CHAPTER XVI.

1. During the fall of a'ji, God decreed to his Lord Gods, to his Gods and Lords, andGoddesses, as followeth, to wit: As ye have gathered of the rising atmospherean part ofthe living earth-substance, so shall ye now turn for your regimen above. It is in heavennow like unto the waters of the earth. When it raineth not, mortals go to the well and fetchup water out of the earth; but when it raineth they go not to the well for water, but set outvessels, and the rain filleth them.

2. So, in the times of dan and half dan and quarter dan, our hosts bring their regimen upfrom the earth. Wherein ye have many employed as laborers. Behold now, a'ji will raindown upon us sufficient and more than sufficient regimen for one hundred and eightyyears. Suffer not, therefore, your laborers to fall into idleness, for this will lead tomischief. But immediately put them to other occupations; suffer them to have no sparetime.

3. The mathematicians discovered there would fall no a'ji in Yaton'te, nor on the lands ofGuatama. So, God sent from several divisions in the heavens laborers for those regions.

4. Two heavenly kingdoms, Gir-ak-shi and Soo'fwa, of Heleste and Japan, grieved Godmore than all the rest. For these had become strongholds for Ahura, who had pursued thewarfare on earth till in those two great divisions all the Faithists, the Zarathustrians, hadbeen put to death. And the mortal kings of those countries had issued laws commandingall people to be put to death that professed the Great Spirit, Ormazd (Jehovih). And thelaw had been carried out effectually.

5. So God bewailed Soo'fwa with lamentations. He said: O Japan, my beloved,down stricken! How can I restore to thee mortal seed? Thou art afar; no man on thysoil heareth the Creator's voice! How can I carry her; she lieth down with cold feet.

6. Whilst God lamented, the voice of the Father came to him, saying: Hear Me in Mywisdom, O My Son. I will not suffer Ahura to go thither. Withdraw thy guards from theevilest of men. Suffer him to go his way. Ahura shall be brought home before he visitethSoo'fwa and Gir-ak-shi.

7. God perceived; and he sent messengers to the guard over Ootgowski, saying to them: When ye come to the guard, even to the captains, ask permission to speak to Ootgowski. And the captain will permit. Whereupon, ye shall say to Ootgowski: My son, thou camesthither, saying: Put a guard over me, for I am obsessed of Satan with the seven horns(tetracts). And God appointed a guard over thee. In this day, behold, God sendeth to thee,saying: I will no longer guard Ootgowski. For his glory he shall enter the kingdoms ofJehovih and become a worker for righteousness' sake.

8. When the messengers had said this much to Ootgowski, the latter said unto them: Godis wise; I volunteered to have myself put under guard, but I am tired thereof. Say to God,his Lords and sub-Gods, I will come to Jehovih's kingdoms and work, for righteousness'sake. But yet a little while I desire rest and travel. So Ootgowski was granted freedompurposely, and of his own accord he went and destroyed the foundations of Ahura'sthrone, as hath been told. And Ahura thus hastened home without completing the travel ofthe heavens.

9. Jehovih said: What mattereth a name? Let them call the Creator Ahura'Mazda, and callAhura'Mazda the Creator. Since He hath not shown Himself in a ship, or in the figure of aman, behold, thy inspirers shall teach His Ever Presence.

10. God perceived, and a record of the name was made and entered in the libraries ofheaven. And God looked abroad and saw that the same thing was even so in Gir-ak-shiand Heleste. And God entered this also in the libraries of heaven. And the readingthereof, translated, is as followeth: In the land of Celeste, the highest, most sacred nameof the Great Spirit, the Creator, was decreed by God to be Mazda; and the same thing isdecreed of Japan.

11. Hence it was known from that time forth that the origin of the word Master, asapplied to the Creator, sprang from those two countries only, and from no other divisionof the earth. Of this matter, God said: In thousands of years this word shall be testimonyto mortals of the war in heaven of this day, which reached not to the heavens of these twolands. And it was so, and will continue forever!

12. So God had no footing in Japan nor in Heleste, nor had he sufficient power toestablish a God or Lord in either country, or in the heavens belonging to them.

13. And when Diva assembled, God propounded this matter, on which the fourteenmembers spake at length. And then Div decreed: To the swift messengers in attendance,and through them to the etherean Goddess, Cpenta-armij, deploring of Diva inJehovih's name: Two heavenly kingdoms and two corporeal divisions have walledthemselves about in idolatry. A'ji hath yet six years, and dawn twenty-six.

