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This digital edition copyright © 1995 by Joseph H. Peterson. All rights reserved.
Denkard, edited by Peshotun Dustoor Behramjee Sunjana, 1876 English
translation by Ratanshah E. Kohiyar.
Be it known, that all good qualities exist because of the heavenly
principle of wisdom. And in it are comprised (those) six good
qualities. Of these, one is the (quality) of consummate thought,
which is free from (any) relation to immoral thought that has
reference to faults; another is the quality of courage, which
is free from the touch of sinful discord; the third is the quality
of industry, which is free from avarice which is a fault; the
fourth is the quality of contentment, which is free from the contact
of idleness; the fifth is (the quality) of approbation of wisdom,
which is free from the selfishness of faulty evil propensities;
and the sixth is (the quality) that has reference to the increase
of wisdom, which is free from faulty perverse desires. Whoever
has in him the above six helpful qualities, he is possessed of
heavenly wisdom. And, consequently, that (man) possessed of heavenly
wisdom is enabled, among all defective men, to protect (himself)
well and to attain superior rank. All the evil qualities that
are in man are owing to the faculties of the evil passions. And
they are these six law-breaking evil qualities: -- Of these, one
is (the evil quality of) immoral thought which is devoid of consummate
thought (and) which is sinful; the second is (the evil quality
of) discord, allied to faults, (and) wanting in courage; the third
is (the evil quality of) sinful, unindustrious avarice; the fourth
is (the evil quality of) sinful, idle discontentedness; the fifth
is (the evil quality of) sinful selfishness of the evil passions,
which is devoid of the approbation of wisdom; and the sixth is
(the evil quality of) sinful, perverse desires, unlearned in knowledge.
He who, owing to evil passions, is possessed of these six perverse
evil qualities, endures much hardship and his faith is the perverse
path of evil passions. Owing to that he is, among men, a bad man
and fit to be despised. (Therefore) the religion of those religious
teachers who are disapprovers of the trouble (necessary) to virtuous
honesty and are promulgators among men of a religion that is hurtful
to them, causes hardship and injury of every kind to men by means
of perverse conduct which is influenced by evil passions. (Such
a religion) is, in accordance with the ways of wisdom, considered
as obstructive to mankind, as also, inimical to them; therefore,
it is not proper to call such a religion a religion.
It is said in the religion that, it is through the power and the
assistance of the Yazads that man knows the holy Self-existent,
fights with the Drujs and delivers his body and soul from them,
and possesses the power of managing the other creation of this
world. Under the design of the Creator, man is born, and has the
power to direct himself, under the superintendence of the Yazads.
The abode (in man) of the evil qualities of the evil passions
is for the purpose of obstructing heavenly wisdom and for contriving
to plunge man into sin. The power of the Blemish-giver reaches
into man through the perverse principles, and owing to that such
(men) give pain to the Yazads. That which procures friendship
for people of this world among beings of the highest order is
heavenly wisdom. Through it men know their Creator and live in
confidence in the Lord: and know that the Yazads are (i. e. exist)
for virtue; the Devs for vice; the Truthful for truth; the Untruthful
for untruth; the Benefactor for benefit; and the Harm-doer for
harm: And by means of the good religion (they) keep aloof from
sin, acquire righteousness, carry on (the affairs of) the world,
maintain their bodies, and save their souls (from hell). Evil
passions are, owing to evil, mean and extremely hurtful, and they
have reached among the people of this world from the Blemish-giver,
for their destruction; owing to them men remain without the power
to know their Creator and in want, and suppose that the Yazads
are (i.e. exist) for vice, that the Devs are for virtue; that
the Untruthful is for truth, that the Truthful is for untruth,
that sin is for righteousness, that righteousness is for sin,
and that benefits are for harm; and (thus) they are damned. And
owing to the evil religion of the Blemish-giver they remain aloof
from righteousness, run towards sin, do evil to people, and do
not approve of the thoughts connected with the invisible Yazads.
It is owing to the superior strength and the superintendence of
heavenly wisdom that man keeps aloof from the perverse path and
has the life of the good path. And it is owing to the superior
strength and the superintendence of the evil passions that man
remains aloof from the good path and passes his life in an evil
manner. Therefore, those persons who are spoken of as religions
teachers ought to impart the religion of heavenly wisdom to those
among the living creation of God whose conduct, being without
a proportion of heavenly wisdom, is that of the evil passions,
that they might repent o£ the deeds done through the evil
passions and pluck out the roots of sin. Not only that, but (they)
ought to hold in contempt those among men who are thankless to
God and are sinful.
