EXTRACTS

FKOM THE

j^ARRATIVE Of ^ON^. )\nQUTIT.

Du

"PfiF^f^oj^'^

jRAVfiL^
CHIEFLY THOSE

IN

India,

CONCERNING HIS RESEARCHES

IN

THE

LIFE

AND RELIGION OF ZOROASTER,

AND
IN

THE

CEREMONIAL AND ETHICAL SYSTEM OF THE SAME

RELIGION AS CONTAINED IN ZEND AND PEHLVI BOOKS,
TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH
BY

TKANSLATOR OF THE VENDIDAD INTO GUJERATI,

&C.

HEAD MASTER, MOOLLA FEEROZ MADRESA.

BOMBiiY:
PRINTED AT THE
"

OOMMEROtAL PRESS,"

BY DOSSABHOY EDUtJEE.
1876.

PREFACE.
It may not be unknown to the reader that Mons. Anquetil du Perron was the first European scholjur to come to India with the two-fold object of learning the religion of Zoroaster from the followers of the prophet themselves, and of acquainting the learned men of Europe in general, and those of his own country in particul^tf, with the result of his studies. It is true that frevioua to his time Dr. Hyde had sought to create an interest in Zeroastrian lore by* the publication of a learned work on it; and that dkice his time many eminent scholars have given to the world* the r^udts of their researches in the same direction. But from one point of fl^w and that an important -one to him alone belongs the credit of having been the first, lis iie seems to have been hitherto the last, European laboure^r, in the field of Zoroastrian studies. He came to India with the express object of learning all about the religion and literature of the Parsis from their own lips, stayed there for several years^ devoting them to the prosecution of this single purpose^;||fi^ on his return carried with him to Europe a larger ^and valuable collection of Zoroastrian mauuscripte^^ depositing them with la Bibliotheqiie dw Roi at Paris. Dr. Hyde^ on the contrary, had never travelled to India in the pursuit of the same object, and had never s^n a Zoroastrian in all his life. Professor of Latin and Arabic at Oxford he had no opportimities of learning Zend and Pehlvi, which Mons. Anquetil had during his sojourn among the Parsi Dustoors at Surat. And consequently his knowledge of the religion and literature 0* the Parsis was confined to a few smaU .books written in Persian. Therefore, even thought^ it was the accidental sight of a few pages of Dr. Hyde's publication which first kindled the spirit of ent^rise in the bosom <rf the adventurous Frendiman, yet the debt due to him, compajred with that due to Dr. Hyde, by the scholars of Europe in general and Zoroastrians in particular, is great beyond measure. For not only did he, by means of his published works, excite a warm interest in Zoroastrian literature among numerous scholars, but by his thoughtftd act of

IV

depositing in a large public library the precious " collection of Zoroastrian manuscripts he had carried with him from Surat, he rendered immense service to students of that These manuscripts enabled the savaTiU of the literature. succeeding generations to study directly from the originals the sacred literature of the Parsis, and to throw, with the aid of a superior scientific learning, an amount of light on many a disputed and obscure question of Zoroastrian theoAll this debt of gratitude the Parsis have no means logy. of discharging beyond an liumble but unfeigned tribute of their admiration and praise.

Thanks, then, to his almost inspired devotion to the cause of Zoroastrian literature, his indefatigable exertions, his anxiety and foresight to preserve to posterity the ftuits of his labours, reaped under perils and struggles which might have appalled any but a great enthusiast, his successors in the same path have availed themselves of his manuscripts, and illumined to a great extent the obscurity in which Zoroastrian lore was shrouded by lapse of ages. It has been with the study of Zend as it has been with the study of the inscriptions and architecture of the caves. Philological light has in the former, as magnesium light in the latter, illumined many dark plafces in the structure of Zend, and in the philosophy and ethics of Zoroaster. For this we are indebted to European scholars who have been and are the only expounders of the Zend Avesta. The deep researched of Bumouf, Westergaard, Spiegel, fid Haug have given rise to a new school among the Parsis, which during the last 16 years lias read and interpreted Zend and Pehlvi on the recognised principles laid down by Cama may deservthese scholars^ and of which Mr. K. edly be called the founder. Under his kindly auspices and fostering care it had made a considerable advance, when the arrival of the late lamented Dr. Haug in Bombay, in 1860, and his sojourn there for as many as seven years, gave it that additional impetus which was so highly requisite for the accomplishment of the great object, viz., a correct understanding of the Zend Avesta. The fruits of all this use now being reaped, but, it must be regretfully confessed, only to a slight extent. The Parsis ought by no meanis to remain contented with them such as they are. It were devoutly to be wished that they would have Anquetil for

model, and snatch a spark from the fire of Ms enthusiasm and zeal. Let them picture to their mind the heroic French traveller of the past century, coming out to India with the determination of exploring the vast h\ii> little known fields of Oriental literature, under overwhelming physical and political difficulties, and without any of those facilities, conveniences and comforts which steam navigation, railways and telegraphs have made the generations of the last half a century familiar with under British rule. It would be highly desirable to have some adventurous souls from among us Parsis to emulate his daring enterprise and undertake travels, with aspirations equally noble and
their great
patriotic, to their ancestral

land,

and there to explore those

remains which yet proclaim the religion of Zoroaster remains which ought to be examined and interpreted ere the lords of the land complete their destruction, or the devouring tooth of time renders them valueless for all purposes
of archaeological investigations.

I trust to be pardoned a little digression. observe that whatever knowledge Anquetil derived was from Dustoor Darab, who belonged to the old school which was ignorant of Zend Grammar or the labours of modern philology. That science has enabled us to discover several errors into which Anquetil seems to have been led by the said teacher. These errors I have humbly attempted to point out in foot-notes in the translation. But I shall here refer to one of them which is important, and into which the French savant has fallen. Anquetil says that Zarvana Akarana, i. e., time without bounds eternity is the First Cause. He places Ahuramazda and Ahriman in the chain of secondary causes. This view is entirely incorrect, and all the European authorities on the subject are entirely opposed to it. I shall briefly state below how came this erroneous dogma to be at all accepted by Dustoor Darab, for, indeed, it would be wrong to accuse Anquetil of its invention. In that portion of the Zoroastrian scriptures, which, even when put to the severest test of criticism, maintains its reputation for genuineness and originality, as coming direct from Zoroaster himself, Ahuramazda is mentioned as the First Creative Cause. He is held to be the Supreme God, unequalled and without a rival. He existed before eternity, if that could be conceived. And as a proof thereof

And

here

The reader

will

VI

ffairyo,

the Word, the creative fiat, Yatha Ah4 was spoken in eternity by Him. Ahnramazda employed two agencies, one creative and one destroying, to ^ep the world agoing. Each was indispensable to the other. Both are said to be creating in the wide sense, for the destroying was as much a creating agent, as without his help the creating agency would stand still. The world was not only destroyed in the natural cause by natural decay and decrepitude, but it was observed that moral and physical diseases, produced partly by nature, but mainly *by the miscomprehension, negligence and discarding of the laws of nature by human beings, were also instrumental in bringing the world to a hasty and premature depravity, decay and death. These diseases were very naturally attributed to the natural destroying agency^ to Ahriman. Thus an adventitious additional attribute was given to that agency which it had not at first. It was promiit
is

related that

Its originently naticed in relation to daily human life. nal attribute was in time lost sight of in the presence of every day ever-recurring exemplification of his latterly conceived attribute. Ahuramazda being the Supreme God, the creative agency was in course of time generally identified with him, and men began to conceive two agencies at

work, Ahuramazda for good and Ahriman for evil. These two being placed antagonistic to each other, the dogma of Dualism was prominently brought into conception. It was not forgotten, however, that Ahuramazda was the Supreme God, and it puzzled the later interpreters and commentators to explain how He the Supreme God could possibly have an antagonist. So the attributes themselves were unwarrantably made to represent two First Causes. Hence the dogma of Dualism. Later interpreters and commentators were more puzzled still to understand how He the Supreme God could possibly have an antagonist. Some ong seems to have deluded himself into the belief that Zarvtna Akarana eternitywas above even Ahuramazda and Ahriman. For a time this belief gained ground, and it was complacently thought that the religion was saved from the stigma of being condemned as dualistic. The disciples of this school taught that Zarvslna Akarana was the Original Cause, and Ahuramazda and Ahriman were his two agencies, the one creative and the other destroying. To this school Dustoor Darab seems to have belonged. The orthodox sec-

Vll

tion of the Parsi community still believes in the two agencies as represented by Ahuramazda and Ahriman respectively, but they have ho idea of Zarvana Akarana being at their head. Thanks to the learned researches and impartial vex diets of Zend scholars in general, and the late lamented Dr. Haug in particular, the meshes into which the errors of one age after another had involved the original conception of the Supreme Deity have now been disentangled. It is now a proved and ascertained fact that Ahuramazda

the only One and Supreme God Spento mainyus and Angro mainyus (Ahriman) are merely His two agents, the one creative and the 'other destroying that all moral and
is
;
;

hence Ahriman's agency is more known and widely felt, and dreaded as inimical to the welfare and happiness of men.
:

physical diseases are attributed to the latter agency

And now a word as to the following translation itself. Among the French Oriental works which I read some time
since with the valued assistance of mj esteemed tutor, Mr. K. R. Cama, was Mens." Anquetil du Perron's elaborate account of his Travels- in India together with his essays on the Zoroastrian religion, I found it very interesting, and persuaded that some of the important extracts therefrom, chiefly those relating to his researches in the religion of Zoroaster and his precis of the ethics of the pr6phet,* would prove equally interesting to my co-religionists who may be unable to read the text in the original, I humbly attempted the task of translating them. By trying to adhere to too faithful a translation, I fear I have made myself obscure here and there, and have been betrayed in some places into inelegant English. I beg to be excused for these faults unavoidable in a first attempt at translating from a highly idiomatic

language into another equally

so.

Of the chapters I have translated I would specially commend the third to the study of all young Zoroastrians.
mending
not presumptuous, I would take the liberty of comit also to the Heads of our Parsi schools, on whom has now devolved the duty of imparting religious instruction to the rising generation of Parsi youth under
If
^ portion of this essay was translated by the Rev. J. Murray Mitchell and published in the Journal of B. B. R. A. Society in 1845,

Vlll

their charge. They will derive therefrom a fair and healthy conception of the whole fabric of Zoroastrianism.

In conclusion I cannot refrain from acknowledging that translation would not have seen the light of day, but for the encouragement so cordially and uniformly accorded to it hj our well-known Oriental scholar, Mr. K. R. Cama, to whom in this instance, as in many others, I owe a deep debt of gratitude.
this

Mr, Kanga, an intelligent and learned Mobed of the Parsi Community of Bombay, has translated from French into English the most interesting passages of the Narrative of Anquetil du Perron of his voyage to India, and the diflSculties encountered by him in the acquisition and interpretation of the Zoroastrian manuscripts in the ancient Parsi languages, on which his great work is founded. The

Mobed has executed

and good
titled

work with commendable accuracy on this account, I think him ento the patronage of the Parsi Community.
his

taste;

and

Malabar

Hill,

7th

August 1875.

JOHN WILSON,

D. D.

This is to certify that the undersigned has compared a number of passages in Mr. Cowasji Edulji Kanga's manuscript translations from the work of M. Anquetil du Perron with the French text, and has found them faithfully rendered into English.

Khetvadi, 26th July 1875.

EDWARD REHATSEK.

EXTRACTS FROM THE

]\(arrative of

^on.

)\nqujetil du
IN

pJERRON'^ ^RAVEL^
CHIEFLY THOSE

|nDIA,

RELATING TO HIS RESEARCHES ON THE RELIGION OF ZOROASTER.

The Eeligion and History
over the attention of

of the Parsis:

are subjects,

which, beyond being interesting in themselves, merit moresavants, on account of the connection had with the Hebrews, the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Indians, and even with the Chinese. But to
this people

which

trust solely

to

what the ancient writers

treat
;'

tell

us of that na-

tion

would be to run the

it.

risk of getting

but an imperfect
of its

idea of
tory

The works which

exist

thoroughly

Hises-

and Religion

no more

and those that have

caped the ravages of time cannot give us a sure and

factory

satis-

knowledge of

it.

These reflexions induced the learned Dr. Hyde, at the

end of the

last century,

to go deeply into
to.

a subject, which,

up

to

then,

had hardly been attended

He

perused the

Arabian and Persian authors, added to these monuments the testimony of travellers and the letters which many of
his

friends

had written

to

him from

India,
Parsis.

and wrote his

famous work on the Religion of the

This book
gives a series

can be

taken

to

be the only one, which

of instructive details, extracted

from Oriental

T:-rks about the Parsis,

Unfortunately, the principal sources,

first

from which Dr, Hyde had drawn them, are not of the
antiquity.

The English

doctor

cites

particularly

the

Far-

hang-e Jehangiri, a Persian Dictionary, commenced in the 16th century in the reign of Shah Akbar and completed in
the 17th century, in that
passages from the
of Jehanghir,

and quotes several

long

Viraf

Nameh and Sadderworks,

Persian.

posterior to Zoroaster, of
lations

which he possessed only the trans-

made

in

modern

But

as

this doctor

knew

neither

Zend nor Pehlvi,* we do not find in his work any passage from the Yagna or from the Niayesh, which naturally

formed part of his Mss. He contents himself with mentioning the Zend Avesta, without translating any passages from
it.

.With the English, his work could therefore

only pass for a ifere essay.

The

surest
;

way was

to consult the Parsis themselves

on

their religion
enterprise.

and there was nothing of impossibility in the

more than 900 years ago, offers % great number of their body. They are, moreover, scattered to the north of the Malabar Coast, where the love of commerce and industry, which characterise them, has procured them "considerable establishments. They
Gujerat, in India, where they settled

are called in India Parsis or Parses; I shall, in the follow-

ing

pages,

make

use of this last

name

to

designate this

precious remnant of the disciples of Zoroaster.

It

was from the hands of the Parsis

settled

at

Surat,

that George Bourchier, an Englishman, received in 1718 the

Vendidad Sad^.
"^

This volume which contains three

Zend

Frenchman

This point has been convincingly proved by at the end of his first YdbxmG.-^Translator*

the learned

works,

viz.,

tlie

Yendidad properly

so called, the

Ya5na and
It
coiilJ.'^

the.Vispered, was only brought into England in 1723.

appeared in Europe for the then decipher

existed
in
its

first

tinie,

and no one

characters,

although the Zend Alphabet

one of the Mss. of Dr.

of

Councillor

by the
to

life

Hyde. Long after, a Bombay, Mr. Frazer, a Scotchman, known which he had given of Tamaskoulikhan, went
search
of the

Surat in

works of Zoroaster, which he\

collect

thought he

would be able to
efforts

at that

place.

He

succeeded in his

with regard to the purchase of two

'

Yana and the Yashts, and several other Persian and In,dian Ms^s. but it was impossible for him to induce the priests to teach him either Zend or Pehlvi, and to give him the key to the Zend-Avesta. Little satisfied with his voyage, he returned to England where
viz.,

Zend books,

the

he died soon

after.

Such were the attempts which the English made for the acquisition and the understanding of the works attributed
to

Zoroaster.

The

rest

of

Europe trusted

to

Dr.

Hyde, without thinking of learning the languages of which

the savants

knew hardly

the names.

This general supine-

ness for an object so interesting astonished me, and I con-

ceived from that time the idea of the voyage which I

to

made

India.

In 1754, I had an occasion to see at Paris four Zend leaves copied from the Vendidad Sade, which is at Oxford.
Immediately I resolved to enrich
this

my

mother country with

of or
to Gujerat

singular work.
it,

ventured to entertain the idea

translating

and of going with that view

the ancient Persian.

Kirman

to learn

This work could ex-

pand the ideas which I had formed on the origin of languages, and on the changes which they are subject
to*

It

was moreover very proper

of the
Orientals,

to throw light on the Antiquity which one would vainly search for among

the

Greeks or the Latins.

I

thought then that, I had no other means to succeed

than to go to and acquire from the Parsis themselves the knowledge which I was in need of, instead of trusting to
conjectures,

by following

in the footsteps of the English sa-

vant (Dr. Hyde).

(the
Sanscrit,

Moreover, I

knew

that the four Vedas

sacred books of the Hindoos) were written in ancient

and that la Bihliotheque du Roi was rich in Indian Mss., which no person understood. These reasons induced

me

to prefer

India to Kirman, more especially as I

could there dive equally deep into ancient Persian and ancient
Sanscrit.

I communicated

my
to

project to
le

M. TAbb^

Sallier,

to

M.

TAbbd Barthelemy,
approved of
they
it.

M.

Comte de
to

Caylus, to Messieurs

Falconner, de Bougainville and de Guignes,

These savants
from a distance

They pointed out

Belles-Lettres

me

V Academic des
also

as

the goal

promised to talk to the minister on

la

and

to induce I

Compagnie des Indes

to

my labours my behalf countenance my

of

had consequently the honor of conversing several on this subject with M. de Silhouette, Royal Commistimes sioner to la Gompagnie des Indes; and the manner in which he listened to me showed him as much a man of
views.
letters as

a patron of incipient talents.

to

But the impatience

permit

commence a

career,

which

foresaw ought to be long and sown with

difficulties,

did not

me
I

to expect

that the promises of persons,

who

in-

terested themselves in the execution of

realised.

my

plan,

would be

had, moreover, resolved, in

order that I might

not be exposed to reproaches in case of

ill

success

to dea.n;^
V;

pend on myself alone in an enterprise of

justice
little

this nature;

did not allow that I should exact from

favored as
it

my

farni

was with the blessings of fortune, the

assistance

which could appear more than precarious.

these circumstances, confident in the strength of

Under
austere
soldier

liiy constitution,
life,

and inured
studies

as I

was

for

many
to

years to an
calling of

to night

and

sobriety, the

to

la

Compagnie des Indes appeared

to see

me

to

be
to
offi-

the only

one which the state of things permitted

I

me

embrace.

went consequently

M. Boucher, the

cer charged
after

with the enlistment of recruits for India, and

of conversation
affairs of

some moments

on the history of the

country and on the

clared to

the

Coromandel Coast, I de-

surprised

him openly the object of my visit. My proposal him; he strongly represented me, but with a sort
should be involving

of tenderness, the difficulty in which I

myself,

and deferred

me

for

four days, thinking this delay

resolution.

would make
express

me

change

my

It

is

difficult

to

what passed within myself during this interval. I went again at the end of four days to see M. Boucher; my courage triumphed over his objections and seeing that
;

was

firm,

he accepted
it

my

enlistment with a positive pro-

mise to speak of
I

only after
little

my

departure.
in pre-

employed the
without
the

time

which preceded

it

paring,

knowledge of
I

my
shirts,

parents,

my

small

equipment, which consisted of two

two handkerchiefs
packet with a box

and a pair of
of
of Leusden,

stockings,

swelled

my
;

mathematical instruments,
of Montague,

and with the Hebrew Bible

and the day before
brother

of Charron

my

departure from Paris, I sent for

my

who

is

at

present Chief of

the French Factory at Surat,

What an

interview

cannot think of

note which I had written to

ness in two words.
to get

it without shuddering. The him informed him of the busiwanted more than human fortitude

over his chagrin and mine.

M. Boucher
stared

left

me

in

his presence
face.

master of

my

fate.

We
cool

at each

other's

His tears were his expressions; mine

that strength
I

-suffocated

me.

With
gives,

which

and thoughtful temper

proved to him that the resolution I had formed

was needful.
and
after

He

promised to keep

my

secret for

two days,
troops

having received from him some presents, I had

strength to
leave

yet the

him

first

to

rejoin

the

with which I was to go to the East.

The moment for departure having a^rrived, I distributed among my new comrades the outfits which la Compagnie des Indes had given to their soldiers; and we Ibegan to march on foot, commanded .by an inferior officer of the Invalids, on the 7th November 1754, before day-break, to the lugubrious sound of a badly mounted drum.

The road from

Paris to the East was for

prenticeship of fatigues, which I underwent with

ness than I could have dared
expect.

an apmore firmThe journey was of

of

me

ten days,

partly

on foot and partly on horseback, in the

midst of

rains, cold,

snow and accompanied with dangers

for several leagues

more than one kind.

carry
fields,

Frequently, I found myself obliged to

my
to

portmanteau

through cultivated

go to enjoy some hours of repose in a poor hut,

where I could hardly, even on payment, find the necessaries of

a recruit. What occupied me usefully, and even in some way, agreeably during this laborious march were the new characters, whose different shades my situation enabled

me

to

observe.

I arrived at the East on the 16th November,

M. Go-

dehen

d'Igoville,

Director of the

Company,
his
there;

had been
friend,

in-

formed of
the

my

object

by M. Falconet,
to talk

lichen
if^^:^

somebody went and told him that

was a

soldieF^

Company who wished

" Is
stich
it

to

him, he said, coming.*

out hastily from the room, certainly he must be M. Anquetil.

possible,"
?"

addressing me, " that you have form-

ed

a resolution

At the same time he wrote

to the

Major of the troops to conduct

at liberty to

me

to the town, leaving

me

lodge at any place where I wished, and to

take what measures I found proper for the arrangement of

my

aflfairs.

The next month he

accorded
series
friends,

freed

me

from 4ny enlistment by

order of the minister, and informed

me

that the

King had
This was
a,

me
M.

a pension of five hundred francs.

services

of

good
le

by M.
Caylus,

I'Abb^ Barthelemy, whose

M. Bignon and M, Lamoignon de Malesherbes had talked in my behalf to M. de On the very Silhouette and to M. le Coatroleur Gdndral. day of my departure, my enlistment had been carried to
the
office

Comte de

of the

Company
kinsmen,
friends
to

M. Saint- Ard, Director, being

had withdrawn
it;

informed by
diately after,

my my

and-

imme-

had worked to procure

plan, for the

me

a means

of living suitable

my

execution of which I

had in some measure forced the events.

On
free

their

part

la

Compagnie des Indes gave me a

le

passage on board one of their vessels,

the table of the captain and a

Dug d'Aquiand
I

taine,

cabin;

got

ready to part for the East Indies with a resolution to bring

home thence
mins.
I

the laws of Zoroaster and those of the Brahfired at

was at Port-Louis, when a gun,

7 in the

morning, 24th February 1755, gave

me

notice that I should

go on board the

ship.

I arrived

at

Pondichery on the 10th of August 1755.

Seeing that modern Persian was the language most exten-sively used in

Asia, and spoken in all the places

where the
the

difference

of

idioms

or

rather

of

dialects

rendered

knowledge of Malabari of that part

the object
of

insufficient, I

my
up

study
for

without neglecting the

Persian

made it last. The

;

teacher I took
Portuguese.

ed out to

knew neither French nor The first lessons were learnt by signs I pointhim various objects; then I wrote down their
;

names as he gave them I repeated these names. In this manner I learned a jargon, which/ in three months, made

me

understand

it,

though

sufficiently

badly.

As

for

my

teacher he learned not from

me

twenty words of French.

My
sian,

object, after

having made myself familiar with Perinterior

visit

was to go into the

to

acquaint myself with

the

Malabarese language, to

the Brahmins

and learn
a mature

Sanscrit near

some celebrated Pagoda.

