House Rules
Table of Contents
- If one’s father or mother dies, how long shall they stay 2, the son for the father, the daughter for her mother? How long for the righteous? How long for the sinners 3?
Ahura Mazda answered: ‘They shall stay thirty days for the righteous, sixty days for the sinners.’
2 (5). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I cleanse the house? How shall it be clean again?
Ahura Mazda answered: ‘They shall wash their bodies three times, they shall wash their clothes three times, they shall chant the Gâthas three times; they shall offer up a sacrifice to my Fire, they shall offer up the bundles of baresma, they shall bring libations to the good waters; then the house shall be clean, and then the waters may enter, then the fire may enter, and then the Amesha-Spentas may enter 4, O Spitama Zarathustra!’
(9). If one’s son or daughter dies, how long shall they stay, the father for his son, the mother for her daughter? How long for the righteous? How long for the sinners?
Ahura Mazda answered: ‘They shall stay thirty days for the righteous, sixty days for the sinners.’
4 (13). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I cleanse the house? How shall it be clean again?
Ahura Mazda answered: ‘They shall wash their bodies three times, they shall wash their clothes three times, they shall chant the Gâthas three times; they shall offer up a sacrifice to my Fire, they shall offer up the bundles of baresma, they shall bring libations to the good waters; then the house shall be clean, and then the waters may enter, then the fire may enter, and then the Amesha-Spentas may enter, O Spitama Zarathustra!’
5 (17). If one’s brother or sister dies, how long shall they stay, the brother for his brother, the sister for her sister? How long for the righteous? How long for the sinners?
Ahura Mazda answered: ‘They shall stay thirty days for the righteous, sixty days for the sinners.’
6 (21). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I cleanse the house? How shall it be clean again?
Ahura Mazda answered: ‘They shall wash their bodies three times, they shall wash their clothes three times, they shall chant the Gâthas three times; they shall offer up a sacrifice to my Fire, they shall offer up the bundles of baresma, they shall bring libations to the good waters; then the house shall be clean, and then the waters may enter, then the fire may enter, and then the Amesha-Spentas may enter, O Spitama Zarathustra!’
7 (25). If the master of the house 1 dies, or if the mistress of the house dies, how long shall they stay? How long for the righteous? How long for the sinners?
Ahura Mazda answered: ‘They 2 shall stay six months for the righteous, a year for the sinners.’
8 (28). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I cleanse the house? How shall it be clean again?
Ahura Mazda answered: ‘They shall wash their bodies three times, they shall wash their clothes three times, they shall chant the Gâthas three times; they shall offer up a sacrifice to my Fire, they shall offer up the bundles of baresma, they shall bring libations to the good waters; then the house shall be clean, and then the waters may enter, then the fire may enter, and then the Amesha-Spentas may enter, O Spitama Zarathustra!’
9 (31). If one’s grandfather or grandmother dies, how long shall they stay, the grandson for his grandfather, the granddaughter for her grandmother? How long for the righteous? How long for the sinners?
Ahura Mazda answered: ‘They shall stay twenty-five days for the righteous, fifty days for the sinners.’
10 (34). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I cleanse the house? How shall it be clean again?
Ahura Mazda answered: ‘They shall wash their bodies 3 times, they shall wash their clothes three times, they shall chant the Gâthas three times; they shall offer up a sacrifice to my Fire, they shall offer up the bundles of baresma, they shall bring libations to the good waters; then the house shall be clean, and then the waters may enter, then the fire may enter, and then the Amesha-Spentas may enter, O Spitama Zarathustra!’
11 (37). If one’s grandson or granddaughter dies, how long shall they stay, the grandfather for his grandson, the grandmother for her granddaughter? How long for the righteous? How long for the sinners?
Ahura Mazda answered: ‘They shall stay twenty-five days for the righteous, fifty days for the sinners.’
12 (40). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I cleanse the house? How shall it be clean again?
