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Zoroastrianism

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Chapter X

0. On the conflict waged with the primeval ox.

1. As it passed away 5, owing to the vegetable principle (kîharak) proceeding, from every limb of the ox, fifty and five species of grain 6 and twelve species of medicinal plants grew forth from the earth, and their splendour and strength were the

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seminal energy (tôkhmîh) of the ox. 2. Delivered to the moon station 1, that seed was thoroughly purified by the light of the moon, fully prepared in every way, and produced life in a body. 3. Thence arose two oxen, one male and one female; and, afterwards, two hundred and eighty-two species of each kind 2 became manifest upon the earth. 4. The dwelling (mânîst) of the birds is in the air, and the fish are in the midst of the water.

Footnotes
31:5 See Chap. IV, 1.

31:6 See Chaps. XIV, 1, XXVII, 2.

32:1 See Chap. XIV, 3. In the Mâh Yt. 0, 7, blessings are invoked for 'the moon of ox lineage' (gaokithra) in conjunction with the 'sole-created ox and the ox of many species.' In the Avesta the gender of these two primeval oxen appears doubtful, owing probably to the dual gen. masc. of their epithets being of the same form as a sing. gen. fem.

32:2 That is, of each sex. See Chap. XIV, 13, 27. In all three occurrences of this number K20 has 272, but all other MSS. have 282 (except M6 in this place only).