14. In thirty days thereafter the star-ship, Gee'onea, from Haot-saiti, in etherea, made itsappearance in the heavens above, first observed on the borders of the bridge Chinvat. Godsent immediately a swift-rising Ometr to meet the star-ship and conduct it to Craoshivi,whither he had gone with one of the transports, with two hundred millions, wellselected, to found a new city in heaven. Suffice it, in three days' time the star shiplanded in Craoshivi with one million laborers provided to endure till the coming dawn.

15. After due salutations, Os, chief Captain of the ethereans, said unto God: In Jehovih'sname am I come to possess the heavenly places, Soo'fwa and Gir-ak-shi, and their lands,Japan and Heleste. This work must be accomplished before dawn; before the coming ofCpenta-armij. Send thou, therefore, thy messengers who know the places, that I mayconduct my hosts thither to labor.

16. God then gave messengers to Os, and the latter departed and went to the kingdomsnamed; and it so happened, by the wisdom of Jehovih, that this took place at the sametime that Ahura had returned and found his capital and throne demolished. Hence Ahurawas powerless to interfere with the labor of Os and his hosts.

17. So Os divided his forces and possessed both Soo'fwa and Gir-ak-shi, together with thedivisions of the earth thereunto belonging. And Os possessed the corporeal temples ofworship, and the places of the oracles, and all places for consulting spirits. And he taughtnot the name of Jehovih, nor of the Great Spirit, nor of the Father; for none of thesewould be received. But this he taught; thus he extolled; thus inspired OF THE MAZDA,THECREATOR;OF THE VOICE THATSPAKE TO ZARATHUSTRA,THE ALLPURE. To goodness and goodworks; to self-denial and love; to justice and truth; of mercy and obedience to the allhighest light in the soul.

CHAPTER XVII.

1. But even Gods fail at times. For by failures do all persons learn there are higherpowers. Only Jehovih never faileth.

2. In the last month of the last year of a'ji, even whilst God, Jehovih's Son, and his LordGods, and his Lords and sub-Gods, were proud of heart that they should carry the earthand her heavens through safely, they met sore trials. This, then, is what happened: Acomet came within the earth's vortex, and was drawn in, even as floating drift is drawnwithin a whirlpool in a river. The substance of the comet was condensed, and fell on theearth in mist, and dust and ashes. And the earth, and the heavens above the earth, were indarkness twelve days, and the darkness was so great that a man could not see his handbefore him.

3. And during those days of darkness there were more than four score hells foundedwithin Ahura's heavenly regions, and he himself was cast into one of them, and hewas walled about by more than three thousand million angels; pilfered and stripped of allhe had. And his remaining sub-Gods were also bound in hell and robbed of all they had.

4. And presently the spirits ran for the kings' and queens' souls (of them who had beentyrants on earth), and they caught them, and brought them and cast them into hell also,taking vengeance on them with stripes and foul smells. And hundreds of thousands ofspirits went and gathered foul smells and cast them into hell, and surrounded the hells onevery side with foul gases, so that none could escape.

5. So desperate became the madness upon them, that even the tormentors rushed in,making a frolic of madness. And whosoever had ever had an enemy on earth now ran forhim and caught him in hada and brought him; and others helped; and they took and casthim into the torments of hell. And those who had been slaves hundreds of years to Ahuraand his Gods, now caught every one they could lay hands on, and dragged them into hell.

6. As soon as God's messengers came and told him what had happened, God sent allhis available forces to overthrow the place if possible. Vishnu, full of hope and courage,sent one-half of his forces to God's assistance, thereby risking the guardianship ofthe three great mortal kingdoms, Vindyu, Jaffeth and Arabin'ya. And God sentmessengers to the heavenly kingdoms of North and South Guatama, saying to theGods of those places: Behold, Ahura, the false, is involved in torments; his hosts areupon him, three thousand millions! Send all above grade seventy at once. To Uropahe sent also, saying the same thing, and adding thereto: Alas, my little wisdomin sending off a thousand million of mine own hosts to Craoshivi at such a time!