I

But

after

consideration
I

hastened the execution of this plan.

arrived at

Chandanagore on Maundy-Thursday, 22nd

I

April 1756, weakened by fever.

wished, however, during

affairs in

the intervals of
I
to

my

illness to

put

my

some order

went consequently to see the Director and requested

settle

him
I

my

salary.

My

representations were useless.

them many a time and the Director told me plainly that he had not the letters of M. de Leyrit who had written to him about me. As regards the interpreters of
reiterated

the

Company whom
his answer

begged to engage to
I

assist

me

in

my

project,

was that they were not allowed

to serve

private individuals.
to get a
for

So

was obliged to apply to

my

friends

Moor who would speak Persian with me, and to live two months at their expense. I thought it necessary to

inform M, de Leyrit of the conduct of the Superintendent

of Chandanagore towards me. At last, whether the latter had received some new orders or whether my demands h^d appeared to him more just, he ordered my salary to be

paid at what I used to get at Pondichery.

little reality

My

youth, the

and the conduct the same pretext, of some private person, who, almost under had wasted, they said, 20 to SO thousand Eupees of the
which
projects represented,

my

Company

these

were likely

the causes of the

difficulties,

which I had experienced from the Director of the Company,

These proceedings absolutely disgusted
lony
of

me

with the Coparticular

Chandanagore; I did not acquire

there.

any

knowledge
but passed

I hardly went to one or two families,

my

time in translating some Persian books, in

went, espe-

promenading in the outskirts of the town which were charming,

and in conversing with the Bengalees.

their tools

cially, to

the Pagodas and to the houses of artisans; I exa-

mined

and wrote down

no

their names.

At
rier,

last

to neglect

means

either

near
to

or

distant,

tending to the execution of

ten in Zend characters,

my

plan, I sent

M. Le Ter-

Chief of the French Factory at Surat, two lines writ-

which I had made.

I

accompanied with * * *
fever

the translation * *

was confined to bed with

and dysentery
I
last;

for

three months and was reduced to the last extremity.

was

expected every
death-rattle

moment

to

breathe

my

delirium and
dissolution.

announced within
vessel

me
sail

approaching

Several persons even carried to the Coast the news of

death,

my
this

by

5t

which

set

at

that

time.

In

state of prostration, I discharged

some worms, and the dy-

sentery ceased.

By

degrees, I

was able to take some spoons-

10
ful of sonp.

My

strength recovered, and in less than twenty

state

days, I

was in a

to leave

my

room.

Soon,
feel

the complete return of

life

my

strength

made me

the iiselessness of the

;

I led.

Bengal was then in

combustion

the

Nabob had driven

and
this

out the English from

their establishments,

revolution foreboded in this

province a future of troubles, which could only interfere with

some purely

literary operations of mine.

I resolved to leave

Chandanagore, but was uncertain whither to take

my

steps.

In the mean time, a

fixed

letter,

which I received from Surat,

Verrier,

my

destination.

It

was the answer of M. Le

who informed me
I

that the Parsis had read the lines which

had sent
but in

to

sian,

him; that they were written in modem PerZend characters. He added that their Dustoors

had showed him the works of Zoroaster, and particularly, the Zend and Pehlvi Vendidad, and that they had promised to explain that work to me and to teach me their
ancient languages.
health,

This news restored

me

to all

my

former

and

my
;

departure was resolved upon.

embarked

.my luggage on board a Vessel which was to have descended the Ganges but the news of war between France and England compelled her to return and disconcert

my

project.

What
followers

a situation

the works

of Zoroaster

exist

his

are ready

to

give and explain

them

to

me;

was separated from that treasure which I held of great value to enrich my native country; and it came to this
that I allowed
it

to

slip

for

ever,

consideration from the

Chief,

without

and that without any any other resource

the fate of a caravan,

but

my

badly paid
it

salaries, I followed
still

brave as

was no doubt,
if

in danger of falling under

the steel of the English,

they should attack it; exposed

thereby to be led as a prisoner to Europe, at the very mo-

11

ment when
I
felt

I was about to reach the goal

of

my

travels

this

blow but concealed

it.

I arrived at last at the port of Surat

on the 1st of

May
a

1758, at 5 o'clock in the evening, extremely weakened

It

by dysentery.
passport

was necessary to wait

the

for

some time
a

for

from

Nabob

afterwards
;

peon

of

the

French Consul came to take

Residency.

me

and within half an hour

brother at the French

I had the pleasure to embrace

my

Before entering into the details of what passed

rat
it

at Su-

during the three years that I remained there, I think

proper to say something about the origin of this town.
it

Though
pillaged,

has suffered

much by

the invasion of the Moors

(Mahomedans) and the Marathas, and has been severaL times

Surat
is

one of the largest and most populated

towns of India.

Originally, it

was only a
It

collection

of huts

belonging to fishermen,

who used

to muster together

on the
in

southern bank of the Tapti.

was

not
wsis

known even
of the la^t

the thirteenth century, though

lebrated.

Cambay
tells

then already ce-

what Nourbeg, homedan Sgubedar of Ahmedabad,

Here

is

librarian

Ma-

me

about the origin

of this towTi.

In the reign of Mahmoud Begadsb,

fifth

king of Ah-

medabad, who
century,

flourished

about the close of the fifteenth

there were (in the vicinity of

a place where in

1760 stood the house of Fares Khan, second of the town),

several huts of fish-mongers,

who had
Hlikem

at

their

head a

man

of their profession,
for his little

named

Suratji.

This chief paid the dues

(i.

village

to the

e.

to the governor)

of

Rander

(a small town situate on the northern bank of

12
the Tapti),

Ahmedabad.

who ruled the country on behalf of the king of The Portuguese, in their incursions, having
river,

plundered the banks of that

Suratji,

whose people

were without any means of defence, and who had suffered

considerably, carried his complaints to the king of

Ahmed-

abad.

This prince, having inquired what the land of these

fishermen could produce, ordered Khodavand Khan, Gover-

nor of Eander, to

erect a fortress,

which might place the

town of Suratji under

shelter from every insult.

Khodavand

Khan

?,t

first

chose the site on the place where there

of Fares

now

is

his tomb, near the house

Khan and

that of Fakir
river,

KheiruUa
the

but as
it

it

was at some distance from the

choice of
site

was abandoned.

He

then pitched upon

another

near B^gh Talao, where there

river.

now

are

Shroffs

(bankers)

about half a coss* from the

for

This was also

abandoned
to
to
.

the same

reason,

it

being

found

difficult

carry water from

fill

the river to that

distance,

in

order

up the
it

ditches with which

he intended to surround

At last its foundations were laid in the now stands and Khodavand Khan promised Suratji to give the latter's name to this city, as a reward for the site which he ceded to him (Khodavand
the
fortress.

place where

Khan).

This

city

was

then

called

Surat

after
note,-)-

Suratji.

The

inscription,

which I have cited in the

informs

us that

the

fortress

was

completed

only in

931 Hijree
it

(1524 A. C.)

The town

rose

with the times; in 1666

state.

had yet only some walls of earth in very bad

first

The

enceinte was

constructed some years after, and the se-

coss is a

measure of distance about two miles in length.

'

Translator.

t Sadd
this

hU'Ved

bar sina-i jdn-e

Ferangi in lend (Pers,)

fortress is built to check the progress of the Ferangees (the

Europeans).

13
cond some more than
of
fifty

years ago, under the Nabobship

gates,

Hyder Kouli Khan: each has 12 with round towers where some guns
I

and

is

adorned

are to be seen.
travels.

now

recur to the course of

to

my

Arrived at

Surat, I

went

the French Eesidency where

help,

my

brother
of,

expected me.
given to

Every

which I was in need

was

me

there; and some days of repose restored

I

me
still

sufficiently
felt

from the fatigues which I had endured.

however some symptoms of dysentery, which the change of food had produced. Seeing my illness increased, notwithstanding the strength
of the remedies
of

my

constitution,

and wearied

and the

visits

of a European,

who

styled

himself a physician,
diet;

I gave myself

up

to

an unrestricted

and by taking several doses of ipecacuanha which I had brought with me from Mahi, I cured myself of the
complaint in about a month and a
half.

The kind
buted not a

of

life

I led after

my
Many

convalescence contri-

little

to

the re-establishment of
regimen.

my

health,

which required- a

strict

reasons had induced

me

to take a private lodging

and

to appear rarely at

the

French Factory.
of the French

The

peevish, sarcastic

and exacting nature

continued

Consul always found something or other to

difficulties, especially,

quarrel

for.

These were the

delay and remissness which would allow no business which

could be done immediately to

be

finished.

After a good

many
I had

communications, I saw the Parsi Dustoors, for

whom

made the voyage

to Surat,

to learn the religion of Zoroaster.

whom I had They were Dustoors Daand from

In the
first

rab and Kaous, High Priests of one of the two sections into

which

the Parsis
there

of Surat are divided.

instance,

was

the

difficulty

about

the

manuscript

which, they asserted, h^d been received from their Legislator.

14

They engaged to copy it out for me for Es. 100 this involved some time; and being desirous to make up for the yv.ars which I thought I had lost, I commenced without de:

lay the study of

their ancient languages.

From

that time

forward, I got a notion of the conduct of the people at the

French Factory.
tance,

They attempted
lest

to

keep up

their

impor-

and feared

I should too

early engage myself in

this matter.

I resolved to dispense with their aid

myself.

and conand

duct

my

affairs

For

this

purpose I was obliged to

difficulties,

leave the French Residency, where I was in

where I abeady found mysoK greatly inconvenienced.

I
felt

these

unfavorable circumstances

less

than

the

conduct of

my

Dustoors;

I despaired of

their

tardiness.

After a stay of three months in Surat, I received at last

the

promised

manuscript.

This

was the Vendidad, the

twentieth work of their Legislator, a quarto volume, written

I did not discover till some time Zend and Pehlvi. was mutilated and incorrect, and after having paid them its price, I thought to begin immediately the study of this work. But the Dustoors, fearing to see me quick at my studies, wished that I should commence with %e alphabet. I wrote down what they dictated to me.
in

after that it

This enabled

me

to

decipher the characters in which the

Vendidad was written.

These
lieve'd I
first

steps did not please

my

Dustoors,

who

be-

to

my

was nearly escaping from their hands: their answers questions were more reserved. They affected a mysthey were

terious tone, believing it gave importance to their lectures.

Long
visits.

absence, under the pretext of the dangers

exposed to by coming to

my

place, intervened

between their
considerto

Once they talked to me of the oiBfer of a able sum of money which Mr, Fraser had made

them

15
for obtaining

ation

which was reserved in England

translate their sacred books.

some PeUvi manuscripts, and of the remunerfor any one, who

would

As
toors,

long as M.

Le

Verrier remained at Surat,

it

was
Dusof

not possible for

me

to obtain anything from the Parsi

except the Zend and Pehlvi Vendidad and some ge-

neral explanations on their religion.

To have demanded
lost
:

them

to

keep their word would have been labour

per-

ceiving also the little importance which the French Consul

attached to me, they imperceptibly retired.

I was then in a very sorry plight, and exposed to the same treatment which I had experienced in Bengal. They
denied

me

the privilege of visiting the French Besidency

effect-

with a hatred, which had the

the natives.
I was obliged to

of separating

me

from

make

formal applications to

the French Consul, and to complain bitterly of his proceedings to the superior council

and to the Governor of PondiCaylus, and from

chery

to send to the latter copies of the letters, which I

le

had received from M.

pany,

Comte de
to
-

M.

Boutin, Koyal Commissioner to the French East India

Com-

recommending
to

me

the governor,

and authorising

him

advance

me some
Goa

money.

Whilst waiting for a reto go to Surat.

ply to this request, I was not in a position to repay what

I had borrowed at

in order

I was

obliged to reduce myself to a repast of lentils and rice call-

ed by natives Khichri, so that I might be able to spare from

my

income something to discharge a part of

of,

my

debts,

and to buy the books which I was in need

all

and with

that to work

also.

What
sense

could have been the reasons

Verrier,
?

of this

whimsical

and harsh conduct of M. Le

otherwise a

man

of

and probity and even religious

They were probably

16
the rarity of
pects, the

my

visits,

my

carelessness in

making

my

res-

distance which I always kept from the spirit of

partisanship,

and no doubt the

silence

of the at

Governor of
the

Pondichery,

who had not

introduced

me
I

Surat in

manner
ty.

had been

flattered

he would.
not pardon
I

draw a
for

veil over

these inconsistencies, which show the feebleness of humani-

Perhaps the reader

this

will

me

having in-

flicted

upon him.
all

But

only bring to mind, with a

sort

of compassion, these grievous

and frequently prolonged

difficult position

reflections

during
was,

the night, about the

in which I

after

having

come from the

interior

of

Bengal, to search and translate at Surat the books of Zoroaster.

In the midst of these

vate, I pulled

difficulties,

which I may

call pri-

on

sufficiently well

with the members of the

European communities
of letters

settled

at Surat,

and

especially with

the Chief of the Dutch Factory,

M.

Taillefer,

a gentleman

and

politeness.

As

Mancherji, his broker, was the

head of the Parsi community at Surat, I thought that he

must have a copy of the manuscript, which the Dustoors of M. Le Verrier had copied for me. Besides, as he was a personal enemy of my Dustoors, a comparison of his manuscript with theirs would test the authenticity that was the means of disof the copy of Dustoor Darab
or
his Dustoor
:

covering

the truth rather than the relation subsisting

parties.

be-

tween

the two

My

hopes

were not

Taillefer, at

the end of November, sent

me

M. the Zend and

futile
:

Pehlvi Vendidad of Mancherji, giving

this Parsi

me

to understand that

had assured him, that

correct copy

it

was the most authentic

and most

which could be had at Surat.

At the

same time he prayed

lost,

me

to take

care that

no pages were

and to return

it

as soon as possible.

As soon

as I found myself in possession of this treasure.

17
I compared
it

word by word with

my

copy; and finding

considerable difference
Taillefer,

between the two, I wrote back to M.

praying him to induce Mancherji to leave

me
to

Lis

manuscript for some time more.

My

object

was

note

from them, as I have done, the

differences.

The answer (to this my request) from the head of the Dutch Factory (M. Taillefer) was very polite: without granting me positively what I required, he promised to talk
about this matter to his agent.
fit

As

for

me, resolved to proI wished

:

by the
if I

occasion,

commenced

my
that

Dustoors

had aided

me

in

my work. my revision
it,

that

but I feared

should

speak to them of

the shame of finding

divulge the
;

themselves baffled

might make them

service
it

which Mancherji had rendered to

done, would have induced that

me

which, had
(Mancherji)

been
have
that

Parsi

to
it

asked

for

his

book, before I

had extracted from

part which I wainted.

Besides, seeing

me

short

of money,

they renderedT themselves scarce.

They hardly appeared once

a fortnight.

At

last,

understanding

how

to reconcile these differences

which I had discovered in the two manuscripts, which were

given to

me

as
It

being

the same,
also

softly

questioned

my

Parsi teachers.

was
for

with this view, that I had paid

them handsomely
to get rid
of.

some Persian works which they wanted

induced them to bring

also

me

a small

Pehlvi and Persian Dictionary, which they had promised me;

but the pretexts invented

promise being
fulfilled.

on the occasion prevented the

M. Le Verrier left Surat 1759, and the French Factory

ther,

in the beginning

of

January

in this city (Surat) to of its

my

bro-

who

after

some time regeived charge

management.

18
Towards
differed

the

commencement

of

February,

seeing

my

business languish, I told Dustoor

Kaous that
is,

his manuscript

from the other Vendidads (that

other copies of

the Vendidad) of Gujerat, and showed

him immediately the

one belonging to Mancherji.

of

He

grew pale at the opening

the book, and at

it

first

feigned not to
:

know
(for

this work,

adding that
to maintain

was some other book

he wished afterwards

the authenticity of his copy

he knew not

had the patience to compare the two manuscripts, word by word), and went away in a very bad humour. The next day, Darab, his father, who was more clever and more sincere, and who saw besides that I could
that 1 had

no longer be deceived, brought

me

a copy perfectly similar

to that of Mancherji, assuring me, that all the copies of the

Vendidad resembled that which

and that the
corrected
in
of

he had presented to me;

copy, which he

had given
;

me

at

first,

was

in the

Pehlvi

translation

but that in the one

Zend, there were only a few transpositions and changes

letters

of

little

importance.

He

promised, at the same

time,
also

to bring

me

a copy similar to that of Mancherji, and

translation.

an entirely Zend copy without the Pehlvi

These advances were accompanied by a Pehlvi and Persian

Vocabulary, of which I have already spoken above, and some
other manuscripts, some in
cient

modem
;

Persian and some in an-

Persian

(Zend and Pehlvi)

and a small history in

verse of the emigration of the Persians to India.

This history leads us to the history of the present Parsis,

and makes us acquainted with the remaining

disciples of

Zoroaster,
at Surat.

who
I

have been the chief object of

it

my

researches

think

would not be out of place to give

it

an abridged account of
It
is

here.

known

that Yezdegird, the last Persian king of

19
the

Sassanian dynasty,
died

was

dethroned
A. D.

by Khalif Hazret
It
is

Omar Ketab and

year
of the

in 651

from the

first

reign of this king (that

of the Parsis
begins.

is,

from 632 A.

T.),

that the

era

The
in Persia.
Parsis,

religion

of Zoroaster
after

then ceased to be dominant

the

Some months

death of Yezdegird, the

persecuted by the Mahomedans, retired to Kohestan,

years.

where they remained one hundred

Afterwards, they
after

came down

to

Ormaz on the Persian Gulf; and

having

settled fifteen years in that place, they set sail for India

and

landed at Div.*

The
sult

Parsis,

and almost
then

all

the Oriental
affairs.

nations

con-

astrological

books on important

At

first

they

throw

the

dice,

make a
call

reference

to the

books of
indicated

divination,

which they

Pals, for the to

number

by the
in
ber.

dice,

and act according

of the Fal,

the

purport contained

that passage

which corresponds to the num-

The Parsis, at the end of nineteen years, believing what they found in their Fal that the sojourn at Div was not propitious to them, re-embarked on board ship;
after

and
sant

encountering a violent tempest, landed in a pleafertile

is

and

place,

situated

about three coss south of

Nargor, which
Bassein.

seven coss

from

Daman on

the

way

to

When
salute

they landed ashore, one of their chiefs went to

JMirah, an Indian Prince of that part of Gujerat,

and made
very

him some
but,

presents.

The Eaj

received

them
they

warmly,

seeing afterwards

that these foreigners

lest

were numerous and well-armed, was apprehensive

^ A small Portuguese Bombay. Translator,

possession, situated to the north-west of

20
should give some trouble to his

dominions

this

induced

him

them five conditions capable, as he beliv^ved^ to deter them from the design, which they had formed of establishing themselves in his country. The first condition was that they should disclose to him the mysteries
to propose
to

of their
their

religion;
;

the second,

that they should

lay

aside

arms

the third, that they should speak the Indian

language; the fourth, that their females should appear in

public without any veils on their face* like Indian females

the

fifth

and

last,

that they should celebrate their marriages

in the evening according to the usage of the country.

As
spirit of

these five articles contained nothing contrary to the

the Zoroastrian religion, the Parsis subscribed to

religion.

them, and laid before the Edja a precis of their

"

Do

not fear us," they said to him, "

we

are friends to all

" Indians.
''

We
flee
it

worship God;' and the love of our religion

makes us
for

from
(i.

evil agents;

we have abandoned
that he has
fire.

every

" thing
"

e.

the

religion).

Descended from' King

created.

Jamsheed,

"
'/
''

We

we adore God and all honor the sun, the moon and
is

We

gird round

our waist the Koshti, which

composed of 72 threads,

We

maintain that females who are in their monthly course

in
child-bed. ought to be

" or
''

kept apart from other perthe

suit-

sons/'

The Kaja,

satisfied

with this explanation, which was

also set forth

in the religion of the Hindoos, permitted

Parsis to take possession of

any piece of ground which

ed them

and these (the

Parsis),

approving of the choice

to

made by their chiefs, built in the place thus accorded them a town which they called Sanjan.

Some time

after their peaceful

settlement, the

chief of

among the

* So far as the translator knows, no such custom ancient Parsis.

prevailed

21
the Dustoors

reminded the
-

Parsis

of

the

vow they had

Fire-temple

made

to

erect

in
if

their

new

colony

great

(Atash-Behram),

they were saved from the tempest whi^h

at
so
for

had overtaken them

all

sea while starting from

:

Div.

They
went
all

consented to

do

consequently, the Dustoors

to the

Raja asking
sanctuary.

a piece of land three farsangs*

round, so that the voice of the profane might not be heard

in

the

The Raja complied with

with
settlement flourish.
years,

their request
all their

and the
to

Parsis, full of zeal, contributed,

might,

make

their

new

Three

hundred

more

or

less

after

Yezdegird,

passed without any remarkable events, after which the Parsis

separated.

Some went
;

to settle at

Bankanir
(between

(9

or

10

coss

from Bansdah)

others

in

Broach (12 leagues to the

Surat

north of Surat);

some in

Unklesur

and
then

Broach)

while others in

Cambay

(16 leagues to the north

at the distance
is

of Broach);

many

in Bariao, a village

of a small coss from of Surat,

the place, where there

the fortress

and which now forms in the north one of the

of

suburbs
(10

that city

(Surat)

others

at last to

Nowsaree

coss to the south

of Surat.)
dispersion pre-

The two

centuries which followed this

sented nothing of any importance.

In course of time San;

jan became depopulated

est (Khorshed
?),

the Dustoors disappeared

Khosh-

a young Mobed and his son were the only

true observers of their religion, of

tion

whom

history

makes men-

up
It

to

700 years

after Yezdegird.
set-

was more than 500 years that the Parsis had

India,

tled
*

in

when the Mahomedans

is

(for

the

first

time)

A farsang

a measure of distance, equal to about three miles.

Translator.

22
made their appearance at Chapanir (eight coss on that side of Cambay on the way to Ahmedabad). The name of the
Kija of Sanj4n was well-known
tan
all

over the country.

Sul-

Mahmoud (Mahomed
his

Shah), at that time being on the

throne of Gujerat, wished to

render this

prince tributary

and ordered Alaf Khan,

him.

prime minister, to march against

Alaf

Khan

soon set out with 60,000 horse.

The Raof the

ja, seized

with fear at the view of the storm which menacfor the

ed him, sent

Parsi Dustoors, reminded

them

favours which he had heaped

ancestors,

on them as well as on their

to assist

and thus induced them

him

in this fray.

A
lives

review being held, 1,400 Parsis were found capable

of bearing
to

arms

they by a

solemn promise devoted their

action was
bloody.

the Raja.

The
for

first

On

one

side

the Parsis

fought for
glory.

life

and

liberty,

on the

other,

the

Mahomedans

sword of the
chiefs of the

Mahomedans.
Parsis, proposed

The Hindoos fell under the? Then Ardeshir, one of the

to his brethren
Parsis,

to fight in a

body against the enemy.

ror in

The

animated by his exter-

ample, presented themselves in good order and spread

the army of Alaf Khan.

