THE EARTH

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!  Which is the first place where the Earth feels most happy?  Ahura Mazda answered:  “It is the place whereon one of the faithful steps forward, O Spitama Zarathustra! with the log in his hand, the Baresma in his hand, the milk in his hand, the mortar in his hand, lifting up his voice in good accord with religion, and beseeching Mithra, the lord of the rolling country-side, and Rama Hvastra.”  O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!  Which is the second place where the Earth feels most happy?  Ahura Mazda answered:  “It is the place whereon one of the faithful erects a house with a priest within, with cattle, with a wife, with children, and good herds within; and wherein afterwards the cattle continue to thrive, virtue to thrive, fodder to thrive, the dog to thrive, the wife to thrive, the child to thrive, the fire to thrive, and every blessing of life to thrive.”  O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!  Which is the third place where the Earth feels most happy?  Ahura Mazda answered:  “It is the place where one of the faithful sows most corn, grass, and fruit, O Spitama Zarathustra! where he waters ground that is dry, or drains ground that is too wet.”  O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!  Which is the fourth place where the Earth feels most happy?  Ahura Mazda answered:  “It is the place where there is most increase of flocks and herds.”  O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!  Which is the fifth place where the Earth feels most happy?  Ahura Mazda answered:  “It is the place where flocks and herds yield most dung.”

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!  Which is the first place where the Earth feels sorest grief?  Ahura Mazda answered:  “It is the neck of Arezura, whereon the hosts of fiends rush forth from the burrow of the Drug.”  O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!  Which is the second place where the Earth feels sorest grief?  Ahura Mazda answered:  “It is the place wherein most corpses of dogs and of men lie buried.”  O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!  Which is the third place where the Earth feels sorest grief?  Ahura Mazda answered:  “It is the place whereon stand most of those Dakhmas on which the corpses of men are deposited.”  O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!  Which is the fourth place where the Earth feels sorest grief?  Ahura Mazda answered:  “It is the place wherein are most burrows of the creatures of Angra Mainyu.”  O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!  Which is the fifth place where the Earth feels sorest grief?  Ahura Mazda answered:  “It is the place whereon the wife and children of one of the faithful, O Spitama Zarathustra! are driven along the way of captivity, the dry, the dusty way, and lift up a voice of wailing.”