7. Craoshivi was the new plateau, difficult of access, and it was scarcely possible to recallhis hosts in the time required. And God summoned the Diva, that they might sit for theFather's Voice; and the members came and sat in the usual way, and Jehovih spake untoGod, saying:

8. Peace be unto Thee, My Son! Neither regret thou that thou sent thy most exaltedhosts to Craoshivi. Did not I lead thee thither? And I said unto thee: Possess thisplace, and send thou thy hosts hither. Neither grieve thou because I sent the nebulaeand the darkness of that time. Is it more to thee to behold these things, than formortals to witness the spring floods that wash away the summer's coming harvest?

9. To learn to provide against contingencies, this is wisdom. Yet not All Wisdom is inman's heart, nor yet with My Gods. How canst thou perceive how it is with Ahura's soul,whether this hell be good or evil unto him in the end?

10. If thou behold My sudden power, how much more must not Ahura feel it? Yet thoushalt deliver him out of hell; by thy hosts shall he and his sub-Gods be delivered. Butfar greater shall be the torments of his own soul, than what his drujas can heap upon him.

11. Then God inquired of Jehovih, saying: What is the best, most perfect way, to deliverAhura and his subjects out of hell?

12. Jehovih answered him, saying: Whom he hath despised, send; whom he hath ill-treated,send; whom he hath humbled, send. And when thy Lords and Gods are cometo the place, let these, his abused enemies, take the hand of thy Lord or thy God, andthey shall call out to Me in the name, Ormazd, the which name Ahura hath tried todestroy for the glory of his own. And at the sound of the name, Ormazd, thy hosts shallcast burning light into the faces of the drujas, and thus scatter them away till Ahurabe released; and he shall witness that he hath been released through the name, Ormazd.

13. God sent E'chad, and Ah'oan, to deliver Ahura out of hell, and they labored four yearsin accomplishing it, and then Ahura was free, and his hosts were divided into groups oftens of thousands, and hundreds of thousands; and God appointed generals and captainsover them. Save and except eight hundred million drujas that escaped from hell andthrough the guards' fires, and descended back to the earth, to torment and to deceivemortals.

14. So it turned out that Vishnu failed in some degree to save the nations of the earthfrom the approach of evil spirits. Jehovih spake to Vishnu, comforting, saying: Becausethou hast helped to deliver Ahura, thou shalt not take sorrow to thy heart. What are eighthundred millions to thee? So Vishnu grieved no more.

15. Now during the time of the deliverance of Ahura, no less than six knots had been tiedin hell, and in one of these Ahura and his sub-Gods had become bound, so there was noescape for them. But the outer and extreme knots were untied first, and as fast as thedelirious spirits were rescued, they were carried without and beyond the firewalls andplaced under guard.

16. Thus in sections was Ahura's hell cast out; and when the deliverers came to Ahuraand his confederates they were all, save Ahura, in a state of chaos, frenzied with fear. ButAhura was not beside himself, though in serious fright. Ah'oan, Lord of Jaffeth, spake tohim, saying: In the name of God, and of Ormazd, I have delivered thee. How is it withthee?

17. Ahura said: I am done! I am nothing! One God alone can do nothing. Do with mewhatsoever thou wilt. I am thy servant.

18. Ah'oan said: Nay, be thou servant to none save Ormazd, thy Creator. His name is thewatch-word and the power in all the high heavens. By his name thou shalt become oneamongst Godly companions.

19. Ahura said: But thou must torment me first! Ah'oan said: Wherefore? My work is notto cast down but to lift up. So it is with all of Ormazd's Gods. Behold thou here, even thysub-Gods, and such as thou hast in times past evilly used! See, they hold up their hands inprayer to Ormazd for thee!

20. And is this not the way of knowing angels and mortals, whether they be of theCreator? If they pull down, they are not His. If they slander or torment, or speak evil ofone another, or give pain, they are not His. How, then, shall I not do good for thee andrestore thee to thy kingdom?

21. Ahura said: Give me anything, but give me not my kingdom again; for of all tormentsthis is the worst. Ah'oan said: Wouldst thou evilly treat them that had been thy subjects? If so, thou art not of the everlasting resurrection. Ahura said: Nay, I would see them notforever! I would hear them not, know them not forever. If, therefore, thou wilt do megood instead of evil, I pray thee take me afar off, and alone, that I may meditate foreveron the horrors I have passed through.

