The Parsee religion

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ar.

38496

CORNELL

UNIVERSITY

LIBRARY

Cornell University Library
arW38496

The Parsee religion /

3 1924 031 767 779
olin.anx

Cornell University
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JE PAKSEE KELIGION,

' -''^ ?^ LL\^?Y DADABHAI NAOROJI, Esq.

J f I ifPratesBp): of Giqarati in the University of Loudon.)

t'obb the llvbbfool litesaky and philosophical society,
Makch 18th, 1861.

Like a soldier suddenly called to perform his movements before
a body of veteran officers, after having given up his military
habits for several years, I feel embarrassed and awkward on
being required to read a paper before a learned society such as
this, after having been, for the past six years, unused to the habits
of thought^ reading, and composition, necessary for such a task.
I have endeavoured, however, to do what I could, under the
circumstances, and as far as my limited leisure permitted.

I will first give some account of the present state of the
knowledge of the Parsees about their religion. The priests are
a separate caste^ and the priesthood is thus hereditary. As a
body, the priests are not only ignorant of the duties and objects
of their own profession, bat are entirely uneducated, except that
they are able to read and write, and that, also, often very imper-
fectly. To read and write they must learn, as they have to
prepare by rote a large number of prayers and recitations, which,
in the performance of their usual avocations, they are required
to recite. Their work chiefly consists of reciting certain pre-
scribed prayers on various religious occasions ; to go to the fire-
temple or sea-shore, and say a prayer for anybody that chooses
to give a halfpenny ; and to depend upon charities distributed
on various joyous or mournful occasions. They do not under-
stand a single word of these prayers or recitations, which are all
in the old Zend language.

From the state of their education and knowledge, they are
quite unfit for the pulpit ; nor do they aspire to it, or seem to

have any notion of the necessity of such teaching. The Parsees
have, therefore, no pulpit at present. Far from being the
teachers of the true doctrines and duties of their religion, the
priests are generally the most bigoted and superstitious, and
exercise much injurious influence over the women especially,
who, until lately, received no education at all.

The priests have, however, now begun to feel their degraded
position. Many of them, if they can do so, bring up their sons
in any other profession but their own. There are, perhaps, a
dozen, among the whole body of professional priests, who lay
claim to a knowledge of the Zend Avestd, the religious books
of the Parsees; but the only respect in which they are superior
to their brethren is, that they have learnt the meanings of
words of the books as they are taught, without knowing the
language, either philologically or grammatically. They have
been taught certain meanings for certain words, and they stick
to them as a matter of course. I doubt much whether any
one of them has a clear notion of what grammar is, and as to
a liberal education, they never had it, and do not, in conse-
quence, understand the necessity of it.

Such being the state of knowledge of the religious guides
and teachers among the Parsees, it may be easily conceived
what could be expected from a layman. The whole religious
education of a Parsee's child consists in preparing by rote a
certain number of prayers in Zend, without understanding a
word of them ; the knowledge of the doctrines of their religion
being left to be picked up from casual conversation. Under
these circumstances, a Parsee has not much opportunity of
knowing what his creed really is; the translation, besides, of
the Zend books, in the present vernacular of the Parsees, being
of very recent date. But, unfortunately, this translation is
a constant subject of dispute among the dozen would-be
learned priests alluded to before. This shameful want of the
means of religious education, and its slight extent among the
Parsee children, have of late attracted the attention of the com-
munity, and efforts are being made to supply the deficiency.

3

In my ignorance of the Zend language, I cannot do more
than depend upon this translation, though considered to be
somewhat imperfect. But, for the purposes of a paper like this,
the object of which is to give a general outline of the doctrines
of the Parsee religion, I think these materials will suffice.

The traditional number of the books of the Zend Avesta is
twenty-one, of which there are only three extant, and parts of
two more, viz., the Yazashne, the Vandidad, and the Khordeh
Avesta, and a part of the Visparad, and Vistasp Nusk.

There is a dialogue, in the vernacular, appended to the
Khordeh Avesta (small Avestd), which, I think, gives a suffi-
ciently accurate outline of the present belief of nearly the whole
of the orthodox body. I do not know of a certainty who its
author is. It has been composed more than a quarter of a
century ago, when English ideas and education had not made
much progress ; and is, therefore, I think, the more valuable,
as a faithful representation of the belief of the general mass.

The Khordeh Avesta is a collection of prayers addressed to
God and several angels, and it is some of these prayers, the
preparation of which by rote, forms the staple of the religious
education of the Parsee child. At the end of this book is
appended the dialogue, in the vernacular; and intelligent
priests, masters, and parents, that could read, welcomed this
aid, imperfect though it is, and a little irrelevant.

The subject of the dialogue is thus described : —
" A few questions and answers to acquaint the children of the

holy Zarthosti community with the subject of the Mazdi-

ashna religion {i. e., of the worship of God). Dialogue

between a Zarthosti master and pupil : —

Ques. Whom do we, of the Zarthosti community, believe in ?

Ans. We believe in only one God, and do not believe in
any besides him.

Ques, Who is that one God ?

Ans. The God who created the heavens, the earth, the
angels, the stars, the sun, the moon, the fire, the water, or all
the four elements, and all things of the two worlds ; that God

we believe in— Him we worship. Him we invoke, and Him we
adore.

Ques. Do we not believe in any other God ?
Ans. Whoever believes in any other God but this is an
infidel, and shall suiFer the punishment of hell.

Ques. What is the form of our God ?

Ans. Our God has neither face nor form, colour nor shape,
nor fixed place. There is no other like Him ; he is Himself
singly such a glory that we cannot praise or describe Him ; nor
our mind comprehend Him. .

Ques. Is there any such thing that God even cannot create ?

Ans. Yes ; there is one thing which God himself even
cannot create.

Qwes. What that thing is, must be explained to me.

Ans. God is the creator of all things, but if he wish to
create another like Himself, he cannot do it. God cannot
create another like Himself.

Ques. How many names are there for God?

Ans. It is said there are one thousand and one names ;
but of these one hundred and one are extant.

Ques. Why are there so many names of God ?

Ans, God's names, expressive of his nature, are two,
"Yazdan" (omnipotence), and "Pauk" (holy). He is also
named " Hormuzd " (the highest of spirits), "Daddr (the dis-
tributor of justice), " Purvurdegar " (provider), "Purvurtar"
(protector), by which names we praise him. There are many
other names, also, descriptive of his good doings.

Ques. What is our religion ?

Ans, Our religion is, " Worship of God."

Ques. Whence did we receive our religion ?

Ans. God's true prophet — the true Zurthost [Zoroaster]
Asphantamdn Anoshirwan — brought the religion for us from
God.

Ques. ^ Where should I turn my face when worshipping the
holy Hormuzd ?

Ans. ' We should worship the holy, just Hormuzd with our

face towards some of his creations of light, and glory, and
brightness.

Ques. Which are those things ?

Ans. Such as the sun, the moon, the stars, the fire, water,
and other such things of glory. To such things we turn
our face, and consider them our " kibleh " (literally, the thing
opposite), because God has bestowed upon them a small spark
of his pure glory, and they are, therefore, more exalted in the
creation, and fit to be our " kibleh " (representing this power and
glory).

Ques. Who was this true prophet, the true Zurthost ?

