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256
SAD DAR.
Yazad-yâr, son of Tistar-yâr, son of Âdar-bâd, son of Mâraspend!—have sent a reward to their souls, unto every one who reads and is bound by duty2. 7. Thus much (in qadar), which has come written, is a good work they know, whosoever are superior; but it is not possible for every one inferior to know of this. 8. If it were more (ziyâdat) it is proper, but if (imma) less than this it is not proper to know3; while, in gratitude for the benefits (sukr-i ni'hmat) of the sacred being, they become increasing in action, and the sacred being, the most high (ta'hâlâi)“, makes benefits occur on the spot on that account.
of composition of this long-metre Sad Dar is A. D. 1531, according to Dastûr Tâmâspji, and its authors state that they compiled it from the Sad Dar Natur, or prose Sad Dar, which was composed by three celebrated Dastûrs near the time of the Arab conquest. The names in our text are found here only in La, which is either the original, or an early copy, of a version of the prose Sad Dar compiled by Râma, son of Kanhaksha, in which the Persian is written in Avesta letters, and alternates with an old Gugarâti translation composed by his son Padama. This version was prepared A. D. 1575, and the occurrence of the name of Erân-shah, who lived only eighty years earlier, indicates that this part of the introduction was probably written by the editor Râma, and not copied from the original prose Sad Dar. In Lp the môbad Erân-shah, son of Yazad-yâr,' is mentioned at the end of the work.
1 The last two names are introduced merely to show that Erânshâh traced his ancestry back either to the celebrated Atûr-pad Mâraspend, prime minister of Shâpûr II (A. D. 309-379), or to another priest of the same name who lived about A. D. 900 (see Bd. XXXIII, 11); but very many intermediate names have been omitted in this genealogy.
2 J15 omits the whole of § 6, and Lp, B29 have merely and a reward is sent to their souls, &c.,' to be read in connection with $ 5. & Lp, B29, J15 have so that no he
15 have so that no hesitation arises' instead of to know. * Lp, B29, J15 omit this epithet.
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