Avesta

Yasna I–VIII: The Sacrifice Commences

YASNA I.

1. I announce and I (will) complete (my Yasna) to Ahura Mazda, the Creator, the radiant and glorious, the greatest and the best, the most beautiful (?) (to our conceptions), the most firm, the wisest, and the one of all whose body is the most perfect, who

attains His ends the most infallibly, because of His Righteous Order, to Him who disposes our minds aright, who sends His joy-creating grace afar; who made us, and has fashioned us, and who has nourished and protected us, who is the most bounteous Spirit!

2. I announce and I (will) complete (my Yasna) to the Good Mind, and to Righteousness the Best, and to the Sovereignty which is to be desired, and to Piety the Bountiful, and to the two, the Universal Weal and Immortality, to the body of the Kine, and to the Kine's Soul, and to the Fire of Ahura Mazda, that one who more than (all) the Bountiful Immortals has made most effort (for our succour)!

3. And I announce and I (will) complete (my Yasna) to the Asnya, the day-lords of the ritual order, to Hâvani the holy, the lord of the ritual order; and I celebrate, and I (will) complete (my Yasna) to Sâvanghi and to Vîsya, the holy lord(s) of the ritual order. And I announce and (will) complete (my Yasna) to Mithra of the wide pastures, of the thousand ears, and of the myriad eyes, the Yazad of the spoken name, and to Râman Hvâstra.

4. I announce and (will) complete (my Yasna) to Rapithwina, the holy lord of the ritual order, and to Frâdaṭfshu, and to Zaṉtuma, the holy lord(s) of the ritual order; and I celebrate and complete (my Yasna) to Righteousness the Best, and to Ahura Mazda's Fire.

5. I announce and complete (my Yasna) to Uzayêirina the holy lord of the ritual order, and to Frâdaṭ-vîra and to Daḥvyuma, the holy lord(s) of the ritual order, and to that lofty Ahura Napâṭapãm (the son of waters), and to the waters which Ahura Mazda made.

6. I announce and complete (my Yasna) to Aiwisrûthrima (and) Aibigaya, the holy lord(s) of the ritual order, and to Zarathuṣtrôtema, and to him who possesses and who gives that prosperity in life which furthers all. And I celebrate and complete (my Yasna) to the Fravashis of the saints, and to those of the women who have many sons, and to a prosperous home-life which continues without reverse throughout the year, and to that Might which is well-shaped and stately, which strikes victoriously, Ahura-made, and to that Victorious Ascendency (which it secures).

7. I announce and I complete (my Yasna) to Ushahina, the holy lord of the ritual order, and to Beregya (and) Nmânya, the holy lord(s) of the ritual order, and to Sraosha (who is Obedience) the blessed, endowed with blessed recompense (as a thing

completed), who smites with victory, and furthers the settlements, and to Rashnu, the most just, and to Arṣtâṭ, who advances the settlements, and causes them to increase.

8. And I announce and I complete (my Yasna) to the Mâhya, the monthly festivals, lords of the ritual order, to the new and the later moon, the holy lord of the ritual order, and to the full moon which scatters night.

9. And I announce and complete (my Yasna) to the Yâirya, yearly feasts, the holy lords of the ritual order. I celebrate and complete (my Yasna) to Maidyô-zaremya, the holy lord of the ritual order, and to Maidyô-shema, the holy lord of the ritual order, and to Paitiṣhahya, and to Ayâthrima the advancer, and the spender of the strength of males, the holy lord of the ritual order, and to Maidhyâirya, the holy lord of the ritual order, and to Hamaspathmaêdhaya, the holy lord of the ritual order; yea, I celebrate and complete my Yasna to the seasons, lords of the ritual order.

10. And I announce and complete (my Yasna) to all those who are the thirty and three lords of the ritual order, which, coming the nearest, are around about Hâvani, and which (as in their festivals) were

inculcated by Ahura Mazda, and were promulgated by Zarathuṣtra, as the lords of Asha Vahiṣta, who is Righteousness the Best.

11. And I announce and complete (my Yasna) to the two, to Ahura and to Mithra, the lofty, and the everlasting, and the holy, and to all the stars which are Speñta Mainyu's creatures, and to the star Tiṣtrya, the resplendent and glorious, and to the Moon which contains the seed of the Kine, and to the resplendent Sun, him of the rapid steeds, the eye of Ahura Mazda, and to Mithra the province-ruler. And I celebrate and complete my Yasna to Ahura Mazda (once again, and as to him who rules the month), the radiant, the glorious, and to the Fravashis of the saints.

12. And I announce and complete my Yasna to thee, the Fire, O Ahura Mazda's son! together with all the fires, and to the good waters, even to all the waters made by Mazda, and to all the plants which Mazda made.

13. And I announce and complete (my Yasna) to the Bounteous Mãthra, the holy and effective, the revelation given against the Daêvas; the Zarathuṣtrian

revelation, and to the long descent of the good Mazdayasnian Faith.

14. And I announce and complete (my Yasna) to the mountain Ushi-darena, the Mazda-made, with its sacred brilliance, and to all the mountains glorious with sanctity, with their abundant Glory Mazda-made, and to that majestic Glory Mazda-made, the unconsumed Glory which Mazda made. And I announce and complete (my Yasna) to Ashi the good, the blessedness (of the reward), and to Kisti, the good religious Knowledge, to the good Erethe (Rectitude?), and to the good Rasãstâṭ (persisting zeal?), and to the Glory and the Benefit which are Mazda-made.

15. And I announce and complete (my Yasna) to the pious and good Blessing of the religious man, the holy, and to the curse of wisdom, the swift and redoubted Yazad of potency (to blight).

16. And I announce and complete (my Yasna) to these places and these lands, and to these pastures, and these abodes with their springs of water(?), and

to the waters, land, and plants, and to this earth and to yon heaven, and to the holy wind, and to the stars, moon, and sun, and to the eternal stars without beginning, and self-disposing, and to all the holy creatures of Speñta-Mainyu, male and female, the regulators of the ritual order.

17. And I announce and complete (my Yasna) to that lofty lord who is the ritual Righteousness (itself), and to the lords of the days in their duration, and of the days during daylight, to the moons, the years, and the seasons which are lords of the ritual order at the time of Hâvani.

18. And I announce and complete (my Yasna) to the Fravashis of the saints, the redoubted, which overwhelm (the evil), to those of the saints of the ancient lore, to those of the next of kin, and to the Fravashi of (mine) own soul!

19. And I announce and complete (my Yasna) to all the lords of the ritual order, and to all the Yazads, the beneficent, who dispose (of all) aright, to those both heavenly and earthly, who are (meet) for our sacrifice and homage because of Asha Vahiṣta, (of the ritual Order which is 'the best').

20. O (thou) Hâvani, holy lord of the ritual order, and Sâvanghi, Rapithwina, and Uzayêirina, and Aiwisrûthrima, (and) Aibigaya, (thou that aidest

life!) if I have offended you, and thou, O Ushahina, holy lord of the ritual order!

21. If I have offended thee, whether by thought, or word, or deed, whether by act of will, or without intent or wish, I earnestly make up the deficiency of this in praise to thee. If I have caused decrease in that which is Thy Yasna, and Thy homage, I announce (and celebrate) to thee (the more for this)!

22. Yea, all ye lords, the greatest ones, holy lords of the ritual order, if I have offended you by thought, or word, or deed, whether with my will, or without intending error, I praise you (now the more) for this. I announce to you (the more) if I have caused decrease in this which is your Yasna, and your praise.

23. I would confess myself a Mazda-worshipper, of Zarathuṣtra's order, a foe to the Daêvas, devoted to the lore of the Lord, for Hâvani, the holy lord of the ritual order, for (his) sacrifice, homage, propitiation, and praise, for Sâvanghi, and for Vîsya, the holy lord of the ritual order, for (his) sacrifice, homage, propitiation and praise, and for the sacrifice, homage, propitiation and praise of the lords of the days in, their duration, and of the days during daylight for

those of the monthly festivals, and for those of the yearly ones, and for those of the seasons!

YASNA II.

1. I desire to approach the Zaothras with my worship. I desire to approach the Baresman with my worship. I desire to approach the Zaothra conjointly with the Baresman in my worship, and the Baresman conjointly with the Zaothra. Yea, I desire to approach this Zaothra (here),and with this (present) Baresman, and I desire to approach this Baresman conjoined with this Zaothra with my praise; and I desire to approach this Baresman with praise provided with its Zaothra with its girdle, and spread with sanctity.

2. And in this Zaothra and the Baresman I desire to approach Ahura Mazda with my praise, the holy

lord of the ritual order, and the Bountiful Immortals, (all) those who rule aright, and who dispose of all aright, these also I desire to approach and with my praise.

3. And in this Zaothra. with this Baresman I desire to approach the Asnya with my praise. I desire to approach the Hâvani with my praise, the holy lord of the ritual order, and Sâvanghi and Vîsya, the holy lords of the ritual order. And in this Zaothra with this Baresman I desire to approach Mithra with my praise, of the wide pastures, of the thousand ears, and of the myriad eyes, the Yazad of the spoken name, and Râman Hvâstra with him, the holy lord of the ritual order.

4. And in this Zaothra and with the Baresman I desire to approach Rapithwina with my praise, the holy lord of the ritual order; and Frâdaṭfshu and Zaṉtuma, the holy lords of the ritual order; and in this Zaothra with this Baresman I desire to approach toward Righteousness the Best with my praise, and with him the Fire, Ahura Mazda's son.

5. And in this Zaothra with this Baresman I desire to approach Uzayêirina with my praise, and Frâdaṭ-vîra and Daḥvyuma, the holy lords of the ritual order; and with them that lofty lord, the kingly and brilliant Apãm-napâṭ, of the fleet horses, and likewise the water Mazda-made and holy,

6. And Aiwisrûthrima, (and) Aibigaya, the holy lord(s) of the ritual order, and Frâdaṭ-vîspãm-hugâiti, and Zarathuṣtrôtema, the holy lord, and the good, heroic, and bountiful Fravashis of the saints, and the women who have many sons, and a peaceful and prosperous home-life that continues without reverse throughout the year, and Force well-shaped and

stately, and the Victorious-blow Ahura-given, and the Victorious Ascendency (which it secures), and Ushahina, the holy lord of the ritual order, Beregya and Nmânya, the holy lords of the ritual order, and Sraosha, Obedience, the blessed and the stately, who smites with the blow of victory, furthering the settlements, the holy lord of the ritual order, and Rashnu, the most just, and Arṣtâṭ, who furthers the settlements, and causes them to increase.

8. And in this Zaothra with this Baresman I desire to approach the Mâhya, the monthly festivals with my praise, the new moon and the waning moon (the moon within), the holy lords of the ritual order, and the full moon which scatters night, and the Yearly festivals, Maidhyô-zaremaya, the holy lord of the ritual order, and Maidhyô-shema, and Paitiṣhahya, and Ayâthrima, the promoter, who spends the strength of males, and Maidhyâirya and Hamaspathmaêdhaya, and the seasons, the holy lords of the ritual order.

10. And in this Zaothra with this Baresman I desire to approach all the lords of the ritual order with my praise, the three and thirty who come the nearest round about our Hâvanis, who are those lords (and seasons) of Righteousness the Best, which were inculcated by Mazda, and spoken forth by Zarathuṣtra.

11. And in this Zaothra with this Baresman I desire to approach Ahura and Mithra with my praise, the lofty, eternal, and the holy two; and I desire to approach the stars, moon, and sun with the Baresman plants, and with my praise, and with them Mithra the governor of all the provinces, and Ahura Mazda the radiant and glorious, and the good, heroic, bountiful Fravashis of the saints, and thee, the Fire,

Ahura Mazda's son, the holy lord of the ritual order, with all the fires! And I desire to approach the good waters in this Zaothra with this Baresman with my praise, all best waters, Mazda-made and holy, and all the plants which are Mazda-made and holy.

13. And I desire to approach the bounteous Mãthra in this Zaothra with this Baresman, and with my praise, the most glorious as it is, and with it the law instituted against the Daêvas; yea, I desire to approach the Zarathuṣtrian law with my praise, and (with it) its long descent, and the good Mazdayasnian Religion (as complete).

14. And I desire to approach Mount Ushi-darena in this Zaothra, with this Baresman with my praise, Mazda-made, and glorious with sanctity, the Yazad-(mount). And I desire to approach all the mountains with my praise, glorious with sanctity as they are, and with abundant glory, Mazda-made, and holy lords of the ritual order; and I desire to approach the mighty kingly Glory Mazda-made and unconsumed; yea, (even) the mighty unconsumed Glory Mazda-made. And I desire to approach Ashi Vanguhi (the good blessedness) in my praise, the brilliant, lofty, powerful, and stately, saving by inherent power. Yea, I desire to approach the Glory Mazda-made with my praise; and I desire to approach the Benefit conferred by Mazda.