Ans. The son of Porosasp6, who was the son of Peteraspe,
was the excellent Zurthost Ashphantaman Anoshirwane — chief
of the wise, and the king of the learned — the worshipper of
God. Him did God exalt over all mankind, admitted to his
own presence; and by him did God send us his good Mazdiashni
religion. He has been our prophet.

Ques. Have we had any other prophet after Zurthost ?

Ans, No; we should remain attached with sincere faith to
the religion brought by him.

Ques. Among the creation of Hormuzd in this world, which
is the most exalted, and which the lowest ?

/ Ans. The great prophet is the most exalted, and that
prophet is the excellent Zurthost — none is higher than he ; the
height of dignity culminates in him, because he is the most
beloved and honoured of God. The servant of all is iron.

Ques. What religion has our prophet brought us from God ?

Ans. The disciples of our prophet have recorded in several
books that religion. Many of these books were destroyed
during the Alexandrian conquest, the remainder of the books
were preserved with great care and respect by the Sassanian
Kings. Of these again the greater portion were destroyed at the
Mahommedan conquest by Khalif Omar, so that we have now
very few books remaining, viz., the Vandidad, the Yazashne,
the Visparad, the Khordeh Avesta, the Vistasp Nusk, and a few
Pehlvi books. Resting our faith upon these few books, we now

remaia devoted to our good Mazdiashna religion. We consider
these books as heavenly books, because God sent the tidings of
these books to us through the holy Zurthost.

Ques. What other books had we during the times of our
kings ?

Ans. Innumerable on all subjects of learning, but the
enemies of our religion and sovereignty translated them in their
own languages, and thus, after usurping our wisdom, destroyed
our ancient Persian and Pehlvi works.

Ques. In what king's time did our prophet live ?

Ans. When a just and God-worshipping king, by name
GushtJishp [Hystaspes] the son of Lohorosp reigned. When
Jamasp was the sage, and Kustam the great warrior, did our
prophet bring the Mazdiashna religion from God. He performed
many miracles, and refuted the sages of Greece and India by such
miracles; then the King Gushtashp, the sage Jd^masp, and the
sages of Greece and India, believed in the religion brought by
Zurthost and accepted it.

Ques. Are our prophet's miracles recorded any where ?

Ans. Long accounts were recorded in our ancient books, of
which we have some portions extant. The wise and learned
Greeks of the time had also recorded the miracles and wisdom
and truth of our prophet, but their ignorant successors have,
from envy, altered and misrepresented those records. Not-
withstanding this, there are still some evidences in the old
Greek books.

Ques. What religion prevailed in Persia before the time of
Zurthost ?

Ans, The kings and the people were worshippers of God,
but they had, like the Hindoos, images of the planets and
idols in their temples. This religion is now designated the
Poriodakesi, which appears to be a mistake, for it seems the
religion of the Persians before Zurthost, was called Farsandaji
K&s, and its followers Farsandaji Kisan, while it is those that
adopted Zurthost's religion, were called the Poriodekesians.

Ques. Whose descendants are we?

Ans. Of Gayomars. By his progeny was Persia populated.

Ques. "Was Gayomars the first man ?

Ans. According to our religion he was so, but the wise men
of our community, of the Chinese, the Hindoos, and several
other nations, dispute the assertion, and say that there was
human population on the earth before Gayomars.

Ques. What commands has God sent us through his
prophet, the exalted Zurthost?

Ans. Many are those commands, but I give you the
principal, which must always be remembered, and by which we
must guide ourselves : —

To know God as one; to know the prophet, the exalted
Zurthost, as his true prophet ; to believe the religion and the
Avesta brought by him, as true beyond all manner of doubt ;
to believe in the goodness of God ; not to disobey any of the
commands of the Mazdiashna religion; to avoid evil deeds;
to exert for good deeds ; to pray five times in the day ; to
believe in the reckoning and justice on the fourth morning
after death ; to hope for heaven and to fear hell ; to consider
doubtless the day of general destruction and resurrection ; to
remember always that God has done what he willed, and shall
do what he wills ; to face some luminous object while worship-
ping God.

Qwes. If we commit any sin, will our prophet save us ?

Ans. Never commit any sin under that faith, because our
prophet, our guide to the right path, has distinctly commanded
"you shall receive according to what you do." Your deeds
will determine your return in the other world. If you do
virtuous and pious actions, your reward shall be heaven. If
you sin and do wicked things, you shall be punished in hell.
There is none save God that could save you from the con-
sequences of your sins. If any one commit a sin under the
belief that he shall be saved by somebody, both the deceiver
as well as the deceived shall be damned to the day of " Rasta
Khez," (the day of the end of this world). * * *

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Qaes. Have any persons endeavoured to deceive the people
by oflFering to intercede for them and to save them ?

Ans. Some deceivers, with a view of acquiring exaltation in
this world, have set themselves up as prophets, and going among
the labouring and ignorant people, have persuaded them that, " if
you commit sin, I shall intercede for you, I shall plead for you,
I shall save you ; " and thus deceive them, but the wise among
those people know the deceit. They do not, however, dare to
speak their mind for fear of the deluded multitude. Our
prophet needed no exaltation here, he was exalted before God,
and he told us the true command, " you shall receive accord-
ing to your deeds." There is no saviour. In the other world
^ou shall receive the return according to your actions.
* * * Your saviour is your deeds, and God

himself. He is " Bakhsh^ande," (the pardoner), and " Bakh-
shdyazgar," (the giver). If you repent your sins and reform,
and if the great judge consider you worthy of pardon, or would
be mercifal to you. He alone can and will save you.

Ques. Why are God and his prophet addressed in the rude
singular "thou," instead of the polite plural "you?"

Ans. Because God is only one, and there is none like Him,
and there is only one prophet.

Ques. What are those things by which man is blessed and
benefitted ?

Ans. To do virtuous deeds, to give in charity, to be kind,
to be humble, to speak sweet words, to wish good to others,
to have a clear heart, to acquire learning, to speak the truth,
to suppress anger, to be patient and contented, to be friendly,
to feel shame, to pay due respect to the old and young, to be
pious, to respect our parents and teachers. All these are the
friends of the good men and enemies of the bad men.

Ques. What are those things by which man is lost and
degraded ?

Ans. To tell untruths, to steal, to gamble, to look with
wicked eye upon a woman, to commit treachery, to abuse, to be

9

angry, to wish ill to another, to be proud, to mock, to be idle,
to slander, to be avaricious, to be disrespectful, to be shameless,
to be hot-tempered, to take what is another's property, to be
revengeful, unclean, obstinate, envious, to do harm to any
man, to be superstitious, and do any other wicked and iniquitous
action. These are all the friends of the wicked, and the enemies
of the virtuous.

Such is the religious knowledge which the Parsees of more
than a quarter of a century ago endeavoured to communicate
to their children, or at least wished them to be taught, but
I do not think that even this dialogue had been, till very lately,
made a necessary part of the child's religious education.
From one question quoted, not quite bearing upon the Parsee
religion, but evidently meant for a reason against Christianity,
it may have' struck the reader that this dialogue was perhaps
written under the pressure of the efforts of Christian mission-
aries to convert Parsee youths.

