We must now proceed to consider the Internal Evidence of Pársíism.

'Pársíism bet

duism.

Internal Evidence.

Looking at the Pársí religion as a whole, we may safely assert that it is decidedly more in accordter than Hin- ance with reason and morality than Hinduism is. Pársíism seems to be a reformation of an older system of religion which was common at one time to both the Hindu and Persian branches of what is called the Aryan family.* The worship of images —the avowed polytheism-the confounding of good and evilthe immoral character ascribed to the objects of worship,these are grievous faults in Hinduism, which cannot be charged upon Pársíism. Pársíism is also superior to Hinduism in the fact that it encourages to active exertion against what is believed to be evil,-the Pársí must labour to destroy the productions of Ahriman, the evil principle. Farther, Pársíism has gradually adopted certain important truths which were originally confined to the Old and New Testaments. For example, the doctrine of the resurrection is not in the older Pársí books † ; and must have been obtained either directly from the Bible,-or indirectly from it, through the Muhammadans. History tells us that the Pársís had very close connexion, first with the Jews, secondly with the Christians, and thirdly with the Muhammadans; and that their religion has been influenced by the doctrines of the Bible, no man can doubt. In these points, then, Pársíism is decidedly better than Hinduism. Still, the argument from internal evidence is very strong against the notion that Pársíism is a Revelation from God.

I. The exceeding discordance that exists among the

* Lassen's Indische Alterthumskunde, Vol. I. p. 516.

†The Pársís may not be willing to admit this; but it has been proved by M. Burnouf.

Constructively, the Pársís are polytheists. See below.

The Pársí

Pársí sacred books, is a decisive argument

scriptures are against their inspiration.

contradictory. The Zend books-the Pahlvi books-the Persian books-these constitute three different kinds of Scriptures, and they contain three different systems of doctrine. It can be easily demonstrated that even such authoritative works as the Bundeshne and Ardaí-VirafNameh, contain doctrines widely different from those of the Zend writings. This is admitted by all Orientalists, and any one may see it who will compare the works in question.

Till recently, all the Pársís acknowledge the first two classes and many of the third, as authoritative. The late chief priest, Edaljí Dárábjí Sanjána, who was supposed to be a very learned man, did so. The majority of the Pársís still admit all these classes of books. A few profess to acknowledge the Zend only. Yet, they too retain very many ideas that are not in the Zend books. The doctrines of the Zendavesta are but few; and if Pársíism were to be strictly conformed to it, the present belief and rites of the Pársís would require to be very greatly altered.

II. The views of God inculcated in all the Pársí sacred books are very imperfect.

Their views

of God are very imperfect.

Here we come to a very important question, viz. Who is the supreme God acknowledged by the Pársís? The opinion of many learned men of Europe is that the Zend books ascribe the origin of all things to a Divine Being called Zarúána-Akarana, or Time without bounds, (as the words have generally been rendered); whereas, the Pársís of the present day generally represent this Being as merely eternity or fate, and hold Hormazd (in Zend Ahura Mazdá) to be really God. But, in either case, the Pársí views of God are imperfect and erroneous. If Zaruan is an intelligent being, and Hormazd derived from him, then Hormazd must be said to have usurped the place of Zaruán. For divine names and worship are ascribed to Hormazd in

all their books; whereas, Zaruan is very seldom mentioned. Again, if Hormazd be eternal and supreme, he is still degraded from his proper dignity as God, by having only the same terms of praise and worship ascribed to him, as are applied to the light, the water, earth, heaven, and even animals. He is also put too much on an equality of power with Ahriman,-with whom he contends, sometimes successfully, sometimes unsuccessfully.

Thus, whoever may be the supreme God of the Pársís, their views of the Deity are exceedingly defective.

