1. One says in the Scripture,
"A peak, which is of the height of a hundred men,
in the middle of the world,
which they call the peak of the Daiti,
is the fulcrum of the ⚖️ balance ⚖️ of the Yazad Rashn.
The daityas (Sanskrit: दैत्य) are a race of asuras in Hindu mythology, descended from Kashyapa and his wife, Diti.
Prominent members of this race include Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu, and Mahabali, all of whom overran the earth, and required three of Vishnu's avataras to be vanquished.
Daitya (दैत्य).—The Asuras from Diti - Vāyu-purāṇa 66. 1.
; one of the Marut gaṇas. - Vāyu-purāṇa 46. 35; 67. 129.
The Manusmṛiti classifies the daityas as good, while placing them at a lower level than the devas:"Tāpasā yatayo viprā ye ca vaimānikā gaṇāḥ Nakṣatrāṇi ca daityāśca prathamā sāttvikī gatiḥ" -
"Ascetics and hermits, Brāhmaṇas, celestial beings, lunar asterisms, and Daityas represent the first state partaking of ‘Sattva.’"
— Manusmṛti 12.48[3]
The origin and noteworthy members of this race are specified in the Harivamsha Purana:
Kashyapa, the well-dressed son of Marichi, espoused two sisters of Prajapati, Diti and Aditi. The great Kashyapa begat on Aditi the twelve classes of the celestials, Dhata, Aryama, Mitra, Varuna, Amsha, Bhaga, Indra, Vivashvan, Pusha, Parjanya, Twastha and Vishnu. He began on Diti the powerful Hiranyakashipu. The Daitya-chief Hiranyaksha was his younger brother. Hiranyakashipu had five highly powerful sons, namely Pralhada, Hlada, Sangrada, Jambha and Anuhrada. Pralhada’s son was Virocana whose son was Bali. Their sons and grand-sons were all very powerful. Thousands of the descendants of these highly powerful daityas are seen all over the land. Having seen Hiranyakashipu slain by the Man-lion the Daityas made Bali their chief for the destruction of the gods. He was heroic, powerful, pious and self-controlled like Hiranyakashipu and therefore was installed as their king by the Daityas.
— Harivamsha, Chapter 40
According to the first chapter of the Vidēvdād, “the Aryan expanse of the good Dāityā” was the first of the best countries created by Ahura Mazdā, and in the Yašts it was mentioned as the place where Zoroaster worshiped Anāhitā (Yt. 5.17, 5.104) and Ahura Mazdā worshiped Vayu (Yt. 15.2). This country, crossed by the Vaŋhvī Dāityā, was also the place where Ahura Mazdā gathered the spiritual Yazata (Av. mainyava-) and Yima, the best men. Significantly, both Ahura Mazdā and Yima were defined as “famous in the Aryan expanse of the good Dāityā” (Vd. 2.20) and Zoroaster as “famous in the Aryan expanse” (Y. 9.14), with the shortened form of Aryans Vaēǰah.
DĀITYĀ, (VAŊHVĪ) (lit., “the (good) Dāityā”; Mid. Pers. Weh Dāitī), the name of a river connected with the religious “law” (Av. dāta-, Mid. and NPers. dād), frequently identified in scholarly literature with the Oxus or with rivers of the northeastern region (Geiger, pp. 32-33). In the Avesta, however, Vaŋhvī Dāityā seems to have been particularly identified with the Helmand (Markwart, pp. 120, 122 n. 3, 159 n. 2; cf. Gnoli, 1989, p. 53). Avestan vaŋhuyå dāityayå “of the good Dāityā“ qualifies airyana-vaējah- (see avestan geography; ērānvēj); the entire phrase airyanəm vaēǰō vaŋhuyå dāityayå “the Aryan expanse of the good Dāityā” is the original name of the district Airyana Vaēǰah (Benveniste).
According to the Avesta, the Dāityā river was to be venerated (Yt. 1.21). On its banks Zairi.vari offered a sacrifice to Anāhitā (Yt. 5.112; see anāhīd) and Vīštāspa to both Anāhitā (Yt. 9.29) and Aši (Yt. 17.61). Zoroaster himself honored “the good waters of the good Dāityā” (Vd. 19.2). As already noted by Josef Markwart (p. 122), it is possible that Vaŋhvī Dāityā was the same river that was called Vaŋhvī in the Tištrya Yašt, where it was characterized as “famous from afar” (dūrāṯ frasrūtąm; Yt. 8.2).
