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Pahlavi Texts, Part III (SBE24), E.W. West, tr. [1885], at sacred-texts.com
I. The tenth subject is this, that it is incumbent on all those of the good religion, women and men, every one who attains to fifteen years, to wear the sacred thread-girdle 4. 2. Because the sacred thread-girdle is to be a girding of the loins and to preserve obedience (tâ’hat) to the Lord, may he be honoured and glorified (’hazza va galla)!
3. The first person who set the wearing of this sacred thread-girdle in view was Jamshêd 5. 4. And it may be the whole (gumlah) of the demons and fiends who are made extinct by the glory of wearing the sacred thread-girdle.
5. Every one who has tied the sacred thread-girdle round the waist is out of the department of Aharman, and is established in the department of
[paragraph continues] Hôrmazd. 6. And also, while he keeps the sacred thread-girdle on the waist, there is a share for him of all those duties and good works which they perform in the earth of seven regions. 7. It is like that which occurs when they are performing hamâ zôr and hamâ ashô 1, and have put on this sacred thread-girdle on that account, or when, similarly, some one in Kasmîr, or Erân-veg, or Kangdez, or the enclosure formed by Jam 2, performs a good work, and we are not able to perform it with hamâ zôr, then they and we, who wear the sacred thread-girdle on the waist, are mutually connected and equally meritorious, one with the other. 8. As no good work attains to him who does not wear a sacred thread-girdle—excepting that which he performs himself—it is therefore necessary that any one of mankind should not put it 3 away from the waist on any occasion, so that the associated good works of those of the good religion may attain to him.
9. And those four knots 4, with which they tie it on, are on this account, that it may give four attestations.
[paragraph continues] 10. The first knot is that which preserves 1 constancy (qarâr), and gives attestation as to the existence, unity, purity, and matchlessness of the sacred being, the good and propitious. 11. The second knot is that which gives attestation that it is the good religion of the Mazda-worshippers which is the word of the sacred being. 12. The third knot is that which gives attestation as to the apostleship and mission (rasûlî) in the just (‘haqq) Zaratust, the Spitamân. 13. The fourth knot is that which adduces more pleasantly, gives assurance (iqrâr), and openly accepts that I should think of good, speak of good, and do good. 14. And from the whole I become established; and the pure, good 2 religion is this, that I persist in those views.
15. And, again, when the archangels came meeting Zaratust they likewise wore the sacred thread-girdle on the waist; and the distinctive characteristic (farq) amid the laws of the sacred being is the wearing of the sacred thread-girdle. 16. It is incumbent both on woman and on man, and it is altogether (albattah) improper when they do not wear it.
268:4 See Dd. XXXIX, 1 n. A modification of the age is recommended in Chap. XLVI.
268:5 Av. Yima khshaêta (see Mkh. XXVII, 24 n).
269:1 These words form part of a benedictory formula which concludes certain ceremonies (see Haug's Essays, pp. 407, 409), and the recital of them implies that the ceremony, which is a good work, has been fully and satisfactorily completed. If this good work be in excess of what is wanted to balance its performer's sins, it can be imputed to any other member of the good religion who may be in want of it, provided he wears the girdle. The MSS. have hamâ for hamâ.
269:2 These four localities are considered to be isolated from the seven regions to some extent (see Bd. XXIX, 4), probably implying that they were supposed to contain Mazda-worshippers independent of Iranian rule, or that their position had become unknown. (See also Mkh. XXVII, 27-31, 58, 62, XLIV, 17-35, LXII, 13-19.)
269:3 Lp, B29 have 'that mankind should not put the girdle.'
269:4 That is, two double knots, one before and the other behind (see SBE, vol. xviii, pp. 386, 387).
270:1 Altered into 'brings' by a later hand in La, and so written in Lp, B29.
270:2 Lp, B29 omit 'good.'