They lost only one of their chiefs, named Kaous, who was killed by being stabbed with a spear. The camp, the tents and the baggage of the Mahomedans became the prey of the victorious Parsis.

The
Alaf

defeat was, however, not

so general

as

to disable
collect-

Khan from promptly

a

raising a

new army and

after

ing the remains of the

at the head of

first.

Some days
corps
of

he appeared

formidable

the

Mahomedans.

Though enfeebled by the preceding actions, the Raja refused not the combat. The two armies stood face to face. Ardeshir, who saw the superiority of the army of Alaf Khan, demanded of the Raja permission to go personally to

23
confront the

enemy, and

went

forth immediately

equipped

with
dle

all

kinds of arms and a noose hanging from the sadhorse*

of his

At the words
shir's defiance,

of

contempt which accompanied

blood,

Arde-

a hero of Alaf Khan's army came forth.

tigers thirsty for

The
;

two warriors, like

other
:

rushed at each

but the Valour of Ardeshir decided the victory

adversary,

he

dismounted his
Snare,

and

after

girding

him with a

cut off his head.

Alaf Khan, furious at seeing his

the two

hero vanquished, swore the destruction, both of the Parsis

and of the Raja.

fight;

Immediately

armies

began to

the carnage on both sides

fell

was dreadful; Ardeshir,

;

the bulwark of the Parsis,

distinguished
chiefs

pierced with an arrow

fell

many
field

and the Raja himself

of this
to

on the

of battle.

The death Sanjan was given up

prince terminated the fight.

pillage

and reduced

to

Mahome-

dan subjection.

The

Parsis,

being obliged to quit Sanjan, took refuge

(near

in the mountains of Bahrout

Chapanir), where they

to

passed 12 years.

They

retired

afterwards

Bansdah,

town situated 8 or 10 coss on this side of Aurangabad, carrying with them the Atash-Behram. Their former friends went before them to receive them with great pomp. In a
short time there

was a general concourse

at Bansdah.

The

Parsis of the surrounding places

came

to worship the Atash-

Behram
It

this kindled fresh zeal

in their hearts.

was about
its

this

time that Dustoor Ardeshir arrived

in Gujerat from Sistan.

He

gave the Parsis a copy of the

Vendidad with
copies

Pehlvi

translation.

As
;

the copy which

lost,
it is

the Parsis had brought with them to India was

two
from

were made from

Ardeshir's Vendidad

and

24
these two copies, that other copies of the Zend and Pehlvi Vendidad of Gujerat have been made.

Fourteen

years

passed without

any important
rich Parsi

event.

There appeared afterwards at

Nowsaree a
the,,

named

Changah Sh4h, a

faithful

observer of

Zoroastrian law.

He

distributed his

wealth among

the poor,

provided the
bring

Parsis with

Koshtis and

Sudras, and endeavoured to

back those
errors

whom

ignorance and troubles had led into

practice

many
To

to

the exact

of

the Zoroastrian

law.

succeed
sulting

in this,

he applied to the Dustoors of Kirman, condifferent

them on

points of the Zoroastrian religion,

neglected in Gujerat.
doubtful presented
itself,

In course of time when something

the Dustoors of India, following the

example of Changah Shah, wrote to those of Iran, and the answers of the latter form the works which are known by
the

name

of Eavaets,

that

is,

histories, traditions,

reports,

Changah Shah represented

was
difficult

to his fellow-citizens, that it

to go to adore the
its

Atash-Behram

at Bansdah,

for the feast connected with

worship came on the 9th

day of the month Ader, which was the time of the rainy
season.

He

afterwards

made them

alive

to

the benefit

of having the Atash-Behram in their town and induced them to bring it there. The people applauded his proposal,

and the Atash-Behram was brought with great pomp from Bansdah to Nowsaree in the year 785 of Yezdegird (of Jesus 1415).
it,

The

three

Mobeds

of Sanjan,
it

who

accompanitjd

were charged to keep a watch over

in their turn with

other Mobeds.

Here

is

the end of

this

small

poetical

work, which
in India.

contains the history of the retreat of the Parsis

What

I have said of the Vendidad brought by Ardeshir,

of the letters written

by Changah Shah

to the Dustoors of

25
Kirman, and what T
quarrels

am now

going to report about the

of

which arose among the Parsis

India
I

these

have got from the Parsi Dustoors with

whom

had conversed.

In order not to frighten away Darab, who thought t^ detain me one year at the Zend alphabet, I begged hini
to show
to

me

rare

and valuable Zend works, with a promise

buy two Persian Mss. which he wanted to get rid of. When I was master of these books, I threatened to abandon him and Kaous (his father) to Mancherji,* their chief
enemy,
if

he refused to aid

me

in translating the
:

Vendi-

The stratagem succeeded howmodern Persian, when he saw me write to his dictation, and question him about everything and hear him only with wrapt atdad
in
ever,

tention,

fear

seized

him, for he

felt

that I was going to

I

know thoroughly the dogmas of his than a month without seeing him
that
his

religion.

was more
pretended

back.

He

death was
at

certain,

if

the

other

Dustoors

knew

what he did

Kaous maintained that I retheir conscience would not permit quired information which them to give, and for which they were not bound. But the the Mss. which I had, let them to make these reflections scruple, and Darab fear of losing them prevailed over the
place.
;

my

consented to what I desired.

Their

fears

were not ill-founded,

I

Mancherji

himself,

knowing the use which

(Bhicajit)
his

had made of

his manuscript,

was

no more tranquil than Darab.

teacher
it

He

feared lest Dustoor

Bikh
of
it.

should have been

informed

Seeing that I kept

^
tory.

many months, he demanded

Mobed and an agent
at the

it

from

rich

and

influential

Dutch Fac-

Translator,

26

me
had
M.

through the head of the Dutch Factory to

lent
it.

whom he
I stated to
dif-

My

answer was polite and steady.

Taillefer

that having

commenced

to note

down the

ferences,

which existed in the manuscript of Mancherji and

that of
tlie

my

Dustoors,

it

was not natural that I would leave

reasons did not please the Dutch,

work imperfect.

My

with whom I had not been much in contact for the last month or two. They came almost to menaces. I even knew that a member of their council, a mischievous head, was instigated to come to my house with a band of soldiers The Chief of the to carry away the book in question. Dutch Factory (M. Taillefer), being more prudent, did not

wish to
letters,

descend to practical matters.

I

He

was a
his

man

of

and

am

sure that at the bottom, he

blamed not
broker,

my

firmness,

though he was obliged to show to

that he was prepared to render such service as was requir-

ed of him.

The only precaution which

pistols
;

I took

was

to

have

upon which
in

my

table two charged

continued
I returned

my

work

lasted four months, after

state.

which

the Ms.

good

The
and
their

scruple
little

of

the

Parsi Dustoors

being surmounted,

tricks

having ended, there remained with

difficulties

me

nothing to overcome but the peculiar

attend-

ant on the

which I had commenced, and embarrassment of a civil war. The English the unavoidable
kind of study
:

then laid siege to the fortress

security
their

it

was necessary
distrust.

to put In

own

effects

and those of the factory and

being

always in a state

of diffidence

These troubles

made my Dustoors more

after

distant from me.

They reappeared

some time.
Finding myself
sufficiently strong to

commence the study

of

the Zend

books,

and

impatient to regain the months,

27
which I had seen glide away in the midst of these troubles,

without making any tangible progress, I spent some

Pehlvi and

days in the practice of reading the Vendidad, and to translrie

from the

Persian interlineary translation

the

Persian vocabulary of which I have spoken above.

The work, the

first

of the kind -^hich a European

had

ever attempted, appeared to

me

to

be a notable event in
its

the history of literature; and I marked the

date which was

Christ,

24th

March 1759
Yezdegird,

of the

era of Jesus

Amer-

dad, the seventh era

of

day of the month of Meher, 1128 of the

1172

of

the Hijra, and 1813 of the

reign
ciently

of Raja

Vikramajit.
;

discouraging

but I
to

The commencement was suffihad learned at much cost to

succeed in the work

keep patience.

Hoping
I

which I

had undertaken,
the success of

informed the Governor of Pondichery of

attempts.

my

After having obtained some Zend and Sanscrit books, commenced the translation of the Vendidad, on the 30th of March 1759. Modern Persian served me as an intermediate language, because Darab, for fear of being heard by my
I domestics,

did not

wish to unfold
language.

to

me

the

mysteries of
;

his religion in the vulgar

I wrote

everything

was

also particular in

marking the reading of Zend and of

I

Pehlvi in European characters.

pieces,

compared afterwards

the

which appeared to be the same, in order to assure

myself of the correctness of his (Darab's) readings.

grievous accidents and sickness, howsoever long
it

The most
might
state
be,

had nothing to frighten me. I was always in a take up again my studies at the point where I had
the tranquillity of

to

last left

them; and being assured against the fear of forgetting them,

my mind

could only hasten

my

recovery.

These precaution^ were only too necessary; and they

28
had the desired. eflfect.
tim of
lifj

My

health was

many
and
was

times the victhe kind of

close
led.

application to

my
and

study
lentils

to
all

dish

of rice

ment.

The

time, which

was not engaged with

my my

nourish-

Dnstoor,

I spent in revising what I had read with him, and preparing the work for the next day.
I could not take even

a nap after dinner, as

tries
:

is

generally
as

done in

warm

coun-

for,

one time

it

had served

an excuse

for the ab-

sence of Parab,

who pretended
it.

that I did not open the

door
self

when he knocked

In the evening I refreshed my-

an hour or two with an airing on

my

terrace, the

mind

always occupied with the uncertainty of the success of

researches,

my
re-

and

the manner in which

they

would be

ceived in Europe.

In the midst of this

stiff

work, I did not neglect to

augment

my

knowledge of those countries in which I could

viz.,

not then penetrate,

the north of India and Egypt

but a sad accident checked

me

at

the commencement

of

my

career.

While

assisting
all

one

day

the

lifting

up

of

trunk

which contained
of being crushed.

my

luggage, I saw one of the coolies

his

employed in the work miss

I

footing

and on the point

seized immediately one of its handles,

and held
up.
I

it

suspended for a

moment

whilst the coolie rose

did not then feel

any derangement in

my

system,
(it

but after some time,

close study, coupled

with great heat

being the month of June),

the cause being the exertion
called at Surat the

made the malsidy burst out- I had made it was what they
:

derangement of

the navel.

This complaint consists in the looseness of the umbilical vessels,

whose extremities form the knot which

belly.

is

in the

middle of the

If

this

looseness

make

the arteries

29
rise

above the knot, one

;

is

subjected to continual vomitis

ings
side,

and when the derangement

it
is

below or towards the

in a few

followed

by frequent purging which,

extremity.

days, brings the patient to the last

It

appeared that I could foresee the state in which I

be, if I

would soon

endeavoured to prosecute

my

work, the

most

insipid

imaginable.

In the morning I collated Man;

cherji's

Ms. with Darab's copy

and during the afternoon,

when

the heat was greatest, I translated the Vendidad from

the last Ms.

These two works were finished on the 16th

I

June 1759.

announced

this

event to M.

do Leyrit in

my
for

letter of the

11th June, while requesting him to procure

me

a copy of the four Vedas (the sacred books of the

medium of Aranga Poulley or AromBut no sooner had I commenced translating the additional passages I had found in Mancherji's Ms. than I was again attacked with a more severe bowel complaint. After two days of acute griping, it became necessary to send for the Parsi,* who had already given me an experience of
Hindoos) through the
bale.

the force of his muscles....

passed the end of July

in a state of forced inaction, which grieved

me more

than

the fear of having to

letters to
all

recall

the aid of the Parsi.

Some
and
at

M. de Leyrit and the revision of I did. As I had only to write the

my

works were

^translation
sufficiently

read Zend and Pehlvi books,

ease.

my mind

was

While I was among the English, I engaged Nanabhdi, their Modi, to procure from Nowsaree a copy of the Nirengastdn brought to India by Dustoor Jamasp.

On

the

* quack adept at curing this particular complaint. Men of the sort are even now to be found practising in Surat and also in Bombay, but they are not necessarily Parsis. ^mwsteor.

30
7th October,
this

Parsi

showed
it

me

the answer

which he

had

received, stating that

was not known what had be-

come

of that work.

Finding
they found
ing

my

strength recovered,

made

search for

house where I

might resume

my

occupation freely;
live, still

and

me

one in which I went to

remain-

under the English protection.

healed

My

wounds* were en-

tirely
self

on the 20th November; and I applied myto

the translation of the Zend books with commenced with the additional passages discoverThe translation of these passages ed in Mancherji's Ms. was followed by that of Ya9na, of Vispered, of Nyaesh and Yashts and some Pehlvi collections, which contained, among other curious pieces, the Bundehesh, the Si-rozah,
at

once
I

Darab.

the Vajerkerd, several Ravaets and other Persian Mss. which

Darab had given me. A sustained application to these gave me, at the end of some months, so true a notion of the languages and of the ancient history, religion and usages of the
Parsis, that

on

me

Darab dared not and even could not impose upand by the time that he had ceased his readings
a state to translate myself the few works

I was

in

which

yet remained to be translated.

He

was now

regular,

ventured

not to refuse

me

the

explanations

and demanded

from him.

The departure of Mr. Spencer, and the knew our factories were, contributed mucl\

stata in whinh
to the rapidity
I

of

my

progress.

did not

stir

out, because

feared that
of

the taking of Pondichery would arrest the progress

studies
;

my

pushed on

my

work in some way.

^ The author -refers here to the wounds he had received in a duel with a Frenchman, which arose from a petty cause. Translator,

31
I

had derived some advantage from

to

my
part

sojourn
of the

among
credit

the English by attracting

myself a

which they had in the

at the

city (Surat).

Fares

Khan

lent nxe,

recommendation of Mr. Spencer,

Mr.

his copy of the Bar-

zo-Nameh, the only one which was at Surat; and I made

a copy from
it.

Spencer, before leaving

Surat,

was

kind enough to imdertake to send from Delhi to the Vakeel of the English East India

Company

the

list

of books

which I required.

These were the four Vedas in Sanscrit,

the latter part of the Barzo-Nameh, a series of well-preserv-

ed coins of Eupees, struck by the order of Nour Jehan Be-

gum, wife of Jehanghir, bearing each a mark

of

one of

the signs of the Zodiac, some historical books on India and

(Independent) Tarlary, and especially the Persian translation

of the four Vedas,

made by
had

Feize, brother of Abulfazel, secre-

tary to Akbar.
kine, a

also requested, in

November, Mr. Ers-

member

of the council of Surat,

(Mahomedan) language very well, at Tattah in Sinde, to buy on

curiosities

who spoke the Moorish and who went to command

my

account some natural

which that country could

copy
out for

offer

him.

He was

also

requested to
said
to be

me
the

the inscriptions which were

engraved on the walls of a famous temple near

according to
for

Tattah,

built,

opinion of

its

inhabitants,

by Alexander; to search tains of Candahar; and

and Patani books
of
if

to

me some charts of the mounsend me some Sanscrit, Sindee,

in his hands. I

th^y

feli

had no news

my

commission

till

September 1760, when Mr. Erskine

about the

wrote to

me

from Sinde that there were neither temples,

but that there were some tombs of the
al-

nor anpient monuments, nor Hindoo inscriptions

environs of Tattah
;

kings of Sinde with some Arabic or Persian inscriptions

most

effaced.

He

promised ta

send

me

afterwards

some
at

books and charts.

not satisfy

Though
I

this short

answer of his could

me much,

availed myself of the offer

made

32
the end of his
letter,

and wrote to him

for

the books I

wanted.
ce*

These were (independent of those which Mr. Spen*written

to

had

me

about

from

Delhi)

Madar.

vZ

Afazel

Persian Dictionary highly esteemed, the complete

Rozot'Ossafd,
sonsing,
(history

some memoirs of the Rajas Jessing and Jes-

on Cashmere and Candahar, the Nadershih

of

Ndmeh
kings

Tamas Kouli Khan), a

details,

list

of Indian
also
;

from Gengiskhan, with their

Eajas of Delhi
bet, the

and

that of the

whom

they have succeeded

the Tatar alpha-

treatise on vocal and instrumental by Abou Aloufah the Tasvir Ndmeh, a Persian translation of a work on perspective and painting made by Ebn Hossein.

Ser4d Ndmeh, a

music, composed^

All these requests excited the surprise and procured for

me

the friendship of the persons

aforesaid books.

for the

to whom I had applied They procured me many promises,

effect.

but not one of them produced the desired

Mr. Ers-

kine wrote to me, on the 8th November of the same year,

from Mahim, near Bombay, where he had gone to recruit

his health, that
to procure

he had thought on his return from Sinde,

me

the books I wanted; and that though he be-

lieved

that the inscriptions, of which he had spoken to me,

were only passages of the Kor^n,

of the ancient kings
of

he would try to

take

copies of those, which were inscribed on two or three

tombs
of

Sinde and send them on to me.

deprived

The death
fruit

of

this

gallant gentleman

me

the

of his promises.

At
which
I

last

I received, in the

middle of April,
the

letter

from the Governor of Pondichery, dated 24th February 1760,

permitted

me

to

return to

French Residency.
for

thanked the English councils of Surat and Bombay

33
which they had so obligingly accorded me, and placed myself again under the protection of the banner
protection
of

the

my

nation, without quitting the

habited,

mansion which I had inand which was more commodious than the French

Residency,
I

rapidly advanced

in the knowledge

of the mysteries

of the language,

from day to
other.

and of the history of the Parsis. I found day that I ought to buy some new book or
Leyrit,

Backed with the authority of M. de

with
all his

my

bro-

ther supported
I

influence the propositions which

made
'

to

my

Dustoors.

Besides, as they were aware that

re-

was soon to depart from them, they dared no longer

fuse

me

anything.

They employed a thousand means

me, to protract

to

render themselves useful to

my

departure

and to increase the price of the manuscripts.

The reading of the liturgical books had made me familiar with some minor ceremonies of the Zoroastrian religion; I had bought some copper instruments used in their sacred rites by the Parsis, some Koshtis, a Sudra and a Padan
^

but

my

curiosity

was not

sa'^tisfied.

I wished to enter their

Fire-temple and to attend their service.

the strict severity of
impossible:
defile

Being aware of
believed the thing

their

religion,

my

presence, according to the

Zend books, would

the temple and tend to nullify the efficacy of their

Besides,

prayers.

no foreigner had ever entered the Der^the Mogul Emperor, Akbar.

m^hers* of the

Parsis, except

However, a small present and the promise to take a short

* For the explanation of this term, see Mr. K. K. Cama's " Discourse on the Mithraio worship and the rites and mysteries connected

with

it'*,

]p]^,22 2d. Translator.

34
excursion through the town
to
satisfy
iri

my

palanquin, induced Darab

my

curiosity.

He
I

took for this purpose a rainy

day, the 20th June, 1760.

was dressed

as a Parsi,

accom-

panied by only one peon, who was made to stand at a short

distance from

the gate of the Der^mdher, and

distance
for fear

who guided
recog-

me

from a

sufficient

should be

nised

the
;

environs of the Fire- temple being inhabited

by
ac-

a number of Parsis.
places
it

The water was knee-deep

and
as I

in

several

was

all
all

dark,

was not

sufficiently

quainted with
of losing

the streets of Surat, I was on the point

my way

and of being nearly drowned.

When
people in

I arrived at the Der^m^her, there were ^ery few

it.

Darab came

to

receive
:

me,
it

and led

me

to
six

the fire-altar where his son officiated

in the

was half past

evening, in

the Aivigruthrem

Geh,

Old Darab, notwithstanding the objections which I had

sometimes
raised

against

what

had

found to be

un-

reasonable in his religion, had seen

so
est

me

study his books with

much

care,

and occupy myself

so seriously with the small-

minutsB, instead of despising them,

as

is

generally the

case with foreigners, that he believed

me
;

almost a proselyte,

wanting only the ceremonies of initiation

this idea consoled

and I think that

Several times he

his conscience

little.

had persuaded
that
I

me

to give

up smoking

my

Hookka, saying,
Instead

had read in the Parsi books that what came out

saliva,

from the body, as

of

breath,

contradicting

him
I
all

boldly

^which

defiled

the

fire.

would have displeased

reply

him

contented

myself

with
in

the

that

/ was a
sacred
fire,

Christian,

When

was

presence of

the
rails,

which I saw like

closed the
I

lay Parsis across the

which enif

chapel on

the north
offering to

side,
it.

Darab asked me
I

would make some

I said

could not, as

35
a
Christian,

comply with

his request.

Darab

retorted,

but

with an embarrassed air which had something sinister about

it,

that some

Musulmans, without having had

sacred
fire,

th^ privi-

lege of seeing the

the Deremdher.

The

position

without any arms except

if

my

had made some presents to was delicate I was alone, sabre and a pocket-pistol and
:

the devotees,

m^her, had suspected

who performed me who

in

their prayers in I

the

Der^-

was, I

should have fallen

of the Fire-temI

victim to the zeal of the worshippers

ple.

Without appearing

any way moved,

shut up
tone
;

answered Da-

rab in a loud voice, that I was come to see the Der^m^her

and nothing more.

requested

My

firmness

his

mouth

he

me

to

speak in a lower

he feared more
a whisper,
I I

than myself that the people of the Derdmeher might recognise me.

He

explained to
different

me

afterwards, in

the use

made

of the

parts

of the Deremeher.
;

examined everything minutely.

imprinted very clearly in
to

I entered everywhere

and

be able to prepare

my mind all that I saw, in order on my return the plan and the de-

scription pp.

which

will

be seen hereafter in the second volume,

568572.
After having attentively inspected the divisions of the

Deremeher, I approached, with a view to

sity,

satisfy

my
it,

curio-

the place reserved for the recital of Izeshn^

difiiculty to allow

(Yana).
pro-

Darab made some

testing that

me

to

enter

he would afterwards be obliged to purify the

on and found in a
corner
of

place

but I went further

the Izeshni-gah his Zend, Pehlvi

and Persian books,

and

among
and

others,

with him.
this

knew

some Mss. which he had told me he had not that his library was in the Der^m^her^

was one of the reasons which had induced

with the view to an inquiry in

me

to

enter this temple

thereto.

reference

36
Satisfied

with

my

visit

which lasted nearly an hour,

for

rejoined

my

peon,

who was waiting

to

me

within gun-

shot from the Derdmdher.

tions,

Darab, deceived in his expecta-

had no occasion
fire;

be equally

satisfied.

He had

cal-

culated on extracting from

me

something as an offering to

the sacred

and' the
if

discovery which I had

made put
out with

him

to

the necessity,
sell

he did not wish to

fall

me, to

the books which he had

up

to then denied

me,

or refused to

make

copies of for me.

Some time
mas
are
(towers
of

after I

went out of Surat

These are
built

to see the

Dakhround

silence).

species

of

towers whose walls

are

of

square stones,

and which
of vul-

about ninety feet in diameter.

