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354
SHẤYAST LÂ-SHAYAST.
evidence of revelation (dino) the wise of those of the primitive faith i have thus said, that a man of fifteen years, and a son and brother of Mazdayasnians—when he confesses his failings (mândak) to the high-priests (radân), and they shall bring him the whip and scourges, and these five Gâthas* are chanted and the good waters consecrated by him, and the whole of the renewed-birth ceremony (navidzadih) is performed by him— becomes a mature youth and not a child, and a share of the prayers of initiation (nâpar) and of the fires is to be given over to him; and when thus much is not performed by him, a share is not to be given. 3. These five? Gâthas are made up from the body of a righteous
man.
See Chap. I, 3. : Referring to one about to become a priest.
3 The Av. astra and sraosho-karana of Vend. IV, 38-114, &c., which were formerly used for the temporal punishment of sinners. Whether they are here brought to the neophyte as a token of his admission to the priesthood, or are administered to him as a punishment for his offences, is not quite clear.
The five Gâthas are the Ahunavaiti (Yas. XXVIII-XXXIV), the Ustavaiti (Yas. XLII-XLV), the Spentâ-mainya (Yas. XLVIXLIX), the Vohū-khshathra (Yas. L), and the Vahistôisti (Yas. LII); these collections of hymns are thus named from the words with which each of them commences, excepting the first, which derives its name from the Ahunavar (see Bund. I, 21) which is written in the same metre.
8 This is the Pahlavi form of the Parsi na vazadi, a term applied to the whole initiatory ceremonial of a nônâ bar, or newly initiated priest; the term evidently implies that the ceremony is considered somewhat in the light of regeneration.'
• That is, he can take his part in the regular priestly duties, including the initiation of other neophytes.
? Both K 20 and M6 have four in ciphers, which can hardly be right; the sentence is clear enough, but the idea of its writer is rather obscure.
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