them, the names of the months are called after
the names of their lords ; and the appellations of the
days are according to the names of their respective
regents : consequently, as we have said, the believer
adores the lord of the month, and on festivals, pays
adoration to the angel who is the lord of the month
and the day. 1 According to the Abadian, although
1 The most ancient year of the Persians (Hyde, p. 188, 189) appears to
have been vague or erratic, its commencement varying through all the
different seasons, or at least soon gave room to the vague Persian-
Median civil year, to which was joined afterwards the fixed ecclesiastic
year of Jemshed. Both these years lasted to the time of Yezdejerd,
who made some considerable changes in the Persian calendar. This
king being killed, after an interval of time, the fixed solar year, beginning
in the middle of " pisces," was introduced into Persia. The names of
the ancient months and days appear to have come from the Medes, with
their denomination, to the Persians ; and even those invented by Yezde-
jerd were of Median origin. Here follows the order of months called Jelali
(Hyde, p. 180).
I. Farvardin March. VII. Miher September.
II. Ardibehist April. VIII. Aban October.
III. Khordad May. IX. Azar November.
IV. Tir June. X. Dai December.
V. Mardad (Amardad. XI. Bahman January.
Anquetildu Perron) July. XII Isfandarmend. February.
VI. Shahrlvar August.
The old Persian month was not divided into weeks, but every day had
its particular name from the angel who presided over that day. Here
follows the order of their names, according to Olugh Beigh (Hyde, p. 190) :
ill a month, the name of the month and of the day
be the same, this coincidence makes not that day
dependant on the month, but on the regent who
bears the same name with him, consequently it is
necessary to celebrate a festival. In the same man-
ner, on the other days of every month, salutations
are paid every morning to the regent of the day : also
during the Sudbar, or the intercalary days, they
offer up praises to their angels. They also regard
the angels of the days as the ministers to the angels
of the months, all of whom are subject to the ma-
jesty of the Great Light in like manner the other
stars (planets) have also angels dependent on them :
they also believe that the angels dependent on each
/
I. Hormuzd. XI. Khur. XXI. Ram.
II. Bahman. XII. Mah. XXII. Bad.
III. Ardibehist. XIII. Tir. XXIII. Daibadin.
IV. Shahrivar. XI V. Jiish or Gush . XXIV. Din.
V. Isfandarmend. XV. Daibamiher. XXV. Ird, or Ard.
VI. Khurdad. XVI. Miher. XXVI. Ashtad.
VII. Murdad. XVII. Sunish. XXVII. Asaman.
VIII. DaJbader. XVIII. Resh. XXVIII. Zamlad.
IX. Azur. XIX. Farvardin. XXIX. Marasfand.
X. Aban. XX. Bahrain. XXX. Aniran.
The names of the five additional days were as follows:
I. Ahnud-jah.
II. Ashnud-jah.
III. Isfandamaz-jah.
IV. Akhshater-jah.
V. Vahashtusht-jah.
Room is wanted for entering into further developments of this exten-
sive subject. A. T. -
63
star (planet) are beyond all number : and finally, that
the angelic host belonging to the solar majesty are
reckoned the highest order. Besides, on the period
at which any of the seven planets passes from one
zodiacal mansion to another, they make an enter-
tainment on the first day, which they regard as a
festival, and call it Shadbar* or "replete with joy."
Every month also, on the completion of the lunar
revolution, on ascertaining its reappearance from
astronomical calculation, they make great rejoic-
ings on the first day : there is in like manner a great
festival when any star has completed its revolution,
which day they call Dddram, 1 or " banquet deck-
ing." Thus, although there is a festival every day
of the week in some idol-temple or other, as has
been before stated, relative to the day of Nahid, or
Friday, in the temple of this idol : yet on the day of
the Sun, or Yakshambah (the first day of the week),
there was a solemn festival at which all the people
assembled. In like manner they made a feast when-
ever a star returned to its mansion or was in its
zenith.
* The text of Glachvin has j.^ which has the same meaning.
- A. T.
1 The text of Gladwin has \\ Ora'm. The name is properly Ura-
man, a peculiar manner of chanting or reading Pahlavi poetry, which
derives its name from a village in the dependencies of Kushgun, where
its inventor lived. D. S.
64
They believe it wrong to hold any faith or reli-
gious system in abhorrence, as according to them,
we may draw near to God in every faith : also that
no faith has been abolished by divine authority
they hold that, on this account, there have been so
many prophets,in order to shew the various ways
which lead to God. Those who carefully investi-
gate well know, that the ways which lead to heaven
are many ; nay more than come within the compass
of numbers. It is well understood, that access to a
great sovereign is more easily attained through the
aid of his numerous ministers ; although one of the
prince's commanders be on bad terms with his con-
fidential advisers, or even should all the chiefs not
co-operate with each other ; yet they can promote
the interest of their inferiors : therefore it is not
proper to say that we can get to the God of all exist-
ence by one road only. But the insurmountable
barrier in the road of approaching God is the slaugh-
ter of the Zindibar, that is, those animals which
inflict no injury on any person, and slay not other
living creatures, such as the cow, the sheep, the
camel, and the horse : there is assuredly no salva-
tion to the author of cruelty towards such, nor can
he obtain final deliverance by austerities or devo-
tions of any description. Should we even behold
many miraculous works performed by the slayer of
harmless animals, we are not even then to regard
65
him as one redeemed ; the works witnessed in him
are only the reward of his devotions, and the result
of his perseverance in the practice of religious aus-
terities in this world : and as he commits evil, he
cannot be perfect in his devout exercises, so that
nothing but suffering can await him in another
generation (when born again) : such an instance of
an ascetic endued with miraculous powers is likened
in the Shat Dasatir 1 to a vase externally covered
with choice perfumes, but filled internally with im-
purities. They also maintain that in no system of
faith is cruelty to innoxious animals sanctioned : and
all human sanction for such acts proceeds from their
attending to the apparent import of words, without
having recourse to profound or earnest considera-
tion for example, by putting a horse or cow to
death is meant, the removal or banishing from one's
1 Gladwin and Shea read Wasatir, but I cannot forbear from thinking,
the right reading is dasatir ; the j and the 3 being easily confounded with
each other. The simile above quoted is not to be found in the Bombay edi-
tion of the Desatir, although the same precepts are stated therein (pp. 12,
13, 14). Here follows the passage ( English transl. Comment, p. 45 ) about
the Desatir itself: " There are two books of Yezdan. The name of the
" first is Ddgt'ti, ' two worlds,' and this they call the ' Great Book,'
" or in the language of Heaven Ferz-Desatir, or the ' Great Desatir,'
" which is the great volume of Yezdan. And the other book is called
" Desatir, the doctrines of which Mahabad, and the other prophets from
" Mahabad down to me, have revealed. " * And in the heavenly
" tongue this is called Derick Desalir? ' the Little Desatir,' as being ihe
"Little Book of God." A. T.
66
self animal propensities, and not the slaughtering
or devouring of innoxious creatures. They state
the later historians to have recorded without due
discrimination that Rustam, the son of Dastan (who
was one of the perfect saints), used to slay such ani-
mals : whereas tradition informs us, that the mighty
champion pursued in the chase noxious animals
only : what they write about his hunting the wild
ass, implies that the elephant-bodied hero called the
lion a wild ass ; or " that a lion is no more than a
*' wild ass when compared to my force." In the
several passages where he is recorded to have slaugh-
tered harmless wild asses and oppressed innoxious
creatures, and where similar actions are ascribed to
some of the Gilshaiyan princes, there is only implied
the banishment of animal propensities and passions :
thus the illustrious Shaikh Farideddin at'ar declares,
In the heart of each are found a hundred swine;
You must slay the hog or bind on the Zanar." l
They hold that, from the commencement to the
very end, the chiefs of the Persian Sipasian, far from
slaughtering these harmless creatures, regarded as
an incumbent duty to avoid and shun, by every pre-
caution, the practice of oppression or destruction
towards them : nay, they inflicted punishment on
the perpetrators of such deeds. Although they es-
1 Zanar is called in India the brahminical, or in general, a religious
thread; here is meant the mark of any unbeliever. A. T.
67
teem the Gilshaiyan prophets, pontiffs, and princes,
exceedingly holy personages, yet in their opinion,
they come not up in perfect wisdom and works to
the preceding apostles and sovereigns, who ap-
peared from the Yassanian to the end of the Maha-
badian race.
They assert that some innoxious animals suffer
oppression in this generation by way of retribution :
for instance, an ox or a horse, which in times long
past had, through heedlessness, wantonness, or
without necessity, destroyed a man : as these crea-
tures understand nothing but how to eat and drink,
consequently when they obtain a new birth, they
carry burdens, which is by no means to be regarded
as an act of oppression, but as a retribution or retali-
ation for their previous misconduct. They are not
put to death, as they are not naturally destructive
and sanguinary : their harmless nature proves that
they cannot be reckoned among the destroyers of
animal life : so that putting them to death is the same
as destroying an ignorant harmless man : therefore
their slayer, though he may not receive in this world
the merited punishment from the actual ruler or
governor, appears in the next generation under the
form of a ferocious beast, and meets his deserts. A
great man says on this subject :
" In every evil deed committed by thee, think not that it
" Is passed over in Heaven or neglected in the revolutions of time ;
68
" Thy evil deeds are a debt, ever in the presence of fortune,
" Which must be repaid, in whatever age she makes the demand."
They also hold the eternal paradise to be the Hea-
vens ; and regard the solar majesty as lord of the
empyrean ; and the other stars, fixed or planetary,
as his ministers : thus a person who, through reli-
gious mortifications and purity of life, attains righte-
ousness in words and deeds, is united with the sun
and becomes an empyreal sovereign : but if the pro-
portion of his good works bear a closer affinity to
any other star, he becomes lord of the place assigned
to that star : whilst others are joined to the firma-
ment on high : the perfect man passes on still far-
ther, arriving at the aethereal sphere, or the region
of pure spirits; such men attain the beatific vision of
the light of lights and the cherubinic hosts of the
Supreme Lord. Should he be a prince during
whose reign no harmless animals were slaughtered
in his realms ; and who, if any were guilty of these
acts, inflicted punishment on the perpetrators of the
crimes, so that no such characters departed this
world without due retribution ; he is esteemed a
wise, beneficent, and virtuous king : and immedi-
ately on being separated from the elements of body,
he is united with the sun : his spirit is identified
with that of the majesty of the great light and he
becomes an aBthereal sovereign. Prince Siamak,
the son of Kaiomors declares : " I beheld from first
69
'* to last all the Abadian, Jyanian, Shaiyan, and
" Yassanian monarchs : some were cherubim in the
' ' presence of the Supreme Lord ; others absorbed
" in the contemplation of the Light of Lights : but
*' I found none lower than the sphere of the sun,
" the vicegerent of God." On my asking them con-
cerning the means of attaining these high degrees,
they said: " The great means of acquiring this dig-
" nity consist in the protection of harmless animals,
" and inflicting punishment on evil doers."
According to this sect, labouring under insanity,
suffering distress on account of one's children, being
assailed by diseases, the visitations of providence,
these calamities are the retribution of actions in a
former state of existence. If a person should fall
down or stumble when running, even this is re-
garded as the retribution of past deeds : as are also
the maladies of new-born babes. But whatever
happens to a just man, which is evidently unmerited,
this is not to be looked on as retribution, but as pro-
ceeding from the oppression of the temporal ruler,
from whom, in a future generation, the Supreme
Ruler will demand an account.
According to their tenets, the drinking of wine or
strong liquors to excess, or partaking of things which
impair the understanding^ by no means to be toler-
ated : which may be proved by this reflexion, that
the perfection of man is understanding, and that in-
70
toxicating beverages reduce human nature, whilst in
that state, to a level with the brute creation. If a
person drink strong liquors to excess, he is brought
before the judge to receive due castigation ; and
should he, during that state, do injury to another,
he is held accountable for it, and is punished also
as a malefactor.
Among this sect it is permitted to kill those ani-
mals which oppress others, such as lions, fowls,
and hawks, which prey on living creatures : but
whatever animals, whether noxious or innoxious,
suffer violence from the noxious, duly receive it by
way of retribution : when they slay the former, or
noxious animals, that is regarded as a retribution,
because in a former existence they were oppressive
and sanguinary creatures : and in this generation the
Almighty has given them over to other more san-
guinary animals, that they might shed the blood of
the sanguinary bloodshedder : so that when noxious
creatures are slain, it is by way of retribution for
having shed blood : the very act of shedding their
blood proves them to have been formerly shedders
of blood : it is not however allowed to put them to
death until they become hurtful: for example, a
young sparrow cannot, whilst in that state, commit
an injury ; but, when able to fly, it injures the insects
of the earth ; and, although this happens to the in-
sects by way of retributive justice, yet their slayers
71
become also deserving of being slain, as in a former
generation they have been shedders of blood. For
instance, a person has unwittingly slain another, for
which crime he has been thrown into prison ; on
which they summons one of the other prisoners to
behead the murderer: after which the judge com-
mands one of his officers to put the executioner
to death, as, previous to this act, he had before
shed blood unjustly. But if a man slay a noxious
animal, he is not to be put to death, because that
person taking into consideration the noxious ani-
mal's oppression, has inflicted retribution on it:
but if a brave champion or any other be slain in
fighting with a noxious creature ; this was his me-
rited retribution ; and it is the same if an innoxious
animal be slain in lighting with a noxious crea-
ture : for example, in a past generation the ox was
a man endued with many brutal propensities, who
with violence and insolence forced people into his
service and imposed heavy burdens on them, until
he deprived some of them of life : therefore in this
generation, on account of his ruling propensities, he
comes in the form of an ox, that he may receive the
retribution due to his former deeds, and in return
for his having shed blood, should be himself slain
by a lion or some such creature. But mankind are
not permitted to kill the harmless animals, and these
are not shedders of blood : and if such an act should
.72
be inadvertently perpetrated by any individuals, de-
structive animals are then appointed to retaliate on
them, as we have explained under the head of the ox.
The best mode to be adopted by merciful men
for putting to death destructive creatures, such as
fowls, sparrows, and the like, is the following : let
them open a vein, so that it may die from the effusion
of blood : there are many precepts of this kind re-
corded in the Jashen Sudah of the Mobed Hoshydr :
but philosophers, eminent doctors, and durveshes
who abandon the world, never commit such acts :
it is however indispensably necessary that a king, in
the course of government, should inflict on the evil-
doer the retaliation due to his conduct. The Mo-
bed Hoshydr relates, in the Sarud-i-Mastdn, that in
the time of Kaiomors and Siamak, no animal of
any kind was slain, as they were all obedient to the
commands of these princes. So that one of the Far-
jud, or miraculous powers possessed by the Yezda-
nian chiefs of Iran, from Kaiomors to Jemshid, was
their appointing a certain class of officers to watch
over the animal creation, so that they should not
attack each other. For instance, a lion was not
permitted to destroy any animal, and if he killed one
in the chase, he met with due punishment ; conse-
quently no creature was slain or destroyed, and car-
nage iell into such disuse among noxious animals,
that they were all reckoned among the innoxious.
75
However, the skins of animals which had died a
natural death were taken off, and in the beginning
used as clothing by Kaiomors and his subjects : but
they were latterly satisfied with the leaves of trees.
Those who embrace the tenets of this holy race attri-
bute this result to the miraculous powers of these
monarchs, and some profound thinkers regard it as
effected by a tails man, ; whilst manyskilled in interpre-
tation hold it to be an enigmatical mode of expression:
thus, the animal creation submitting to government
implies, the justice of the sovereigns ; their vigilance
in extirpating corruption and evil, and producing
good. In short, when in the course of succession
the Gilshaiyan crown came to Hiishang, he enjoined
the people to eat the superabundant eggs of ducks,
domestic fowls, and such like, but not to such a
degree that, through their partaking of such food,
the race of these creatures should become extinct.
When the throne of sovereignty was adorned by the
presence of Tahmiiras, he said, " It is lawful for
" carnivorous and noxious creatures to eat dead
" bodies :" that is, if a lion find a lifeless stag, or a
sparrow a dead worm, they may partake of them.
In the same manner, when Jemshid assumed the
crown , he enacted : ' ' If men of low caste eat the flesh
" of animals which die a natural death, they com-
" mil no sin." The reason why people do not at
present eat of animals which died in the course of
74
nature, is, that their flesh engenders disease, as the
animal died of some distemper : otherwise there is
no sin attached to the eating of it. When Jemshid
departed to the mansions of eternity, Deh Ak, l the
Arab, slew and partook of all animals indifferently,
whether destructive or harmless, so that the detest-
able practice became general. When Faridiin had
purged the earth from the pollution of Zohak's
tyranny, he saw that some creatures, hawks, lions,
wolves, and others of the destructive kind, gave
themselves up to the chase in violation of the origi-
nal covenant : he therefore enjoined the slaughter
of these classes. After this, Jraj permitted men of
low caste, that is the mass of the people, to partake
of destructive creatures, such as domestic fowls
(which prey upon worms), also sparrows and such
like, in killing which no sin is incurred : but the
holy Yezdanians never polluted their mouths with
flesh, or killed savage animals for themselves, al-
though they slew them for others of the same class.
For example, the hawk, lion, and other rapacious
animals of prey were kept in the houses of the great,
for the purpose of inflicting punishment on other
destructive animals, and not that men should partake
of them : for eating flesh is not an innate quality in
men, as whenever they slay animals lor food, ferocity
settles in their nature, and that aliment introduces
' Zohak.
75
habits of rapacity : whereas the true meaning of put-
ting destructive animals to death, is the extirpation
of wickedness. The Yezdanians also have certain
viands, which people at present confound with ani-
mals and flesh : for instance, they give the name of
barah, " lamb," to a dish composed of the zingu, or
egg-mushroom ; gaur, or *' onager" is a dish made
out of cheese : with many others of the same kind.
Although they kill destructive animals in the chase,
they never eat of them ; and if in their houses they
kill one destructive animal for the food of another,
such as a sparrow for a hawk, it is done by a man
styled Dazhkim, or executioner, who is lower than a
Milar, called in Hindi, Juharah or " sweeper," and
in modern language Halldl Khtir, or one to whom
all food is lawful. But the dynasty preceding Gil-
shah, from whom the Yezdanians derive their tenets,
afforded no protection whatever to destructive ani-
mals, as they esteemed the protection of the oppres-
sor most reprehensible. In the time of the Gilshaiyan
princes, they nourished hawks and such like, for the
purpose of retaliating on destructive animals ; for
example, they let loose the hawk on the sparrow,
which is the emblem of Ahriman ; and when the
hawk grew old, they cut off his head and killed him
for his former evil deeds. The first race never kept
any destructive creatures, as they esteemed it crimi-
nal to afford them protection ; and even their de-
76
struction never took place in the abodes of righte-
ous and holy persons.
Among the Sipasi'yan sect were many exemplary
and piouspersonages, the performers of praise-
worthy discipline : with them, however, voluntary
austerity implies " religious practices" or Saluk,
and consists not in extreme suffering, which they
hold to be an evil, and a retribution inflicted for
previous wicked deeds. According to this sect,
the modes of walking in the paths of God are ma-
nifold : such as seeking God ; the society of the
wise ; retirement and seclusion from the world ;
purity of conduct; universal kindness ; benevolence;
reliance on God ; patience ; endurance ; content-
edness ; resignation ; and many such like quali-
ties as thus recorded in the Sarud-i-Mustdn of
the Mobed Hushyar. The Mobed Khodd Jdi, in the
*' Cup of Kdi Khusro," a commentary on the text
of the poem of the venerable Azar Kaivan, thus re-
lates: " He who devotes himself to walking in the
" path of God, must be well-skilled in the medical
" sciences, so that he may rectify whatever predo-
44 inmates or exceeds in the bodily humours: in the
44 next place, he must banish from his mind all
44 articles of faith, systems, opinions, ceremonials,
4 ' and be at peace with all : he is to seat himself in
44 a small and dark cell, and gradually diminish the
44 quantity of his food." The rules for the diminu-
77
lion of food are thus laid down in the Sharistan
of the holy doctor Ferzanah Bahrain, the son of
Far had: " From his usual food, the pious recluse
" is every day to subtract three direms, until he
" reduces it to ten direms weight: he is to sit in
" perfect solitude, and give himself up to medita-
tion." Many of this sect have brought themselves
to one direm weight of food : their principal devo-
tional practice turning on these five points: namely,
fasting, silence, waking, solitude, and meditation on
God. Their modes of invoking God are manifold,
but the one most generally adopted by them is that
of the Muk Zhup : now in the Azanan or Pehlevi,
Muff signifies " four," and Zhup " a blow;" this
state of meditation is also called Char Sang, " the
" four weights," and Char Kub, " the four blows."
The next in importance is the siyd zhup, " the three
weights" or " three blows." The sitting postures
among these devotees are numerous ; but the more
approved and choice are limited to eighty-four; out
of these they have selected fourteen ; from the four-
teen they have taken five ; and out of the five two are
chosen by way of eminence : with respect to these
positions, many have been described by the Mobud
Sarush in the Zerdiisht Afshdr: of these two, the
choice position is the following : The devotee sits
on his hams, cross-legged, passing the outside of
the right foot over the left thigh, and that of the left
78
foot over the right thigh; he then passes his hands
behind his back, and holds in his left hand the great
toe of the right foot, and in the right hand the great
toe of the left foot, fixing his eyes intently on the
point of the nose : this position they call Farnishin,
" the splendid seat," but by the Hindi logics it is
named the Padma dsan, 1 or " Lotus seat." If he
then repeat iheZekr-i-Mukzhub, he either lays hold
of the great toes with his hands, or if he prefer,
removes his feet off the thighs, seating himself in the
ordinary position, which is quite sufficient then,
with closed eyes, the hands placed on the thighs,
the armpits open, the back erect, the head thrown
forward, and fetching up from the navel with all
his force the word Nist, he raises his head up : next,
in reciting the word Hesti, he inclines the head
towards the right breast ; on reciting the word Ma-
gar, he holds the head erect ; after which he utters
Yezdan, bowing the head to the left breast, the seat
of the heart. The devotee makes no pause between
the words thus recited ; nay, if possible, he utters
several formularies in one breath, gradually increas-
ing their number. The words of the formulary
(Nist hesti magar yezdan, " there is no existence
" save God") are thus set forth: " Nothing exists
" but God; or, " There is no God, but God;" or,
79
' ' There is no adoration except Cor what is adorable ; "
or this, " He to whom worship is due is pure and
" necessarily existent ;" or, " He who is without
'* equal, form, color, or model." It is permitted
to use this formulary publicly, but the inward medi-
tation is most generally adopted by priests and holy
persons ; as the senses' become disturbed by exclam-
ations and clamors, and the object of retirement is
to keep them collected. In the inward meditation,
the worshipper regards three objects as present :
" God, the heart, and the spirit of his Teacher;"
whilst he revolves in his heart the purport of this
formulary : " There is nothing in existence but
" God." But if he proceeds to the suppression of
breath, which is called the " knowledge of Dam
" and Stafwtf," or the science of breath and ima-
gination, he closes not the eyes, but directs them
to the tip of the nose, as we have before explained
under the first mode of sitting : this institute has
also been recorded in the Surud-i-Mastan, but the
present does not include all the minute details. *
1 These practices are evidently the same as those used among the Hindu
devotees. The chapter upon the Hindus, which follows, will set forth the
great conformity, nay, identity of Indian religions with the tenets and
customs here ascribed to Persian sects. In the Desatir (English transl.
