CHAPTER XXV.
1. Zarathustra, the All Pure, divided the people, leading his followers away from theothers, taking them into good places of delight. After that, he looked back withcompassion, and he said to I'hua'Mazda:
2. What of them who will not accept the Ormazdian law? I'hua'Mazda answered him,saying: Behold, thy arms are full! Let the dead have dominion with the dead. Not onlythis generation, but many that come after thee, will not be alive to the Ormazdian law.
3. Zarathustra apportioned his people into cities and villages and families, but over thewhole of them he appointed Yus'avak as Chief, one of his companions who came withhim from Oas.
4. And when Yus'avak was established, Zarathustra and his companions traveled further,and came to the city of Ne'ki'ro, kingdom of Aboatha, king of twelve generations throughhis forefathers, whose title was, ABOATHA, SON OF UZZA, SON OF NIMROD, SON OF THE HOUSEOF TUS’IANG,WHO IS DESCENDED FROM BEFORE THE WORLD WAS !
5. Ne'ki'ro was a walled city, but the Zarathustrians gained entrance without payingtribute, because the law thus favored strangers. Abaotha, in his youth, had traveledamongst the Parsi'e'ans, and knew the language; and when Zarathustra was before him,speaking in the Oas'an tongue, the king inquired his business, and how long he purposedstaying, stating, moreover, that he had received the tablets of the Ormazdian law, with theinterpretations, from the King of the Sun, Asha; and that he had desired to seeZarathustra.
6. Zarathustra said: I came to establish the Ormazdian law. In the name of the All Lightwill I blunt the edge of the sword and the spear. Until I have fulfilled the commandmentsupon me, I shall tarry within thy city. Of things thou hast read in the holy book I am comein the Person of I'hua'Mazda.
7. The king said: My city is not so large; I have more scalps and skulls, for the size of mycity, than any other king in the world. But know thou, O man, I am a philosopher. Manyof my people are also learned people. Hear thou me, then, and if thou hast a greaterphilosophy than I have, I will not only bequeath to thee the public skulls and scalps, to bethy treasures forever, but I will also give my skull and scalp into thy hand, as the mostvaluable treasure in the Jaffeth'an empire.
8. Zarathustra said: Though thou settest great value on skulls and scalps, because they arethe product of labor, yet they are of no value to me, nor to the Father in heaven. Neitherhave I any philosophy for thee, or for the Father's begotten. To accept His will; to beservant unto Him, by doing good unto others, comprise the whole of the law, by which allmen may be made to rejoice in their creation.
9. The king said: Think not that I am as other men. I am not as other men. In the firstbeginning of all things, there were SEVENand NINEthings. I was one of them. By division,we created all there is in heaven and earth. Seven thousand and seven millions, and ninethousand and nine millions of times, have I divided myself. One-seventh and one-ninth ofall there are of created things is my very self. Tell me, then, hast thou as great aphilosophy as this?
10. Zarathustra said: O the folly of men before Thee, O Ormazd! They run after thatwhich flattereth self, seeing their fellows going down in death, and they raise not theirhands to lift them up! I tell thee, O king, thy poorest slave that bringeth out of the earthfood for two men, hath a greater philosophy than thine! He that can rule over his ownself-conceit, that speaketh not of himself, giveth a better philosophy of himself than thouhast. He who hath not yet risen from his mother's breast, hath more treasures to give thanthou has obtained with all thy philosophy. Ere three days have passed by, the city's skullsand scalps will be burned to dust. Nor will thy philosophy avail thee to stay the hand ofI'hua'Mazda.
11. The king said: Proposest thou with this handful of men to battle with my army? Zarathustra said: I have spoken. There is no value in discoursing with any man whohath an opinion to establish, nor is man's opinion of value to raise up the souls ofmen. Bring thou, therefore, thy army, and command them to fall upon me and mine!
12. The king said: Thou hast no weapons; think not that I battle with men who use theirtongues, like women!
13. Zarathustra said: Why boasteth thou? Thy soldiers will turn and flee when thoubringest them against me!
14. The king turned away then, and ordered his officers to bring soldiers, and dispatchZarathustra and his companions, and to hang their skulls and scalps on the walls. Zarathustra and his companions went into the king's garden, and formed in an altar. Whenthe sun had set, and evening came, the king's soldiers, more than ten thousand, came uponthem.
