1O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

2Which is the first place where the Earth feels most happy?

3Ahura Mazda answered: "It is the place whereon one of the faithful steps forward, O Spitama Zarathustra!

4with the log in his hand, the Baresma in his hand, the milk in his hand, the mortar in his hand, lifting up his voice in good accord with religion, and beseeching Mithra, the lord of the rolling country-side, and Râma Hvâstra." O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

5Which is the second place where the Earth feels most happy?

6Ahura Mazda answered: "It is the place whereon one of the faithful erects a house with a priest within, with cattle, with a wife, with children, and good herds within; and wherein afterwards the cattle continue to thrive, virtue to thrive, fodder to thrive, the dog to thrive, the wife to thrive, the child to thrive, the fire to thrive, and every blessing of life to thrive." O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

7Which is the third place where the Earth feels most happy?

8Ahura Mazda answered: "It is the place where one of the faithful sows most corn, grass, and fruit, O Spitama Zarathustra!

9where he waters ground that is dry, or drains ground that is too wet." O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

10Which is the fourth place where the Earth feels most happy?

11Ahura Mazda answered: "It is the place where there is most increase of flocks and herds." O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

12Which is the fifth place where the Earth feels most happy?

13Ahura Mazda answered: "It is the place where flocks and herds yield most dung."

14O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

15Which is the first place where the Earth feels sorest grief?

16Ahura Mazda answered: "It is the neck of Arezûra, whereon the hosts of fiends rush forth from the burrow of the Drug." O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

17Which is the second place where the Earth feels sorest grief?

18Ahura Mazda answered: "It is the place wherein most corpses of dogs and of men lie buried." O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

19Which is the third place where the Earth feels sorest grief?

20Ahura Mazda answered: "It is the place whereon stand most of those Dakhmas on which the corpses of men are deposited." O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

21Which is the fourth place where the Earth feels sorest grief?

22Ahura Mazda answered: "It is the place wherein are most burrows of the creatures of Angra Mainyu." O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

23Which is the fifth place where the Earth feels sorest grief?

24Ahura Mazda answered: "It is the place whereon the wife and children of one of the faithful, O Spitama Zarathustra!

25are driven along the way of captivity, the dry, the dusty way, and lift up a voice of wailing."

26O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

27Who is the first that rejoices the Earth with greatest joy?

28Ahura Mazda answered: "It is he who digs out of it most corpses of dogs and men." O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

29Who is the second that rejoices the Earth with greatest joy?

30Ahura Mazda answered: "It is he who pulls down most of those Dakhmas on which the corpses of men are deposited.

31Let no man alone by himself carry a corpse.

32If a man alone by himself carry a corpse, the Nasu rushes upon him.

33This Drug Nasu falls upon and stains him, even to the end of the nails, and he is unclean, thenceforth, forever and ever." O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

34What shall be the place of that man who has carried a corpse alone?

35Ahura Mazda answered: "It shall be the place on this earth wherein is least water and fewest plants, whereof the ground is the cleanest and the driest and the least passed through by flocks and herds, by the fire of Ahura Mazda, by the consecrated bundles of Baresma, and by the faithful." O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

36How far from the fire?

37How far from the water?

38How far from the consecrated bundles of Baresma?

39How far from the faithful?

40Ahura Mazda answered: "Thirty paces from the fire, thirty paces from the water, thirty paces from the consecrated bundles of Baresma, three paces from the faithful.

41There, on that place, shall the worshippers of Mazda erect an enclosure, and therein shall they establish him with food, therein shall they establish him with clothes, with the coarsest food and with the most worn-out clothes.

42That food he shall live on, those clothes he shall wear, and thus shall they let him live, until he has grown to the age of a Hana, or of a Zaurura, or of a Pairista-khshudra.

43And when he has grown to the age of a Hana, or of a Zaurura, or of a Pairista-khshudra, then the worshippers of Mazda shall order a man strong, vigorous, and skilful, to cut the head off his neck, in his enclosure on the top of the mountain: and they shall deliver his corpse unto the greediest of the corpse-eating creatures made by the beneficent Spirit, unto the vultures, with these words: 'The man here has repented of all his evil thoughts, words, and deeds.

44If he has committed any other evil deed, it is remitted by his repentance: if he has committed no other evil deed, he is absolved by his repentance, forever and ever.'" O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

45Who is the third that rejoices the Earth with greatest joy?

46Ahura Mazda answered: "It is he who fills up most burrows of the creatures of Angra Mainyu." O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

47Who is the fourth that rejoices the Earth with greatest joy?