15. And in this Zaothra with this Baresman I desire to approach the Blessing, pious and good, and the pious and holy man who utters it, and the mighty and redoubted Curse of the wise, the Yazad.

16. And in this Zaothra with this Baresman I desire to approach these waters with my praise, and these lands and plants, and these places, districts,

and pastures, and these dwellings with their springs of water, and this land-ruler, who is Ahura Mazda.

17. And in this Zaothra with this Baresman I desire to approach all the greatest lords with my praise, the day-lords, and the month-lords, those of the years, and of the seasons, and the good, heroic, bountiful Fravashis of the saints.

18. And in this Zaothra with this Baresman I desire to approach all the holy Yazads with my praise; yea, even all the lords of the ritual order, Hâvani at his time, and Sâvanghi at his time, and all the greatest lords of the ritual at their proper times.

YASNA III.

1. With a Baresman brought to its appointed place accompanied with the Zaothra at the time of Hâvani, I desire to approach the Myazda-offering with my praise, as it is consumed, and likewise Ameretatâṭ (as the guardian of plants and wood) and Haurvatâṭ (who guards the water), with the (fresh) meat, for the propitiation of Ahura Mazda, and of the Bountiful

Immortals, and for the propitiation of Sraosha (who is Obedience) the blessed, who is endowed with sanctity, and who smites with the blow of victory, and causes the settlements to advance.

2. And I desire to approach Haoma and Parahaoma with my praise for the propitiation of the Fravashi of Spitâma Zarathuṣtra, the saint. And I desire to approach the (sacred) wood with my praise, with the perfume, for the propitiation of thee, the Fire, O Ahura Mazda's son!

3. And I desire to approach the Haomas with my praise for the propitiation of the good waters which Mazda created; and I desire to approach the Haoma-water, and the fresh milk with my praise, and the plant Hadhânaêpata, offered with sanctity for the propitiation of the waters which are Mazda-made.

4. And I desire to approach this Baresman with the Zaothra with my praise, with its binding and spread with sanctity for the propitiation of the Bountiful Immortals. And I desire with (?) my voice the thoughts well thought, and the words well spoken, and the deeds well done, and the recital of the Gâthas as they are heard. And I desire to approach the well-said Mãthras with my praise, and this (higher) lordship with this sanctity, and this exact regulation (of the Ratu), and the reverential prayer for blessings (spoken at the fitting hour); and I desire to approach them for the contentment and propitiation

or the holy Yazads, heavenly and earthly, and for the contentment of each man's soul.

5. And I desire to approach the Asnya with my praise, the lords of the ritual order, and the Hâvani and Sâvanghi and Vîsya, the holy lords of the ritual order. And I desire to approach with the Yaṣt of Mithra of the wide pastures, of the thousand ears, of the myriad eyes, the Yazad of the spoken name, and with him Raman Hvâstra.

6. And I desire to approach Rapithwina with my praise, the holy lord of the ritual order, and Frâdaṭ-fshu and Zaṉtuma, and Righteousness the Best, and Ahura Mazda's Fire.

7. And I desire to approach Uzayêirina, and Frâdaṭ-vîra and Daḥvyuma* with my praise, with that lofty Ahura Napâṭ-apãm, and the waters Mazda-made,

8. And Aiwisrûthrima, and Aibigaya, and Frâdaṭ-vîspãm-hugaiti, and Zarathuṣtrôtema with the Yaṣt of the Fravashis of the saints, and of the women who have many sons, and the year long unchanged prosperity, and of Might, the well-shaped and stately, smiting victoriously, Ahura-made and of the Victorious Ascendency (which it secures).

9. And I desire to approach Ushahina, Beregya, and Nmânya with the Yaṣt of Sraosha (Obedience) the sacred, the holy, who smites with the blow of victory, and makes the settlements advance, and with that of Rashnu, the most just, and Arṣtâṭ

who furthers the settlements, and causes them to increase.

10. And I desire to approach the monthly festivals, the lords of the ritual order, and the new moon and the waning moon, and the full moon which scatters night,

11. And the yearly festivals, Maidhyô-zaremaya, Maidhyô-shema, Paitiṣhahya, and Ayâthrima the breeder who spends the strength of males, and Maidhyâirya, and Hamaspathmaêdhaya, and the seasons, lords of the ritual order, and all those lords who are the three and thirty, who approach the nearest at the time of Hâvani, who are the Lords of Asha called Vahishta (and whose services were) inculcated by Mazda, and pronounced by Zarathuṣtra, as the feasts of Righteousness, the Best.

13. And I desire to approach Ahura and Mithra, the lofty and imperishable two, the holy, and with the Yaṣt of those stars which are the creatures of Speñta Mainyu, and with the Yaṣt of the star Tiṣtrya, the radiant, the glorious, and with that of the moon which contains the seed of cattle, and with that of the resplendent sun, the eye of Ahura Mazda, and of Mithra, province-lord of the provinces, and with that of Ahura Mazda (as He rules this day) the radiant, the glorious, and with that of the Fravashis of the saints, (who rule this month),

14. And with thy Yaṣt, the Fire's, O Ahura Mazda's son! with all the fires, and to the good waters with the Yaṣt of all the waters which are Mazda-made, and with that of all the plants which Mazda made.

15. And I desire to approach with the Yaṣt of the

Mãthra Speñta, the holy, the effective, the law composed against the Daêvas, the Zarathuṣtrian, and with that of the long descent of the Religion which Mazda gave.

16. And I desire to approach with the Yaṣt of Mount Ushi-darena, Mazda-made, and of all, glorious with sanctity, and abundant in brilliance, and with that of the Kingly Glory, Mazda-made; yea, with that of the unconsumed glory which Mazda made, and with that of Ashi Vanguhi, and Kiṣti Vanguhi, and with that of the good Erethe, and the good Rasãstâṭ, and the good Glory, and of the Benefit which Mazda gave.

17. And I desire to approach with the Yaṣt of the good and pious Blessing of the pious man and of the saint, and with that of the awful and swift Curse of the wise, the Yazad-curse, and to these places, regions, pastures, and abodes, with their water-springs, and with that of the waters, and the lands, and the plants, and with that of this earth and yon heaven, and with that of the holy wind and of the stars, moon, and sun, and with that of the stars without beginning, self-determined and self-moved, and with that of all the holy creatures which are those of Speñta Mainyu, male and female, regulators of the ritual order, and with that of the lofty lord who is Righteousness (himself, the essence of the ritual), and with that of the days in their duration, and of the days during daylight, and with that of the monthly festivals, and the yearly festivals, and with those of the several seasons which are lords of the ritual at the time of Hâvani.

20. And I desire to approach the meat-offering with a Yaṣt, and Haurvatâṭ (who guards the water), and Ameretatâṭ (who guards the plants and wood), with

the Yaṣt of the sacred flesh for the propitiation of Sraosha (Obedience) the blessed and the mighty, whose body is the Mãthra, of him of the daring spear, the lordly, the Yazad of the spoken name.

21. And I desire to approach both Haoma and the Haoma-juice with a Yaṣt for the propitiation of the Fravashi of Zarathuṣtra Spitâma, the saint, the Yazad of the spoken name. And I desire to approach the wood-billets with a Yaṣt, with the perfume for the propitiation of thee, the Fire, O Ahura Mazda's son! the Yazad of the spoken name.

22. And I desire to approach with a Yaṣt for the mighty Fravashis of the saints, the overwhelming, the Fravashis of those who held to the ancient lore, and of those of the next of kin.

23. And I desire to approach toward all the lords of the ritual order with a Yaṣt, toward all the good Yazads, heavenly and earthly, who are (set) for worship and for praise because of Asha Vahiṣta (of Righteousness the Best).

24. I will confess myself a Mazdayasnian, of Zarathuṣtra's order, a foe to the Daêvas, devoted to the lore of the Lord for Hâvani, the holy lord of the ritual order, for sacrifice, homage, propitiation, and for praise, and for Sâvanghi and Vîsya, the holy lord(s) of the ritual order, and for the sacrifice, homage, propitiation, and praise of the day-lords of the days in their duration, and of the days during daylight, and for the month-regulators, and the year-regulators, and for those of the (several) seasons, for their sacrifice, and homage, their propitiation, and their praise.

(The Zaotar speaks): As the Ahû to be

(revered and) chosen, let the priest speak forth to me.

(The Ratu responds): As the Ahû to be (revered and) chosen, let him who is the Zaotar speak forth to me.

(The Zaotar again): So let the Ratu from his Righteousness, holy and learned, speak forth!

YASNA IV.

1. These good thoughts, good words, and good deeds, these Haomas, meat-offerings, and Zaothras, this Baresman spread with sanctity, this flesh, and the two, Haurvatâṭ (who guards the water) and Ameretatâṭ (who guards the plants and wood), even the flesh, the Haoma and Haoma-juice, the wood-billets, and their perfume, this sacred lordship and chieftainship, and the timely prayer with blessing, and the heard recital of the Gâthas, and the well-said Mãthras, these all we offer, and make known with celebrations (here).

2. Yea, these do we announce with celebrations, and we present them to Ahura Mazda, and to Sraosha

(Obedience) the blessed, and to the Bountiful Immortals, and to the Fravashis of the saints, and to their souls, and to the Fire of Ahura Mazda, the lofty lord of the entire creation of the holy, for sacrifice, homage, propitiation, and praise.

3. Yea, further, we present (them to the Bountiful Immortals with an especial gift) these thoughts well thought, these words well spoken, these deeds well done, these Haomas, Myazdas, Zaothras, and this Baresman spread with sanctity, the flesh, and Haurvatâṭ (who guards the water), and Ameretatâṭ (who guards the plants and wood), even the flesh, Haoma and Parahaoma, the wood-billets, the perfume, and this their lordship and their sanctity, and this chieftainship, this prayer for blessing, the heard recital of the Gâthas, and the well-said Mãthras.

4. We offer with our celebrations, and we announce them (of a verity) to the Bountiful Immortals, those who exercise their rule aright, and who dispose (of all) aright, the ever-living, ever-helpful, the male divinities among their number who dwell with the Good Mind, [and the female ones as well].

5. And we announce them in our celebrations as more propitious for this house, and for the furtherance of this house, of its herds, and of its men, of those now born, and of those yet to be born, the holy, yea, for the furtherance of that house of which these (men) are thus.

6. And we present these offerings to the good

Fravashis of the saints who are mighty and overwhelming for the succour of the saints.

7. Yea, we present these hereby to the Creator Ahura Mazda, the radiant, the glorious, and the heavenly spirit, for the sacrifice, homage, propitiation, and praise of the Bountiful Immortals (all).

8. And we present these hereby to the Day-lords of the ritual order, to Hâvani, to Sâvanghi, and to Vîsya, the holy lords of the ritual order, for sacrifice, homage, propitiation, and for praise, and to Mithra of the wide pastures, and the thousand ears, and the myriad eyes, the Yazad of the spoken name,

9. And to Rapithwina, Frâdaṭ-fshu, and Zaṉtuma, the holy lords of the ritual order, and to Righteousness the Best, and to Ahura Mazda's Fire,

10. And to Uzayêirina, Frâdaṭ-vîra, and Daḥvyuma, the holy lords of the ritual order, and to that lofty lord Napâṭ-apãm, and to the water Mazda-made,

11. And to Aiwisrûthrima, the life-furtherer, and to Frâdaṭ-vîspãm-hugyâiti and Zarathuṣtrôtema, the holy lords of the ritual order, and to the Fravashis of the saints, and to the women who bring forth many sons, and to the Prosperous home-life which endures without reverse throughout the year, and to Force, well-shaped and stately, and to the Blow of victory which Mazda gives, and to the Victorious Ascendency which it secures, for their sacrifice, homage, their propitiation, and their praise,

12. And to Ushahina, with Beregya and Nmânya, and Sraosha (Obedience) the blessed, smiting with the blow of victory and furthering the settlements, and to Rashnu, the most just, and to Arṣtâṭ, furthering the settlements, and causing them to increase.

13. And these we announce and we present hereby to the Month-lords of the ritual order, to the new moon and the waning moon (the moon within), and to the full moon which scatters night, the holy lord of the ritual order, for (their) sacrifice, homage, their propitiation, and their praise.

14. And these we announce hereby and we present to the Yearly festivals, to Maidhyô-zaremaya, Maidhyô-shema, Patiṣhahya, and to Ayâthrima, to Maidhyâirya, Hamaspathmaêdhaya, and to the Seasons as holy lords of the ritual order, for sacrifice, homage, propitiation, and for praise.