Comment, pp. 66, 67) is a curious account of the postures to be taken
standing, or lying, or sitting, on the ground before any thing that burns,
and reciting the Ferz-zemiar, " great prayer," to Yezdan, or another to
Shesh-kdkh, that is to say, to the stars and to the fire which yield light."
-A. T.
It is thus recorded in the Zerdusht Afshdr; the
worshipper having closed the right nostril, enume-
rates the names of God from once to sixteen times,
and whilst counting draws his breath upwards ;
after which he repeats it twenty-two limes, and lets
the breath escape out of the right nostril, and whilst
counting propels the breath aloft; thus passing from
the six Khans or stages to the seventh ; until from
the intensity of imagination he arrives to a state in
which he thinks that his soul and breath bound like
the jet of a fountain to the crown of the head : they
enumerate the seven stages, or the seven degrees, in
this order : 1st, the position of sitting ; 2d, the
hips ; 3d, the navel ; 4th, the pine-heart ; 5th, the
windpipe; 6th, the space between the eyebrows;
and 7th, the crown of the head. As causing the
breath to mount to the crown of the head is a power
peculiar to the most eminent persons; so, whoever
can convey his breath and soul together to that part,
becomes the vicegerent of God. According to an-
other institute, the worshipper withdraws from all
senseless pursuits, sits down in retirement, giving
up his heart to his original world on high, and with-
out moving the tongue, repeats in his heart Yez-
dan ! Yezdan ! or God ! God ! which address to the
Lord may be made in any language, as Hindi, Ara-
bic, etc. Another rule is, the idea of the Instructor :
the worshipper imagines him to be present and is
81
never separated from lhat thought, until he attains
to such a degree, that the image of his spiritual
guide is never absent from the mind's eye, and he
then turns to contemplate his heart : or he has a
mirror before his sight, and beholds his own form,
until, from long practice, it is never more separated
from the heart, to which he then directs himself :
or he sits down to contemplate his heart, and re-
flects on it as being in continual movement. In all
these cases he regards the practices of the suppres-
sion of the breath as profitable for the abstraction
of thought : an object which may also be effected
without having recourse to it.
Another rule is, what they call dzdd dwd, or the
' * free voice ; " in Hindi A nahid / and in Arabic
Sdut Mutluk, or " the absolute sound." Some of
the followers of Mohammed relate, that it is re-
corded in the traditions, that a revelation came to
the venerable prophet of Arabia resembling " the
" tones of a bell," which means the *' Saut Mul-
luk: ' which Hafiz of Shiraz expresses thus :
" No person knows where my beloved dwells;
" This much only is known, that the sound of the bell approaches."
The mode of hearing it is after this manner : the
devotees direct the hearing and understanding to
the brain, and whether in the gloom of night, in the
house, or in the desert, hear this voice, which they
82
esteem as their Zikker,w ' ' address to God. " Azizi '
thus expresses himself:
" I recognise that playful sportiveness,
" And well know that amount of blandishment:
" The sound of footsteps comes to my ear at night;
" It was thyself; I recognise the hallowed voice!"
Then having opened the eyes and looking be-
tween the eyebrows, a form appears. Some of those
who walk in the path of religious poverty among
the followers of Mohammed (on whom be benedic-
tions!) assert that the expression Kab Kausain, " 1
" was near two bows' length," alludes to this vision.
Finally, if they prefer it, having closed the eyes for
some time, they reflect on the form which appeared
to them on looking between the eyebrows ; after
which they meditate on the heart ; or without
contemplating the form, they commence by look-
ing into the heart ; and closing both eyes and ears,
give themselves up entirely to meditation on the
heart, abandoning the external for the internal :
1 V>V& A.zizi is supposed, by Mr. Tholuck (Sufismus, sive Theoso-
phia Persarum Pantheistica) to be the name of the so long unknown
author of Gulshen-raz, " the rose-bower of mystery." Silvestre de Sacy
(see Journal des Savants, de'cembre 1821, p. 719, 720), without abso-
lutely rejecting this supposition, explains the word azizf by " homme
vertueux" in the verse upon which Mr. Tholuck founded his opinion.
The true author of Gulshen-raz is now known to be Mahmud Shabisterf.
See the Persian text with a German metrical translation of this poem,
published in 1838 by the baron Hammer-Purgstall. A. T,
whoever can thus contemplate obtains all that he
wants; but
" The anguish of my friend strikes at the portal of the heart;
" Command them, 0, Shani ! to purify the dwelling of the heart."
Finally the searcher after the Being who is with-
out equal or form, without color or pattern, whom
they know and comprehend in the Parsi under the
name of " had," in Arabic by the blessed name of
" Allah," and. in Hindi as "ParaBrahmaNdrdyaria" 1
contemplates him without the intervention of Ara-
bic, Persian, Hindi, or any other language, keeping
the heart in his presence, until he, bei ngrescued
from the shadows of doubt, is identified with God.
The venerable Maulavi Jami says on this head :
" Thou art but an atom, He, the great whole ; but if for a few days
" Thou meditate with care on the whole, thou becomest one with it."
They hold that reunion with the first principle,
which the Sufees interpret by evanescence and
permanence, means not, according to the distin-
guished Ishrakian 2 or Platonists of Persia, that
the beings of accident or creation are blended with
him whose existence is necessary, or that created
beings cease to exist ; but that when the sun of the
first cause manifests himself, then apparently all
created beings, like the stars in the sun's light, are
2 For Ishrakian, see pages 31 and 86 ad rcfutationem Alcorani. D. S.
84
absorbed in his divine effulgence ; and if the searcher
after God should continue in this state, he will com-
prehend how they become shrouded through the
sun's overpowering splendor, or like the ecstatic
Sufees he will regard them as annihilated : but the
number of Sufi's who attain to this state is exceed-
ingly small, and the individuals themselves are but
little known to fame. This volume would not be
sufficient to enumerate the amount of those lights
(precepts) which direct the pilgrim on his course,
but the venerable Azur Kaivdn has treated at large
on this head in the Jdm-i-Kai Khusro.
It is, however, necessary to mention that there
are four states of vision ; the first, Nuniar, l or that
which is seen during sleep : by sleepis meant that
state when the subtile fumes arising from the food
taken into the stomach mounting up to the brain,
overpower external perceptions at the time of re-
pose ^ whatever is then beheld is called in Farsi
Tindb, in Arabic /frh/a, and in Hindi Svapna. 2 The
state beyond this dignity is Susvapna, 3 in Arabic
Ghaib or '* mysterious," and in the popular lan-
1 In Gladwin's Persian text, it is .l^Vj Tutiar; in the manuscripts
consulted by Shea, in the edition of Calcutta, and in the manuscript of
Oude jU^v> nnfor.
2 *cnr,
, " good sleep."
85
guage of the Hindoos Sukhasvada ' or Samddhi a (sus-
pending the connexion between soul and body),
which is as follows : when divine grace is communi-
cated from the worlds on high, and the transport
arising from that grace locks up external percep-
tions, whatever is beheld during that state is called
Binab or " revelation:" but that state into which
the senses enter, or Hoshwdzhen, *' a trance," which
is expressed in Arabic by Salm or ** recovering
from ebriety," and in Hindi byJagrai, 3 " awaking,"
undPratyaya ' 'evidence," 4 means that state in which
divine grace being communicated, without the senses
being overpowered, it transports the person for the
time being to the world of reality : whatever he be-
holds in this state is called Bindb or Mdainah " re-
ality." The state higher than this is the power of
the soul to quit the body and to return to it, which
is called in YarsiNivah-i-chaminafi, in Arabic Melkdt
Khald-baden, and in Hindu prapura paroksha. 5
They affirm that the bodies occupied by some
souls resemble a loose garment, which may be put
off at pleasure ; so that they can ascend to the world
1 1 Arang ; in the Desatir we find
Lareng for the name of a divinity. A. T.
87
is that of man or of human beings : but in some
Parsi treatises they term these seven regions the
seven true realities : however, if the author were to
describe minutely the articles and ceremonies of this
sect, their details would require so many volumes,
that contenting himself with what has been stated,
he now proceeds to describe some of their most
distinguished followers of later times.
SECTION II.
DESCRIPTION OF THE SIPASIAN SECT.
Among the moderns, the chief of the Abadian and
Azurlmshangidn sects was Azar Kaivdn, whose
lineage is as follows : Azar Kaivan, the son of Azar
Zerdusht, the son of Azar Barzin, the son of Azar
Khurin, the son of Azar Ayin, the son of Azar Pah-
ram, the son of Azar Nosh, the son of Azar Mihlar t
the younger son of Azar Sdsdn, styled the tifth Sd-
sdn, the elder son of Azar Sdsdn, the fourth of that
name, the younger son of Azar Sdsdn, the third of
that name, the eldest son of Azar Sdsdn, or the
second Sdsdn, the mighty son of Azar Sdsdn, or the
first Sdsdn, the son of Darab the less, the son of
Darab the great, the son of Bahmdn, the son of
88
Isfendiar, the son of Gushtasp, the son of Lohrasp,
the son of Arvand, the son of Kai Nishin, the son
of Kai Kobad, the son of Za6, the son of Nauder,
the son ofMinuchehr, the son of Iraj, who was of the
lineage of Feridun, the son of Ablin, who was of
the lineage of Jamshid, the son of Tahmuras, the son
of Htisheng, the son of Siamak, the son of Kaiomors,
the son of Ydsdn Ajam, of the lineage of Ydsdn, the
son of Skai Mohbul, of the lineage Shai Giliv, the
son of Jai Alad y of the lineage of Jai Afram, the son
of Abdd Azdd, of the lineage of Mah Abdd, who
appeared with splendor in the beginning of the
great cycle. The mother of Kaivdn was named
Shirln, a fortunate and illustrious dame descended
from the lineage of the just monarch Nushirvan.
Through eternal aid and almighty grace Azar Kai-
vdn, from his fifth year, devoted himself to great
abstinence in food, and watching by night. Salim
thus expresses himself:
" Innate essence has no need of instruction;
" How could an artist produce the image in the mirror?"
In the progress of his admirable voluntary mor-
tification, the quantity of his daily food was reduced
to one direm weight. On this point, the divine sage
Sunai observes :
" Ifthou eat to excess, thou becomest an unwieldy elephant;
" But if with moderation, thou becomest another Gabriel ;
" If any person should give way to-xcess in eating,
" Rest assured that he is also vile to excess."
89
He abode in Khum during twenty-eight years,
but removed in his latter days from the land of Iran
into India : he remained some time in Palna, where,
in the year of the Hegira 1027 (A. D. 1673), he
took his flight from this lower elementary abode to
the sphere of the mansions on high. Azizi ob-
serves :
" Whoever is wise, esteems this mortal coil the obstacle to union with
"God:
11 This life is the death of Durvishes: look on ( the world of) reality as a
" friend. ~
He continued eighty-live years united to the ele-
ments of body, during which lime he never desisted
from the practice of austerities. On this subject
Hafiz of Shiraz observes :
" ! my heart, if thou once become acquainted with the lustre of
" austerity,
" Like those who strike the smiling taper, thou canst give up thy head
" But thou longest after thy beloved and sparkling Mine-bowl :
" Abstain from such desire, for thou canst accomplish better things."
Farzdnah Bahrdm relates in the Sharistan, that
from the very commencement of his religious career,
AzarKaivan, having resolved on learning thoroughly
the science and systems of the eminent sages of anti-
quity, on this, the distinguished philosophers of
Hindustan, Greece, and Persia, having appeared to
him in a vision, communicated all kinds of know-
ledge. He went one day to a college, where he
answered every question that was proposed, and
90
gave the solution of every difficulty : he was therefore
entitled Zu-l -ulum, or " the Master of Sciences."
Ali Sani Amir Saiyid Ali of Hainadan observes :
' If thou advance even one step from this abode of vain desire,
' Thou mayest repose in the sanctuary of omnipotence;
' And if thou perform ablution with the water of religious austerity,
4 Thou canst convert all the uncleanness of thy heart into purity ;
' This path however is only traversed by the active pilgrim,
' How canst thou, the world's idol, perform such a task ?"
It is reported that Saiyid Hasan of Shiraz, who
was styled " the sage, the embellishment of pure
" faith and works," one day said thus : " On a cer-
" tain day, two followers of the Sufis came into
" the presence of Azar Kaivan, and pursuing the
** path of opposition to the Master of Sciences,
'* treated him not as one possessed of perfection.
*' Their teacher, a man equally eminent in theoreti-
" cal and practical science, who by dominion over
** the external world had established the relation
4 * of spiritual intercourse with the holy prophet, fell
" one night into a state of ecstasy, and beheld in his
" trance the effulgent perfection of the prophet,
" who said to him : My son! tell thy disciples
* 4 * that through the assistance of the Only Wise
** * and the Omnipotent, who is independent of all,
" 'Ali Kaivan is a completely perfect man, who has
" * attained to the different degrees of spiritual do-
" ' minion, by the practice of the seven cordial
" ' ejaculations, and varied mysterious illumina-
91
' tions, visions, revelations, spiritual realities in his
4 acts and attributes : moreover his evanescent
' existence, through grace predestined from eter-
4 nity, has received the boon of divine nature -,
* equally versed in special and general providence ;
' unique in the true knowledge of things from
' inspection, not contented with the illumination
4 of tradition ; the most perfect master of the
' seekers after truth in matters of worship, seclu-
' sion, social intercourse, and whatever is meet
' and suitable to their state in all kinds of insti-
* tutes and religious austerities. He is the true
' philosopher ; the physician of the human race;
* the discipline of religion ; the institute of the
' devout; the interpreter of events; the instructor
' of worship ; the director of those who seek God,
' labouring diligently in the purification of souls ;
l . co-operating in the cleansing of hearts ; the spi-
* ritual champion of the law ; fighting the good
* fight of faith ; the principle of truth ; confirmed
' in the knowledge, source, and evidence of cer-
' tainty ; supported by divine aid in the funda-
* mental points and collateral inductions. Let
* not thy disciples calumniate him, but esteem
' him a holy personage, and regard attendance on
' him as pregnant with happiness : do thou also
* approach his presence, and use every effort to
* conciliate his affection. 1 The teacher having
92
44 during his ecstacy repeated this panegyric seve-
" ral times, 1 committed the words to writing, and
** on the holy man's arising from his ecstatic trance,
44 he summoned me and said: ' Who in this city
" ' is Azar Kaivan? The prophet hath praised him
" * exceedingly, and ordered me to go into his pre-
" * sence.' I answered : * He has lately come hi-
" ' ther from the direction of Istakhar :' on which
" he replied : ' Conduct me near him.' I therefore
" accompanied him, but was ignorant of Kaivan's
44 residence. When we had proceeded some time,
" one of Kaivan's disciples, by name Farhad, came
44 near him and said : * The master (that is Kaivan)
44 ' invites you, and has sent me to be your guide.'
" When we came into his presence, my teacher had
44 determined in his mind to salute him first, but
' ' was unable to obtain the priority, as Azar Kaivan
44 had much sooner anticipated him in salutations
44 in the Persian language, and afterwards addressed
44 him in Arabic. We were struck with astonish -
" ment. My teacher then repeated what he had
4i communicated to me concerning the vision, on
44 which Kaivan commanded him * not to remove
" 4 the veil of this mystery.' ' The teacher, on his
return, having called before him his two misguided
disciples, recounted the perfections of Kaivan, and
enjoined them to abstain from censuring the holy
man. For as Sadi says :
95
" Respecting the thicket, imagine it not unoccupied,
" A tiger may probably be couched there.
Azar Kaivan mixed little with the people of the
world ; he shunned with horror all public admirers;
and seldom gave audience to any but his disciples
and the searchers after truth ; never exposing him-
self to the public gaze. According to Shaikh Baha
Uddin Muhammad of Amil,
" If thou have not guards in front and rear to keep off the crowd,
" Aversion to mixing with crowds will be a sufficient safeguard to thee."
Farzanah Bahrain- relates in the Sharistan, that Kai-
van expressed himself after this manner : " The con-
" nexion of my spirit with this body, formed of the
" elements, resembles the relation of the body to a
** loose robe; whenever I wish I can separate my-
' ' self from it, and resume it at my desire. " The
same author also thus relates of him, in the text of
the Jam-i-Kai Khusro, wherein are recounted some
of his revelations and spiritual communications :
" When I passed in rapid flight from material bodies,
" I drew near a pure and happy spirit ;
" With the eye of spirit I beheld spirits :
" My spirit was moving amidst kindred spirits:
" In every sphere and star I beheld a spirit;
" Each sphere and star possessed its peculiar spirit;
" Thus in the three kingdoms of nature I beheld a common spirit,
" As their spirit was mutually communicated to each other.
" I attained the knowledge of all existences,
" And was associated with the great Ser6sh Ramah.
1 But when I reached a great elevation,
1 Edit, of Calcutta : flM* ^>f^ o~*> .^ j y. In one
9-4
" Splendor from the Almighty gave me light;
" As the radiance increased this individuality departed;
1 " Even ihe angelic nature and the principle of evil disappeared :
" God only existed, there was no sign of me
" (or of my individual existence):
2 " I no longer retained intellect or recollection of spirit:
3 I discovered all my secrets to be but shadows;
" I then returned to the angelic intelligences,
" And from these intelligences 1 came back to the spirit;
' And thus at last to bodies also summoning me.
" In this manner I became powerful, wise, and sublime,
" Until I descended from that high degree
" Upon the road by which I had gone up, I returned to my body
" With a hundred divine favours 4 deriving splendor from that assemblage ;
" The dignity of the Supreme Lord is too exalted
" For intercourse with his servants to be worthy of him.
" By his effulgence intellect becomes (illumined) like the earth or sun;
" He is elevated too high for his servants to hold intercourse with him:
" If the spirit receives illumination from him,
" It becomes beside itself, and its speech is ' I am without intellect'
manuscript: *^_3b C..15..J o-** 3 i/i?-?-.?' In the manuscript of Oude :
^
Jji e~~i a. ^- The first is best '
JL9j
1 Edit, of Calcutta and the manuscript of Oude have : JLV.J jJ J*. ^
~xv&i. Two other manuscripts : ^Js! . Jolxi ^L^ The
t_> ^ O -/-' ' O ~>J
latter seems to be the better reading.
2 Edit, of Calcutta and the manuscript of Oude: . ***\3 ; two other
manuscripts, /< I w the better reading by far.
Calcutta and the manuscript of Oude have
4 The text has :
and * the edit, of
Izedi means any thing given for God's sake, or as one's due; here it seems
95
" The world is a drop which proceeds from the ocean of his existence ;*
" What is the dropping dew ? it is Himself (God);
" Thou art not the dropping dew, but only a drop among the drops of it.
" I know not what to say, as the result of all is deficiency :
" Through love he confers bounties on his servants;
" As it is proper to raise up the down-fallen
" His love renders the mendicant a man of power.
" The world is but a ray emanating from the sun of his face:
" The just Creator addressed me in kind words,
" And conferred on me the splendor of an Ized ;
" None but He can duly praise Himself,
" As He cannot become the object of speech or hearing."
Kaivan was master of noble demonstrations and
subtile distinctions : one of the Moslem lawyers hav-
ing asked him: " Why dost thou forbid thy follow-
" ers from eating flesh, slaying animals, and injuring
" living creatures?" He thus replied : " The seek-
" ers of God are named the peculiar people of the
to signify a divine gift. J^j , y^\ , ized, also ,jb^ r , yezdan, is the
name of God, and may be derived from ^2T, t'*a, " to possess power,"
JGT, t'*Ao, " to give," ^cr, isha, to wish, or according to Hyde (p. 159),
from .JwJ, ishten, supplicare, intercedere." Ized is also light, purity;
it is the name of good spirits, created for the good of the world, and
appointed to protect individuals. A. T.
' In the Gulshen raz, a poem quoted in our note p. 82, this idea is
expressed in several verses, of which the following:
s j Utj jb 6^89
" The world, which is composed of intellect, soul, heavens, and bodies,
" Know them to be as a drop from beginning to end."
Room is wanted for quoting, as a curious coincidence with this image, four
beautiful strophes of Klopstock, from his ode " Die FmhUngs feyer," the
Festivity of Spring. A. T.
96
" heart ; and the heart itself, the true Kaabah :
' ' therefore, what is an abomination in the sanctuary
" formed of water and clay cannot ajortiori be suit-
" able to the true Kaabah: that is, the eating of
" animals and the slaughter of living creatures. A
' ' great man says :
" I have heard that a sheep once thus addressed the butcher,
" At the moment he prepared to cut off her head with his sword :
" ' I now behold the retribution of every bush and bramble of which I
" ' tasted;
" ' What then shall that person not experience who eats my fatted
" ' loin?'"
Kaivan also said : " If you think proper, keep your
" tenets secret wherever you happen to be, conceal-
" ing them even from your brethren in the faith;
" as they, for the confirmation of their system, will
*' make you publicly known." Azizi also says :
" As long as thou canst, communicate not thy secret to thy friend ;
" For that friend has another ; beware therefore of thy friend's friend?"
Some one asked him : " In the schism of Abad
" Ansari, which faith shall I adopt, and whose
" arguments must I regard as true?" Azar Kaivan
replied: " Remain in the same faith that, until the
** present time, God doeth as seemeth good to him;
* * and for the time to come he will do whatever he
" thinks proper." Urfi of Shiraz says, l
Thy essence is able to call into being all that is impossible,
" Except to create one like thyself!"
' This verse has already been quoted, page 6.
97
He once said to a holy man : " The knowledge of
** evanescent objects is not properly knowledge, but
4 ' bears the same relation to reality as the mirage
* ' of the desert to water : the searcher after which
1 * obtains nothing but an increase of thirst. Shah
* ' Subhan says :
' Men favoured by fortune drink the wine of true knowledge;
" They do not, like fools, quaff the dregs of infidelity;
41 The science acquired in colleges and by human capacity
" Is like water drawn out of the well by a sieve."
They once observed to Kaivan : ' ' Notwithstanding
' the great exertions made by his highness the sin-
" cere and faithful Akbar, and the grand justiciary,
" the caliph Omar, and the possessor of the two
' lights, Os man, in the way of the faith proved by
" miracles, and their mighty labors in diffusing its
" institutes, the Shee-ites are opposed to these
" great personages?" He replied : *' The mass of
" mankind are acted upon by time and place, in
" opposition to the seekers after truth. It is also
' to be observed that the people of Iran have adopted
" the Shee-ite faith; and as the above-mentioned
kt great personages destroyed the fire-temples of
44 that nation, and overturned their ancient religion,
" therefore rebellion and envy have remained in
" their hearts."
Two learned men having a dispute concerning the
superiority of the chosen Ah', " the Elect" (whose
7
98
face may God honor), over the two Shaikhs and the
Lord of the two lights (Osmar), (upon all of whom
be the mercy of the Almighty) having referred the
dispute to Kaivan, he observed:
" All four are the four perfections of the prophetic edifice;
" All four are the four elements of the prophets' souls."
