Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 4.djvu/109

Rh deluge is sent as a punishment from God, whereas in the dualistic version it is a plague from the Daêvas: but the core of the two legends is the same: the hero in both is a righteous man who, forewarned by God, builds a refuge to receive choice specimens of mankind, intended some day to replace an imperfect humanity, destroyed by a universal calamity.

I. Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda: O Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Who was the first mortal, before myself, Zarathustra, with whom thou, Ahura Mazda, didst converse, whom thou didst teach the Religion of Ahura, the Religion of Zarathustra? 2 (4). Ahura Mazda answered: The fair Yima, the good shepherd, O holy Zarathus'tra! he was the first mortal, before thee, Zarathustra, with whom I, Ahura Mazda, did converse, whom I taught the Religion of Ahura, the Religion of Zarathustra. 3 (7), Unto him, O Zarathustra, I, Ahura Mazda, spake, saying: 'Well, fair Yima, son of Vlvanghat, be thou the preacher and the bearer of my Religion!' And the fair Yima, O Zarathusra, replied unto me, saying: 'I was not born, I was not taught to be the preacher and the bearer of thy Religion.' 4 (11). Then I, Ahura Mazda, said thus unto him, O Zarathustra: