Page:History of Zoroastrianism.djvu/463

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THE RENOVATION

himself takes a final and decisive account of the souls, and pronounces definitely upon them, for he remembers in each detail the several individual judgments passed in connection with every one of the myriads of the wicked souls after their death, as well as the just.[1] From his judgment there is no appeal. The souls called together in this great and last judicial assembly recognize each other after the long separation.[2] The father sees his son, and the brother meets his sister, the husband greets his wife, the relative welcomes his kinsman, and the friend inquires after the experience of his friend. Everyone eagerly narrates his or her account of the joys or sorrows during the long period of separation from their comrades of the material world.[3] The wicked ones taunt their righteous friends or relatives with the bitter reproach that it had not been good on their part to have practised righteousness themselves, and yet to have left them unwarned in the indulgence of vice.[4] The righteous weep for the wicked, and the wicked weep for themselves in the midst of this universal mourning, while the righteous are being separated from the wicked and sent back to heaven.[5] So far they had enjoyed bliss and felicity in their spiritual condition, they now enter heaven in body, and have the satisfaction of seeing even the bodily grievances of their earthly life adjusted.

Bodily punishment. The wicked are now cast back to hell, where they suffer bodily punishment for three days.[6] Hitherto their life in hell was torment of the spirit, now in the very body that on earth was instrumental in bringing the spiritual fall of the soul suffers materially. It is said that the wicked soul suffers three kinds of punishment at three different periods. Firstly, in this world during the earthly life; secondly, in hell from the night after the individual's death up to the period of the Renovation in spiritual form; and thirdly, now for three days in hell in the bodily form.[7]

Ordeal of molten metal. The final punishment of being tortured in hell and burnt in a river of molten metal for three nights, after Ormazd's judgment is given, is in store for the wicked souls. A comet, named Gochihar will fall from heaven and melt all the metals and minerals in the earth, and will burn

  1. ↑ Dd. 14. 5.
  2. ↑ Bd. 30. 9.
  3. ↑ Bd. 30. 21.
  4. ↑ Bd. 30. 11.
  5. ↑ Bd. 30. 12, 14, 15.
  6. ↑ Bd. 30. 13.
  7. ↑ Phl. Vd. 7. 52.
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