15. And these we announce and we present hereby to all those lords who are the three and thirty lords of the ritual order, who approach the nearest around about our Hâvani, and which are the festivals of Righteousness the Best, inculcated by Mazda, and uttered forth by Zarathuṣtra for their sacrifice, homage, propitiation, and praise.

16. And these we announce and we present to Ahura and to Mithra, the lofty, and imperishable, and holy two, to the stars, the creatures of Speñta Mainyu, and to the star Tiṣtrya, the radiant, the glorious, and to the Moon which contains the seed of cattle, and to the resplendent Sun, of the swift horses, Ahura Mazda's eye, and to Mithra, the lord of provinces, for their sacrifice, homage, their propitiation and their praise; yea, these we present hereby to Ahura Mazda (as he rules this day) and to the Fravashis of the saints (as they rule this month), for their sacrifice, homage, their propitiation and their praise.

17. And these we announce hereby to thee, the Fire, O Ahura Mazda's son! with all the fires for

thy sacrifice, homage, propitiation, and praise, and to the good waters for the sacrifice, homage, propitiation, and praise of all the waters Mazda-made, and to all the plants which Mazda made,

18. And to the Mãthra Speñta, the holy, the effective, the law against the Daêvas, the Zarathuṣtrian statute, and to the long descent of the good Mazdayasnian religion.

19. And these we announce and we present hereby to Mount Ushi-darena, Mazda-made, brilliant with sanctity, and to all the mountains shining with their holiness, abundantly luminous, and Mazda-made, and to the Kingly glory, the unconsumed glory Mazda-made, and to the good Blessedness, and the good Religious-knowledge, and the good Rectitude, and to the good Rasãstâṭ, and to the Glory and the Benefit which Mazda created.

20. And these we offer and present to the pious and good Blessing of the pious, and to the swift and dreadful Yazad, the Curse of wisdom.

21. And to these places, pastures, and dwellings with their springs of water, their rivers, to the lands and to the plants, to this earth and yon heaven, to the holy wind, to the stars, moon, and sun, to the stars without beginning, self-disposed, and to all the holy creatures of the Speñta Mainyu, male and female (the rulers as they are of the ritual order).

22. And these we announce and we present hereby to that lofty lord who is Asha, the ritual righteousness itself, to the Day-lords, and the Month-lords, the Year-lords, and the Seasons who are the lords of the ritual at the time of Hâvani, and for

their sacrifice, homage, their propitiation and their praise.

23. Yea, these we announce and we present to Sraosha, the blessed and mighty, whose body is the Mãthra, him of the daring spear, the lordly one, and to the holy Fravashi of Zarathuṣtra Spitâma, the saint.

And these we announce and we present to thee, the Fire, O Ahura Mazda's son! for thy sacrifice, homage, thy propitiation, and thy praise.

24. And these we announce and we present to the Fravashis of the saints, the mighty and overwhelming, of the saints of the ancient lore, and of the next of kin.

25. And these we announce and we present hereby to all the good Yazads, earthly and heavenly, who are (meet) for sacrifice, homage, propitiation, and for praise, because of Asha Vahiṣta (who is Righteousness the Best).

We worship the Bountiful Immortals who rule aright, and who dispose of all aright.

26. And that one of beings (do we worship) whose superior (service) in the sacrifice Ahura Mazda knows, and from his righteousness (which he maintains, and those of all female beings do we worship) whose (higher service is thus likewise known; yea all) male and female beings do we worship (who are such)!

YASNA V.

This chapter is identical with Yasna XXXVII.

YASNA VI.

1. We worship the Creator Ahura Mazda with our sacrifice, and the Bountiful Immortals who rule aright, and who dispose of all aright.

2. And we worship the Asnya with our sacrifice, and Hâvani, Sâvanghi and Vîsya, the holy lords of the ritual order, and Mithra of the wide pastures, of the thousand ears, and myriad eyes, the Yazad of the spoken name, and we worship Râman Hvâstra.

3. And we worship Rapithwina with our sacrifice, and Frâdaṭ-fshu, and the Zaṉtuma, and Righteousness the Best, and the Fire, Ahura Mazda's son, holy lords of the ritual order.

4. And we worship Uzayêirina, and Frâdaṭ-vîra, and Daḥvyuma*, the holy lord of the ritual order, and that kingly Ahura, the radiant Napâṭ-apãm, of the fleet horses, and the water holy, and Mazda-made.

5. And we worship Aiwisrûthrima and Aibigaya in our sacrifice, the holy lord of the ritual order, and Frâdaṭ-vîspãm-hugyâiti and the Zarathuṣtrôtema, the holy lord of the ritual order, and the good, heroic, bountiful Fravashis of the saints, and the women who bring forth many sons, and the Prosperous home-life which endures without reverse throughout the year, and Force which is well-shaped and stately, and the Blow which brings the victory, which is Ahura-given, and the Victorious Ascendency (which it secures).

6. And we worship Ushahina with our sacrifice, and

Beregya, and Nmânya, and Sraosha (Obedience) the blessed and the stately who smites with victory, and makes the settlements advance, and Rashnu, the most just, and Arṣtâṭ who makes the settlements advance and causes them to increase, the holy lords of the ritual order.

7. And we worship the Mâhya in our sacrifice, the new moon and the waning moon (the moon within) and the full moon which scatters night, the holy lord of the ritual order.

8. And we worship the Yearly festivals in our sacrifice, Maidhyô-zaremaya, Maidhyô-shema, Paitiṣhahya, and Ayâthrima, the furtherer (or breeder), the spender of virile strength, and Maidhyâirya, the holy lord of the ritual order, and Hamaspathmaêdhaya, and the Seasons (in which they are).

9. And we worship with our sacrifice all the lords of the ritual order, who are the thirty and three who approach the nearest around about us at Hâvani, who are the lords of Righteousness the Best, and whose observances were inculcated by Ahura Mazda, and uttered forth by Zarathuṣtra.

10. And we worship Ahura and Mithra with our sacrifice, the lofty, and imperishable, and holy two, and the stars, moon, and sun, among the plants of the Baresman, and Mithra, the province-lord of all the provinces, even Ahura Mazda, the radiant, the glorious, and the good, valiant, and bountiful Fravashis of the saints.

11. And we worship thee, the Fire, Ahura Mazda's son, together with all the fires, and the good waters, the best and Mazda-made, and holy, even all the waters which are Mazda-made and holy, and all the plants which Mazda made.

12. And we worship the Mãthra Speñta with our sacrifice, the glorious and of a truth, the law revealed against the Daêvas, the Zarathuṣtrian law, and we worship with our sacrifice its long descent, and the good Mazdayasnian Religion.

13. And we worship Mount Ushi-darena, the Mazda-made, the glorious Yazad, shining with holiness, and all the mountains that shine with holiness, with abundant brilliance, Mazda-made, the holy lords of the ritual order. And we worship the mighty Kingly glory Mazda-made, the mighty glory, unconsumed and Mazda-made, and the good Sanctity, the brilliant, the lofty, the powerful and the stately, delivering (men) with its inherent power. Yea, we worship the Glory, and the Benefit which are Mazda-made.

14. And we worship the pious and good Blessing with our sacrifice, and the pious man, the saint, and that Yazad, the mighty Curse of wisdom.

15. And we worship these waters, lands, and plants, these places, districts, pastures, and abodes with their springs of water, and we worship this lord of the district with our sacrifice, who is Ahura Mazda (Himself).

16. And we worship all the greatest lords, the Day-lords in the day's duration, and the Day-lords during daylight, and the Month-lords, and the Year-lords.

17. And we worship Haurvatâṭ (who guards the water) and Ameretatâṭ (who guards the plants and the wood), and Sraosha (Obedience) the blessed and the stately, who smites with the blow of victory, and makes the settlements advance, the holy lord of the ritual order.

18. And we worship Haoma with our sacrifice

and the Haoma-juice. And we worship the sacred Fravashi of Zarathuṣtra Spitâma the saint.

And we worship the wood-billets, and the perfume and thee, the Fire, Ahura Mazda's son, the holy lord of the ritual order.

19. And we worship the good, heroic, bountiful Fravashis of the saints.

20. And we worship all the holy Yazads, and all the lords of the ritual order at the time of Hâvani, and Sâvanghi, and all the greatest lords at their (proper) time. (The Yê N hê hâtãm follows.)

21. The Ratu. As an Ahû (revered and) to be chosen, the priest speaks forth to me.

The Zaotar. So let the Ratu from his Righteousness, holy and learned, speak forth!

YASNA VII.

1. With a complete and sacred offering I offer and I give this meat-offering, and (with it) Haurvatâṭ (who guards the water), and Ameretatâṭ (who guards the plants and the wood), and the flesh of the Kine of blessed gift, for the propitiation of Ahura Mazda, and of the Bountiful Immortals (all, and) for the propitiation of Sraosha (Obedience) the blessed, endowed with sanctity, who smites with the blow of victory, and who causes the settlements to advance.

2. And I offer the Haoma and Haoma-juice with a complete and sacred offering for the propitiation of the Fravashi of Zarathuṣtra Spitâma the saint, and I offer the wood-billets with the perfume for Thy propitiation, the Fire's, O Ahura Mazda's son!

3. And I offer the Haomas with a complete and sacred offering for propitiation [to the good waters] for the good waters Mazda-made. And I offer this Haoma-water with scrupulous exactness and with sanctity, and this fresh milk, and the plant Hadhânaêpata uplifted with a complete and sacred offering for the propitiation of the waters which are Mazda-made.

4. And I offer this Baresman with its Zaothra (and with its binding) for a girdle spread with complete sanctity and order for the propitiation of the Bountiful Immortals, and I offer with my voice the thoughts well-thought, the words well-spoken, and the deeds well-done, and the heard recital of the Gâthas, the Mãthras well-composed and well-delivered, and this Lordship, and this Sanctity, and this ritual mastership, and the timely Prayer for blessings, with a complete and sacred offering for the propitiation of the holy Yazads, heavenly and earthly, and for the contentment of the individual soul!

5. And I offer to the Asnya with a complete and sacred offering, as lords of the ritual order, and to Hâvani, and to Sâvanghi and Vîsya, holy lords of the ritual order, and to Mithra of the wide pastures, of the thousand ears, and myriad eyes, the Yazad of the spoken name, and to Raman Hvâstra.

6. And I offer with a complete and sacred offering to Rapithwina, the holy lord of the ritual order; and I offer to Frâdaṭ-fshu and to the Zaṉtuma, and to

Asha Vahiṣta (who is Righteousness the Best) and to Ahura Mazda's Fire.

7. And I offer with a complete and sacred offering to Uzayêirina, Frâdaṭ-vîra, and to the Daḥvyuma*, the holy lord of the ritual order, and to that lofty Ahura Napâṭ-apãm, and to the waters which Mazda created.

8. And I offer with a complete and sacred offering to Aiwisrûthrima, the life-furtherer, and to Frâdaṭ-vîspâm-hugyâiti, and to the Zarathuṣtrôtema, and to the Fravashis of the saints, and to the women who have many sons, and to the Prosperous home-life which endures (without reverse) throughout the year, and to Force, the well-shaped and stately, and to the Blow which smites with victory Ahura-given, and to the Victorious Ascendency (which it secures).

9. And I offer with a complete and sacred offering to Ushahina, the holy lord of the ritual order, and to Beregya, and Nmânya, and to Sraosha (Obedience) the blessed, endowed with sanctity, who smites with the blow of victory, and makes the settlements advance, and to Rashnu the most just, and to Arṣtâṭ who furthers the settlements and causes them to increase.

10. And I offer with a complete and sacred offering to the Mâhya, lords of the ritual order, to the new and the waning moon (the moon within), and to the full moon which scatters night, holy lords of the ritual order.

11. And I offer with a complete and sacred offering to the Yearly festivals, the lords of the ritual order, to Maidhyô-zaremaya, and Maidhyô-shema, to Paitiṣhahya, and to Ayâthrima the furtherer (the breeder), the spender of the strength of males, and

to Maidhyâirya and Hamaspathmaêdhaya, holy lords of the ritual order, and I offer with sanctity to the several seasons, the lords of the ritual order.

12. And I offer with a complete and sacred offering to all those lords who are the thirty and three, who approach the nearest round about our Hâvani, and who are the lords of Asha (the ritual by-eminence), of Righteousness who is (the Best), whose observances are inculcated as precepts by Mazda, and uttered forth by Zarathuṣtra.

13. And I offer with a complete and sacred offering to Ahura and Mithra, the lofty and imperishable, and holy two, and to the stars which are the creatures of Speñta Mainyu, and to the star Tiṣtrya, the radiant, the glorious, and to the Moon which contains the seed of cattle in its beams, and to the resplendent Sun of the fleet horses, the eye of Ahura Mazda, and to Mithra, the lord of the provinces. And I offer with a complete and sacred offering to Ahura Mazda, the resplendent, the glorious, (who rules this day), and to the Fravashis of the saints (who name the month).