15. I'hua'Mazda had great power, because of the faith of Zarathustra, and he spake with aloud voice, saying: Light of Thy Light, O Ormazd! Build me here a wall of fire! Andbehold, there fell from heaven curtains of fire, till a great wall stood betwixt the twopeoples; nor would one soldier throw a spear or sling a stone; and many of them brokeand fled.
16. When the king saw the power of Zarathustra, he feared for his kingdom; and notdeciding at once what course to pursue, he went into his palace. Then came Zarathustraand his companions out of the garden, but the light extended up above Zarathustra'shead like a pillar of fire. I'hua'Mazda spake to some who were nearest, saying:
17. Run quickly and call the soldiers back, saying to them they shall be my soldiers, and Iwill give them the weapons of the Creator. So, the messengers ran, and brought manyof them back. I'hua'Mazda commanded them to gather the skulls and scalps from thecity walls, and from the gates, and go and burn them, and the soldiers did these things.
18. The next day after they were consumed, I'hua'Mazda began to preach, explainingthe Ormazdian law; and he received many followers. The king had tried by all meansto gather his soldiers together, but no one obeyed him. After that Zarathustra went tohim, saying: If thou art one-seventh and one-ninth of all things, who thinkest thou I am?
19. The king said: They say thou art a very Creator! But, as to my opinion, thou art only amagician. Thou canst not do anything real; for which reason, I hoped thou wouldst comebefore me. Know, then, thy end hath come! With that, the king struck at Zarathustra; butthe king's sword was broken into pieces, and of non-effect.
20. The king had two trained chetahs, large as the largest lions, and he ordered them to beunloosed and set upon Zarathustra. And it was done; but, lo and behold, the chetahs cameand licked his hands. But the king was hardened, and would not believe. I'hua'Mazdacalled the king to come near, and he came.
21. He said unto the king: I am not thine enemy, but the enemy of evil; I come not totake thy kingdom. In a few days I shall leave this place. So, thy kingdom would beworthless to me. And yet I come to establish another kingdom, which is the Father's. I come to overthrow sin and wickedness, and to build up that which is good. And inso doing, it shall be known amongst men that the soul is immortal.
22. Rather would I see thee and thy people alive and full of joy, than to see them dead. Thou hast said thou understandest the Ormazdian law; perceiving there is also a king'slaw.
23. The king's laws are for the earth-world; to punish the wicked and reward the valorous;the Ormazdian law is for the Zarathustrians, who need no kings. Thy subjects are forwar and plunder; but the subjects of the Great Spirit are for doing good, and in loveand mercy. And have I not shown thee that the Ormazdian laws are the stronger ofthe two? Yea, a hundred fold. It is wiser for thee to espouse the stronger law. Thouhast gathered certain treasures, boasting of thy treasures' value. Because thou hastmade a law of exchange for skulls and scalps; how sayest thou? Maketh thouthem valuable? Because a man bringeth a skull to thee, thou givest him bread. NowI declare unto thee, values consist not in the rate of exchange betwixt men. Shall aman gather a heap of stones, and say: Behold, they are valuable! Or iron, or gold, orcopper, and say: Behold, they are valuable! A piece of bread is valuable, or flax, or wool.
24. Because man hath set value on things not valuable, he buildeth in falsehood anddeath. Ormazd alone is valuable; the man who hath the most All Light, hath the greatestvaluables. For by the Light of the Father all righteous things can be obtained easily. Whilst I'hua'Mazda was yet speaking, the spirit of Zarathustra went abroad, and, with tenthousand other spirits, brought fish and fruit, and let them fall around about the place. Thepeople ran and gathered them up for food. The king made no reply at first, for he wasencompassed about with evil spirits, who were angered with I'hua'Mazda and hisproceedings. Presently the king said:
25. Because I am transcended by thee, it is no longer useful for me to live. With that, hecut his belly across, and fell dead. And Zarathustra commanded that the king's body belaid straight for three days; and it was done; and there came thousands of people to lookupon the king, and witness that he was dead. And they saw of a truth that the bowels weregushed out of the wound, and that there was no breath in him.
