The Dabistan

" the bodily ascension (ascribed to him in the Ko-
'c ran)? As he brought thence no writing, in what
" way came the Koran down from heaven?"

A follower of Zerdusht, who stood in a corner,
now interrupted the philosopher, saying: " Main-
" tain all this, but do not deny miracles in general,
44 for our prophet too ascended to heaven." The
doctor replied : " You admit the existence of Yez-
t£ dan and Ahriman, in order that Yezdan may not
41 be said to be the author of evil; but you also assert,
" that Ahriman sprung forth from the evil thought
" of the all-just Lord; therefore he sprung from
" God, and evil originates from God, the All-Just :
'c you are therefore wrong in the fundamental prin-
" ciple, the very root of your religion, and wrong
" must be every branch which you derive from it."

A learned Brahman here took up the discussion :
"Thou deniest the prophetic missions; but.our
" Avatars rest upon these missions." The doctor
said: " You at first acknowledge one God, and then
6t you say that, having descended from his solitude,
" he assumed a great body; but God is not clothed
" with a body, wilich belongs to contingency and
" tangible matter. In like manner, you attribute
*4 wives to your gods. Vishnu, who according to
4 f some represents the second person of the divine
44 triad, according to others, is acknowledged as the
4t supreme God, is said to have descended from his