TWO OPPOSING FORCES AT THE TIME OF DEATH

By

Kaikhusroo M. JamaspAsa

Dastur Kaikhusroo Minocher JamaspAsa was born on 11 th March

1934. He was educated at St. Xavier's School and St. Xavier's College,
Bombay and obtained his M.A. degree from the University of Bombay
in Iranian Languages and English Literature in 1955 and his Ph.D.•
degree of the same University in 1966. He was appointed High-Priest
of the Anjuman Atash-Behram, Bombay, in 1956. He is the Editor of
Dr. J. M. Unvala Memorial Volume published in 1964. He is a
Lecturer in Avesta and Pahlavi at the Sir J. J. Zarthoshti Madressa
since 1960. He was Guest Professor at the Johannes Gutenberg
University of Mainz, West Germany, in 1965-66.

In Datastan i Denik XVI1 a question has been asked to

Manuscihr i Yuvan-Yam 'High-Priest of Pars and Kinnan' as to
the reason ( vahlin) of exposing dead bodies to the birds. In the
reply a mention has been made to .....,~$' _J Q ltam-bitikil, which
West2 renders by 'two co-existences' and Anklesaria-Bhamcha 3
by 'til "Ui.=?.tt1!t~t' (two evils). The first word presents no difficulty
but the second viz. ham-bitikih whose etymology was unkno\Yn to
Bartholomae 4 and Salemann 5 has now been well attestecl. 6 The
corresponding ,vords also occur in Skand-Guman1k Vicar VIII.
122, 123 but in a different context. Therein the cause of death is
attributed to the struggling of two opposing forces in one nature.
------------ -----··-------------~--
1. The Datistan-i Dinik, Part I, Puniehn I-XL eel. T. D. Ankleaaria, Bombay and
K3,; fol. 118 v.
2, SBE. XVIII.88.
8. Erv11d T. D. Ankle~ari11 and Ervan S. D. Blrnruch11 "Dii.clrutane Dini-no tarjnmo"
(in Guiar11ti), Bombay, 1926, 3·4.
4. ZAirWb., 65 n.1. His explanation of the word in II later issue of lF. 28.60!.
seems !en convincing.
5. l\fanichaeiache Studien I.84, A. l\Ieillet (l\Iemoire~ de la Societe de Linguiatique
de P1\ri1, 17.246) who rejects Salem11nn's explanation of the word, however, forwarcl1 no positive
elucidation.
6, For the derivation and cognate of this word see DhBLhar, Trnne]ntion of Zand-i
KhnrtBk Avi1tiik, Bombay, 1968, 45, 46. Cf. nlso lllenasce, SG V., 276 Bnd Zaehner, Zurrnn, 469.
 TWO OPPOSING FORCES AT THE TIME OF DEATH 105

We read (Menasce, SGV. p. 100, 101 = JamaspAsana-West, SGV.

p. 62; West, SBE. XXJV.161):

ci vahqn i rnargi koxsasni i du harnbidi gadasn<J: andar yak

gohar ano hu du harnbidi gadasnq andar yak golzar bahot virnari u
margi budan asna 'Car la raison de la mort est la lutte de deux
qualites dans une meme substance. On constate en effet que
lorsqu'il y a deux qualites contraires dans une meme substance,
ii y a maladie et mort.' The Pazand word hambidi has been
translated by pratidvan1dvi 'adversary, rival, foe' in the Sanskrit
version.

This '2 ham-bitikih' is a reference to the two spirits, Spenta

and A,.,ra, and the author of the Datastan quotes here Y. 30.4:
·~i, .,..i»~> 'l....ue, ·H~~-"~-"t\ ·~"IJ-"' -,~~ ..,.,,~ ·;..u»e,, ..,.,,~

.... .,.,r,-.1~J.,.,,j~ ..,.,r,~-"~

Pahlavi translation ,',\.)....., 61~e., "~, "9S ,~ -'iE~ ""6, ,~ ..,,~~ ..... ,.9 "9S ~,,~ .....