14. And I offer with a complete and sacred offering to thee, the Fire, O Ahura Mazda's son! together with all the fires, and to the good waters, even to the waters which are Mazda-made, and to all the plants which Mazda made.

15. And I offer with a complete and sacred offering to the Mãthra Speñta, the holy, the effective, revealed against the Daêvas, the Zarathuṣtrian law, and to the long descent of the good Religion, of the Mazdayasnian faith.

16. And I offer with a complete and sacred offering to Mount Ushi-darena, the Mazda-made, brilliant

with holiness, and to all the mountains shining with holiness, of abundant brightness, and which Mazda made, and to the Royal glory unconsumed and Mazda-made. And I offer with a complete and sacred offering to Ashi Vanguhi, and to Kisti Vanguhi, and to Erethe, and to Rasãstâṭ, and to the Glory (and the) Benefit which Mazda made.

17. And I offer with a complete and sacred offering to the good and pious Prayer for blessings of the pious man, and to that Yazad, the swift and dreadful Curse of the wise.

18. And I offer with a complete and sacred blessing to these places, districts, pastures, and abodes with their springs of water, and to the waters and the lands, and the plants, and to this earth and yon heaven, and to the holy wind, and to the stars, and the moon, even to the stars without beginning (to their course), the self-appointed, and to all the holy creatures of Speñta Mainyu, be they male or female, regulators (as they are) of the ritual order.

19. And I offer with a complete and sacred blessing to that lofty lord who is Righteousness (the Best), and the Day-lords, the lords of the days during their duration, and to those of the days during daylight, and to the Month-lords, and the Year-lords, and to those of the seasons, the lords who are lords of the ritual, and at the time of Hâvani.

20. And I offer the Myazda meat-offering with a complete and sacred offering, and Haurvatâṭ (who guards the water), and Ameretatâṭ (who guards the wood), and the flesh of the Kine of blessed gift, for the propitiation of Sraosha (Obedience) the blessed, whose body is the Mãthra, him of the

daring spear, the lordly, the Yazad of the spoken name.

21. And I offer the Haoma and the Haoma juice for the propitiation of the Fravashi of Zarathuṣtra Spitâma the saint, the Yazad of the spoken name.

And I offer the wood-billets with the perfume for Thy propitiation, the Fire's, Ahura Mazda's son, the Yazad of the spoken name.

22. And I offer with a complete and sacred offering to the Fravashis of the saints, the mighty and overwhelming, to those of the saints of the ancient lore, and to those of the next of kin.

23. And I offer with a complete and sacred offering to all the lords of the ritual order, and to all the good Yazads heavenly and earthly who are (meet) for sacrifice and homage because of Asha who is Vahiṣta (of Righteousness who is the Best).

24. May that approach to us, and with a sacred blessing (O Lord!) whose benefits the offerers are seeking for. Thy praisers and Mãthra-speakers, O Ahura Mazda! may we be named; we desire it, and such may we be. What reward, O Ahura Mazda! adapted to myself Thou hast appointed unto souls,

25. Of this do Thou Thyself bestow upon us for this world and for that of mind; (yea, do Thou bestow) so much of this as that we may attain to Thy ruling protection and to that of Righteousness for ever.

26. We sacrifice to the Ahuna-vairya, and to the veracious word correctly uttered, and to the good and pious prayer for blessings, and to the dreadful curse of the wise, the Yazad, and to Haurvatâṭ and Ameretatâṭ, and to the flesh of the Kine of blessed gift, and to the Haoma and Haoma-juice, and to the wood-billets, and the perfume, for the praise of the pious and good prayer for blessings.

The Yê N hê hâtãm.

27. (To that one) of beings do we sacrifice whose superior (fidelity) in the sacrifice Ahura Mazda knows through his Righteousness (within him, yea, even to those female saints do we sacrifice) whose (superior sanctity is thus known. We sacrifice to all) both males and females whose (superiority is such). (The Ratu speaks.) As an Ahû (revered and) to be chosen, he who is the Zaotar speaks forth to me.

(The Zaotar.) So let the Ratu from his Righteousness, holy and learned, speak forth!

YASNA VIII.

1. A blessing is Righteousness (called) the Best.

It is weal; it is weal to this (man),

When toward Righteousness Best there is right.

I offer the Myazda (of the) meat-offering with a complete and sacred offering; and I offer Haurvatatâṭ (who guards the water), and Ameretatâṭ (who guards the plants and the wood), and the flesh of the blessed Kine; and I offer the Haoma and the Haoma juice, the wood-billets and the perfume for the praise of Ahura Mazda, and of the Ahuna-vairya, the veracious word, and for that of the pious and beneficent Prayer for blessings, and for the redoubted Curse of the wise, and for the praise of the Haoma, and of the Mãthra of the holy Zarathuṣtra; and may it come to us with sacred fulness (to accept and to recompense our gift).

2. (The Ratu speaks.) Eat, O ye men, of this Myazda, the meat-offering, ye who have deserved it by your righteousness and correctness!

3. O ye Bountiful Immortals, and thou, the Mazdayasnian law, ye just men and just women, and ye Zaothras, whoever among these Mazdayasnians would call himself a Mazdayasnian desiring to live in the practice of the liberality of Righteousness [for by sorcery the settlements of Righteousness are ruined], do ye cause (such an one) to be (still further) taught, (ye), who are the waters, the plants, and the Zaothras!

4. And whoever of these Mazdayasnians, adults, when he invokes with earnestness, does not adhere to these words, and (so) speaks, he approaches to that (word) of the magician; (but, as against that magician's word) 'a blessing is Righteousness (called) the Best.'

5. May’st Thou, O Ahura Mazda! reign at Thy will, and with a saving rule over Thine own creatures, and render Ye the holy (man) also a sovereign at his will over waters, and over plants, and over all the clean and sacred (creatures) which contain the seed of Righteousness. Strip ye the wicked of all power!

6. Absolute in power may the holy be, bereft of all free choice the wicked! Gone (may he be), met as foe, carried out from the creatures of Speñta Mainyu, hemmed in without power over any wish!

7. I will incite, even I who am Zarathuṣtra, the

heads of the houses, villages, Zaṉtus, and provinces, to the careful following of this Religion which is that of Ahura, and according to Zarathuṣtra, in their thoughts, their words, and their deeds.

8. I pray for the freedom and glory of the entire existence of the holy (man) while I bless it, and I pray for the repression and shame of the entire existence of the wicked.

9. Propitiation to Haoma who brings righteousness (to us) for sacrifice, homage, propitiation, and for praise. (The Zaotar?) As the Ahû to be (revered and) chosen, the Zaotar speaks forth to me. (The Ratu.) As an Ahû to be (revered and) chosen, the Zaotar speaks forth to me. (The Zaotar.) So let the Ratu from his Righteousness, holy and learned, speak forth!

Mentioned templesAhuraMazdāAšaAšavahištaAmərətātHaurvatāt

Yasna IX–XI: The Hôm Yaṣt

YASNA IX.

1. At the hour of Hâvani. H(a)oma came to Zarathuṣtra, as he served the (sacred) Fire, and sanctified (its flame), while he sang aloud the Gâthas.

And Zarathuṣtra asked him: Who art thou, O man! who art of all the incarnate world the most beautiful in Thine own body of those whom I have seen, (thou) glorious [immortal]?

2. Thereupon gave H(a)oma answer, the holy one who driveth death afar: I am, O Zarathuṣtra

H(a)oma, the holy and driving death afar; pray to me, O Spitâma, prepare me for the taste. Praise toward me in (Thy) praises as the other [Saoshyaṉts] praise.

3. Thereupon spake Zarathuṣtra: Unto H(a)oma be the praise. What man, O H(a)oma! first prepared thee for the corporeal world? What blessedness was offered him? what gain did he acquire?

4. Thereupon did H(a)oma answer me, he the holy one, and driving death afar: Vîvanghvaṉt was the first of men who prepared me for the incarnate world. This blessedness was offered him; this gain did he acquire, that to him was born a son who was Yima, called the brilliant, (he of the many flocks, the most glorious of those yet born, the sunlike-one of men), that he made from his authority both herds and people free from dying, both plants and waters free from drought, and men could eat imperishable food.

5. In the reign of Yima swift of motion was there neither cold nor heat, there was neither age nor death, nor envy demon-made. Like fifteen-yearlings walked the two forth, son and father, in their stature and their form, so long as Yima, son of Vîvanghvaṉt ruled, he of the many herds!

6. Who was the second man, O H(a)oma! who

prepared thee for the corporeal world? What sanctity was offered him? what gain did he acquire?

7. Thereupon gave H(a)oma answer, he the holy one, and driving death afar: Âthwya was the second who prepared me for the corporeal world. This blessedness was given him, this gain did he acquire, that to him a son was born, Thraêtaona of the heroic tribe,

8. Who smote the dragon Dahâka, three jawed and triple-headed, six-eyed, with thousand powers, and of mighty strength, a lie-demon of the Daêvas, evil for our settlements, and wicked, whom the evil spirit Angra Mainyu made as the most mighty Drug(k) [against the corporeal world], and for the murder of (our) settlements, and to slay the (homes) of Asha!

9. Who was the third man, O H(a)oma! who prepared thee for the corporeal world? What blessedness was given him? what gain did he acquire?

10. Thereupon gave H(a)oma answer, the holy one, and driving death afar: Thrita, [the most helpful of the Sâmas], was the third man who prepared me for the corporeal world. This blessedness was given

him, this gain did he acquire, that to him two sons were born, Urvâkhshaya and Keresâspa, the one a judge confirming order, the other a youth of great ascendant, ringlet-headed, bludgeon-bearing.

11. He who smote the horny dragon swallowing men, and swallowing horses, poisonous, and green of colour, over which, as thick as thumbs are, greenish poison flowed aside, on whose back once Keresâspa cooked his meat in iron caldron at the noonday meal; and the deadly, scorched, upstarted, and springing off, dashed out the water as it boiled. Headlong fled affrighted manly-minded Keresâspa.

12. Who was the fourth man who prepared thee,

O H(a)oma! for the corporeal world? What blessedness was given him? what gain did he acquire?

13. Thereupon gave H(a)oma answer, he the holy, and driving death afar: Pourushaspa was the fourth man who prepared me for the corporeal world. This blessedness was given him, this gain did he acquire, that thou, O Zarathuṣtra! wast born to him, the just, in Pourushaspa's house, the D(a)êva's foe, the friend of Mazda's lore, famed in Airyêna Vaêgah; and thou, O Zarathuṣtra I didst recite the first the Ahuna-vairya, four times intoning it, and with verses kept apart [(Pâzand) each time with louder and still louder voice].

15. And thou didst cause, O Zarathuṣtra! all the demon-gods to vanish in the ground who aforetime flew about this earth in human shape (and power. This hast thou done), thou who hast been the strongest, and the staunchest, the most active, and the swiftest, and (in every deed) the most victorious in the two spirits’ world.

16. Thereupon spake Zarathuṣtra: Praise to H(a)oma. Good is H(a)oma, and the well-endowed, exact and righteous in its nature, and good inherently, and healing, beautiful of form, and good in deed, and most successful in its working, golden-hued, with bending sprouts. As it is the best for drinking, so (through its sacred stimulus) is it the most nutritious for the soul.

17. I make my claim on thee, O yellow one! for

inspiration. I make my claim on thee for strength; I make my claim on thee for victory; I make my claim on thee for health and healing (when healing is my need); I make my claim on thee for progress and increased prosperity, and vigour of the entire frame, and for understanding, of each adorning kind, and for this, that I may have free course among our settlements, having power where I will, overwhelming angry malice, and a conqueror of lies.

18. Yea, I make my claim on thee that I may overwhelm the angry hate of haters, of the D(a)êvas and of mortals, of the sorcerers and sirens, of the tyrants, and the Kavis, of the Karpans, murderous bipeds, of the sanctity-destroyers, the profane apostate bipeds, of the wolves four-footed monsters, of the invading host, wide-fronted, which with stratagems advance.

19. This first blessing I beseech of thee, O H(a)oma, thou that drivest death afar! I beseech of thee for (heaven), the best life of the saints, the radiant, all-glorious.

This second blessing I beseech of thee, O H(a)oma, thou that drivest death afar! this body's health (before that blest life is attained).

This third blessing I beseech of thee, O H(a)oma, thou that drivest death afar! the long vitality of life.

20. This fourth blessing I beseech of thee, O H(a)oma, thou that drivest death afar! that I may stand forth on this earth with desires gained, and powerful, receiving satisfaction, overwhelming the assaults of hate, and conquering the lie.

This fifth blessing, O H(a)oma, I beseech of thee, thou that drivest death afar! that I may stand victorious on earth, conquering in battles, overwhelming the assaults of hate, and conquering the lie.