⚖️ One scale is on the base of Mount Alburz in the northern direction; one scale is on the summit of Mount Alburz in the southern direction, ⚖️
🏴☠️☯️🦓 and the middle rests upon that peak of the Daiti. 🦓☯️🏴☠️
2. In that middle place, is a floor sharp like the sword, the height, length, and width of which are nine spears.
3. And thither remain the spiritual Yazads who spiritually purify the souls of the righteous. There is a spiritual dog at the top of that bridge, and the wicked existence is underneath that bridge.
The Chinvat Bridge (Avestan: Cinvatô Peretûm, "bridge of judgement" or "beam-shaped bridge") or the Bridge of the Requiter in Zoroastrianism is the sifting bridge, which separates the world of the living from the world of the dead. All souls must cross the bridge upon death. The bridge is guarded by two four-eyed dogs, described in the Videvdat (Vendidad) 13,9 as 'spâna pəšu.pâna' ("two bridge-guarding dogs").30. 'Then comes the beautiful, well-shapen, strong and well-formed maid, with the dogs at her sides, one who can distinguish, who has many children, happy, and of high understanding. 'She makes the soul of the righteous one go up above the Hara-berezaiti; above the Chinwad bridge she places it in the presence of the heavenly gods themselves.
- Vendidad
Sharvara (Sanskrit: शार्वर), and Shyama (Sanskrit: शबल) are described to be two ferocious, four-eyed dogs that guard the entrance to the palace of Yama in the Vedic religion. The dead are required to get past these dogs in order to be rendered judgement by their master. Yama has two four-eyed, broad nosed, brindled, reddish-brown dogs, Sharvara and Shyama, who are the sons of Saramā. However, in the Atharvaveda, one of dogs is brindled and the other is dark. The dogs are meant to track down those who are about to die, and guard the path to Yama's realm. Scholars who adhere to Theodor Aufrecht's interpretation of RV 7.55 state that the dogs were also meant to keep wicked men out of heaven.
1. VASTOSPATI, who killest all disease and wearest every form,
Be an auspicious Friend to us.
2. When, O bright Son of Sarama, thou showest, tawny-hued! thy teeth,
They gleam like lances' points within thy mouth when thou wouldst bite; go thou to steep.
3. Sarama's Son, retrace thy way: bark at the robber and the thief.
At Indra's singers barkest thou? Why dust thou seek to terrify us? Go to sleep.
4. Be on thy guard against the boar, and let the boar beware of thee.
At Indra's singers barkest thou? Why dost thou seek to terrify us? Go to sleep.
5. Sleep mother, let the father sleep, sleep dog and master of the house.
Let all the kinsmen sleep, sleep all the people who are round about.
6. The man who sits, the man who walks, and whosoever looks on us,
Of these we closely shut the eyes, even as we closely shut this house.
7. The Bull who hath a thousand horns, who rises up from out the sea,-
By him the Strong and Mighty One we lull and make the people sleep.
8. The women sleeping in the court, lying without, or stretched on beds,
The matrons with their odorous sweetsthese, one and all, we lull to sleep.
Other instances where Sarama is mentioned in different texts include
- Sarama worships Brahma in his court. (Sabha Parva, Chapter 11 , Verse 40).
- Sarama is a graha (Evil spirit) of Subrahmanya which enters the womb of pregnant women and steals the babies. (Vana Parva. Chapter 230, Verse 34).
- Syama is a dog which followed Yama. It was one of the two offsprings of Sarama. (Brahmanda Purana 3.7. 312).
- Sarama after having once drunk milk from dasyus lied about it to Indra, and he punished her. (Varaha Purana).
4. When men pass away, the soul sits for three nights near unto the body, there where its head was, and sees much annoyance during those nights from the dev Vizaresh and its coworkers, and turns the back entirely towards the fire which is kindled there.
5. Therefore those three nights up to day, they keep the fire kindling, there where its head was. And if the fire is not there, it turns its back towards the Warharan fire or towards the ever kindling fires.
6. During those three nights, when tearing and disintegration come to the body, it appears as uncomfortable to it as to a man when they demolish his house.
7. Those three days, the soul, which is near the headrest of the body, sits with the hope, "Maybe if this blood runs, and the wind enters the body, it may be possible for me to return to life!"
8. And then on the third night during the dawn, if it be the soul of the righteous, it says this, "Happy is he, through whose happiness is the happiness of anyone whatsoever," that is, I am happy owing to my happiness, every person is happy. "May Ohrmazd give me sovereignty at will!"
9. And if it is the soul of the wicked it says this, "That body, life, and astral body, with whom I have moved with movement, now where shall I go from hence?"
10. And if it is the soul of the righteous, immediately, on that utterance, a breeze comes forward that is good, the most beseeming, the most odorous, and the most triumphant of all the winds that be in the world, which cheers the soul.
