TO ALL OF THE GOOD RELIGION IN IRAN. 
In the name of the sacred beings.
A copy of the notification (vishâdakŏ') of his priestly
lordship Mânûskîhar, son of
Yûdân-Yim, regarding the grievous
sinfulness of assuming the propriety of washing for fifteen times.
In the name of the sacred beings.
1. It has come unto the ears (vasammûnisnŏ) of me, Mânûskîhar,
son of Yûdân-Yim, pontiff (rad) of Pârs and Kirmân 1,
that, in some quarters of the country of Irân, they whose chance
happens to be so much 2
pollution, such as is decreed unto so much washing of the customary
parts (pîsakŏ), always wash themselves fifteen times with bull's
urine and once with water, consider themselves as clean 3,
and go to water, fire, and ceremonial ablution, the ablution
p. 360
of the sacred twigs. 2. Such--although 1
they say that Zâd-sparam 2,
son of Yûdân-Yim, has ordered, and the high-priests have appointed,
washing of this kind--has appeared to my well-reflecting (hû-min)
opinion, apprehension, and appreciation very marvellous and grave, and
merely a rumour. 3. And it is needful for me to keep those of the good
religion in all quarters of the country of Irân informed concerning
the placing reliance upon their washing with the Bareshnûm ceremony 3,
and to make my own opinion clear also as regards the writings
collected.
4. And, first of all, about the indispensability of the Bareshnûm
ceremony I write several such copies of a well-matured writing of mine 4
as may even be new light to the intelligent. 5. That my opinion of the
information provided by revelation, the decisions of high-priests, and
the teachings of those of the primitive faith is thus, that washing by
the polluted with water is pollution for the life and spiritual life (ahvô) 5;
they render the material body clean thereby, but that which is known
as the handiwork 6
of the immortals, and is also professionally called the Bareshnûm,
when there is the protection of a ritual of various kinds, shall make
the body clean from endless worldly attacks.
6. It is in the nine ablution seats (magakŏ) 7
and the furrow 8,
even with prayer, bull's urine, water,
p. 361
and other appliances, and the ritual which is such as is declared
in the teaching of revelation; and even now the purifiers, who are
just as written about below, keep it in use. 7. When there is a
washing they wash just as in the well-teaching statements which are
known as those of Mêdyôk-mâh, of Afarg, and of Sôshâns 1,
or in the statement of one of those three teachings, or in the
statement of one of the high-priests by whom those three teachings are
declared as propriety, or has come unto me as the practice of those
same three teachings by those of the primitive faith.
8. I deem this deliverance 2
one wholly approvable, and the washer in a washing of that kind, with
the Bareshnûm ceremony--which is lawfully of that description--I
consider as a purifier who is approvable. 9. And the polluted of every
description, as above written, who have obtained, for any
indispensable reason whatever, a purifier, as above written, whom even
now various districts and various places have appointed and approved,
are able to wash with the Bareshnûm ceremony as above written. 10.
Then their washing fifteen times is no deliverance in any way, and to
wash them quickly with the Bareshnûm ceremony as above written is
indispensable.
11. Owing to a washing of the same kind through the Bareshnûm
ceremony, as is intended, water, fire, and other things, not to
provide care for which is un 3
. . . . . . . . . . authorisedly is grievously sinful.
p. 362
[paragraph continues] 12. When, on account of a cleansing through
another washing, distinct from the Bareshnûm ceremony,
p. 363
they consider themselves as clean it is more grievously sinful;
just as when they do not wash with the Bareshnûm, as above written,
but consider themselves as clean through washing fifteen times, as
above written, or on account of any washing whatever distinct from the
Bareshnûm, it is more grievously sinful; because, when they do not
wash with a Bareshnûm, as above written, but wash for fifteen times,
as above written, or any washing whatever distinct from the Bareshnûm,
as above written, they do not become clean, through the professional
washing which is decreed, from that pollution which remains 1.
