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CHAPTER 1, 4-8.
human beings of the lineage of Gàyomard this is the one thing good, when they shall perform their duty and good works; and one's work is to smite one's own opposing fiend; an instance presentable to any of the lineage, that it is important for every one of you to smite his own opposing fiend, is the freedom from molestation which occurs thereby, and the noncontamination of the creatures by the destroyer ; and it is that effect which the creator of creation has produced for it.
7. And this, too, is declared by the good religion, that through a true-spoken statement Gayômard attained to the good spiritual lordship of the archangels (that is, he was fit for the supreme heaven ). 8. And after Gâyômard, at various periods until the ever-favouring 3 Zaratůst of the Spitâmas, whose guardian spirit is reverenced; much also was his acquaintance with knowledge, and his work was the preservation of the mankind of that time in which he came into notice ; moreover he became requisite for conference with the creator; and because of their superior carrying on of destiny “, by command of the
1 Reading hô-a hâîh, Av. hvanghevi. This section is one of the numerous quotations from the Pahlavi version of a lost Avesta text. When we are furnished with a complete Pahl.-Av. vocabulary, it will be possible to recover much of the original Avesta of such quotations, with some degree of certainty.
* Pahl. garôdmânig. Such glosses and comments, inserted by the Pahlavi translator, are always marked as parenthetical.
Pahl. hamâi-bahar; it might be read hamai-bidâr, 'ever vigilant.
• Reading vakhsh (= Pers. bakhsh), which is usually expressed by its Zvâris equivalent gadd (traditionally gadman), and this means both destiny' and 'the star, or glory, of destiny' (Av. hvareno, Pers. khura). Here the first letter of vakhsh is omitted, and this error converts the word into kha yâ, the Zväris of gân, life.'
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