44 The distinction between the two exalted parties
44 is difficult, as two of them claim supremacy on the
" celebrity (drum) of being fathers-in-law to the
* * Arab founder of religion ; and the other two are
" fitted for dignity, by being sons-in-law to the
44 apostle of the Arabs. But whereas all things are
4 ' objects of the Almighty's regard, the excellent
44 Ali, * the Lion of God,' was esteemed so pre-emi-
4 ' nent an object of divine favor among the Moslems,
44 that want of faith and ignorance induced many
" to worship him as the true God, until this great
44 personage openly disclaimed such a pretension.
* ' Also during the pontificate and caliphat of Sadik,
' 4 ' the faithful witness,' the powerful Abubeker,
" 4 the separator,' the grand Omar, and that of Zu-
" l-Narain, l the Lord of the two Lights,' error
44 misled many to such a degree, that they denied
14 their authority, until these legitimate directors
44 asserted their claims to that dignity." l
1 Allusion is here made to the four immediate successors of Moham-
med; these were Abubeker, Omar, Osman, and Alt'.
The first who took the title of khalif, that is " lieutenant of the Pro-
99
He returned an answer of a similar description in
a dispute between a Jew, a Christian, and a Musel-
man, who were arguing about the superiority of their
" phet," was Abdallah, better known by the name of Jo y }, Abubeker,
" Father of the Virgin," so called because Aisha, his daughter, was the
only one of Mohammed's wives who had not been before married to an-
other man. He was also distinguished by the title of . JJjJUo sadik,
or ' the faithful witness," given to him because he, the first Muselman
after Mohammed's preaching, attested the miracle of the Prophet's
ascension to heaven. It was he who collected the verses of the Koran,
which were written upon separate leaves, into one volume, called Al-
moihaf, " the book by excellence," the original text of which was
deposited in the hands of Hafsat, daughter of Omar and widow of
Mohammed. After a reign of two years and three months, he died in
the year 13 of the Hejira, 634 A.D., not without having named his
successor.
This was Omar Ben al-Khetab, known under the title of . a. Aj
fa'ru'k', " the separator," so called by Mohammed, because he had
separated the head from the body of a Muselman who, not satisfied
with the decision which the Prophet had given in a law-suit, came
to submit the case to Omar's revision. Under Abubeker's khalifat, Omar
acted as chief of justice, or chancellor. As khalif he was the first
A
who took the title of ^jjusj^l j^>\, Emir al-Mu'ment'm, " prince or
" commander of the faithful," which title devolved to all his successors.
He conquered Syria, Chaldaea, Mesopotamia, Persia, and Egypt, and
built the town of Bassora at the mouth of the Tigris, in order to prevent
the Persians from taking the route to India by the gulph of Persia.
After a reign of ten years he was killed by the hand of a Persian slave,
who, having complained of his master's cruelty to him, did not receive
the expected redress. Omar, a judge cruel but just, would not fix
the right of succession upon his son, but wishing to keep the khalifat
elective, named six persons, called .CijiJj J-t, Q hel al-shurah,
" people of council," who should choose a khalif among themselves.
Among these were Osman and Alt. After a hard contest between
100
respective prophets ; some acknowledging Jesus as
God, the others as the Son of God. One day as a
Christian and Muselman were disputing with each
these two competitors, the former, supported by his four colleagues, was
proclaimed khalifat the end of the year 23, or the beginning of 24 of the
Hejira, 643 or 644 A. D. Osman Ben Affan was called by his partisans
,.*> vj-v! j3, no ul nardin, *' the possessor of two lights," because he
had married Rakiah and Omm al Kachum, both daughters of Moham-
med, whose prophecy was supposed to be the source of light diffused
over his whole posterity. Osman published the Koran such as it was in
the original text, deposited (as was before said) in the hands of Hafsat,
one of Mohammed's widows, and he caused all copies, differing from
this one, to be suppressed. The domination of the Mohammedans was
established and extended, to the east, in Khorassen and in Upper Asia:
to the west, over the whole northern coast of Africa and even a part
of Spain, during thisk halif's reign, which, after eleven years, termin-
ated by his violent death in an insurrection which took place against him
in Egypt,
The Egyptians offered the government to AH As before mentioned,
he was one of the six persons named by Omar as fit for the khalifat,
which AH claimed as his right, being the cousin-german and son-in-law
(husband of Fatima, the eldest daughter) of Mohammed, and thus the
head of the family of the Hashemites, who were distinguished by the
name of " the house of the Prophet." After Osman's death, AH was by
his party proclaimed the head of the Muselmans. His title was juJ
v Jladl &lM, as sad allah al-ghaleb," the lion of God, the victorious."
Possessed of great learning, he composed several celebrated works in
prose and in verse, although he had to sustain a continual struggle with
the adverse party. He was assassinated in Kufa, in the year 40 of the
Hejira, 660 A. D. After him, his sons Hassan and Hossain (see note 3,
pp. 47-48) fell victims to Moavia, a relation of Osman, and the mortal enemy
of the whole race of AH. The contest between these two parties Mas,
after the death of their chiefs, carried on by their numerous adherents,
and, connected as it is with some difference in their religious opinions
and rites, continues to our days. Ali is acknowledged the head of the
101
other, the former allowing the death of Jesus, and
the latter believing him to be alive, Azar Kaivan
said: " If a person who knew not the direction of
'* a road which formed his destination, should in
' ' the course of his journey come to a dead body
44 lying down, and a living person seated, from
" which of the two ought he to inquire his way?"
As the disputants both replied, " from the living
41 person;" he then said to the Muselman: 4< Adopt
4 thou the faith of Jesus, as according to thy belief
' he is living." He then added : * ' By life is meant
1 the life of the rational soul : in this Mohammed
' and Jesus are on an equality ; call your prophets
* 4 the ' eternal living :' for life means not the per-
44 petuity of this body fashioned out of the elements,
* ; which cannot accompany us beyond a hundred
" or a hundred and twenty natural stages (years)."
Azizi says:
" If the domestic fowl should lly along with the fowls of the air,
" It could not proceed in flight beyond the summit of the wall."
A hermit once came into Zu-l-Ulum's ' presence;
i Shidts, which word means in general " a troop, a party," but is
particularly applied to those who believe that the Imamat, or the supreme
dignity over the .Muselmans, belongs by right to AH and his descendants,
who call themselves Alddiliats, or " the party of the just." Opposed to
them are the Sonnites, so called from the Arabic word sonnat, which
signifies " precept, rule," or the orthodox faith of Muselmans, com-
prehending the traditional laws relative to whatever has not been written
by the great legislator (see Ilerbelot, sub toe.). A. T.
1 Zu-1-Ulum, " master of sciences," was a title of Kaivan.
102
he pronounced a panegyric on the opposition to
sensual passions exhibited by pious Moslem believers:
and then added : ' * There is no limit to the opposi-
* ' tion to these passions : even the unbeliever through
" the practice of austerities finally becomes a Mos-
" lem." He also added: " An exemplary unbe-
' ' liever had become able to work miracles : a Shaikh
*' went to him one day and asked : * By what route
' ' * hast thou attained to this dignity?' He replied,
" * By opposing the suggestions of the passions.'
' * On which the Shaikh answered : * Now turn to
" * Islamism, as thy soul has admitted infidelity.'
" On hearing which the unbeliever became a fol-
" lower of Islamism." Kaivan observed : " The
" Shaikh must have been an infidel, as his soul was
** slill seeking after Islamism, or the true religion."
Urfi says:
Lay aside the recollection of (these words) belief and unbelief, as they
" excite great disputes;
" For according to our (supposed) bad doctrines, all persons think
" aright."
A person once came to Zu-1-Ulum, and said : " I
" propose embracing the profession of a durvesh,
" and breaking asunder the chains which bind me
" to the world." Kaivan replied, " It is well."
Some days after, he returned to Kaivan, and said:
" I am at present engaged in procuring the patched
" tunic, cap, wallet, and other things necessary for
105
" my profession." Zu-1-Ulum observed : " The
' * profession of a durvesh consists in resigning every
" thing and abandoning all manner of preparations,
" and not in accumulation of any kind."
A merchant through penury having assumed the
dress of hypocrisy, appeared in a Shaikh's garb,
and many persons devoutly regarded him as a holy
man. He one day came before Kaivan and said :
' ' Often have wretches plundered me on the road :
11 it was however for a good purpose, in order that
" by embracing the life of a durvesh I might attain
*' the great object of salvation." Azar Kaivan re-
plied : * ' Be not grieved, as thou art now plundering
*' mankind by way of retaliation."
" The society of Urfi pleases not the superior of our monastery ;
" Because the superior is a foe to the intelligent and UrQ to the stupid."
At present some of Kaivan's disciples, as far as
the author's acquaintance extends, are about to be
enumerated.
Farzanah Kharrdd, of the family of Mahbud, who
had been the khan salar (royal table-decker or taster)
to the equitable monarch Nushirvan, l and put to
1 Nushirvan, called by the Arabs Kesra, by the Persians Khosru, is
reckoned by some authors the 19th (by others the 20th) Persian king of
the Sassanian dynasty, which, according to different opinions, was com-
posed of 31, 30, or 29 princes, and lasted 527, 500, or 431 years.
Nushirvan reigned from 531 to 579 after J C. He was called " the
" just:" from the outside of his palace to his room was drawn a chain,
by the motion of which he could have notice of any complainant who
104
death through the sorcery of a Jew and the calum-
nies of a chamberlain, as recorded in the Shah
Namah of the king of poets, Ferdiisi, and in other
histories : Kharrad joined himself to Kaivan in the
bazar of Shiraz, and practised religious austerities
for many years. Farzanah Khushi has often men-
tioned in conversation, and has also frequently
repeated in the Bazm-gah-i-Durveshdn, " the Dur-
'* vesh's banquet ling-room," the following circum-
stance: " I one day beheld Kharrad and Ardeshir
" (a descendant of Ardeshir Babegan, 1 and one of
** Kaivan's disciples), standing face to face and mu-
' * tually opposing each other : whenever Ardeshir
wanted redress. He was victorious .in the east and west of Asia ; he
destroyed the prophet Mazdak ( of whom see hereafter, section XV ) ; he
brought from India to Persia the fables of Pilpay, called Anvari Sohili ,
" the Canopian lights," and a game similar to chess. During his reign
Mohammed was born. Nushirvan's favorite minister, Buzerg-Mihr,
called also Bvzer-Jmihr, was famous for virtue and wisdom; about
both these personages a great number of marvellous and fabulous accounts
forms the matter of favorite poems in the East. A. T.
1 Ardeshir Babegan was the first king, and founder of the IVth dynasty
of Persian kings, called the Sasssa'm'dns, or the Khosroes. His father
was .S'assan, a descendant of another Sassan, the son of Bahman Isfen-
diar, the 6th king of the lid Persian dynasty, called the Kaya'ni a n.
The latter Sassan was reduced to a low station, having become the shep-
herd of Babek, a wealthy man, whose daughter he married ; he had by
her a son named Ardeshir, who took the name of his maternal grand-
father (which is to be noted as an Indian custom): hence he was called
Babegan. He is identified with the Artaxerxes of the Greeks, a contem-
porary of the Roman emperor Commodus ( A. D. 180-193 ). The epoch
of his reign is one of the most uncertain points of Persian history. It may
be Qxed from the year 200 to 240 of the Christian era. -A. T.
105
" wished to smite Kharrad with a sword, he ap-
" peared like a stone, so that when the sword came
' ' into contact with his body, it was instantly broken
'?> c-J \$ ; which last reading
was adopted. A. T.
120
Bahman and Rustam: the daily food of each of these
individuals was much below ten direms weight :
and they carried the austerities recommended by
Kaivan to the utmost limit, so that no others of his
disciples attained to the same rank as these twelve
persons. Of Farhad, Farshidwird, and Bahman,
some account has been given in the preceding part
of this work.
In the Bazm-gali, Khushi thus states respecting
himself: " In the days of my youth, it was my anxi-
*' ous desire to find a spiritual guide. I therefore
' ' had recourse to the eminent doctors of Iran, Tu-
" ran, Room, and Hindustan ; that is, to Moslems,
" Hindoos, Guebers, Christians, and Jews. They
" all said to me : * Quit thy present faith and pass
" ' over to us :' but my heart felt no inclination to
" change of religion, to adopting another, and aban-
" doning opinions, as they did not afford me suffi-
" cient light in the object of my pursuit.
" Whilst a person beholds not the water, why pull off his slippers?"
* ' Such is the language of the prejudiced ; although
' ' each of these doctors praised himself as being free
1 ' from its influence : I afterwards beheld, in a vision,
" a mighty river from which streams and canals
" issued forth, all of which after many windings
' ' returned back into the same great river, and were
" confined within its two banks. I abandoned the
121
" great water, and in order to allay my thirst, di-
" reeled my steps towards the rivulets in search of
' ' water : but as the banks of their channels were
" difficult of access through slime and mud, and car-
" rying a bowl, 1 I could not reach the stream, and
" remained in great perplexity. At length my fa-
' * ther came up and said : * Entreat God to conduct
" ' thee to the water.' A voice then reached my
** ear: ' This man has abandoned the river, and
' ' ' directed his face towards the rivulets. ' On my
*' directing my steps towards the river, a blessed
' ' Angel said to me : ' The great river is Azar Kai-
" ' van ; the small rivulets are the doctors.' I then
" knew that the slime and mud of the banks, the
' ' bowl, and the rivulets refer to prejudice and envy :
" therefore, being accompanied by Khoda Jdi, 1
" joined myself to Azar Kaivan, and discovered the
" object of my inquiries." Hafiz of Shiraz ob-
' ' serves :
" Whither can we turn our face from the high-priest's threshold?
" Happiness dwells in his abode, and salvation within that portal."
Farzanah Bahram, the son of Farhad, was called
Bahrain the Less : the Arzhang Mdni (the gallery of
Mani) is the production of his genius: he was in
attendance on Zu-al-Ulum, but attained to commu-
1 ^sr*^- chamchamah, " a skull," answers to ehMi. ^^.i* > llie MSS > with ^at of
Oude, have .U. U cl> ,i.
154
standing the total absence of regular studies : by the
exertion of his innate powers, he, like the other Ye-
kanah Bin " seers of one God," attained communion
with God. In the year of the Hejirah 1048 (A. D.
1656) the author conversed with him in Kashmir,
and inquired into the nature of his intercourse with
Bahram. He answered : " I went by way of expe-
" riment to Farzanah, and he thus directed me:
" ' Whether alone or in a crowd, in retirement or
" ' in public, every breathing which issues forth
' * ' must proceed from the head ; and on this point
" ' there must be no inattention.' He also said:
" * Guard the internal breath as long as thou canst,
' * directing thy lace to the pine-formed heart, until
" ' the invocation be performed by the heart in the
** * stomach ; also thy invocation should be thus :
" ' * God! God !' Meditate also on this sentiment:
" * * O Lord ! none but thou forms the object of my
',*-'* desire!' When I had duly practised this, and
" * found its impressive influence, then from the
" * bottom of my heart I sincerely sought God.
" ' After some time he enjoined me to practise the
" ' Tawajjah-i-Talkin,' turning to instruction:' that
" ' is: ' keep thy soul in the presence of God, di-
'**' vested of letters and sounds, whether Arabic or
" ' Persian, never removing thy mind from the
" ' ' pine-formed heart.' By conforming to these
** ' instructions, I have come at last to such a state,
" * that the world and its inhabitants are but as a
155
4 ' * shadow before me ; and their very existence as
' ' ' the appearance of the vapor of the desert. ' '
He was truly a man who had entirely withdrawn
from all external employments and concerns ; never
mixing with the people of the world. If a person
deposited food before him, he took only the quantity
he thought proper, and gave away the remainder ;
he never polluted his hand with money in gold, sti-
ver, or copper; and he frequently passed two or
three days altogether without food and never re-
quested any thing.
Malimud Beg Timan, so called from the Timan
tribe of Arang in Lahore, joined himself also to
Farzanah Bahrain, the son of Farhad, and as the
precepts of that sage were entirely congenial to his
mind, he commenced his religious profession under
him, and became one of the Yekanah Bin, " seer of
** one God," and " knowing God :" thus without the
aid of books he attained to the knowledge of the
Lord, and notwithstanding the absence of written
volumes, discovered the actual road. In the year
of the Hejirah 1048 (A. D. 1637), whilst in Kashmir,
coming out of his cell one day, he saw before him a
wounded dog, moaning piteously; as the animal was
unable to move, he therefore sold the only two
objects he possessed, his carpet for prayer and his
rosary, with the proceeds of which he purchased
remedies for the dog. That same year, he said to
156
the author : " On the first day of turning my heart
" to the mental invocation of God, I had scarcely
" performed it ten times, when an evident influence
" was manifested : at the moment of the first part,
" called nafi, of the sentence, my human existence
" disappeared; at the time of the second, called
' ' asbat, a determined sign of divine grace became
" visible : my sentence was this : ' There is no God,
but God." ' After this manner, several of this sect,
by the diligent practice of faith, attained to the
knowledge of God.
Musa and Harun were two Jews, to whom Farza-
nah Bahram, the son of Farhad, gave these names :
they were distinguished by a profound knowledge
of their own faith, and highly celebrated among the
Rabbins, who are a particular sect of Jewish teach-
ers. On their introduction into Bahrain's society,
they were fascinated by his manners, and through
his system of faith acquired the knowledge of them-
selves. They applied themselves to commerce, and
neither in buying or selling did a falsehood proceed
from their lips, as is the custom of merchants. They
have thus recorded : "To whomsoever Bahram, the
" son of Farhad, uttered a single word about the
1 This corresponds to the Arabic: la ila hah illilla; the first part of
which, la ila huh, " there is no God," is called nafi, " negation ;" the
other part, illi la, " but God," is called asbdt, " confirmation." To
which is added: Muhammed resul ulla, " Muhammed is his prophet."
A. T.
137
" path of religion, he became immediately fasci-
" nated by his manner : also whoever beheld him
' ' felt an attachment to him ; even the hardened
' ' infidel who approached him, humbled himself, and
' ' we have often witnessed such events : for example,
' ' the Mulla Muhammed Said of Samarkand , who was
" our intimate friend, through excess of prejudice
" hurried once to revile him : at that moment, Bah-
" ram had retired from Lahore into a burying-
' ' ground : when the Mulla approached, he found
" himself irresistibly impelled to run forward and
" laid his face on Bahrain's feet : and on Bahrain's
" addressing a few words to him, immediately em-
" braced his faith. I afterwards questioned the
" Mulla about the exact nature of this conversion
' ' from infidelity, and he replied : ' I no sooner
' ' ' beheld him than I fell at his feet ; and when he
" ' addressed a few words to me, I became enrap-
" ' tured with him.' The Mullah always styled
" Bahram ' the plunderer of hearts.'
One day the author asked Musa, " is Kasun thy
" brother?" he replied, " people say so." I then
asked, " who is your father?" he answered, " our
" mother knows that."
Antun Bmhuyah Wdvaraj ' was a Frank, zealous
in the Christian faith, and also possessed of great
The two MSS. read Antun pashulah dakardaj ; the MS. of Oude, An-
ton paslmyah.
158
property ; through divine aid, he conceived an
attachment to the society of Durvishes, and for
the purpose of acquiring knowledge held frequent
conferences with them: through his having dis-
covered the path pointed out by the son of Fur-
had, he altogether resigned his worldly concerns,
assumed the profession of a Kalander, ' and de-
nied himself the use of clothes : Farzanah always
called him " Messiah." He used to appear per-
fectly naked, and never wore clothes either summer
or winter : he abstained altogether from animals
of every description : he never solicited any thing,
but if a person brought food or drink before him, if
it were not animal food, he would eat part of it. One
day, although an evil-disposed person smote him so
that his limbs were wounded, yet he never even
looked at his oppressor ; when his persecutor had
departed, I, the author, came up as the people were
speaking of the injury inflicted on him ; on my en-
quiring the particulars from himself, he replied :
" I am not distressed for my own bodily suffering,
" but that person's hands and fists must have suf-
' * fered so much. " The Imam Kali Warns tali, * ' the
humble," says :
" If the thorn break in my body, how trifling the pain!
" But how acutely I feel for the hapless broken thorn !"
1 A Kalander is a person of religious pretensions, a sort of durvish
not generally approved by the Muhammedans (Herbelot).
139
Ram Bhot, a Hindu, was a learned Brahmin of
Benares ; on joining the son of Farhad, he desisted
altogether from his former rites, and began to follow
llie path pointed out by Bahram. The Mobed Ho-
shyar says : " I have often heard wonderful stories
** concerning him ; a person named Muhammed Ya-
" kub was so ill, that the physicians having given up
" all hopes of his cure, his relations, in their afflic-
" lion, had recourse to an ignorant woman who
" reckoned herself a skilful personage : I went one
** day near Ram Bhot, and found him reposing his
" head on his knee, on which this reflection passed
" across my mind : 'if Ram Bhot be one of the elect,
" he can tell whether Muhammed Yakub is to re-
" main or pass away.' He raised up his head, and
" looking on me with a smile, said: ' God only
* ' knows the hidden secrets ; however, Muhammed
* ' Yakub is not to depart : in another week he will
" be restored to health.' And truly the thing
came to pass as he had declared." Through his
guidance Ram Chand, a Kshatri, one of the chiefs of
the Sahan Sa/tal, adopted the faith : and through the
instruction of these two individuals, many of their
tribe embraced the independent faith as promulgated
by the son of Farhad. The word Sah 1 in Hindi is
applied to " a possessor or powerful person," and
Perhaps ^^ sahas, " strength, power, light." A T.
140
the Sahkal* are a division of theKshatri,an Indian
cast or tribe. In reality, it the writer attempted to
enumerate the numbers of different nations who
zealou sly adopted the doctrines and ritual of Bahrain,
this work would become exceedingly prolix ; he must
therefore resist from such an undertaking. The
author of these pages has heard from Farzanah Bah-
ram, the son of Far had, as stated on the authority
of Farzanah Bahrain, the son of Farhad, that one
day the Shaikh Bahd-ud-din Muhammed Ama/i,
who was a Mujlahad, " a champion," of the secta-
ries of Ali, came near Kaivan and obtained an inter-
view : having thus become acquainted with Kaivan r s
perfection and wisdom, he was exceedingly rejoiced
and happy, and recited this tetrastich :
" In the kabah and the firetemple the perfect saint performed his
" rounds,
" And found no trace of any existence (save that of God) ;
" As the splendor of the Almighty sheds its rays in every place,
" Knock thou either at the door of the kabah or the portals of the
" temple."
After this interview, he became the diligent fol-
lower of Kaivan, and resorted to the disciples of the
Master of all Sciences.
Mir AbulkasimFandaraski also, through his inter-
course with Kaivan's disciples, became an adorer of
the sun, refraining from cruelty towards all living
Perhaps njf^T sakula, " having a family." A. T.