It. remains, however, to be seen how far the doctrines and
injunctions taught in this dialogue are authorised by the
Zend Avestd, and what other doctrines are taught in them.
The best thing I can do, I think, is to give here a series of
extracts from the translation of one of these Zend books,
sufficient to give a faithful general notion of the doctrines and
morality of the Zoroastrian religion.

I have given extracts from only one of the books, as I have
not had time enough at my disposal to study and extract from
the others. This book, the Yazashne, is divided into seventy-
two chapters called "Ha." Of the first "Ha," I give an
abstract of almost the whole, as from it will be at once obtained
some idea of the peculiarities of this religion : —

" The great judge, Hormuzd, full of glory and brightness,
I invoke. The highest, the all-virtuous, the greatest, the
strictest, the all-wise, of the purest nature, the holiest, lover of
gladness, the invisible among the invisible, the increaser. He

10

created our soul — He moulded our body — He gave us existence.
Him I invoke, and complete this Yazasline. Good conscience,
high piety, love of excellence, high and perfect thought,
Khordad and Amardad, the sheep and their souls, the fire of
God, all other angels that reach us, the time of day, which is
exalted by holiness, the early dawn — all these I remember or
invoke in this Yazashne. The morning angels * Sawang ' and
' Vis ' that are exalted by holiness, the angel ' Meher,' the lord
and guardian of the forest of thousand ears and ten thousand
eyes, gladness and comfort, the noon time of day and its angels,
' Furadadare ' (Fase) and ' Jand.' The afternoon time of day
and its angels, ' Furadadare Vir,' and ' Deh,' exalted by holi-
ness. The angel ' Burzo/ of the source of water, and the waters
created by God. The night time of day and its angels, Fura-
dadare Visp,' ' Hujivas,' and Zurthosturotum,' the holy souls of
men and women, the year that is spent in virtue and excellence,
and the great and brave, created by God, beautiful and
victorious. [I know not who is meant here — the translator
puts in the angel ' Behram.'] The time after midnight and
its angels, ' Berej,' and ' Numan,' exalted by holiness, the
angel ' Surosh/ the prayerful and victorious, and the promoter
of things in the world, the just 'Rashne,' and 'Astad,' the
bestdwer of freshness to creation — all these I invoke or remem-
ber, and complete this Yazashne. The months that are exalted
by holiness, the six Ghumbars (the feasts of the seasons, which
are all named) . The year, exalted by holiness, the chiefs that
are great by holiness, the three and thirty that surround the
' Howanim,' that are shown by Hormuzd and communicated by
Zurthost. [I cannot tell what these are; the translators apply
this description to the thirty-three implements of the cere-
monial.] The holy, high, and immortal angel ' Meher,' the
king of cities, the stars, the bright star ' Tester,' the moon, and
the glorious sun, rider of the fleet horse, created by God, and
the ocean of light — all these I invoke or remember, and com-
plete this Yazashne." All the angels of the thirty days of the

11

month, of the twelve months, of the five " Gathas " (the inter-
calary days), are each then invoked by their respective names,
in their order.

" The glorious fire, created by^God, the water that is created
by God, all the vegetable creation of God, the holy and high
angel * Marespund,' whose justice is not of the wicked ' dews '
(the evil spirits) ; such is also the justice of Zurthost — the long-
enduring ways of the good Mazdiashna religion (religion of the
worship of the almighty) — these I remember or invoke, and
complete this Yazashne.

" The holy mountain ' Hoshdostar,' created by God, all
mountains created by God, the glory of the ' Kayanian ' kings
of Persia, created by God, the glory of the holy priests, created
by God, the good angel ' Arsesung,' of great intelligence and
wisdom, glorious, and bestower of benefits, created by God, the
virtuous, the good, prayerful, and holy men, and the angel
'Daham,' of high thought — all these I invoke or remember, and
complete this Yazashne.

" This place, and cities, and forests, and places of comfort,
and water, and land, and trees, this whole earth, the sky, the
holy wind, the stars, the moon, the sun, the God-created
immeasurable light, all the 'holy angels, and all pure creation
that is exalted by holiness, I remember or invoke, and complete
this Yazashne.

" The highest Lord, who is all purity, the Lord of the days,
of the months, of the year, of the Ghumbars, Him I invoke at
this early dawn, and complete this Yazashne.

" The holy and powerful departed soul of the ' Poriodakesi,'
my own soul, all the angels of both worlds, created by God, who
are exalted by their holiness, the five times of prayer of the day
and their angels — all I invoke or remember."

This first " Ha" ends with the following prayer : —

"If I have by thought, word, or deed, intentionally or
unintentionally, not kept thy commands, and thereby saddened
thee, I invoke thee in this invocation, I pray to thee, and praise '
thee, and beseech thee for thy pardon."

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A somewhat similar prayer is made to all the angels, and
then follows : — I learn the Zurthosti religion, the worship of
God, which is different from that of the dews (the evil spirits),
and is like the justice of God.

In the above extracts, I have not repeated the words " I
invoke," and " remember," as often as they do actually occur
in the original, and I have said " 1 invoke or remember," by
which I mean that all spiritual objects are invoked, and all
material ones remembered.

The next five chapters are almost in the same strain and
style, with several additions among the objects of invocation
and remembrance, such as " light proceeding out of God himself,
the soul of the prophet made an ' Tzad ' (angel) by God : God,
the creator of all things, of light, the eternal, the omnipotent."

In the course of these six chapters, as also in many others,
God and the angels, and the various objects of creation, are
addressed in various ways, such as " I love," " I honor,"
" I praise," " 1 remember," " Consider holy," " I gladden,"
" I invoke."

" Ha 7- — I accept, and am glad to do deeds of virtue. May,I
receive the reward for piety through your bounty, O great
and wise Lord, the reward that is due to the religious, may I
and mine receive ; that reward may thou give from thy stores
of bounty in such a way, in this and the spiritual world, that
I may be exalted ; and may I live for ever and ever under thy
all-holy leadership and all-virtuous protection. I understand
'honwar' exalted, and truth-telling exalted. I praise the
virtuous, the good, and the prayerful."

"Ha 8. — O God, in thy creation, those that are virtuous and
follow thy commands, to them give thou water and fruit, and
over all good things of this world, such as they desire, give
them command. May the aspirations of the holy be fulfilled.
May the wicked and the evil-doers be disappointed, and be
swept away from the creation of the holy creator.

" I, that is Zurthost, of the Hormuzdi and Zurthosti religion,
I rise up before all the others, of the streets, and of the towns.

13

and of the citiesj and with highly good thoughts, highly good
words, and highly good deeds, pray for freedom and ease to the
community of holy men — to the wicked I pray for hardship and
destruction."

