From Raham Asha’s The Significance of the Sacred Girdle (Text, Transcription and Translation), 2005, Paris.
(1-3) pursīd pus ī dānišnkāmag kū:
-m nigēz cim abastkustīgīhā raftan ped grān vināh dārem? ud xvad kustīg bastan cim cē?
(4-15) guft pid ī dānāgīh-dōst kū: dān nēkīhā, vizin ped xrad! cē dēn andar gētīg māyagvarīhā kār do: ēk, dānišnīg, nimūdan ī hān ī <gētīgīhā> dānistan šāyed; ud ēk, <vurravišnīg>, rāh-nimūdārīh ī ō hān ī <gētīgīhā> dānistan nē šāyed ud vurravistan sazed.
ud cim ī ōstīgānīhā, ped rāstīh, pedīriftan ud vābarēnīdan hān ī kaš-š gōbišnān hamāg an-hambasān az harv do ēvēnag nigēz, ī ast dānišnīg ud vurravišnīg.
hān ī dānišnīg astīh pēdāg <ud> vābarīgān.
ud hān ī vurravišnīg, cim abēdāg; cē abāg bun ī dānišn nē hambasān. nē cōn abārīg kēšān, <ī> hān ī dānišn<īg> ped dānišn astīh abēdāg; ud hān ī vurravišnīg, abāg bun ī dānišn hambasān, abēdāg cim, gēhān zyān aziš ast, ī-m azabar nibišt.
(16-25) hamē ka bun ī dēn ped dānišn ī ōstīgān virāst, hān ī aziš pēdāg. ka cim vēnābdāg nē ayābem ped cōn-vurravišnīh ī rāh ō dēnīg framān, ēg-iz hān ī vurravišnīg ī andar ē pursišn pēdāg. ka ōy-iz ast ī vēnābdāg, ped bavandag-dānišnīh nimūdan nē spurrīg, ēg-iz sazāgīhā kār aziš kirdan ōn nihādag cōn pādārīh ī dēn. hān ī vurravišnīg, mēnōg nīrang, jumā hān ī dānišnīg, ōn cōn andar pedyāragumandīh ardīg ī dēvān, vināhgārān, bazagān kē ō amā vēnišn a-vēnābdāg hend, avēšān zanišn mēnōg-nīrangīhā, kē-š cim ō amā abēdāg.
cōn vēmārīh ī tan ī ast ī-š vahān ud cim pēdāg, u-š dārūg ham pēdāg; ast ī abēdāg, u-š dārūg nīrang ud afsōn ud soxan, tis ī abēdāg cim. ēg-iz ē pursišnīhā pāsox ēc nē saxt-vurravišnīh<ā>, bē hamāg cimīg-nimūdārīhā abāg bun ī dānišn rāst, <ud hān ī cimīg rāh ō cimīg vurravišn ōn vas> cōn andar šnāsagān rōšn.
(26-29) cim-iz ī kustīg nišānag ē ast ī nibēsum:
(27) kustīg māyagvarīhā ped daxšag-nimūdārīh ī vimand ī meyān donān, kū andar-z tan ī mardōm, ī xvānīhed ped dānāgān ‘gēhān ī kōdak’;
(30-43) hān ī azabar nēmag cōn rōšnān ī abardarīh mehmānīh:
rōšn vēnāg cašm; ud ayābāg vīr; ud dārāg uš; ud vizingar xrad; ud handēšišnīg ayyāsagīh. cōn-šān kadag mazg ī sar. hammōg-guftār uzvān; ud hammōg-ašnūdār gōš; ud bōy-mārāg vēnīg. az ham cōn abesar ud andar abesarīh, dīdēm ī vazurgīh, ped sar gāh dāred. cōn vēnišn ud ašnavišn ud gōbišn ud hambōyišn, ud hamāg huzihrīh ud rōšnīh ud dānāgīh gāh ped bālist ī sar, vahišt, gāh ī rōšnān, humānāg. ōn-z urvarān kē-šān huzihrīh ud hubēdāgīh ud abēbīmīh (/ varg), viškōb ud bar ud abārīg abāyišnīg gāh ped bālist ī tāg ud sāg.
(44) ud hān ī azēr nēmag, gyāg ī ōsānišn ī an-ābēdān, ō dušox humānāg.
(45-46) ud hān ī meyān, aškamb, gēhān ī gumixtagīh <ud> vizārišn, zōr ī āhanzāg ud gīrāg ud gugārāg ud spōzāg; ānōh gētīg <hu>mānāg, ī gumixtag.