141
creatures. It is well known that being once asked :
" Why dost not thou in obedience to the law go on
u the pilgrimage to Mecca?" He replied: " I go
u not on this account, as I must there slaughter a
" sheep with my own hand." At present the author
proceeds to describe with the pen of truth a sum-
mary of the institutes of theAmezish, " intercourse,"
held by the Abadian Durveshes with society. Those
who adopt this rule call it the Amezish-i-Farhang,
or " the intercourse of science, " and Mezchar, or
" Stranger's remedy." When a stranger to their
faith is introduced to one of their assemblies, far
from addressing harsh observations to him, they pass
eulogiums on his tenets, approve whatever he says,
and do not omit to lavish on him every mark of atten-
tion and respect : this conduct proceeds from the
fundamental article of their creed, as they are con-
vinced that in every mode of belief, its followers may
come to God: nay, if those of a different faith should
present them a request respecting some object about
which they disagree, that is, solicit some act by
which they may approach God, they do not with-
hold their compliance. They do not enjoin a per-
son to abandon his actual profession of faith, as
they account it unnecessary to give him useless pain
of mind. Moreover when any one is engaged in
concerns with them, they withhold not their aid
from his society and support, but practise towards
142
him to the utmost extent of their ability, whatever
is most praiseworthy in this world and the next :
they are also on their guard against indulging in
sentiments of prejudice, hatred, envy, malice, giving
pre-eminence to one failh above another, or adopt-
ing one creed in preference to another. They also
esteem the learned, the Durvishes, the pure of life,
the worshippers of God in every religion, as their
trusty friends ; neither styling the generality of man-
kind wicked, nor holding worldly-minded persons
in abhorrence : they observe, " what business has
'* he who desires not this world's goods to abhor
" the world?" for the sentiment of abhorrence can
proceed from the envious alone. They neither com-
municate their secrets to strangers, nor reveal what
another communicates to them.
A person named .Mihrdb was among the disciples
who followed the son of Far had, in the year of the
Hejirah 1047 (A. D. 1637); the author, who was
then in Kashmir, thus heard from Muhammad Fal
Hasiri : " I once beheld Mihirab standing in the high
" road, at the moment when a Khorasanian, seizing
" on an old man by force, obliged him to labor for
" him without recompense, and placed a heavy
" burden on his head: at this Mihrab's heart so
" burned within him, that he said to the Khorasa-
" nian, ' Withdraw thy hand from this old man,
" that I may bear the burden whithersoever thou
145
" * desirest/ The Khornsanian was astonished, but
' k Mihrab, without paying any farther attention to
" this, took the poor man's load on his head, and
" went along with his unjust oppressor, and on his
" return from that person's house showed no symp-
" toms of fatigue. On my observing to him, * This
* ' ' oppressor has heaped affliction on a holy priest
" ' and judge like thee!' he replied, * What could
" * a helpless person do? tne load must be con-
" ' veyed to his house, and he was unable to place
" ' it on his shoulders, as it was unbecoming for him;
" * nor was he able to give money (which is difficult
" * to be procured) in payment of his labour : he
" ' of course seized on some one to perform his
" * work. I applaud him for granting my request,
" ' and feel grateful to the old man for complying
** ' with my wishes, suffering me. to take his place,
" ' and transferring his employment to myself.' '
Hafiz of Shiraz thus expresses himself :
" The heavens themselves cannot remove the weight confided to us ;
" The lot of labour fell to my hapless name."
Malt Ab, the younger brother of the above Mihrab,
was seen by the compiler of this work in attendance
on the son of Farhad, and in the year of the Hejirah
1048 (A. D. 1658) he thus heard from the Mulla
Malidi of Lahore: " Bahram having one day sent
" him on some errand to the bazar, he happened
" to pass by the house of a person in the service of
144
" Alim Uddin of Halsub, styled Wazir Khan; the
" soldier was then chastising his slave, saying:
" ' Thou hast fraudulently sold one of my captives.'
** Mahab coming near the soldier, said to him :
" ' Withdraw thy hand from this slave, and accept
61 me in place of him who has run away.' Nay, this
" request was so importunately urged, that the sol-
te dier finally accepted the offer and desisted from
" beating his slave. However, when the soldier had
" discovered Mahab's spiritual gifts, he permitted
" him to return home, but Mahab would not quit
** him. A week after this event, Farhad said in my
" presence, ' I know not where Mahab is ;" on
*' which, resting his head on his knees, he directed
** his heaven-contemplating attention to the subject,
*' and the instant after, raising up his head, said:
" Mahab is in the service of a certain soldier, and
u c has voluntarily resigned his person to servitude.'
" He forthwith proceeded to the soldier's abode and
** brought back Mahab." Many similar transac-
tions are recorded of these sectaries. Muhammed
Shariz, styled Amir ul Umra, l a Shirazi by descent,
thus says :
" Through auspicious love we make perfect peace in both worlds,
" Be thou an antagonist, but experience nothing but love from us."
1 Amir signifies "commander, chief, prince." This title was once borne
by sovereigns, but in the course of time was changed for that of Sullan, it
remained a title given only to princes, their sons. Amir ul Omra signi-
fies " the commander of commanders" (Herbelot).-~A.. T.
145
It is to be observed that Halsub is a place in one
of the districts of the Parjab.
A short notice of theAmfaesli-i Farliany, or institute
of the Abadiyah Durveshes, having been thus given,
we next proceed to describe with the pen of truth
the chiefs and rulers of that religion. But it is al-
ways to be borne in mind that the faith of the princes
of Persia, whether of the Abadian, Jaian, Shaian,
Yesani-an, nay of the Peslidadian, Kaianian, Ash-
kanian, and Sassanian dynasties was such as has
been described; and although the system of Zardusht
obtained the pre-eminence, yet they have by means
of glosses reconciled his faith with that professed by
Abad, Kaiomars, and the system of Hushang, called
the Farhang Kesh or " excellent faith;" ' they re-
garded with horror whatever was contrary to the
code of Abad, which they extolled by all means in
their power, as Parviz the son of Hormuz, 2 in his
1 The Persians pretend to have ( see my note, p. 32, and Hyde, Prefa-
Y.
150
of government, as well as the papers of the Shu-
dah bands.
The king also requires military commanders, in
order that they may keep the soldiers in due disci-
pline. The first dignity consists of the chiefs of a
hundred thousand cavalry ; the second, of the com-
manders of thousands; the third, of the commanders
of hundreds; the fourth, of the rulers over tens;
and the fifth, of those accompanied by two, three,
four, or five persons. Thus in this assemblage every
ten persons have an officer and every hundred a
Sipahdar, called in the popular language of Hindus-
tan Bakhshi, " pay-master," in that of Iran, Lash-
kar Navis, or " army-registrar, and in Arabic, Ariz,
or " notary :" a similar arrangement must be ob-
served in the infantry. In like manner, when the
military in regular succession are in attendance on
the king, there is at court a Bdrnujdri, or " regis-
t( trar," to set down those who are absent as well
as those present ; in the popular language of India
this officer is styled Chauki Navis, or u register
" keeper;" they are accompanied by a Shudahband,
an Ustuwar, and sentinels, so that they may not go
to their homes nor give way to sleep until their
period of duty is terminated : there are also different
sentinels for day and night, It is also so arranged
that there should be always four persons together
on each watch, two of whom may indulge in sleep
157
whilst the other two remain awake. In every city
where the king is present there ought to be a Shit-
daliband, to report to the king whatever occurs in
the city : the same rule should be observed in the
other cities also : this functionary they call, in India,
Wakia-Navis, u news- writer." There should also
be a Shahnah, or lC attendant of police," styled Far-
hann-i-roz, tf registrar of the day," who is to con-
duct all affairs with due prudence, and not suffer
people to inflict injury on each other. He is to have
two Shudahbands and an Usluwar or ' confidential
" secretary." In like manner, among the troops of
the great nobles there must be two Shudahbands;
and in all provinces a Shahrdar, or governor ; and
in every city a Bud-andoz, or collector-general, a
Sipah-dar, that is a Bakhshi, and an intendant of
police, or Shalmah ; it is to be noted that among the
Yezdanfan, a Kdzi and Shuhnah were the same, as the
people practised no oppression towards each other.
The Shudahband, the Navand (writer), and the Rd-
vand (courier), or those who conveyed intelligence to
the king, had many spies set over them secretly by
his majesty, and all those officers wrote him an
account of whatever occurred in the city. If the
Sipahdars did not give the men their just dues,
these officers called them to account : also if a
superior noble acted in a similar manner towards
his inferiors, they instituted an inquiry into his
158
conduct : they also took note of the spies ; so
that if any secret agent made himself known as
such, he was immediately dismissed. If any one
kept the due of the soldier or of the cultivator, in
the name of the king, and did not account for it,
they inflicted chastisement on him. The officers
were obliged to delineate the features of every one
employed in the cavalry or infantry, and also to fur-
nish a representation of his horse, and to give the
men their regular pay with punctuality. Previous
to the Gilshahian dynasty, no one ever branded the
king's horses, as this was regarded as an act of
cruelty towards the animal : most of the soldiers
also were furnished with horses by the king, as the
sovereigns of Ajem had many studs. On the death
of a horse, the testimony of the collectors and inspec-
tors was requisite. Every soldier who received not
a horse from the king, brought his own with him :
they also took one out of twenty from the Rayas.
However, under the Sassanian princes, the Rayas
requested " to take from them one out of ten :" and
as this proposition was accepted, it was therefore
called Baj-i-hamdaslani, or voluntary contribution,
as having been sell led by the consent of the Rayas.
The Omras and the great of the kingdom, near
and far, had not the power to put a guilty man to
death; but when the Shadahband, "recorder,''
brought a case before the king, his majesty acted
159
according lo ihe prescriptions of the Ferhang-abad,
unless in the case of executing a dangerous rebel,
when, from sparing him until receiving the king's
will, a great evil would arise to the country.
They laid down this royal ordinance : that if the
king sent even a single person, he was to bring back
the head of the commander of a hundred thousand;
nay, ihat person never turned aside from the pun-
ishment. For example, when such a commander
in the lime of Shah Mahbul had put an innocent man
to death, the prince sent a person who was to be-
head the criminal on a day on which the nobles were
all assembled : and of this there are innumerable
examples. Also in the time of Shah Faridun, the
son of Abtin, the son of Farshad, the son of Shd-i
Gilw, a general named Mahlad w as governor of
Kliorosan: and he having put to death one of the
village chiefs, the Shudahbands reported lo the king
all ihe public and privale delails of ihe fact, on
receiving which the king thus wrote to Mahlad :
" Thou hast acted contrary to ihe Farhaiig Abad."
\Vhen Mahlad had perused the king's letter, he
assembled the chief men of ihe province, and sending
for ihe village chieftain's son, put a sword in his
hand that he might cut off his head : the son re-
plied : " I consenl to pass over my father's blood."
Mahlad, however, would not agree to this, and in-
sisted so earnestly, that the voung man cut off his
160
head , which was sent to the court. The king greatly
commended this conduct, and according to his usual
practice conferred Mahlad's office on his son. In
the same manner, the Moghiils submitted implicitly
to the commands of the Lord strengthened by the
Almighty, that is, to Jenghiz Klian; 1 and the tribes
of Kazl-Bash* were equally obedient to Ismail Safavi
during his reign . But the kings of Ajem were averse
to the infliction of capital punishments, so that until
a criminal had been declared deserving of death,
according to the Abadian code, the order for his
execution was not issued.
The kings and chieftains of Iran never addressed
harsh language to any one j but whenever a person
deserved chastisement or death, they summoned the
Farhangdar, or " judge," and the Dad-sitani, or
** mufti ;" on which, whatever the code of Farhang-
abad enjoined in the case, whether beating with
rods or confinement, was carried into effect: but
the beating and imprisonment were never executed
1 Jenghis Khan, " the king of kings," was the name assumed by Tcmuz
Khin, a Moghul, when he had succeeded in uniting under his own and
sole domination the various tribes of the Turks. He was born in the
year 1162 and died in 1228 of our era. His history is sufficiently known
and belongs not to this place. A. T.
- Kail-bash signifies in the Turkish language " red head," a name
given by the Turks to the Persians, since Jhey began to wear a cap of
that colour enveloped by a turban with twelve folds in honour of the
twelve Imams. This happened in the year 1501, under the reign of
their king Ismail Sufi, already mentioned, note 6, pp. 52, 53. A. T.
161
by low persons. Whatever intelligence was com-
municated by spies was submitted to a careful exa-
mination, in which they took great pains ; and that
unless reports made by two or more spies coincided,
they carried nothing into execution. The princes
and young nobles, like all others, began by personal
attendance on the king : for example, the routine of
Hash-o-bash , or " presence and absence" at court,
was enjoined them in rotation, that they might better
understand the state of humbler individuals : they
even attended on foot, that they might more easily
conceive the toils of the foot-soldier.
Bahzad the Yasanian, in one of his marches having
proceeded a short distance, alighted from his horse, 1
on which a distinguished noble, named Naubar, thus
remarked : " On a march it is not proper to remain
" satisfied with soshort a journey." On this, Bah-
zad Shah, leaving the army in that place, said to the
commander Naubar, " Let us two make a short
*' excursion." He himself mounted on horseback,
and obliged the other to advance on foot. They
thus traversed mountain and plain, until Naubar
became overpowered by fatigue, on which Bahzad
said : " Exert thyself, for our hailing place is near ;"
but he having replied, " I am no longer able to
" move," the king rejoined; " O oppressor! as
Intending to put an end to the march.
1 1
162
" thou art no longer able to proceed, dost thounpt
" perceive that those who are on foot experience
" similar distress from performing too long a
" march?"
" Thou, who feelest'not for the distress of others,
" Meritest not to be called by the name of man."
The military, in proportion to their respective
ranks, had assigned to them costly dresses, vigorous
steeds with trappings and saddles inlaid with pre-
cious stones, equipments, some of solid gold and sil-
ver, and others plated with gold or silver, and hel-
mets. The distinguished men were equally remote
from parsimony and profuseness. The nobles of
Ajem wore a crown worth a hundred thousand
dinars of gold: the regal diadem being appropriated
to the king. All the great Amirs wore helmets and
zones of gold ; they also had trappings and sandals
of the same. When the soldiers set out on an expe-
dition, they took with them arms of every descrip-
tion, a flag and a poignard; * they were habituated
to privations, and entered on long expeditions with
scanty supplies : they were never confined within
the enclosure of tents and pavilions, but braved alike
the extremes of heat and cold. In the day of battle,
as long as the king or his lieutenant stood at his
post, if any one turned his back on the foe, no per-
signify also a bodkin and a needle.
165
son would join him in eating or drinking, or con-
tract alliance with him, except those who like him-
self had consigned their persons to infamy and
degradation. Lunatics, buffoons, and depraved cha-
racters found no access to the king or chieftains.
On the death of a person who had been raised to
dignity, his post was conferred on his son, or some
one of his legitimate connections adequate to its du-
ties ; thus no innocent person was ever deprived of
office, so that their noble families continued from
the time of Shdi Kiliv to that of ShdiMahbul. When
king Khusroj the son of Faridun, the son of Ablin,
the son of Forzad, the son of Shdi Kiliv, had sent
Gurgin 1 the son of Las to a certain post, that dig-
nity remained in his family more than a thousand
years; and when, in the reign of the resplendent
sovereign, king Ardeshir, Madhur the descendant of
Gurgin had become a lunatic, the king confined him
to his house, and promoted his son Mdbzdd to the
government ; and similar to this was the system of
Shah Ismail Safavi. But if an Amir's son were
unfit for governing, he was dismissed from office,
and had a suitable pension assigned him. Nay, ani-
1 Gurgin, in the Shahnamah, is called the son of Jlelad, and was one
of the principal chieftains under the reign of Khusro. Gurgin's character
does not figure advantageously in the history of Pe"zshen and Muniz-
sha, one of the most interesting episodes of Ferdusi's historical poem.
-A. T.
164
mals, such as the cow, ass, and horse, which were
made to labor when young, were maintained by
their masters in a stale of ease when they grew old ;
the quantity of burden which each animal was to
carry was delined, and whoever exceeded that limit
received due chastisement. In like manner, when any
of the infantry or cavalry grew feeble, infirm, or old,
although he might not have performed effective ser-
vice, they appointed his son to succeed him ; and if
the latter was not yet of mature age, they settled on
him a daily allowance from the royal treasury. But
if he had no son, they assigned him during his life
such an allowance as would keep him from dis-
tress, which allowance was continued after his de-
cease to his wife, daughter, or other survivors.
Whatever constitutes the duty of a parent was all
performed by the king ; if, in the day of battle, a
soldier's horse fell, they bestowed on him a better
and finer one. It has already been said that most
of the cavalry horses were supplied by the king,
and the military were at no expense save that of
forage. If a soldier fell in battle, they appointed the
son with great distinction to his father's post, and
also conferred many favors on his surviving family;
they also greatly exerted themselves in teaching
them the duties of their class, and in guarding their
domestic honor inviolate : as, in reality, the king is
the father, and the kingdom the common mother.
165
In like manner, when a soldier was wounded, he
received ihe greatest attentions. Similar notice was
taken of workers in gold and of merchants who had
failed and become impoverished, their children being
adopted by the government : so that, within the
circuit of their dominions, there was not found a
single destitute person. The Sardar of each city
took cognizance of every stranger who entered it :
in the same way, all friendless travellers were re-
ceived into the royal hospital, where physicians gave
themselves up to the curing of the sick : in these
there were also Shudahbands to take care that none
of those employed should be backward in their re-
spective offices. The blind, the paralytic, the feeble,
and destitute were admitted into the royal hospital,
where they passed their time free from anxiety.
Now the royal Bimdrasldn, or hospital was a place
in which they gave a daily allowance to the feeble
and indigent : thus there were no religious mendi-
cants or beggars in their dominions ; whoever wished ,
embraced a Durvesh 's life and practised religious
austerities in a monastery, a place adapted for every
description of pious mortifications : a slothful per-
son, or one of ill repute, was not permitted to become
a Durvesh, lest he might do it for the purpose of
indulging in food and sleep : to such a character
they enjoined the religious exercises suitable to a
Durvesh, which, if he performed with zeal, it was
166
all well ; but, otherwise, he was obliged to follow
his inclinations in some other place.
The king had also confidential courtiers, well
skilled in the histories of the righteous men of olden
time, which they recited to his majesty. There was
also an abundance of astrologers and physicians, so
that, both in the capital and in the provinces, one of
each, agreeably to the royal order, should attend on
every governor ; and their number was such in every
city, that men might consult them on the favorable
and unfavorable moments for every undertaking.
In every city was a royal hospital, in which were
stationed physicians appointed by the king ; there
were separate hospitals for women, where they were
attended by skilful female physicians, so that the
hospitals for men and women were quite distinct.
In addition to all this, the king stands in need of
wise Farhangs, " judges," well versed in the deci-
sions of law and the articles of faith, so that, aided
by the royal influence and power, they may restrain
men from evil deeds, and deliver the institutes of
Farhang, " the true faith," to them. 1 The king
also requires writers to be always in his presence.
1 The manuscript translation of D. Shea reads in this place: " These
" officers are called Sa'mo'r, or the Char Ayin Farangi, " the four
" institutes of law :" which words are not in the printed edition of Cal-
cutta, but are probably in the two manuscripts which he had before his
eyes. A. T.
167
A great Mobed must be acquainted with all sciences ;
a confidential courtier, conversant with the narra-
tives and histories of kings; a physician, profound in
medical science; an astrologer in his calculations of
the stars ; an accountant, accurate in his accounts ;
and a Farhangi, or lawyer, well versed in points of
law : moreover, the study of that portion of the
code contained in the Pdiman-i-Farhang, or in the
" covenant of the Farhang," is incumbent on all,
both soldiers, Rayas,and those who practise the me-
chanic arts, and on other people. In like manner,
persons of one rank were not wont to intermeddle
with the pursuits- of another: for example, that a
soldier should engage in commerce, or a merchant
in the military profession: on the contrary, the two
employments should not be confounded, so that one
should at the same time be a military man and a
servant, or in any employment ; and having become
a commander, should again take up the trade.
They also permitted in every city such a number
of artificers, conductors of amusements, merchants,
and soldiers as was strictly necessary ; to the re-
mainder, or surplus, they assigned agricultural occu-
pations ; so that, although many people may know
these arts, yet no more than is required may be occu-
pied with them, but apply themselves wholly to the
cultivation of the soil. If any officer made even a
trifling addition to the import on any business which
168
brought in a revenue to the king, so far from its
being acceptable, they, on the contrary, ordered that
ill-disposed person to be severely punished.
The king gave audience every day : but on one
day of the week in particular, he acted as Dddsitdn,
or " Mufti," when every person who was wronged
had access to the sovereign; also, once a year, he
gave a general audience, when everyone who pleased
came into his presence ; on this occasion, the king
sat down at table with the Rayas, who represented
to him, without the intervention of another, what-
ever they thought proper.
The sovereign had two places of audience ; one
the Rozistdn, or ** day- station," in which he was
seated on an elevated seat ; which place they also
called the Tdbsdr, or " place of splendor;" around
which the nobles and champions stood in their
respective ranks; the other was the Shabistdn, or
" night station," which had also an elevation, on
which the king took his seat. Men of distinction
stood on the outside; those of royal dignity were at
the door; and next the king was a company standing
with weapons of war in their hands. Every one,
indiscriminately, had not the privilege of laying his
hand on the royal feet; some only kissed the slipper
and walked around it ; others, the sleeve of the royal
mantle which fell on the throne : that person must
be in high favor at court who was permitted to kiss
169
the king's feet, or the throne, or perform a circuit
around it.
As a brief account has been given of the exterior
place of reception, and of the Rdzistdn, or " day
" station," we now proceed to write a few particu-
lars concerning ihe interior place of reception, or
the secret night station, or the Harem, which is also
called the " golden musk-perfumed pavilion." In
the code of Azar Hushang, or Mdhdbdd, it has been
thus laid down : whatever be the number of the
king's women, there must be one superior in dig-
nity to all the rest : her they style " the Great Lady;"
but she possessed not such absolute power that the
right of loosing or binding, inflicting the bastinado,
or putting to death within the night station should
be conferred on her : or that she could put to death
whomsoever she pleased without the king's consent,
a power quite opposed to law.
The Shudahbands also report to the royal presence
all the transactions of the Great Princess and of the
night station, just as they transmit accounts of those
persons who live out of its precincts. If the king's
mother be alive, the supremacy is of course vested
in her, and not in the Great Princess. Saldrbdrs,
or " ushers with silver maces," Jdddrs, or *' super-
" intendants of police," Gdtmumds or Shudahbands,
astrologers and such like professions, were also
met with in the interior residence.
170
Of these women and princesses not one had the
smallest degree of authority over the rest of their
sex who lived outside of the precincts, nor did they
possess the power of issuing any order whatever ; nay
they seldom made mention of them in the royal Ro-
z,istan; neither were they called by any fixed title ; nor,
without urgent necessity, did they ride out in public.
The king also, on visiting the interior apartment,
is not wont to remain long with the women ; nor
do they ever entertain any wishes which have not
reference to themselves ; such as the mode of speak-
ing when enjoining an officer to perform some ser-
vice, or increasing the dignity of the great warriors.
