This digital edition prepared by Joseph H. Peterson, 1995; updated Jul 1, 2001.
Translated by James Darmesteter (From Sacred Books of the East, American Edition, 1898.)
This chapter is found only in the Vendidad Sada; it is missing in the Zand-Pahlavi Vendidad. This is owing, as it seems, only to the accidental loss of some folios in the one manuscript from which all the copies as yet known have been derived; and, in fact, even in the most ancient manuscripts the following Fargard is numbered the thirteenth (Westergaard, Zend-Avesta, preface, p. 5).
The directions in the preceding chapter are general, and do not depend on the relationship of the faithful with the deceased person; whereas those in this Fargard are of a special character, and apply only to the near relatives of the dead. Their object is to determine how long the time of 'staying' (upaman) should last for different relatives. What is meant by this word is not explained; but, as the word upaman is usually employed to indicate the staying of the unclean in the Armesht-gah, apart from the faithful and from every clean object, that word upaman seems to show a certain period of mourning, marked by abstention from usual avocations.
The length of the upaman varies with the degrees of relationship;. and at every degree it is double for relations who have died in a state of sin (that is, with a sin not redeemed by the Patet: see Vd9.49 note 30). The relative length of the upaman is as follows:--
| For the head of a family (§ 7): | 6 months (or a year). | |
| First degree. | (For father or mother (§1)) For son or daughter (§ 3) For brother or sister (§ 5): | 30 days (or 60). |
| Second degree. | For grandfather or grandmother (§ 9) For grandson or granddaughter (§ 11): | 25 days (or 50). |
| Third degree. | For uncle or aunt (§ 13): | 20 days (or 40). |
| Fourth degree. | For male cousin or female cousin (§ 15): | 15 days (or 30). |
| Fifth degree. | For the son or daughter of a cousin (§ 17): | 10 days (or 20). |
| Sixth degree. | For the grandson or the granddaughter of a cousin (§ 19): | 5 days (or 10). |
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1. If one's father or mother dies, how long shall they stay [in
mourning], the son for his father, the daughter for her mother?
How long for the righeous? How long for the sinners1?
Ahura Mazda answered: 'They shall stay thirty days for the righteous, sixty days for the sinners.' |
Notes:
1. How long if the dead person died in a state of holiness (a dahma)? How long if in the state of a Peshotanu [mortal sin -JHP]? |
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2. O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I
cleanse the house? How shall it be clean again?
Ahura Mazda answered: 'You shall wash your bodies three times, you shall wash your clothes three times you shall chant the Gathas three times; you shall offer up a sacrifice to my Fire, you shall bind the bundles of Baresma, you shall bring libations to the good waters2; then the house shall be clean, and then the waters may enter, then the fire may enter, and then the Amesha-Spentas may enter3, O Spitama Zarathushtra!' |
2. This refers probably to the sacrifice that is offered on each
of the three days that follow the death of a Zoroastrian for the
salvation of his soul.
3. All the other objects over which the Amesha-Spentas preside (such as the cow, the metals, &c.) |
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3. If one's son or daughter dies, how long shall they stay, the
father for his son, the mother for her daughter? How long for
the righteous? How long for the sinners?
Ahura Mazda answered: 'They shall stay thirty days for the righteous, sixty days for the sinners.' 4. O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I cleanse the house? How shall it be clean again? Ahura Mazda answered: 'You shall wash your bodies three times, you shall wash your clothes three times, you shall chant the Gathas three times; you shall offer up a sacrifice to my Fire, you shall bind up the bundles of Baresma, you shall bring libations to the good waters; then the house shall be clean, and then the waters may enter, then the fire may enter, and then the Amesha-Spentas may enter, O Spitama Zarathushtra!' 5. If one's brother or sister dies, how long shall they stay, the brother for his brother, the sister for her sister? How long for the righteous? How long for the sinners? Ahura Mazda answered: 'They shall stay thirty days for the righteous, sixty days for the sinners.' 6. O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I cleanse the house? How shall it be clean again? Ahura Mazda answered: 'You shall wash your bodies three times, you shall wash your clothes three times, you shall chant the Gathas three times; you shall offer up a sacrifice to my Fire, you shall bind up the bundles of Baresma, you shall bring libations to the good waters; then the house shall be clean, and then the waters may enter, then the fire may enter, and then the Amesha-Spentas may enter, O Spitama Zarathushtra!' | |
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7. If the master of the house4 dies, or if the mistress of the
house dies, how long shall they stay? How long for the righteous?
How long for the sinners?
Ahura Mazda answered: 'They5 shall stay six months for the righteous, a year for the sinners.' |
4. The chief of the family, the paterfamilias. The Zoroastrian
family is organised on the patriarchal system.
5. All the familia, both relatives and servants. |
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8. O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I
cleanse the house? How shall it be clean again?
Ahura Mazda answered: 'you shall wash your bodies three times, you shall wash your clothes three times, you shall chant the Gathas three times; you shall offer up a sacrifice to my Fire, you shall bind up the bundles of Baresma, you shall bring libations to the good waters; then the house shall be clean, and then the waters may enter, then the fire may enter, and then the Amesha-Spentas may enter, O Spitama Zarathushtra!' | |
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9. If one's grandfather or grandmother dies, how long shall
they stay, the grandson for his grandfather, the granddaughter
for her grandmother? How long for the righteous? How long for
the sinners?