Ha 9 contains a dialogue between Zurthost and the angel
Hom. I do not know what the duties of this angel are.
He is described by Zurthost, in his* personal interview with
him, as the destroyer of death, and created holy. In reply to
Zurthost's inquiries he names four persons who prayed to him,
and obtained the desire of their prayers, in having sons born
to them of glorious names and deeds. The four persons are,
Ist. Vingham, the father of the great Jamshed, during whose
reign there was no death. 2nd. Athwian, the father of the
great Paredoon, the vanquisher of Zohac, the tyrant and scourge
of mankind. The 3rd, the warrior Sam, the father of the great
hero, Kershasp, who destroyed the dragon, Sarronny, full of
poison and destruction, and of the holy and pious Ornakhsh ;
and the 4th, Porosusp, the father of you holy and just
Zurthost. Zurthost, then, praises him as exalted in the
presence of the great God, by his virtuous and holy deeds, and
prays to him to assist him in destroying all that is evil and
wicked, and to bestow on him the power of doing good.
" The first request I make, O Hom, the destroyer of death, is,
may I attain the abode that is full of rest and glory, reserved
for those that are holy. The second request I make of jow,

Hom, the destroyer of death, is, may my present body
enjoy good health. The third request I make, O Hom, the
destroyer of death, is, may I live a long life. The fourth
virtue I ask from you, O Hom, the destroyer of death, is, may

1 do like those, who. with courage and gladness, pursue, in this
world, the path of righteousness, and destroy whatever is evil.
The fifth virtue I ask, O Hom, the destroyer of death, is, may
I do as those brave men, who, in battle, fight gloriously to
destroy oppression and wickedness. The sixth virtue I ask
from you, O Hom, the destroyer of death, is, may I know,
beforehand, the intrigues of the enemies, the attack of the

14

thieves and the wolves ; teach rae to thwart the evil designs of
the wicked, the impious, and the deceiver."

Horn is then described as the inspirer of courage and strength
in the warrior and his steed ; the bestower of children and good
husbands, the inspirer of wisdom to the student of learning,
the disappointer of those rulers who wish destruction to the
worshippers of God, the«just, the distinguisher of good from
evil, &c. " The king and the ' durwesh' of good conscience are
equal before your eyes."

The 10th and 1 1th Ha are also in praise and description of
the power and duties of Horn. In one place, the person
praying, or Horn, I cannot tell which, says — "I am among
those of virtuous thoughts, and not among those of wicked
thoughts. I am among those of virtuous words, and not
among those of wicked words. I am among those of virtuous
deeds, and not among those of wicked deeds. I am among
the obedient performers of God's commands, and not among the
disobedient. I am among the holy men, and not among the
sinful.

1 2th Ha, in which, as in several other places, is enjoined to
protect and take care of the helpless sheep ; and after a general
prayer for the good and against the wicked, ends thus — "I
(the person praying) am of the religion (rf " the worship of
God. I praise that religion, and declare it before the wicked,
and praise it with good conscience, virtuous words, and
virtuous deeds," &c.

From the 12th to the 18th Ha, are invocations and acknow-
ledgements of the power and goodness of God, the greater and
smaller angels, all things spiritual and material in creation,
the thirty angels of the days of the month, &c., &c., as in the
first seven Has.

Prom the 19th Ha, I give more extracts : Zurthost asks
God — " Tell me, O great invisible God, the creator and pro-
moter of all creation, what were thy words before the existence
of the heavens, before the waters, the world, the harmless sheep
and other animals, before the trees, before the glorious fire.

15

created by thee, O Hormuzd, before the holy , man, before the
■wicked spirits of dull reason, before all thy creations in the world,
and before all the good and holy things created by thee —
what were thy words ? " God replies thus — " O supentaman
Zurthost, those words were the parts of ' Honwar ' — those that
I have told you; these were my words before the heavens,
before the waters," &c., &c. [The parts of the " Honwar "
are explained by the translator to mean the twenty-one books
or parts of the religion of God, promulgated by Zoroaster.]
" O supentaman^ whoever shall learn or repeat, without weary-
ing, these parts of 'Honwar,' shall attain a hundred times
greater superiority than by learning or repeating any other
holy words. Him shall I pass over the ' Chinwad Pul ' (the
bridge in heaven over which the souls pass on the fourth
morning after death), and admit him to the paradise of the
holy that is fall of glory. Whoever shall forget these holy
words shall have his soul kept at a distance from the glorious
paradise, at the same distance at which his soul shall be from
his body, at a distance of the whole length of the world.
Before I created the heavens, before the waters, &c., I created
Khurshed (the sun) to give light to the universe. The great
body of the holy men that have been, that are, and that will
be, is so holy on account of obeying the commands of God,
and having done other good deeds. Whoever shall study
and meditate much upon the words of the ' Honwar,' and
recollect them, and act according to them, after death shall
attain to everlasting exaltation. All the days of the holy man
are with thoughts of truth, words of truth, and deeds of truth.
The high priest is he who is learned in the religion, and whose
whole life is devoted to the promotion of righteousness in the
world.

Hi 20 — Whoever tastes the pleasure of righteousness which
is above all other pleasures, and walks in righteousness, shall be
perfectly holy ; he is virtuous, who walks in virtue among the
holy men, and is true to them.

Ha 24 — The righteous are immortal.

16

Ha 30 — He who knows God through His works reaches him.

Ha 31.— Zurthost asks — 'What is the reward to the holy
and good from your bounty, and what is to become of the
heathen and the wicked ?' Hormuzd replied — ' On the day of
reckoning the wicked shall be destroyed (I am not quite sure of
the word which I have translated destroyed); those that are
hostile to the virtuous — to the harmless animals, and men — those
that tell untruths and do wicked actions, shall not receive the
reward of life from Hormuzd. He only shall receive the reward,
at the time of reckoning, who in his heart believes in God, and
does not injure the promoters of holiness. To speak true words
is true excellence. He who leads the holy man astray, there is
bewailing and moaning for his soul after death, and for a long
time, his soul has to live in the abode of darkness, to suffer
great hardships — that dark abode which is for the wicked;
your evil deeds shall draw you to it.'

Ha 33 — Zurthost says — ' The wicked are punished according
to their thoughts, and words, and deeds. Better it is that they
be introduced to a taste of learning. O Hormuzd ! give them
a desire for wisdom, that they may become the promoters of
holiness. Give me, O Hormuzd, the two desires, to see and to
self- question.'

Ha 34 — ' O Hormuzd, I worship thee, and in the heavens,
also, I shall worship thee much. What, O Hormuzd, is thy
will, what thy worship, and what is thy invocation?' God.
replies — 'See and adorn holiness — learn my ways of holiness
with a good conscience.' ' Tell me, O Hormuzd, the ways of
good conscience.' ' To be glad with the religion of the good,
with virtuous deeds, aad with holiness.'

'For holiness and purity, I ask the aid of Ardibeshest (angel
of fire) ; for pure thoughts, I ask the aid of Bahaman, and I
ask Sharever's aid. I worship thee, O Hormuzd, above all
others — I invoke thee above all others. All virtuous thoughts,
all virtuous words, and all virtuous works flow from thee. O
Hormuzd, I invoke thy pure nature, above all others.'

' By my deeds may I (says Zurthost) exalt and honour thy

17

name. Under the protection of thy great wisdom have I
acquired wisdom ; may I reach thee ; may I. always be firm in
thy friendship, and in holy deeds.' "

Ha 44 contains a series of questions from Zurthost to God,
among which occur the following, and in which the interroga-
tion implies the reply — " If not thou : " —

"O wise Hormnzd, I ask of thee, what is the greatest
exaltation in this world ? How can any, who wishes benefit to
himself, be holy, promote virtue, be the beloved of Hormuzd
among the creations. O wise Hormuzd, I ask, who is the
creator and promoter of holiness ? How have the revolutions
of the sun and moon been created ? How does the moon wax
and wane ? O Hormuzd, give me the knowledge of these ?
O Hormuzd, I ask, who has made the earth stand unsupported?
Who has created the waters and the trees ? Who has created
the air which flows of itself with such force ? Who has
created Bahaman? Who has created the receiving of light
and of darkness ? Who has created the times of the day, and
the time of reckoning and judgment? Who has created the
desire to be exalted through virtuous thoughts? Who has
created the affection that the child receives from the father ?
O Hormuzd, I hope more from thee than from all others.
Thou art the promoter of all goodness — the holy Hormuzd —
Thou art the creator of all creation.