22. Ah'oan said: Hear me now, once for all, and I speak in the name of God and of theGreat Spirit, Ormazd: Because thou hast served thyself and compelled others to servethee for nearly two thousand years, thou hast become blind to the Ormazdian law, whichis: That thine own peace and happiness can only come by making restitution to thyservants, and by lifting up those whom thou hast cast down. How can I deliver thee awayfrom them? I may take away thy person, but I cannot deliver thy memory. No man can bedelivered from himself.

23. One way only is open for thee, which is under the Ormazdian law; which is, that thoushalt take thy kingdom again, and deliver it unto righteousness, intelligence and goodworks. Serving Ormazd by doing good unto them whom the Creator gave thee. Many ofthem have served thee more than a thousand years; wouldst thou now cast them offwithout recompense?

24. Ahura said: Thou art just, O Ormazd! I perceive the wisdom of Thy Gods, andthe bondage of men. Take me, O Ah'oan, put me in a way to carry out this great light.

25. Ah'oan said: Hear thou thy sentence, in the name of Ormazd, the Creator; which is,that thou shalt be taken to a place of safety, which E'chad shall select; and thither shall thybest, most exalted people be taken, and put to work and to school, and in nurseries andhospitals; and thou shalt go about amongst them, teaching and encouraging them inindustry and righteousness, for Ormazd's sake. And when thou hast certain onesdisciplined in this way, thou shalt receive another installment of thy people, and they shallbe disciplined in the same way. And then another installment, and so on, until thou hastall thy kingdom.

26. And that thou shalt be successful, these, my Lords, and generals, and captains, shallgo with thee and labor with thee and thy hosts. And thou and thy people shall have noornaments; and your raiment shall be white-gray, alike and like, teachers and pupils, savewhen especially ordered otherwise by God and his deputies.

27. And when thou and the majority of thy hosts have risen above grade fifty, thou shaltbe crowned in the name of Ormazd, and thy kingdom shall have a throne, and thou shaltbe one amongst the united hosts of the higher heavens. Till then, go thou to thy laborsdiligently, and may Ormazd abide with thee in wisdom and power.

28. Ahura said: Thou art just, O Ormazd. I will henceforth, forever, serve Thee with allmy wisdom and strength!

29. And then E'chad and his attendants led the way, and the marshals and generals andcaptains brought Ahura's hosts, the first installment, and they went to a place calledAilkin, a heavenly place capable of seven thousand millions, and there they founded thenew colony for Ahura.

30. But Ah'oan and his hosts continued their labors in delivering the hells, until theydelivered the four score and placed all the spirits under guard and discipline.

CHAPTER XVIII.

1. Thus drew to a close the cycle of Fragapatti, being three thousand and one hundredyears. And at this time there were but few people on earth or in heaven but were capableof everlasting life, even the druks and drujas also.

2. Jehovih spake to God, saying: Now shalt thou enumerate earth and heaven, as to allthat I have created capable of everlasting life; and of My harvests since the habitation ofthe earth, when man first walked upright. And thy numbers shall be entered in thelibraries of heaven, to remain forever.

3. So God called together a council of mathematicians, and they numbered mortals andangels, and recorded their labor in the libraries of heaven, where the wise men of heavenand earth may read the records.

4. In Fragapatti's cycle were born alive ninety-two thousand millions. Of these ninetypercent were born to everlasting life. Ten percent went into dissolution, as a drop of waterevaporateth before the sun and is seen no more.

5. In Osiris' cycle, ninety-one thousand millions. Of these eighty-seven percent were bornto everlasting life. Thirteen percent went into dissolution and were seen no more.

6. In Thor's cycle, eighty-eight thousand millions. Of these eighty-five percent were bornto everlasting life, and fifteen percent to dissolution.

7. In Apollo's cycle, eighty thousand millions. Of these seventy-two percent were born toeverlasting life.

8. In Sue's cycle, eighty-seven thousand millions. Of these sixty-two percent were born toeverlasting life, and thirty-eight percent went into dissolution.

9. In Aph's cycle, sixty-six thousand millions. Of these fifty-four percent were born toeverlasting life, and forty-six percent went into dissolution.

10. In Neph's cycle, before the submersion of Pan, one hundred and twenty-four thousandmillions. Of these twenty-one percent were born to everlasting life, and seventy-ninepercent went into dissolution.

11. And this comprised one-sixth of the people that had been created alive on the earthsince man walked upright; that is to say, three thousand six hundred and seventy-eightbillions.

