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SHAYAST LA-SHAYAST.
be retained inwardly1. 7. When worship is celebrated a prayer is to be retained inwardly, and should menstruation occur the prayer is to be spoken out by her. 8. When in speaking out the prayer should menstruation occur, both afterwards, when the time was certain (avigûmân), and now she is certain. 9. When she retains a prayer inwardly, and a call of nature arises, there is no need for her to speak out the prayer, for the formula for the call is to be spoken by her 1.
10. Hands sprinkled in ceremonial ablution (pâdiyâv), when a menstruous woman sees them, become quite unclean (apâdîyâv) by her look, and even when she looks hastily, and does not see the sacred twigs (baresôm), it is the same. 11. And on the subject of a house (khânak-1 babâ), when a menstruous woman is above in it, and the sacred twigs
water, and the sacred twigs, and three steps (8 feet) from righteous men (see § 33 and Vend. XVI, 1-10).
1 This kind of prayer (Av. vâk, 'a word or phrase,' Pahl. vâg, Pers. bâx) is a short formula, the beginning of which is to be muttered in a kind of whisper, or (according to the Pahlavi idiom) it is to be taken' and 'retained' inwardly (as a protection while eating, praying, or performing other necessary acts) by strictly abstaining from all conversation, until the completion of the act, when the prayer or vâg is to be spoken out,' that is, the conclusion of the formula is to be uttered aloud, and the person is then free to speak as he likes. Different formulas are used on different occasions.
2 K20 has,' she retains a prayer.' See Pahl. Vend. XVI, 5. The meaning is, however, uncertain.
The Pahlavi text is as follows: Amat vâg yakhsenunêd, pêsînkâr (Pers. pêsyâr) barâ yâtûnêd, as vâg guftano kâr lôît mamanas nask-i pavan kamisn yemalelunisno. Compare Pahl. Vend. XVI, 5.
See Pahl. Vend. XVI, 10.
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