" Say to me — How may my soul attain to the gladness of
both worlds ? How may I impart purity to this religion that
the virtuous and wise may learn greatness, and Bahaman
(good conscience), and Ardebehest (high virtue), enter their
hearts and abide there ; and, in the treasures of religion, exalt
truth above all ?

" What is the high religion ? The reply — That which
promotes my holiness and truth with good thought, word, and
deed.

" O Hormuzd, give me thy wisdom and treasure that I may
rejoice. O wise Hormuzd, whoever is holy questions himself;
whoever is wicked rejects this my religion that benefits. How

c

18

do the e\^l-disposed suffer annihilation, who do not subject
themselves to self-reflection through Bahaman (good con-
science) ? When is the time of resurrection and final judgment?
How can one deserve the reward of ten young horses and
camels ? Thou gavest to Khordad and Amardad this reward —
this reward thou givest to the truth-speaker. Who are those
sinners whose end is destruction ? O Hormuzd, why may not
these sinners become virtuous ? Who will destroy them? The
reward of the unholy, of the deceivers, of the outragers of
justice, and the destroyers of the harmless animals, shall not be
like that of the holy and virtuous.

Ha 45. — To those that are conscientiously religious, and are
promoters of religion, God is friend, brother, and father.

Ha 46. — May all men and women of the world become my
followers, and become acquainted with thy exalted religion, that
I may rise in thy praise and in thy religion with prayer ; and
pray with a pure conscience.

Whoever accepts Zurthost's religion, praises it, and medi-
tates on it, and studies it much, to him God gives a place in the
other world, and in this world Bahaman (good conscience) gives
him exaltation. Sinners of wicked thoughts, wicked words,
and wicked deeds, of wicked doctrines, have to their souls
presented bitter and detestable food in that well-known and
permanent house of the wicked spirits.

H£ 51. — I bless all good men and women that have been,
that are, and that shall be. May they enjoy for ever and ever
the invisible treasure, according to their desire. May water,
and sheep, and vegetation, aiford all comfort to them. May the
inflictions of evil spirits and evil men never approach them.

Ha 55. — O Mazdiashnans ! desire to invoke the pure
Surosh."

This Surosh is described to be the guardian and protecting
angel of this world. He protects men from the evil spirits of
hell, and of M^zandaran, from all that is evil, anger, and
injustice, &c.

" Ha 56. — ^I invoke the benefit and success of prayer : to

19

arrive at prayer is to arrive at a perfect conscience : the good
seed of prayer is virtuous conscience^ virtuous words^ and
virtuous deeds. May our prayers be eflScacious in thwarting
the inflictions of wicked spirits and wicked men. May I love
prayer to Hormuzd, for that prayer is joy to me. I resort to
prayerj I invoke prayer. Prayer to thee, O Hormuzd, is the
giver of excellence, holiness, success, and high exaltation — it
is the act of virtue. May the fold (of sheep) of the people of
this street not diminish — may virtue not diminish — may the
strength of the holy men not diminish — may not Hormuzd's
justice diminish — may the good and exalted holy souls arrive
here — may the virtue of the virtuous endure, and may wicked-
ness vanish. In this house — may obedience prevail over dis-
obedience, peace over quarrels, charity over hard-heartedness,
good thoughts over bad thoughts, words of truth over words of
lie, piety over sin.

Ha 59. — I enjoin on earth, and in heaven to study the
'Honwar.' I enjoin holiness on earth and in heaven j that
to pray much to Hormuzd is good, I enjoin in heaven and
on earth. I enjoin the holy and the virtuous, and the prayerful,
on earth and in heaven, to punish the evil spirit and his works,
which are wicked and full of death — to punish the thief and
the tyrant — punish the magicians of cruel intentions — punish
the breakers of promise, and those that induce others to break
their promise — to punish the harassers of good and holy men —
to punish the evil thoughts, words, and deeds of the sinful."

Has 62 to 64. — The angels of fire and water, and other
angels are prayed to for several sorts of benefits and blessings ;
among others, a son who would help and protect him, and be
a worthy man —who would not wish ill to anybody — who would
not hurt anybody with any arms — who would not seek revenge,
nor do harm.

I now arrange some of these extracts under different heads,
as inferences derived from them. To avoid repetition, I shall
not, under each head, give all the texts corroborative of it.

The Parsees believe in only one God, the creator of all.

20

" 1st Ha. — The great judge, Hormuzd, of glory and bright-
ness, the highest, the all-virtuous, the greatest, strictest, the
all-wise, of the purest nature, the holiest, lover of gladness
— invisible to the invisible, the increaser — He created our
soul — He moulded our body — He gave us existence. Ha 84.
— I worship thee, O Hormuzd, above all others, I invoke thee
above all others, all virtuous thoughts, all virtuous words, and
all virtuous works, flow from thee. O Hormuzd, I invoke thy
pure nature above all others. By my deeds may I exalt a,nd
honour thy name. Under the protection of thy great wisdom
have I acquired wisdom. May I reach thee. May I always be
firm in thy friendship and in holy deeds."

In Ha 44 several extracts relate to this subject, especially
God as the creator of all, ending in " Thou art the Creator of
all Creation."

In a prayer to Hormuzd (Hormuzd Yasht) occurs this^-^
" My name is the Creator of all."

Zurthost worships God not only in this world, but in the
heavens also — Ha 34, " O Hormuzd, I worship thee, and in the
heavens, also, shall I worship thee much."

The Parsees believe in the existence of angels, created by
God, with powers to aid and benefit mankind in various ways,
and to be the superintending spirits of the various parts of
creation. The chief among these are the angels of good con-
science (Bahaman), and of high piety (Ardebehsht) ; the former
is also the protecting angel of the harmless animals, and the
latter the angel of fire.

" 1st Ha. — I invoke good conscience, high piety, love of
excellence, high and perfect thought, Khordad and Amardad ;
all other angels that reach us ; the angel ' Meher,' the lord
and guardian of. the forest, of thousand ears and ten thousand
eyes of gladness and of comfort." Many other extracts can
be made to deduce the above inference.

The various parts of creation are praised, or remembered,
or considered holy, &c.

The first seven Has contain many texts illustrative of this.

21

" The fire created by God, the time of day, the early dawn,
the waters created by God, the year that is spent in holiness,
the moon and the glorious sun, the ocean of light, the stars,
the immeasurable light, the mountains and the trees, the forest,
the sheep, and the harmless animals ; " in short, nature, in her
various parts and phenomena, is sometimes praised, sometimes
remembered, sometimes described as holy.

As far as I have seen, there is no text in which any lifeless
material object without intelligence or spirituality is invoked
for assistance or benefit. Such prayers are always directed to
intelligent spirits br angels, and to God above all, and as the
Creator and Lord of all.

