Page:History of Zoroastrianism.djvu/488

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ZARTUSHT DURING THE PERSIAN PERIOD

Peshotan who became deathless to the day of judgment. To Jamasp he gave the hallowed perfume, which gave him the universal knowledge of existence from the beginning of the world to its end. A grain of the consecrated pomegranate was given to Isfendiar. He ate it and instantly became brazen-bodied. The prophet thus divided the four boons between Gushtasp and three of his near and dear ones, because, as he told the king, it was not proper to confer all the four incomparable boons on one individual.[1]

Zartusht, the writers tell us, planted a marvellous cypress-tree in the fire-temple at Kishmar in commemoration of the acceptance of his religion by king Gushtasp.[2] Gushtasp ordered twelve thousand cow-hides to be tanned and made as fine as the skin of the gazelle. He had the sacred texts inscribed upon these in gold and silver and deposited them at Istakhar.[3]

Zartusht's fabled religious debate with Indian and Greek sages. It is said that there lived a great sage named Changranghacha in India at this time. He claimed many foreign pupils of distinction and Jamasp was one of them. When the news of the conversion of king Gushtasp reached him he wrote an epistle to the king and dissuaded him from embracing the new faith. On the invitation of the king, the great philosopher came to Balkh with his disciples to hold a disputation with Zartusht and refute his doctrines. Learned men from various parts of the country attended the great debate. Before the sage propounded his questions, Zartusht ordered one of his disciples to read a Nask. Herein were already recorded all the questions that the Indian sage was to ask as well as the answers to them. The sage was utterly confused and he saw that the new prophet had premonition and he knew beforehand what particular questions would be put to him. He acknowledged his defeat and accepted Zartusht as the prophet of God. He embraced the new religion, took a copy of the Avesta with him to India and converted in a short time eighty thousand people to the religion of the Iranian Prophet.

When the news that Changranghacha was defeated by Zar-

  1. ↑ ShN. 5. 33–37; Shahrastani, tr Haarbrücker, 1. 283; ZtN. p. 498–511; Mirkhond, tr. Shea, p. 284–288; Db., 1. 244–260; Gottheil, References, p. 40, 41, 50; Jackson, Zoroaster, p. 56–80.
  2. ↑ ShN. 5. 27, 28, 34, 35; Db, 306–309; Jackson, Zoroaster, p. 80, 217.
  3. ↑ Mirkhond, tr. Shea, p. 285; Gottheil, References, p. 37.
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