While

walked round

these towers, whose walls were assailed by an

tures, ravens

army

and other carnivorous

birds, several Parsis,

who

saw
to

me

from a distance, grumbled at

my

curiosity.

In the

mean time a
I

funeral procession arrived,

which obliged

me

remain at a distance.

From

the place where I stood,

is

saw the Nasdsdldrs perform the Sagdid^ (that

to say,

the ceremony of presenting the dog to the dead), and carry

the dead body into the
sion,

Dahhma,

Afterwards the processpot,

which stood at more than eighty paces from the

praying two

returned,

his sleeve,"!" as

by two, each holding the other by they had done while going. On my return
increased
:

their
sis

murmurs

in the streets of Surat

many

Parof

loudly

clamoured that I had profaned their towers

silence;
*

but these complaints

is

had no

other

consequences,

Ifc

not the Nasasalars who perform the ceremony above

re-

ferred to, but the Zoroastrian,

who

is

the resident guardian of the

Dakhma.

Translator,
it is

t Now-a-days
persons.

usual to hold a handkerchief between two

Translator,

37
and whilst I
place where
felt

myself in good

spirits, I

went

to see the

the Hindoos burnt their dead.

sis

September 1760, what concerned the Parand the translation of their sacred books, and then went
I finished, in

to the

French Residency, in order to prepare myself

for

journey which I had contemplated long since, and

which ^

had connection with Parsis and Hindoos

alike.

started from Surat on the

18th November 1760, at

sepoys

o'clock

in the afternoon, accompanied with four

and one servant (who, with the coolies formed a cortege of thirteen men) and furnished with paper, a pair of compasses, some pistols and two pass-ports, one from the Nabob, and
the other from the Marathas.

With
Gand^vi,
Tarapore
days.

this retinue I passed

through Mjpore, Nows^ree,

occupied
to

Bulsar,

Oodwara, Colek, Daman, Nargor, Sanjan,

This journey

and Bassein.
I
its

about ten

Thence
of

survey

came down to Ken^ry caves and copy out its

make a minute
This
be-

inscriptions.

work, which kept

ing
finished
I

me

engaged
to

till

the

6th December,
felt

came

Tana,

where I

myself indis-

posed.
cold
fits

Fever

came over me on the 9th December with

lasted

and

three
tea.

days, which

I passed

on

my
to

bed
sit

drinking nothing but

When

was in a
of

state

on the

chair, I

occupied myself in fairly

copying

out the

Ken^ry
in

inscriptions

and a part of the diary

my

journey

written briefly,

while the different objects

were yet fresh

but a

my

memory.

After having finished this business, I waitif

ed for two days to see

my

health would recover

38
fresh

attack

of fever

and the shortness of

my

funds obliged

me

to quit I
set

Tana.

out on the

16th December
I

1760,

and followed
coming
a

the

same route which

had

taken

while

from
the

Surat.
east,

Only beyond Bassein

I took

my way

little to

and went below the Ghauts in search of the seeds of

the teak and

I

champa

trees.

This last effort exhausted

fever,

me

was seized with a burning

at

which forced

me

to take

some hours of repose

Ag^si.
;

The

fever took

me

back beyond Agasi

folly to cause

and, whilst fulto

ly perspiring, I

had the

some cold water

be thrown on
to

my

head,

and

my men

had the simplicity

:

obey me.

This imprudence had no effect

the fever con-

tinued,

and I arrived at Bulsar, without having eaten anysince

thing

my

departure from Agasi.

eat

There,

seeing

my
a

palanquin-bearers
desire
to taste

some large horse-raddishes, I

felt

them.

They brought me one

salt

of an inch

and a half in diameter, which I ate with

cient

with

suffi-

appetite and without being

fever

incommoded
after
for

in

any way.
repast
of

At Gandevi the
lentils

quitted

me

light

and

rice,

and I then

slept

two or three hours,

which I had not done since eight days.

When

arrived at

Nowsaree, I begged Dustoor Jam-

sheed to come and see

me

in the

garden where I wantalready spread

at ten o'clock
;

ed to pass the night.

all

My

reputation had
to

over that town.

The Dustoor came

me

in

the night.

We

talked in Persian and Pehlvi

he avow-

ed to

me

that Darab, whose conduct he

otherwise blamed,
also assured

was the most clever Dustoor in India, and

me

that he had not the Nirengastdn which was brought from

Kirman by Dustoor Jamasp.

reciprocal

Jhe

conversation ended in

marks of amity, and he promised to write to

me

39
at Surat, which
Pehlvi.
I

he

did,

after

some months,

in Persian

and

arrived at

Surat after

eight

days'

march, enfeebled
return

and

almost

without

consciousness.
:

My

gave

my
had

brother

evident pleasure

the length of

my

journey

disquieted him.

As

for

me, in a moment of calmness, the

dangers

had run and the fatigues

senting themselves vividly

tears

had endured, preand en "masse to my mind, drew

I

from

my

eyes

my

friends

wiped them

off,

and four
the symp-

days of repose and good nourishment

made

all

toms of fever disappear.

But
frightful

this

appearance of health made only

for

some mo1761,

ments bright

me.

In the

first

days of January

colics,

accompanied with pains in the fingers and

be caused by the
confine

the right cheek, which was believed to

gout,

obliged me,

after

vain

efforts,
;

to

myself to

bed.

Patience was

my

physician

the diet, and, without

doubt, the remaining

disease
;

strength of

my

youth overcame the Be-

but I was in a state of weakness, which determinto renounce

ed

me

my

journey to Benares and China.

all

sides,

the state of our affairs would have frustrated

my
Pon-

plans, even if

my

strength had yielded

to

my

desire.

dichery
for

being besieged,

succour

of every kind

missed us
not received
;

several

years the Residency of Surat had

(at

any funds from the chief Factory

solutely

Pondichery)

my

bro-

ther had difficulty in supporting himself, and could not ab-

take

upon himself any

to adopt

expense on
?

my

account.

What means
I

in

this extremity

possessed

more than
;

180 Mss.
others two

in

nearly

all

the

languages of India
of Zoroaster and
aries

among
of

copies of the works

diction-

a part
Persian,

Pehlvi

books; seven

of

modern

and three most

famous

Sanscrit

40
dictionaries of

India.

had some Hindoo

first

characters

of

an extremely remote time in the Ken^ry

Sanscrit letters,
tracts

inscriptions,

some

very ancient, in the

pages of the ex-

some others 300 years old in the transsome worts of Zoroaster, and also some Tamoul letters a thousand years old in the characters used by the Jews of Cochin. I shall not talk of the seeds, flowers and
of the Vedas,
lations of

leaves

of
;

trees

which I had collected

for

myself at great

expense

several other

natural curiosities, some instruments

connected with the ceremonies of the Parsi religion, and a

collection, suflSciently considerable, of the coins of India,

The
as

peril

to

which

all

these literary treasures as well

my own
France,

labours

were about to

be exposed,

and the
to return

languishing state in which I

to

was, determined

me

some more favourable opportunity the translation of the Vedas, the explication of Indian Antiquities and the series of researches, which I had intended
deferring
to to

make on

the different religions of these countries.

But

it

was

decreed

that

my

departure

from
:

India
that
it

should be of the same stamp as that from Paris

must be beset with

country.

as

many

difficulties as

the rest of

my

works, which had detained

me

nearly for six years in this

All
sition

my

affairs

being arranged, as far as the

critical

po-

in

which we were at Surat could permit,

city,'

I prepar-

ed myself to quit this

effects

and already

my

luggage and

were on board ship, which was to carry

I

me

to

Bom-

bay,

when

learned that a

question had been raised to

disembark them, and that I had been accused before the

English Consul with carrying away Mss.
for

which I had

41
not paid.

The
This

affair

went

to

deprive

me

of

the fruit of

a hard work, at a time when I was on the point of enjoying

it.

stroke^ astonished,

bnt did not disconcert

me.

guessed the hand which had wrought it. Dustoor Kaous had never approved of the complaisance of his son
I

Darab, who, in despair of seeing

me

part so soon,

flattered

himself to be able, by means of the English

on

whom
oblige

he

then
to

relied,

to

arrest

my

effects

or at

least to

me
for

pay him a considerable sum of money, as damages

period for

the

which he had made an

of

engagemeuu with

me.

The

taking

Pondiqhery

emboldened

them:
It

the

French name appeared annihilated in India.

then be-

came necessary
to

to

prove that

all

that I was about to carry

to

Europe belonged
I threatened

legitimately

me.

The

altercation
;

took place in the presence of the English

sharp
;

Consul

it

was

the Consul with carrying the affair to

Bombay, and summoning him there in person. I was in such moments of despair, when one does not respect anything.

The English
at least

easily

discovered that the

Parsi

Dusto

toors sought

only to check the transport of their books

Europe or
brother

to take advantage of the predicament in

us.

which they found

English

To cut

their

prosecution short,

my

stood bail for

me

and when they saw that the

his

were

satisfied

with

word,

they

disappeared.

These annoyances brought on a complaint of gout, and I passed in bed the little time which elapsed before the departure of the
It
ship.

was on the 15th March 1761, that I left Surat in an enfeebled state which the sea- voyage only increased, with no other resource but the kindness of our enemies, and the credit bill which my brother had passed me and
;

moved

to find

that

it

was

impos^sible

for

me

to

recognise

the services of

my

domestics, of the

people

of the

French

42
Residency and of the interpreter Maneckji, and even to
munerate,
as
re-

I
ill

believed they merited, Dustoors Darab and

Kaous, whose

proceedings I had already forgotten.

short
;

The voyage was

lant

and tranquil;
I

was with a

gal-

man. Captain Purling

always tried not to be trou^

the 16th of

blesome.

We

anchored in

Bombay harbour on

March, and I soon came ashore with the captain.

I
shall

not stop here to give a description of Bombay;

this island is sufficiently known by the accounts given of it by English travellers. It has a length of about two hours' walk from the end of the harbour of Mahim, which is connected on the side of Salsette with Bandora and one and a half hours' walk in breadth. The length is from north
" ;

to

south-west.

Gn
its

the

side

of the open sea

Bombay was
which

formerly

covered

with cocoa-trees and bamboo-trees,

formed a part of

revenue and gave the most beautiful

fish

umbrage
fish,

but at the same time the rotten

and
of

shell-

which the people made use of to manure the and the trunks of these trees, rendered the air
island

ground
this

very unhealthy.

Before the last war, the fear of the

cut these
is

French obliged them to

virons of the

trees

to

clear

the

'

en-

town which
'

otherwise very badly

fortified.

The
strength
in its

castle

is

not of any

use for

defence.

The only
is

of

Bombay
It
off.

against the invasion

is

of Europeans

harbour.

there also

that
is

the English

show
order.
first

themselves

Every thing *there

on that

in

an admirable

The house
which one
ous,

of
sees

the commissioner of
side: it
is

the

navy

is

the

beautiful

and commodi-

and communicates with the harbour by a back-door. The magazines and the arsenal are a little distant and
above the
sea.

43

On

the

otter

side

is

the

gate_ of

the

custom-house,

presided over by

a councillor

who has

his

mansion in the

compound
characterise

there.

The wealth
lie

of the people

and the bulk

commerce.

of merchandise

which

in the yards

and the store-houses,

is

well

a people whose element

These are the two places which form Bombay Proper,

together

with

all

the other

English establishments.

The

Governor,

who has

only to sanction the acts which emanate

from him and to preside from time to time at the council,

has a palace in the black town where he seldom resides.

lives

He

more

at

Parell in

magnificent

country-house,
cross,

converted from an old church in the

ing terraces and gardens.

shape of a

hav-

Several councillors have

also their

country-houses out of town, in sandy and open places.

The

one then best situated was that of Mr.

Bysill,

the second

man
sea,

in

Bombay.

It

is

built

on a rogk, commanding the

of the
steerage,

on

the side of

the

mark

on which

the vessels direct their course whilst entering the harbour.

In the afternoon this mansion was the rendezvous of the

principal

men

of the

colony

who went

there for tea.

Bombay, lying between Mocha, Basrah, Surat and the side, would be nothing but for its situation and But were the English to find means to make its harbour. the Marathas cede Salsette to them, the island of Bombay,
Malabar
independent of
its

revenue, would become one of the finest

all

establishments in India, on account of

life

the pleasures of

which one
for the

finds in

Salsette,

and which would compen-

sate

dryness and sterility of this important island.

had no other lodging at Bombay than the house of Mr. Spencer, the then commissioner of the navy; this added
I
to the
services

which he had rendered

me

at

Surat.

He
stay

conferred this

new

favour by

contriving to render

my

44
supportable
prisoners.

in

town which

saw

filled

The

arrival

of the squadron,

up with French commanded by Ad-

miral Stevens, was the occasion of feastings in the mansions

of the Governor

Crommelin and Mr. Spencer. I was several where they treated me with every regard which politeness and humanity could prescribe towards an enemy whom they wished to oblige.
times
at

these feasts

During

the last days

conversations

which I passed at Bombay,

with Mr. Spencer on the
If ever a

had
to

several

settle-

ments of Europeans in India.

reconcile

man was
if

qualifiedit

parties

animated
I

against
told

each other,
that

was
re-

this generous

Englishman.

him

the

Compaone

nies entrusted their interests to these

two gentlemen of
de Leyrit,
Mr.

cognised probity,

viz.,

to

himself and M.

would see perhaps the quarrels subside.

cerely wished to see

Spencer sin;

amity between the two nations

but

he always recurred to the large possessions of the French

and
and

their

conquests

this

made me think

that he disap-

proved of these operations.

strict

Notwithstanding the naoderation

conversation,
I

honesty

which guarded his

be-

lieved he

was of opinion that the pre-eminence and even

the extension of commerce, in a nation different from his

own, was a sort of crime.

Mr.

Spencer had kindly wished to

give

me

large

map
sula,

of the interior

and of the south

;

coasts

of the penin-

made by the Brahmins

it,

succeeded in

making a
inclined

copy of
to

and being ready to leave India, I

heart to
of the Mss.
I

felt

open

my
I

him, as to the doubt which I

had

regarding the genuineness

was carrying to
Oxford which I

Europe.

told
first

him

then, that having lost in Bengal the

copy of the

lines o the

Zend Ms.

of
if

had brought from Europe, I knew not

my

Mss. contaia-

45
ed similar lines to them.
ly

Mr. Spencer tranquillized

me

ful-

on

this subject,

ed

me

to

by pointing out a means which he askkeep secret. He himself afterwards made some
about

arrangement

my

passage,
set

with
sail

the Captain of
to

the

Bristol which was

ready to

Europe, and paid

him

for

that one
in

thousand rupees,
cash and in
bills

and gave

me

twelve

hundred rupees

on Mr. Hough, his

correspondent in London.

These sums were in advance of

him,
I

the amount of the letter of which I have talked above.*

I

endorsed this
it

letter,

remitted

it

to

and he under

took to get

cashed after

that there was

nothing
state

in

my departure. my papers

gave

my

word
on

which

treated

what they

call

affairs, relative

to the

quarrels

which

then divided the two nations; and he put the seal of the

Company on my
state

effects,

which were delivered over in that

to the
I

Captain of the Bristol,

the 28th April 1761,
of

left

Bombay on
attentions
of every

heaped with
the

the

obliging

Mr.

Spencer,

of

Governor
of those

Crommelin,

Englishman,
at

and

especially
set

whom
land

had known
I

Surat.
on^

The

vessel
it
;

sail

on the
to

same day that

went

board of

it

carried

Eng-

many French

officers as

captives,

whom

the squadron

had brought from the Coromandel Coast.

Let one portray to himself cold and deliberate cruelty,
coupled with baseness of soul with a
sordid interest,

and
his

he
I

will

have the picture of Captain

Quicke

with

whom
to

voyaged to Europe.

The voyage was analogous

which formed
all

character.

He went

to the

length of giving us salted meat

and crumbs of

biscuits,

our nourishment.

* This refers to a promissory note, which his brother had received from one of his countrymen in consideration of a sum of money, which the former had advanced to the IdLtter; Translator,

46

We
of the

anchored at the port of Portsmouth on the 17th

1761.

November

Before the vessel entered

it,

several sailors
fled

Royal Navy, who had returned from- India,

in

a small boat to escape the Laws of the Press, according to

which they would be

sels

forced, after

having passed ten years

without having the

out of their country, to

go back immediately in other vesservice,

li-

and to recommence the

berty to embrace their wives and children.

On

the 20th November, I started for

Wickham, a

large

borough 12 miles
me.

from

Portsmouth,

where several of

my

friends, Irish ofl&cers in the service of France,

for

had kept a bed

Mr.
Spencer,

Here, after some days, finding myself short of money,

sent to Mr.

Hough

at

London the

bill

of

and passed the days in

preparing
a
list

my

little

habitation,

occupied in
la
ac-

of the

Mss. which I had intended for

Bibliotheque

du

Roi,

and in putting in order a brief

count of

my

literary works.

Some

solitary

promenades and

one or two
did

visits to

two Englishmen of rank, whose splenall

country-mansions were near Wickham, were

Inquietude, together with

my

re-

laxation from work.

my

retired

habits and perhaps the

tertian
fever,

change of climate,

brought on

me

from which two bleedings freed me.

time I received a letter from Mr. Thomas
to

During
Birch,

this

dated London 7th him on the 27th November and 23rd December, praying him to take an interest
Secretary

the Royal

Society,

January, 1762.

had written

to

as a

man

of letters in

my
first

situation,

and

especially

to send

me

the copy

of

the

leaves

of the

Ms.

of Zoroaster
to

which was at Oxford,

if it

was not permitted

me

to go

47
there
cuses

personally
for

to

consult
in

this

work.

After

some exfirst

the delay

answer,

caused by

my

letter

not having reached him, Mr. Birch wrote to

me, that the

Royal Society had no power over the University of Oxford,

which would not allow any

such a distance
that
if
(viz.,

of. its

Mss.

to

be carried to

to
to

London

or

Wickham).
in
detail
all

He

added

I of

would write

him more

the circumhis

stances

my

detention, he

would do

in

power to

obtain

me

the permission to go to Oxford.

late,

This very obliging offer came too

but
I

it

gave

me

a favourable idea of the savants to

whom

was ready to

pay a

visit.

vMy journey being

Garnier* letters
cipal of

determined upon, I took from Mr.

to

of

recommendation
Oxford.
I

Dr. Swinton, Prin-

the Winchester
College at

College and to Dr.

of Christ

January, from Mr. Eddowes, to

of the change of

Canon had received, on the 13th whom I had given information

Barton,

my
at

place, his

most

flattering

compliments.

He me

assured

me

the same time that he

letter to Dr.

would transmit

on his part a
generally

and that

Wart on, Professor of Poesy would be recommended to all the

Furnished with these pass-ports,
for the

savants of the University.

more necessary

in

one way

success

of

my

journey

than the pass-port of the Board for sick sailors &c., I parted from ^Wickham, on the 14th January, carrying with

me

some Hindoo
for

works and

three best

Zend

Mss. intended

la

Bibliotheque

du

Roi, namely,

the Vendidad Sad^,

the Zend and Pehlvi Vendidad and the volume which contained

the
it

thought
*

Zend and would be

who had

Sanscrit
fair

to

Ya9na and Yashts Sade. show a part of my riches

Hon. Anquetil
in

I to

friend

assisted

many

ways.

Translator,

48
persons

whose aid

was about

to

solicit

for

opening their

treasures to me.

Arrived at Oxford,
Dr. S win ton
lived.

my

first

care
his

was to know where

residence,

was shown

and

deli-

vered to
reception,

him the

letter,

which procured

me

a very gracious

and which

also

announced the object of

tea,

my
me

jour-

ney.

Having

offered a

cup of

he

conducted

to Dr.

Barton,

who we found was

to

not at his place.

the Bodleian
Library, where they
in

Thence we went

showed
to

me

the Vendidad Sad^, attached to a chain,

particular place.

The weather was very

to

cold

and I wished
it

carry
copy.

the Ms.

my

inn in order to compare

not accepted
;

with

my

The

proposition was

Dr.

Browne,

Vice-Chancellor of the University

brary,
told

and custodian of the Liallowed to examine

it

me

that I would be

at

ease in the Library only.

day, and
cast

I promised to go there the next

a glance at the building which was

sombre,

oblong,
of

little

high and sufficiently

{ij

and the

interior

which formed an inverted

The next

day, the

18th January, I went to the Bodcold

leian Library, at

9 o'clock, where, notwithstanding the

biting, I

which was very

passed an hour in examining the

Vendidad Sad^ taking a copy of the notice of it, written in the Zend characters, which one can see in the list of
the Zend Mss.
deposited
at

la

Bibliotheque

du

Roi.

gave this copy of

it

information to
less exact,
is

the librarian,

who had another

ddd (which
for that

which the name of the tMcZ d^v the same as the Vendidad) was substituted
in

of the author.

After having assured myself that the best of

my

Mss.

was the same as the Zend Ms. of the Bodleian Library, I

49
expressed to Dr. Swinton

my

desire to see the

Mss. of Dr.

Hyde and
of Dr.

those of Mr. Fraser. These were in the hands Hunt, Professor of Arabic, who was then charged I

with putting them in order for the Radcliffe Library.

went, then, conducted by Dr.. Swinton to this
offered politely to

Doctor,

who

show them
to

to

me

at 3 o'clock.

I accept-

who waited for me The repast was at dinner, with my cic^ron^y Dr. Swinton. homely but I observed with sorrow the humble manner in which Dr. Swinton sat in the presence of Dr. Barton, who
ed the
offer

and went

Dr.

Barton,

was in the enjoyment of an income in benefices more than We drank to the good success of the works 30,000 francs.
of Zoroaster, and I strongly induced these gentlemen to re-

new the
told

connection, which the savants of England formerly

of Fran.ce.

had with those

These words pleased them: they

first

me

that I was the

to

Frenchman,
for

whom
;

they rere-

membered

have seen at Oxford

progress of

an object purely

lating to the

me

at

the

human knowledge they exhorted same time to make known their sentiments to
;

my
a

compatriots

the doctors said,

and Mrs. and Miss Barton supported what After taking coffee, Dr. Barton, who was
Society of Antiquaries, wished to give

member

of the

me
a

a specimen of his work.

He

then carried us to his

of rich

study

and showed

to Dr. Swinton, the Apollo

doctors,

drawer fuU of medals, on which he asked his opinion.

occasioned some

This

went

to

impromptus on antiquity, after which we Dr. Hunt, whom we found muffled up in his robe.
first

As
the

there was no time at hand, after the

of Dr.

compliments,

he went to search the Mss.

list

Hyde, referred to in
that he

already cited, and told

me

knew
(viz.,

the anthe

cient
fact I

Persian language.

But without made him understand that the

the
Sadder),

insisting

upon

Mss.

the Viraf

which he read by means of a Zend and Persian alphabet, found by him in the Ms. ol

Ndmeh and

50
the Ny^esh belonging
to

Dr.

Hyde,

and

which he

had

shown
of

to

me and

taken for the ancient Persian, were no(Zend)

thing more than modern Persian clothed in the characters

the old Persian
at

language.

The

science

of Dr.

