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CHAPTER XX, 5-13.
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their house, and openly enquired thus: “Who is most desirous of righteousness and most nourishing the poor?' 8. And they spoke thus: 'He who is the youngest (kê histo) son of Adrvaitò-dih 1 the Tūr, who every day gives an iron caldron (gâmak), which is the height of a horse, full of bread and milk and other food, unto the poor. 9. Zaratûst went on to that place, and with his co-operation, for the nourishment of the poor, some of the chief men performed duty by carrying forth food for the poor.
10. About his compassion, not only upon mankind, but also his other creatures, this, too, is declared, that a bitch was seen by him, which had given birth to five 2 puppies, and it was three days then that she had not obtained food . 11. Whomever she saw, she then advanced her mouth towards him, and became as it were prostrated; Zaratůst provided a remedy, by swiftly bringing up bread for her, but when he was bringing it she had expired.
12. About his own desire for the good quality of a wife, on account also of the will of his parents, and his not mingling his own seed before a suitable obtainment, this, too, is declared, that when his father sought a wife for him, Zaratūst argued with the bride (nêshå) thus : ‘Show me thy face, so that I may find out (barkhâm) its kind of appearance, and this, too, whether its appearance be undesirable, or shall not be gratifying ;' and the bride turned away her face from him. 13. And Zaratūst spoke thus :
i See Dk. VII, iv, 7 n.
2 T has 'seven,' but this difference may have arisen from an erroneous mode of writing the ciphers in T.
* T has a bone for food.' • T has 'good child-bearing.'
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