Page:History of Zoroastrianism.djvu/376

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343
HERESIES

alone and is immersed in bodily pleasures, loses in spirit in the next world, but whoso works for the soul, makes the spiritual existence more his own.[1] Just as a person going without shoes on a road infested with serpents and scorpions is constantly on guard lest the noxious creatures bite him, so a man should always beware of his bodily passions.[2] The great Sasanian pontiff Adarbad said that whenever any harm befell his body, he took consolation that it did not affect his soul, which was of greater significance.[3] Whosoever lives in this world with a view to the betterment of his soul, reaps the future reward, but whoso lives exclusively for the body, sees his body ultimately crumbling into dust with no hopes for the welfare of the spiritual existence.[4] The wicked conducts his soul after the bodily desires, but the righteous man should regulate his body in conformity with the higher desires of the soul.[5] The body is the halter to the soul, and the faithful one is reminded that he should so act in the world that neither the soul nor the body suffers for the other, but if that is not possible, he should prefer the soul to the body and be prepared to sacrifice it for the good of the soul.[6] The soul profits when the inordinate bodily pleasures are foregone.[7] The man who is prepared to dedicate his body for the sake of his soul or religion practises true generosity.[8] Though the body is the bane of the spirit, it is not branded as inherently evil. Man may work with the body, yet he may live for the soul. Discipline rather than austerity is the Zoroastrian watchword. Self-mortification does not form part of the Zoroastrian theology. With due self-control the devout has to conquer the flesh in order to be victor in spirit; he has to subdue his bodily nature, but not to suppress it. The body is not to be reduced to a skeleton. Zoroastrianism demands a sound and a strong body to enable man to effectively combat the hydra of evil in this world. Uncleanliness of body is one of the ascetic virtues. It is repugnant to the spirit of Zoroastrianism, which stands for the bodily purity. Purity of body contributes to purity of

  1. ↑ Dk., vol. 12, bk. 6. A. 2, p. 33.
  2. ↑ Dk., vol. 12, bk. 6. B. 47, p. 49, 50.
  3. ↑ Dk., vol. 12, bk. 6. A. 5, p. 35, 36.
  4. ↑ SLS. 20. 10.
  5. ↑ Dk., vol. 12, bk. 6. 285, p. 8.
  6. ↑ Dk., vol. 10, bk. 6. 25, p. 8.
  7. ↑ Dk., vol. 11, bk. 6. 89, p. 2.
  8. ↑ Dk., vol. 11, bk. 6. 91, p. 5.
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