Hunt was
Doctor
;

a loss before the book of the Ny^esh of this

in

and

order to convince him, I

opened the three

folio-books

which I

had brought

with me.

He

admired

the character in which they were written and the state in

which they were preserved, but could absolutely read nothing. I showed him in one of these three books the
Ny^esh,
a

copy of which he had before him,

of which

and added
of a

that Mr. Fraser had brought

similar
It
wafj

with him other works

character

mentioned

to

him the names.

Dustoor

Shapoor who
I

had informed

me

of

these

particulars,

when

was at Surat, and who had assured

(Mr. Fraser)

me

that this Englishman

knew
to

neither

Zend nor

Pehlvi, but that he spoke a little Persian.

Surprised to see
search the Mss. of

me
to

so well instructed. Dr.

Hunt went

Mr. Fraser, which were in the character which I had spoken

him

about, and from which I copied the notices in Persian.

satisfied
left

Much
ed

with the complaisance and

for

civilities

of

Dr. Hunt, I

him

my
.

inn
his

but Dr. Swinton inducThere I found a

me

to pass a

minute at

house.

bachelor

who had

applied himself to the history of Bactria.

Mrs. Swinton,
well,

a young Genevese lady, talking French very

reception,

gave

presented

me a most gracious me a medal of one

in the

and her husband

Persia, of
its

of the

Kings of

type similar to the several copies represented at

com-

mencement
Parsis
:

work
it

of Dr.
is

Hyde on

the religion of the

on one side of

to be

seen the head of a king,

and on the other a censer of fire put on a pedestal resembling an altar. Willing or unwilling it was necessary that I In vain did I should tell him what I could read thereon.

51
declare that the characters engraved on
it
:

were partly effaced

and partly
a
shift.

different

from Zend

letters

it

was

all

taken for

Then, sorry at not being able to recognise other-

wise the trouble which Dr.

tried to decipher the legend
for the

Swinton had taken

be

for

me, I
I

and acquaint him with what

its

moment

believed

to

true signification.

This

good Doctor conducted

the complaisance to

me back to my inn. He had had accompany me everywhere the two days

I
felt

that I passed at Oxford.

in

embracing him a real

sorrow that he was not more opulent.

I

arrived in

London on the 31st January.

After hay-

ing
I

made

necessary arrangements for

till

my

passage to France,

occupied myself in London,

the day of

my

departure,

with seeing such sights as could excite the curiosity of a

stranger.

While returning from the Museum,

Morton.
lication

went up

to

Dr.

This Doctor has acquired a reputation by the pubof

Tables of Hebrew,

Greek and Arabic alphabets

of different ages.

published,
bets,

very

He made me present of a copy of those and showed me a draft of different Sanscrit alphaHe defective, which he was getting engraved.

pretended having in his possession the Zend alphabet, because he had in his collection some characters which resem-

bled Zend letters; I removed this

misimpression

from his

mind,

for

which he appeared

to

be pleased with me, by

informing him that the value he put on these characters was

absolutely different from that of the real in the
bet.

Zend alpha-

In

fact,

if

it

were enough that the

two characters

should resemble, because one came

identical,
letters

from the other, or be

Dr. Morton

one would trace the Roman, Hebrew and Indian

even to
satisfied

Mexican Hieroglyphics.

left

much

with his politeness as well as with that of

52
other savants
of

the
affairs

wished that

my

Museum, with whom I could have had permitted me to converse for a

longer time, as well as with the Doctors of Oxford.

arrived at

Paris on the

14th March 1762, and soon

old,

forgot in the

embrace of a father nearly seventy years

and of brothers
15th
March, I

whom
it

I loved

tenderly, the

fatigues of

journey as long as

was

perilous.

On

the next day, the

deposited

with

la

Bihliotheque

du Roi

the works of Zoroaster and other Mss. which I had destin-

ed

for this

precious treasury.

Gratitude conducted

me
in

af-

terwards

to the persons

who had
patronised

interested themselves
it.

in

my
me

journey

and

had

found

M.

TAbb^ Barthelemy an
most, a friend.

obliging savant and, what

touched

M. le Comte de Caylus, M. Lamoignon de Malesherbes and M. Bignon received me with a sort of tenderness. The minister (M, le Comte de Saint-Florentin) willingly paid me the homage due to my works and showered on me the graces of the King. The savants whom I had seen at Paris before my departure, and those, to whom

M. TAbb^ Barthelemy introduced me, were eager to to me the joy which my return had caused them.
the noise of

testify

Soon

my

travels,

and the importance of the Mss.

la Bihliotheque

which
on

had deposited with

Choiseul,

du

Roi, fixed

me

the attention of persons

of the
la

first

rank.

M.

le

Due de
reception.
al
lic,

M.

le

Comte de

Guiche and M.

de

Saint Simon, bishop of Agde, gave

me

the most favourable

Encouraged by these

flattering

marks

of a gener-

approbation, and. yielding to the earnestness of the pub-

and even of strangers whose curiosity had been excited by the announcement of the works which I had brought, I thought since then to put in order the translations and

53
the literary researches, which had occupied
of

me

in the course

my
I

travels.

had passed nearly

eight

years

out

of

my

native

country and nearly six Jn India.

I returned in 1762, poorer

than when I parted from Paris in 1754,

having gone in
salary.

my

inheritance
of

my

travels to
in.

add
rare

to the

smallness

my
old)

But

was rich

and ancient records and and

this

learning,

which

my

youth

(I

was hardly thirty years

;

gave

me

time to edit

at- leisure

was

all

the for-

tune in search of which I had gone to India.

India

is

fertile

country

which

will

always

offer

to

the real savant,

as well

as to the ordinary spectator,

abun-

dant harvest of objects of researches, equally useful and interesting.

have gleaned information in an age in which

the resources did not always correspond to

at a time in

my
(that

courage, and

which the fury of war had devastated the best

faith,
is

provinces.

Let us admit in good

feeble
efforts

which
whilst

my

can lead to)

a result

^let

us

admit that
yet

we move

continually

some leagues of ground thouis

sand times searched, the largest part of the globe

left

unknown,

to us.

Ye

learned and daring travellers! let

us take no more the reach of our view for the measure of

the universe
dilleras, in
;

let

us venture to cross the Ghauts,

the Cor-

order to

know where we
mountains
will

are on our

way: the

summits of these

lofty

show us an immense

space which yet remains to us to run oyer.

EXTRACTS
,

FROM THE

LIFE

OF ZOROASTER.
celebrated
details

Before reading the works of a Personage so

as,

Zoroaster,
his

we can
life

only

view with pleasure the

regarding

this respect,

and even considered in the circumstances, which otherwise appear most

and
legislation;

immaterial,

present to

the reader

a degree of importance
sort of curio-

which renders them interesting; they excite a

sity

which

it

is

just

to satisfy.

The Greeks, Latins and

Orientals concur
first order,

in

represent-

ing Zoroaster as a geniuB of the

an extraordinary
details

man
him.

but

all

of

them do not
is

enter into

regarding
of

My

object

to

relate

here what the books

their
Legislator,

the

Parsis have

informed

me

of

but without

guaranteeing the testimony, always suspicious, of the people

whose

interest

it

is

to extol

him whose laws they

follow

and in order not

to

omit anything
shall

that might serve

to

make him
traits,

better known, I

take care to compare the

us.

which the Greeks and Latins furnish

which I
shall

The

re-

flections

indulge in will ordinarily depend on

these different authorities.

ticism

Such
itself

is

the course which

cri-

would prescribe to
considerations, there

on a subject, in which
as good

for

many

are just

reasons for

re-

jecting as for accepting

any testimony.

t Here the learned Frenchman has cited the different meanings

as given

by ancient writers

of the

word Zarathushtra

(the

Zend

for

55
I shall

not

repeat what I

have said

of

the

native

country of Zoroaster, in

my
is

first

Memnoire^ on the ancient

lot

languages of Persia.

It

most frequently the

only
the empty

of ex-

traordinary men, to leave to posterity

of their names.
first

a vague sound
title

Fortunate even,
is

if

of their

splendour
or

not swept off by barbarity which succeeds

trust
to

them,
glory.

by those even who

pronunciations

perpetuating

their

These names pass through a hundred foreign tongues,

different

whose
tions

make

the original disappear.

Ai the end
or

of a few centuries, the noise,

which their acto

their

books

continually

make, leads historians

adorn with their names those who are distinguished in the

same manner, or to identify them with some personages Thus new more ancient than those whom they resemble. sources of difficulties and even errors arise, when one wishes
to determine

the time in which they flourished.

to

The same remarks apply

to disperse.
birth.

the

places

which

have

given them birththe clouds which

it is

nearly impossible

Twenty

different places claim the

for

honour of his

Were
?

Zoroaster,

example, to revisit the earth,

would he recognise the portraits which people have given

of

him

According to his opinion ZarathusMra literally means But the true sense of this very ancient the golden or bright star." word has not as yet been settled by oriental scholars. For further particulars, see Mr. K. H. Cama's Zertoaht Ndmeh, i^^. 17-28. Translator,
Zoroaster.)
'^

Mem. de

I'Acad. des

Bel. Lett.

T.

XXXI.

pag. 370 et suiv.

t Mon. Anquetil here gives an account, on the authority of the Zertosht N^meh, of a strange dream seen by Zoroaster's mother Dogdo during the 6th mouth of her pregnancy, and the interpretation thereof by a well-known astrologer of the time, which was that

56

A
who,

young man such

of this
relish

as Zoroaster, little concerned about

the happiness
could not

world

and the pleasures of

his age,

the society of the inhabitants of Urmi,*

part,

for the

most

were given up to magicians.

The
sages,

study of wisdom formed his happiness at the age of 20 or 25.

Being within reach of consultation with the Chaldean

there was no doubt then that he took

lessons from them; and the sublima learning, which he drew from their writings, was the germ of the truths which he afterwards announced

to the whole of Persia.

If from all

that has

been ascribed to him we deduct

the marvels inseparable

from the position which he was go-

ing to enjoy, and the predictions

made by him which

relate

her son would be a great prophet, and that he would destroy Devs, magicians and evil doers on the surface of the earth, and that he would preach morality to men and show them the path to heaven.
Translator,

* Mon. Anquetil believes that Zoroaster was born about 550B.C. (a town in Azerbejdn). But it is not so. According to the most recent researches, the prophet was born in the city of Rai (Zend Ragha) in Iran Vej about 2300 B. C. The late lamented Dr. Haug, at the end of his " Lecture on an original speech of Zoroaster (Ya9na 45), with remarks on his age," writes as follows
in

Urmi

According to this investigation we cannot assign to Zarathustra Spitama a later date than about 2300 B. C. Thus he lived not only before Moses, but even, perhaps, before Abraham. If we consider the early age in which he lived, it is not surprising that the high and lofty ideas which he proclaimed were early misunderstood and misinterpreted ; for he stood far above his age. So he was the first prophet of truth who appeared in the world, and kindled a fire which thousands of years could not entirely extinguish."
/

"

From the 19th Fargard of the Vendidad we find that his father Poroshasp^s house was situated on the bank of the Derjic (Zend Dai^eja), a river which flowed from the Zabdr Mountain into Iran Vej. For further particulars see Mr. K, R. Cama*s Zertoshti Ahhyds, pp. 11-15 and pp. 69-74, and Zertosht Ndmeh, pp. 32-41. TramMor,

57
to Aderbad,

and -which have been very

which does not
consulted

lately added, it pre-

sents

nothing

correspond

with what the

ancient

writers inform

ns of this Legislator.

According to

Parsi books, Zoroaster

Ormazd on the niountains

wisdom and
the
justice,

and we are
that

assured,

from the time of Dion Chrysostome,

of love
for

on a

principle

this

Legislator

withdrew himself from

intercourse

of

men

and

lived alone on the mountain.

The mountain
this writer, cited

to

which Zoroaster retired was probably

Zoroaster, according
first

that of which Eubulus has spoken.

to

by Porphyre, was the

who had
Persia

con-

secrated in

the neighbouring mountains

of

(Alborj

or the mountains of Balkh) a cavern to Mithra,* the King

and the Father of

all

that exists.

He

wished that that

of
it

cavern would represent

him

as

the image

the

world,

created by Mithra, and that the things which

contained,

put at fixed distances from one another, would represent the

symbols or figures of the elements and climates.
This spectacle was very proper
brilliancy
to

remind him of the

parts,

of

His system, by putting before his eyes the

its

constant order of the universe,

different

the ele-

ments of which
tected

it

is

composed-r-this

whole harmony pro-

by Mithra, companion of the sun and the moon.

is

It

probably from these symbols that the Tarsis, ac-

cording toCelse, represent, in the ceremonies of Mithra, the

double movement of
as the passage of

stars, fixed

stars

and

planets,

as well

souls through

these

celestial

bodies.

In

order to

mark some

of the

propejrties of

the planets, they

^ For the explanation of this, see Mr. K. R. Cama's "Discourse on the Mithraic worship, and the rites and mysteries connected with
it."

Translator.

58
erect
gates,

ladder

along

the length thereof there are seven

top.

and an eighth one at the

;

The
;

first

of lead

de-=

noted Saturn
per, Jupiter
;

the second of

tin,

the fourth of iron.

Venus the third Mercury the fifth

;

of copof
di-

vers metals.

Mars
gold,

the sixth of the sun.

in

silver,

the

moon

and the
recognise

seventh of
different

The

Parsis
souls

actually
of the

Heavens
past
life;

which the
of
it

dead enjoy,

up

to the

Resurrection, felicity proportionate to the sanctity

of their

that

the sun (Khorshed-pae)

the

is

the

most
to the

exalted.

Above

is

Garothman, the abode of

Ormazd- and other

celestial

spirits,

and which corresponds

eighth gate to which Celse has alluded.*

We
Zoroaster

have yet to give an account of the time which

passed on the mountains
it,

and of the ten years

:

which preceded

of

which we read in Pliny

Zoroaster

it

is related,

says this naturalist, that

passed twenty
cheese only
all

years

in in

desert places, having for nourishment

made

a manner not liable to be spoiled during

*
*

that time.
*
4-

(fee."

* See Mr. K. R. Cama's " Discourse on the Mithraic worship, Translator. pp. 23-25.

t Men. Anquetil here gives ^ narrative of the miracles wrought by Zoroaster at the court of King Gushtasp. In reference to these he

Two considerations have better to omit them. 1. The ancient writers, Greek as well as Latin, little interested in extolling Zoroaster, have related some of 2. These facts, cited at divers times by writers belonghis miracles^ ing to nationalities and religions absolutely different, acquaint us with the genius of a large portion of mankind. Besides, a man like Zoroaster ought neither to be born, nor to live nor die like ordinary mortals. One would better judge Zoroaster by omitting the miracles which (in the works I have cited, viz., the Zertosht JSfameh and the Changraghach Nameh) accompany all his acts than trust to criticism, which would do me honor without satisfying the curiosity of the reader with regard to what I would have omitted."
says:
*^

thought

it

made me change my

opinion.

59

The
asm
of

zeal of
his

King Gushtasp

fully
it

supported the enthusiat

first

Prophet.

He

evinced

by elevating

Atash-Gahs (Fire-temples).
to the Fire

He

consecrated one" (Atash-Gah)

Far^d, honoured by Jamsheed on the Kharesom

;

mountain, near Kasbin in Verjamkerd

another to the Fire

Goshasp to which Kaikhosru had elevated an Atash-G^h on

the Asn^vand mountain in Azerbejan; a third to the Fire

BouTzin-M4her and
out of different
fires

to the Fire

Beherdm, which he formed

put together.

He

appointed Mobeds

and Dustoors everywhere.

There was in Cashmere, a village of Khorasan, a
ed a cypress
fact
cele-

brated Atash-Gah, near the gate of which Zoroaster plant-

and engraved on the bark of

its

trunk the

of

years after, this cypress having

King Gushtasp having embraced his religion. Many grown great and thickly overwith branches,
it

spread
built
halls,

palace
of a

40 cubits
square.
It

in -height

was

over

in the form

contained two

the roof of which was of gold, the floor of silver and

of

the walls
nesses of

amber,

adorned with precious

stones.

Liketherein.

Jamsheed and Feridoon were sculptured

retired

Gushtasp

to

that palace

to

go

thence

to

heaven

when

his

hour came.
prince despatched

This

afterwards

his

messengers

to

the extremities of his empire, and desired the governors to

As for the Zertosht Nameh, a poetical work written in Persian, the learned Frenchman gives the following note " Zertosht Behram, author of the Zertosht Nameh, informs us in the last chapter of that work, that he has translated it from the Pehlvi text, read out to him by a Mobed proficient in that language ; and in the same chapter where he states his name, he says that he wrote the Zertosht N^meh in the year of Yezdegird 647, correspondIf there be no error in the text, ing with the Christian year 1278. the Zertosht Nameh (in Persian) would be 500 years old. I have followed the opinion of the Dustoors of India."
:

60
come on foot to visit the cypress, to pay attention to Zoroaster and to abandon the worship of the idols of Touran and China.
,

Then not content with seeing

confines of

his religion carried to the

Hindostan,

and received in many provinces of

Persia, Zoroaster

wished the Chaldeans themselves, from

lessons, to

whom

he had received his early

submit to his

religion.

in the

At Babylon, Pythagoras was initiated into his same manner as the Brahmins of India
example of
this philosopher
>

mysteries
;

and no

doubt, the
great

was followed by a
especially

number of inhabitants and foreigners, the Medes who had settled in that town.

by

The
sent
to-

Legislator of Persia
;

had

also

accompanied Gushtasp

to Istakhr

and

he,

who

called himself messenger from

God

the whole world, had' visited at least the regions of

Serman, Saenan and Dahou,* in which were the Fravashis

of the pure whose

eulogy he

sings.

His

different journeys,

his

miracles,

such a

the re-

covery of Lohrasp at Balkh, the composition of several works

and the

exercise

of the

office

of the

first

Dustoor of Iran

t Here the learned Frenchman gives an accoiint of the Changraghach N^meh, a small poetical work written in Persian about 300 Changraghach, a very learned ^nd accomplished Brahmin years ago. metaphysician, was called from India by King Gushtasp at his court to discuss with Zoroaster the doctrines of the religion founded by him.' Tradition says that the discussion, which was conducted for several days in the presence of a very learned assembly,- resulted in the conviction of the Hindoo philosopher of the morality preached by
Zoroaster.-

Translator.

* In
chapter.

Zend ^dirima^
Translator.

^dini

and ddhi^

see Farvardin Yasht, 31st

61

these

are

all

that

we know

of

the doings

of

Zoroaster

during the twenty years which followed his conference with

Changraghach, the Hindoo philosopher.

The English authors

in
Zoroaster,,

of Universal History find nothing

imposture.
ers

The
all

which presents either enthusiasm, sorcery or glorious testimonies which the ancient writ-

bear to him, his sublime doctrine, his pure ethics, his

learning

these conspire to show that he was a philoso"

_

pher animated with a love of wisdom.

say,
''

The Magi," they

" est

clad in coarse garments and living with the greatthe precursors of Messiah frugality, resemble rather

" than the courtiers "

who

flatter

the pride of kings and

who

make

use of their religion for their particular views."

these
disinterested writers

What
lous to

speak of the cave of

Is it not ridicu-

Zoroaster appears to

me

to

be very

just.

impute crime to a philosopher

and

speculator,

be-

cause he chose, remote from the tumult of men, the silence

of the retreat of a cave, to

contemplate the sublime truths

of nature

Moreover, I agree with these learned historians that

is

it

incredible

that Zoroaster could have been inspired by the

father of falsehood, since his doctrine

was not calculated to

not guard
against the

countenance the views of the Demon, who, obeying the decision

of the

Eternal Wisdom, does

destruction
It
is

of his

own empire.
him
neither of sorcery

true

that I shall accuse

nor magic, because I regard

all the prodigies which his life makes mention of as invented by his disciples and I observe at the same time that the supposition,- partly at least, is anterior to Mahomedanism, and even to the Sassanian
;

62
dynasty, since Pliny and

Solon give an account of some of

them.
If,

however,

we understand by magic the

for its

invocation of

good

spirits,

which has

special

object the

good of

men, or rather the

Himself
I
is

recital

of certain

formulsa to which

God
ap-

supposed to have attached some special grace

willingly

admit that Zoroaster has

list

exercised

it.

It

pears

from the

of

treatises

which the

Ravaets

attri-

bute to him, that

many

of his works

related to the art

of

working miracles.
cure
is

He
is

positively ^ays that

eJBfected

the most perfect

Zend books show lis a Legislator in commimion with the Supreme Being, and thereby master of good and evil. The Magi, his disciples, employed for curing maladies means different from natural ones. But the magic, taken in this sense, presents nothing which wounds the attributes of the Deity
that which

by the divine Word.

or degrades the. creature

it

is

only a question of not ex-

tending

it

too far;
it

so I

do not believe that we can make

a crime of

on the part of Zoroaster.

This Legislator probably passed his youth in contemplating the most sublime truths
all
:

his

genius called to his aid

the materials for meditation.

learnt
to

Retired to the mountains,

riches

he had
life.

despise

the

and conveniences of

Milk was the only nourishment which he always took,

said
since
to

if

what has been

right
that

the time of Plutarch be true.

sense
sin

dictated

him the purest

morality.

He
that

saw

against nature

depopulated the

earth

the doctrine regarding the two principles existing by themselves,

and that of the two

atrocious

lives,

appeared to deprive some

them,

of the most

crimes of their proper punishment

that the intercourse with

the magicians

multiplied

supported

ignorance and idleness,

and

rendered

arts

and

63
agriculture useless,

by perpetuating the
of.

idea,

which the peoall

ple

had, that evil spirits

could give the people

to reclaim

which

they stood in need

How

men, how

to check

them
gion?

in their slippery path of passions, if it be not

by

reli-

At
such

first,

Zoroaster collects what his genius suggests to

him, and
vels,

all

the learning which he had acquired in his tra-

as

astronomy,

agriculture,

natural

history,

&c.

This

new knowledge rendered

:

the invocation of the aid of evil

spirits useless

men

enriched with their

own
in

works, and hav-

ing witnessed jbhe order which reigns

easily to their Creator

Nature,

went up
to receive

and became more qualified

the truths which this Legislator wished to impart to them.

In a journey which Zoroaster makes to

the north of Iran,
are attributed

Chaldea or to

he

is

instructed in the

dogmas which

to the

famous Hom.

Transported with these

which show him the origin of mankind and the cause of

evils which overpower them, he studies them attentively, Perhaps and believes himself instructed by Hom himself. some singular event, which happened at the time of his birth, persuaded him that, descended from the blood of the

ancient Kings of Persia,

his native

he was destined to give laws to

country.

The new prophet consequently takes his ;way to Balkh, At Babylon, the seat of the and explains there his law.
sages of the East, he expounds his ethics, developes his sys-

tem, and begets conviction by his teachings.

We
verse,

ought not then to

look on Zoroaster as

mere

philosopher,

who

writes

out coldly

the system of the uni-

and composes a body of doctrines which his shrewd

undertake to
sustain

disciples

by argument.
this course.