13. When without similar trouble and great judiciousness they go
unto water and fire, the sin is grievous; and when they go to the bowl
(padmânŏ) for ablution of the sacred twigs 2
it is non-ablution advisedly, and to perform the ceremonial therewith
would not be authorised. 14. And, in like manner, the washing of
polluted Hôm twigs 3,
for any indispensable purpose, with the Bareshnûm ceremony, as above
written, is not possible.
15. Therefore, so that we may obtain as it were a remedy for it, I
wash with the Bareshnûm ceremony, as above written; to keep the mind
steadfast and to attain to a remedy I wash with the Bareshnûm, as
above written; and to bestow the indispensable, comprehensive Bareshnûm,
as above written, is indeed a good work suitable for the discreet and
liberated
p. 364
from bonds, and the purification of body and soul is connected with
it.
16. These things those of the primitive faith, who provided for the
moderns,
have communicated, whose position was above us moderns who
are now the law (gûn) of others, and are teachers and rulers; our
station as regards them is the position (gâsîh) of disciples to
spiritual masters, that of listeners and servitors to form and hold
the opinion, about the same and other things, which those of the
primitive faith formed; and the teaching of even one of those
high-priests is greater and higher than our sayings and decisions.
17. And as to every custom there may be in the country of Irân,
about casting away the Bareshnûm ceremony, as written by me, and
about all the polluted, as above written--whom it is possible to wash,
for any indispensable reason whatever, with the Bareshnûm as written
by me, and one does not wash with the Bareshnûm as written by me, but
is ordered to wash for fifteen times, as written by me, and to
pronounce as clean--and which is established as a rule one is urged to
practise, if Zâd-sparam or any one else has ordered, said, or decided
in the name of authority that one is to do so, or has established it
as a rule, or set it going, this is to give authoritatively my
opinion, decision, and enactment upon it likewise. 18. That those same
sayings are short-sighted (aê-vênakŏ), that same order is
unlawfully given, that same decision is false teaching, that same rule
is vicious, that same setting going is grievously sinful, and that
same authority is not to be accepted; it is a practice, therefore, not
to be performed, and whoever has performed it, is to
p. 365
engage quickly in renunciation of it. 19. And he who has decreed in
the country of Irân, in the name of authority, washing of other kinds
as all-remedial for the polluted, as above written, and has
established a rule of that description is to be considered as a
heretic (aharmôkô) deserving death.
20. So, when through his wilfulness that kind of injury without
enlightenment (bâm) is decreed, and a rule of that description is
established, as above written, and one rendered polluted is washed
fifteen times with bull's urine and once with water, or in whatever
other mode that is distinct from the Bareshnûm ceremony as written by
me, though it is possible to wash him, for any indispensable reason
whatever, with the Bareshnûm as above written, then, his renunciation
of sin being accomplished, he is to be washed again at the nine
ablution seats (magh) 1
with the Bareshnûm as written by me; and until washed again, as
written by me, he is not to go to water and fire and the bowl for
ablution.
21. And this epistle is written by me, in my own hand-writing, for
the sake of all members whatever of the good religion of the country
of Irân becoming aware of the opinion, apprehension, and appreciation
of the commands of religion entertained by me, Mânûskîhar, son of Yûdân-Yim;
and several copies are finished in the month of the triumphant
Horvadad of the year 250 of Yazdakard 2.
22. In trustfulness and gratitude to the sacred beings, and homage
to the exalted pontiff sent from 3
p. 366
the creator Aûharmazd, the heavenly, most righteous, and glorified
Zaratûst the Spîtamân. 23. For the sake of obtainments of prayers
the one thing is the righteousness of the Spîtamân; great, good, and
perfect is Zaratûst; one only is the way of perfect righteousness,
which is the way of those of the primitive faith; all the others,
appointed afresh, are no ways 1.
Footnotes
359:1
See Dd. XCIV, 13.