The Parsee believes in the immortality of the soul, and in
rewards and punishments after death.

" Ha 7- — O great and wise Lord, the reward that is due to
the religious, may I and mine receive ; that reward mayst thou
give from thy stores of bounty in such a way, in this and the
spiritual world, that I may be exalted, and may I live for ever
and ever under thy alUholy leadership, and all-virtuous pro-
tection.

" Ha 8. — May the aspirations of the holy be fulfilled, may
the wicked and evil-doers be disappointed, and be swept away
from the creation of the holy creator. The righteous are
immortal."

Extracts from Ha 31 bear on this point.

Notwithstanding the abhorrence of evil and evil-doers, the
Parsee is made to wish that the wicked may be converted to
virtue.

" Ha 33.-^The wicked are punished according to their
thoughts, and words, and deeds. Better it be that they be
introduced to a taste of learning. O Hormuzd, give them a
desire for wisdom, that they may become promoters of holiness.

" Ha 44. — O Hormuzd, why may not these sinners become
virtuous ? "

The Parsee rests his pardon on the mercy of God, and his
reward on the bounty of God.

22

"Ha 1. — If I have by thought, word, or deed, intentionally
or unintentionallyj not kept thy commands, and thereby sad-
dened thee, I invoke thee in this invocation, I pray to thee and
praise thee, and beseech thee for thy pardon.

" Ha 7. — May I receive the reward for piety through your
bounty."

The morality of this religion is comprised in the three words,
pure-thought, pure-word, and pure-deed ; and holiness, virtue,
prayers, &c., are praised and exalted, and inculcated in many
places.

" Ha /• — I praise the virtuous, the good, and the prayerful.

Ha 19. — The high priest is he who is learned in the religion,
and whose whole life is devoted to the promotion of righteous-
ness in the world.

Ha 20. — Whoever tastes the pleasure of righteousness,
which is above all other pleasures, and walks in righteousness,
shall be perfectly holy. He is virtuous who walks in virtue
among holy men, and is true to them.

Ha 34. — What, O Hormuzd, is thy will, what thy worship,
and what thy invocation? God replies — See and adorn holiness
— learn my ways of holiness with a good conscience. — Tell me,
O Hormuzd, the ways of good conscience. — To be glad with
the religion of the good, with virtuous deeds, and with holiness.

Ha 66. — May the virtue of the virtuous endure, and may
wickedness vanish. In this house, may obedience prevail over
disobedience, peace over quarrel, charity over hard-heartedness,
good thoughts over bad thoughts, truth over words of lie, and
piety over sin.

Ha 59. — I enjoin on earth and in heaven to study the
' Honwar.' I enjoin holiness on earth and in heaven. That to
pray much to Hormuzd is good, I enjoin in heaven and on
earth. I enjoin the holy, and the virtuous, and the prayerful,
on earth and in heaven, to punish the evil spirit and his works,
which are wicked and full of death — to punish the thief and the
tyrant — punish the magicians of cruel intentions — to punish the
breakers of promise, and those that induce others to break their

23

promise — to punish the harassers of good and holy men — to
punish the evil thoughts, words, and deeds of the sinful."

Truth is particularly inculcated.

" Ha 7. — I understand truth-telling exalted,

H^ 19. — All the days of the holy man are with thoughts of
truth, words of truth, and deeds of truth.

Ha 31. — To speak true words is true excellence."

The Parsee believes in the necessity and efficacy of prayer.

" Hd 56. — ^I invoke the benefit and success of prayer. To
arrive at prayer is to arrive at a perfect conscience j the good
seed of prayer is virtuous conscience, virtuous words, and
virtuous deeds. May our prayers be efficacious in thwarting the
inflictions of the wicked spirits and wicked men. May I love
prayer, O Hormuzd, for prayer is joy to me. I resort to prayer,
and I invoke prayer. Prayer to thee, O Hormuzd, is the giver
of excellence, holiness, success, and high exaltation ; it is the
act of virtue.

Ha 59. — To pray much to Hormuzd is good, I enjoin in
heaven and on earth."

The study of the religion is considered most meritorious j
and the holy word (the Zend Avestd) is said to have been created
by God before all creation. Extracts from Ha 19 all refer to
this subject.

" Ha 44. — What is the high religion ? That which promotes
holiness and truth with good thought, word, and deed."

H£ 19 declares " Honwar " (the word of God) to have been
created before the heavens, before the waters, before all creation ;
and that whoever studies them without wearying shall attain to
the paradise of the holy, which is full of glory.

" Ha 59. — I enjoin on earth and in heaven to study the
Honwar."

The Parsee religion is for all, and not for any particular
nation or people.

" Ha 46i — May all men and women of the world become
my followers, and become acquainted with thy exalted religion.
Whoever accepts Zurthost's religion, praises it, and meditates

24

on it, and studies it much, to him G-od gives a place in the
other world; and in this world Bahaman (geod conscience)
gives him exaltation."

The Parsee religion contains no propitiating of the devil.
There is not a single reference to the thoughts, or words, or
deeds of evil spirits, without wishing destruction or reformation
to them.

" Ha ] . — I learn the Zurthosti religion, the worship of God,
which is different to that of the Dews (the evil spirits), and is
like the justice of God.

Ha 8.— May the wicked and the evil-doers be disappointed,
and be swept away from the creation of the holy Creator.

Ha 12. — I am of the religion of the worship of God, I
praise that religion and declare it before the wicked, and
praise it with good conscience, and virtuous words, and virtuous
deeds.

Ha 44. — O Hormuzd, why may not these sinners become
virtuous ?

Ha 33. — The wicked are punished according to their
thoughts, words, and deeds. Better it be that they be intro-
duced to a taste of learning. O Hormuzd, give them a desire
for wisdom, that they may become promoters of holiness."

The Parsees are called by others, " Fire Worshippers," and
they defend themselves by saying that they do not worship the
fire, but regard it and other great natural phenomena and
objects as emblems of the divine power. To me it appears
that the imputation, on the one hand, is wrong, and the
defence, on the other hand, a little overshot. Though the
Parsee '' remembers, praises, loves, or regards holy," whatever
is beautiful, or wonderful, or harmless, or^ useful in nature, he
never asks from an unintelligent material object, asdstauce or
benefit j he is, therefore, no idolater, or worshipper of matter.
On the other hand, when the Parsee addresses his prayers to
Hormuzd, or God, he never thinks it at all necessary that he
should turn his face to any particular object. He would say,
and does say, his "Hormuzd yasht" (prayer to Hormuzd)

25

anywhere whatever without the slightest misgiving. Again,
when he addresses the angel of water, or any other but that of
fire, he does not stand before the fire. It is only when he
addresses the angel of fire that he turns his face to the fire.
In short, in addressing any particular angel, he turns his face
to the object «of that angel's guardianship as his emblem. But,
in his prayers to Hormuzd, he recognises, or uses, or turns his
face to no emblems whatever. Since fire only could be brought
within the limits of a temple — any of the grand objects of
nature (as the sea, the sun, &c.) being unavailable for this pur-
pose — the temples naturally became the sanctuaries of fire alone,
and hence has arisen the mistake of the Parsees being regarded
as " Fire Worshippers."