The

ancient

Legislators have

not followed

64

Zoroaster
blish
first

traces this

religion

which he seeks to

esta-

as

anterior
it

to Jamsheed.

Horn, according to him, at

proclaimed

on the mountains.

The

Parsi Legislator

knew

that the people reasoned little, and that they were more impressed with the outward show of ceremonies, and by the confident tone of him who proposed them rather

than

with

the abstract spirit of

,

religion

so

he

gives

himself out boldly

his books as the
tices as

as

the Minister of
of

God.

He

presents

Word

Ormazd, the most' minute prac-

emanating from the throne of the Supreme Being.

CEEEMOMAL AND ETHICAL SYSTEM

OF

ZEND AND PEHLVI BOOKS,

CONSIDEEED BY ITSELF, AND IN RELATION TO THE THEOLOGICAL SYSTEM OF THE SAME BOOKS.

I.

The
is

theological dogmas,

on tvhich the

religion of the

Parsis

founded, are so dispersed in their ancient books,

and appear in such a form that even those who are most
familiar with the works of the Orientals will find

them un-

doubtedly strange.

Without wishing

to anticipate the judg-

ment which may be formed of these dogmas, and of the manner in which they are presented, I venture to place them here in the proper order of their relations to one another. These dogmas form a system, of which the principal points, as I have shown in a work already mentioned/
are the following
(1.)
:

Time without Bounds, the

First jprinciple^

which

-^

^ Exposition idu syst<me th6ologique des Perses, tire des Livrea Zends, Pehlvis et Parsis. 2 The theory that Zarvdna Aharana (Time without Bounds) is the First Cause which created Ormazd and Ahriman is entirely dissonant from the original spirit of the Zoroastrian religion. Scholars like Drs. Spiegel and Haug have convincingly shown that the First Cause which created the whole universe is Ahura-Mazda (the name of God throughout the Zend-Avesta). For full particulars see Dr. Spiegel's discourse on Zarvdna Akarana in Zeitschr. der Deutsch morgenl. Ges. v., and Dr. Hang's " Essays on the sacred language, writings

and

religion of the Parsis," pp,

20-21 and pp, 263-264. jTraTtsZa^or.

66
creates the
first

light,
;

the

first

water, the

original
all

fire.

Or-

mazd and Ahriman

beings,
effected

the

Word which

preceded

created

and by which the production of these beings was Ormazd and Ahriman, secondary principles, active
firsts

and productive, the

all

good by essence, and the source of

all
evil.

good
(2.)

the second, corrupt and the cause of

The duration

of the time with

bounds

fixed,

by

Time without Bounds,

ples

to twelve thousand years,

and- divided

between Ormazd and Ahriman; the war of these two princi-

and the

victories

which they achieve alternately over

each other, terminating in the triumph of Ormazd.^

(3.)

The Farohers,

or first models of beings,

which Or-

mazd

creates to fight

against

Ahriman, and of which the

to re-establish,

most precious to his eyes are the Faroher of the Religion,

and that of Zoroaster, charged

cessive

by publishing
:

that Religion, the glory of the Master of Nature

the suc-

production in favour of these Farohers, of different

beings, spiritual

and

corporeal,

who form

the world of Or-

mazd, and particularly of Iran Vej

world which Ahricor-

man

opposes with eyil

spirits,

and a world wicked and

rupt as himself.
(4.)

The

distribution

of the universe of which

all

the

parts are

submitted to the action of the good

spirits, creat;

ed by Ormazd, and which resort to this Principle of Good

^ Ormazd and Ahriman are not, as Mon. Anquetil supposes them The theology to be, the two rivals acting in opposition to each other. of Zoroaster is not based on these two principles, but on monotheism. Ormazd is the sole Creator and Master of the whole universe. This For full particulars see fact is easily ascertained from the Gathas. Dr. Hang's "Essays on the sacred language, writings and religion of the Parsis," pp. 256-259 ; Dr. Hang's " Lecture on an original speech of Zoroaster (Yagna 45), with remarks on his age," pp. 6-8; Mr. K.

E. Cama's Zertosht N^meb, pp. 106-120; Mr. K. R. Cama's "Discourse on Zoroastrians and Freemasonry/' pp. ^Q-^^.-^Trandator,

67
these

form a line of agents who ascend to Time without

:^

Bounds

the

creation
race,

of

the

first

Bull,

from which the

whole kuman

animals and vegetables, are sprung; that

soul,

of Gayomard, of the

pure and immortal, of

man

creat-

ed just and free

of
evil

the sin of Mashya and Mashyani, parents

the cause of
in

human kind
which

the mixture of

good and
results

appears

Nature
of

mixture
people of

which

from the contrary

those of Ahriman.^
Lastly,

actions

the

Ormazd and

(5.)

the deliverance of
just,

man

unto
is

death,

th&

abode destined for the

version
of the

and that which

reserved for

the sinful; the Resurrection^ of bodies preceded by the con-

whole world to the

Law

of

Zoroaster,

and
the

followed, according to the order established

by Time without

Bounds, by new punishments which ought to open to

sinner the gates of Garoth'man;
sinners purified

nishments of Hell, by the

blishment of -Nature, hell

fire

by the puof metals and happy afterthe general re-esta;

wards eternally along with the just;

itself

renewed

the world of

Ah-

riman destroyed, and Ormazd on one side with his seven primary Izeds (angels) Ahriman, on the other, accompanied
;

with his seven primary Devs

(devils), offering
^

together a sa-

crifice of praise to the First Being.

It

is

on

this system, the

harmony
for

of

which few of the

even

Dustoors
^

conceive

properly,

the most instructed

p.

Translator,

In refutation of this opinion of the author see

65, note 1.

Translalor,
196,

In refutation of this opinion of the author see

p..

66, note 3.

^ In order to have an idea of the Zoroastrian doctrine for the Kesurrection the reader's attention is directed to Dr. Hang's " Essays on the sacred language, writings and religion of the Parsis," pp. 6-7,

266-268. rra?i5toar.

68
understand
allegorical
it

it

superficially

only

^without

searching

for

its

sense

to

which the Parsi works give no clue

rests.

on this system that the religion of the Parsis The whole may properly be reduced to two points.
is

The
Master of
with

first,

to begin with, is to recognise

is

and adore the

has prescribed,

all

that

good, the Principle of Justice, Ormazd,^

according to the religious worship which

purity
of thought, of word

He

and of actiona purity

which should
with the
with

always

be

accompanied with the indication

and preservation of the purity of the body, in conformity

Law

of Zoroaster.

In the second place, to revere

(or

thankfulness

the

Intelligences

heavenly

spirits)

whom Ormazd
take up
as

has charged with the care of Nature,^

to

models for action their attributes, to take for guidance in conduct the harmony which reigns between the
different parts of the

universe,

and generally to adore Or-

mazd

in all that

He

has created.
of the religion of the Parsis consists
evil, moral and works; and to contribute

The second point

in

detesting Ahrimari,^ the author of every

physical, his productions

and

his

as

much

as possible

feebling the tyranny

to extol the glory of Ormazd, by enwhich the Evil Principle exercises over

the world created by the Good Principle.

It
is

with, these two points that the prayers, the reli-

gious practices, the civil usages and the precepts of morality,

which the Zend and Pehlvi books present, are connected;

^

See Ya^na, chapter

1,

para. 1,

chapter 16, para.

1.

Tr,
1
\

See Zamyad Yasht, chapter 3; Yana, chapter 14, para na, chapter 16, paras. ^-Q.--Translator.

Yag-

^ See Yendidad, Fargard 10, para. 5 ; Khorshed Nydesh, para. 2; Yagna, chapter 12, paras. 4-7. Translator.

69
and these
different

subjects originate, as

we

shall see,

with

the theological speculations of the Legislator of the Parsis.

II.

At

firsts

as the religion, so to

speak,

is

the embo-

diment of the manifestation of the First Word, which has

created the world, so the reading of the books which contain
^

it

is

an homage rendered to that Word, and becomes an absolute

in
necessity.
spirit,

thereby

of

Moreover,

these books/
effi-

when read

a proper

ought to have here an

cacy which corresponds

in

some measure with that which

the primitive
Prayer
is

Word

has

operated on the origin of beings.

one of the duties most recommended, because

of the

man, being the butt

because
it

continual attacks
it

of

Ahriman,
heavenly

has need of the succour which

gives occasion to

(the

prayer) procures, and

(or

the Intelligences

spirits) to

whom

it

is

addressed, to

perform the functions

for

which they are created.

The
ticular, as

priest

prays for himself, for

all Parsis,

and in parking

from the time of Herodotus,

for the

whom
give

Ormazd has placed over His people; and

all

in

order to

greater efficacy to them, he unites his prayers with those of

Parsis,

of

all

the souls

acceptable to

Ormazd,

which
part in

have existed or which are to exist up to the day of the

Resurrection.
all

He

declares

likewise that he takes

the good works of the just and that he joins his ac-

tion to theirs.

This communion of prayers and actions apall

pears in

all

the formulae, in

the

offices
is

which compose
for

the liturgical books of the Parsis, and

very proper

entertaining the spirit of peace and union which

characterise a people,

ought to

who

profess to

adore the Author of

every good.

The

Parsis

commence

their

prayers

with

sincere

70
avowal of the
to
sins

they have committed, and address them

to

Time without Bounds/^

celestial spirits

Ormazd, to the numerous body

is

created in the beginning, that

to say, the

Amshaspands
,

and other

ments composing the

ed to the

who take care of the different elcr universe. The prayers offered to them
and
if

relate to their respective functions;

stars,

they are address-

are visible.

and

to

they must be done at the time when they The Parsis pray to the sun during day-time, the moon both by day and night. Mithra is praised
against

because he fights

the

creatures
fruitful
;

of

Ahriman, and
spirit

because he renders the

fields

one

presides

over the waters and another protects the soul ready to depart from the body.

Next
to

to the ^celestial spirits, the entire Nature, exposed

our

eyes,^

merits,

say the Parsis,

Qur adoration, because

she takes her birth from Ormazd.

any species of being, of

She does not contain which the Zend and Pehlvi books
of these

make no
ings

mention.
:

Some

are

employed to

celeoffer-

brate others

wood and

fragrant drugs

enter into the

made

to the

elements, the stars, &c.

of the elements
is

Among
animates
all

the

number

the material
fire,

fire

which represents, though imperfectly, the original

beings, forms their connections

which
since

and works
and
still is,

the commencement.
nifested

The

original fire was,

ma-

on

earth,

in

trees,

animals and man,

in

different

manners which are called sons of Ormazd, either because

there exists

more intimate

relation

of

Nature between

Ormazd and
from

fire^^

than between other creatures and

;

Him

whom
^^ In

they received their existence

or

because that
I.

refutation Translator.

of this opinion of the author see p. 65, note

<fcc.,"

^^ See Mr. K. K. Cama's " Discourse on the Mithraic worship? Translator. p. 12, note 1.

element

is,

like

Ormazd, the most universal principle of

life

and motion. ^^
It

was therefore natural that Zoroaster, regarding

worship

fire as

the purest symbol of the ever-working Divinity, recommend-

ed

its special

and

as,

of all the

elements,
unless

fire
it

is

the only
lighted,

one which
this

would not be
ordained to
it

visible

was
Fire-

Legislator

have

altars

(or

temples) raised, on which

might be preserved.
striking ob-

Hence,
ject

fire

became the most ordinary and

of the worship of the Parsis.

Hence, the remark of

Strabo that to whatever Ized the Persians

ferings,

might give
to

of-

they

first

invoked
(fire)

fire.

We

see in fact Cyrus sacri-

ficing

first

to

Vesta

and afterwards

Jupiter; and

number of their prayers in the presence of that element the Nyaesh of fire is celebrated day and night, and it is ordained to the Mobed to put wood and fragrant drugs on fire during the five Gdhs
the Parsis recite the greatest
:

(watches) of the day.^^

One ought
defiles that

not, after this, to

is

be surprised that he who

It is

element

punished severely.

prohibited,

as from the time of Clitarchus, cited

by Diogenes Laertius, to

burn dead bodies,^* because they

reason leads
fire.^^

the Parsis

to

The same are impure. remove corpses away from the

^^ See Yagna, chapter 17, para. 11 ; chapter 36. Translator, 13 rpj^Q fj^YQ Q^hs or Gahs are 1, Ushahina; 2, Havani; 3, Eapi:

thwina

these Translator,

Aiwi^ruthrema. For the explanation of Zend terms see Zertoshti Ahhyds, No. 7, pp. 371-376.
;

4,

Uzay^irina

5,

^* See Vendidad, Fargard

'Translator,

1,

para. 17

Fargard

7,

paras.25~26.

^^ See Vendidad, Fargard

8, paras.

73-74,

Translator,

72

The
storing

detail
fire

of cer'emonies necessary
its
first

to

perform for re-

to

state,

when
sap,

it

has been defiled/^

marks
tree,

its

extreme purity.
it it

The

while nourishing the

its

makes

grow, changes

in some sort

body,
is

and
suc-

thus purifies

when

it

has been defiled.

Such

not the

ease with fire:

cessive

and now to supply the place of the

fire

alteration

which Nature produces in the vegetable

in which

kingdom, the Zend books ordain that the

p9ss through nine different
before

dead body had been burnt should, in some

jbo

sort,

be made

fires,

it

could be used

for the

purpose of veneration by the Parsis in the DM-gah.^^

protector of countries and
states, is

The Atash-Behram,
extract of 1001 fires

the
fire.

taken from 15^

different kinds of

But the worship, which the

well as to other creatures,
is

Parsis

render

to

fire,

as

subordinate to that of Ormazd,

finishes
all

whose praise commences and

These
body.
it is

offices

of religion.

offices

cannot please the Divinity unless they flow

from a pure heart; and purity of heart supposes purity of

The

first

is

the rule of thoughts, words

and deeds
religion,

accompanied with the knowledge of the

and

sustained

by good works done with conscious

intelligence.

,The priest,

who tends

to this purity, ought to do good like

,

the
his

Amsh^spands he must be learned, true words, grown-up and full of intelligence:^ these are
first

of the

in
in

^* See Vendidad, Fargard

^
'^

8,

paras. 73-78.
for

Translator.

DM-gah
Fargard

(the

Zend equivalent
;

ally

means a proper place

;

(see

which is ddityo-gdtu) literVendidad, Fargard 13, paras^ 17,

paras. 81-96); here it the ^VQ. Translator,

8, ^

18, 19

means the proper place

fire (see

for

Not
8,

fifteen,

but sixteen diiferent kinds of

Translator.
9,

Vendidad,
Farg. 18,

Fargard

paras. 81-96.

^ See Vendidad, Farg.

paras, 1-0.

para. 2

Farg, 13, para. 45

Translator,

73
fact

fore

the qualities with which Zoroaster presents himself bethe Supreme Being. Purity of body, is necessary, beit

catise

arrests

the efforts of evil

spirits,
it

and obliging the

Parsi

to

a continual
to

circumspection,

renders

him more

attentive
ject of

the practices of the religion, the principal obis

which

to

annihilate the
to

empire of Ahriman.^^

The

obligation

preserve purity of

body has given

birth to a

number

of tisages in the religion of the Pafsis.

For instance, as the offspring of Mashya and Mashyani, man is born impure, because the body of his first parents came from that of Gayomard^^ which Ahriman had defiled; and
.

ablutions can well purify the

outside of the body, but not

it
is

the inside: consequently wiiat comes out from

impure.
to

Hence,

the obligation,^

when one prays

it

or

eats

have

the Padan^^ on the face in order to

defiling

check the saliva from

fall.

the things on which

would

Hence, as from
against

the
into

time of Herodotus,
water anything

the

prohibition

throwing

which comes from

the body of man.

of natural func-

During prayers, meals and the performance

tions
it

is

prohibited to speak

one can emit inarticulate

:

sounds almost as

dumb

persons do

this

is

what

is

called

speaking in Bdj.

The same

principle

obliges

the Parsis to

reniove from inhabited places, as was the usage

from

the time

of Herodotus,

lepers^ ^

and

those

among them who are

come
from
render to

afflicted

with contagious diseases.

These

evils

Ahriman.

The same

principle

obliges

them

to

^ See Vendidad, Farg. 19, paras. 5-10.

paras. 19-20.
^ ^

Arshashang Yasht,
Yagna, chapter 26y

Translator,
;

See Falrvardin Yasht, paras. 87 and 145

Translator,

para. 10.

^^ This is an erroneous impression. No layman or priest ever puts on Paddn whilst taking his meah.-Translator. ^^ See Yendidad, Farg, Translator. 2, paras. 29 and 37,

7i
the dead

the last ceremonies, the ceremonies which

they

use in driving away the Devs

who

attack

dead bodies and

who

defile

all

those

who surround them.

But the
give
lost

feebleness of

man

not permitting
it

him

to

keep

so scrupulous an attention upon himself,

was necessary to

means
it;

to
is

recover that purity,

when one should have

such

the object of the purifications prescribed by

the law of Zoroaster.

terioP* for
these,

Water, which forms the principal ma-

drives

good

and the juice

of the

away Horn

all
is

evils

and gives every

life
^

in this

an element

of strength against the attacks of evil spirits.^

Even involuntary pollutions can only be washed away Hence arises the necessity of ablutions by purifications. before and after natural functions f ^ the injunction to wash
the new-born infant
after child-birth,
for one,
;

the purifications ordained to females

&c.

menses,^^
defiled,

who
on

is

to

But when it practise what the

is

impossible
pre-

religion

scribes

this

matter,

a sincere repentance, and prayers

the punishment of death
it

offered

with an humble and pure heart, supply the place

ceremonies
:

of outward

and,

if

is

adjudged for certain voluntary legal impurities,

is

because

man,
his

to

whom

the law

is

given,

being a free agent and

is

master consequently of his own actions,

the real cause of

own

suffering
is

he

is

the follower of a religion, in which

the author of evil
:

everything

directed

against

that

is

2 * See Vendidad, Farg. 8, paras. 40-72 ; Farg. Translator. Farg. 19, para. 22. ^^ See Yagna, chapters 9-10. Translator,

9,

para. 31

*^

There are no ablutions practised by the Parsis

Translator,
5, paras.
"

before natural

fimctions.

^^ See Vendidad, Farg.

Translator.

45-56

Farg. 16, paras. 1-12.

to say, a Parsi

ought to know that errors of this kind, by

thus tending to the superiority of

ation (so to speak) of

Ahriman and the humiliOrmazd/ become capital crimes. On

the other hand, the Dustoors believe, that, by exercise of

this severity,

they render the greatest service to the transsuffering

this

gressor

by

punishment,

the

man

exhausts

on himself the malice of the impure

them, and becomes
eligible,

spirits,

triumphs over

by

his submission, to

be admit-

ted into the abode of the happy.

Up

to here

we have

seen Zoroaster prescribing obsertheological

vances, connected with his

to render

ideas

and calculated
;

man worthy
viz.,

of the

favours of

Ormazd

but this
still

Legislator, in the enforcement of such precepts,

had

an-

other aim in view,

the general good of Nature.^ ^ These

observances ought then to be directed, as his ethics, towards

the particular advantage of the Parsi

and then these would

country
I stop to notice

be so

many

laws

of

police,

often relative to the

which the Parsi Legislator inhabited,

of these
observances.

some

In including venomous creatures,

cious

reptiles, insects, vora-

and ferocious animals, such

special

as the

wolf,

in

the

num-

ber of the productions of Ahriman, Zoroaster has likewise

had in view the

joins

good of the Parsis

hence he en-

at

them to destroy these animals,^ ^ and the same time from the use of their

interdicts^
flesh

them
is

which

naturally very unwholesome.

Of

all

known

religions,

that of the Parsis

is

perhaps
note
3.

^^

In refutation of this opinion of the author see

p. ^^^

Translator.

2 See Mr. K. R. Cama's ZertosJit Ndmeh, pp. 216-218. TV. ^^ See Vend. Farg. U, paras. 5-6 ; Farg. 16, para. 12 ; Farg. 18,
para.

73. TV.

7Q
the only one in which fasting
torious nor permitted. ^^
to
is

neither considered meri-

The

Parsi,

on the contrary, believes

honour Ormazd by nourishing himself well: because the

body,
ful

when

fresh

and vigorous, renders the soul more powerattacks of evil

in need
spiritT;

to resist the

and because man,

the
to

feeling himself less

of food, reads

Word with
are
:

greater
actions
;

attention and has

more courage
celestial

perform good

consequently,
to"

several

spirits

charged

specially

watch over the comforts of

man

Ramashn^

KharoxB,
pleasures,

Khordad and Amerdad give him abundance and and it is the last-mentioned Ized who produces

taste in fruits

^the

savour which contributes to their employ-

ment

for the

purpose for which Ormazd has created them.

Purifications, in

warm
;

or

moist and marshy countries,

is

contribute to health

and such

the climate of Persia

the

provinces of Ghilan and Mazenderan, situated to the north,

are full of unhealthy exhalations, while a burning sun par-

ches

the provinces

towards the

soiith.

And,

if

the most
ox's urine,

eflScacious" purifications are at first

it
is

made with the

or
race.

on account of the virtue which the cure of Jamsheed

caused to be observed in that liquid,
the
rather,

has

be-

cause the bull gave birth to

purifications are

human

But the

always concluded witTi water, preceded by

dry earth which must dry up the last drop of the urine^
which,
is

so

to

speak,

becomes
^^

impregnated

with

all

that

nauseous in the impurities.

Besides, whatever

may have been

follows

the motive of this

that the Parsi
is

institution,

it

always

from

this,

^^ See Vend. Farg.

3,

para.

33; and Mr. K. H. Cama's

ZertosJit

Fdmeh,

pp.

216-228. ^n
8, paras.

32 See Vend. Farg.

35-72

Farg.

9, paras.

14-36. ^n

11
obliged to have an ox and a
necessary, on
least a

cow in

his house.

It

is still

account of the Sag-did, that he must have at

^

dog; and the qualities of the cock,

who

is

the Vizir

of Serosh

on earth, and defends

these three

men

against the snares of

evil spirits,^ ^
also.

put him to the necessity of having that animal

animals are the most necessary to
all

Now
;

a Parsi

they supply likewise

his

wants

the ox serves

for tillage^*

and

for

drawing

carts,

the cow supplies milk,^^

the dog watches flocks and herds by day, and the house by
night

f ^ the hen

lays

eggs

at the crowing of
field,

the cuck, at
occu-

day-break, prayers, the labours of the

pations of

and other

men commence.^
which

The
to

place to

dead^ bodies

are conveyed

ought

be

on mountains,^ or at a fixed distance from main

fields,

roads, cultivated

and inhabited places

and we know

that independent of the legal impurity which the portions

of

the dead

body,

carried

away by carnivorous animals,

near these sorts of places
is

could produce, the atmosphere

usually very unhealthy.

Even the

feasts of the Parsis, at least the

most solemn
of

of them, appear only to recall

the grand events of Nature,

which personally interest the

different seasons.

Parsi, or to

mark the approach

I have spoken of the

Odhdmhdrs,^^ which

33 See Vend. Farg. 18, paras.

.

3* See Vend. Farg.

3 5

3, paras.
5,

14-16. TV. 23-32. ^r.

