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CHAPTER II, 33–38.
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their own substance (pavan mindavam-i nafsman), and are connected with the ground; being separated by their own substance is this, that so much space as dead matter ' comes upon is polluted; being connected with the ground is this, that they would convey the pollution down unto the water. 37. Dung-fuel, ashes, flour, and other powdered things are connected with their own substance, and are separated from the ground; being connected with their own substance is this, that when dead matter comes upon them the whole of them is polluted; and being separated from the ground is this, that when dead matter comes upon them it does not make the ground polluted ?
38. At a house in which the sacred ceremony (yazisn) is prepared, and a dog or a person passes 3 away in it, the first business to be done is this, that the fire is to be preserved from harm; moreover, if it be only possible to carry the fire so that they would carry it away within three steps of the corpse , even then it is to be carried away, and the
Or a corpse;' K20 has stands upon.' The meaning is that these substances do not communicate the contamination throughout their own substance, but only downwards to the ground, which conveys it farther down, so far as it contains no water.
? That is, these substances communicate the contamination throughout their own substance, but not down to the ground.
3 The verb vidardano (Huz. vabrûntano), 'to cross over, to pass away' (Av. vi + tar, Pers. gudnastan), can only be used when referring to the death of good people or animals; but the verb mûrdano (Huz. yemîtûntano), 'to die, to expire' (Av. mar, Pers. murdan), can be used generally, though usually applied to the wicked and to evil creatures. Pahl. Vend. V, 134 contains nearly the same text as $$ 38, 39.
• Under ordinary circumstances fire must not be brought within thirty steps, or about 79 English feet, of a corpse (see Vend. VIII,
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