21. This sixth blessing I ask of thee, O H(a)oma, thou that drivest death afar! that we may get good warning of the thief, good warning of the murderer, see first the bludgeon-bearer, get first sight of the wolf. May no one whichsoever get first the sight of us. In the strife with each may we be they who get the first alarm!

22. H(a)oma grants to racers who would run a course with span both speed and bottom (in their horses). H(a)oma grants to women come to bed with child a brilliant offspring and a righteous line.

H(a)oma grants to those (how many!) who have long sat searching books, more knowledge and more wisdom.

23. H(a)oma grants to those long maidens, who sit at home unwed, good husbands, and that as soon as asked, he H(a)oma, the well-minded.

24. H(a)oma lowered Keresâni, dethroned him from his throne, for he grew so fond of power, that

he treacherously said: No priest behind (and watching) shall walk the lands for me, as a counsellor to prosper them, he would rob everything of progress, he would crush the growth of all!

25. Hail to thee, O H(a)oma, who hast power as thou wilt, and by thine inborn strength! Hail to thee, thou art well-versed in many sayings, and true and holy words. Hail to thee for thou dost ask no wily questions, but questionest direct.

26. Forth hath Mazda borne to thee, the star-bespangled girdle, the spirit-made, the ancient one, the Mazdayasnian Faith.

So with this thou art begirt on the summits of the mountains, for the spreading of the precepts, and the headings of the Mãthra, (and to help the Mãthra's teacher),

27. O H(a)oma, thou house-lord, and thou clan-lord, thou tribe-lord, and chieftain of the land, and thou successful learned teacher, for aggressive strength I speak to thee, for that which smites with victory, and for my body's saving, and for manifold delight!

28. Bear off from us the torment and the malice of the hateful. Divert the angry foe's intent!

What man soever in this house is violent and wicked, what man soever in this village, or this tribe, or province, seize thou away the fleetness from

his feet; throw thou a veil of darkness o’er his mind; make thou his intellect (at once) a wreck!

29. Let not the man who harms us, mind or body, have power to go forth on both his legs, or hold with both his hands, or see with both his eyes, not the land (beneath his feet), or the herd before his face.

30. At the aroused and fearful Dragon, green, and belching forth his poison, for the righteous saint that perishes, yellow H(a)oma, hurl thy mace!

At the (murderous) bludgeon-bearer, committing deeds unheard of, blood-thirsty, (drunk) with fury, yellow H(a)oma, hurl thy mace!

31. Against the wicked human tyrant, hurling weapons at the head, for the righteous saint that perishes, yellow H(a)oma, hurl thy mace!

Against the righteousness-disturber, the unholy life-destroyer, thoughts and words of our religion well-delivering, yet in actions never reaching, for the righteous saint that perishes, yellow H(a)oma, hurl thy mace!

32. Against the body of the harlot, with her magic minds o’erthrowing with (intoxicating) pleasures, to the lusts her person offering, whose mind as vapour wavers as it flies before the wind, for the righteous saint that perishes, yellow H(a)oma, hurl thy mace!

YASNA X.

17. Thereupon spake Zarathuṣtra: Praise to H(a)oma, Mazda-made. Good is H(a)oma, Mazda-made. All the plants of H(a)oma praise I, on the heights of lofty mountains, in the gorges of the valleys, in the clefts (of sundered hill-sides) cut for the bundles bound by women. From the silver cup I pour Thee to the golden chalice over. Let me not thy (sacred) liquor spill to earth, of precious cost.

18. These are thy Gâthas, holy H(a)oma, these

thy songs, and these thy teachings, and these thy truthful ritual words, health-imparting, victory-giving, from harmful hatred healing giving.

19. These and thou art mine, and forth let thine exhilarations flow; bright and sparkling let them hold on their (steadfast) way; for light are thine exhilaration(s), and flying lightly come they here. Victory-giving smiteth H(a)oma, victory-giving is it worshipped; with this Gâthic word we praise it.

20. Praise to the Kine; praise and victory (be) spoken to her! Food for the Kine, and pasture! 'For the Kine let thrift use toil; yield thou us food.'

21. We worship the yellow lofty one; we worship H(a)oma who causes progress, who makes the settlements advance; we worship H(a)oma who drives death afar; yea, we worship all the H(a)oma plants. And we worship (their) blessedness, and the Fravashi of Zarathuṣtra Spitâma, the saint.

YASNA XI.

1. Three clean creatures (full of blessings) curse betimes while yet invoking, the cow, the horse, and then H(a)oma. The cow cries to her driver thus:

Childless be thou, shorn of offspring, evil-famed, and slander-followed, who foddered fairly dost not use me, but fattenest me for wife or children, and for thy niggard selfish meal.

2. The horse cries to his rider thus: Be not spanner of the racers; stretch no coursers to full-speed; do not stride across the fleetest, thou, who dost not pray me swiftness in the meeting thick with numbers, in the circuit thronged with men.

3. H(a)oma speaks his drinker thus: Childless be thou, shorn of offspring, evil-famed, and slander-followed, who holdest me from full outpouring, as a robber, skulls in-crushing. No head-smiter am I ever, holy H(a)oma, far from death.

4. Forth my father gave an offering, tongue and left eye chose Ahura, set apart for H(a)oma's meal.

5. Who this offering would deny me, eats himself, or prays it from me, this which Mazda gave to bless me, tongue with left eye (as my portion).

6. In his house is born no fire-priest, warrior ne’er in chariot standing, never more the thrifty tiller. In his home be born Dahâkas, Mûrakas of evil practice, doing deeds of double nature.

7. Quick, cut off then H(a)oma's portion, gift of flesh for doughty H(a)oma! Heed lest H(a)oma

bind thee fettered, as he bound the fell Turanian Frangrasyan (the murderous robber) fast in iron close-surrounded in the mid-third of this earth! 8. Thereupon spake Zarathuṣtra; Praise to H(a)oma made by Mazda, good is H(a)oma Mazda-made.

9. Who to us is one hereupon to thee (becomes) two, to be made to three, for the five-making of the four, for the seven-making of the sixth, who are your nine in the decade (?), who serve you and with zeal.

10. To thee, O holy H(a)oma! bearer of the ritual sanctity, I offer this my person which is seen (by all to be) mature, (and fit for gift); to H(a)oma the effective do I offer it, and to the sacred exhilaration which he bestows; and do thou grant to me (for this), O holy H(a)oma! thou that drivest death afar, (Heaven) the best world of the saints, shining, all brilliant.

11. (The Ashem Vohû, &c.)

12-15. May’st Thou rule at Thy will, O Lord!

16. I confess myself a Mazdayasnian of Zarathuṣtra's order.

17. I celebrate my praises for good thoughts, good words, and good deeds for my thoughts, my speeches, and (my) actions. With chanting praises I present all good thoughts, good words, and good deeds, and with rejection I repudiate all evil thoughts, and words, and deeds. 18. Here I give to you, O ye Bountiful Immortals! sacrifice and homage with the mind, with words, deeds, and my entire person; yea, (I offer) to you the flesh of my very body (as your own). And I praise Righteousness. A blessing is Righteousness (called) the Best, &c.

Mentioned templesAšaAhuraMazdā

Yasna XII: The Mazdayasnian Confession

1. I drive the Daêvas hence; I confess as a Mazda-worshipper of the order of Zarathuṣtra, estranged from the Daêvas, devoted to the lore of

the Lord, a praiser of the Bountiful Immortals; and to Ahura Mazda, the good and endowed with good possessions, I attribute all things good, to the holy One, the resplendent, to the glorious, whose are all things whatsoever which are good; whose is the Kine, whose is Asha (the righteous order pervading all things pure), whose are the stars, in whose lights the glorious beings and objects are clothed.

2. And I choose Piety, the bounteous and the good, mine may she be. And therefore I loudly (deprecate all robbery and violence against the sacred) Kine, and all drought to the wasting of the Mazdayasnian villages.

3. Away from (?) their thoughts do I wish to lead (the thought of) wandering at will, (away the thought of) free nomadic pitching of the tent, for I wish to remove (?) all wandering from (their) Kine which abide in steadfastness upon this land; and bowing down in worship to Righteousness I dedicate my offerings with praise so far as that. Never may I stand as a source of wasting, never as a source of withering to the Mazdayasnian villages, not for the love of body or of life.

4. Away do I abjure the shelter and headship of the

Daêvas, evil as they are; aye, utterly bereft of good, and void of virtue, deceitful in their wickedness, of (all) beings those most like the Demon-of-the-Lie, the most loathsome of existing things, and the ones the most of all bereft of good.

5. Off, off, do I abjure the Daêvas and all possessed by them, the sorcerers and all that hold to their devices, and every existing being of the sort; their thoughts do I abjure, their words and actions, and their seed (that propagate their sin); away do I abjure their shelter and their headship, and the iniquitous of every kind who act as Rakhshas act!

Thus and so in very deed might Ahura Mazda have indicated to Zarathuṣtra in every question which Zarathuṣtra asked, and in all the consultations in the which they two conversed together. 6. Thus and so might Zarathuṣtra have abjured the shelter and the headship of the Daêvas in all the questions, and in all the consultations with which they two conversed together, Zarathuṣtra and the Lord.

And so I myself, in whatsoever circumstances I may be placed, as a worshipper of Mazda, and of Zarathuṣtra's order, would so abjure the Daêvas and their shelter, as he who was the holy Zarathuṣtra abjured them (once of old).

7. To that religious sanctity to which the waters appertain, do I belong, to that sanctity to which the plants, to that sanctity to which the Kine of blessed gift, to that religious sanctity to which Ahura Mazda, who made both Kine and holy men, belongs,

to that sanctity do I. Of that creed which Zarathuṣtra held, which Kavi Vîṣtâspa, and those two, Frashaoṣtra and Gâmâspa; yea, of that religious faith which every Saoshyaṉt who shall (yet come to) save (us), the holy ones who do the deeds of real significance, of that creed, and of that lore, am I.

8. A Mazda-worshipper I am, of Zarathuṣtra's order; (so) do I confess, as a praiser and confessor, and I therefore praise aloud the well-thought thought, the word well spoken, and the deed well done;

9. Yea, I praise at once the Faith of Mazda, the Faith which has no faltering utterance, the Faith that wields the felling halbert, the Faith of kindred marriage, the holy (Creed), which is the most imposing, best, and most beautiful of all religions which exist, and of all that shall in future come to knowledge, Ahura's Faith, the Zarathuṣtrian creed. Yea, to Ahura Mazda do I ascribe all good, and such shall be the worship of the Mazdayasnian belief!

Mentioned templesAhuraMazdāAša

Yasna XIII–XXVII: Invocations and Dedications

YASNA XIII.

1. I address (my invocation to) Ahura Mazda. And I invoke (among guardian beings) the chief of

the house-lord, and the chief of the Vîs-lord, and the chief of the Zaṉtu-lord. And I invoke the chief of the province-lord. And the chief of women I invoke, the Mazdayasnian Faith, the blessed and good Pareṉdi, her who is the holy one of human-kind. And I invoke this (holy) earth which bears us.

2. And I invoke the friendly and most helpful person's lord, the Fire of Ahura Mazda, and also the most energetic lords of holy men, those who are most strenuous in their care of cattle and the fields, and the chief of the thrifty tiller of the earth. And I invoke the steady settler of sanctity, (and) the chief of the charioteer.

3. And I invoke the chief of the fire-priest by means of the most imposing sciences of the Mazdayasnian Faith. And I invoke the chief of the Âtharvan, and his pupils I invoke; yea, the lords of each of them. I invoke these lords, and I summon the Bountiful Immortals here, and the Prophets who shall serve us, the wisest as they are, the most scrupulous

in their exactness (as) they utter words (of doctrine and of service), the most devoted (to their duties likewise), and the most glorious in their thoughts (?). And I invoke the most imposing forces of the Mazdayasnian Faith, and the fire-priests I invoke, and the charioteers, the warriors, and the thrifty tillers of the soil.

4. And to You, O Ye Bountiful Immortals! Ye who rule aright, and dispose (of all) aright, I offer the flesh of my very frame, and all the blessings of my life.

Thus the two spirits thought, thus they spoke, and thus they did;

5. And therefore as Thou, O Ahura Mazda! didst think, speak, dispose, and do all things good (for us), so to Thee would we give, so would we assign to Thee our homage; so would we worship Thee with our sacrifices. So would we bow before Thee with these gifts, and so direct our prayers to Thee with confessions of our debt.

6. By the kinship of the good kindred, by that of Righteousness the good (Thy righteous servant's nature) would we approach Thee, and by that of the good thrift-law, and of Piety the good.