This much is clear in Ha 30 — " He who knows God through
his works reaches him ; " but I do not recollect meeting with
any text enjoining a Parsee to turn his face to any particular
object as an emblem of &od ; though he is directed, as in the
above text, to rise from Nature to Nature's God.

I do not recollect meeting with a text, that " the Evil Spirit
is coeval with God." In one place Ha 19, all wicked spirits
are spoken of as having come into existence after a certain
event — "Tell me, O great invisible God, the creator and pro-
moter of all creation, what were thy words before the existence
of the heavens, before the waters, * * before the wicked
spirits of dull reason, before all creation," &c. Whether these
wicked spirits include or not the well-known Harimkn among
them, I cannot tell. It is generally supposed that Hormuzd
and HarimS,n are good and evil principles. I do not think that
I have met with any text that supports this theory, as far as
Hormuzd is concerned, or in which the good principle is
personified. Hormuzd is distinctly "The intelligent living
Creator," as far as I can gather, and not a mere personification
of the principle of good — a Creator distinct from his creation,
either material, moral, intellectual, or spiritual.

In the Yazashne, scarcely once even is Hariman mentioned.
Harim&,n, not by this very name, but by the name of Angare

26

Meniiis is mentioned in the Vandidad as having, to thwart
Hormuzd's good works, produced several evils. This Angare
Meniiis is rendered in the Gujarati translation, Gana Mino,
which, I think, means the " sinning angel," though I am not
quite sure of it. I am not at present able to say more about
the age, or nature, or meaning of Harim^n ; but one thing is
clear, that evil will have an end.

" Ha 31. — On the day of reckoning all the wicked shall be
annihilated."

At the end of the Yazashne is given a list of God's one
hundred and one names. Whether all have their authority in
the Avesta I cannot say. Among them occur the following —
The Almighty, Omniscient, Omnipresent, the Lord of the
Universe ; without beginning and without end : the beginning
of all — the end of all; the greatest without a like, without
rival, &c.

The language of these one hundred and one names, as far
as I can judge, from my limited knowledge of the modern
Persian, is not Zend.

These extracts are, I think, sufficient to give a general idea
of the character and doctrines of the Parsee religion j but it
must be remembered that I am not well qualified to speak with
any authority on the subject. I have received at third hand
the extracts I have given. The original Zend is translated into
Pehlvi, from the Gujarati translation of which I have given in
English. This Gujarati translation is considered rather imper-
fect, and in several places it is so confused that 1 have omitted
giving some more extracts, simply because they are ambiguous
or unintelligible.

I have avoided giving any opinion on, or discussing any of
the doctrines. I give the extracts as faithfully as my hurried
reading has permitted, leaving it to the reader to draw his
own conclusions.

Besides the Yazashne, from which the preceding extracts
are given, there are only three or four other books considered
by the Parsees as a portion of their original religious books.

27

But priestcraft acting upon ignorance has not failed to do
its usual work, and has left a legacy of a few books which
the Parsee has no reason to he thankful for. Many ceremonies
and notions have thus been introducedj and the reformers of the
day contend that all those ceremonies and notions that have
no authority in the original Zend Avesta ought to be abolished
and disavowed. Of course the old orthodox Parsees and the
Priests do not like this at all.

When I read the Old Testament many years ago, I was very
much struck with parts here and there that almost described
the present belief and practices of the Parsees. I have not had
time at present to go over the whole book again, but I just
turned over its pages to select some of these passages.

I do not know whether the offering of sacrifices is an insti-
tution in the Parsee religion— it is not the present practice.
Chapter XI of Leviticus concerning what beasts may, and what
beasts may not be eaten, what fishes, what fowls, and what
creeping things are unclean ; the command to wash the clothes
in touching the dead carcases of unclean animals, to break the
earthen vessel, and consider everything touched as defiled, &c.,
may be taken as a fair description of what the orthodox Parsees
at present believe and observe. This belief being now rather
traditional, I do not know whether it goes into the details of
the unclean and clean animals, as in verses 13 to 22.

Chapter 12 on the purification of women after child-birth,
with the exception of the circumcision, of the three-score and
six days for the purification of blood on the birth of a daughter,
(which is also 40 days among the Parsees,) and the offerings, is
almost all applicable to the Parsees.

Chapter XV on the uncleanliness of men and women in
their issues, and cleansing them, with the exception of being
unclean until the even, and the offerings, is applicable to the
Parsees, and is of present observance among them.

Chapter XVIII on unlawful marriages and lusts is observed
by the Parsees; marriage among cousins is recommended, and
the Parsees are entirely monogamists. I have an impression

28

that among the Parsees there is an ordinance by which a man
of blemish is not allowed to become a ministering priest.

In the Book of Psalms there are passages which strike as
similar to the extracts given before from the Yazashne.

At the commencement I gave some account of the present
imperfect knowledge of the Parsees about their own religion,
I do not however mean to blame them much for it. A handful
of persecuted exiles living in a foreign land, surrounded for
1200 years by idolatry, and persecuted at times by religious
fanaticism, it is rather a matter of surprise, as with the Jews, that
the Parsees have preserved their national type and character,
and their original worship. Though they have not altogether
escaped contamination, and have adopted many superstitious
ceremonies and notions of the Hindoos, they have always
recoiled from degenerating to the worship of idols, and have
tenaciously clung to the idea that they were worshippers of the
invisible Hormuzd. Believing in the existence of Angels and
their delegated power to assist and benefit man, the Parsee
centres his prayers and his hopes above all, on Hormuzd, the
Lord of the Spirits ; his whole morality is comprised in three
words — pure thought, pure words, and pure deeds ; his reward
depends upon his fulfilment of these injunctions, and his pardon
on the will and mercy of God.

Mr. Dadabhai said that no member need feel any delicacy in putting
any questions to him on the subject of the paper, for he would be very happy
to answer them.

Dr. Ihne said he had brought with him a French work, by M. Menant,
containing an excellent digest of the Parsee Creed, which, according to it, was
briefly as follows : — " There is one God, He is eternal, there was nothing
before Him, and all things are by Him. The universe was truly created by
Him, and is not an emanation from Him, but, since the creation, has been
distinct from the Creator. Creation is composed of spirits and matter.
Matter is inert, but spirits are capable of morality. The world of spirits is
double. Hormuzd is chief of the spirits of good, for eternity. Ahrim&n is
chief of the spirits of evil, only for time which passes. Both were created
by the Eternal, and will endure for the eternity which follows. Souls are
all sisters from the beginning, deprived of the body at death, to find it again
at the hour of resurrection, then never to be separated from it again — they

29

were eternally pre-existent. The guilty will be punished, the just rewarded
— ^both by God. Punishment will only last as long as the principle of evil
(Ahrimdn) endures. The Zend authority is from God, and dogmatic.
Hormuzd established religion for all mankind, and not for some only. It
will be one day preferred by all mankind, and thus be universal both as to
time and space." This creed, it is to be observed, is derived from the sacred
books, and not from the present belief of the Parsees.

