Chapter 17
But even Gods fail at times. For all persons learn by failures that there are higher powers. Only Jehovih never fails.
In the last month of the last year of a’ji, even while God, Jehovih’s Son, and his Lord Gods, and his Lords and sub-Gods, were proud of heart that they would carry the earth and her heavens through safely, they met sore trials. This, then, is what happened: A comet came within the earth’s vortex, and was drawn in, just like floating debris is drawn within a whirlpool in a river. The substance of the comet was condensed, and fell on the earth in mist and dust and ashes. Consequently, the earth and its heavens were in darkness for twelve days, and the darkness was so great that a man could not see his hand before him.
And during those days of darkness there were more than four score hells founded within Ahura’s heavenly regions, and he himself was cast into one of them, and he was walled about by more than three billion angels; pilfered and stripped of all he had. And his remaining sub-Gods were also bound in hell and robbed of all they had.
And presently the spirits ran for the kings’ and queens’ souls (of those who had been tyrants on earth), and they caught them, and brought them and cast them into hell also, taking vengeance on them with stripes and foul smells. And hundreds of thousands of spirits went and gathered foul smells and cast them into hell, and surrounded the hells on every side with foul gases, so that none could escape.
The madness upon them became so desperate, that even the tormentors rushed in, making a frolic of madness. And those who ever had an enemy on earth now ran for him and caught him in hada and brought him with the help of others, and cast him into the torments of hell. And those who had been slaves for hundreds of years to Ahura and his Gods, now caught everyone they could lay hands on, and dragged them into hell.
As soon as God’s messengers came and told him what happened, God sent all his available forces to overthrow the place, if possible. Vishnu, full of hope and courage, sent one-half of his forces to God’s assistance, thus risking the guardianship of the three great mortal kingdoms, Vind’yu, Jaffeth and Arabin’ya. And God sent messengers to the heavenly kingdoms of North and South Guatama, saying to the Gods of those places: Behold, Ahura, the false, is involved in torments; upon him are his hosts, three billion! Send all above grade seventy at once. To Uropa he sent also, saying the same thing, and adding: Alas, my little wisdom in sending off a billion of my own hosts to Craoshivi at such a time!
Craoshivi was the new plateau, difficult to access, and it was hardly possible to recall his hosts in the time required. So God summoned the Diva, so that they could sit for the Father’s Voice; and the members came and sat in the usual way, and Jehovih spoke to God, saying:
Peace to you, My Son! Do not regret having sent your most exalted hosts to Craoshivi. Did I not lead you there? And I said to you: Possess this place, and send your hosts here. Nor should you grieve because I sent the nebulae and the darkness of that time. Is it a greater tragedy for you to see these things, than for mortals to witness the spring floods that wash away the summer’s coming harvest?
To learn to provide against contingencies, this is wisdom. Yet not all wisdom is in man’s heart, nor yet with My Gods. How can you perceive how it is with Ahura’s soul, whether this hell is good or evil for him in the end?
If you behold My sudden power, how much more must Ahura feel it? (For his whole kingdom is gone, and he is now in hell.) Yet you shall deliver him out of hell; by your hosts, he and his sub-Gods shall be delivered. But the torments of his own soul shall be far greater, than what his drujas can heap upon him.
Then God inquired of Jehovih, saying: What is the best, most perfect way, to deliver Ahura and his subjects out of hell?
Jehovih answered him, saying: Send those whom he has despised, or ill-treated, or humbled. And when your Lords and Gods have come to the place, let these, his abused enemies, take the hand of your Lord or your God, and they shall call out to Me in the name, Ormazd, which name Ahura has tried to destroy for the glory of his own. And at the sound of the name, Ormazd, your hosts shall cast burning light into the faces of the drujas, and thus scatter them away till Ahura is released; and he shall witness that he has been released through the name, Ormazd.
God sent E’chad and Ah’oan to deliver Ahura out of hell; and they labored four years in accomplishing it, and then Ahura was free. And Ahura’s hosts were divided into groups of tens of thousands, and hundreds of thousands; and God appointed generals and captains over them, except for eight hundred million drujas, who had escaped from hell and through the guards’ fires, and descended back to the earth, to torment and deceive mortals.
