Chapter XXV

Pahlavi Texts, Part IV (SBE37), E.W. West, tr. [1892], at sacred-texts.com

CHAPTER XXV.

Varstmânsar Nask.

1. The second fargard, Yathâ-ahû-vairyô ², is about the worthiness, as to worldly and spiritual virtue, in a ruler and in the production of a high-priest's

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efficiency; and they have been suitable for leadership and priestly authority with whom there is an existence of it; also other talent through which sovereignty and priestly authority are appropriated, and which the ruler or high-priest himself possesses.

2. 'My wish (dôsh), O Zaratûst! is that thou be in spiritual lordship and priestly authority, because thou art, O Zaratûst! provided with a spiritual lord and possessing priestly instruction—that is, they consider thee, too, as high-priest—and it is because thine is the accomplishment of rites, that thou art quite preserved when there is an encounter of the demons with thee—that is, a dispute of apostates with thee.' 3. It is non-possession of a ruler and high-priest, or non-possession of a ruler ¹, that became the nature and law of the demons; and the maintenance of Aûharmazd and the archangels, as ruler and high-priest, and the dominion of Aûharmazd are combined with beneficence.

4. This, too, that through righteousness a priestly instructor (radŏ) is a ruler at will, a sage and benefactor, a cherisher and cleanser (âsnîdâr) of the poor; also the fitness for the supreme heaven (garôdmânîkîh) of all those who are accepting the religion which proceeds from Zaratûst.

5. Of righteousness the excellence is perfect.

Footnotes

231:2 The Ahunavair (see Bk. VIII, Chap. I, 7) upon which this fargard is a commentary quoting some text on the subject in § 2.

232:1 K omits these five words, and B has a blank space for the letters khûd in khûdâî, 'ruler.'