11. And if it is the soul of the wicked, a breeze comes forward that is the most stinking, the most putrid, and the most unsuccessful of all the winds that be in the world, through which discomfort and fear come to the soul.
12. Then they carry all the souls of him who is righteous as also of him who is wicked.
13. If it be the soul of the righteous, the astral form of a fat cow full of milk approaches it in the road, owing to which fullness and fatness come to the soul.
14. And next, the astral form of a virgin approaches it, of good astral shape, clad in white garments, of fifteen years, who is fair on all the sides, by whom the soul is gladdened.
15. And next approaches the astral form of a garden, full of crop, full of water, full of fruit, and full of plenty, which is the heavenly land, wherefrom delight and a feeling of plenty come to the soul. It sees those tokens on earth, before the judgment. There are those whom the soul asks one by one when it will approach them, it shall ask, "Who art thou, who so seemest to me that all happiness and comfort are owing to thee?"
16. Thus they speak in reply one by one, “I am O righteous! thy character {den}, the work that thou achievedst. As thou didst that good, I have been here owing to thee."
17. If it be the soul of the wicked, the astral form of a dry, feeble, and frightful cow affronts it, owing to which dryness and leanness come to the soul. 18. Next, the astral form of a terrific maiden of vile astral shape affronts it, who has covered herself with scornfulness, terrific on all the sides, owing to which fear and dread come to the soul.
19. Next, approaches the astral form of a garden without water, without trees, and without comfort, owing to which evil thoughts come to the soul, which is the land of the wicked existence. It sees these tokens on earth before the judgment. There are those whom it asks, one by one, "Who art thou, than whom one more harmful I have not seen on earth?"
20. Unto it they say in reply, one by one, "O wicked! I am thy character, that is thy own doing. As thou didst that which was evil, I have been here owing to thee.”
21. This is manifest that every person's own conduct confronts him.
22. And then they conduct the soul up to the base of Mount Alburz, that is also the base of the fulcrum. It walks over it up to the summit of the peak where the sharp floor is.
23. Then if it be the soul of the righteous, that sharp floor remains wide; and the victorious fire Farnbag smites darkness. In the astral form of fire, it causes that soul to cross over through that floor. The spiritual Yazads purify it and it causes it to cross spiritually over the other side of the fulcrum up to the top of Alburz. The good wind takes its hand, and carries it to its own seat, and entrusts the soul thither just as it was when it received it.
24. When they purify the material body, too, on earth, it is in the manner of the spiritual purification.
25. If it be the soul of the wicked, when it comes on to the fulcrum over the peak, that sharp floor remains in the same manner, and does not give passage. It has to walk involuntarily over this floor, with three paces that it lays on, that are the wicked thoughts, wicked utterances, and wicked deeds that it has practised, and borne low from the top of the bridge it falls headlong into the wicked existence {Duzakh, i.e. hell}, and sees every harm.
26. One says this too, "’When that breeze confronts the soul of him who has been righteous with munificence, it sees the astral form of the virgin in that breeze, and it asks her that question, that virgin carries it by showing the road to a ladder whereon there are three steps, and it goes to the abode of harmony by that ladder, with three steps, which are good thoughts, good words, and good deeds, the first step being up to the star station, the second up to the moon station, and the third up to the sun station where the shining abode of harmony is.
27. If one has been wicked with stinginess, when that breeze affronts his soul, and the astral form of the maiden approaches in that breeze, and it asks her that question, that conduct is metamorphosed like unto a sharp floor, the whole of which sharp floor speaks to that soul, “O wicked! if thou wilt, if thou wilt not, thou shalt have to walk over this with paces.”
28. Thereupon the soul will say, "I would feel better if thou wouldst sever me with a very sharp knife than that I go over this with paces.”
29. It shall speak in the same manner a second time; and the soul will speak in reply, "I would feel better if thou wouldst shoot me with an arrow than that I go over this with paces.”
30. It shall speak in the same manner a third time; the soul will speak to it in reply, “I would feel better if thou wouldst take my life from the body than that I go over this with paces.”
31. Then that conduct will become just like a terrific wild beast not tamable by the hand, and stand near the soul. And the soul will be so afraid that it will go over it with paces, and it will fall into the wicked existence {hell}, borne down by three paces."'
32. They will assign him to purgatory {hamistagan} whose sins and works of merit are both equal.
33. As regards purgatory one says, "It is a place just like the earth.”
34. They will assign places to all persons according to the degree of their works of merit, and they will sit.
- Greater Bundahishn