[-'16~ "'6 ~6~ I~ -'1~6_J ..... ,.9 '!:::]

.... ....,~~_.. lie! ~116 I ........ ...._,~ II e., ~116

This shows that 2 minok of the Pahlavi Yasna is replaced by

2 ham-bitikih in the Dd., and A vesta ldhn .. .jasaet'Jrn is translated
by o ham mat hend in Phl. Y. and the corresponding words in the
Dd. are o ham-mat estet, and gaimca ajiiaitimca which is translated
ke-c pa. zivandakih ... u ke-c pa azivaudakili is represented by der
patayenitan and fez vartenitan in Dd.

Further, it appears that .....,~, _J is a reference to these 'two

spirits' who fight for the possession of a dead body. In connec-
tion with a person who extirpates catacombs it is stated in the
Videvdat 1 that when such a person dies the 'two spirits' ( ~";J . . ., ·-"»o,)
do not stand fighting for the possession of his soul but it straight
away goes to heaven. This duua, rnainiiu of the Videvdat (Phi. tr .
.91,0 _J 2 menok which is further glossed by ku-s ahrnzan tuxsak <?>

1. Vendidad (ed. Hoshang Jamaap) VII.52 ·5 ·J~J...ul ·J~J...ue, ·J,~...u _::,S' -~ll
~~lt"~~--"»-" •-"!~~ ·~ll!J-"' 'Nat, indeed, in tbi1 (world) for the man do the two spirita
etand fighting', and Darmesteter, SBE. IV.88f.
 106 SIR J. J. ZARTHOSHTI MADRESSA CENTENARY VOLUME

apar ne bavet 'that is, Ahrrnan will not become active (?) over him')
is represented by 2 harJJ,-bitikih in Datastan i Denik XVI. 2. Further,
the actions of these 'two opposing forces'are described as: evak der
patayen"itan <u> evak tez vartenitan: 'One (working for) long-lasting
(of life) <and> one for qu1ck change'; the first action IS attributed,
naturally, to the Yazats and the second to the Devs. This idea of
the good and the evil spirits exerting to take possession of the
souls of departed persons is also to be found in Videvdat1,
Denkart2 , Bundahifo 3 , Gajastak Abalish4, 'Sad Dar Bundehes 5
and Datastan i Menok Xrat6 • The purport is that while the Yazats
desire to prolong life on this earth and to protect the soul from any
harm befalling it in the spiritual world, the Devs strive to destroy
life and to frighten the soul and drag it into hell after death.

We should, therefore, read Pursifo XVI. 2, 3 as follows :

_J r~lol:it!J 11"'6'&' b1 t: 1ioe.,.19""tJ t~o:;' "'° -;'-'~'°' '1. r•MJ\!.leJ t: -"-;' " 1~-'"'el (2)
'''°'~'°' lt;VJ b, t6'i 19~'iV' ""V~ ·: 11~,1~1 e,io 9~ IJ~i:;1.!::..icei ).1., 9,V ·: ~!~,&'
' ~ ,~;o lie.I ......,....,,, 1e.,)9 ~ ~, ....,, ...... " 7;,'i\.l~,Z ~ b-v (3) ·: l'i\J~~, '~

0
a° l~-')io ~,.e.i .I~ t6 ~ )~J" t'il-'\ ""V-'6' '~~ ~7,1.')io ""' t6 I\'~~ ~ .......

(2) passaxv e ku passai:isn i vitartal~an tan o"/on skift ~·u o ham-mat

estet 2 ham-bitikih evak der 7Jatayenitrrn <u> evak tei vartenitan
us aBvenak en o yazdan patan devan vartenisn (3) 1ias hac ozisn
i gyan ta ka karp vehih pa gyak devan xrat startan liac tan
tarsend cigon mes gurgan xl}ist ka hac gurg frac tarsef.

