Bahman Yasht 03 - Restoration of Religion and Frashokereti
Zand-i Wahman Yasn (Bahman Yasht), Chapter 3 Translated by E.W. West (Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 5, 1880)
CHAPTER III.
1
In the Commentary of the Vohuman Yasn, it is manifest that Zartosht asked for immortality from Ohrmazd,
[103] a serond time. (2) He said, [that is, Zartosht]: “I am very righteous and very useful among these Thy creatures; O Creator! if Thou shalt make me immortal, like the Tree-expelling-pain, Gokpat-sha, Yosht-Fryan, and Chitrok-miyan son of Vishtasp,” [know that he is the illustrious Peshyitan;]-“if Thou shalt make me immortal like them,-people will have better faith in Thy religion, reflecting: ‘he, the harbinger of religion, who accepted the holy and good religion of Mazda-worship, from Ohrmazd became immortal,’ and even those people will have better faith in Thy religion.”
3
He, Ohrmazd, replied: “If I make thee immortal, O Spitaman Zartosht! Tur-i Bratrush the Karp, too, will then become immortal; and if Tur-i Bratrush the Karb becomes immortal, it will not be possible to perform the resurrection and the final-most material existence.”
4
Zartosht should feel severely in mind. (5) Ohrmazd knew, through the wisdom of all-knowledge, what he, the Spitaman Zartosht of the holy spirit, thought. (6) He took hold of Zartosht’s hand; He, Ohrmazd, is the beneficent spirit, Creator of the material existence, and holy; He laid the wisdom of all knowledge, in the form of water, on the hand of Zartosht; and He said, [He Ohrmazd]: “Drink forth.”
7
And forth Zartosht drank it; thereupon, the wisdom of all-knowledge intermingled into Zartosht. (8) For seven days and nights, Zartosht was in the wisdom of Ohrmazd. (9) Thereupon, Zartosht beheld men and animals in the seven regions of the earth, [that is, how many hair each one had on the back, and whither each individual held his head,] (10) He beheld the trees and the shrubs, [what and
[104]
which they were;] how many fibres of plants there were on Spandarmad earth, [that is, how they had grown or intermingled].
11
On the seventh day and night, He took away the wisdom of all-knowledge from Zartosht. (12) Zartosht imagined: “I saw this in a merry dream produced by Ohrmazd and I have not restored myself from the dream.” (13) He stretched both his hands, rubbed his body over, thinking: “I have slept a long time, and I have not restored mysslf from this merry dream produced by Ohrmazd.”
14
He, Ohrmazd, asked Spitaman Zartosht: “What didst thou see in the merry dream produced by Ohrmazd?“
15
He, Zartosht, replied: “O spiritual and beneficent Ohrmazd! Creator of the material existence! I saw a prosperous person having immense wealth, who was infamous in the material life, of a foul and feeble soul, and he was in the wicked existence; he did not seem welcome to me. (16) I saw a helpless poor man having no possession, his soul thriving in the Best Existence; he seemed welcome to me. (17) I saw an able person, having no children; he did not seem welcome to me. (18) I saw a person broken down, having many children; he seemed welcome to me. (19) I saw a tree on which there were seven branches: one of gold, one of silver, one of brass, one of copper, one of lead, one of steel, and one of mixed iron.”
20
He, Ohrmazd said: “O SpitamAn Zartosht! this is what I foretell. (21) The trunk of a tree, which thou
[105] sawest, is the material existence which I, Ohrmazd, created. (22) The seven branches, which thou sawest, are the seven periods which will come.
23
“That of gold is the reign of king Vishtasp, when I and thou will hold a conference of Religion, king Vishtasp shall accept the Religion, the figures of the devs shall totter and the devs will remain from publicity into distant and concealed movements, and Ahriman, the devs and their wicked issue will rush back to the darkness and the gloom of the wicked existence, and the preservation of water, fire, plants and the Spandarmad earth will become manifest.
24
“That of silver is the reign of Ardashir the Kayanid, who is called Vohuman son of Spend-dat, who will separate the devs from men, adorn the whole world and propagate the Religion.
25
“That of brass is the reign of Ardashir the adorner and decorator of the world, and that of king Shahpuhr, who will adorn the world which I, Ohrmazd, created, propagate salvation to the ends of the world, and goodness shall become manifest, and Atarpat of victorious nativity, the true decorator of the Religion, will, by means of the prepared brass, controvert this Religion with those of the alien path, and will bring it back to truthfulness.
26
“That of copper is the reign of the Ashkanian (Arsacid) king Valkhas, who will remove from the world the schisms which exist; and the wicked Akvan son of Gar, of the Karesyak clan, will perish owing to the alien religion, and will go away unseen and unnoticed from the world.
- Cereti: the heresy of the Buddha and [by whom] the evil Alexander…
27
“That of lead is the reign of king Vaharam-i Gur, who will make the spirit of delight visible, and
[106] Ahriman will rush back with the sorcerers to the darkness and the gloom of the wicked existence.
28
“That of steel is the reign of king Khosraw son of Kobad, who will keep back from this Religion the accursed Mazdak son of Bamdat, the adversary of Religion, who will rise with those of the alien path.
29
“That of mixed iron is the evil sovereignty of the devs having dishevelled hair of the seed of Eshm, O Spitaman Zartosht! the end of thy millenium, when thy tenth century will be at an end, O Spitaman Zartosht!”