;

See Yend. Farg.

para. 52

Farg. 7, para. 77.

Tr.

36 See Vend. Farg. 13, paras. 10-11, 17-18, 39-40,45-46, 49. -^Translator.
37

See Vend. Farg.- 18, paras.

6,

22-24. ^n
Tr,

3^ See Vend. Farg.

3^

paras. 44-45.

to&hti

For the explanation of this term see Mr. K. R. Cama's ZerAbhyds^ No. 7, pp. 403-412 and pp. 433-453, and No. 11.

Translator,

78
are celebrated
at different

periods of the year,

and which

correspond to those in which Ormazd, at the beginning of

the

world,

created the beings that compose the universe.

Next to these feasts, the most solemn are the Hfowroz and the Mehergdn^^ The first of these two, since the time of Zoroaster, has

corresponded to the Spring, and the second, which

after, to

comes

six

months
It

the

Autumn
for the

the seasons in which

the birth of Nature and her fecundity announce the triumph

of Ormazd.
riages

was probably

same reason that mar-

among the

Parsis are celebrated at the Vernal Equinox.

Finally, the
ers

ceremonies attendant on funerals, the praythose

recited

at

the time,
all

which

precede

and

those

which follow

show the Parsis that, to the righteous alone death is the passage to a happy life but to the wicked the commencement of punishments which
these tend to

expiate
living

their

sins,

and from

which the prayers

love
friends,

of

the
for

can deliver them.

The

which they bear

their kinsmen,

their masters

and their
is

who

are se-

parated from them only for a time,

prayers.

manifested by these
;

Their religion

still

goes further
ordains
to

when a man has

his

committed certain
friends,

faults,

it

kinsmen

and

after

his

death, to

perform pious deeds, and give

crimes.

alms in expiation of those

These actions shorten

the period which the deceased sinner has to pass in hell.^^

^^ See Mr. K. R. Cama's "Discourse on the Mithraic worship, &c." pp. 7-8 j pp. 20-21, Translator.
^^ From the Zend books we find that a man, after his death, gets a higher or a lower place in the next world according to his good Whatever good a man does during his or bad actions whilst living. The doctrine that life-time becomes of great use to him in after life. prayers and religious rites for the sinful dead tend in some measure to mitigate their punishment in the next world is to be found in later works written on the Zoroastrian religion. For particulars see Vendidad,

Fargard 19, paras. 27-33

Ardibehesht Yasht, para. 4

H^-

79
It

was worthy

of

him who regarded

created Intelli-

gences as the Ministers of the Eternal, and the death of

man
up
it

as

a temporary separation of the parts which make

being,

his

and which ought one day

shall

to be

re-united,

was worthy of him, who, as I

the essence of his
inspires,

show further below,

to
consist

considered

religion

in

what

Nature herself
his

and connects with the purest and

the respect of the creature for
that

most tender pleasure,

Creator,

viz.,

and

for

all

He

has made, the reciprocal

aflfection

of parents

and

children, of

husband and

wife,

of

king and his subjects, of master and pupil,

of such

it

was worthy

a Legislator to break off the barrier which death

but too frequently puts to affections so lawful, and to render thereby the bond
parts

with which

he wished

to

unite

all

of the universe as his eternal principle.

III.

The

ethics

of Zoroaster,

as

well

as

the practices

which

it

prescribes,

has for

its

end the glory of Ormazd,

the general good of Nature, of society in general, and of

the Parsi in particular.
cepts
relative
to

I understand

by

ethics

the
;

pre-

the good and the evil of actions

indifferent

for the

Parsis

able to

know not Ormazd

works
^

a thing

is is

either agree-

or to

Ahriman, as Nature

divided be-

tween these two Principles.^

In their religion there
'purely speculative,
or

is

no place either for sanctity

spiritualities,

for those

which, under
Creator, au-

pretext of uniting
thorise idleness

more the creature with the

gratify
is

and

self-love.

Everything

in

the

religion of the Parsi

in actions,

and ought

to conspire to

dokht Yasht ; Mr. K. R. Cama's " Discourse on Zoroastrians and Freemasonry," pp. 7-9. Translator,

Translator,

*2

In refutation of this opinion of the author see

p. 66,

note

3.

80
promote the good of" the
shows the example
swers
rection
:

human

race.

Zoroaster
;

himself

he demands immortality

Ormazd andie.

him

that

if

He would
arrive,

accord that grace, the Eesur-

would not

and the Legislator consents to

The
The
hend
rules
first

ethics of Zoroaster
Id eludes

may be
of the

divided into two parts.

creature

the duties

towards the

Creator.
all

These are expressed in a few words, and comprethe duties of man.

There

are, says

Ormazd, three

These are purity of thought, purity of word and purity of deed ;^^ and he who possesses this
of conduct.

purity

ought to

exert

himself to

cultivate

it.

The

Parsi
off

Dustoors

add that a good work should not be put

In these peculiarities we recognise the

to

another day.
of which the

justice,

Magi spoke
all

as

reported by

out these essentials,

offerings

Withand preparations enjoined

Clitarque.

by the

religion are useless.

The second

part

of the
called

ethics his

of Zoroaster relates

to

society and may be

sociology.

This

Legislator

having found the Parsis divided into four

time of King Jamsheed,^^ confirms such

classes, as

from the

divisions.

He

as-

^^ Do not turn yourselves away from the three best things, viz., good thoughts, good words and good deeds. Turn yourselves away from the three worst things, viz., evil thoughts, evil words and evil All good deeds (see Vendidad, Fargard 18, paras. 17 and \25). thoughts, good words and good deeds lead to Paradise ; all evil thoughts, evil words and evil deeds lead to hell (see the prayer Vti^paI praise the well-thought, well-spoken, well-performed Humata), I lay hold on all good thoughts, good thoughts, words and deeds. words and good deeds. I abandon all evil thoughts, evil words and
evil deeds.

(See Yagna, chapter 11, para. 17).

:

Translator,

** The foiir classes are as follow 1, priests (Zend Athravan) ; 2, kings and warriors (Zend Rathaestar) ; 3, agriculturists (Zend Ydctrya Fshuyant) ; 4, artisans {ZendHiliti) (see Ya^na, chapter XIX, In the Shh-Nameh we read to the same effect, viz., that para. 17). King Jamsheed divided his subjects into four classes, called respec-

81
these classes
;

signs

particular duties to

he even enters into

good of

the details of the instruments or the utensils necessary to each

profession
:^ ^

and

as

he does not

lose sight of the

man, he
those, to

insists

on the possession of those

life

whose care

qualities which and body are particularly entrusted,

ought to have.

Let the physician, says he, improve and

:^ ^

render himself more skilful

his business is to give health.

The
tor

qualities which this Legislademands from the priest,^ ^ correspond perfectly with the description which the ancient writers give us of the Magi.
sanctity, learning

and other

Afterwards, always

occupied with the form of governestablished in Nature, Zoroaster en-

ment which Ormazd has

joins

that professions should have their chiefs, and that he,

is

who

elevated to

that

dignity,

must have eminently the

which he belongs.

qualifications of the

profession

to

Thus

the chief of priests ought to

be one who knows best the

of

Mazdayani
takes

religion

the
of
;

chief
his

the greatest
things for the

care
fire

herds,

many
be
a

the chief

husbandmen one who and who furnishes of military men must

qualifications

man

pure and distingiiished in his

of

body and mind.

In a government somewhat
religious, the chief of priests

ought to
fessions
:

be at the head of the

chiefs of all the

other proof

and such

is

the prerogative of the

is

office

Dus-

tooran Dustoor, a dignity which

is

given only to

him who

most abundant in good works.

1,

But

generally, learning,

lively,

KdMzydn;

^jI^isdrT/dn ;

3, N'as'ddi ;

4,

AhnukMsi.

But

the Vetfdidad and the Gathas only mention the

first

three classes.

Translalor, ^^ See Yendidad, Farg. 14, paras. 6-11. Tr, *^ See Vendidad, Farg. 7, paras. 36-38. ^n

*^ See Vendidad, Farg. 18; paras. 1-6; Farg. 13, para. 45.

Tr.

82
good deeds, nobleness of sentiments, truth in wordsthese
are

what Zoroaster demands from the

if possible,

chiefs.

He

desires

that they should,

selves,

excel the

Amshaspands them-

who take for their model Ormazd, whom (i. e., the Amshaspands) Time without Bounds^ ^ has clothed with his
attributes.

It

is

particularly from

the Dustooran Dustoor that Zo-

roaster requires these

qualifications.

As he

is

the chief of
the people;

the religion,

he ought to

be an example to

and

if

he

sins voluntarily, the

Parsis believe that he should

priests

be made to undergo, in the assembly of

^

and laymen,
iiis

a punishment proportionate to his crime and to

of temptation
to

absence

commit
is

it

for

it

is

said

in

the Zend

books, that he

who
;

without sin shall reclahn

him who

has Gomiinitted sin

the Dustoor shall reclaim the layman,

and the layman the Dustoor.

The
ritual.

authority of this sovereign Pontiff

is

properly spiconsists only

If

we except some remuneration,

to be

it

now

in

pre-eminence of regard and outward respect,

of Zoroaster has ceased

since the

religion

dominant.

But when the Persian

state,

empire

was

in

flourishing

the authority of this Pontiff did not extend over the

priests only, of
civil
it

whom

he was ^naturally the chief; but the

laity,

usages having been connected with religious obligations,

as

ought to have swayed the

from the lime -of

Zoroaster,

princes

by reason of the respect and deference which the had for the chief of their religion.
respect which

The

the Parsis

ought to have

for

the

Dustooran Dustoor and

refutation of Translator.

for the inferior ministers of the re-

^^ In

this

opmion of the author

see p. ^^, note 2.

83
llgion
is
^ a consequence of the system of their Legislator.^

They

are

obliged to

respect the priests

as

mediators

beper-

tween Ormazd and

form what they

his people, to maintain

them and

ordain

The

refractory are

when they (laymen) have sinned. punished with death, as those who disthe Minister of

obeyed the king were punished, from the time of Strabo,

because, to oppose
to oppose

Ormazd

is

the

same

as

Ormazd Himself.
Parsis ought' to have
civil

The
relative

the same respect, the same

chiefs

submission to the other

to the

who

are

above them,

places which
;

they inhabit, to the states in

which they
cies

live

it

is

this

which

forms the second speof

of

of

jurisdiction,

established

by the law

Zoroaster.

These

chiefs

are

particularly

kings, governors
streets

provinces

and towns, and the heads of

and houses. ^^

Each

of

them is and the Parsis are obliged to obey his own immediately them as their legitimate chiefs, whom Bahman, the angel of peace and the first of the Amshaspands next to Ormazd,
;

respectively subordinate to him, whose rank precedes

has placed over society in general, and over each division

of society.

This subordination does not apply to

men

alone

;,

wo-

men

are

also

ordained to obey the chief of their

sex:^^

and the

qualities of this chief

ought to be such as a wonecessary that

man

ought to possess.

It

is

she should be

of the

Mazdaya9ni

religion, pure,

marriageable and fruitful

before
this

the models

which the religion puts

chief

are
^^

Sapandomad, Ashis-Vang and Parendi, the female angels.

^9

Henry Lord,

lib. cit. p.

189.

^^ See Vendidad, Farg. 7^ paras. 41-42; Farg. 9, para. Farg. 10, paras. 5-6, 9-10, &c., M6her Yasht, paras. 17-18.-^7'.

37;

^^ See Yagna, chapter 13, para. 1. Tr. ^^ See Arshashang Yasht; paras. 1-22.

Tr.

84
on whom the Zend books They have a particular fire which animates them, the same which is in the presence of Ormazd; they are on the earth, what Bahman Amshaspand is in heaven. It is from Ormazd that they derive

But

of all

the

chiefs, those

expatiate most are the kings.

the authority which they enjoy.

aster,

''Establish

Ormazd r him king who comforts and

"

says Zoro-

nourishes

the poor.''

If the

Parsi Legislator traces

to

thority

of kings,

he prescribes to

God Himself the authem at the same time

office

the duties which they owe to the

is

they

occupy.

It

necessary that the chief be pure of thought, of word and

:

of deed

Ormazd

gives

the empire to
Strictness

him,

who comforts
oppressor,

and nourishes

the poor.
the

against the

and kindness towards

be,

weak and

the indigent ought to

consequently, the essential qualities of kings.^^

On

the other hand, the religion of Zoroaster ought to

for

be the constant rule of their conduct, the motto

deliberations;

their
it

and as when the Persian empire

existed,

was the Dustooran Dustoor (Arch -Bishop) who explained

to the
prince, one

it

could say that the legislative- power re-

sided really
chief of the

in

the chief of the religion.

The Daver, the

Parsis,
is

under the empire of the Mahomedans

only

or

the

Hindoos,

a feeble

shadow of these ancient

"

priestly kings.

After having regulated the general order of society

by

the distinction of ranks, by the necessaiy subordination of

these
ranks,

and by the

relations

which unite the inhabithe subjects

tants of a place with the chief of that place,

^^ See Farvardin Yasht, chapter 29.

Tr.

85
with the king, Zoroaster
nections,
fixes

the different degrees of con-

which men
of these

ought to

have between them.

as the

The

number

degrees, as well
to

number
this

of prayers

which the living are obliged

have recited

for the dead,

depends on the distinction of ranks, which

has established as above mentioned, and
the relations more or less near, which
is

Legislator

proportionate to

men have

with one

another/^

chief

The closest connections are those of the state to its who represents Ormazd, and those which man confrom his
birth,
viz.,

tracts

the reciprocal relation of the

father to the son, of brothers

among

themselves.

Afterwards,
religion

come the
instruction
chiefs of
;

relationships

which

exist

between

and

they are those which ought to be between the

Mobeds, between him who is about to and the Herbed who instructs, him, between and the disciple. Then comes a question of the which are formed by nature, but which man
dentally
;

be Herbed
the master
connections

forms

acciis

such

is

the union of

man

and woman, which

followed, always

by a proportionate diminution of degrees, by that of the just of the earth between themselves, the
great
in
of a profession, the

good beings in general, the

is

chiefs

particular :^^

and

it

Mithra, the spirit

who

presides

over the fertility of land, the Ized of good-will, the

of the serpent which sows envy

enemy
Ized^^

and death

it is this

who

is

charged with the creation and maintenance of this

divers races of humanity.
Tr,

harmony among the

^* See Yendidad, Fargard 12.

5^ See

M^her Yasht, chapter 29. TV.

:

^ ^ The other functions of Mithra are as foliow " Mithra or M^her Ized is represented in^ Zoroastrian scriptures as watching over our actions in this world, and encouraging us into,

and rewarding us
ones.

for,

He

is

the judge

good actions, warning and punishing us M6her Daver at the Chinvat bridge

of the

for evil

86
I

believe

it

was

this gradation

of relationship that
for

led

Herodotus to

say,

that

the

persons,

whom

the Parsis

had the greatest regard, the greatest respect, were those who that they had less of it for those lived nearest to them
;

who

lived

next to these persons

in proportion

thus
the

diminishing

their

marks

of respect

as

distance increased.

Having drawn quite close the bonds of society, it was natural to insist upon the meq.ns of augmenting and enriching
at
it,

viz.,

population and agriculture.

fixed

These objects have

the

all

times
;

the
is

attention

of

most

celebrated

Legislators

Zoroaster
to

not content with merely

:

recom-

mending them
religion
;

the Parsis

he makes them matters of

he ordains them in expiation of crimes.

of

The hand
is

the

cultivator

produces every

good

it

the gold poniard of King Jamsheed which cleaves

expresses
gifts,
its satisfaction^^

the

The earth itself loading him with its by

earth. ^^,

to

man
it

when

after

levelling

he

sows seeds of herbs and trees and

departed souls."
worship, &c.,"

especially fruitful trees ;^^

^*

See Mr. K. E. Cama's

Discourse on the Mithraic

p. 23.

" Mithra being the Ized of truth and light, our Daver at the Chinvat bridge, oaths were taken and administered in his name, and hence his name was appropriately attached to the process of the passage of the sojourner through the scenes of reward and punishment of those who had followed or rejected Mithra, i. e., light and truth, of those who had not or had broken Mithra, i. e., an oath, or had not or had become Mithradruj by their not regarding their oaths." Id, pp. 26-27.

^^ See YeAdidad, Farg. 2, paras.

^^ See Vendidad, Farg. 3, paras. 3

4-19. ^r. and 23-32. ^r.

^ ^ The Tartars of Daghestan, a country bordering on Georgia and Iran have a custom which they observe carefully, viz., that no person can marry in their tribe before having planted in a marked place 100 fruitful trees ; so that one finds especially in the Mountains of Daghestan large forests of fruitful trees. Rist, Geneolog/, des Tar-

tars^ p.

313, suite de la note

a.

87
tben

he waters the land which has no water, and drains

is

that which
of fruits,

inundated.
it is

The

earth brings forth

all

sorts

when

turned up and cultivated with

is

care.

To sow

grains with purity

to

fulfil

to its

full

extent

the Mazdaya9ni law.

Hence he
is

deserves merit

who thus
of

obeys the law

the

man

also great in
life

the

estimation

Ormazd, as

if

he had given

to a hundred, to a

thousand

created things, or

celebrated ten thousand YaQnas

certain

f ^ hence
to
^-^

the obligation,
give

when one has committed

crimes,

righteous

man

piece

of

well-irrigated

ground,

to kill snakes

which cause injury in low and marshy

places,

to destroy the insects

which eat away the roots of

^

trees

and

the seeds

of grains,^

and

to

build sheds to

shelter

men

and

beasts.

This last act has connection with the care of animals

ihe second part of the work in the

dear to Zoroaster than the
first, viz.,

fields

which

is

not less

the cultivation of lands.

What
gation
it is

pleases
t)f

the

earth

is

the multiplication and

propa-

domestic animals and beasts by coupling.^ ^

to treat to give

And
to

necessary

these animals

with humanity,

nourish them,^*
every
of the
care,

them

shelter,

and

finally to

bestow

which one ought

Principle,

to bestow
for the

on the productions
of the created

Good

made

benefit

beings of the Good Principle.

The

Legislator,

who recommends with

so

much

care the

cultivation

of land and the multiplication of useful animals,

3,

o See Vendidad, Farg.

^^'

para.

31. Tr,
Tr.
Tr,

^^ See Vendidad, Farg. 14, para. 13.

See Vendidad, Farg. 14, paras. 5-6; Farg. 18, para. 73.
3,

^^ See Vendidad, Farg.

para. 5.

Tr,

^^ See Yagna, chapter 10, para. 20; chapter 11, paras. 1-2; Tr, Vendidad, Farg. 5, para. 20.

ought not to be
age.^
^

less solicitous for

the institution of marri-

Herodotus and Strabo inform us that the kings of Persia ma;de annual presents to those of their subjects who

had many
favourite
of

children.

Now

then,

fecundity

is

considered

equally honorable

among 'the Parsis. heaven, who has children

addresses
birth
his
is

They regard him a

of merit

and in great
such persons.

number.

Zoroaster

prayer to

Consequently, the day of

Parsis celebrate
It is ordained
it

considered holy, and the

by

feasts as

from the time of Herodotus.

in

to

make Daroon
and pious

the

name

of

Hom the
who
gives

Ized

who

gives good

children, the Ized

to a long-time

a sprightly
girl.^^

and prudent husband

unmarried

Marriage being of so great an importance, Zoroaster

all
is

ought to proscribe

that can help to check or retard

it.

Hence, debauchery
encourage
intercourse with

put under the category of works which

of
Devs.^'^

the multiplication

Hence, criminal
be, Parsi

any female, whoever she may

or

foreign, is represented as

one of the sources of physical and

moral
sible

which desolates the world f ^ rape, as an irremiscrime sodomy, as the doctrine of Devs f ^ and all
evil
;

these crimes are attended with capital punishment.

But

it

was

to

be feared

lest

the Parsis, by marrying

sight ; or

Ormazd insensibly out of that these marriages, by transferring the wealth To remedy to strangers, should impoverish them.
foreigners,

should lose

of families

these
love

in-

conveniences, to tighten the conjugal bond

^ ^ See Vendidad, Farg. chapter l^.Tr.
^ ^

by a
;

born,
Yasht,

4, paras.

44 and 47-49
Tr,

Ram

See Yagna, chapter

9,

paras. 1-23.

^'^
6 8

See Yendidad, Farg. 18, paras.

See Yendidad, Farg. 18, paras.

1,

54-55. ^n 61-65. ^ZV.

See Yendidad, Farg.

para. 12; Farg. 8, paras. 26-27, 31--

32. rn

89
as it were,

from infancy,

that,

is,

a natural love, and to form

unions,
as

thereby more tender and durable

Zoroaster

recom-

mends marriage between cousin-germans

ing heaven.

an action merit-

Herodotus and Strabo inform us that the Parsis had

many

wives and concubines,' and the last-named writer adds

object

that the

was

to

have a great number of children.

refer to the five species

These wives and concubines probably

of

women whom
during

a Parsi

is

permitted to marry and even to

first

take

the life-time of his

this last case,

wife,

when
nothing

she

is

barren.

Except in

one ought not to have at

fact

time more than

one

wife

and in

more

hinders multiplication than a plurality of wives.

Finally, Zoroaster

takes notice of even the temper and

good constitution of children.

healthy and vigorous,

In order that they

may be

he prohibits men, under the greatest

punishment, from keeping company with their wives during

their suckling period or their
to

monthly course

;^^

he appears
the

hold the

same view, when prescribing the circumspecought to be conducted to

tion,

with

which females

Armesht-gdh,'^ ^
Society
is

established,

ranks are regulated,

kingdoms
14-17;

^^ See Vendidad, Farg. 15, para. 7 Farg. 18, paras. 67-76. Tr.
"^

Farg. 16, paras.

^ Armesht-gdh is a Pehlvi word, the Zend equivalent for which armaeskta gdtu. It signifies " a place set apart, a spot where other men, women, children, &c., cannot go" ; as for instance the place set apart for unwell females, the place where Mobeds undergo the harashnUm ceremony in the Agiary, Armaeshta in Zend originally means *' still, calm, retired, undisturbed," as armaeshta dp meaning ^' still water, undisturbed or stagnant water" (see Vendidad, Farg. 6, para. SOj'Aban Yasht, chap. 19 j Khorshed Yasht, para. 2 ; Tir Yasht, chap. 11 ; Yagna^ chap. 68, para. 6). Translator,

is

90
are formed,
fields

are

covered with trees and cattle, manwell-assorted marriages;

it is

kind

are

increased by
that a

now

necessary,

general bond should maintain that harto subsist

mony, which ought

body.

between

all

parts of this great

This

is

formed by good faith and mutual confidence,

justice,

founded on verity and

moderation.
is

and nourished by a
it

spirit of

This good faith renders

should

obligatory that

what

borrowed ^^
rich,

be returned even though the lender a position to give up his

be

and,

consequently, in

claim.

One
the

is

reminded in connection with

this subject of

what

ancients

say of the manners of the Parsis.