12. But in the early days of man only a small percentage were born to everlasting life;and, first of all, only one percent.

13. And God gave thanks unto Jehovih, the Creator, because all the races of men on earthwere now capable of everlasting life.

14. Of the hells and knots springing out of hada since the days of Wan, this was theproportion, to wit:

15. In the cycle of Fragapatti, two hundred and seventy-six hells, of average duration,thirty years. Involved in these hells, two thousand million angels. Sixty-four knots, ofaverage duration, two years. Involved in these knots, one thousand million angels.

16. In the cycle of Osiris, three hundred and eighty-nine hells, of average duration, fourhundred years. Involved in these hells, seven thousand millions. Two hundred and twelveknots, of average duration, three years. Involved in these knots, three thousand millions.

17. In the cycle of Thor, five hundred and ninety-one hells, of average duration, sixhundred years. Involved in these hells, nine thousand million angels. Four hundred andthirty-six knots, of average duration, six years. Involved in these knots, four thousandmillion angels.

18. In Apollo's cycle, seven hundred and forty-two hells, of average duration, eighthundred years. Involved in these hells, ten thousand million angels. Six hundred and fourknots, of average duration, twelve years. Involved in these knots, five thousand millions.

19. In Sue's cycle, twelve hundred and seventy-three hells, of average duration, onethousand years. Involved in these hells, thirteen thousand million angels. One thousandand five knots, of average duration, thirty years. Involved in these knots, eight thousandmillions.

20. In Aph's cycle, three thousand five hundred hells, of average duration, two thousandyears. Involved in these hells, twenty-eight thousand million angels. Two thousandknots, of average duration, fifty years. Involved in these knots, twenty-five thousandmillions. And these were the numbers of spirits cast into hell and into knots, from thesubmersion of Pan to the end of the cycle of Zarathustra; but at the dawn of each andevery cycle, both the hells and the knots were delivered by the etherean Gods. Save inFragapatti's cycle, when they were almost entirely delivered by the atmospherean God.

21. Prior to the submersion of Pan, commonly called the flood, more than half the peopleentering the first es world went into hells and into knots. And in all ages of the worldthere have been thousands and millions of spirits who delight in hell for certain seasons,even as is manifested in mortals who delight in debauchery, and vengeance, and war. Noris a hell widely different, as regards the spirit, from what war is amongst mortals. Andas mortals of this day glorify themselves and their generals and captains for themagnitude of their havoc in war, so in the olden times, in atmospherea, there were greatboastings and laudations for such as inflicted the greatest torments and horrors in hell.

22. As mortals of the druk order oft leave their evil ways for a season, and becomeupright and virtuous, loving decency and righteousness, and then break away and indulgein a season of debauchery, so in the es world hath it been with millions and thousands ofmillions of angels. In one day the teachers and physicians were rejoicing before Jehovihbecause of the steadfastness of their wards to righteousness; and in the next day were leftto deplore the loss of hundreds and thousands who had broken faith and gone off forindulgence's sake in some of the hells. And these had to be rescued, persuaded, threatenedand coaxed back again and again to the nurseries and hospitals, or to the factories andcolleges.

23. Neither knoweth any one, save Jehovih, the labor and fretting and anxiety that wereundergone by the teachers and physicians, and Lords and Gods, who had such drujas incharge. For even as it is beholden on earth that men of great learning and high estate oftfall, becoming lower than the beasts of the fields, so in heaven were there hundreds ofthousands, and even millions, oft high raised in the grades, that would stumble and fallinto the lowest of hells, and even into the knots.

24. So Jehovih brought the earth and her heavens into another dawn of dan, in the arc ofSpe-ta, in the Nirvanian roads of Salk-watka, in etherea.

25. Now, up to the last, God and his Lords maintained the Diva; and mortalssomewhat understood the matter, that there were certain Divine laws in heaven thatruled over mortal kingdoms and empires. So that the words Div, and Diva, and Divinerights, began to be realized as a concerted power in heaven greater than man's power.

END OF THE BOOK OF DIVINITY.

Plate 18. THE EARTH IN OCGOKUK.

Jehovih said: Out of the etherean mountains of Ocgokuk I brought theearth, prepared for My four Sons: Abram, Brahma, Po and Eawahtah. And I numbered the earth at one hundred, for it had attained to fullness.

Previous              Next