The same system was followed by every Amir in his
own house ; but in the dwelling of every Amir, whe-
ther near or remote, there was an aged matron or
Aluni, deputed on the king's part, with the office of
Shudahband, to report the exact state of affairs to
the Great Princess, or to send from a distance a
written report for being brought before the king.
To the king's Harem, or to that of an Amir, no
males had access, except boys not come to matu-
rity, or eunuchs ; but criminals only were qualified
for the latter class, who were never after admitted
to any confidential intimacy ; and no individual in
their empire was allowed from motives of gain to
have recourse to that operation. '
1 It cannot be denied that the Persians, in very remote times, practised
171
Every year, on certain occasions, on some great
festivals, the wives of the Amirs waited on the Great
Princess, and the women of the city came to the
general levee ; but the king never saw these women,
as on such days he did not enter the musk-perfumed
pavilion, but departed to some other place, so that
his eyes might not fall on a strange female. The
motives of the ladies' visit to the king was this :
that if any were oppressed by their husbands, it
might be reported to the king, who after proper
investigation was to enjoin the punishment awarded
by the court of justice.
The great king partook not of reason-subdu-
ing strong drinks, as he was a guardian, and as
such should not be in a state of helplessness ; on
which account not one of those kings who were
styled guardians ever polluted his lips with wine or
other intoxicating beverage before the Gilshaiyan
dynasty. The cup-bearers of the king's sons and
other nobles were always females, and these were
castration, and especially upon youths distinguished by their beauty
(Herod, lib. VI). They are even accused of having been the first among
whom this infamous practice and the name of eunuchs originated (Steph-
de urbibus. Donat. in Eunuchum, act. I, seen. 2). Ammian. Marcell.
(lib. XIV) attributes it, however, to Semiramis. (See upon this subject
Brissonius, de Regio Persarum principatu, p. 294, 295. ) The passage in
the text permits us to believe that this cruel operation was a dishonouring
punishment, generally abhorred, and particularly restricted by severe laws
among the Persians. A. T.
172
called Bddeks: 1 no beardless males were admitted
to the feast : even eunuchs were excluded from the
banquets of the Gilshaiyan princes, and they were
waited on by beardless youths under ten years of
age ; and at the time of taking wine even they were
not allowed to be present. The ancients, or those
previous to the Gilshaiyan dynasty, had appointed
seasons for drinking wine, which occurred when
the physicians prescribed it for the removal of some
infirmity, on which occasions they conformed to the
above-mentioned rules. If any one, and the king in
particular, labored under a malady the cure of which
could only be effected by wine, and the invalid
should be altogether reluctant to the drinking of it,
in that case, as the cure was confined to the use of
wine, the patient was obliged to comply with the
prescription : for things forbidden under other cir-
cumstances, become lawful when taken for medici-
nal purposes : but with this reservation, that no
injury should accrue to any innoxious animal.
Along the roads frequented by travellers in this
realm, there were many caravansaries, between
every two of which were posted sentinels, so that
the voice of a person reached from one to the next.
In every halting-place was a Shudahband, a physi-
cian, and a Timdri; and the inns were also construc-
i
It may be recollected that the interior service in the palace of an
Indian king was of old always performed by females. A. T.
175
led near each other. Now a Timdri is one appointed
by the king to protect the helpless, such as persons
of tender years and the infirm . Aged women brought
out from the Haram all the requisite supplies (for
these establishments), which they transferred to
aged men, by whom they were conveyed to the
attendants.
The soldiers' wives were not without employ-
ment, such as spinning, sewing, and in various
works, the making of house-furniture, riding, and
in the management of the bow they were as able as
men ; they were all formed by discipline and inured
to toil.
It is evident to all the world that, notwithstanding
the extent of their realms was so exceedingly great
and spacious, yet in consequence of these arrange-
ments, the kings were necessarily informed of every
event which occurred : in addition to what has been
stated, pursuant to decrees influential as those of
Heaven, villages were erected at every stage and
halting-place, at each of which the king's horses
were picketted, and men appointed whom they called
Ravand, or "couriers." When the Shudahband day
by day delivered the report of whatever had oc-
curred into the hand of a courier, the one near the
city delivered it into the custody of another, and so
on, from the couriers of the stage to those of the
villages, until ihe report reached the capital. The
174
king observed the same system in corresponding
with the Umras ; at one time appointing an indivi-
dual who was with great caution to communicate
the royal despatches without entrusting them into
the hands of another ; a courier of this description
mounted at every stage the king's post-horses which
were picketted at the different halting-places until
he completed his object : this description of courier
they call Nuwand; the Umras also despatched Nuw-
ands to the king's court; but the couriers belonging
to royalty or the nobility were not empowered to
seize any individual's horse, or practise oppression,
as they would in that case meet with due retaliation :
there were besides, at the different villages, persons
stationed as guards, who were liable to be called to
account if a traveller suffered oppressive treatment
from any quarter. Shadahbands also were there.
Azar Hushdng, that is, Mdhdbdd, thus enjoined :
" Let there be no exactions practised towards the
" Rayas: let him afford what he well can, and no-
" thing more;" they therefore only took such an
amount as maintained both soldiers and rayas in
tranquillity.
All the king's devoted servants entertained this
belief, that the performance of whatever was agree-
able to the king was attended with advantage in both
worlds ; also that the royal command was the inter-
pretation of the word of God, and that it was highly
175
praiseworthy to meet death in the path of obedience
to the Great King : nay, they accounted death, with
the prospect of royal approbation, which is the be-
stower of paradise, as far superior to life ; but he
must be a king who acts in conformity with the
Paiman-i- Far hang, or " excellent code." In short,
the system of inquiry was such, that the inspectors
used to question the soldiers, whether they were
satisfied or not with their chief.
With respect to keeping guard, it was thus set-
tled ; that out of the four persons acting in concert
with each other, two went to sleep and the other
two stood up armed ; again, when the sleepers arose
the others went to rest ; and on the expiration of
the night, other troops came to keep watch : the
night sentinels, however, did not depart but by
order of their oflicer. These inspected the men
three limes during the night. In that manner each
person had, every week, one day's watch : and
when they retired from keeping guard, proclamation
was made to this purport by the king's command :
" If any have cause of complaint against their in-
" spector or chief, let them not keep it concealed."
In like manner every month the inspectors, whe-
ther near or remote, looked into the state of the
military; if they found any individual, without suf-
ficient cause, deficient in the requisites for service,
they ordered him to be punished, unless he adduced
176
a satisfactory excuse and testimony ; in which case
they accepted his reasons : and if they proceeded
from overpowering necessity, they had regard
to it.
To whomsover they had assigned land, Jaghir or
Mukdsd, they gave daily or monthly pay with the
greatest punctuality, never permitting any deficiency
to occur.
If any were deficient in the performance of duty,
for example, being absent one watch without suffi-
cient cause, besides inflicting the due punishment,
they deducted the pay of that watch, but not of the
whole day. When, for some good reason, he ap-
plied for a furlough, he obtained it.
The prime minister was obliged to institute an
inquiry into any aflair of which he got the neces-
sary information. The Rats sufid, ' ' chieftain," must
produce a Khushmidi namah, or " a certificate,"
purporting that he had given the due to his people,
and that they were satisfied with him ; also that
whatever revenue had been received was delivered
over to the inspector, in the presence of the Anim
and Shudahband : the inspectors also produced, in
the royal presence, certificates staling that they had
practised no oppression towards the military : and
although the spies made a report of all particulars
every week, still the king inquired besides of the
soldiers, as to the truth of this approbation.
177
The Yazdanians never attempted a thing mentioned
with abhorrence in the Farhang code, in which
every fault had its fixed punishment. When any
one was convicted of a crime, the king's near atten-
dants never made intercession for him : for example,
pursuant to this code, and by the king's command,
the son inflicted punishment on the father, and the
father on his son, so that even princes of the blood
had not the power of breaking this law ; if they were
guilty of injustice, the kings themselves inflicted the
allotted punishment : for example, Jai Aldd had a
son called Hudah, whom he himself beheaded for
having put to death the son of a villager. The king's
devoted servants raised themselves to distinction by
their excellence and exertions to obtain praise and
titles : whoever swore falsely by the royal family
was expelled from all intercourse with them.
There were peculiar places assigned for the com-
bat of elephants, lions, and other wild beasts, the
backs and sides of which places were so elevated, that
people might behold from every part, without the
possibility of sustaining injury from the elephants
and other wild animals : the king being all the while
seated on a lofty throne. They never created embar-
rassments in bazars or populous places with furious
elephants or fierce lions, but kept them in remote
situations and secure places such as before*men-
tioned, from whence they could easily remove them.
12
178
r
It is recorded that, in the lime of Shirzad Shah, the
Yassanian, an elephant having broken out of the
place where he was tied up, killed some one ; on
which the king, in retaliation for the deed, put the
elephant to death, and also inflicted capital punish-
ment on the elephant-keepers and the door-keepers
of the elephant-stables, who had left the door open.
The king never listened to tales of fiction, but solely
to true statements : the military and the rayas also
never averted their necks from executing the king's
commands : and if a traveller invoked the king's
name and entered into any house, the inmates not
only washed his feet, but even drank the water in
which they performed the operation, as a sovereign
remedy, and sedulously showed all due attentions to
their guest.
On the day of battle, the soldiers were drawn up
in right, centre, and left columns, an arrangement
which they never violated in any engagement : as
when once dissolved, the restoration of that com-
bined order would be impossible : when the troops
had been arrayed in this manner, they gave the
enemy battle ; and in proportion to the necessity,
the bazar, or " market " of assistance followed
them : even after victory they observed the same
arrangement.
On the day of triumph, when the enemy fled and
the foe dispersed, the entire army did not give them-
179
selves up to plunder ; but the king appointed for the
service a certain detachment, accompanied by Shu-
dahbands and Bitiandahs, or inspectors and super-
visors, whilst the rest of the army remained pre-
pared for battle and ready to renew the engagement;
not one of them raising the dust of plunder or de-
parting to their homes, lest the enemy, on disco-
vering their dispersion in pursuit of plunder, might
return and gain the victory. When they had made
themselves masters of the spoil, the king ordered
them to set apart the choicest portion for the indi-
gent and the erection of religious foundations : he
next distributed an ample share to the men propor-
tioned to their exertions ; after \vhich he gave each
of his courtiers a portion ; and he lastly conferred a
suitable portion on the great officers ; but no part of
this division entered into the account of the allow-
ances settled on the military class : last of all, the king
drew the pen of approbation over whatever was
worthy of the royal majesty. Some of the ancient
kings and all the princes of the remote ages, far from
taking any part of the spoil to their own share, even
made good every injury which happened to the army
in executing the royal orders, as the loss of horses
and such like.
After the victory, they never oppressed the help-
less, the indigent, merchants, travellers, or the
generality of the inhabitants, and the Rayas. Those
180
who were guilty of such acls were, after conviction,
punished. They divided among them whatever the
enemy had in their flight left on the field of battle :
but whatever in the different realms belonged to the
conquered prince and his near connexions, they
submitted to the royal pleasure* They never slew
or offered violence to the person who threw down
his arms and asked for quarter.
This class of the obedient followers of the Amr
Husliang code were styled Farishtah. ' ' angelic ; "
Suriish, " seraphic;" Farishtah manish, " angel -
" hearted;" Surush manish, '* seraph-hearted;"
Sipdsi, " adorers ;" Sahi din. " upright in faith;"
and Zanddil, " the benevolent;" opposed to whom
are the Ahriman, the Dws, and the Tunddil, or
" and from the frigidity of water proceeded the
205
earlh." One of this sect was Rohdm, who passed
under the designation of a draughtsman ; he was in
truth a painter possessed of European skill ; the hand
of Bahzad 2 and the finger of Mani, 3 who never re-
1 Vitruvius (who lived shortly before J. C.) says (1. iv. Praef. ): Thalcs
Milesius omnium rerum principium Aquam est professus, Heraclitus
Ignem, Magorum sacerdotes, Aquam et Ignem. As to the earth proceeding
from the frigidity of water, we read in Macrobius ( In Somno Scip. 1. 1 )
what follows : " Terra est sicca et frigida : aqua vero frigida et humecta
" est; ha3c duo elernenta, licet sibi et per siccum humectumque contra-
" ria sint, per frigidum tamen commune junguntur." A. T.
2 Bahzad was a celebrated painter.
3 In the Desatir (English transl., pp. 188, 1889) it is stated that Mani
came into Iran during the reign of Ardeshir, and made himself notorious
by curious paintings and a new doctrine which he exhibited : he permitted
the killing of harmless animals, and forbade all intercourse with women.
After a controversy upon these two points with the king Shapur, he was
driven out of the court, and then lapidated and torn to pieces by the
people of the town. According to Sharistani, Mani was the son of Faten
or Fater; according to Mohammed Ben Ishak, his father was Fettak Ben
Ebi Berdsam. He was born about the year 240 of our era, but his birth-
place is differently stated to have been in Persia, in Babylonia, in Nisha-
pur, in Khorossan. He is reputed as a learned man, as will be shewn in a
subsequent note. He appeared at the court of king Shapur, the son of Ar-
deshir Babegan, but inhabited chiefly Turkistan. As a painter, he exhibited
/ ^
a set of pictures, called -JiX-JLJ'.!, artang; or s^Cjil, arzharik; or
r - 1, rasan is a linear measure, the exact value of which could
not be ascertained. According to common belief of the Muhammedans,
this bridge appears of different shapes; to the good, a straight and plea-
sant road of thirty-seven fathoms in breadth ; but to the wicked it is
286
" a spirit just parted from the body in a state of
" tranquillity ; on its arrival at the bridge of judg-
" ment, a fragrant gale came from mid-day or the
** east, out of which issued forth a beautiful nymph-
" like form, the like of which I never Before beheld.
" The spirit asked her : ' Who art thou of such
" ' surpassing beauty?' She replied : ' I am the
" ' personification of thy good deeds.' '
' ' I then saw Mihr Ized, ' at whose side were stand-
like the edge of a sword, on which they totter and fall into the abyss
below. According to the translation of Pope (p. 11), when Ardai Viraf
found himself close to the bridge, it appeared to him to be a broad and
good road. A. T.
1 Mihr Ized is the same as Mithra. He is the most active champion
against Ahriman and the host of evil genii ; he has one thousand ears
and ten thousand eyes; a club, a bow, arrows, and a golden poniard in
his hand ; he traverses the space between heaven and earth ; he gives
light, that is the sun, to the earth ; he directs the course of water, and
blesses mankind with progeny and the fruits of the field : the earth
receives from him its warriors and virtuous kings ; he watches over the
law, and maintains the harmony of the world. After death, he not only
grants protection against the attacks of the impure spirits, but assigns
heaven to the souls of the just. It is there that he appears in the celes-
tial assembly of holy Fervers surrounding the throne of Ormuzd (seeZend-
Av., t. II. pp. 204. 205. 222. 223. 256. and in other places).
Mithra is by some authors identified with Ormuzd himself, and with
the sun; but it results from Anquetil's investigations that, in the religion
of the Persians, he is distinct from both and subordinate to Ormuzd.
He occupies a much higher rank in the religious system of the Chal-
daeans and the Arabs, who first venerated Mithra. It is now established
beyond any doubt, by a good number of authentic monuments, that in
later times the religion and worship of Mithra has been greatly developed
in dogmas, symbols, and a system of mysteries relating to cosmology,
287
' ' ing Rash Rast l and Sarmh hed holding a balance
" in his hand, and angels assembled around them.
' ' Now Mihr Ized is the angel whose province it is to
*' number and estimate people in regard to rewards
' ' and punishments. Rash is his minister of justice
* ' and the lord of equity ; and Sariish is the lord of
*' messages and the master of announcements. To
*' these I made my salam which they returned, and
" I passed over the bridge. 2 Several spirits then
astronomy, and physiology: in the first centuries of the Christian era,
this religion appears to have been spread, not only over Asia, but also
over a great part of Europe. This subject has been very learnedly treated
at great length in modern works of too great celebrity to require men-
tioning here. A. T.
1 Rashne'-rast, an Ized, who presides over the 18th day of the month ;
he is the Ized of righteousness, which he bestows ; he sees every thing
from afar, destroys the thief and the violent, and takes care of the earth;
it is he to whom Ormuzd has given a thousand forces and ten thousand
eyes, and who weighs the actions of men upon the bridge which sepa-
rates the earih from heaven. (Zend-Av., t. I. 2. P. pp. 82. 131. ; II. pp.
218. 219. 223). A. T.
2 In Pope's translation of the Viraf-nameh we find (pp. 13-15) what
follows: " When Ser6sh Ized laid hold of my arm, we proceeded to the
" top of the bridge, one side of which appeared in full splendor of light
" and the other in total darkness, when I heard a strong and extraordi-
" nary noise which, on looking forwards, I perceived to come from a
" dog, that was chained with a collar and chain of gold, near the light
" side of the bridge. I asked the angels: ' Why is the dog here?' to
" which Serdsh Izad replied: ' He makes this noise to frighten Ahriman,
" and keeps watch here to prevent his approach; his name is Zering
" Goash (Cerberus ?) and the devils shake at his voice ; and any soul that
" has, during its residence in the lower world, hurt or ill used or de-
" stroyed any of these animals, is prevented by Zering Goash from pro-
" ceeding any further across the bridge; and, Ardai Viraf, when you
288
' * appeared who addressed me affectionately ; Bah-
" man next appeared and said to me : * Come on,
' ' ' that I may show thee the Gah-4-zarin (or golden
" place, which is the same as the celestial throne).
" I proceeded with him to a beautiful throne, where
" I beheld the spirit before mentioned, whose deeds
" were personified by a beauteous form, with the
" Ashwan, or ' pure spirits,' and' the inhabitants of
" paradise around him, with the spirits of his rela-
' ' tions rejoicing as on the arrival of a long-absent
" traveller from his abode ; then Bahman took his
" hand and brought him to a place worthy of him.
" When I had proceeded a little onwards, I beheld
" a lofty portico, where by order of Surush I ad-
" dressed my prayers towards the place of God, and
' ' my sight became darkened through the effulgence
te of light. Surush again brought me back to the
' ' bridge of judgment, around which I beheld a num-
" ber of persons standing with folded hands. 1
" asked: ' Who are those persons?' Surush an-
" return again to the world, as one of the first duties, enjoin the taking
" care of these animals." According to the Vendidad Sadd (Zend-Av., t.
1. 2. P. p. 418), the souls, strong and holy, who have done good works, shall,
at their passage over the bridge Chanivad, be protected by the dog of the
herds. On that account the Persian kings had (see Brissonii de Reg.
Pers. princip. libri tres, 1. I. p. 157) at their table a particular meal
prepared for the dog. The Parsees in our days have great regard for
dogs. Immense numbers of these animals are fed by those people,
though not admitted into their houses. A. T.
289
" severed : * These are the weak in faith, who remain
% ' ' in this state until the day of judgment : if they
*' * possessed an additional particle of virtue, equal
" * in weight to one of the hairs of the eyelash,
** ' they would be relieved from this calamity.' I
** then beheld another assemblage like unto shining
" stars. Surush said: ' This is the Satra Payah, 1
" * (or the sphere of the fixed stars) ; in these are a
I" ' people who with all their wealth observed not
* ' ' the Giti Kharid 2 (the purchase of the other world)
" * and the Nau Roz (or the festival of the new
" ' year.)' He next brought me to the Mdh Pay ah
** (or lunar sphere), where I beheld spirits resplen
u dent as the moon. The angel said : ' this Mdh
1* ' ' Pdyah is also one erf the spheres of paradise, in
" ' which are those who have performed every kind
" ' of meritorious act and deed, except observing
" ' the Nau Roz.' He then conducted me to the
" Khurshid Pdyah (or solar sphere) where I beheld
1 Printed copy reads iA oj, tir pa'yah.
- The Giti Kharid is called the gift of two rupees, which a man is
obliged to give once in his life to a Mobed or a priest, in order that he
may perform, during five or eight days, a religious ceremony for the
sake of the donor, who is purified by it. This purification is substituted
for another more eipensive rite, called the Nauz6di, which a Parsee is
bound to perform when fifteen years old, and which, on the part of the
Neopliyte, requires a considerable knowledge of religious doctrine, pray-
ers, and ceremonies. He who during his life has not made Yesht, nor the
(iiti Kharid, nor the present of a dress to the Pure, shall, after the resur-
rection, appear naked (Zend-Av., t. !I. pp. 34. 553. 554). A. T.
ID
290
44 spirits exceedingly bright, radiant as the sun.
" The angel said: * In the solar sphere are the
4 ' * persons who have observed the Giti Kharid and
.'.' ' the Nau Roz.' At his command, I then ad-
44 dressed my prayers to the Warakt and Khurah-4-
44 Yazdan, or ' light of the Almighty:' perception
" and intellect, through the effects of terror and
4 ' overpowering awe, began to flee from me ; a voice,
4 4 however, from which I obtained renovated energy,
' * came to my hearing : there was then some oil '
" given me to drink out of a golden cup : I partook
" of it and found it of an incomparable taste : they
* c told me that it was the food of the people of para-
' ' dise. I next beheld Ardi Behest, 2 to whom I made
*' my salam. He said to me: * Place on the sacred
44 * fire wood free from moisture.' Surush then
" bore me off to Kurutaman, or ' paradise,' 3 in the
* c light of which J became bewildered in astonish-
1 The Parsees mention in their books a very agreeable oil, called
Mediozerem, which is the beverage of the blessed in heaven, and it is,
they say, from the name of this oil that one of the six yearly festivals
sacred to the memory of the creation is called Ga'hamber Mediozerem
Zend-Av., t. II. p. 394. note). A. T.
According to the Ardai Viraf Nameh, translated by Pope. Lond., 1810
(p. 22) Ardai received a lozenge to eat, which buried in oblivion all that
had passed in the other world, and turned his thoughts to God alone.
-D. S.
2 Ardibehest, see p. 241, note.
3 In the manuscript GarJishman ; in the Ardai Viraf Nameh, Geroos-
inan.- D. S.
291
c ' ment : I knew none of ihe precious stones of
** which it was composed. The angels, by the com-
*' mand of the Almighty, took me round every part
*' of it. I next came to a place where I beheld an
" illustrious assemblage enveloped in Khurah, that
"' is, * radiance and pomp.' Surmh Ashir said:
" * These are the spirits of the munificent and noble-
" * minded.' After this I saw a great multitude in
' ' all magnificence. Suriish explained to me :
*' * These are the spirits of all who have observed
" ' the I$au Roz.' Next them I beheld an assem-
*' blage in the enjoyment of all magnificence and
* ' happiness. Suriish observed : * These are the spi-
*' * rits of just princes.' After this I beheld blessed
4 ' spirits in boundless joy and power. Surush ex-
** plained: * These are the Dustiirs and Mobeds :
" * my duty is to convey that class to this honor.'
" I next beheld a company of women rejoicing in
" the midst of great pomp. Surush Ashii and
" Ardibahest observed : ' These are the spirits of
44 ' women who w r ere obedient to their husbands.'
