Page:History of Zoroastrianism.djvu/483

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
450
ZARTUSHT DURING THE PERSIAN PERIOD

her that no harm would befall the child, for God himself guarded it. He added, while departing, that the auspicious child would grow to be the prophet of Ormazd.[1]

At the moment of his birth, Zartusht laughed aloud.[2] The story reached the ears of the magician Durasarun, who hastened to the house of Purshasp and raised his sword to cut off the child's head but that instant his hand withered away. He then ordered the child to be thrown into a pile of kindled wood, naphtha, and sulphur, but the devouring flame became as cool as water and the child was saved by Ormazd. Then the wizard threw the child into a thoroughfare for the passage of oxen but a leading cow took the child between her fore-feet and drove off all that came near, with her horns. Then Zartusht is exposed in a narrow defile through which horses passed. A mare at once stood at the child's head and saved it from being trampled to death. In the fourth attempt to destroy the child, it is put in a den of ravening wolves. When a wolf rushed to devour Zartusht, his mouth was sewn up. The wolves were alarmed and sat near the head of Zartusht like nurses. Two sheep came to the spot and applied their teats to the lips of Zartusht. The sheep and the wolves all remained peacefully near him.[3]

Zartusht is placed under the care of a sage for instruction.[4] At the age of seven, Zartusht fell ill and the magicians went to his house with medicine. Zartusht was asked to swallow the medicine, and was told that it would deliver him from pain. Through divine aid Zartusht knew that it was poison. He poured it on the ground and rebuked them.[5]

The magicians were held in high honour in those days and Purshasp, the Persian writers say, was also under their influence. One day he invited them to a feast at his house and when the feast was over spoke in praise of their work. Zartusht, thereupon, told his father that he should abandon the erroneous path of the wizards and turn to God for inspiration. The magicians, he added, would find their abode in hell when they died. Pur-

  1. ↑ Shahrastani, tr Haarbrucker, I. 276, f. ZtN. p 480–483; Mirkhond, History of the Early Kings of Persia, tr. Shea, p 286; Dabistan, 1 212–218; Gottheil, References to Zoroaster, p 48
  2. ↑ Shahrastani, tr. Haarbrucker, 1 277; ZtN p 483; Mirkhond, tr. Shea, p. 286; Dabistan, 1. 218, 219; Gottheil, References, p. 49.
  3. ↑ ZtN. p. 484–487; Dabistan, 1. 219–221.
  4. ↑ ZtN. p. 488; Db. 1, 224, 225.
  5. ↑ ZtN. p. 488, 489; Db., p. 227.
This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.