According
Zeno-

to Herodotus, it
tell

was among them an ignominious thing to

see, in

an untruth''^ and to incur debt: and we

severity.

phon and Ammien-Marcellin, that

titude with

their laws punished ingra-

Zoroaster enters afterwards into

the details of actions

justice

which

are

opposed

to

good

faith,

and humanity
the punish-

and determines the immorality

of these actions,

ment which they deserve

justice
is affected.

in proportion

to the consequences

they bring on society, and the degree to which distributive

It

is

crime in

general not

to

keep
;

one's

word,

though

it

may

not have been given on oath

it

it is

a greater

crime when one has, as

were, assured the fulfilment of a

promise by an outward sign, such as putting his hand on

^^ See Vendidad, Farg. 4, para.

''^

1.

Tr.

Righteousness is the best thing for man after his birth. 0. Zertosht this righteousness is the Ma^dayagni religion j any man can purify his soul by means of good thoughts, good words and good deeds Translator. (see Yendidad, Farg. 5, para. 21 ; Farg. 10, para. 18).
!

91
that of him whom he promises;''^ the crime is still greater, when one refuses payment of a due or salary; for instance, when one does not render what is due to the domestics

and

beasts, that

is

to say,

when one

does not take care of

them; when one does not give

him, the

to the master,
villages
is

who
and

instructs
to

remuneration

promised,, to

the

people of the country, the salary which

agreed upon.

Zoroaster likewise ordains what one ought to give, ac-

cording to
restored
fications,
if

his
to

rank and power, to the doctor^ ^ wh^ has

health,

him

or to

the priest,^ ^

who, by puri:

has reconciled

him with the Supreme Being

and

prayers are the sole reward to which the Athornans are

it
is

bound,
sian

because according to the system of the Per-

Legislator,

they have an efficacy of

which the

price

cannot be determined.

The

Parsi doctors

of

divinity

expatiate

on
the
sin,

many
spirit

of

these points of morality; and,

their Legislator, they prohibit,

entering into

of

under pain of
lent.

the charge

of

compound

interest

on the money

According to their interpretation there

ing
for

is

not a greater
sell-

crime than the buying of corn, in the expectation of

it
it

afterwards with profit

is

when

the market gets

dear:'^''

said in the
to

law,

that he,

who

acts

and accustoms
culpable
distress caused

himself

act

in

this

manner,

renders himself

for every misery, for every famine,

and every

in the yorld.

'^^ See Vendidad, Farg. 4, paras. 2-16 ; Meher Yasht, paras. 2-3, 19-20^ 23, 38, 82 ; B6her^m Yasht, para. 63. IV.

^5 See Vendidad, Farg.

''^

7, paras. 9,

41-43. Tr.

See Vendidad, Farg.

paras. 37-42.-^2V.

^^ See Sadder BiXn-dehesh in the old Ravaet, p. 141.

92

The
lator

ethics of Zoroaster goes

still

further.

This Legisliberal,

speaks

praise

him who well ment to assist the

of

him who is beneficent and supports mankind and for greater

of
;

induce-

poor,

he represents

this action, that of

giving

even a few grains of corn, as accomplishing greater

affliction

on

the

Devs.
portion

The man, on the

of
his
;''^

contrary,

who

does

not give a

wealth to the

deserving,

augments the productions of Ahriman

the abode of those

who do not

give in charity

is

in
for

hell.

.Having firmly established

tributive
justice,
it.

society

the laws

of dis-

it

is

expedient

to prevent or check

what

could disturb
is

Consequently, the mere thought of evil

;

sin

envy

is

represented as excited by Devs

the resolu-

tion
is

to

strike

some one deserves punishment. ^ ^

if

Violence

repressed by

punishnient proportionate to the injury inZoroaster, in the

flicted

on the person attacked;^ and

strength and courage,

eulogy which he sings of the warriors and kings of Iran, extols their
it is

always on account of

the good results to mankind which these qualities have produced, such as the destruction of the wicked and the defence
of the poor

and the oppressed.

He

exhorts,

at the

same
;

he time, that his heroes be humble of heart as Kaikhosru recommends meekness and good-nature to the people, intelligence in the good
the beings to
After
to
itself

which they

do.

The man, who

^

endeavours to increase the welfare of the people,

is

one of
^

whom

this Legislator addresses his prayer.

still

all this,

there

remains a precept of morality

the good of

be inculcated equally

for

man and

for the

glory of the
."^s

Good

Principle, viz., to control those

prompt-

SeeYendidad, Farg. 18, paras. 30-38. ^r. ^^ See Vendidad, Farg. 4, paras. 18-21. Tr. 80 See Yendidad, Farg, 4, paras, 22-43. Tr.

93
ings,

which offences against us would

which
to
offences,

legitimately

excite

but
evil

without making
to

amends,

are

real

society

and

our fellow-creatures,
left to

made

already

sufficiently
es.

unhappy by being

go to degrading excess-

the example of the Master of "Nature; after the Eesurrection, Ormazd, touched with the repentance of sinners, will pardon them, and they
first,

At

man

has before his

eyes

shall

be eternally happy with

the righteous

;^^

then,

the
does,

Persian Legislator,- by

referring ta

what he himself

prescribes pardon for injuries, even voluntary,

reconciliation with
''

and a sincere
Ormazd,

him from whom one has

irritates

received offence.

Pardon the repenting

even
if

sinner," says he, addressing

''

the

man
and

me by

his

thoughts,

by

his

" "
'^

words or by his actions, carried away or not carried away

by

passion,

if

he humbles himself before

me and

addresses his prayer, I

am

from that time friend of him,

''

who invokes me thus by Izeshne and Ny^esh."

Such

is

then the precis of the instructions which ZoPersians in his works.

roaster gives to the

This

Legislator

recommends, to princes and

ness
;

chiefs, kindness, justice

and firm-

to subjects, submission
;

and respect

to

priests, purity

and learning
the religion
tion,
all

to laymen, perfect obedience to the precepts of

and

this religion regards, without

it

any

distinc.

menr

whom

ordains

to

be in peace with one

care

another, to nourish the poor, to take

of the

ward,

to

be as good as one's word, to pay the workman, the doctor

and the instructor what

vated lands,
flocks

is

their

due,

to

plough uncultitb

to

water them, to
kill

sink wells,

render

the

numerous, and to

noxious animals.

We

see that

^^

See Sadder BUn-dehesh in the old Eavaet.

94
all

these precepts tend to

tlie

good of mankind, and to the

special

advantage of him who conforms himself to them.

IV.

The Zend and Pehlyi books

other, the re-establishment of

present,

on one

side,

the world created by Ormazd, and corrupted by Ahriman;^^

on the
pears

Nature; Zoroaster apgrand

in

the field

the law

which he announces contains

this

the

measures which were intended to produce

event.

by this Legislator, regards himself whom Ormazd sends under the direction of the good spirits to combat the author of evil. The prayer, which he recites after waking from sleep, puts before his
Parsi, instructed

The

as

soldier

mind the aim and the reward

fight,

of the fights

he

is

going to

the Resurrection and the glory of the saints in heaven

the
lELoia

water

Zor,

and the branches

of the tree

over which

presides,

pounded in a mortar,
of the religion.

furnish

him with a

juice,

from which he draws his strength, while remembering

apostle
girdle

the

first

The
bat.

and. a kind of shirt, ^ which

mark him

as

the true follower of Zoroaster, are his habiliments of com-

The prayer by which he

spirits;

conciliates the

protection of

heavenly

the

Word which

has created the world;

the legal ceremonies which tend to keep^ the purity of his

body; his absolute submission to

received his
his arms.

Him
purity

from
of

whom
soul

he has
are

existence

and the

these

The precepts which he obeys render the country

fertile,

he inhabits

cause propagation of the ~

human

race,

Translator,

^2 In refutation of this opinion of the author see p, QQ, note

3.

^ ^ The author refers to Koshti and Sudra, outward symbols of Translator, the Zoroastrian religion,

^95

and multiplication of
all

tr^es

and animals, augment

evils

riches

and

welfare and maintain peace and public safety.

events,
it

Prepared for

lie

encounters

without being beaten down

by them;

would be to sin against Ormazd, and to render

title

himself unworthy of the

Principle, to exhibit at

of the soldier of the

Good

that time marks of excessive grief.

scruple,

Gn

one

side,

he enjoys without

but always with

him, and be-

moderation,

what Nature legitimately

design
is

offers

lieves to enter thereby in

from this

to

To deviate augment the strength of Ahxlman

the plan of Grmazd.

and to multiply
falsehood,

his productions.
fornication,

*
theft,

Adultery, sodomy, rape,

murder, violence,

bad

faith,

voluntary infractions of the religion

these crimes are visited

death
is

itself.

by punishments and sometimes by The chastisements are rigorous, because sin

afflict
;

the cause of evils which

is

the Parsis, of corruption

which

prevalent
said,

ampng them

because they attack, as I

have already

the Divine Majesty, by

to

diminishing the

glory of Grmazd,

and furnishing

His enemy ^ the means

this

of overthrowing the world.

But

in the midst of

ex-

treme

severity,
:

we always
at

discover

the

second object of

Zoroaster
society;

he ordains punishments to secure the good of

the same time that Nature

he wishes

should

enjoy her rights.

* In refutation of this opinion of the author see p. 66, note

3.

-Trandator.

LIST OF

THE BOOKS AND MANUSCRIPTS

RELATING TO

THE PARSI RELIGION,

TAKEN WITH HIM TO EUROPE
BY

^V!0N.

)\nQUETIL DU pJERRON.

Zendl^ I^elilvi and. I^azend..

1.

Zend and Pehlvi Vendidad,

Dustoor Jamasp.

copied from

the copy

of

4to, oblong,

2.

Zend and Sanscrit Yana

4to.

3.

Zend Vispered
Yashts

4}to.

4j.

S^ddlarge

8vo.

5.

collection in three parts.

The

first

written by Darab,

containing ^the Khorshed Nysiesh,

the

Mah
all

Nyaesh,

and the Atash Nyaesh, the Afringan Dahm^n, the

Afring^n Gahamb^r, the prayers of Gahs,
in

Zend

and Pehlvi; the

original

of the Pehlvi
in

Farhang and Hormazd Yasht

and Pazend Zend and Pehlvi.

The second written by Mobed Shapoor, containing the Zend and Pehlvi Vispered, Serosh Yasht in Zend,
in Sanscrit

and in ancient Parsi derived from Pazend, and written in Zend characters. The third containing the 9th, 10th, and 11th Has of Yana in Zend and Pazend the Sirozah in Zend and Pazend the same
;
;

97
in

Zend and

Pehlvi,

written by

Dustoor Shapoor;

(Zend and Pazend) written in Persian characters by Kika, an inhabitant of the village of Mehder, in the Paragnah of Partchoul, situat-

the Khorshed Nyaesh

ed to the

east,

and dependent then on Surat

in

and the

same Nyaesh
several

the same

languages,
'

followed

by

Nirengs

and

Bajs

in

Gujerati,
8vo.

the

whole

written in Persian characters

collection

containing (1) in Pazend

(Zend characters)

the Afrin Gahambar, the

Zartosht
;

N^m

Setaeshn^, the Afrin

(2)

in

Zend,
;

the Ardib^hesht Yasht

and
other

the Venant Yasht

(3) in

Pazend (Zend characters)

treats,

a portion of the Eavaet, which

things, of the

among
(4) in

Atash Behram, of King Jamsheed and

;

of

the origin of the Gahambars, &c.

characters)

Pazend
pre-

(Persian

the

Eulma Eslam and two

faces to the

Shah Nameh

4to.

small Eavaet which contains the

Sirozah in Zend

some

details

on the ceremonies and practices of the

Zoroastrian religion, some prayers, &c.

all mixed up in Zend and Pazend, followed by several letters of the Dustoors of Kirman and of India, relative to the religion,
is

among which

one treating of the Nowroz

12mo.

DPersian.
Farhang-e Jehangiri
finished

1.

An

excellent

Persian

Dictionary,

in

the reign of Jehangir

folio,

Bouran-e Kate
Dictionary,

comprehensive and accurate Persian

compiled by

Mohamed Hossein who

Sou-

98
risked in 1651 A. C.

folio, ruled,

perfectly well-writ-

ten

the

only

copy

in

Europe,

copied

at

Surat,

in 1730

A.

8.

An

epitome of Farhang-e Serouri

parts, of

dictionary in five

which the fourth contains some words said

to

have been derived from Zend and Pazend.

4.

Sadder

treatise in verse

on the moral and ceremonial

theology of the Parsis

5.

Mino-Khered, in

verse 12mo.
Poem
the
of

8vo.

6.

Shah-Nameh
Tusy,

^A

sixty-four

thousand

verses,

composed at the end of the tenth century by Firdosi

comprising
to

history

of

the

Parsis

from

Gayomard

Yezdegird, their last king of the Sas-

sanian dynasty in the seventh

century

after

Christ

7.

folio,

with

illustrations.

K^rshasp

Nameh
other
first

^A

history

in verse of Kershasp
of

and

many

Iranian heroes

the time of

Zohak

and the
8.

kings of the Kyanian dynasty

Persian

-8vo.
sixty

Barzo

Nameh

poem
It

of

more than

thousand verses, composed by Atai, a celebrated poet,

but inferior to Firdosi.

the only copy in Europe.

contains
vols,

the history

of

Eustom, Sohrab, Barzo, &c.

with

illu^tTations,

9.

precious

collection

containing the Faramarz

the Balnoo Gushasp

the Jehangir
that
of
is

Nameh and

Nameh, Nameh,
Rustom)

to say, the history of Faramarz, Jehangir (son of

Rustom) and Banoo Gushasp (daughter

8vo.

99
10.

collection

containing the Zertosht

of the

Nameh, preceded

by the history

Retreat of the Parsis in India

12mo.

11.

collection

containing the Changraghach

Nameh and
(son of

the Jamaspi, in verse

12.

Bahman Nameh-A
Aspandiar,
dynasty)

8vo.

history in verse of

Bahman

son of Gushtasp, a king of the Kyanian

at

composed

the end

of the eleventh cen-

tury
13.

4to.

Darab Nameh-^A work containing an account of the last years of Bahman, son of Aspandiar, a part of the lives of Homa;i, Darab, the last Darab, and a fragment
of

the

expeditions

of Alexander

^folio,

copied

in

1584 A. C.
14.

collection

containing

the

history

in

verse
of

of

the

amours
of

of Azaid

Bakht, king of Persia,

Firooz

Bakht, king of Egypt and of Ershad, son of the king

Katay

12mo.

4to,

Viraf Name|i (in Gujerati)

with illustrations.*

* Besides these, the French author carried with him to Europe 66 Mss. in Persian ; 7, in Arabic ; 2, in 93 other Mss. as follow Turkish ; 3, in Moorish (in Persian characters) ; 2, in Gujerati ; 6, in IVanslator, Sanscrit 3 6, in Tamil and 1, in Canarese.
:

100

BOOKS WHICH MoNS. ANQUETIL DU PERRON COULD NOT OBTAIN.

1.

The Nyaeshs

of Fire, the

Moon and

the Sun, in Sanscrit *

in

2.

The

Nyaeshs

of

Water and Mithra,

Pehlvi

and

Sanscrit.
S.

The Hormazd^ Yasht

in

Sanscrit.

4,

The

Ta;rif

Sirozah in Pehlvi, from the 17th day to the

it

30th.

This book,

was believed, was

to

be found

entire in the
5,

hands of the sons of Bahmanji Shett.f

The Pehlvi Yana.

6,

The Nirengastan
religion,

work
of

in 4to from

20 to 25 cahiers
the Parsi
described

treating principally

the ceremonies of
is

in the

commencement whereof

the
7,

Vars,
six

The

first

Fargards of the Vendidad in Sanscrit.

(according

8,

The Gushtasp Yasht, brought from Kirman

to

what the Parsis of Surat Mehrig;r Marzban the Sam

;

say)

400 years ago by

Taimoor

Nameh, the Nameh, and the Faramarz Nameh.

^ I was told that du Perron,

this

book could be had at Nowsaree.

Anquetil

t Afterwards I was assured that they had not got it-^Anquetil

du Perron.

APPENDIX.
'Extracts

from Dr.

If.

Hang's ''Essays on

the

sacred

language, writings

and

religion of the

Parsif in
is

support of the

Zoroastrian doctrine that the First

universe
the

Cause which created the whole

Ahura-

mazda (the name of God throughout and not Zarvdna Aharana,

Zend-Avesta)

The real doctrines of Zarathustra, untouched by the speculations of later ages, can be learnt only from the The leading idea of old Ya9na, chiefly from the Gathas. his theology was Monotheism, i. e., that there are not many gods, but only one, and the principle of his speculative philosophy Dualism, i. e., the supposition of two primeval causes of the real world and of the intellectual, while, his moral philosophy was moving in the Triad of thought, word and deed. His predecessors, the Soshyanto, seera to have been w^orshipping a plurality of good spirits, whom they called Ahuras, i. e., the living ones who were opposed to the Devas. Spitama, not satisfied with this indistinct expression of the -Divine Being, reduced this plurality to an The new name, by which he called the Supreme unity. Being, was Ahurd Mazddo which means '^the living Creator of the universe"...... In the Sassanian times the name was changed to Ahurmazd, and in modern Persian to Hormazd or Ormazd which form is used by the Parsis now-a-days.
'

Zarathustra Spitama's conception of Ahuramazda as the is perfectly identical with the notion of EloMm or Jehovah, which we find in the books of the Old Testament. Ahuramazda is called by him ''the Creator of the earthly and spiritual Ufe, the Lord of the whole universe at whose hands are all the creatures.'' He is the light and the source of light he is the wisdom and intellect. He is in possession of all good things, spiritual and worldly, such

Supreme Being

102
as the good mind (vohu mand), immortality (ameretdt), wholesomeness (haurvatdt), the best truth (asha vahista), devotion and piety (drmaiti), and abundance of every earthly good* (khshathra vairya). All these gifts he grants to the righteous pious man, who is pare in thoughts, words and deeds. But he, as the ruler of the whole universe, does not only reward the good, but he is a punisher of the wicked at the same time (see Ya9na 45, 5). All that is created good or evil, fortune or misfortune, is his work (see Yagna separate evil spirit of equal power with 48, 4 51, 6). Ahuramazda, and always opposed to him is entirely strange to Zaiathustra's theology, though the existence of such an opinion among the ancient Zoroastrians can be gathered from some later books.
;

The
tra

opinion,

so

generally believed now, that Zarathus-

was preaching Dualism, that is to say, the supposition of two original independent spirits, a good and a bad one, utterly distinct from each other, and one counteracting the creation of the other, is owing to a confusion of his philosophy with his theology. Having arrived at the grand idea of the unity, and indivisibility of the Supreme Being, he undertook to solve the great problem, on which so many -a wise man of antiquity and even of modern times was engaged, viz.,
,

how are the imperfections discoverable in the world, the various kinds of evils, wickedness and baseness, compatible with the goodness, holiness and justice of God ? The great thinker of so remote an antiquity solved the difficult question philosophically by the supposition of two primeval causes, which, though different, were united, and produced the world of the material things, as well as that of the spirit, which doctrine may best be learnt from
Yagna
30.

The two primeval principles are SpentS mainywsiBiicid AngrS mainyus ; these spirits are united in one and the
same being,
viz., Ahuramazda, and represent only both sides of the divine nature, the creative and life-giving, as well and life-taking powers. That AngrS as the destructive mainyws is no separate being opposed to Ahuramazda, is
'

^ See

chiefly

YaQna

47;

1.

103
tinmistakeably

Ahuramazda

be gathered from YaQna 19, 9, where mentioning his " two spirits/' who are inherent to his own nature, and in other passages (Ya9na '' the two masters" 57) distinctly called the " two Creators" And, indeed, we never find mentioned in the Ga(pdyllj. thas, Angro mainyus as a constant opponent to Ahuramazda as is the case in later writings. Spento mainyus was regarded as the author of all that is bright and shining, of all that is good and useful in nature, while Angro mainyus called into existence all that is dark, and apparently noxious. Both are inseparable, as day and night, and though opposed to each other, are indispensable for the preservaLife is produced by Spento mainyus, tion of creation; but extinguished by Angro mainyus.
to
is

creative

Zoroastrian notion of the two only two sides of the Divine Being. But in the course of time, this doctrine of the great founder was, in consequence of misunderstandings, and Spento maifalse interpretations, changed and corrupted. nyus was taken as a name of Ahuramazda himself; then, of course Angro mainyus, by becoming entirely separated from. Ahuramazda, was regarded as the constant adversary of Ahuramazda, and thus the Dualism, God and Devil, was called forth. Either was an independent ruler, one endeavouring to destroy the creation of the other, and thus both waging constantly war In consequence of this entire separation of the two sides of Ahuramazda and the substitution of two independent rulers, governing the universe, the unity and oneness of the Supreme Being was lost;, Monotheism was superceded by Dualism. But this deviation from, and entire change of, the prophet's doctrine could not satisfy the minds of all the divines and philosophers in^^ a-n-ient Persia. It very likely was only the innovation of I..X influential party, or sect, probably that one which is called Zendih, i. e., followers of the interpretation (Zend), and which was opposed by that of the Magi,^ That Dua-

Such

is

the

original

spirits,

who form

^ The Magi were chiefly spread in the West, in Media and Persia; the Zendiks in the East, in Bactria. The former seem to have acknowledged only the Avesta or original texts of the sacred writings; the latter followed the traditional explanation, called

Zend.

104
lism was actually the doctrine of the Zendiks, we best learn the commencement of the Bundehesh, which book purports to expound the lore of this party. The Magi seem still to have clung to the prophet's doctrine of the Oneness of the Supreme Being. But to refute the heretical opinions of the Zendiks, which were founded on interpretations of passages from the sacred texts, a new and fresh proof of the Unity of the Supreme Being was requirThis was found in the term '' Zarvdna akarana," i. e., ed. time without bounds, which we meet occasionally in the Zend Avesta. The chief passage, no doubt; was Vend, 19, 9 but -the interpretation for proving that Zarvdna alcarana means the Supreme Being, out of whom Ahuramazda and Aiigro mainyus are said to have sprung up, rests on a grammatical misunderstanding of the words Zruni akaranS, Anquetil, according to the teaching of his masters, the Dusnominative case, whilst a ver}toors, translates them as superficial knowledge of Zend and Sanscrit grammars suffices to recognise both the forms as so called locatives they are therefore to be translated only ^' in the boundless time," the subject of the sentence being SpentS r)%ainyus, the white spirit (a name of Ormazd) ; were it the i. e.] nominative case, and the subject of the sentence, then we should have to expect '' Zarva akaranem!' The right trans-

from

lation

is

as

follows

Ahura''Oh evil-knowing Angro mainyus fAhri.man) Quazda made these good weapons in the boundless time, the immortal holy Saints, the rulers and masters of the good creation, assisted Him in "making them!'
!

The true meaning of the mazda created in the boundless

ramazda)
created.

expression, that " Ahuratime," is, that God (Ahu-

is from eternity, self-existing, neither born ^nor Only an eternal being can be independent ci'>ine bounds of time to which all mortals are subject.