' ' I then beheld a multitude of majestic and beautiful
' k persons, seated along with angels. Suriish said :
44 ' this class consists of Hirbuds and Mobeds, the
" * attendants on fire-temples, and the observers of
' ' ' the Yasht and Yazisht of the Amshasfands. ' A fter
" these I saw an armed assemblage in a slate of the
" ' highest joy. Surush informed me : ' These are
292
" ' the spirits of the champions Who fought in the
" * ways of God, maintaining their country and the
" * husbandmen in a state of prosperity and Iran-
'* * quillity.' I next beheld a great assemblage in
" the enjoyment of all delight and gladness. Su-
' ' riish observed : * These are the spirits of the slay-
' ' * ers of the Khurdstdr (or noxious animals). ' ' After
" this, I witnessed a people given up to sporting
' ' and happiness. Surush observed : ' These are the
41 ' spirits of the husbandmen, over whom Safdndar-
" ' muz is set ; he consequently presides over this
" ' class, as they have propitiated him by their
' ' ' acts.' I next beheld a great company surrounded
' ' by all the appliances of enjoyment. Surush said :
" ' These are the spirits of shepherds/ After this,
" 1 beheld great numbers in a state of repose and
4 ' joy, and the elemental principles of paradise stand-
' ' ing before them . Surush observed : ' These are
" * the heads of families, friends to building, who
u ' have improved the world by gardens and waler-
*' * courses, and held the elements in reverence.'
" I next came to another class, endowed with pro-
'* phet-like radiance, of whom Suriish remarked :
' ' * These are the spirits of Jddongois.' Byfdddng&s
" is meant one who solicits money from the wealthy
1 We might almost imagine this tenet as the origin of accounting tlie
(Jrocian Hercules a God, from this ancient testimony of veneration for the
destroyers of lions, hydras, elc D. S.
293
' ' lo promote the way of the Lord, and who expends
'* it on noble foundations and holy indigent per-
" sons.
(t What can I say concerning the black-eyed
" nymphs the palaces, offspring, and attendants
" the drinks and viands? any thing like which
" I know not of in this elemental world. 1
" After this Suriish and Ardibehest, taking me
1 The Viraf-namch, a sort of Persian " Divina Commedia," contains,
in Pope's translation, a description much more detailed than here,
and even prolix, of Viraf's journey in the other world. We there read of
seven heavens, namely: tiie Hame&tan, the Sitar-payah, the Mah-payah,
the Khordad-payah, the Geru'shman. the Azar Ro'shni, and the Ana
Gurra Roshm. In the last (pp. 38-39^, in the centre of a building, on
a throne was seated Zartusht, and by his side were standing his three
sons, named Assad Avaster, Ozvar tu'r, and Khurshid chehdr ; attend-
ing on the prophet were Jemshid and other kings, among whom was
Gushtasp and some sages, not without Changragacha, the converted
Brahman. These seven heavens have been very ingeniously referred by
M. Felix Lajard (see Memoirs sur les deux bas-reliefs mithriaquss qui
ont ttt decouverls en Transylvanie, pp. 49 et seq.) to a passage which Ori-
genes has preserved to us, from a treatise of Celsus against the Christians.
This philosopher, speaking of certain mysteries among the Persians, men-
tions seven doors, which are of lead, tin, brass, iron, mixed metal, silver,
and gold, corresponding in their order to the heavenly bodies, Saturn,
Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, the moon, and the sun; above the last is
an eighth door, most likely the heavenly Alborz, " the region of the prirn-
" ordial light (see note, p. 232)." We learn from the Boun-Dehesh, the
Zardusht-nameh, and other works, that the ascension of the souls was
effected through the five planets which, in the mysterious ladder of
r.elsus, are placed before the moon and the sun, who himself rests upon
mount Alborz. M. F. Lajard makes use with great sagacity of the passage
of Celsus, in support of his explanation of the millmacal monuments
which are the subjects of his learned Memoir. A. T.
294
il out of paradise, bore me off to behold the pun-
44 ishmenls inflicted on those in hell. First of all,
" I beheld a black and gloomy river of fetid water,
44 with weeping multitudes falling in and drowning.
4 4 Suriish said : 4 This water is collected from the
4f 4 tears shed by relatives on the death of a person;
44 4 and those who, are drowning are they whose
" 4 relatives, after their death, break out into
i4 4 mourning, weeping, and tears/ I next pro-
44 ceeded towards the bridge of judgment, where I
" beheld a spirit rent from the body, and mourning
4< for its separation : there arose a fetid gale, out of
4 ' which issued a gloomy figure, with red eye-balls,
" hooked nose, hideous lips, teeth like columns, a
44 head like the kettle of a minaret, 1 long talons,
44 spear-like fangs, snaky locks, and vomiting out
4 ' smoke. The alarmed spirit having asked, ' \Vho
" 4 art thou?' he answered, ' I am the personifica-
i4 4 tion of thy acts and deeds/ On saying this, he
44 threw his hands around the spirit's neck, so that
44 his lamentations came to the bridge of judgment,
44 which is sharper than a razor : on this the spirit
44 having gone a little way with great difficulty, at
44 last fell into the infernal regions. I then followed
44 him, accompanied by Siirushand Ardibehest : our
44 road lay through snow, ice, storms, intense cold,
1 In which food is given to the poor. A. T.
295
* ' mephitic exhalations, and obscurity, along a region
' ' full of pits : into these I looked, and there beheld
" countless myriads of spirits suffering tortures.
" They all wailed bitterly, and the darkness was so
" thick that one was unable to perceive the other, or
" to distinguish his lamentation: three days such
" punishment is equal to nine thousand years, and
" the same calculation applies to the other pits, in
" all of which were serpents, scorpions, stinging
" and noxious creatures : whatever spirit falls into
4t them
" Was stung by one and torn by another.
" Was bit by this, and pierced by that."
" Suriish having taken me below, I there beheld a
" spirit with a human head and serpent-like body,
' ' surrounded by many demons who were applying
' 4 the torture to his feet, and smiting him in every
" direction with hatchets, daggers, and maces,
4 ' whilst noxious creatures were biting him on all
* * sides. Suriish observed : ' This was a man of vile
" ' passions.' I next saw a woman who held in her
" hand a cup filled with blood and corrupted mal-
41 ter ; demons kept striking her with clubs and
'* spears until she swallowed the nauseous draught,
* ' on which they instantly replaced a similar bowl
4 ' in her hands. Suriish remarked : ' This woman,
" ' whilst laboring under periodical illness, ap-
t; * proached the elements of fire and water.' I
296
" then beheld a man wailing piteously, whose head
4 ' they were scalping with a poniard : Suriish said :
*' ' This was a shedder of innocent blood.' I next
44 saw a man who was forced to swallow blood and
" corrupted matter, with which they were continu-
" ally supplying him. The demons in the mean
" time tortured him, and placed a heavy mountain
" on his breast : Suriish stated this to be' The spirit
44 ' of a dissolute man, who seduced the wives of
*' ' other men.' After this, I beheld a spirit weeping
4< through hunger and thirst; so intense was his
' ' craving, that he drank his own blood and devoured
" his own flesh. Suriish staled : ' This is the spirit
' ' 4 of one who observed not the Bdj l when partaking
" * of food,' " (Baj is a rite practised by orthodox
Parsees before meat, as has been explained under 1
the head of banquet) " ' and who on the day of
" * Aban 2 partook of water, fruit, and bread, so that
44 ' the angels Khurddd and Murddd were displeased
" 4 with him.' I next beheld a woman suspended
44 by her breasts and noxious creatures falling on
4 4 her. Suriish said : * this is a woman who deserted
44 ' her husband and went after another man.' I
1 Baj, or Yaj, signifies in general religious silence, or an inarticulate
murmuring of prayers. This is practised before eating, and is to be
followed by an inviolable silence during the repast. See Hyde, p. 3o2,
and Anquetil du Peron, II. p. 598.
2 Aban is the Ized of water, and presides over the tenth day of the
month. Anq. du Per., I. 2. P. p. 132; II. 318. 328. A. T.
297
** then saw a great multitude of spirits, furiously
** assailed by rapacious animals and noxious crea-
" tures. Sunish stated thus: ' These are persons
" ' who adopted not the Kashti 1 or sacred cincture as
4 ' ' worn by professors of the excellent faith.' I next
" beheld a woman hung up, with her tongue pro-
t( truding from the hind part of the neck. Suriish
' ' observed : ' This is a woman who obeyed not her
' ' ' husband, and replied to him with harsh answers
** ' and opposition.' I then saw a man eating with
" a ladle the most noxious things, of which if he
" took loo small a portion, demons smote him with
'* wooden clubs. Suriish observed: 4 this is the
' ' ' spirit of one who betrayed his trust. ' I after this
1 Kashti is a girdle commonly of wool or of camel's hair, consisting of
seventy-two threads, to go at least twice round the body, say, about ten
feet in length. The breadth depends upon the thickness of the threads.
It is tied about the sadere, which is a sort of white shirt, worn immedi-
ately upon the skin, with short sleeves, open above and commonly not
passing the hips. This girdle was worn by the Parsees from lime imme-
morial. They pretend that Jemshid, being instructed by Horn, the primi-
tive legislator, invented the Kashti. Before the time of Zoroaster, it was
worn indifferently as a scarf, or wrapped round the head. The monu-
ments of Persepolis exhibit persons wearing the Kashti, Not to wear it
in the fifteenth year is a great sin ; the day on which it is taken for the
first time is a festival, and daily prayers are prescribed before putting it
on, and frequent ceremonies are connected with it (Zend-4v., t. II. pp.
529). Nothing can be right or good that is done without the Kashti :
" ungirt, unblessed" (Hyde, p 376). We have here a striking example
how a custom originally suggested by simple convenience, to be girt, or
to be ready, accingerc se, acquires by religious prescription an importance
far beyond its intended use and purpose. A. T.
298
" beheld a man hung up, surrounded by seventy
' demons, who were lashing him with serpents
" instead of scourges; and meanwhile the serpents
'* kept gnawing his flesh with their fangs. Sunish
" Ashii said : ' This is a king who extorted money
' ' from his subjects by torture.' I next beheld a
" man with wide-opened mouth and protruding
** tongue,
" With serpents and scorpions covered all over,
" The one lacerating with fangs, the others lashing with their tails.
** Suriish said: ' This was a tale-bearer, who by his
" 4 lies caused dissension and strife among inan-
" ' kind.' After this I saw a man, every ligature
' * and joint of whose body they were tearing asunder.
* * Suriish said : ' This person has slain many fbur-
" * footed animals.' 1 next beheld a man exposed
' ' to body-rending torture, concerning whom Suriish
" said : * This was a wealthy, avaricious man, who
' * ' employed not his riches for the useful purposes
" ' of either world.' 1 then saw a person to whom
' ' were offered all sorts of noxious creatures, whilst
4 ' one foot was free from all kind of suffering. Su-
" rush said concerning him : * This is the spirit of a
" ' negligent person, who did not in the least attend
" * to the concerns of the world or the world to
" ' come. As he once passed along the road, he
" ' observed a goat tied up in such a manner that it
" ' was unable to get at its food : with that foot he
299
" * tossed the forage towards the animal, in recom-
* * pense of which good act that foot is exempt from
' ' ' suffering.' I next beheld a person whose tongue
** was laid on a stone, and demons kept beating it
" with another. Concerning him Surush observed :
" ' This person was an habitual slanderer and liar,
" * through whose words people fell into mischief.'
4 * I then saw a woman whose breasts the demons
" were grinding under a millstone. About her
' ' Surush observed : * This woman produced abor lion
" ' by means of drugs.' I next beheld a man in
" whose seven members worms had fixed them-
' ' selves. Concerning him Surush said : * This per-
" * son gave false witness for money, and derived
'* * his support from that resource.' After this I
** saw a man devouring the flesh of a corpse and
" drinking human gore. Surush observed : * This
" ' is the spirit of one who amassed wealth by un-
" * lawful means. ' I afterwards beheld a greal
4 ' multitude with pallid faces, fetid bodies, and limbs
" covered with worms. About these Sariish Ashii
" observed : * These are hypocrites of satanic quali-
" ' ties, whose hearts were not in accordance with
" ' their words, and who led astray the professors of
'* * the excellent faith, divesting themselves of all
" ' respect for religion and morality.' 1 next saw
4' a man the members of whose body hell-hounds
" were rending asunder. Concerning him Surush
500
* * said : * This man was in the habit of slaughtering
** water and land dogs.' I next beheld a woman
' hurled into snow and smitten by the guardians of
'* fire. About her Surush said : ' When this woman
' * ' combed herself, her hairs fell into the fire.' After
" this I beheld another woman tearing oil with a
" poniard the flesh of her own body and devouring
" it. Surush said : * This is an enchantress who used
' ( ' to fascinate men. ' Next her I saw a man whom
" the demons forced by blows to swallow blood,
" corrupted matter, and human flesh. Concerning
" him Surush said : ' This man was in the habit of
* ' ' casting dead bodies, corrupted matter, nails, and
" ' hair into h're and water.' I afterwards beheld a
*' person devouring the flesh and skin of a dead
' * body. Surush said : ' This person defrauded the
" ' labourers of their hire.' I next beheld a man
" with a mountain on his back, whom with his
" load they forced through terror into the midst of
' * snows and ice. Surush observed : * This was an
** ' adulterer, who took the wife from her husband. '
" I afterwards saw a number of ill-fated persons up
" to their necks in ice and snow, before each of
" whom was a cup filled with gore, and hair, and
" impurities, which, through terror of blows and
" clubs, they were obliged to swallow. Surush ob-
" served : ' These are persons who used warm batli-
" ' ing along with the Batardecn(or the enemies of the
501
" ' faith) washing their bodies and heads in such
44 ' unclean and polluted baths.' I then beheld i
" person groaning under the weight of a mountain*
" Concerning him Suriish said: ' This man laid
" ' heavy taxes on the people, established evil ordi-
" ' nances, and oppressed mankind.' Next him I
" beheld one digging up a mountain with his fingers
" and nails, whilst the superintendent kept smiting
" him with a viper. Suriish said : ' This is a man
** ' who by violence seized on the lands of others :'
" As long as this earth and place continue, to exist,
1 So long, by way of retribution, shall this spirit be thus employed.
" I afterwards saw a man the flesh of whose shoul-
" ders and body they were scraping off with a comb
'* of iron. Concerning him Suriish said : ' This man
" ' was an egregious violator of promises and
" * breaker of engagements.' I then beheld a great
44 multitude whose hands and feet they were smit-
44 ing with bludgeons, iron maces, and such like.
44 Concerning these Suriish observed: ' This class
" ' is composed of promise -breakers and theviola-
44 ' tors of covenants, who maintained friendship
44 4 with Darwands, 1 or those hostile to the faith.'
1 Danvands, the production of Ahriman : this word means : 1. the
Darong, or " evil spirits, who appear under the human form;" 2. the
worshippers of Ahriman ; 3. the spirits of the damned. After the resur-
rection, they shall be anew precipitated into hell, to be punished there
during three days and nights ; after which the great and small mountains
502
" Sunish, Ashii,and Ardibehest then led me from
" that abode of misery to Girutuman, ' the seat of
" ' supreme bliss,' or ' paradise on high/ which is
" called ' the heaven of heavens.' On beholding
" the light and splendor of the* righteous Lord, I
'* became entranced, and this spirit-reviving voice
" reached my ears : ' Through thy virtuous words
" ' and actions, which have been conformable to
" * the excellent faith, joined to the co-operation
" ' and energy of intellect, though hast resisted all
" ' the demons which infest the body, and hast
" ' therefore attained to this rank.' Suriish then
" taking me by the hand, said: ' Communicate to
" ' mankind all thou hast heard.' He next took
" me down to paradise, where several spirits re-
" ceived me and said : ' Reveal these mysteries to
" ' our relations, that they may beware of sin.' I
6(1 next came to the lunar mansion, where they ad-
" dressed me in the same manner. I afterwards
" reached the starry mansion with the same two
" companions, and here also the spirits advanced
* ' to receive me, saying : ' Counsel our relations to
44 * make Yasht and Yazisht (to pray in a low mur-
' ' ' muring tone at meal-time) and to cleave firmly to
** * the festival of the NauRoz, and the girding of
of the earth shall be dissolved and flow over its surface in rivers of metal ;
the Durwands will be forced to pass through this molten ocean, and being
thus purified from all sin. become eternally blessed. D. S.
505
" ' the cincture; had we observed these rites, we
" ' should not have remained in this mansion, but
44 * gone on to Paradise/ It appears to follow from
4 ' what has been stated, that the starry mansion or
" zodiacal sphere is below that of the moon; the
44 Yezdanians however say, that the starry mansion
44 signifies the mansion of the spirits who below the
" lunar sphere are not exempted from sufferings,
44 but are attached to the bodies of the virtuous by
" means of the zodiacal signs. '
'* I next came to ChinawadPul (the bridge of judg-
44 ment) where many spirits thus addressed me:
" * Tell men to leave sons behind them in the
44 ' world, or otherwise they must, like us, remain
44 * here.' "
" We behold paradise in distant perspective,
" But are far removed from its enjoyment.
14 Another company of spirits said : ' Let not men
44 * look at the wife or mate of another ; and let
" * them hold up none to suspicion: otherwise they
44 * must remain here like us, until our injured
u * enemy comes hither from the world: if he be
44 ' propitiated, we may be delivered.'
i In this sentence D. Shea found the manuscripts and the printed copy
to differ greatly, but the manuscript of Oude agrees with the latter,
which therefore the editor thinks himself justified in following, although
there must remain a doubt about the author's meaning having been per-
fectly eipressed.A. T.
304
" Sunish aud Ardibehest then brought me to the
" lower world and bade me adieu."'
When the scribe had written down all the words
of Ardi Viraf, he read them over to the great king,
who thereupon duly promulgated the excellent faith,
and sent Mobeds to all the borders of Iran.
After (the death of Ardashir) appeared the Mobed
Azarbad, 2 the son ofMarasfand (whose lineage by the
1 The account of Ardai Viraf 's vision of the other world can but remind
us of what Plato relates ( Respubl., t. x) of Hero, the son of Arme-
nius, a Pamphilian by origin: viz., when this man had been killed in
battle, and when, on the tenth day, the dead bodies were in a state of de-
composition, he alone was preserved and carried home to be buried, and
on the twelfth day, being placed upon the funeral pyre, he gave signs of
life, and, resuscitated, he related what be had seen in the other world.
Upon this we may reflect, that the name of Arda, which occurs as a part of
many Persian names, may be referred to the Sanskrit 3TS tirdha, " ele-
vated;" Ardashir is perhaps 33 fT^: urdhasiras, " elevated head;
3^r u'rddara, signifies " a hero, a champion ; from 3^r u'rja, to be
strong : which would give nearly the sense of Plato's a/xipou TO-J av04 years before our era, that is, about the time of Gushtasp, king of
Persia, if the years above stated be taken for solar years; but if for
lunar (that is for only 1408 solar) years, the epoch of the plantation of
the cypress would be o62 years B. C., and 548, if the compulation be
referred to the end of Mutawakhal's life. A. T.
The Behdmians say thatZardusht brought with him
from paradise a branch which he planted at the gate
of the fire temple of Kashmir, and which grew up
into this tree : but some sages maintain that, accord-
ing to the intelligent, this tradition signifies : 1. that
there is in vegetables a simple uncompounded soul ;
and 2. that paradise is the world of beings of that
class. Some Yezdanians say that Zardusht prayed
the superintending lord of cypress-trees, whom they
call Azrawdn, to nourish carefully the offspring of
this shoot. They also relate, on the authority of a
holy Hakim , " doctor,* 1 who said: " I saw the Lord
" of the cypress, and he declared : * I have given
" ' orders to slay Mutawakkal for the crime of.cut-
" - ting down this tree.' ' Muhamrqed Kuli Salim
also says :
" No person wishes to see his own nursling enfeebled.
" Water and fire are ever at enmity with chips and leaves."
The Behdinians maintain that Ahriman is the pro-
duction of Time; and that the angels, heavens, and
stars (always) were, and will (for ever) be : but that
the three kingdoms of nature are a creation. Also
that the period of the present creation is twelve
thousand years, a.t the expiration of which comes
the resurrection, when God will raise up all man-
kind and render this elemental world a glorious
1 Hakim Alirlas, in the tex', may he a proper name. A. T.
310
paradise, and annihilate Ahriman, his worshippers,
and hell itself. The Dustiir Shah Zadah says, in
the volume of the Sad Der, or " the hundred gates," '
the excellent faith has been received from the pro-
phet Zardusht, the son of Purshasp, the son of
Khajarasp, the son of Hujjiis, the son of Asfanta-
man : on him the Almighty graciously bestowed the
Avesta and Zand, and through divine knowledge he
comprehended all things from eternity to infinity.
This is the hundred-gated city constructed from the
world of truth, that is, the celestial volume.
" The mighty, through means of the Asta, Zand, and Pazand,
" Have constructed on its outside a hundred gates.
" Behold what a system of belief Zardusht has introduced,
" In which a hundred gates give admission to his city of Faith."
GATE THE FIRST is the belief and acknowledgment
of Zardusht's prophetic character; for when the
spirit on the fourth night (after quitting the body)
1 The Sad-der naser (in prose) is an abridgment of practical and cere-
monial theology, called Sad-der, or " one hundred doors," because the
hundred chapters of which it is composed are like so many doors leading
to heaven. Some Parsees think that the original was written in Pehlvi.
It is positively said in the beginning of this treatise that it has been drawn
from.lhe law: which proves that it makes no part of the Zend-Avesta
(Zend-Av., t. I. 2. P. Notices, pp. xxix. xxx).
fe The Sad-der nazem (in verse) was versified by a Persian called Shah-
mard, the son of Malek Shah, and terminated in the month of Isfender-
mad (February; of the year 864 from the installation of Yezdejerd, 1495
A. D., and brought from Kirman to India by the Dustiir Pashutan Daji.
This work has been translated into Latin by the learned Hyde (ibid,,
p. xxxiv). The Dabistan gives only a short abstract of it. A. T.
311
comes to the bridge of Chinavad, where Mihr Ized
and Rash Ized take account of its actions, in the Kir-
fah, or " good deeds " exceed the sins by one hair's
point, they bear the spirit off to paradise, but always
on the condition of having professed the faith of
Zardusht.
GATE THE SECOND. It is necessary to be ever vigi-
lant, and always looking on a trifling sin as one of
magnitude, to flee far from it; because, if the virtu-
ous deeds exceed the sinful acts by even the point of
one of the hairs of the eye-lashes, the spirit goes to
paradise; but should the contrary be the case, it
descends to hell.
GATE THE THIRD. The pursuits of a man should be
of a virtuous tendency; because, whilst thus engaged,
if he be overpowered by robbers or foes, he shall
receive fourfold in paradise ; but if he be slain in any
vain pursuit, it is the retribution due to his acts,
and hell is his abode.