48Ahura Mazda answered: "It is he who sows most corn, grass, and fruit, O Spitama Zarathustra!

49who waters ground that is dry, or drains ground that is too wet.

50Unhappy is the land that has long lain unsown with the seed of the sower and wants a good husbandman, like a well-shapen maiden who has long gone childless and wants a good husband.

51He who would till the earth, O Spitama Zarathustra!

52with the left arm and the right, with the right arm and the left, unto him will she bring forth plenty of fruit: even as it were a lover sleeping with his bride on her bed; the bride will bring forth children, the earth will bring forth plenty of fruit.

53He who would till the earth, O Spitama Zarathustra!

54with the left arm and the right, with the right arm and the left, unto him thus says the Earth: 'O thou man!

55who dost till me with the left arm and the right, with the right arm and the left, here shall I ever go on bearing, bringing forth all manner of food, bringing corn first to thee.' He who does not till the Earth, O Spitama Zarathustra!

56with the left arm and the right, with the right arm and the left, unto him thus says the Earth: 'O thou man!

57who dost not till me with the left arm and the right, with the right arm and the left, ever shalt thou stand at the door of the stranger, among those who beg for bread; the refuse and the crumbs of the bread are brought unto thee, brought by those who have profusion of wealth.'"

58O maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

59What is the food that fills the Religion of Mazda?

60Ahura Mazda answered:—

61"It is sowing corn again and again, O Spitama Zarathustra!

62He who sows corn, sows righteousness: he makes the Religion of Mazda walk, he suckles the Religion of Mazda; as well as he could do with a hundred man's feet, with a thousand woman's breasts, with ten thousand sacrificial formulas.

63When barley was created, the Devas started up; when it grew, then fainted the Devas' hearts; when the knots came, the Devas groaned; when the ear came, the Devas flew away.

64In that house the Devas stay, wherein wheat perishes.

65It is as though red hot iron were turned about in their throats, when there is plenty of corn.

66Then let people learn by heart this holy saying: 'No one who does not eat, has strength to do heavy works of holiness, strength to do works of husbandry, strength to beget children.

67By eating every material creature lives, by not eating it dies away.'"

68O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

69Who is the fifth that rejoices the Earth with greatest joy?

70Ahura Mazda answered:—

71"It is he who kindly and piously gives to one of the faithful who tills the earth, O Spitama Zarathustra!

72He who would not kindly and piously give to one of the faithful who tills the earth, O Spitama Zarathustra!

73Spenta Ârmaiti will throw him down into darkness, down into the world of woe, the world of hell, down into the deep abyss."

74O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

75If a man shall bury in the earth either the corpse of a dog or the corpse of a man, and if he shall not disinter it within half a year, what is the penalty that he shall pay?

76Ahura Mazda answered:—

77"Five hundred stripes with the Aspahê-astra, five hundred stripes with the Sraoshô-karana."

78O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

79If a man shall bury in the earth either the corpse of a dog or the corpse of a man, and if he shall not disinter it within a year, what is the penalty that he shall pay?

80Ahura Mazda answered:—

81"A thousand stripes with the Aspahê-astra, a thousand stripes with the Sraoshô-karana."

82O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

83If a man shall bury in the earth either the corpse of a dog or the corpse of a man, and if he shall not disinter it within the second year, what is the penalty for it?

84What is the atonement for it?

85What is the cleansing from it?

86Ahura Mazda answered:—

87"For that deed there is nothing that can pay, nothing that can atone, nothing that can cleanse from it; it is a trespass for which there is no atonement, forever and ever."

88When is it so?

89"It is so, if the sinner be a professor of the Religion of Mazda, or one who has been taught in it.

90But if he be not a professor of the Religion of Mazda, nor one who has been taught in it, then his sin is taken from him, if he makes confession of the Religion of Mazda and resolves never to commit again such forbidden deeds.

91"The Religion of Mazda indeed, O Spitama Zarathustra!

92takes away from him who makes confession of it the bonds of his sin; it takes away the sin of breach of trust; it takes away the sin of murdering one of the faithful; it takes away the sin of burying a corpse; it takes away the sin of deeds for which there is no atonement; it takes away the worst sin of usury; it takes away any sin that may be sinned.

93In the same way the Religion of Mazda, O Spitama Zarathustra!

94cleanses the faithful from every evil thought, word, and deed, as a swift-rushing mighty wind cleanses the plain.

95So let all the deeds he doeth be henceforth good, O Zarathustra!

96a full atonement for his sin is effected by means of the Religion of Mazda."