Ahura Mazda answered: 'They shall stay twenty-five days for the righteous, fifty days for the sinners.' 10. O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I cleanse the house? How shall it be clean again? Ahura Mazda answered: 'You shall wash your bodies three times, you shall wash your clothes three times, you shall chant the Gathas three times; you shall offer up a sacrifice to my Fire, you shall bind up the bundles of Baresma, you shall bring libations to the good waters; then the house shall be clean, and then the waters may enter, then the fire may enter, and then the Amesha-Spentas may enter, O Spitama Zarathushtra!' 11. If one's grandson or granddaughter dies, how long shall they stay, the grandfather for his grandson, the grandmother for her granddaughter? How long for the righteous? How long for the sinners? Ahura Mazda answered: 'They shall stay twenty-five days for the righteous, fifty days for the sinners.' 12. O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I cleanse the house? How shall it be clean again? Ahura Mazda answered: 'You shall wash your bodies three times, you shall wash your clothes three times, you shall chant the Gathas three times; you shall offer up a sacrifice to my Fire, you shall bind up the bundles of Baresma, you shall bring libations to the good waters; then the house shall be clean, and then the waters may enter, then the fire may enter, and then the Amesha-Spentas may enter, O Spitama Zarathushtra!' 13. If one's uncle or aunt dies, how long shall they stay, the nephew for his uncle, the niece for her aunt? How long for the righteous? How long for the sinners? Ahura Mazda answered: 'They shall stay twenty days for the righteous, forty days for the sinners.' 14. O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I cleanse the house? How shall it be clean again? Ahura Mazda answered: 'You shall wash your bodies three times, you shall wash your clothes three times, you shall chant the Gathas three times; you shall offer up a sacrifice to my Fire, you shall bind up the bundles of Baresma, you shall bring libations to the good waters; then the house shall be clean, and then the waters may enter, then the fire may enter, and then the Amesha-Spentas may enter, O Spitama Zarathushtra!' 15. If one's male cousin or female cousin dies, how long shall they stay? How long for the righteous? How long for the sinners? Ahura Mazda answered: 'They shall stay fifteen days for the righteous, thirty days for the sinners.' 16. O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I cleanse the house? How shall it be clean again? Ahura Mazda answered: 'You shall wash your bodies three times, you shall wash your clothes three times, you shall chant the Gathas three times; you shall offer up a sacrifice to my Fire, you shall bind up the bundles of Baresma, you shall bring libations to the good waters; then the house shall be clean, and then the waters may enter, then the fire may enter, and then the Amesha-Spentas may enter, O Spitama Zarathushtra!' 17. If the son or the daughter of a cousin dies, how long shall they stay? How long for the righteous: How long for the sinners? Ahura Mazda answered: 'They shall stay ten days for the righteous, twenty days for the sinners.' 18. O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I cleanse the house? How shall it be clean again? Ahura Mazda answered: 'You shall wash your bodies three times, you shall wash your clothes three times, you shall chant the Gathas three times; you shall offer up a sacrifice to my Fire, you shall bind up the bundles of Baresma, you shall bring libations to the good waters; then the house shall be clean, and then the waters may enter, then the fire may enter, and then the Amesha-Spentas may enter, O Spitama Zarathushtra!' 19. If the grandson of a cousin or the granddaughter of a cousin dies, how long shall they stay? How long for the righteous? How long for the sinners? Ahura Mazda answered: 'They shall stay five days for the righteous, ten days for the sinners.' 20. O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I cleanse the house? How shall it be clean again? Ahura Mazda answered: 'You shall wash your bodies three times, you shall wash your clothes three times, you shall chant the Gathas three times; you shall offer up a sacrifice to my Fire, you shall bind up the bundles of Baresma, you shall bring libations to the good waters; then the house shall be clean, and then the waters may enter, then the fire may euter, and then the Amesha-Spentas may enter, O Spitama Zarathushtra!' | |
| 21. If a man dies, of whatever race he is, who does not belong to the true faith, or the true law6, what part of the creation of the good spirit [Spenta Mainyu -JHP] does he directly defile? What part does he indirectly defile? | 6. An infidel, whether he is a relation or not. |
| 227. Ahura Mazda answered: 'No more than a frog does whose venom is dried up, and that has been dead more than a year. Whilst alive, indeed, O Spitama Zarathushtra! such wicked, two-legged ruffian as an ungodly Ashemaogha, directly defiles the creatures of the Good Spirit [Spenta Mainyu -JHP], and indirectly defiles them. | 7. §§ 22-24 = Vd5.36-38, text and notes. |
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23. 'Whilst alive he smites the water; whilst alive he blows out
the fire; whilst alive he carries off the cow; whilst alive he
smites the faithful man with a deadly blow, that parts the soul
from the body; not so will he do when dead.
24. 'Whilst alive, indeed, O Spitama Zarathushtra! such wicked, two-legged ruffian as an ungodly Ashemaogha, robs the faithful man of the full possession of his food, of his clothing, of his wood, of his bed, of his vessels; not so will he do when dead.' |