7. And we would worship the Fravashi of the Kine of blessed gift, and that of the holy Gaya Maretan, and we would worship the holy Fravashi

of Zarathuṣtra Spitâma, the saint. Yea, that one of beings do we worship whose better (service) in the sacrifice Ahura Mazda knows; (even those women do we worship) whose (better service thus is known). Yea, both (holy) men and women (do we worship whom Ahura Mazda knows). As the Ahû is excelling, so is our Ratu, one who rules from the Righteous Order, a creator of mental goodness, and of life's actions done for Mazda; and the Kingdom is to Ahura which to the poor (may offer) nurture.

A blessing is the Right called the best, there is weal, there is weal to this (man), when toward Righteousness Best (he does) right.

8. We worship the Ahuna-vairya; and we worship Asha Vahiṣta the best(?), the bountiful Immortal. And we sacrifice to the Hâ fraoreti, even to the confession and laudation of the Mazdayasnian Faith!

YASNA XIV.

1. I will come to You, O Ye Bountiful Immortals! as a praiser and a priest, and an invoker and sacrificer, as a memorising reciter and a chanter, for Your sacrifice and homage, which are to be offered to You, the Bountiful Immortals, and for our dedication and sanctification; (yea, for ours) who are the holy prophets (destined to benefit the saints).

2. And to You, O Ye Bountiful Immortals! would I dedicate the flesh of my very body, and all the blessings of a prospered life.

3. In this Zaothra with this Baresman, I desire to

approach the holy Yazads with my praise, and all the holy lords of the ritual order at their times, Hâvani at his time, and Sâvanghi and Vîsya at their times. 4. I confess myself a Mazdayasnian, and of Zarathuṣtra's order.

5. The Zaotar speaks: As an Ahû (revered and) chosen, the Zaotar (?) speaks forth to me (?).

The Ratu speaks: As an Ahû (revered and) to be chosen, the Zaotar speaks forth to me.

The Zaotar: So let the Ratu from his Righteousness, holy and learned, speak forth!

YASNA XV.

1. With precept, praise, and with delight produced by grace, I call upon the Bountiful Immortals the good, and also therewith the beautiful by name; and I sacrifice to them with the blessing of the good ritual, with the earnest blessings of the good Mazdayasnian Faith.

2. Whose best gift from his Righteousness is mine in the offering Ahura this knoweth; who have lived, and live ever, by their names these I worship, while I draw near with praises. The Good Kingdom is to be chosen, that lot which most of all bears on (our blessings).

3. Let Sraosha (Obedience) be here present for

the sacrifice of Ahura Mazda, the most beneficent, the holy, who is so dear to us as at the first, so at the last; yea, let him be present here.

4. As the Ahû (revered and) to be chosen, the Âtarevakhsha thus speaks forth to me.

(Response): So let the Ratu from his righteousness, holy and learned, speak forth!

YASNA XVI.

1. We worship Ahura Mazda, the holy lord of the ritual order, who disposes (all) aright, the greatest Yazad, who is also the most beneficent, and the one who causes the settlements to advance, the creator of good creatures; yea, we worship Him with these offered Zaothras, and with truthfully and scrupulously delivered words; and we worship every holy Yazad of the heaven (as well)!

2. And we worship Zarathuṣtra Spitâma in our sacrifice, the holy lord of the ritual order with these Zaothras, and with faithfully delivered words; and we worship every holy earthly Yazad as we worship him; and we worship also the Fravashi of Zarathuṣtra Spitâma, the saint. And we worship the utterances of Zarathuṣtra and his religion, his faith and his lore.

3. And we worship the former religions of the world devoted to Righteousness which were instituted

at the creation, the holy religions of the Creator Ahura Mazda, the resplendent and glorious. And we worship Vohu Manah (the Good Mind), and Asha Vahiṣta (who is Righteousness the Best), and Khshathra-vairya, the Kingdom to be desired, and the good and bountiful Âramaiti (true piety in the believers), and Haurvatâṭ and Ameretatâṭ (our Weal and Immortality).

4. Yea, we worship the Creator Ahura Mazda and the Fire, Ahura Mazda's son, and the good waters which are Mazda-made and holy, and the resplendent sun of the swift horses, and the moon with the seed of cattle (in his beams); and we worship the star Tiṣtrya, the lustrous and glorious; and we worship the soul of the Kine of blessed endowment, and its Creator Ahura Mazda; and we worship Mithra of the wide pastures, and Sraosha (Obedience) the blessed, and Rashnu the most just, and the good, heroic, bountiful Fravashis of the saints, and the Blow-of-victory Ahura-given (as it is). And we worship Râman Hvâstra, and the bounteous Wind of blessed gift, and (its) Creator Ahura Mazda, and the good Mazdayasnian Religion, and the good Blessedness and Arṣtâṭ.

And we worship the heaven and the earth of blessed gift, and the bounteous Mãthra, and the stars without beginning (to their course), self-disposing as they are.

7. And we worship the glorious works of Righteousness in which the souls of the dead find satisfaction and delight [(Pâzand) which are the Fravashis

of the saints], and we worship (Heaven) the best world of the saints, shining, all glorious.

8. And we worship the two, the milk-offering and the libation, the two which cause the waters to flow forth, and the plants to flourish, the two foes who meet the Dragon demon-made; and who are set to meet, to defeat, and to put to flight, that cheat, the Pairika, and to contradict the insulting malice of the Ashemaogha (the persecuting heretic) and that of the unholy tyrant full of death.

9. And we worship all waters and all plants, and all good men and all good women. And we worship all these Yazads, heavenly and earthly, who are beneficent and holy.

10. And we worship thee (our) dwelling-place who art the (earth, our) bounteous Âramaiti, and Thee, O Ahura Mazda, O holy Lord of this abode! which is the home of healthy herds and healthy men, and of those who are both endowed with health and lover(s) of the ritual right.

(Response of the individual worshipper (?).) Wherefore whichever of persons, or whatever of bodily influences, is most helpful and preserving in that abode (thus owned by Mazda) let this meet me in mine abode, and there may it abide for summer and for winter. (Or let that one meet me in all my house,

in whom are what of influences are the most mighty power for the body and the person's life; yea, let that one meet me there, and there abide for summer and for winter (for my help)!)

YASNA XVII.

1-10, 11. We worship thee, the Fire, O Ahura Mazda's son! We worship the fire Berezi-savangha (of the lofty use), and the fire Vohu-fryâna (the good and friendly), and the fire Urvâziṣta (the most beneficial and most helpful), and the fire Vâziṣta (the most supporting), and the fire Speniṣta (the most bountiful), and Nairya-sangha the Yazad of the royal lineage, and that fire which is the house-lord of all houses and Mazda-made, even the son of Ahura Mazda, the holy lord of the ritual order, with all the fires.

12. And we worship the good and best waters Mazda-made, holy, all the waters Mazda-made and holy, and all the plants which Mazda made, and which are holy.

13. And we worship the Mãthra-speñta (the bounteous word-of-reason), the Zarathuṣtrian law against the Daêvas, and its long descent.

14. And we worship Mount Ushi-darena which is Mazda-made and shining with its holiness, and all the mountains shining with holiness, and of abundant glory, and which Mazda made—.

15. And we worship the good and pious prayer for blessings, and these waters and (these lands), and all the greatest chieftains, lords of the ritual order;

18. And I praise, invoke, and glorify the good, heroic, bountiful Fravashis of the saints, those of the house, the Vîs, the Zantuma, the Daḥvyuma, and the Zarathuṣtrôtema, and all the holy Yazads!

YASNA XVIII.

1. Grant me, Thou who art maker of the Kine, plants and waters, Immortality, Mazda! Grant, too, Weal, Spirit bounteous—.

YASNA XIX.

1. Zarathuṣtra asked of Ahura Mazda: O Ahura Mazda, Thou most bounteous Spirit! maker of the corporeal worlds, the holy One! which was that word which Thou did’st declare to me, which was before the sky, and before the water, before the earth, and before the cattle, before the plants, and before the fire, and before the holy man, and the Demon-gods (the Daêvas), before the Khrafstra-men, and before all the incarnate world; even before all the good creatures made by Mazda, and which contain (and are) the seed of righteousness?

3. Thereupon Ahura Mazda said: It was this piece, the Ahuna-vairya, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! which I pronounced as thine before the sky, and before the waters, before the land, and before the cattle and the plants, and before the fire, Ahura Mazda's son, before the holy man, and before the Daêvas, and Khrafstra-men, and before the entire corporeal world, even before the good creatures made by Mazda, which contain (and are) the seed of righteousness.

5. It was these part(s) of the Ahuna-vairya, O Spitama

Zarathuṣtra! which especially belongs to me, and when each is intoned aloud without the (needless) repetition of verses and of words, and without their omission, it is worth a hundred of their other stanzas, even although they are prominent in the ritual, and likewise equally as well recited without additions or omissions; nay, further, when it is intoned imperfectly but added to, and with omissions, it is even then in effect equivalent (not to a hundred indeed, but) to ten other (stanzas) that are prominent.

6. And whoever in this world of mine which is corporeal shall mentally recall, O Spitâma* Zarathuṣtra! a portion of the Ahuna-vairya, and having thus recalled it, shall undertone it, or beginning to recite it with the undertone, shall then utter it aloud, or chanting it with intoning voice, shall worship thus, then with even threefold (safety and with speed) I will bring his soul over the Bridge of Kinvaṭ, I who am Ahura Mazda (I will help him to pass over it) to Heaven (the best life), and to Righteousness the Best, and to the lights of heaven.

7. And whoever, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! while undertoning the part(s) of the Ahuna-vairya (or this piece the Ahuna-vairya), takes ought therefrom, whether the half, or the third, or the fourth, or the fifth, I who am Ahura Mazda will draw his soul off

from the better world; yea, so far off will I withdraw it as the earth is large and wide; [and this earth is as long as it is broad].

8. And I pronounced this saying which contains its Ahû and its Ratu before the creation of this heaven, before the making of the waters, and the plants, and the four-footed kine, before the birth of the holy biped man, before this sun with its body made for the acquisition of the creation of the Bountiful Immortals.

9. And the more bountiful of the two Spirits (Ahura) declared to me (Zarathuṣtra) the entire creation of the pure, that which exists at present, that which is in the course of emerging into existence, and that which shall be, with reference to the performance and realisation 'of the actions of a life devoted to Mazda.'

10. And this word is the most emphatic of the words which have ever been pronounced, or which are now spoken, or which shall be spoken in future; for (the eminence of) this utterance is a thing of such a nature, that if all the corporeal and living world

should learn it, and learning should hold fast by it, they would be redeemed from their mortality!

11. And this our word I have proclaimed as a symbol to be learned, and to be recited, as it were, to every one of the beings under the influence of and for the sake of Righteousness the Best.

12. And 'as' (the worshipper has) here spoken it forth, when he has thus 'appointed' the 'Lord and regulator,' so (by thus reciting these authoritative words), he acknowledges Ahura Mazda (as prior to, and supreme) over, those creatures who have 'the mind' as their first. 'As' he acknowledges Him as the greatest of them all, 'so' he assigns the creatures to Him (as to their originator).

13. As he undertones the third sentence, he thereby announces that ‘all the amenities of life appertain to the 'good' Mazda, (and come) from Him. As he recites 'dazda mananghô,' 'the creator of mind,' he acknowledges Him as superior and prior to mind; and as he makes Him the one who indicates (the truth) to mind, (saying) 'mananghô of mind,' which means that by this much he makes Him (its director), and then he makes Him 'the lord of actions.'

14. And when he acknowledges Him for the creatures thus, 'O Mazda!' he acknowledges Him (as

their ruler) when he assigns the creatures to Him thus. He then assigns the Kingdom to Ahura, saying: 'Thine, O Mazda! is the Kingdom.' And he assigns a nourisher and protector to the poor, saying: Yim drigubyô dadaṭ vâstârem; that is, as a friend to Spitama. This is the fifth sentence, (and it concludes) the entire recital and word, (even) the whole of this word of Ahura Mazda.

15. He who is the best (of all) Ahura Mazda, pronounced the Ahuna-vairya, and as He pronounced it as the best, so He caused it to have its effect, (He, ever) the same, (as He is).

The evil one at once arose (to oppose Him), but He (Ahura) repelled that wicked one with His interdict, and with this repelling renunciation: Neither our minds are in harmony, nor our precepts, nor our comprehensions, nor our beliefs, nor our words, nor our actions, nor our consciences, nor our souls!

CATECHETICAL ZAND.