26. So I'hua'Mazda suffered the spirit of the king to live three days in torments, and thenhe called his disciples around him, saying: Now will I raise the king to life, and it shall betestimony in Jaffeth.
27. And Zarathustra pushed the bowels back into the belly, and drew the place shut,saying: In Thy name, O Father, heal I this man's body, as a testimony of Thy Wisdom andPower! And when Zarathustra had drawn his hand over the belly twice, it was healed. And then Zarathustra said: O Father, as by Thy spirit Thou didst quicken into life this,Thy child, in his mother's womb, restore Thou him to life!
28. And the king was healed, and restored to life before the people; and he awoke andlooked about, and then rose up. He said: Even now I was dead and in hell, and I sawmillions of the dead, and they were in hell also. And there went up around about themfires of burning brimstone, and none could escape.
CHAPTER XXVI.
1. When the king was restored, he was as another man, having su'is, and believing with afull conviction; and he asked Zarathustra what now he should do that he might escape thefires of hell after death.
2. I'hua'Mazda spake through Zarathustra, saying: Think not what thou canst do to escapehell fire, for that would be laboring for self. Think what thou canst do to save others. Forwhich reason thou shalt practice the Ormazdian law. One year shalt thou dwell with thepoor, carrying the alms-bowl, according to the Zarathustrian law. After that thou shaltpreach the I'hua'Mazdian law, of the denial of self for the good of the city, teaching theturning away from earthly things, and striving for spiritual things, having faith in Ormazd.
3. The king said: All these things can I do, yet one thing I cannot do, which is having faithin Ormazd. If He be a Person, and created all the creation, is He not the foundation of evilas well as good? If He heretofore created evil, or by incompetence suffered it to enter intocreation, may He not do so in after time, even after death?
4. I'hua'Mazda said: When a potter hath a pot half made, sayest thou it is an evil pot? Nay,verily, but that it is not yet completed. Even so are all men, created by Ormazd. Thosewho are good are completed, but those who are evil are unfinished work. But the Creatoralso gave to man knowledge, that he might see himself in the unfinished state, and theCreator gave to man power and judgment, that man might turn to and help completehimself, thereby sharing the glory of his creation. The man that doeth this is already clearof hell fire; he that doeth it not shall not escape.
5. The king inquired concerning animals, to which I'hua'Mazda answered, saying: Animals are of the earth creation, and are completed in the place of their dwelling. Neither hath any animal aspiration to make itself better or wiser, that it may contribute tothe creation. And some men have no more aspiration than an animal serving the beast (theflesh-man) only. Only the torments of hell can stir them up.
6. When I'hua'Mazda explained the Ormazdian law, the quarter of which is not hererelated, the king comprehended, whereupon he took the vows on the altar, and under theeye, according to the Zarathustrian law. So when those people were restored, Zarathustraleft one of his traveling companions with them, as God-ir in Chief, and Zarathustradeparted, taking his other companions with him.
7. Whereof it is recorded in the libraries of heaven, showing that the next city kingdomwas likewise delivered, and the people became Zarathustrians.
8. And again Zarathustra departed, and came to another city, which was overthrown anddelivered also. Until it came to pass that Zarathustra overthrew and delivered twenty andfour cities and kingdoms in Jaffeth.
9. After that he departed to the upper lands of Shem, where he also overthrew anddelivered many cities and kingdoms, establishing the Zarathustrian law. For two wholeyears he labored in Shem; and so great was the power of Ormazd upon Zarathustra that allthe cities and kingdoms of Shem threw off the bondage of the Sun Kingdom of Parsi'e.
10. After that Zarathustra traveled toward Ham, which was called Arabin'ya. But in thosecountries Zarathustra had not so great success, because the people were not learnedin books, nor in the stars, nor tablets. Nevertheless, Zarathustra delivered many cities.
11. So I'hua'Mazda said to Zarathustra: Go back, now, to thine own country; and thoushalt overthrow yet seven cities and seven great kingdoms; and after that thou shalt returnto Oas, and it shall fall before thy hand, that the prophecies of thy childhood be fulfilled.
