CHAPTER 15.

1. It is revealed by a passage of the Avesta that Zartosht, seated before Ohrmazd, always wanted information (vac) from him; and he spoke to Ohrmazd thus: 'Thy head, hands, feet, hair, face, and tongue are in my eyes just like those even which are my own, and you have the clothing men have; give me a hand, so that I may grasp thy hand.' 2. Ohrmazd said thus: 'I am an intangible spirit; it is not possible to grasp my hand.' 3. Zartosht spoke thus: 'Thou art intangible, and Vohuman, Ardwahisht, Shahrewar, Spandarmad, Hordad, and Amurdad are intangible, and when I depart from thy presence, and do not see thee nor even them -- since of the person whom I see and worship there is something -- should thou and the seven archangels be worshipped by me, or not?' 4.

Ohrmazd said thus: 'They should be; I tell thee, O Zartosht the Spitaman! that each individual of us has produced his own one creation (dayak) for the world, by means of which they may set going in its body, in the world, that activity which they would exercise in the spiritual existence. 5. In the world that which is mine, who am Ohrmazd, is the righteous man, of Vohuman are the cattle, of Ardwahisht is the fire, of Shahrewar is the metal, of Spandarmad are the earth and virtuous woman, of Hordad is the water, and of Amurdad is the vegetation. 6. Whoever has learned the care of all these seven, acts and pleases well, his soul never comes into the possession of Ahriman and the demons; when he has exercised his care of them, he has exercised his care of the seven archangels, and ought to teach all mankind in the world.

7. 'Whoever wishes to propitiate Ohrmazd in the world, wishes to promote the things of Ohrmazd; and whoever he be, with whom Ohrmazd ever is in every place (gas), it is necessary that he should propitiate the righteous man, in whatever has happened and whatever occurs to him, and should act for his happiness, and afford him protection from the vile. 8. Since the righteous man is a counterpart of Ohrmazd the lord, and when the righteous man acts it is caused by him who is Ohrmazd, whoever propitiates the righteous man, his fame and welfare exist a long time in the world, and the splendor of Ohrmazd and pleasure and joy become his own in heaven (Wahisht).

9. 'Whoever wishes to propitiate Vohuman in the world, and wishes to act for his happiness, is he who wishes to promote the things of Vohuman; and it is necessary for him, so that Vohuman may be ever with him, that he should propitiate, at every place (gas) and time, the well-yielding (hudhak) cattle, in whatever has happened and whatever occurs, and should act for their happiness; and in the terrible days and the hurried times (gas) which befall them, he should afford them protection from the oppressive and idle. 10. He should not give them as a bribe to a man who is a wicked tyrant, but should keep them in a pleasant and warm locality and place (gas); and in summer he should provide them a store of straw and corn, so that it be not necessary to keep them on the pastures (charak) in winter; and he should not deliver them up for this purpose, that is, "So that I may give them up to the vile," because it is necessary to give to the good; and he should not drive them apart from their young, and should not put the young apart from their milk.

11. Since they are counterparts of him (Vohuman) himself in the world, the well-yielding cattle, whoever propitiates those which are well-yielding cattle his fame subsists in the world, and the splendor of Ohrmazd becomes his own in the best existence. 12. 'Whoever wishes to propitiate Ardwahisht in the world is he who wishes to promote his things; and it is necessary for him, so that Ardwahisht may be with him at every place (gas) and time, that he should propitiate the fire of Ohrmazd, in whatever has happened and whatever occurs, and should act for its happiness; he should not put upon it wood, incense, and holy-water which are stolen and extorted, and he should not cook at it a ration (bahar) which is violently extorted from men.

13. For it is a counterpart of him (Ardwahisht) himself in the world, the fire of Ohrmazd; and whoever propitiates those which are fires of Ohrmazd his fame subsists in the world, and the splendor of Ohrmazd becomes his own in heaven. 14. 'Whoever wishes to propitiate Shahrewar in the world, and wishes to act for his happiness, is he who wishes to promote the things of Shahrewar; and whoever he be, it is necessary, so that Shahrewar may be with him at every place and time, that he should propitiate melted metal at every place and time. 15. And the propitiation of melted metal is this, that he shall practice habits (aiyino) of the heart so unsullied and pure that, when they shall drop melted metal upon it, it does not burn.

16. And Adarbad Mahraspandan even acted in this priestly fashion (dastobarih), so that the melted metal, when they drop it upon the region (khano) of his pure heart, becomes as pleasant to him as though they were milking milk upon it. 17. When they drop it upon the region of the heart of the wicked and sinners, it burns, and they die. 18. And one should not commit sin with metal, and with its burning; and should not give gold and silver to the vile. 19. For it is a counterpart of Shahrewar himself in the world for him, and since he propitiates those which are melted metals, his fame subsists in the world, and the splendor of Ohrmazd becomes his own in heaven.

20. 'Whoever wishes to propitiate Spandarmad in the world, wishes to promote the things of Spandarmad; and whoever he be, it is necessary, so that Spandarmad may be with him, that he should propitiate, at every place and time, the earth and virtuous woman, in whatever has happened and in whatever occurs, and should act for their happiness. 21. For when he does not spread out (bara la veshet) this earth, and it does not separate one piece from another, his body also will not be always living upon it at every place and time. 22. On account of the lodgment of Spandarmad in the earth, when a robber, violent and worthy of death, and wives who are disrespectful to their husbands walk about in sinfulness in the world, and their husbands are active and virtuous, it becomes much distressed (zanoik).

23. This, too, is declared, that, whenever this earth becomes distressed (zanik), it is most so at the time when sinners worthy of death are most; for it is declared, when sinners worthy of death walk upon it, its pain and uneasiness become as distressing (dushkhvar) to it as the dead son on her bosom to a mother; and the lodgment of Spandarmad in the earth is little in that place whereon sinners worthy of death walk. 24. And her happiness arises from that place when they shall perform tillage and cultivation on it, and a virtuous son is born upon it, and they rear cattle upon it; and it is so one's fame subsists in the world, and the splendor of Ohrmazd becomes one's own in heaven.

25. 'Whoever wishes to propitiate Hordad and Amurdad in the world, whereas that is necessary which promotes their things, whoever he be it is necessary that he should propitiate, at every place and time, the water and vegetation of Hordad and Amurdad, in whatever has happened and in whatever occurs, and should seize upon those who consume and steal water and vegetation. 26. And he should not act oppressively, he should not walk the world in sinfulness, and should not bring bodily refuse (hikhar), dead matter (nasa), or any other pollution to water; he should not destroy vegetation unlawfully, and should not give fruit to the idle and vile. 27.

For when he commits sin against water and vegetation, even when it is committed against merely a single twig of it, and he has not atoned for it, when he departs from the world the spirits of all the plants in the world stand up high in front of that man, and do not let him go to heaven. 28. And when he has committed sin against water, even when it is committed against a single drop of it, and he has not atoned for it, that also stands up as high as the plants stood, and does not let him go to heaven. 29. Since they are counterparts of Hordad and Amurdad themselves, the water and vegetation, whoever propitiates those which be water and vegetation, his fame subsists in the world, and a share of the splendor of Ohrmazd becomes his in heaven.' 30.

Ohrmazd said this also to Zartosht, namely: 'My will and pleasure is that the observance and propitiation of these seven archangels shall be as I have told thee; and do thou, too, speak thus unto men, so that they may commit no sin and may not become wicked, and the splendor of Ohrmazd may become their own in heaven.' 31. Completed in peace, pleasure, and joy.