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314
YASTS AND SÎRÔZAHS.
YAST XXII.
This Yast is a description of the fate that attends the soul of the righteous (§§ 1-18) and the soul of the wicked ($19-37) after death. They spend the first three nights (the sadis or sidốs; cf. Commentaire du Vendîdâd, XIII, 55) amongst the highest enjoyments or pains; they are then met by their own conscience in the shape of a beautiful heavenly maiden (or a fiendish old woman), and are brought in four steps up to heaven or down to hell, through the three paradises of Good-Thought, Good-Word, and GoodDeed, or the three hells of Evil-Thought, Evil-Word, and EvilDeed: there they are praised and glorified by Ahura, or rebuked and insulted by Angra Mainyu, and fed with ambrosia or poison.
Similar developments are to be found in Yast XXIV, 53-65; Arda Vîrâf XVII; Minokhired II, 123-194.
I. 1. Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda: 'O Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!
When one of the faithful departs this life, where does his soul abide on that night ?'
Ahura Mazda answered :
2. “It takes its seat near the head, singing the Ustavaiti Gâtha and proclaiming happiness : "Happy is he, happy the man, whoever he be, to whom Ahura Mazda gives the full accomplishment of his wishes !” On that night his soul tastes 3 as much of pleasure as the whole of the living world can taste.'
1 See p. 319, note I.
3 The name of the second Gâtha, which begins with the word usta: the words in the text, 'Happy the man ....,'are its opening line (Yasna XLII, 1).
3 Literally, sees, perceives.
Digitized by Google
| SR No. | 007677 |
| Book Title | Saddharma Pundarika |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | H Kern |
| Publisher | Oxford |
| Publication Year | 1884 |
| Total Pages | 2546 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 46 MB |