1. Vd. XIX. 28 f.
2. DkM.,69 (: DkS, Vol.X §XIX. 15d.
8, GrBd. (ed. AnkleBBria) fol.94r. and fol,lOlv, eq,
4. GA. (ed. Barthelemy) VII.28 f. ( = ed. Chacha, VI.H f),
5, Sd. Bd, (ed. Dbabharl Chap. 40. For its · Englieb translation eee Dhabhar,
Persian Rivayah, 581!,
6. MX. (ed. T, D, Ankleaaria) II.115 f.
7. Text )'i\J.I,;'; TD ~JJ'i\J-'','; DF, Ji, J2, H jJ~-''i; better 1',\..1..1~,:;',
 TWO OPPOSING FORCES AT THE TIME OF DEATH 107
TRANSLATION:
(2) The answer is this : arrangement (i.e. disposing off) of the
body of dead persons is so difficult because 2 opposing
forces have come together - one (working for) long-lasting
(of life) (and) one for quick change. And its mode 1 is this :
for the Yazats, to protect; for the Devs, causing change.
(3) After the coming out of life till when the body is in its
place with propriety 2 , 3 the Devs of scattered-intellect4 are
afraid of the body just as a sheep pursued by the wolves is
afraid of the wolf. 3

1. i.e. their method of working,

2. i.e according to proper rites.
8-S, For thi1 1imile 1ee :
ZXA. 196. 9·18 : allak ka ahla1J bii 1Jifiret Pas hac 1Jitirisnik i IH dii1Jlin drujtin hac boll
iiton Jrl!c tarset cigoll mes gurgin x"istak ke hac boll i gurg Jrac tarsend oisan·ic ki
-dii1Jan aruj'in han•ciglin11n hac tl! ru1Jan anosak·t bi tarsena : 'Then, when, a pioua man
pasaes away, af~er hia paaaing away, the demons and the drujaa tremble at the perfume
(emanating from the soul) just as a aheep pursued by wolvea tremble, on account of the
ame)l of the wolf, in the aame manner, the demon1 and the drujaa tremble on account of the
perfume (emanating) from that immortal aoul'.
PVd. XIX. SS: pas hac b"J 1Jitirisnih dell dru1Jand diisdaniik (as hac) boll etcin be tarsend
cigcin mes i gurg x"tst (ka) hac boll gurg frac tarset: 'After the paaaing away the wicked,
ill-informed deva are ao terrified by the am ell (emanating from him) juat as a sheep pursued
by the wolf ( when) it ia afraid from the smell of the wolf',
The simile is also employed in Vichitakiha·i Zatsparam II.2 in connection with the attack
of Ahrman on the .sky in which 1ie~J larzet 'trembles' is used for Jt"-.!.i.'Jro ~,e., frfic forset
'is terrified' of our text.
PazT. 84, 17·19: Cltn, mis. gurg1n, x",stt. ki, az. bui gurg. fras. tar sit. is~n·ic. ki.
a.;wan.
e
dr11j. ham. czm(!n
....
al. bui. i. rtman.
~
ui. analisa. ruuan.
c:.
frua
,
tars ant; 'Just a.a 8
sheep, pursued by the wolf trembles from the smell of the wolf, in the same manner they whg
are demons ar.id druj tremble from the acent of the immortal soul'.
Aog. 19 (ed. Dhabhar): cigon mes gurgl!n x"ist kii hac bu~ gurg frfic tar set uisan ke de1J
U druj 1,Jnd hnc bull ruvfin i iii i a11osak ru11ii11 friic tarsend : 'Just a.a a. sheep pursued
by the wolves trembles from the smell of a wolf, they who are the demon and druj
tremble at the fragrance of the soul of the deceased'.
4, ,vrat start i1 the Pahlavi explanation of Aveata xrafstra- and it translates the
Av. word, (AirWb. 588).