From E. W. West. Sacred Books of the East. Vol. 37. Oxford University Press, 1897. Digitized and converted to HTML 1997 Joseph H. Peterson, avesta.org. For search-ability, spelling of Zoroastrian technical terms has been altered to conform with F.M. Kotwal and J. Boyd, A Guide to the Zoroastrian Religion, Scholars Press, 1982. Last updated May 28, 2021. 2 DENKARD Book 8 CONTENTS OF THE NASKS (ANCIENT CANON OF ZOROASTRIANISM) Translated by Edward William West, 3 Foreword The Denkard is a ninth century encyclopedia of the Zoroastrian religion, but with extensive quotes from materials thousands of years older, including (otherwise) lost Avestan texts. It is the single most valuable source of information on this religion aside from the Avesta. This volume contains detailed accounts of the ancient cannon of the Avesta, much of which has been since lost. I have added some comments in {} and [[]], mainly to facilitate searches. Spelling of technical terms have also been normalized to conform with other texts in this series. Wherever possible I have used the spellings of F.M. Kotwal and J. Boyd, A Guide to the Zoroastrian Religion, Scholars Press, 1982. The original S.B.E. volumes used a system of transliteration which was misleading to the casual reader, and no longer adopted. As an example “chinwad” (bridge) (Kotwal and Boyd) was transliterated in S.B.E. as “Kînvad.” -J.H. Peterson 4 Table of Contents Foreword..............................................................................................4 Introduction: Classification, names, and divisions of the Nasks (1)...8 Nask 1: Sudgar (gathic/religious) (2).................................................10 Nask 2: Warsht-mansr (gathic/religious) (3)....................................10 Nask 3: Bag (gathic/religious) (4)......................................................11 Nask 4: Damdad (Hadha-manthric/scientific) (5).............................11 Nask 5: Nadar (Hadha-manthric/scientific): Only the Avesta extant (6)........................................................................................................12 Nask 6: Pazag (Hadha-manthric/scientific): Meat-offering, preparations, and priests for season-festivals (Gahambars); (§10) periods of day and year, Frawardigan days; gathering herbs, chastisement of sinners, 33 chieftainships, apostasy; (§20) almsgiving, summer and winter, calamity of a century, months. (7)12 Nask 7: Ratushtaiti (Hadha-manthric/scientific) (8)........................14 Nask 8: Barish (Hadha-manthric/scientific): Good and evil; advantages and disadvantages of the period. (9)...............................15 Nask 9: Kishkisrub (Hadha-manthric/scientific) (10)......................16 Nask 10: Wishtasp-sast (Hadha-manthric/ scientific): Particulars about Kay Vishtasp, visit of the archangels to him, and his war with Arjasp. (11)..........................................................................................16 Nask 11: Washtag (gathic/religious): Not extant (12)........................17 Nask 12: Chihrdad (legal): Races and monarchs from Gayomard to Zartosht; (§17) the Sasanians and some leaders of religion. (13)......17 Nask 13: Spend (gathic/religious) Birth and life of Zartosht, his vision of the past, future, and other world; (§12) his posthumous sons, the future apostles. (14).............................................................19 Nask 14: Bagan-yasn (legal) Worship of the sacred beings and duties of the worshippers. (15).....................................................................20 Nask 15: Nigadum (legal)...................................................................21 Section 1: Patkar-radistan: misery from sin and assault, kinds of assault and magisterial inquiry, (§13) punishment without inquiry, counter-assault (16).........................................................21 Section 2: Zatamistan: assault and its consequences, begging and beneficence, perversion, using weapons; conflict through assault, 5 tumult, false-teaching, starving, spells, and threats, by men, women, and children; ill-treatment of slaves, compensation the only atonement, responsibility of fathers for crimes of children (17).................................................................................................23 Section 3: Reshistan: kinds of wounds, scourging, 76 members of the body, effects of assaults, modes of assaulting, description of a wound and the weapon, curing wounds (18)................................25 Section 4: Hamemalistan: accuser’s code (19).............................26 Section 5: (20)...............................................................................32 Nask 16: Duwasrud Nask (legal)........................................................45 First section (21)...........................................................................45 Second section (22).......................................................................46 Pasush-haurvastan section (23)...................................................49 Storistan section (24)....................................................................51 Ar'jistan section (25).....................................................................51 Arateshtaristan section (26).........................................................52 Fourth section: miscellaneous (27)..............................................54 Nask 17: Husparum Nask (legal)........................................................55 Aerpatistan: 'priest code' (28).......................................................55 Nirangistan: 'ritual code' (29).......................................................57 Goharikistan: 'quality code' (30)..................................................59 Fourth section: miscellaneous (31)..............................................60 Fifth section: ordeal (32)..............................................................64 Sixth section: mad animals and their care (33)............................65 Seventh section: miscellaneous (34)............................................65 Eighth section: sex (35).................................................................67 Ninth section: (36)........................................................................69 Tenth section: (37).........................................................................71 Nask 18: Sagadum Nask (legal)..........................................................76 First section (38)...........................................................................76 Hachidakanistan: code of sequestrations (39).............................82 Ziyanakistan: code of the injured (40).........................................86 Vakhshistan: increase code (41)...................................................87 6 Varistan: ordeal code (42).............................................................91 Section six: miscellaneous (43)....................................................92 Nask 19: Vendidad [Jud-dew-dad] (legal) (44).................................97 Nask 20: Hadokht (gathic/religious) (45).......................................108 Nask 21: Stud-yasn (gathic/religious)(46)........................................111 7 Introduction: Classification, names, and divisions of the Nasks (1) 1. Praise for Ohrmazd, and obeisance to the Mazda-worshipping religion which is the ordinance of Ohrmazd opposed to the demons. 2. The eighth book is the present (latamman) memorandum about a summary of what is in the Nasks of the Mazda-worshipping religion, each separately. 3. That which is within the compass (shad-aurvan) of this book, about the account of the good religion, is a writing for the information of the many, and an announcement from the commentary (Zand) – that which is in explanation of revelation (deno) – which, for this simple (padram) high-priest, is in itself the writing of the voice of revelation.1 4. But, before that, is a writing of the usage about the divisions (banjishno) of the reckoning of the Mazda-worshipping revelation, also the parts (bahar) of its divisions, and the sections (burinako) of the parts; and the exposition of the account – which, though very condensed, is in its division – is also condensed in the parts of its division, and more diffuse in the sections of the parts. 5. The divisions of the reckoning of the Mazda-worshipping revelation are three: Gathas which are the higher spiritual knowledge and spiritual duty; Law which is lower worldly knowledge and worldly duty; and the Hadha-manthric which are mostly information and matters about what is between these two. 6. And the reason of the triple division of the reckoning of revelation is the exposition of all knowledge and duty, and the kinds of knowledge and action in the same revelation are these three that have been written. 7. Also in the Ahunwar, which is the basis of the reckoning of revelation, are three metrical lines (gas); the first chiefly indicates the Gathic lore, the second the Hadha-manthric lore, and the third the Law. 8. And there have been twenty-one parts of its divisions, which are called Nasks: --- (9) Seven are Gathic, because they are composed for the Gathas, and their names are that of the ritual of the Gathic worship, which is the Stud-yasn, with the Sudgar, Warsht-mansr, Bag, Washtag, Hadokht, and that which has made them Gathic, the Spand. 10. And the names of the seven Hadha-manthric are Damdad, Nadar, Pazag, 1 Tr S. Shaked, Esot. Trends p. 192: “The Eighth [book]; a summary of that which occurs in the nasks of the Mazdean religion. A memory of each one