________________
154
SELECTIONS OF ZÂD-SPARAM.
· Whoever takes away a sight from me, does not practise respect for me.'
14. About his having accepted progress even from the iniquitous, that listened sinfully desirous, who accepted so much advantageousness as was manifest, this, too, is declared, that he came into an assembly who were well known in the place for much knowledge, and he enquired of them thus : What is most favourable for the soul?' 15. And they spoke thus : ‘To nourish the poor, to give fodder to cattle, to bring firewood to the fire, to pour Hôm-juice into water, and to worship many demons with words, with the words which are called revelation (dênô). 16. Then Zaratûst nourished the poor, foddered the cattle, brought firewood to the fire, and squeezed Hôm into water, but never are any demons whatever worshipped with words by Zaratûst.
CHAPTER XXI. 1. About his coming to thirty years of age it is thus declared, that on the lapse of thirty years onwards from his appearance, on the day Anêrân of the month Spendarmad”, he had proceeded in that direction in which there occurred the so-called festival of spring (gasnõ-i vahâr) 3, forty-five days beyond
IT inserts not' here, which is clearly wrong, and must have been introduced by some copyist who did not observe that the assembly, though learned, was sinful; and that the object of the anecdote is to exhibit Zaratůst's ability to distinguish between good works and sin, when still untaught by the sacred beings.
? On the last day of the twelfth Parsi month.
3 The Maidhyôzaremaya season-festival, held on the fifteenth day of the second Parsi month.
Digitized by Google