16. And this saying, uttered by Mazda, has three stages, or measures, and belongs to four classes (of men as its supporters), and to five chiefs (in the political world, without whom its efficiency is

marred), and it has a conclusion ending with a gift. (Question.) How are its measures (constituted)? (Answer.) The good thought, the good word, and the good deed. 17. (Question.) With what classes of men? (Answer.) The priest, the charioteer (as the chief of warriors), the systematic tiller of the ground, and the artisan. These classes therefore accompany the religious man throughout his entire duty with the correct thought, the truthful word, and the righteous action. These are the classes and states in life which give attention to the rulers, and fulfil the (laws) of religion; (yea, they are the guides and companions of that religious man) through whose actions the settlements are furthered in righteousness.

18. (Question.) How are the chiefs (constituted)? (Answer.) They are the house-chief, the village-chief, and the tribe-chief, the chief of the province, and the Zarathuṣtra as the fifth. That is, so far as those provinces are concerned which are different from, and outside of the Zarathuṣtrian regency, or domain. [Ragha which has four chiefs (only) is the Zarathuṣtrian (district)]. (Question.) How are the chiefs of this one constituted? (Answer.) They (are) the house-chief, the village-chief, the tribe-chief, and the Zarathuṣtra as the fourth. 19. (Question.) What is the thought well thought? (Answer.) (It is that which the holy man thinks), the one who holds the holy thought to be before all other things. (Question.)

What is the word well spoken? (Answer.) It is the Mãthra Speñta, the bounteous word of reason. (Question.) What is the deed well done? (Answer.) It is that done with praises, and by the creatures who regard Righteousness as before all other things. 20. (Question.) Mazda made a proclamation, whom did He announce? (Answer.) Some one who was holy, and yet both heavenly and mundane. (Question.) What was His character, He who made this sacred enunciation? (Answer.) He who is the best (of all), the ruling one. (Question.) Of what character (did He proclaim him the coming one)? (Answer.) As holy and the best, a ruler who exercises no wanton or despotic power.

21. We sacrifice to the (several) part(s) of the Ahuna-vairya. We sacrifice to the memorised recital of the Ahuna-vairya, and its regular chanting and its use in the full Yasna.

YASNA XX.

1. A blessing is Righteousness (called) the best; there is weal, there is weal to this man when the Right (helps) the Righteousness best, (when the pious man serves it in truth). Ahura Mazda spake forth: Ashem vohû vahiṣtem asti. To this Asha, the holy ritual sanctity, one attributes the

qualities of 'good' and 'best,' as one attributes property to an owner; thus this sentence vohû vahiṣtem asti is substantiated (at once).

2. Uṣtâ asti uṣtâ ahmâi; by this attribution of blessedness (the praiser) assigns every person (or thing) of a sacred nature to every holy person, and as one usually (?) and regularly (?) assigns every person or thing (?) that is holy to every holy man.

3. Yyaṭashâi vahiṣtai; by these words the worshipper ascribes the entire Mãthra (to Asha Vahiṣta), and ascribes all to the Mãthra, as one ascribes the kingdom to Righteousness, and as one ascribes righteousness to the invoking saint; yea, as one ascribes righteousness to us who are the prophets (who shall help and bless the people). The three maxims of the sentences (are thus fulfilled). And every word (in its detail), and the entire utterance in its proclamation, is the word of Ahura Mazda.

CATECHETICAL ADDITION.

4. Mazda has made a proclamation. (Question.) Whom did He announce? (Answer.) That holy one who is both heavenly and earthly. (Question.) Of what character is He who has thus announced Him? (Answer.) He is the best, and the one who is exercising sovereign power. (Question.) Of what character is the man whom He announced? (Answer.)

The holy and the best, the one who rules with no capricious tyranny.

We sacrifice to the (several) part(s) of the Asha Vahiṣta (prayer). We sacrifice to the heard-recital of the Asha Vahiṣta, to its memorising, its chanting, and its sacrificial use!

YASNA XXI.

1. A word for the Yasna by Zarathuṣtra, the saint. Yê N hê, &c. Here the worshipper indicates and offers the Yasna (which is the sacrificial worship) of Mazda as by the command (or as the institution) of Ahura. Hâtãm. Here the worshipper offers the sacrificial worship as if with the beings who are among those who are destined to live. 2. Yaunghãm. Here he indicates and offers the sacrificial worship of those holy females who have Âramaiti at their head, as homage to the Immortals. These are the three sentences which comprehend all the Yasnian speech. (Question.) To whom is this Yasna addressed? (Answer.) To the Bountiful Immortals (in the course of the Yasna). 3. Thereupon spake Mazda: Salvation to this one, whosoever he may be! May the absolute ruler Ahura grant it. (Question.) 4. Whom did He answer with this answer? (Answer.) He answered: The state of salvation; and with this answer, 'the state of salvation,' he answered every saint who exists, every one who is coming into existence, and every one who shall exist in the future. (Question. Who answered thus? Answer.) The best One. (Question. What did He answer?) (Answer.) The best thing. (That is,) the best One, Mazda, answered the best and the holy (answer) for the better and the holy man. 5. We sacrifice to this piece, the Yê N hê hâtãm, the prominent and holy Yaṣt.

YASNA XXII.

1. With the Baresman brought hither together with the Zaothra, for the worship of the Creator Ahura Mazda, the resplendent, the glorious, and for that of the Bountiful Immortals, I desire to approach this Haoma with my praise, offered (as it is) with punctilious sanctity (or, for a blessing), and this fresh milk, and this plant Hadhânaêpata. 2. And, as an act of worship to the beneficent waters, I desire to approach these Zaothras with (my) praise offered (as they are) with punctilious sanctity, having the Haoma with them, and the flesh, with the Hadhânaêpata. And I desire to approach the Haoma-water with my praise for the beneficent waters; and I desire to approach the stone mortar and the iron mortar with my praise. 3. And I desire to approach this plant for the Baresman with my praise, and the well-timed prayer for blessings, that which has approached (to accept our homage), and the memorised recital and the fulfilment of the good Mazdayasnian Faith, and the heard recital of the Gâthas, and the well-timed and successful prayer for blessings, that of the holy lord of the ritual order. And I desire to approach these wood-billets and their perfume with my praise,—thine, the Fire's, O Ahura Mazda's son! Yea, I desire to approach all good things with my praise, those which Mazda made, and which have the seed of sanctity (within them), for the propitiation of Ahura Mazda and of the Bountiful

Immortals, and of Sraosha the blessed, and of Ahura Mazda's Fire, the lofty ritual lord!

20. And I desire to approach this Haoma with (my) praise, that which is thus lifted up with sanctity, and this milk (fresh as it is, and as if) living and lifted up with sanctity, and this plant the Hadhânaêpata lifted up with sanctity. 21. And I desire to approach these Zaothras with (my) praise for the beneficial waters, these Zaothras which have the H(a)oma with them and the milk with them, and the Hadhânaêpata, and which are lifted up with sanctity. And I desire to approach the Haoma-water with (my) praise for the beneficial waters, and the two mortars, the stone one and the iron one, and I desire to approach this branch for the Baresman with my praise, and the memorised recital and fulfilment of the Mazdayasnian law, and the heard recital of the Gâthas, and the well-timed and persistent prayer for blessings (uttered) by the holy lord of the ritual order, and this wood and perfume, even thine, O Fire, Ahura Mazda's son, and all good objects Mazda-made for the propitiation of Ahura Mazda, the resplendent, the glorious, and of the Bountiful Immortals, and of Mithra of the wide pastures, and of Râman Hvâstra, and of the resplendent sun, immortal, radiant, of the fleet horses, and of Vayu, (of predominant influence and) working on high, set over the other beings in the creation [(Pâzand); that is for thee thus (O Vayu) when thine influence is that which appertains

to Speñta Mainyu], and for the propitiation of the most just knowledge Mazda-given, and of the holy and good Religion, the Mazdayasnian Faith; for the propitiation of the Mãthra Speñta, (the bounteous) and holy, and the effective, instituted against the Daêvas, the Zarathuṣtrian law, and of the long descent of the good Mazdayasnian Faith [the holding in mind and devotion to the Mãthra Speñta, and knowledge of the Mazdayasnian Religion] for the propitiation of the understanding which is innate and Mazda-made, and of that which is heard by the ear; and for thy propitiation, the Fire's, O Ahura Mazda's son! [(Pâzand); (yea) thine, the Fire's, O Ahura Mazda's son] with all the fires, and for the propitiation of Mount Ushi-darena, the Mazda-made, radiant with sanctity; and of all the holy Yazads, spiritual and earthly, and of the holy Fravashis, the redoubted and overwhelming, those of the ancient lore, and those of the next of kin and of the Yazad of the spoken name!

YASNA XXIII.

1. I desire to approach with my praise those Fravashis which have existed from of old, the Fravashis of the houses, and of the villages, of the communities, and of the provinces, which hold the

heaven in its place apart, and the water, land, and cattle, which hold the children in the wombs safely enclosed apart so that they do not miscarry. 2. And I desire to approach toward the Fravashi of Ahura Mazda, and with my praise, and for those of the Bountiful Immortals, with all the holy Fravashis which are those of the heavenly Yazads. And I desire to approach the Fravashi of Gaya Maretan (the life-man) in my worship with my praise, and for that of Zarathuṣtra Spitâma, and for those of Kavi Vîṣtâspa, and of Isaṭ-vâstra, the Zarathuṣtrian, with all the holy Fravashis of the other ancient counsellors as well. 3. And I desire in my worship to approach toward every holy Fravashi whosesoever it may be, and wheresoever dead upon this earth (its possessor may have lain), the pious woman, or the girl of tender years, the maiden diligent (among the cattle) in the field (who) may have dwelt (here; yea, all) which are now worshipped from this house, which are attentive to, and which attain to (our) good Yasnas and (our) homage. 4. Yea, I desire to approach the Fravashis of the saints with my praise, redoubted (as they are) and overwhelming, the Fravashis of those who held to the ancient lore, and the Fravashis of the next-of-kin; and I desire to approach toward the Fravashi of mine own soul in my worship with my praise; and I desire therewith to approach toward all the lords of the ritual, and with

praise; and I desire to approach all the good Yazads with my praise, the heavenly and the earthly, who are meet for sacrifice and homage, because of Righteousness the Best!

YASNA XXIV.

1. (And having approached these Haomas with our worship), we present them to Ahura Mazda; (yea, we present) these Haomas, Myazdas, Zaothras, and the Baresman spread with punctilious sanctity, and the flesh, and the milk, fresh as if living, and lifted up with punctilious sanctity, and this branch the Hadhânaêpata likewise lifted up with sanctity.

2. (And having approached these Zaothras in our worship), we present them to the good waters having the Haoma with them, and the milk, and the Hadhânaêpata, and lifted up with scrupulous sanctity; and (with them) we present the Haoma-water to the good waters, and both the stone and the iron mortar.

3. And we present this plant of the Baresman, and the timely prayer for blessings, which has approached in the due course of the ritual, and the recollection and practice of the good Mazdayasnian Religion, and the heard recital of the Gâthas, and the timely prayer for blessings which has approached as the prayer of the holy lord of the ritual order; and these wood-billets, and the perfume, (even) thine, the Fire's, O Ahura Mazda's son! and all good objects Mazda-made, which have the seed of righteousness, we offer and present. 4. And these we present hereby to Ahura Mazda, and to Sraosha (Obedience) the

blessed (and Righteous), and to the Bountiful Immortals; and to the Fravashis of the saints, even to the souls of the saints, and to the Fire of Ahura Mazda, the lofty lord of entire holy creation, for sacrifice, homage, propitiation, and for praise.

5. And these we present hereby to the Fravashi of Zarathuṣtra Spitâma, the saint, for sacrifice, propitiation, and for praise, and to that of the people who love Righteousness, with all the holy Fravashis of the saints who are dead and who are living, and to those of men who are as yet unborn, and to those of the prophets who will serve us, and will labour to complete the progress and renovation of the world.

6. And we present these Haomas, Myazdas, Zaothras, and the Baresman spread with sanctity, and the flesh, and the milk (fresh as if) living, and lifted up with sanctity, and the Hadhânaêpata branch.

7. And we present these Zaothras to the beneficial waters having the Haoma with them, and the flesh, and the Hadhânaêpata lifted up with sanctity, and the Haoma-water, to the good waters, with the stone and iron mortars, and this plant of the Baresman, (and) the timely Prayer and the recollection and practice of the good Mazdayasnian Faith, and these wood-billets, and the perfume, thine, the Fire's, O Ahura Mazda's son! and all objects which are Mazda-made, and which have, and are, the seed of Righteousness, these we offer and present.

9. (Yea,) we present these hereby to the Bountiful Immortals who rule aright, and who dispose of all

aright, the ever-living, ever-helpful, who abide with the Good Mind (of the Lord and of His folk)!

YASNA XXV.

