Chapter XCII

Pahlavi Texts, Part II (SBE18), E.W. West, tr. [1882], at sacred-texts.com

CHAPTER XCII.

1. As to the ninety-first question and reply, that which you ask is thus: Of waters and rivers, and whatever water is good, is Arekdvisûr ² the greatest (mas), or some other water or good river; and, again, where is the place of Arekdvisûr?

2. The reply is this, that it is the water of Arekdvisûr; and what has gushed from Arekdvisûr is as large a mass as all the water in the world ³ except the Arvand ⁴; within the wide-formed ocean ⁵ it is dominant over the thousand cascades (pashan) and thousand lakes ⁶ of the waters, and its place is most renowned throughout the spheres. 3. There flows the water of Arekdvisûr in a forest, the source of all seeds, whereby the species which plants possess are assimilated (aêdûnagîdŏ) by it, and healing existences of all kinds are mingled with it from medicinal plants. 4. The abundant power of the

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coming of healing to the purifying water is like the nature of the existences which it acquires, and then the nature which it thus acquires for its own the water draws up by the power which is drawing water to itself.

5. The water of Arekdvisûr is on Albûrz ¹, and flows even to the summit of the star station during the coming of the healing of purification, even unto Hûkhîr the lofty ², all-gorgeous and brilliant; thence its flowing is effected ³ into the lake of a summit to Albûrz, Mount Aûshindûm ⁴, which is in the middle of the wide-formed ocean. 6. And from that flowing of waters that destined river, the utter destruction of every night, comes on in the light of a dawn; by the sprinkling of spray (pash-pashanŏ) it extends through the seven regions of the earth, and from it arise the growth of their plants and the coming of the healing of purification; that which is called a drop (srîsk) of the primeval creatures being a particle (aham) of water of the bulk of a horse ⁵.

Footnotes

262:2 See Chap. XXXVII, 118.

262:3 Compare Yas. LXIV, 12, Âbân Yt. 3.

262:4 A name of the river Tigris (see Zs. VI, 20)

262:5 As this ocean is supposed to encircle the world, the whole earth is within it.

262:6 Compare Yas. LXIV, 17, Âbân Yt. 4, 101.

263:1 The chain of mountains supposed to surround the world and reach to heaven (see Chap. XX, 3, Bd. XII, 1, 3); owing to its height any water from its summit must flow downwards to reach the lowermost grade of heaven, called the star station.

263:2 Av. Hukairya berezô, the Hûgar of Bd. XII, 5, XXIV, 17, probably a western summit of the mythic Albûrz.

263:3 M14 and J have nikûnî-aîtŏ, precipitated,' instead of kûnî-aît.

263:4 The Av. us Hindvad, 'up the Hindva,' of Tîstar Yt. 32, a mountain summit where the clouds gather; it is the Aûsîndôm mountain of Bd. XII, 6, XIII, 5, said to be of the ruby material of the sky. In Bd. XIII, 4 the lake. is said to be on the summit of Hûgar.

263:5 Referring to the term aspô-kehrpa applied to waters in Haftân Yt. 13, Tîstar Yt. 8, 46.