CHAPTER XXV.
OF THE VIND’YUAN ASSAULT.
1. Sudga, the false, sent by De'yus to overturn the Great Spirit's dominion in Vind'yu, andto establish the highest heavenly place, Urvatooz, was wiser than Osiris or Te-in in hiswicked work. For he permitted not his army, his thousand millions, to rush on for theplaces of worship and for the oracle-houses. But most deliberately halted his forces inHaroyu, the lowest heavenly place over the mountains of Vivrat, in Vind'yu, three mileshigh and broad as the earth, and a commanding situation.
2. Whence, in a sure way, he sent his measurers on ahead down to the earth, to measuremortals, as to their weakness and strength in faith in Jehovih (Ormazd), and other rulers,heavenly; to map them and mark them, and to number them.
3. Great was the peace and beauty and glory of Vind'yu in that day. Her rivers and canalscoursed the country over, and her industrious sons and daughters, two hundred millions,were, in the eyes of the angels, the pride and glory of the earth. Hundreds of thousands ofher people were prophets and seers. And so abundant was spiritual light amongst thepeople, that even those who had learned but one language could understand and speakother languages with people from remote parts; words and sentences they had neverheard; even when first meeting strangers. Like the inhabitants of Jaffeth, as togovernment and industry, mostly by the exchange of goods, and not by buying andselling, lived the Vind'yuans. This was their weakest point, as to an assault.
4. Sudga said to his generals and captains: Only by confounding the languages of thesepeople can they be broken up and subdued. Behold, they are becoming as Gods; knowingand understanding in advance of the words spoken. What, then, is their greatest liableshortness, save we confound them suddenly in the meaning of words? Fall ye upon them,and possess them, and obsess them, all who are easily captured. Get ye a foothold hereand there in the first place; and in their commerce cripple them.
5. Sudga said: It is a strong city that maketh all kinds of goods; it is a weak place indeedthat dependeth on another, which is far off. Such people are easily tripped up. Behold, Iwill teach these people that I am the militant before whom every knee shall bow; or, infailing to win them thus, I will set city against city, and country place against countryplace; all against one another, for which their superabundant languages will furnishexcellent material.
6. Sudga opened the door at night for his hosts to fall on the weakest of mortals, as tofaith in Ormazd, Who had become as a stale story to hundreds of thousands of men andwomen. In Vind'yu had woman risen in knowledge, higher than the highest of women inother parts of the world. In the HOUSES OF PHILOSOPHY and HOUSES OF SCIENCE women wereforemost, as to men, and skeptical as to the Ormazdian power.
7. On rushed Sudga's legions; and even as Osiris and Te-in won in the third assault,so now Sudga in the first. And, he too, sent word to De'yus, and exaggerated beyondall bounds of truth, as to his victories. Nevertheless, his hosts were sufficientlyanchored on the earth to claim an everlasting victory for De'yus and to establish his name.
8. And here, also, after a few years, the questions came from mortals, asking thus: Behold, ye cut off the heavens of the ancients, the Nirvanian regions beyond Chinvat. Yeteach us that De'yus is the ALLHIGHRULER. What, then, is the all highest for man? Howcame the worlds? Whence came man? How was the creation created?
9. To answer which Sudga sent to De'yus for instructions. And De'yus sent to Sudga, evenas to the other Gods, an invitation to meet in Hored, to hear the words of the Lord God, tolearn his commands.
10. Thus invited, thus went the five great warrior Gods before De'yus, taking with themeach his ten thousand attendants, besides thousands of trumpeters. De'yus had a goodfeast prepared for them; he had sent receivers forth to meet them and conduct them toSanc-tu in great splendor.
CHAPTER XXVI.
1. Great was the feast, the pomp and parade and glory, in Hored, when De'yus' victoriousGods and their companions and attendants came in answer to the summons of Anuhasaj,alias the Lord God. The trumpeters of Hored were stationed along more than athousand miles on the heavenly roadways, and in turn the trumpeters and heralds ofthe visiting Gods extended in advance of the Gods themselves an equally great distance.
2. All the way were the roads lined with flags and banners, and millions of spectators, thesame who had formerly been in schools and colleges in heaven, but were nowemancipated from the restrictions of self-improvement, and used as applauders, to singand shout praises to De'yus (Dyaus) for his own glory.
3. The table of the feast was private and in secret, and only prepared for the Gods andtheir close companions, one hundred all told, but the serving host numbered more thanone million souls.
4. Whilst at the feast, De'yus said to Osiris: Speak thou of thy exploits, and of Baal andAshtaroth and their valorous legions.
5. Then Osiris explained the nature of the earth countries, and of the battles and incidents,well exaggerating the last result. After Osiris had finished his story, De'yus said to Te-in: Speak thou of thy exploits, and of thy generals and captains, and of thy valorous legions.
6. Whereupon, Te-in displayed the maps of the earth regions where he had been, and hisbattles, and final success, also much exaggerated. And now, after he had finished hisstory, De'yus said to Sudga: Speak thou of thy generals and captains and thy valorouslegions.
7. Then Sudga explained the earth region where he had fought and won, extolling hisgenerals and captains, and his hosts, well exaggerated also.
8. When they had all finished their hilarious accounts, and applauded one another insufficient zeal, in that same time the feast of eating and drinking was ended also. Whereupon Anuhasaj rose up and said:
9. I now declare the feast ended. Let the tables be removed. Behold, I will speak from thethrone, in private, before my five Gods only, save mine own marshals. But unto all othersI declare a time of recreation and sport, to be called again to duty when I have finishedwith my Gods, of which my marshals will inform the trumpeters, who shall sound thecall.