It is very interesting to compare the Pársi view of God with the Hindu one. In the later Shastras of the Hindus, God is rendered accessible to men; but this is accomplished by ascribing to him human feelings which are in many cases sinful. Take the characters of Shiva, Ráma, and Krishna,: for examples. In the Pársí books, Hormazd has no human vices, and this is well; but then, he appears far-off, and ill understood,—a being whom it is difficult to know and impossible to love. Still, undoubtedly, in this important point, Pársiism is superior to Hinduism. The Pársí view of God is very imperfect; but the Hindu view is often entirely wrong.

Pársís are

III. It is impossible to deny that the Pársís are polytheists. Or, one might call them, in a certain polytheists. sense, pantheists. Herodotus remarked, more than 2,000 years ago, that the Persians worshipped "the whole circle of the heavens." The remark is still true. They worship the sun, moon, stars, fire, the waters, the earth, trees, mountains,-nay, their own souls, departed souls, and so on.

It may be said that the worship paid to these objects is different from the worship paid to Hormazd. But the words of praise and adoration are generally the same, whether applied to high or low objects.

Again, the Pársís hold that, in worshipping God's works,

10

they worship God. This is an error of the most dangerous

kind

Pársí doc

erroneous.

IV. The doctrine of Sin is exceedingly defective in the Pársí religion. In all the books the refertrine of Sin is ences to moral evil are exceedingly few, while the references to ceremonial defilement are The books speak of the proper treatment of the ground, the disposal of the dead, the feeding of dogs and so on; but moral lessons they have almost none.

numberless.

Very great evil results from this exclusive insisting on ceremonial purity and impurity. The real nature of sin is forgotten; the corruption of human nature is overlooked; and men are made to waste their time in the performance of endless trifling rites. When a fearful disease is raging in the very vitals of our frame, he would not be a wise physician who would direct all his attention to a few spots that appeared on the outside of the body.

Pársí insti

ten childish.

V. The childish character of many of the institutions of the Pársí religion is so remarkable, that all tutions are of writers have been astonished at it. It specifies, with laborious minuteness, the mode in which the hairs and nails of the body must be cut off and buried, and contains many other things equally trivial. On account of such things Sir W. Jones maintained that the author of the Zend-avesta could not have been possessed of common sense. So also Vans Kennedy, Richardson, and many others have spoken.

VI. There are very many errors in science contained

to Science.

The Pársí scrip- in the Pársí books. I do not speak of tures are opposed the follies of the Persian works, such as the Jamasp Nameh, which is full of false astronomy; nor of the Pahlvi books, which are also full of errors,-but I speak even of the Zend-avesta. It contains such assertions as the following.

Winter was produced by devils. Flies and ants were produced by

Ahriman, the evil principle. Certain conditions, essential to the female sex, were also produced by him. The moon shines by her own light. The planets and fixed stars have an influence on diseases. The sun has four horses. The star Tashter (Sirius) has the body of a buff and horns of gold. The same star raises the waters from the Zare sea that are formed into rain.

The stories told of this star (Sirius) are exceedingly wild -quite as extravagant as any thing in the Hindu Puránas.

A great many equally extraordinary things are said of water and fire, which are entirely opposed to the discoveries of modern science.

VII. The Pársí books are, in many points, irreconcilable with history.

And to

History. On this subject we may content ourselves with a sentence or two from Sir H. Rawlinson, who has distinguished himself by his decypherment and translation of the Persian Cuneiform inscriptions.

"The compilation of the works of Zoroaster must have taken place, apparently, at a period when not only the cuneiform inscriptions were illegible, but when their contents even had failed from public memory,-else, the priesthood could neither have had the audacity nor the desire to darken authentic history by the distorted and incomplete allusions to Jemshid and the Kayanian monarchs, which are found in the Vendidad Sade and the ancient hymns." "Disfigurement of historical names and straining after artificial etymologies occur in every page of the Zend-avesta.*

VIII. On the whole, the tendency of the Zend-avesta General estimate may have been favourable to agriculture of the Zendavesta. and the outward comfort of men existing in a rude state of society, although even then, the rules with regard to women and the dying must have pressed hard on the most defenceless of the human race,

*

Persian Cuneiform Inscriptions. Journal, Royal Asiatic Society vol. x. p. 51.