12. So Zarathustra returned to Parsi'e and went to the seven great cities and kingdoms,and overthrew them; and many of them were destroyed utterly by fire and by war; butZarathustra delivered the faithful and established the Zarathustrian law with all of them.
13. And now he returned to his native city, Oas, according to the commandment ofI'hua'Mazda.
CHAPTER XXVII.
1. In those days, Pon'yah was king of Oas, and, by title, KING OF THE SUN; KING OF THEMIDDLE WORLD; KING OF KINGS; MIGHTIEST OF MORTALS; OWNER OF ALL HUMAN FLESH; RULER OFTHE EARTH, MASTER OF LIFE AND DEATH!
2. For nearly four years had Zarathustra been absent, and the effect of his preaching inforeign lands had been to cut off the paying of tribute to the City of the Sun. For whichreason, Pon'yah, king of Oas, had sworn an oath under his own thigh to pursueZarathustra, and have him slain.
3. Accordingly, the king had equipped many different armies and sent them in search ofZarathustra; but I'hua'Mazda led Zarathustra in a different way on the one hand, and sentspirits to inspire the soldiers to go another way. Consequently, none of the armies sent tocapture Zarathustra ever found him. When he was heard of in one city, and the soldierscame to that city, he was gone. And so it continued, until now Zarathustra had returned tothe very gates of Oas.
4. Because Zarathustra was the largest man in the world, he was easily known; and from adescription of him, even those who had never seen him, would know him the first timethey laid their eyes on him.
5. Asha had continued with the Zarathustrians; but in consequence of the persecutions ofthe kings of Oas, they had been obliged to retire further into the forests and plains andunsettled regions, where roved the Listians, the wild people. To these the Zarathustrianswere friends, and the Listians came in great numbers, and dwelt near about theZarathustrians.
6. After Zarathustra had completed his travels, he returned to the Forest of Goats, in thefirst place, to meet his followers, and to rejoice with them for the great light I'hua'Mazdahad bestowed upon them. So, when Zarathustra returned to them, there was greatrejoicing; and there were present Zarathustra's mother, and many of the Listians whoknew him in his childhood.
7. After many days of rest and rejoicing, I'hua'Mazda came to Zarathustra, saying: Behold, the time hath now come to go against the city of thy birth. Take Asha with thee,and I will cause Oas to fall before thy hand.
8. Accordingly, Zarathustra took Asha and returned, as stated, to the gates of Oas; but hewas known at once; and when he demanded admittance, he was refused, because the kinghad previously decreed his banishment and death, there being an offer of reward towhoever would destroy him and bring his skull to the king.
9. The keeper of the gate, whose name was Zhoo'das,16 thought to obtain the reward, andhit upon the following plan, saying to Zarathustra: I know thee; thou art Zarathustra, whoart banished under penalty of death. I have no right to admit thee within the city, nor haveI a desire to witness thy sure death. But if thou wilt secrete thyself, till the change ofwatch, when I am absent on the king's reports, thou mayst take thine own risk. But if Iadmit thee, I will also be put to death.
10. Zarathustra said: As for myself, I fear not; but I would not have thee put to death onmy account. Where, then, can I secrete myself, till the change of watch?
11. Zhoo'das, the keeper of the gate, said: Within the chamber of the wall. Go thou, andthy friend with thee.
12. So Zarathustra went into the chamber of the wall, and Asha went with him. And now,when they were concealed, Zhoo'das called his wife and said unto her: Be thou here,walking back and forth, that they who are concealed will think it is I. And I will runquickly to the guards, and they shall come and seize Zarathustra, for whom the reward isoffered.
13. And the keeper's wife came and walked back and forth; and the keeper ran quicklyand brought the guards, one thousand men, with spears and swords and war clubs andslings and bows and arrows, and they surrounded the place of the chamber on all sides. And then spake Zhoo'das ironically, saying: Come forth, Zarathustra, now is the changeof watch!
14. And Zarathustra and Asha came forth and beheld what was done. Zarathustra said toAsha: The Light is upon me. Go thou with me. No harm shall come to thee. But now isthe time come in which I shall fulfill what hath been prophesied of me in my youth.
16 Judas is not a Hebrew name, but Parsee.