(47-60) do bahr nimūdan, cim ī dāštan ī kustīg ped meyān. ped hangōšīdagīh-iz, nimūdārīh ud pēdāgēnīdārīh abar-z xvēš gird, nišān ī doīh. andar-z peristišn ī xvadāyān, ped nišān-nimūdārīh ī bannagīh, meyān tan bastan ī kustīg humānāg, ud vazurg nišān ī bannagīh dāred ped meyān dāštan ī kustīg. amaragān-z pediš xustūgīh kū nišān ast ī bannagīh. cōn az namāz pēdāg kū namāyišn ast ped frōd āvurdan ī sar. az-iz xvad nām ī ‘namāz’ <pēdāg> kū namāyišn ast. ud andar kirdag ī dānāgān vizingarīh nišān nāmcištīgīhā dāred <ped> kustīg ī zarduštagān dāštan, <ī> ēvēn ud brah ast ī ristag nimūdārīhā ud nišān ī dēn daxšagīhā kū:
«vizingar hem, nē a-vizin. cē-mān vizīd ēsted kū: cē hān ī abardarīg, rōšnān nišēm; ud cē hān ī frōdīg, tārīgān nišēm; ud cē hān ī meyānag, gumēzišn <ud> vizārišn gyāg.»
(61-69) did ēn kū: cōn šnāyišn ī dādār, az dāmān, ped tarsagāhīh ī menišnīg ud peristišn, framānbarišnīh pēdākkunišnīh, framānbarišnīh nimūdārīh, ped meyān-dārišnīh ī bann; kū: cōn bannag hem ī vīspāgāh dādār, ōn bannumand hem, nē abēbann. cōn-mān bast ēsted kustīg meyān tan, ped dil, kadag ī menišn, ōn-mān bastag dārišn menišn az harvisp vināh ud framānspōzīh ī dādār, kū: ‘mā peyvannīhād, abēbannīhā, az-imān ox ō menišn, az menišn ō gōbišn, az gōbišn ō kunišn’. hamēšag menišnīg <ped> daxšag dāštan kū:
«bannag hem, nē abēbann.»
xvad nām ī ‘bannagīh’ az bann. kū-mān bann ō anī, nē ō xvad. nām ī ‘xvadāy’ ēn kū-š bann ō xvad, nē ō anī. ōn-z kustīg-dārišnīh nišān ast ī bannagīh, ī andar anī, ī xvad ast xvadāy mahist dānāg. abēr cimīg.
(70-73) dānāgān ī Zarahušt hāmis, dēnīg brahm ī hudaxšagīhā, ud xrad-ristagīhā ud varm-āgāhīhā pēdāg kird: harv cē dāštan sazed framān; nē dāštan, a-sazāgīhā ud grān-vināhīhā ud framān-spōzīhā. cē vimand ī vināh hān ī sazed nē kirdan, ud hān ī nē sazed kirdan.
(74-76) ah, az ham cim, ka ē gām abēbann, <ud> bē <az> framānburdārīh ravem, grān-vināhīhā; cē-mān xvēš-tan az bannagīh bērōn nihād, u-mān bann ī menišn ud gōbišn ud kunišn hišt baved.
frazaft ped drūd, šādīh ud urvāhm<īh>, ped pādixšāyīh ī hamāg <ī> vehān ī frārōnān.
ō ōy kē rāy nibišt hujahišnīh humurvāgīh bād! pas az sāl sad-panzāh ō frazendān frazend ī dēnīg ī xvēš abespārdār bād! ped yazdān kām.
kē-š hān ī mahist hunar, <bē> nē xrad, ēg-iš hān ī mahist hunar aziš <bē> baved. xrad ī abēfrahang driyuš; ud frahang ī abēxrad armēšt.
(1-3) A pupil, who was a student of science, inquired thus:
Expound to me why do we consider the walking about without having tied on the sacred girdle as a grievous sin? And, what are the reasons for tying on the sacred girdle itself?
(4-15) His teacher who was a friend of wisdom answered thus:
Know well, and choose wisely! Because, Religion has essentially two functions in the world: One, scientific (/ intelligible ), is the demonstration of that which can be <materially> known; And one, <believable>, is the guidance towards that which cannot be <materially> known, but ought to be believed.
The reason for truly and firmly accepting and believing it is that: the statements from both kinds of expression, that is, intelligible and believable, are not contradictory.
The substance of that which is scientific is manifest and (/ or) verifiable.
The reason of that which is believable is non-manifest; because, this is not in contradiction with the fundaments of science. Not like the other doctrines in which the substance of that which is pertaining to science, is, according to science, non-manifest; and that which is pertaining to belief, is in contradiction with the fundaments of science, its reason and cause are nonmanifest, [and] the harm proceeds therefrom, as I have written above.