GATE THE FOURTH. A man must not despair of
God's mercy; for Zardusht says: " 1 beheld one
" whose body, with the exception of one foot, was
" entirely in hell; but that foot was outside. The
" Lord said : ' This person, who ruled over thirty-
" ' three cities, never performed good deeds; but
" ' having one day observed a sheep lied up at a
" * distance from her food, he with this foot pushed
" * the grass near her.' "'
GATE THE FIFTH. Let all men exert themselves to
observe the rites of Yasht, ' and the Nail Roz, 2 and if
they cannot themselves perform these duties, let
them purchase the agency of another.
GATE THE SIXTH. Let men know that the me-
ritorious works are six in number: 1. the ob-
servance of the Gahambara, or * ' six periods of crea-
" tion ;" 2. that of the Favardigan, or " five supple-
" mentary days of the year," with that of Yashtan,
*' or praying in a low murmuring voice at meals;"
3. propitiating the spirits of thy father, mother, and
other relations ; 4. offering up supplications to the
sun three times every day ; 5. offering up prayers to.
the moon three times every month, that is, the
beginning, middle, and last day of the moon ; 6.
offering up supplications in due form every year.
1 See p. 298, where the same tale occurs.
2 Yasht (see note, p. 258) signifies with the Parsees in general prayers
accompanied by efficacious benedictions, but is here used to imply the
panegyrics of several celestial spirits, in which are enumerated their prin-
cipal attributes and their relation to Ormuzd and his 'productions, as
distributors of the blessings which this secondary principle spreads over
nature, and as declared enemies of Ahriman and his ministers. According
to the Parsees, each Amshasfand and Ized had a peculiar Yasht; but
of all these compositions there only remain in the Zand eighteen which
are authentic, and a small part of the Yasht of Bahman. D. S.
2 Upon the Naii Roz, see note, p. 268.
315
GATE THE SEVENTH. When sneezing conies on,
repeat the entire of the forms called Ita ahu virio, l
and the Ashem Vuhu.
GATE THE EIGHTH. Be obedient to the Dustiirs
and give them one-tenth of thy wealth ; as that is a
most meritorious work, or Kir f ah. *
1 These are two short forms of prayer, like our collects, which are fre-
quently repeated in the Parsee litanies. The Ita ahu virio, as translated
by Anq. du Peron, runs thus : " It is the desire of Ormuzd that the chief
*' of the law should perform pure and holy works: Bahman bestows abun-
" dance on him who acts with holiness in this world. 0, Ormu/d ! thou
" establishes! as king whoever consoles and nourishes the poor." The
Ashem Vuhu thus: " Abundance and paradise are reserved for him
" who is just and pure: he is truly pure who is holy and performs holy
" works." D. S.
2 Kirfah means: 1. a good work; 2. a merit which absolves from sin.
The author of the Dabistan has so abridged this Der that it is deemed
proper to give it at length according to Hyde's translation : " It is mani-
" fest, from the principles of religion, that we must concede due autho-
" rity to the Dustur and must not deviate from his commands, as he is
the ornament and splendor of the faith. Although thy good works
" may be countless as the leaves of the trees, the grains of sand, the
" drops of rain, or the stars in the heavens, thou canst gain nothing by
" them, unless they be acceptable in the sight of the Dustur-: if he be
" not content with thee, thou shall have no praise in this world: there-
" fore, my son, thou shall pay to the Dustur who teaches thee the tithe
" of all thou possesses! (wealth and property of every kind, gold and
" silver). Therefore thou, who desirest to enjoy paradise to all eternity,
" pay tithes to the Dustur; for if he be satisfied with thee, know that
" paradise is thine; but if he be not content with thee, thou canst derive
" no portion of benefit from thy good works ; thy soul shall not find its
" way to paradise; thou shall have no place along with angels; thy soul
" can never be delivered from the fiends of hell, which is to be thy
" eternal abode: but pay the tithes, and the Dusliirs will be pleased with
514
GATE THE NINTH. A person should avoid all prac-
tices not sanctioned by the laws of nature, and must
look on them as accursed : let all those found guilty
of such deeds be put to death. This description of
criminals are equally guilty with the usurper Zohak,
and Alkus, 1 and Sariirak, 2 and Afrasiab, and Tur-
baraturas. 3
GATE THE TENTH. It is incumbent on every man and
woman to tie on the Kashti. 4 By Kashti is meant
a woollen cincture girded round the waist, in which
they make four knots : the first to signify the unity
of God ; the second, the certainty of the faith ; the
third, that Zardusht was the prophet of God ; the
fourth to imply, " that I will to the utmost of my
" power ever do what is good."
GATE THE ELEVENTH. Keep the fire burning, and
let it not consume any thing impure.
" thee, and thy soul shall get to paradise without delay. Truly the Dus-
" liirs know the religion of all men, understand all things, and deliver
" all (faithful) men." D. S.
1 Hyde (p. 454) has " Malkus, whose enchantments brought on the
" deluge."
2 Saru'regh, according to Hyde (ibid.', "by whom (in the time of Sam)
" the world suffered oppression and injury."
3 " Tu'r-Bra'tur (otherwise Turi-Iira (rush or tresh), that villanuus
" and obscene man, who destroyed Zardusht in that religion which he
" supported by his zeal." - (Hyde, ibid.}. This name is perhaps a varia-
tion of Para'nta'rush (see p. 228). A. T.
4 Sec note, p. 297.
515
GATE THE TWELFTH. Let not the shroud of the de-
ceased be new, but let it be clean and old.
GATE THE THIRTEENTH. The good man gives joy to
the spirits of his father and mother, by celebrating
the Damn miezd 1 and the Afernujdn,* or " funereal
1 The terms Miezd and Damn require some farther illustration: the
following is from the Zend-Avesta, vol. II. p. 534. The Miezd, that is,
meats previously blessed and then eaten, either during or after the ser-
vice; flowers, fruits, especially pomegranates and dates; rice, fragrant
seeds, and perfumes; milk ; the* small cakes called Darun ; the branches
of the Horn and its juice, called Perahom; the roots of trees, particularly
the pomegranate tree. The roots are cut, the milk, and in general all these
offerings, are prepared with ceremonies described at great length in the
Ravaets, or " ritual treatises." These offerings, and the sacred imple-
ments, which are twenty-sii in number, constitute the thirty-three objects
as specified by Zoroaster in the latter part of the first Ha of the Izechne",
vol. I. P. II. p. 87: " I invoke and laud all the mighty, the pure Dusturs
" who have thirty-three objects around and near the Havan (the vase for
" holding the Perahom) : they are pure, according to the ordinance of
" Zaradusht, who was instructed by the Supreme Lord himself." The
Daruns are small cakes of unleavened bread, nearly the form and thick-
ness of a crown piece : there are two or four of these offered, according to
the nature of the service. The Darun on which they place a little dressed
meat is called Darun FusesU, or " offered bread." D. S.
2 The Afirgans, or Afernigans, are the prayers and benedictions recited
during the Gahanbar or the last ten days of the year, and on the anni-
versary of deceased parents or relations : but the service on the third
night after the decease is not to be neglected, as in that case the soul of
the deceased would remain without protection until the resurrection.
On the third night, at the Oshen Gah, or midnight, there arc four ser-
vices; one for each of the angels, Rashin Rast, Ram l/;ui, and Surush ,
the fourth in honor of the Fcrouers of holy personages. In this last ser-
vice are recited nine Karde"s, or portions of the Vispared, and four dresses,
fruits, and cheese are laid by for the officiating priest, along with the
Darun.
516
" repasts." The Darun is a prayer recited in praise
of the Almighty and of Azar : when they breathe out
prayers in a murmuring tone over viands, they are
The word Vispered admits of two meanings: 1. " the knowledge of
" every thing," Vispti Khirad;" 2. " all the chiefs," Visp6 Rad. The
latter meaning seems more analogous to the Vispered, as it begins by
invoking the chiefs of all beings such as the first of the heavens, the
first of the earth, the first of aquatic creatures, etc. Zoroaster is sup-
posed to have repeated to the Brahmin Chinge'gratch this Vispered, which
begins thus: " 1 invoke and laud the first of the heavens, the first of the
" earth, the first of aquatic beings, the first of terrestrial beings, the first
" of brilliant and intelligent beings, the holy, pure, and great Chinge-
" gratchas;" and it ends with " 1 invoke and laud the bull exalted on
" high, who makes the herbage to grow in abundance; this bull, the
" pure gift, who has given (being) to the pure man." The Vispered is
divided into twenty-seven Kardds, or " sections," and probably fojmed
part of the Baghantast of the fifteenth Nosk of the Avesta. It is recited
by day, as well as the Izeshneh (Yazishnah), and with a Barsom, or " bun-
" die, of thirty-five branches of trees.
Izeshne (Yazishnah) means a prayer setting forth the greatness of the
personage thus addressed. It is composed of seventy-two Ha, which lh
Parsees divide into two parts: the first part contains twenty-seven Ha,
addressed to Ormuzd and his creation; the second contains prayers ad-
dressed to the Supreme Being ; it speaks of man, of his wants, of the se-
veral genii charged to protect him, etc. The word Ha, which signifies a
portion of the Izeshne", is derived from the Zend Haetim, or Hatarim,
portions. From Hataum is also formed "Had," which signifies " measure,
" limit." The Izeshne* probably formed part of the Setud-yesht, the
first Nosk of the Avesta, or of the Setud-gher, the second Nosk. The
Izeshne* is performed at the Gahlfavan, or " sunrise;" when, recited by
itself without other prayers, the Izeshndh Sadah is read with the same
ceremonies as the Vendidad Sadeh, excepting that the Barsom, or
" sacred bundle of twigs" [see hereafter, p. 319], consists then of only
twenty-three branches. The Vendidad and Vispered cannot be recited
without the Izeshne', and the Barsom for these two offices consists of
thirty five branches.
517
said lo be Yeshtah; Afrinigan also means one of the
twenty Nosks of the Zand.
GATE THE FOURTEENTH. Let them repeat the Ita
Ahu three times over the collected nail-parings, and
having each time drawn a circular line around them,
let earth be poured on them with the shears, or let
them be taken to some mountain. !
GATE THE FIFTEENTH. Whatever pleasing object
meets the true believer's sight, he repeats over it
the name of Godi
GATE THE SIXTEENTH. In the house of a pregnant
woman keep the fire in without ceasing ; and when
the child is born, let not the lamp be extinguished
during three days and nights.
They say that, on the birth of the prophet Zar-
dusht, there came fifty demons with the design of
slaying him ; but they were unable to do him any
injury as there was a fire kept up in the house.
GATE THE SEVENTEENTH. On arising from sleep,
The term Sdde means " pure," or the text without a translation.
The two works, the Izeshne" and Vispered, joined to the Vendidad, the
twentieth Nosk of the Avesta, form the Vendidad Sade', which the Mobeds
are obliged to recite every day, commencing at the Gdh Oshen, or " mid-
" night," or before day-break, so that it may be finished before sunrise.
Purifications, ordinances, marriages, in short all the ceremonies of the
law, depend on the due celebration of this office. D. S.
1 Lest demons or wizards should take them away and use them in
their enchantments. D. S.
318
bind the Kashli, without doing which enter upon no
pursuit whatever.
GATE THE EIGHTEENTH. Let the tooth-pick, after
having been used, be concealed in a wall.
GATE THE NINETEENTH. They give their son and
daughter in marriage at an early period; as the per-
son who has no son cannot pass over the bridge of
Chinavad; let whoeveris in that state adopts some
one ; if he should not find it feasible, it will then be
incumbent on his relations and the Dustiir to fix on
a son for him.
GATE THE TWENTIETH. They esteem husbandry the
best of all professions, and regard the husbandman
with respect and honor.
GATE THE TWENTY-FIRST. It is meet to give good
viands to the professors of the pure faith.
GATE THE TWENTY- SECOND. At the time of eating
bread it is necessary to perform Fa/:' and at the
1 Upon Vaj, see note, p. 2%.
In this translation, the reading of the manuscript has been followed as
being the most simple : there seems however something omitted. Annexed
is the form of prayer recited in Vaj, which means mental recitation: it is
taken from Anquetil du Perron :
THE PRAYERS RECITED BY PARSEES BEFORE MEAT.
Ethaaad avirmede " Ormuzd is king: now I make Izeshne" to Or-
" muzd the giver of pure flocks, the giver of pure waters, of pure trees,
" the giver of light, of earth, and of every kind of good." This is to be
recited once.
519
*
lime of Maizad and Afrinigdn to keep the lips closed ;
the true believer repeats the entire of the Esha dad
avizmidi three times, and then eats bread; and when
he washes his mouth, he repeats Ashem Vuhu four
times, and the Ita ahu virio twice. It is to be re-
marked, that Wdj or Vdj is the Barsom, 2 which con-
sists of small twigs of the same length, without
knots, taken from the pomegranate, tamarisk, or
Eshem Trihu." Abundance and paradise are reserved for the just and
" undefiled person ; he who does heavenly and pure works." To be
recited three times.
PRAYERS AFTER MEAT.
Ethu ahu Virio. " It is the desire of Ormuzd that the chief ( of the
" law ) should perform pure and holy works. Bahman gives (abundance)
" to him who acts with holiness in the world. Ormu/d ! thou esta-
" blishest as king whoever comforts and nourishes the poor." To be
repeated twice.
Eshem vuhu." Abundance and paradise, etc." To be repeated once.
Ehmarestchi. " Mayest thou remain always effulgent with light !
" may thy body be always in good condition! may thy body ever in-
" crease ! may thy body be ever victorious! may thy desires, when accom-
" plished, ever render thee happy ! mayest thou always have distinguished
" children! mayest thou live for ever! for length of time! for length of
" years! and mayest thou be received for ever into the celestial abodes
" of the holj% all radiant with light and happiness! enjoy a thousand
" healths, ten thousand healths."
Eereba mezada. This form of prayer shall be quoted hereafter.
Eshem Vuhu. " Abundance and paradise, etc." To be repeated
once.
The commentator on this gate has evidently confounded Vaj or Vaz
with the Barsum; this mistake is not to be attributed to the author of
the Dabistan. D. S.
2 Strabo, observes Anquetil (Zand-Avesta, p. 532), alludes to the Bar-
som, where he says of the Magi: T?.; SI a-^ irotowTat iro)vv pa&Jwv
320
Hum; these they cut with a Barsomchin, or knife with
an iron handle. Having first washed the knife care-
fully, they recite the appointed prayers, after which,
having cut oil' the Barsom with the Barsomchin,
they wash the Barsomdan^ or Barsom-holder, into
which they put these small twigs. At the time of
worship, whilst reading the Zand, and during ablu-
tion or eating, they hold in their hand a few of
these twigs, according to the number required in
each of these actions.
GATE THE TWENTY-THIRD, The wealthy man be-
stows alms on the indigent Durvesh ; he also prac-
tises Jadongoi, which consists in this, whatever dona-
tions the Behdi'nians make to the fire-temples, or to
deserving objects, are by that person caused to be
expended in the manner desired.
GATE THE TWENTY-FOURTH. Beware of sin, parti-
cularly the day on which thou eatest flesh, as flesh-
meat is the nutriment of Ahriman. If, after par-
taking of meat thou committest sin, whatever sins
the animal has committed in this world shall be
imputed to thee: for example, the kick of the horse,
and the goring of the ox with his horns.
piptxiWv XETTTUV
1 The cock is an animal held in great esteem by the Parsees, who are
enjoined to ki-ep one in their houses ; Bahram (Mars) appears under this
form (Zend-Avesta, t. II. pp. 290. 602). The cock is called a Persian bird,
and, according to Athenseus, cocks came first from Persia (see Hyde,
p. 412). A. T.
2 In the fifth period of eighty days were created the 282 Sardah, or
genera of birds and animals, viz. : HO of birds and 172 of animals (Hyde,
Rel. Vet. Pers., p. 164). D. S.
3 According to Hyde's translation of the Sad-der (p. 471): caput ejus
expiare oportet, " an expiation is to be performed over his head." A. T.
525
GATE THE THIRTY-NINTH. When thou art about to
wash the lace, join thy lips, and recite once the for-
mula of the Ashim Vuhu as far as is prescribed ; then
wash thy face; and when thou shavest, recite the
prayer of the Kimna' and Mazda l as far as the ap-
pointed place.
GATE THE FORTIETH. Whoever performs Barash-
nom 2 must be good in word and deed, for otherwise
1 Mezda or Maz-dao, in Zand, according to Rask, means " God;" Boh-
len and Mr. Bopp believe that this word is of the same family as the Sans-
krit mahat, " great ;" M. Eugene Burnouf, in a learned discussion, justi-
fies the interpretation " multiscius " given of this word by Neriosengh
(see Commentaire sur le Yacna, pp. 70-77). A. T.
The form of prayer called Kimna va Mazda is probably the same as
the Kereba Mazda (Zend-Avesta, t. II. p. 6), which is as follows : " Grant,
"0 Ormuzd, that rny good works may efface my sins; grant joy and
" content to my purified soul! give me a share in all the good works and
" holy words of the seven regions of the earth ! May the earth enlarge
" itself! may the rivers extend their courses! may the sun ever, rise OH
" high! may such be the portion of the pure in life, according to the
" wishes which I make." D. S.
2 For yarshanom, which is in the manuscripts and in the edition of Cal-
cutta, read Barashnom. This is the name of one of the four sorts of puri-
fications prescribed to the Parsees ; that called the Barashnom of nine
nights, is believed the most efficacious. It is performed in a garden o r
in a retired place, where a piece of ground 90 feet in length and 16 fee 1
in breadth is chosen for it, and, after having been cleaned and surrounded
by a narrow ditch and a hedge, covered with sand. Therein, after the
celebration of ceremonies during one or three days, a Mobed traces a
number of furrows or trenches, called Keishs, and forms several heaps of
stones according to prescribed rules; he prepares a beverage of ox's urine
and water mixed with other sacred liquids : this the person to be purified
drinks in sacred vases, then enters into the Keishs, accompanied by
326
he is deserving of death. Whoever comes to the
age of fifteen and performs not this rite, renders
whatever he lays his hand on impure like himself.
Note, that Barashnom signifies the purification of
one's self by prayer.
GATE THE FORTY-FIRST. On the arrival of the Far-
vardigan, the believer performs the Dariin Yezd,
Yazish, and Afrin during ten days. The Farvardigan
are five damsels which spin, weave, and sew celes-
tial garments : their names are Ahnavad, Ashnavad,
Isfmtamad, Kukhashatar, VaMimhpmh. 4 Farvardi-
Mobeds and a dog ; there he strips, and receives on his body wine poured
over him, and washes himself with that given him by theMobed. During
prayers recited by the purificator and himself, he passes over several heaps
of stones, his right hand on his head and his left upon the dog, and is
then rubbed with dust ; in his progress over other heaps of stones, he
washes himself several times with water. This done, the purified person
goes out of the trenches, and performs other ablutions with water before
he dresses and puts on the Koshti, or " girdle." The individual who
takes the Barashnom remains separated from other men during nine
days, and at the end of the third, sixth, and ninth night, he washes him-
self with a prescribed quantity of wine and water, and is subject to other
ceremonies. This is a very short abstract of the ceremonies practised in
our days ; in the Vendidad Sadd, other very minute particulars and
prayers are given for the performance of purification, the usages of which
have in the course of time undergone some changes. See a completely
detailed account of these rites of purification in Anquetil's elaborate
work, Zend-Avesta, t. I. 2. P. pp. 353-36Y, and t. If. pp. 545-548, with a
plan of the place upon which the Barashnom is performed. A. T.
1 According to Olugh Beigh (Hyde, p. 190), the name of the five sup-
plementary days of the Persian year of 360 days are as follows : Ahnavad,
Ashnavad, Isfendamad or Maz, Vahshat or Vahasl, and Hashunesh or
Hashtuvish (see also p. 62. n.). A. T.
327
gan 1 is the name of the five supplementary or inter-
calary days of the Persian year. When the spi-
rit quits this world it is naked ; but whoever has
duly performed the Farvardigan obtains from them
royal robes and celestial ornaments.
According to the Yezdanian, these five damsels
signify wisdom, heroism, continence, justice, and
intellect ; 2 and in other passages they call them the
five senses.
GATE THE FORTY-SECOND. The true believer must
beware of associating with those of a different faith;
let him not drink out of the same cup with them.
If an unbeliever pollute a cup made of brass, it must
1 According to Anquetil (Zend-Avesta, IT. p. 575) the name of the Gve
supplementary days is Farvardians, that is, " the days of the Fervers of
" the law :" on these days, as the Persians believe, the souls of the blessed
and those of the damned come to visit their relations, who receive them
with the greatest magnificence in their houses, purified and adorned for
the occasion.
In the composition of the name Farvardigan, appears to have entered
the word Gabs, which denotes also the Epagomenes, and five female Izeds,
or angels, who have formed, and preserve, the bodies, and are occupied
in heaven to weave garments for the just (Zand-Avesta, I. 2. P. p. 221).
-A. T.
2 It may be recollected that, during the. short period of the French
Republic, the year was of twelve months, each of thirty days, with the
addition of five supplementary days, called by some Sansculotides ; these
were festivals, consecrated, the 1st, to Virtue; the 2nd, to Genius; the
3rd, to Labour ; the 4th, to Opinion ; and the 5th, to Recompense ;
: every fourth or leap-year, there >vas a 6th day, devoted to the Revolution.
-A. T.
328
be washed three times: but if it be of earth, it can-
not become pure.
GATE THE FORTY-THIRD. Keep up the tire in thy
house, and at night light it up.
GATE THE FORTY-FOURTH. Shew honor to thy in-
structor, father, and mother; as otherwise in this
world distress shall be thy portion ; and in the
next, hell.
GATE THE FORTY-FIFTH. A woman, in herperiodi-
cal illness, must not direct her eyes to the heaven
or the stars ; to running water or a Mindashu ; that
is, a pure or celestial man. She is to drink water
out of any vessel except one of earth. When she
eats bread, her hand is to be folded in the sleeve of
her dress, and she is to wear a veil on her head.
GATE THE FORTY-SIXTH. Refrain from Hamiyal,
which means calumny, treachery, and adultery :
for if the woman's husband forgive not the adulterer,
he cannot, whatever may be his good works, behold
the face of paradise.
GATE THE FORTY-SEVENTH. The believer must slay
the Khardstdr, or " noxious creatures." Of these
it is most meritorious to destroy water-frogs, ser-
pents, scorpions, flies, and ants. According to the
1 The manuscript reads: " Let her eat bread at night, having wrapped
" up the hand in her sleeve and over that a towel." D. S.
329
tenets professed by the true believers, that is, the
Yazddnidn and Abadidn, it is a meritorious work to
destroy any creature which is injurious to animal
life or oppressive to the animal creation : but the
destruction of any creature which is not injurious
to animal life, is not only improper, but the unjust
oppressor draws down retribution on himself. The
Yezdanian maintain, that whenever in ancient re-
cords the slaughter of a harmless animal is men-
tioned, the expression is used in an enigmatical
sense.
GATE THE FORTY-EIGHTH. It is not proper to walk
barefooted.
GATE THE FORTY-NINTH. Repent without ceasing :
for unless attention be paid to this, thy sin accu-
mulates every year, and becomes more aggra-
vated. If, which God forbid! thou commit a sin,
go before the Dustiir ; and if thou find him not, to
the Hirbud (or minister attending on the sacred
fire) ; and if thou meet him not, repair to some pro-
fessor of the pure faith ; and if thou find not such a
one, declare thy repentance before the majesty of
the great light. In like manner, at the moment of
departing from this world, let a man declare his
contrition, and if he be unable, let his son, relative,
or those present, perform this rite of penance at
that time.