10. Speedily, now, the attendants took away the tables; and the hosts all withdrew, savethe Gods and De'yus and his marshals. Whereupon De'yus ascended the throne, and thenspake, saying:
11. I, the Lord your God, who am De'yus of heaven and earth, declare unto you, my Godsand earth rulers, in mine own name, and with love abounding:
12. To declare my doctrines and creations before you; that all the earth may be subduedalike unto me and mine forever.
13. To surpass not mine own age in my doctrines, nor to explain my axioms. Butto surpass the understanding of mortals sufficiently unto their knowledge of earthlythings, and so appease their curiosity, as to the questions they put to ye, my Gods.
14. Neither will I bind myself as Ahura did; for I will not explain who I am, save that manis in mine own likeness; nor when the beginning of things was.
15. This heaven I created; and ye also bear witness that I have established the earth in me,through your valorous deeds.
16. I, who am your God, look not to matters of a day, or a year; my times are as onetime, for from this time forth forever this heaven and earth are mine, time without end.
17. In which ye behold days and years and the generations of men on the earth passrapidly. Who, then, shall think seriously of the inhabitants that now are yours and mine?
18. Behold, the earth is fruitful; a thousand years are but as one day; and there shall springup out of the earth thousands of millions of souls newborn. For them are my answersshaped, more than for such as now are.
19. In the beginning I created this heaven and the earth (unto mine own name and glory). For they were void and without order; darkness was upon them. Whereupon Imoved upon them, saying: Let there be light; and there was light. And I drew aline betwixt darkness and light (for they had worshipped the void instead of me).
20. Wherefrom I declare this the morning and evening of the first day. And I have dividedthose that were void, and established my firmament betwixt them, even as land betwixtwater and water.
21. And my firmament is heaven, and I have made it to be over such as were void, likewater.
CHAPTER XXVII.
1. Osiris, being commanded of God to speak, said: Give us one day, O De'yus, that wemay digest this matter.
2. Thereupon the Lord God gave them one day; and on the next day, when they wereassembled, the Gods ratified every word De'yus had spoken. And it was called themorning and evening of the second day.
3. Again De'yus spake, saying: Let the waters of the earth be in one place, and theland appear unto itself, for it was so. And I saw that the earth was good (and thatheaven might reign thereon). And I saw that the earth brought forth grass, and trees,and fruit, and seeds, everything after its own kind; and I said: Behold, they are good. (Neither attributed I evil unto anything on the earth, or in the waters, or in the air above. But I separated the light from darkness; this was the substance of my creation).
4. Again Osiris asked for a day, that the Gods might weigh the words of the Lord God;and this was the evening of the third day. And God gave them a day; and when they wereagain assembled, De'yus said:
5. Let there be Gods in the firmament above the earth; and they shall separatethe darkness from the light of the earth (that man may know me and my kingdoms).
6. And my Gods shall teach signs and seasons, and days and years, forever, unto the sonsof men. And I made myself to rule the light of the world; but Osiris I made to rule thedarkness of the world, which is the earth, my footstool.
7. Again De'yus gave the Gods one day, to weigh the matter of his words, and to ratifythem; which they did. And this was the morning of the fourth day.
8. Again De'yus said: Let the waters of the earth bring forth abundantly the movingcreatures that live; and let the fowl fly above the earth in the air of the firmament. Forthey are good. Let them be fruitful and multiply, every living creature, and fill the airabove the earth, every creature after its own kind. Wherefore my blessing is upon them.
9. Again the Lord God gave his Gods a day to weigh his words and ratify them, whichthey did; and this was the morning of the fifth day. And then De'yus said: And now, myGods, let us make man in our own fashion;11 and in likeness of ourselves, let them havedominion also, but over the fish in the waters, and the fowl in the air, and over the cattle,and over the earth, and over every living creature upon the earth. And ye shall go to themand say to them: In our own likeness are ye created, male and female, and God's blessingis upon you. Be ye fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth and subdue it; andhave dominion over the earth, and the fishes, and fowl, and every living creature on theearth, for they are yours forever! And behold, ye have every herb, and seed, andfruit, which is on the face of the earth, and the roots that grow in the earth, and theyshall be your food. But of whatsoever hath breathed the breath of life man shall not eat.
10. Again De'yus gave the Gods a day of rest, in order to weigh the matter and ratify it;and this was the morning of the sixth day.
11. And again De'yus spake, saying: The Lord your God said unto thee, Osiris; and tothee, Te-in; and to thee, Sudga: Search thou amongst mortals for one high in su'is, forwhen I announce my doctrines, thou shalt go to such mortal and cause him to write mywords, saying: Such are the words of the Lord, thy God. In answer to which I bid ye allnow speak before me.
12. Osiris said: According to thy commandments have I searched and have found Thoththe highest man in su'is, and he dwelleth in Arabin'ya.
13. Then spake Te-in, saying: In like manner, also searched I, and found Hong, in mydivision of the earth, the highest man in su'is; and he dwelleth in Ho'e'Sin.
14. Then answered Sudga, saying: Even so have I accomplished in Vind'yu, and I havefound one Anj-rajan.
15. De'yus said: To these mortals go ye and give my doctrines in your own ways;according to the language of mortals, and their capacity to understand. Neither bind I youto my exact words, nor limit you, save that that I have spoken shall be the foundation.
16. Thus, then, endeth the feast; and behold, it is the seventh day; for which reason Isanctify it and declare it a day of recreation.12
11 See Ezra Bible, Genesis, chapter i, verse 26. And God said: Let us make man, etc. Query: Whom was he talking to? Who was helping him?
12 This completes the first chapter of Genesis and three verses of the second chapter.