Judgment of the Soul on the Chinvat Bridge

For three days and nights the soul sits beside the pillow of the body. [115] Accompanied by the blessed

Srosh, the good Vay, and the mighty Vahram, and opposed by Astvihat (the demon of death), the evil

Vay, the demon Frehzisht and the demon Vizisht, and pursued by the active ill‐will of Wrath ..., the soul on the fourth day after death will reach the lofty and awful Bridge of the Requiter. Every person whose soul will be saved and every person whose soul will be damned must come to this bridge. Many enemies lie in wait here. Here the soul will suffer from the ill‐will of Wrath who wields a bloody spear, and from the ill‐will of Astvihat who swallows all creation yet is never satisfied. The soul will benefit by the mediation of Hihr, Srosh, and Rashn. [120] Then the soul submits to the weighing of its deeds by the righteous Rashn. He makes the scales of the spiritual gods tip to neither side, neither for the saved nor yet for the damned, nor yet for kings and princes. Not so much as a hair's breadth does he tip the scales.

He is no respecter of persons, for he deals out impartial justice both to kings and princes and to the humblest of men. When the soul of the saved passes over that bridge, the breadth of the bridge appears to the soul to be one parasang [about three miles].

The soul of the saved goes on, accompanied by the blessed Srosh. [125] His own good deeds come to meet him in the form of a young woman, more beautiful than any on earth. The soul of the saved says, "Who are you? I have never seen a young woman on earth more beautiful than you." [130]

She replies, "I am no woman! I am your own good deeds, O young man whose thoughts and words, deeds and religion were good. When you saw someone offer sacrifice to the demons, you sat apart and offered sacrifice to the gods. When you saw a man do violence and theft, afflict good men and mistreat them, or store up goods wrongfully obtained, you refrained from treating creatures with violence.

Instead, you were considerate to good men; you entertained them and offer them hospitality; you gave alms both to the man who came from near and to him who came from afar; and you amassed your wealth in righteousness. [135] When you saw someone who passed a false judgment or took bribes or gave false testimony, you spoke a right and true witness. I am the good thoughts, good words, and good deeds that you said and did...."

[145] Then with his first step he enters the heaven of good thoughts, with his second the heaven of good words, with his third the heaven of good deeds, and with his fourth step he reaches the

Endless Light where is all bliss. All the gods and good spirits come to greet him and ask him how he has been, saying, "How was your passage from those transient, fearful worlds where there is much evil to these eternal worlds in which there is no adversary, O young man whose thoughts and words, deeds and religion are good?" [150] Then Mazda, the Lord, says "Do not ask him how he has been, because he has been separated from his beloved body and has traveled on a fearsome road." They serve him the sweetest of all foods with the butter of early spring, so that his soul may take its ease after the three nights of terror ... [157]And forever and ever he dwells blissfully with the spiritual gods.

But when the man who is damned dies, for three days and nights his soul hovers near his head and weeps, saying, "Where shall I go and in whom shall I now take refuge?" [160] During those three days and nights he sees all the sins and wickedness that he committed on earth. On the fourth day the demon Vizarsh comes and binds the soul of the damned in most shameful ways, and despite the opposition of the blessed Srosh drags it off to the Bridge of the Requiter. Then the righteous Rashn makes clear to the soul of the damned that it is damned indeed. Then the demon Vizarsh seizes the soul of the damned, strikes it and abuses it without pity, urged on by Wrath. [165] The soul of the damned cries out loudly, moans in terror, and makes many piteous pleas; he struggles much, although his life‐ breath endures no more. All his struggling and his howling prove of no avail, because no help is offered him by any of the gods or by any of the demons. The demon Vizarsh drags him off against his will into deepest . Then a young woman who does not look like a woman comes to meet him. The soul of the damned says to that ill‐favored woman, "Who are you? I have never seen anyone on earth as hideous as you." [170] She replies, "I am no woman! I am your deeds—hideous deeds—evil thoughts, evil words, evil deeds, and evil religion. When on earth you saw someone who offered sacrifice to the gods, you sat apart and offered sacrifice to the demons. When you saw someone who entertained good men and offered them hospitality ... you treated good men with dishonor; you gave them no alms and you shut your door to them. [175] When you saw someone who passed just judgment or took no bribes or bore true witness or spoke up in righteousness, you passed false judgment, you gave false testimony, and you spoke unrighteously." ...

[182] Then with his first step he goes to the hell of evil thoughts, with his second to the hell of evil words, and with his third to the hell of evil deeds. With his fourth step he lurches into the presence of the accursed Destructive Spirit and the other demons. [185] The demons mock him and scorn him, saying, "What grieved you in , the Lord, and the Amahraspands and in fragrant and delightful heaven? What grudge or complaint did you have against them that you should come to the demons and this murky hell? We will torment you and have no mercy on you for a long time!" . . . [190]

Then they bring him poison and venom, snakes and scorpions and other noxious reptiles that flourish in hell, and they serve him these to eat. Until the resurrection and the final body he must remain in hell, suffering much torment and many kinds of punishment.

From E. W. West, Pahlavi Texts (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1885), Part 3, 16–26.