(16-26) As soon as the fundaments of the Religion are well-ordered according to the true knowledge, that (religion) will be manifest from it (science). If we do not get an evident reason as to why to adopt the path unto the religious commandments, even then that which is pertaining to belief will be manifest in this study. And even if it is evident, [but] not complete to be demonstrated according to the perfect science, even then to practise befittingly and accordingly is so laid down as the protection of the religion. That which is pertaining to belief, i.e. the immaterial ritual, together with that which is pertaining to science, resemble the battle, in the antagonism, of the Demons, sinners and criminals who are invisible to our sight, [and] their smiting is through the immaterial rituals, the reason of which is non-manifest to us.
[Another] example: the diseases of the body. There are some, the cause and reason of which are manifest, and their medicines are also manifest; There are some, the cause and reason of which are non-manifest, and their medicines are ritual formulas, spells, and words, the reason of which is [also] non-manifest.
Therefore, the answers to these questions are not fanatically, but all are rationally and demonstrably confirmable with the fundaments of science; <and the rational paths to the rational belief are numerous>, as it is clear among the knowing ones.
Here are the reasons for the sacred girdle - the sign [of religion] - that will be written:
(27-29) The sacred girdle essentially is a sign to indicate the boundary which is between the two [parts of] the human body which is called, by the wise, "microcosm":
(30-43) The upper part resembles the luminaries who dwell in the upper [side]:
the clear-sighted eyes, the acquisitive wit, the preserving memory, the discerning wisdom, and the thoughtful reminding, [and] such like the house of which is the brain of the head; the tongue imparting-instruction, the ears listening-to-instruction, and the nose feeling-to-the-smell, and the like which are on the head; and among those of on-the-head, the diadem of greatness holds the place above the head. As the [faculties of] seeing, seeking and smelling, and all the becomingness, light, and wisdom hold the place in the top, namely the head, so [the head] resembles the Heaven, the place of luminaries. In the same manner, also, the trees (/ plants) which their becomingness, appearance, +leaves , blossoms, fruits, and other desirable things hold the place on the top, namely in the twigs and stems.
(44) The lower part [of the body], namely the place of the descent of the useless things, resembles the hell.
(45-46) And, the middle part [of the body, namely] the belly, is the domain of mixture and separation - the powers of attraction, retention, digestion, and propulsion - [and] resembles the material world that is mixed.
(47-60) The bipartition is the reason of the wearing of the sacred girdle in the middle part; and it indicates and makes manifest, by analogy, the symbol of duality, around oneself. Furthermore, it resembles the tying of the belt in the middle of the body that indicates the sign of servitude in the service of the lords. The chief sign of servitude is kept through the keeping of the belt over the waist. And all acknowledge it as the sign of servitude. As from bow it is manifest that it is a bowing down by lowering the head, from the very name "bow" too the [word] "bowing" is [ derived]. And in the practical aspect [of the doctrine] of the wise, the symbol of the discrimination is in particular kept through the keeping of the Zoroastrian girdle, that indicates the custom and habit of the [Zoroastrian] denomination, and the symbol of religion reminds [us] that:
«We are discerning, not undiscerning. Because, we have discerned that: the superior part is the abode of the light ones; the inferior part is the abode of the dark ones; and the middle part is the place of mixture and separation.»
(61-69) Furthermore: As the propitiation of the Creator, by the creatures, is made manifest through their "thoughtful" (/ heartfelt) consideration, worship and obedience, [so] the indication of obedience is through the wearing of the bond-girdle in the middle that as we are bond-men of the all-knowing Creator, therefore are we with the bond, not without the bond; as we bind the sacred girdle over the middle of the body, over the heart that is the abode of thought, so ought we to keep the mind closed from all sins and infringements of the commands of the Creator, so that "may it not be connected, without the bond, from our spirit to thought, from thought to word, and from word to deed". It must always be borne in the mind, that:
«We are bond-man, not without the bond.»
The very name of "bondage" is derived from "bond". Our bond is unto another one, not unto ourselves. The name of Lord means this that His bond is unto Him-self, not unto another one. So, too, this is fully justified that, the wearing of the sacred girdle is a symbol of servitude ("bondage") which is towards another who is Himself the wise and supreme Lord.
(70-73) All the Zoroastrian sages have made manifest the religious habit, by examining it carefully, rationalistically, and with memorising of the knowledge. Everything whatever is proper to keep on, it is a command; not to keep it on, it is to behave with impropriety, grievous sinfulness, and disobedience. Because, the definition of sin is this: "Not to do that which is proper, and to do that which is not proper".
(74-76) Then, for the same reason, if we move one step without the [ sacred] bond, without fulfilling the command, it is a grievous sin; for, we place ourselves aloof from service, and the bond of thoughts, words and deeds will be abandoned.
Completed in peace (/ health), joy and happiness, and during the total reign of the righteous good ones.
May he be lucky and auspicious for whom has been written [this book]! After 150 years, may he entrust it to his religious grandsons! Deo volonte!