359:2
Reading hâvan; but it may be 'pollution of the spiritual life (ahvô),'
though this is hardly possible in the next phrase, where the same word
occurs.
359:3
By confounding the preliminary washing appointed in Vend. VIII, 279
with the final washing appointed in Vend. VIII, 299 (see App. V, and
compare Ep. II, iii, 2, ix, 2).
360:1
Reading amat, instead of the very similar word hamâî, 'ever.'
360:2
See the headings to Eps. I, II.
360:3
See App. IV.
360:4
Meaning this epistle.
360:5
Because it pollutes pure water, which is considered a sin.
360:6
Reading yadman; but it may be gadman, 'glory,' which is written in
precisely the same manner.
360:7
See Ep. I, ix, 7.
360:8
See Vend. IX, 21-28 (App. IV)
361:1
See Ep. I, v, 1.
361:2
From pollution.
361:3
At this point there is a blank page in K35, and also in the MS.
belonging to Mr. Tehmuras Dinshawji, which is supposed to be older;
and one line is left blank in BK. It is not, however, p.
362 quite certain that any text is really missing, as this section
can be read continuously and translated as follows, without much
difficulty:--'Apart from a washing of the same kind through the
Bareshnûm ceremony, as is intended, there would be a grievous sin
against water, fire, and other things, not to provide care for which
would be unauthorised.'
If some folios of text are missing, as seems quite possible from
the terms applied to this epistle in § 4, the question arises whether
a portion of the missing text may be contained in the following
fragment on the subject of the Bareshnûm, which is appended to the
passage (Ep. II, vi, 2-ix, 7) interpolated in Dd. XXXVII, 33 in the
MS. J:--
'As it is declared in revelation that, if a man who has chanted
comes upon a corpse, whether a dog, or a fox, or a wolf, or a male, or
a female, or any creature on whose corpse it is possible that he may
come, that good man becomes so that a man may become defiled by him,
and it is necessary to wash the polluted one, so that it may not make
him a sinner. In order that they may act so to the polluted one it is
necessary to wash him, it is necessary to perform that Bareshnûm
ceremony of the nine nights. If the man that is spoken of has worked
about carrying the dead and contact with dead matter (nôsâ hamâlih),
so that they know about his defilement to whom he comes, then he who
has done this work in contact with dead matter becomes afterwards
disabled for that worship of the sacred beings which they perform. So,
also, some one says (compare Vend. VIII, 271-299), where in a
wilderness (vyâvân) are several priests (âsrûvô) and a man lies
on the road, there he who carries the dead body of the man who passes
away--as those others remain and stand away helpless, without
offerings of inward prayer (vâgŏ vakhtagân) over that person (kerpô)
according to the religious way--having washed his body, comes into the
town and performs the nine nights' Bareshnûm ceremony twice;
afterwards, his Gêtô-kharîd ceremonies (see Dd. LXXIX, 4) are
performed, and he has acted well according to the religious way; then
he comes into the ceremonial of the sacred beings. "How are those
men purified, O righteous one! who shall stand up by a corpse which is
very dry and dead a year?" (See Pahl. Vend. VIII, 107, 108.) The
reply is this, that "those men are purified; p.
363 for it is not to the dry from that dryness--that is, it would
not act from this polluted thing--that the existence of dry diffusion
has arisen."'
363:1
Even after the best ordinary washing.
363:2
See Dd. XLIII, 5.
363:3
See Dd. XLVIII, 16.
365:1
See §6.
365:2
The third month of the Parsi year 250, which corresponded to the
interval between the 14th June and 13th July, 88 r.
365:3
Reading min, as in Ep. II, ix, 14, instead of mûn,' who.'
366:1
Compare Dd. XCIV, 14, Ep. II, ix, 15. This epistle is followed, in
K35, by the Selections of Zâd-sparam, of which the first portion is
translated in the fifth volume of the Sacred Books of the East.
Suggested Reading
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