So it turned out that Vishnu failed in some degree to save the nations of the earth from the approach of evil spirits. Jehovih spoke to Vishnu, comforting, saying: Because you have helped to deliver Ahura, you shall not take sorrow to your heart. What are eight hundred million to you? So Vishnu grieved no more.
Now during the deliverance of Ahura’s hell, no less than six knots had been tied, and in one of these Ahura and his sub-Gods had become bound, so there was no escape for them. But the outer and extreme knots were untied first; and as fast as the delirious spirits were rescued, they were carried outside, beyond the fire-walls, and placed under guard.
Thus, in sections, Ahura’s hell was cast out; and when the deliverers came to Ahura and his confederates, they were all, except Ahura, in a state of chaos, frenzied with fear. But Ahura was not beside himself, though in serious fright. Ah’oan, Lord of Jaffeth, spoke to him, saying: In the name of God, and of Ormazd, I have delivered you. How is it with you?
Ahura said: I am done! I am nothing! One God alone can do nothing. Do with me whatever you will. I am your servant.
Ah’oan said: No, be servant to none except Ormazd, your Creator. His name is the watchword and the power in all the high heavens. By His name you shall become one among Godly companions.
Ahura said: But you must torment me first! Ah’oan said: For what reason? My work is not to cast down but to lift up. So it is with all of Ormazd’s Gods. Behold here even your sub-Gods, and those whom you have evilly used in the past! See, they hold up their hands in prayer to Ormazd for you!
And is this not the way of knowing whether angels and mortals are of the Creator? If they pull down, they are not His. If they slander or torment, or speak evil of one another, or give pain, they are not His. Why, then, shall I not do good to you and restore you to your kingdom?
Ahura said: Give me anything, but do not give me my kingdom again, for of all torments this is the worst. Ah’oan said: Would you treat evilly those who have been your subjects? If so, you are not of the everlasting resurrection. Ahura said: No, I never want to see them again! Never hear them again! Never know them again! If, therefore, you will do me good instead of evil, take me, I pray, far away, and alone, so that I may meditate forever on the horrors I have passed through.
Ah’oan said: Hear me now, once and for all, and I speak in the name of God and the Great Spirit, Ormazd: Because you have served yourself and compelled others to serve you for nearly two thousand years, you have become blind to the Ormazdian law, which is, that your own peace and happiness can only come by making restitution to your servants, and by lifting up those whom you have cast down. How can I deliver you away from them? I could take your person away from here, but I cannot deliver your memory. No man can be delivered from himself.
Only one way is open for you, and it is under the Ormazdian law, which is, that you shall take your kingdom again, and deliver it to righteousness, intelligence and good works. Serving Ormazd by doing good to them whom the Creator gave you. Many of them have served you more than a thousand years; would you now cast them off without recompense?
Ahura said: You are just, O Ormazd! I perceive the wisdom of Your Gods, and the bondage of men. Take me, O Ah’oan, put me in a way to carry out this great light.
Ah’oan said: Hear your sentence, in the name of Ormazd, the Creator; which is, that you shall be taken to a place of safety, which E’chad shall select; and there your best, most exalted people shall be taken, and put to work and to school, and in nurseries and hospitals; and you shall go among them, teaching and encouraging them in industry and righteousness, for Ormazd’s sake. And when you have them disciplined in this way, you shall receive another installment of your people, and they shall be likewise disciplined. And then another installment, and so on, until you have all your kingdom.
And to ensure your success, these, my Lords and generals and captains, shall go and labor with you and your hosts. And you and your people shall have no ornaments; and all your raiment shall be white-gray, teachers and pupils alike, except when specially ordered otherwise by God and his deputies.
And when you and the majority of your hosts have risen above grade fifty, you shall be crowned in the name of Ormazd, and your kingdom shall have a throne, and you shall be one among the united hosts of the higher heavens. Till then, go to your labors diligently, and may Ormazd abide with you in wisdom and power.
Ahura said: You are just, O Ormazd. I will from this time forward, forever, serve You with all my wisdom and strength!
And then E’chad and his attendants led the way, and the marshals, generals and captains brought the first installment of Ahura’s hosts, and they went to a place called Ailkin, a heavenly place capable of seven billion, and there they founded the new colony for Ahura.
But Ah’oan and his hosts continued their labors in delivering the hells, until they delivered them all, more than eighty, and placed all the spirits under guard and discipline.