550
GATE THE FIFTIETH. When a son or daughter
attains the age of fifteen, it becomes necessary to bind
the sacred cincture about the waist, as this forms
the bond of duty.
GATE THE FIFTY-FIRST. If a child should die, from
the first day of its decease during a space of seven
years, " without the expression of grief, recite the
" Dariin of its angel." On the fourth night after
its decease, it is necessary to recite with Yasht, the
Danin, or prayer of the angel Suriish. Note, Yasht
is the name given to one of the twenty-one Nosks
of the Zand, ' which is recited for the souls of the
deceased : this they also repeat in the Gahanbars :
Nosk also signifies a part or section.
GATE THE FIFTY-SECOND. When thou placest on the
fire a cauldron for dressing food, it must be of a
large size, and two thirds of it without water, so
that when it boils, the water may not fall over on
the fire.
GATE THE FIFTY-THIRD. 2 When they remove fire
1 Yasht is not found among the names of the Nosks enumerated in the
note, pp. 272-273. A. T.
2 Every city and village must have the tree called Adera'n, or Adera'n
Shah, or " the chief of fires." Ader is the Pa-zend of Atere", which signi-
fies fire; which word, in Parsee writings, means the several fires which
showed themselves to mankind under different forms, and also their
presiding genii ; whilst Atesh signifies the common fire. When a kitchen
fire has been used three times, the Parsees arc bound to take it to the
331
from one place to another, they lay it apart for a
short time, until its place becomes cool ; having
taken care not to leave it heated, they bear the fire
to its destined place.
GATE THE FIFTY-FOURTH. ' The true believers wash
the face every morning with theAb-l-zur, or " water
" of power," and afterwards with pure water. 2
After this they recite the formula of the Kimna va
Mazda,* and then wash the hands; this rite they call
Pavaj ; but if they wash not the hands in iheAb-i-zur ,
their recitation is not accepted.
Aderan : the other fires must be taken thither on the expiration of seven
days, on the day of Ader and those of his co-operating genii. The fire
Aderan itself is taken once every year, or at least every three years, to the
fire Behram, which is the result of one -thousand and one fires, taken from
fifteen different kinds of fire. In .strictness there should be an Ader
Behram in every province, and according to some Dusturs, in every city.
On the expiration of a certain period, they take the ashes of the Berham,
Aderan, and other fires into the fields, and strew them over the cultivated
grounds. It requires a ceremonial of thirty days to prepare the Behram
fire (Zend-Avesta, t. II. p. 531). D. S.
1 The Parsees use for their purifications seven things : plain water ;
Padiav water; water of power, or ab-i-zu'r (according to Hyde, golden
water) Yeshti water ; earth ; Noreng gomez, or ox's urine ; and Noreng
gomez yeshta. They must take care to have the plain water and the
earth free from all kind of impurity. D. S.
2 Padiav means " what renders or is rendered (pure) like water." To
impart this quality to water, the officiating priest puts it in a large vase,
out of which he fills a smaller vessel ; he afterwards pours out some of the
water three times from the smaller into the larger vessel, accompanying
each act with certain forms of prayer, on which the water becomes
Padiav. D. S.
3 See note, p. 325.
352
GATE THE FIFTY-FIFTH. The faithful instruct their
sons in the knowledge of religion, and hold in high
honor the Kirbud who teaches them.
GATE THE FIFTY-SIXTH. On the return of the day
of Khurddd in the month of Farvardi'n (the 6th of
March), they collect in one place a portion of all
the fruits they can find. The true believers then
continue to offer them up and to pray over them,
repeating the praises of the Lord, in order that their
condition may be improved that year ; as on this day
the angels give nutriment to mankind. When any
one has thus prayed, the Amshaspand Khurdad
makes intercession for him : this prayer is synony-
mous with Khusnuman. l
GATE THE FIFTY-SEVENTH. Whenever any one sets
out on a journey, he must celebrate once the Darun
Yeshtd. In ancient times, when they set out on an
excursion of even twelve parasangs, they performed
the same ceremony. *
1 According to Anquetil Du Perron, Khushnuman signifies one who is
pleased or favorable : this name is given to a short prayer, or collect,
which contains the principal attributes of the being to whom it is ad-
dressed: there are two kinds of it, the greater and the less: in the
former, after every attribute they repeat: " I offer thee Izechne"," or
" I praise and magnify thee;" in the latter form this is only repeated
after the enumeration of all the attributes D. S.
2 See note, p. 315, Hyde translates Darun yeshten, by " expiatory
" banquet:" but according to Anquelil (Zend-Avesta, t. I. 2. P. p. 237)
the Darun Yeshte" is a Tarsi office, which begins thus:
555
GATE THE FIFTY-EIGHTH. II' any one have not a
son, let him adopt one ; and let the adopted son
regard him as a father.
GATE THE FIFTY-NINTH. Whoever has performed
the rites of Yasht and Naii-Roz, cannot immediately
after celebrate the Dariin Yeshte : he first prays men-
tally to Ormuzd, and eats bread ; and then performs
the rites of mental prayer and the Damn.
GATE THE SIXTIETH. It is improper, whilst in an
erect posture, to make water; it is therefore neces-
sary to sit down (stoop) and force it to some dis-
tance, repeating the Avesta mentally. The religious
man is then to advance three paces, and repeat once
" With the Barsom raised over the Zrir, I address in prayer the great
" Ormuzd, brilliant in light and glory; also the Amshaspands; and thee,
" Fire ! son of Ormuzd !
" I address in prayer the wood and the perfumes!
' . . . . thee, Fire, son of Ormuzd!
" . . the pure, the chiefs who walk in dignity in this
world !
" I make Khushnuman; I address my prayer to Ormuzd, to the Am-
" shaspands, to the pure Suriish, to the Fire of Ormuzd, the great, the
" the exalted, the holy!
" I pray to the holy, pure, and great Vendidad given to Zoroaster!
" Gabs.
" . . . Gahanbars, or the six periods of
creation.
" . . . Years and laud them."
Damn yeshtt also signifies " Festival Dartins," or banquets preceded
by the recitation of the Izeshne\ the Vendidad, and the Daruu, for which
the officiating priest receives a new dress. This bears out Hyde's trans-
lation. D. S.
554
the formula of the Yethd dhu viriyo and theEshem Fa/m,
as far as prescribed. On coming out, he is to repeat
the Eshem once ; the formula of the Homoctanne
twice ; that of the Hokhshdthrotemdd three times, and
that of the Yethd, etc., four times; and to repeat to
the end the formula of the Etha aad iezmede. l
GATE THE SIXTY-FIRST. Slay not the Hujjah or
weasel, for it is the destroyer of serpents.
GATE THE SIXTY-SECOND. Kill not the water-dog,
or otter, but if thou perceive him far out of the
water, take him back to his river. 2
1 The forms Jetha abu viriyo, Eshem Vehu, and Jetha aiid Jezmide"
have been given under GATE 22. The Homoctenaum is a short prayer :
V To think with purity, to act with purity, to perform and execute it,
" to teach others the same, such is my undertaking. I teach the same to
" men: may it turn to my good!" The Hockhshe"thr it has been
retained. The Hemoctaum and Hokhshethro'tema^ are also conjectural,
as the two manuscripts and printed copy present different readings. In
the latter these are read Homesham and Hochastar. D. S.
2 In the Vendidad Sade" (Zend-Avesta, 1. 1. 2. P. p. 386) we find : " The
" world is engendered from water; and at present there are in the water
" two primeval aquatic dogs and thousands of their females which produce
" by copulation thousands of their species. To smite these aquatic dogs
" causes all good things to be parched up; from that city or place shall
" depart all that is sweet to the taste: wholesome viands, health, longe-
" vity, abundance, rain, the source of good, the profusion of temporal
" blessings; also whatever grows on the earth, such as grain and pastur-
age." D. S.
355
GATE THE SIXTY-THIRD. The believer performs
during his life the rites which ensure his salvation :
the propitiation of the Ized Suriish is a sacred duty;
it is therefore advisable that every person should
perform it duly in his own life-time. '
GATE THE SIXTY-FOURTH. When any one departs
from this world, the survivors during three days
propitiate Suriish, light a fire for the deceased, and
recite the Avesta : as the spirit of the deceased re-
mains there three days, it is therefore necessary to
offer up three Dariins to Suriish Ized . On the fourth
night, recite one of them to propitiate Rash and
Astad (the angels of the 18th and 26th days of every
month) ; another for that of the other heavenly
beings ; along with the fourth Danin produce com-
plete dresses, the best and most splendid in thy
power. These they style Ashuddd, or heaven-be-
stowed. 2
1 In page 564, Zend-Avesta, t. II. we find: " The Parsees who are
" desirous of leading happy lives, and of having children who do them
" honor, must employ four priests to repeat the Izeshne" during three
" consecutive days and nights: this rite is called the Zindeh Ravan, or
" ' verifier of the soul (at the moment of death).' "
Suriish, or Suriish Ized, performs a most important part in Parsee
mythology (see note, p. 7). D. S.
2 According to Anquetil du Perron, the following are some of the cere-
monies practised on such occasions. On the approaching departure of
the soul from the body, they perform the Sag-did (the dog-saw) by pre-
senting a dog before the dying person, and that the animal may be
induced to look at him, they throw some bits of bread or meat near the
person. Without doubt Bardesanes, in Euseb. prcep. Evan, lib., p. 277,
336
GATE THE SIXTY-FIFTH. Women are not enjoined
to perform any of these Niyayish, except that they
should go three times into their husband's presence,
and inquire what his wishes may be. They must
never, either by night or day, avert the face from
their husband's command : which obedience on
their part is serving God. '
alludes to this custom where he says: " All the Medes expose the dying,
" whilst yet breathing, to dogs which have been carefully trained for that
" purpose;" and in like manner (Euseb. prcep. Evang., 1. I. p. 11-12),
where he says: "Among the Hyrcanians and Caspians, some exposed per-
" sons whilst yet alive to birds of prey and dogs; others only the de-
" ceased: hut the Bactrians exposed old people whilst yet alive to dogs."
(See hereafter the note to GATE 77. )
The Parsees believe that, immediately after death, the soul, like a feeble
new-born infant, flutters during the first day around the place where the
person died ; on the second, around the Keshe, or place in the Dakhnu 1
where the body is deposited : and on the third around the Dakhme" or
Pars! burying-place ; on the fourth, near the bridge of Chinavad, where he
is interrogated by Mithra and Rashne* Rast, who also weigh his actions.
During the three first days, they celebrate the Sunish Yasht, the Surush
Darun, the Patet Mokhtat (of souls), and the Surush Afergan. Patet sig-
nifies a general confession of all sins a person may have committed.
Afergans and Afrins are prayers in the form of thanksgivings accompa-
nied with supplications and benedictions. On the third night, at the
Gah Oshen, they celebrate four Daruns : the first in honor of Rashne" Rast ;
the second of Raon Ized ; the third of Surush, with six Daruns, three
large and three small ; and the fourth in honor of the Ferouers of the
Saints: with this last they place four dresses, along with fruits and cheese,
all of which are for the officiating priest. D. S.
1 The Niyayish is an humble and submissive form of prayer, of which
there are five, addressed to five Izeds, and containing their panegyrics :
the sun, Mithra, the moon, the female Ardouisur, and the fire Behram.
Amongst the attributes of Ardouisur are: making females prolific, pure,
giving them h;ippy child-births, supplying milk, etc. The great Vorookeshe
537
GATE THE SIXTY-SIXTH. The pure faith springs
from this belief, that God has delivered us .from
affliction (in the world to come): and should cir-
cumstances occur to any believer which would neces-
sarily lead him to apostatize from the true faith, let
all exert themselves to the utmost to aid him, so that
he may remain unshaken in the true religion.
GATE THE SIXTY-SEVENTH. Believers never utter a
falsehood, although through it they might attain to
worldly eminence.
GATE THE SIXTY-EIGHTH. They make truth their
profession, and remain free from the degradation of
Goyastah (or Gogestah). 1
GATE THE SIXTY-NINTH. The believers beware of
any intercourse with a courtesan or unchaste wo-
makes every thing grow and exist in those places where it flows, and
whither it bears the element of water, from the source Ardouisur of a
thousand channels and a thousand arms, each of which extends to a
journey of forty days as performed by a well-mounted horseman. D. S.
1 According to Hyde's version Gojestah, or Gosakhtah, became tho
devil, because he lapsed from the truth and lessened it. When he saw
he had to contend against the truih, he fell prostrate in astonishment
during a thousand years, and dared not venture to approach the world,
but remained groaning and trembling in his own place. I cannot find
this tradition in the Zend-Avesta, according to which, Bomasp is the
demon of falsehood. On the authority of GATE 91, I prefer reading Gok-
hastah to Kusastah, or " the broken." Hyde (p. 180) mentions that the
Indo-Persians reckon Gegjesta Ghanaminu the immediate minister of
Ahriman. D S.
22
538
man, also of voluntary degradation (connivance)
and adultery. For when a libertine engages in
improper correspondence with a woman, she be-
comes an abomination to her husband ; and if, after
proof of her misconduct, the husband resume his
intimacy with such a wife, he then becomes a R&spi,
or utterly contemptible.
GATE THE SEVENTIETH. If any one steal property
to the amount of one direm, they take from the
thief two direms, cut off the lobes of his ears, in-
flict on him ten blows of a stick, and dismiss him
after one hour's imprisonment. Should he a second
time commit a similar act, and steal to the amount
of a direm, they make him refund two, cut off his
ears, inflict twenty blows, and detain him in prison
two hours : should he after that steal three direms
or two dangs, they cut off his right hand; and if he
steal five hundred direms, they put him to death.
GATE THE SEVENTY-FIRST. Beware of open and
secret sin : abstain from bad sights and thoughts.
Offer up thy grateful prayers to the Lord, the most
just and pure Ormuzd, the supreme and adorable
God, who thus declared to his prophet Zardusht :
" Hold it not meet to do unto others what thou
" wouldst not have done to thyself: do that unto
" the people which, when done to thyself, proves
" not disagreeable to thyself."
539
GATE THE SEVENTY-SECOND. Direct the Hirbud to
sanctify for thee an oblation or Dariin once every
day : if not he, then thyself. It is to be observed
that Yazish has the sense of Yashtan ; also that Darun
(the first letter with Zemma) means a prayer in praise
of the Lord and of fire, which being recited by the
professors of the pure faith, they breathe over the
viands ; whatever has been thus breathed over they
call Yashtah : for Yashtan signifies the reciting of a
prayer.
GATE THE SEVENTY-THIRD. Let women perform the
rites of oblation in the month of Aban (the 8th
month), so that they may be purified from their
illness and attain paradise.
GATE THE SEVENTY-FOURTH. Beware of committing
adultery ; for when the wife of a stranger has been
four times visited by a strange man, she becomes
accursed to her husband : to put such a woman to
death is more meritorious than slaying beasts of
prey.
GATE THE SEVENTY-FIFTH. A woman during her
illness is not to look at the fire, to sit in water, be-
hold the sun, or hold conversation with a man.
Two women, during their illness, are not to sleep
in the same bed, or look up to heaven. Women in
this state are to drink out of leaden vessels, and not
to lay their (bare) hands on bread. The drinking-
540
vessel is to be half-filled with water, and not filled
up to the brim. They are to fold their hand in the
sleeve of their mantle and then lay hold of the vessel :
they must not sit in the sun. On the birth of a
child, the infant is to undergo ablution along with
the mother.
GATE THE SEVENTY-SIXTH. A fire is not to be lighted
in a situation exposed to the sun's rays : also place
not over the fire any thing through the interstices of
which the sun may shine. But before the time of
Mah Abad it was held praiseworthy to light a fire
in face of the great luminary for the purpose of
making fumigations.
GATE THE SEVENTY-SEVENTH. They show the Nisa
or dead body to a dog, at the moment the person
gives up the soul : ' and again when they convey it
to the burial-place. When removing the body, the
1 According to an ancient custom which is observed even in our days,
the mouth of a dying Parsl is applied to that of a dog, who is to receive
the man's last breath. This custom may have occasioned the belief that
the Persians let dogs devour their sick and dying. So says Herodotus
(I. 111.) ; Strabo (1. XI.) names the Bactrians and Sogdians as feeding for
this purpose certain dogs, whom they call " buriers of the dead ;" Cicero
(Tusc., 1. XLV) mentions the same of the Hyrcanians. Certainly, dif-
ferent customs prevailed in different times among the numerous nations
who inhabited the vast empire of Persia: hence may be explained the
various and sometimes contradictory accounts of ancient authors whose
afGrmation, denial, and silence, with respect to a particular fact, may
however, in many instances, with equal truth but with due restriction,
be applied to particular places and epochs. A. T.
541
bearers fasten their hands together with a cord, so
that it comes to all their hands and keeps them close
to each other ; they bear the body along in perfect
silence ; and if the deceased be a woman advanced
in her pregnancy, there are then four bearers in-
stead of two. According to the precepts of Mah
Abad, if the woman be pregnant, they are to extract
the foetus and bring it up : the same holds good re-
specting all animals. Finally, when the professors
of the pure faith have conveyed the corpse to the
Dad Gah, or " place for depositing the dead," the
bearers wash themselves and put on fresh gar-
ments.
GATE THE SEVENTY-EIGHTH. It is necessary to be-
ware of (contact with) the wooden frame on which
the dead body has been carried or washed ; also of
that on which any one has been hung ; or one
touched by a woman during her illness.
GATE THE SEVENTY-NINTH. If, during a malady, the
physician prescribe the eating of any dead animal,
let the patient comply without repugnance and par-
take of it.
GATE THE EIGHTIETH. A dead body is not to be
committed to water or fire. '
1 The Parsis. from the most ancient to our times, neither bury nor burn
their dead, but expose them to be devoured by birds and wild beasts.
They fear to pollute the earth and the fire, which they hold sacred. It
542
GATE THE EIGHTY-FIRST. If any one force a pro-
fessor of the pure faith to partake of the flesh of a
dead body, or even throw it at him, he must per-
form the Barashnom and recite the Patet Iran. Note :
that is, he must repent, and implore pardon, and
exert himself in good works, that he may escape
going to hell. 1
GATE THE EIGHTY-SECOND. If any animal partake
of a dead body, it continues unclean during a whole
year. 2
GATE THE EIGHTY-THIRD. Nothing should be given
(to the unworthy) unless through dread of the op-
pressor : that is, if believers apprehend not danger
from the sinner, and do not entertain alarm at his
power of doing them injury, they are not to give
him any thing.
GATE THE EIGHTY-FOURTH. In the morning, on
arising from sleep, rub thy hands with something,
then thrice wash thy face, thy arms from the wrist
is, however, well established that they built formerly very magnificent
sepulchres for kings and eminent men, to whom probably the privilege of
such monumental graves was confined. A. T.
1 The readings in the manuscript and printed copy are both erroneous;
therefore Yarshanom, Pituft Irash, and Tipat Barash have, on the autho-
rity of Anquetil Du PerroH, been changed into Barashnom, and Patet
Iran.
2 Among the animals, cows, sheep, and fowls are particularly specified.
D. S.
545
to the elbow, and thy foot as far as the leg ; reciting
the Avesta at the same time. If the believer cannot
find water, he is then permitted to use dust.
GATE THE EIGHTY-FFFTH. When the husbandman
introduces water for the irrigation of his own fields,
he carefully observes that there be not a dead body
in the stream.
GATE THE EIGHTY-SIXTH. A woman after parturi-
tion must during forty days beware of using vessels
of wood or earth, and is not to cross the threshold of
the house. She is then to wash her head : during
all this time her husband is not to approach her.
GATE THE EIGHTY-SEVENTH. If a woman be deli-
vered of a dead child previous to four months' gesta-
tion, as it is without a soul, it is not to be regarded
as a dead body ; but should this occur after the term
of four months, it is then to be looked on as a dead
body, and to be conveyed to burial with the usual
ceremonies.
GATE THE EIGHTY-EIGHTH. When a death occurs,
the people of the house and the relatives of the
deceased are to abstain from meat during three days.
GATE THE EIGHTY-NINTH. It is incumbent on the
professors of the true faith to be liberal, generous,
and munificent ; for God hath declared : " Paradise
" is the abode of the liberal.'
544
GATE THE NINETIETH. Reciting the Eshem Vehu '
is attended with countless merits : it is necessary to
do this at the time of eating bread, of going to sleep,
at midnight, on turning from one side to the other,
and at the time of rising up in the morning.
GATE THE NINETY-FIRST. You must not put off the
good work of to-day until the morrow, for God de-
clared thus to Zardusht : " Putting off the duties of
" this day until the following, brings with it cause
u of regret. Zardusht ! no one in the world is
u superior to thee in my sight. For thy sake I have
" even created it ; 2 and princes earnestly desire to
" diffuse the true faith in thy life-lime. From the
" age of Kaiomars to thine, three thousand years
' ' have elapsed ; 3 and from thee to the resurrection
" is a period of three thousand years : thus I have
" created thee in the middle, as that point is most
" worthy of admiration. Moreover I have ren-
" dered obedient to thee king Gushtasp, the wisest
1 For Eshem Vehu, see GATE 22.
'* The same is said of Mohammed, see note, p. 3.
3 If the epoch of Kaiomars be adopted according to Ferdusi, 3529
B. C., that of Zoroaster would be =529 years before our era. In the
Mojmel al Tavarikh (IVth chapter, upon the chronology of the philoso-
phers and some kings of Rum) it is stated that, since Zoroaster appeared,
1700 years had elapsed to the time of the author, who wrote in the year
1530 of theHejira, or A. D. 1126; therefore Zoroaster would have lived
574 years B. C. If the 1700 years be taken for lunar years, the epoch
would answer to 522 before the Christian era. A. T.
545
' ' and most prudent sovereign of the age ; whose
" eminence arises from science and perfect morals,
' ' not merely from high birth and lineage. I have
" also given thee a volume such as the Avesta, and
" in like manner a perspicuous commentary on it.
" Expect not thai, after thou hast passed away,
" others will perform good works for thee. Know
" that Gokhastah or Ahriman has expressly ap-
" pointed two demons, named Tardiness and Pro-
" crastination, for putting off the performance of
" good works to a remote and future period."
GATE THE NINETY-SECOND. Whatever is polluted by
a dead body must be purified by Pdvydb water ac-
cording to this rule : gold once ; silver twice ; tin
and copper thrice ; steel four times ; stone six times;
earthen and wooden vessels must be thrown away.
Pdvydb signifies to wash with certain forms of
prayer. '
GATE THE NINETY-THIRD. Shew vigilant attention
to the fire of Adar Behrdm, and to his attendant (ge-
nii); light up the fire every night and cast perfumes
into it.
Note : Var (Adar) Behram 2 is the name of the
1 For Pdvydb, or according to Anquetil du Perron, Padiav water,
see GATE 54. This word may perhaps be derived from the Sanskrit