Ahura Mazda answered: ‘They shall wash their bodies three times, they shall wash their clothes three times, they shall chant the Gâthas three times; they shall offer up a sacrifice to my Fire, they shall offer up the bundles of baresma, they shall bring libations to the good waters; then the house shall be clean, and then the waters-may enter, then the fire may enter, and then the Amesha-Spentas may enter, O Spitama Zarathustra!’
13 (43). If one’s uncle or aunt dies, how long shall they stay, the nephew for his uncle, the niece for her aunt? How long for the righteous? How long for the sinners?
Ahura Mazda answered: ‘They shall stay twenty days for the righteous, forty days for the sinners.’
14 (45). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I cleanse the house? How shall it be clean again?
Ahura Mazda answered: ‘They shall wash their bodies three times, they shall wash their clothes three times, they shall chant the Gâthas three times; they shall offer up a sacrifice to my Fire, they shall offer up the bundles of baresma, they shall bring libations to the good waters; then the house shall be clean, and then the waters may enter, then the fire may enter, and then the Amesha-Spentas may enter, O Spitama Zarathustra!’
15 (48). If one’s male cousin or female cousin dies, how long shall they stay? How long for the righteous? How long for the sinners?
Ahura Mazda answered: ‘They shall stay fifteen days for the righteous, thirty days for the sinners.’
16 (50). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I cleanse the house? How shall it be clean again?
Ahura Mazda answered: ‘They shall wash their bodies three times, they shall wash their clothes three times, they shall chant the Gâthas three times; they shall offer up a sacrifice to my Fire, they shall offer up the bundles of baresma, they shall bring libations to the good waters; then the house shall be clean, and then the waters may enter, then the fire may enter, and then the Amesha-Spentas may enter, O Spitama Zarathustra!’
17 (53). If the son or the daughter of a cousin dies, how long shall they stay? How long for the righteous? How long for the sinners?
Ahura Mazda answered: ‘They shall stay ten days for the righteous, twenty days for the sinners.’
18 (55). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I cleanse the house? How shall it be clean again?
Ahura Mazda answered: ‘They shall wash their bodies three times, they shall wash their clothes three times, they shall chant the Gâthas three times; they shall offer up a sacrifice to my Fire, they shall, offer up the bundles of baresma, they shall bring libations to the good waters; then the house shall be clean, and then the waters may enter, then the fire may enter, and then the Amesha-Spentas may enter, O Spitama Zarathustra!’
19 (58). If the grandson of a cousin or the granddaughter of a cousin dies, how long shall they stay? How long for the righteous? How long for the sinners?
Ahura Mazda answered: ‘They shall stay five days for the righteous, ten days for the sinners.’
20 (60). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I cleanse the house? How shall it be clean again?
Ahura Mazda answered: ‘They shall wash their bodies three times, they shall wash their clothes three times, they shall chant the Gâthas three times; they shall offer up a sacrifice to my Fire, they shall offer up the bundles of baresma, they shall bring libations to the good waters; then the house shall be clean, and then the waters may enter, then the fire may enter, and then the Amesha-Spentas may enter, O Spitama Zarathustra!’
21 (63). If a stranger dies who does not profess the true faith, or the true law 1, what part of the creation of the good spirit does he directly defile (in dying)? What part does he indirectly defile?
22 1 (65). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘No more than a frog does whose venom is dried up, and that has been dead more than a year. Whilst alive, indeed, O Spitama Zarathustra! that wicked, two-legged ruffian, that ungodly Ashemaogha, directly defiles the creatures of the good spirit, and indirectly defiles them.
23 (70). ‘Whilst alive he smites the water; whilst alive he blows out the fire; Whilst alive he carries off the cow; whilst alive he smites the faithful man with a deadly blow, that parts the soul from the body; not so will he do when dead.
24 (71). ‘Whilst alive, indeed, O Spitama Zarathustra! that wicked, two-legged ruffian, that ungodly Ashemaogha, never ceases depriving the faithful man of his food, of his clothing, of his house, of his bed, of his vessels; not so will he do when dead.’