The Eev. C. D. Ginsbubg said that, having read a German translation
of the Zend Avesti, it agreed with the summary Dr. Ihne had read. He
remarked that some of their doctrines were also believed by the Jewish
sect of Cabbalists. No other people (except the Jews) believed in the
resurrection of the body. In the Zend Avest4 it was affirmed that both
the principles of good and evil were created by the Great Existence, and
were not eternally pre-existent, and that every man has both these principles
reflected in him.

Mr. Dadabhai said that the creed, as given by Menant, is derivable
from all the extracts he had read, with the ■ exception of the question of
the origin of Hormuzd and Ahriman. That given by M. Menant is the
prevalent theory; but, as far as his reading of the Gujarati translation
of the original Zend text went, he had not been able to confirm the story
of the creation of Hormuzd and Ahrimin by Time without bounds (Zurwan
Alcarne), which implied that they were eternal only tov future time ; but he
would not speak with confidence on this point.

Mr. CiiARK observed that in Guizot's edition of OibborHs History, the
original principle is called Time Without Bounds, and existed from all
eternity. The two created principles were both good at first, but Ahriman
became apostate. There were many analogies in the Zend books with the
early books of the Bible ; for example an institution is mentioned identical
with that of tithes. The ancient Persian religion was one of forms and
ceremonies, but that of Zoroaster rather one of morality.

Dr. CoLLiNGwooD said : We are indebted to the well-known enlighten-
ment and liberality which distinguish the Parsees in general, and my friend
Mr. Dadabhai in an especial manner for the very interesting exposition we
have heard of the received doctrines of their religion ; and we are, moreover,
freely invited to discuss the subject. Mr. Dadabhai stands before us not as
a Parsee defending his faith, but simply as a member of this society giving
an unvarnished account of what he finds in his sacred books, unencumbered
by any theory of his own. But the Zend Avesti also contained much more
of an apparently fabulous nature, upon which I would wish to make some
remarks. There is a remarkable similarity traceable between all the religions
existing before the Christian era, which, I believe, arises from the fact that
all those religions, excepting the Jewish, were originally of a purely
astronomical origin. Man is in all ages religious, and, as I formerly showed
at some length before this society, the heavenly bodies received his first and
earliest worship ; and the religion of Zaratosht was derived from the
prevailing forms of worship. At a very early period the origin of evil, was
a question which agitated mankind, Whence good comes, says one, we
know — but whence is evil ? It cannot come from heaven — for it is not

30

possible that the same being, whether good or bad, can be the author of
both. Hence arose the necessity of supposing two principles always opposing
one another. These principles were early associated with the physical
phenomena. Light was good — darkness evil ; summer was the distributor of
benefits, which winter was always undoing and destroying. But it was the
Son which produced light, and covered the earth with verdure in summer,
and his absence which bound it up in winter; and thus this luminary
became early personified as the great principle of good, and his struggles
and alternate mastery over, and conquest by, the evil principle, were
symbolically described in the battles of the gods and giants — of Ouranos
and Typhon, of Osiris and Typhon, of Hormuzd and Ahrim&i. The very
name of Hormuzd signified, according to the best authorities, the great
principle of light; and the astronomical character of the early Persian
fables may be illustrated by one incorporatsd in the Zend Avesti. Hormuzd
made six deities, which represented virtues ; whereupon, Ahrimin made six
of a malevolent nature. Hormuzd raised himself three times higher than
his wont, and decorated the heavens with stars, appointing Sirius sentinel
over them. Again, Hormuzd created twenty-four gods, which (says the
fable) he enclosed in an egg. Ahriman did the same, and these broke the
first egg, and thus good and evil became intermixed. Now, all this evidently
relates to the constellations — the six good deities were symbolical of the
six zodiacal signs, between the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, when the
sun was in power. The six evil ones were, of course, the six winter signs.
Hormuzd raising himself three times his height above the earth, meant his
elevation above the spheres of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, which would bring
him to the pure ether — the region of the stars. The twenty-four gods were
the twenty-four northern constellations, six zodiacal and eighteen extra-
zodiacal ; for, before Hevelius formed constellations from the stellee informes
there were but eighteen constellations in either hemisphere. And the
twenty-four gods of Ahrim&n were, of course, the remaining twenty-four
southern or winter constellations. The equinoxes showed the term of
duration of power of these great opposing principles; and whether we
regard the Persian statues of the bull (Taurus, the vernal equinox) being
destroyed by the scorpion (Scorpio, the autumnal equinox), or the fable of
Jupiter (the sun of summer) losing his thunderbolt (power, vigour) in
winter, as related in the Dionysiac of Nonnus, the meaning is the same.
.The sun, indeed, was personified with difierent attributes, according to his
position in the zodiac. Thus, the vernal sun was the beardless, youthful
Apollo ; the autumnal, the bearded, aged .ffilsculapius, son of Apollo, with
a serpent twisted round his staff, or even round himself. This serpent was
the great serpent of the heavens, which stretched its length beside the three
autumnal constellations of Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius, and into whose
folds the sun appeared to descend in autumn. Hence the explanation of the
well-known mythical Hindoo figures of Vishnu, conqiiered (in autumn),
enveloped in the folds of the serpent, and triumphant (in spring), with the
serpent raised aloft in his arras. And thus we can understand the enigma
uttered by the oracle of Apollo at Claros, in Ionia, which said " I am Jupiter
Ammon in spring, and black Pluto in winter."

31

Dr. Ihnb said, the astronomical explanation might be very well applicable
to the religion which prevailed before Zoroaster as it was to other ancient
religions, but that introduced by him was entirely spiritual and moral — that
he may have retained some of the institutions of the old faith, but the
peculiar characteristic of the Zoroastrian faith was its spirituality and high
morality, as must have been seen from the extracts read.

Dr. CoLMNGwooD replied that he by no means intended to imply that it
was not so, and he was glad that Dr. Ihne had given him an opportunity of
making himself better understood. The religion of Zoroaster was singularly
refined and purified from the more ancient grossness.

The Rev. C. D. Ginsbdbg agreed with Dr. Collingwood in the astro-
nomical nature of the ancient religions.

In answer to questions from various members, Mr. Dadabhai said the
Parsees were at present, to some extent, fatalists ; but this was one of the
corruptions which had crept in through their intercourse with the Hindoos.
They were monogamous ; and their sacred books did not degrade woman
below man, though it was only lately that their women had been allowed to
mix in society. With regard to the worship of fire, which was brought
against them, they regarded fire as the purest and best symbol of the Deity,
and that one of His works which could be most conveniently isolated and
circumscribed ; hence, they had sacred fires in the temples, towards which
they turned when addressing their prayers — not to it, but to the god of
which it was the symbol. The injunction is to turn their face to anything
that is glorious, as the sea, the sun, &c. Such is the explanation often
given by the Parsees. I have given, however, in the body of the paper what
appears to me to be the true state of the case. They would not abuse
fire, nor extinguish it unnecessarily, nor use it in a contemptuous manner.
Hence, the Parsees do not smoke. Their estimation of all other natural
objects, such as water, trees, &c., being quite equal to that for fire, they
would not do anything which they consider as abuse or defilement of them ;
also, they would never spit, nor throw any dirty thing upon them.

The President, in conclusion, said that the interesting paper and dis-
cussion they had heard more and more convinced him that God was not without
witnesses in all countries and in all ages. He called upon the society to give
an unanunous vote of thanks to Mr. Dadabhai, which was carried by
acclamation.