Be it known that, as bright light is an exemplar of light of a
higher kind and as true wisdom typifies all wisdom and truthfulness;
so the law of the Mazdyasnian religion of the Forbearer points
out the way of the religion for His worship. And so in the scheme
of the good religion there are three doctrines. One of them has
reference to life in this world in the flesh; the second is about
the invisible world which is to succeed the bodily state; and
the third has reference to the work of Frashegird at the End.
The scheme as regards the present world consists in remaining
aloof from hurtful objects and in alleviating human misery. Therefore,
he who is a worshipper of God, acts properly according to law,
keeps aloof from causing pain or harm, and, having knowledge of
the ills and pains affecting his body, keeps himself happy; and
he through every object that gives happiness, knows his Creator.
For man to know his Creator, is for the purpose of knowing Him
of the evil religion. The pure, by living according to the law
(and) committing no transgression, and by not breaking their word
with others, become fit for the work of the religion. The (second)
doctrine, (that) relating to the immortality of the coming world,
after the bodily state has been ended, has reference, to the purchase
of the merchandise of righteousness for the purpose of remaining
pure, as far as possible, while living in this world, by means
of every wish and conception regarding the soul; and to the removal
of sin. The last doctrine, about the Frashegird, has reference
to the well-meaning design of the Creator regarding the End. It
contains excellent precepts regarding the purification of the
good dispositioned creation, and the plucking out from among mankind
and breaking the powers of the Blemish-giver which render (men)
sinful as well as untruthful, and the imparting of complete purity
from the pollution of sin to the souls of transgressors which
have been rescued from hell, and improving their enfeebled condition
into the eternal immortal nature of the souls of holy men and
making them highly lustrous: (so that) no one from among the creation
of the Self-existent might render himself greedy through greed.
Among the people of this world his work is not in accordance with
the law, whose business it is to wound and to give pain. For,
to do harm and to give pain is the work of perverse, (and) irreligious
persons and of those who are disobedient to God. Therefore, if
there be religious teachers, who, being of the religion with the
doctrines about the coming world and the redemption at the time
of the Frashegird, do not adopt means to deliver other persons
ill whom all desires and ideas have reference to the source of
sin, and if, in consequence, a great many men, being eternally
damned, are thrown into hell unredeemed; their religion, although
from God, is calculated to make (the men of) their race (fitted)
for the evil End, owing to their not making people act according
to the law, giving them evil assistance, and not imparting to
them knowledge regarding the End. And as much a wolf is said to
be the destroyer of its young, owing to the influence of greed
which is connected with idleness; (so much destructive are such
religious teachers).
Be it known that the final judgment of the soul bears a relation
to its desires and capacities. And men in this respect are essentially
of five kinds. One (kind) is (composed of men) whose desires are
conscientiously (set) on (their) Creator and His religion, and
who possess the requisite intelligence to make inquiries respecting
them (both) with the object of knowing them: hence, if such a
man makes inquiries regarding the good religion and acquires knowledge
about it, and putting faith in it, does righteous deeds as is
enjoined by the good religion, and keeps aloof from sin, he, according
to the religion is a holy man. But if (he), being possessed of
the power to make inquiries, is unable to obtain knowledge regarding
the good religion, and, notwithstanding (every) possible effort,
is disappointed in (his) inquiries; he (yet) has hopes of delivering
(his soul) from hell, by doing any righteous deeds in accordance
with practice made current by conscience which is from God. Another
(kind) is (composed of men) who love (their) Creator and His religion
cordially but who do not possess intelligence enough to obtain
by inquiries, as much knowledge as is necessary, concerning the
good religion, and who so far as they know, keep aloof from sin,
and do as much righteousness as they know of; such men, owing
to (their) loving (their) Creator and His religion and to the
strength of that righteousness and of the keeping aloof from sin,
have hopes of being delivered from hell. The third (kind) is (composed
of men) who love the holy God and His religion with their hearts,
and are eager to make inquiries, but have not intelligence to
understand the good religion, and who are such men as are unable
themselves to understand the design (thereof) owing to lack of
wisdom. The salvation of such men is possible through the power
of (directing) their hearts towards the self-existent Creator
and the wisdom of His religion. The fourth (kind) is (composed
of men) who love the Creator and His religion with their hearts,
but have not the intelligence to understand the good religion
by making inquiries regarding it, and who are such men as are
unable by means of the faculty of intelligence to obtain a knowledge
(through others) of what is not in their possession. For such
men there is a means of salvation through their hearts being with
the holy Self-existent and His religion. The fifth (kind) is (composed
of men) who have not the heart to love (the) Creator and His religion:
for such men, notwithstanding the connection with sin, there is
a reason for their deliverance from hell, owing to the desire
(for love) having been taken away from their hearts.
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