1. And we worship the Bountiful Immortals with our sacrifice, who rule aright, and who dispose of all aright; and we worship this Haoma, this flesh and branch, and these Zaothras for the good waters, having the Haoma with them, and the flesh with them, and Hadhânaêpata, and lifted up with sanctity, and we worship the Haoma-water for the beneficial waters; and we worship the two, the stone mortar and the iron mortar; and we worship this plant for the Baresman and the well-timed prayer for blessings which has approached (in its proper place within the ritual course), and also both the remembrance and the practice of the good Mazdayasnian Religion, and the heard recital of the Gâthas, and the well-timed prayer for blessings of the holy lord of the ritual order which has approached, and these wood-billets with the perfume, (even) thine, the Fire's, O Ahura Mazda's son! and we worship all good objects which are Mazda-made, and which contain (and are) the seed of Righteousness.

4. And we worship Ahura Mazda with our sacrifice, the resplendent, the glorious, and the Bountiful Immortals who rule aright, and who dispose (of all) aright, and Mithra of the wide pastures and Râman Hvâstra; and we worship the shining sun, the resplendent, the immortal, of the fleet horses.

5. And we worship the holy wind which works on high, placed higher than the other creatures in the creation; and we worship this which is thine, O Vayu! and which appertains to the Speñta Mainyu within thee; and we worship the most true religious Knowledge, Mazda-made and holy, and the good Mazdayasnian law.

6. And we worship the Mãthra Speñta verily glorious (as it is), even the law pronounced against the Daêvas, the Zarathuṣtrian law, and its long descent; yea, we worship the good Mazdayasnian Religion, and the Mãthra which is heart-devoted and bounteous (imparting heart's devotion to the saint); yea, we worship the Mazdayasnian Religion maintained in the understanding of the saint; and we honour that science which is the Mãthra Speñta, and the innate understanding Mazda-made, and the derived understanding, heard with ear, and Mazda-made.

7. Yea, we worship thee, the Fire, Ahura Mazda's son! the holy lord of the ritual order; and we worship all the Fires, and Mount Ushi-darena (which holds the light) Mazda-made and holy, the Yazad mount, brilliant with sanctity. 8. And we worship every holy spiritual Yazad; and every holy earthly Yazad (who exists)!

YASNA XXVI.

1. I praise, invoke, and weave my hymn to the good, heroic, and bountiful Fravashis of the saints; (and having invoked these, then) we worship the Nmânyas, and the Vîsyas, and the Zaṉtumas, and the Daḥvyumas, and the Zarathuṣtrôtemas.

2. And of all these prior Fravashis, we worship here the Fravashi of Ahura Mazda, which is the greatest and the best, the most beautiful and the firmest, the most wise and the best in form, and the one that attains the most its ends because of Righteousness. 3. And (having invoked them) hither, we worship the good, heroic, bountiful Fravashis of the holy ones, those of the Bountiful Immortals, the brilliant, of effective glance, the lofty, the devoted, the swift ones of the creatures of Ahura who are imperishable and holy.

4. And (having invoked them) hither, we worship the spirit and conscience, the intelligence and soul and Fravashi of those holy men and women who early heard the lore and commands (of God), and loved and strove after Righteousness, the ritual truth; and we worship the soul of the Kine of blessed gift. 5. And (having invoked it) hither, we worship the Fravashi of Gaya Maretan the holy, and the sanctity and Fravashi of Zarathuṣtra Spitâma the saint; and we worship the Fravashi of Kavi Vîṣtâspa the holy, and that of Isaṭ-vâstra the Zarathuṣtrian, the saint.

6. And (having invoked them) hither; we worship the life, conscience, intelligence, soul and Fravashi of the next of kin, of the saints male and female who have striven after the ritual truth, which are those of the dead and living saints, and which are those also of men as yet unborn, of the future prophets who will help on the renovation, and complete the human progress, with them all.

7. And (having invoked them) hither, we worship the souls of the dead [(Pâzand) which are the Fravashis of the saints]; and of all the next of kin who have passed away in this house, of the Aêthrapaitis (the teachers) and of the disciples; yea, of all holy men and women; and we worship the Fravashis of all the holy teachers and disciples; and of all the saints both male and female.

9. (And having invoked them) hither we worship the Fravashis of all the holy children who fulfil the deeds of piety; and we worship the Fravashis of the saints within the province; and those of the saints without the province. 10. We worship the Fravashis of (those) holy men and holy women; we worship all the good, heroic, bountiful Fravashis of the saints from Gaya Maretan (the first created) to the Saoshyaṉt, the victorious.

11. Yea, we worship all the Fravashis of the saints, and we worship the souls of the dead [(Pâzand) which are the Fravashis of the saints]!

YASNA XXVII.

1. This is to render Him who is of all the greatest, our lord and master (even) Ahura Mazda. And this to smite the wicked Angra Mainyu, and to smite Aêshma of the bloody spear, and the Mazainya Daêvas, and to smite all the wicked Varenya Daêvas.

2. And this is to further Ahura Mazda, the resplendent, the glorious, to further the Bountiful Immortals, and the influences of the star Tiṣtrya, the resplendent, the glorious, (and) to the furtherance of the holy man, and of all the (bountiful and) holy creatures of the Bounteous Spirit.

3-5. 6. The Haomas are crushed, O Mazda, Khshathra, and Asha, O ye Lords! Good is Sraosha who accompanies the sacrifice with the great glory, and may he be present affording strenuous help.

7. We are offering saving acts of wisdom and of worship with the sacred gift of the Ahuna-vairya intoned with sanctity, and of the two mortars here

brought forward with holy act, and with that of the correctly uttered words likewise; and therefore may they be to us the more saving in their wise significance

8-12. 13. As the Ahû is excellent, so is the Ratu (one who rules) from (his) sanctity, a creator of mental goodness, and of life's actions done for Mazda; and the Kingdom (is) for Ahura, which to the poor may offer a nurturer. 14. (What is Your Kingdom, Your riches; how may I be Your own in my actions, to nourish Your poor, O Mazda? Beyond; yea, beyond all we declare You, far from Daêvas and Khrafstra-accursed mortals!)

15. We worship the Ahuna-vairya. We worship Asha Vahiṣta, the most beautiful, the Bountiful Immortal.

Mentioned templesAhuraMazdāAšaAšavahištaHaurvatātAmərətāt

The Gâtha Ahunavaiti (Yasna XXVIII–XXXIV)

YASNA XXIX.

(Homage to you, O Sacred Gâthas!)

1. Unto you (O Ahura and Asha!) the Soul of the Kine (our sacred herds and folk) cried aloud: For whom did ye create me, and by whom did ye fashion me? On me comes the assault of wrath, and of violent power, the blow of desolation, audacious insolence, and (thievish) might. None other pasture-giver have I than you, therefore do ye teach me good (tillage) for the fields (my only hope of welfare)!

Ahura speaks.

2. Upon this the Creator of the Kine (the holy

herds) asked of Righteousness: How (was) thy guardian for the Kine (appointed) by thee when, as having power (over all her fate), ye made her? (In what manner did ye secure) for her, together with pasture, a cattle-chief who was both skilled and likewise energetic? Whom did ye select as her (life's) master who might hurl back the fury of the wicked?

Asha answers.

3. To Him the (Divine Righteousness) answered with his sanctity. (Great was our perplexity); a chieftain who war capable of smiting back (their fury), and who was himself without hate (was not to be obtained by us); among such things as these, those things are not to be known (by beings such as we) which are the influences which approach (and move) the lofty fires (revealing the favour and the will of God).

Of beings He is the mightiest to whom those

who have performed their actions approach with invocations. (He has no need to ask!)

Zarathuṣtra intervenes.

4. The Great Creator (is himself) most mindful of the uttered indications which have been fulfilled beforehand hitherto in the deeds of demon-gods and (good or evil) men, and of those which shall be fulfilled by them hereafter. He Ahura is the discerning arbiter; so shall it be to us as He shall will!

5. Therefore it is that we both, my soul and (the soul) of the mother Kine, (are) making our supplications

for the two worlds to Ahura, and with hands stretched out in entreaty, when (we pray to the Great Creator with questions in our doubt; (and He will answer).

Not for the righteous liver, not for the thrifty (tiller of the earth), shall there be destruction together with the wicked!

Ahura.

6. Upon this the Lord, the Great Creator, He who understands the mysterious grace by His insight, spake thus. Not in this manner is a spiritual master found for us, nor a chieftain moved by Righteousness and appointed (in its spirit); therefore Thee have I named (as such a head) to the diligent tiller of the ground!

The Ameshôspends.

7. Mazda has created the inspired Word-of-reason which is a Mãthra of fatness (for the offering), the (Divine) Righteousness consenting with Him in his deed. Food he has prepared for the Kine and for the eaters, He the one bountiful with his (saving) doctrine; but whom hast Thou, endowed with the Good Mind, who may give forth those (doctrines) by word of mouth to mortals?

Ahura.

8. This man is found for me here who alone has

hearkened to our enunciations, Zarathuṣtra Spitama! Our mighty and completed acts of grace he desires to enounce for us, for (Me), the Great Creator and for Righteousness; wherefore I will give him the good abode (and authoritative place) of such an one as speaks!

The Geuṣ Urvan.

9. Upon this the Soul of the Kine lamented (: Woe is unto me) since (I have obtained for myself) in my wounding a lord who is powerless to effect (his) wish, the (mere) voice of a feeble and pusillanimous man, whereas I desire one who is lord over his will (and able as one of royal state to bring what he desires to effect).

The Ameshôspends.

((Aye,) when shall he ever appear who may bring to her help strong-handed?)

Zarathuṣtra.

10. Do ye, O Ahura and thou, O Righteousness! grant gladness unto these (our disciples), and the sovereign Kingdom (of the Deity) such as (is established) in (His) Good Mind by which one bestows upon them the peaceful amenities of home and quiet happiness (as against the fearful ravages which they suffer), for of these, O Great Creator! I ever thought Thee first possessor!

11. And when shall the (Divine) Righteousness, the Good Mind (of the Lord, and His) Sovereign Power (come) hastening to me (to give me strength for my task and mission), O Great Creator, the Living Lord! (For without his I cannot advance

or undertake my toil.) Do ye now therefore assign unto us your aid and in abundance for our great cause. May we be (partakers) of the bountiful grace of these your equals (your counsellors and servants)!

YASNA XXVIII.

1. (A strengthening blessing is the thought, a blessing is the word, a blessing is the deed of the righteous Zarathuṣtra. May the Bountiful Immortals accept and help on the chants. Homage to you, O sacred Gâthas!)

2. With venerating (desire) for this (gift) of gracious help, O Mazda, and stretching forth my hands (to Thee) I pray for the first (blessing) of (Thy) bountiful Spirit; (that is, I beseech of Thee that my) actions

(toward) all (may be performed) in (the Divine) Righteousness; and with this I implore from Thee the understanding of Thy Benevolent Mind, in order that I may propitiate the Soul of the Kine (our herds and folk, which cries so bitterly to Thee).

3. And therefore, O Great Creator, the Living Lord! (inspired) by Thy Benevolent Mind, I approach You, (and beseech of Thee) to grant me (as a bountiful gift) for both the worlds, the corporeal and (for that) of mind, those attainments which are to be derived from the (Divine) Righteousness, and by means of which (that personified Righteousness within us) may introduce those who are its recipients into beatitude and glory!

4. O (thou Divine) Righteousness, and thou Benevolent

Mind (of Deity)! I will worship you, and Ahura Mazda the first, for all of whom the Pious ready mind (within us) is causing the imperishable Kingdom to advance. (And while I thus utter my supplications to You), come Ye to my calls to help!

5. (Yea, I will approach You with my supplications, I) who am delivering up (my) mind and soul to that (heavenly) Mount (whither all the redeemed at last must pass), knowing (full well) the holy characteristics and rewards of the (ceremonial and moral) actions (prescribed) by Ahura Mazda. (And)

so long as I am able and may have the power, so long will I teach (Your people concerning these holy deeds to be done by them with faith toward God, and) in the desire (for the coming) of the (Divine) Righteousness (within their souls).

6. And, thou Righteousness! when shall I see (thee, knowing the Good Mind (of God), and above all the personified) Obedience (of our lives which constitutes) the way to the most beneficent Ahura Mazda. (Asking this, I thus beseech thee, for) with this holy word of supplication we most hold off with tongue the flesh-devouring fiends, (the very sign and power of all spiritual foulness)!

7. And do Thou, O Lord, the Great Creator! come to me with Thy Good Mind; and do Thou, who bestowest gifts through Thy Righteousness, bestow alike long-lasting life on us. And (that this life may be spent aright, do) Thou by means of Thy lofty words (bestow) the (needed) powerful spiritual help upon Zarathuṣtra and upon us, whereby we may overcome the torments of the tormentor.

8. (And) do thou, O (Divine) Righteousness, bestow (upon me) that sacred blessing which is constituted by the attainments of the Good Mind (within my soul); and do thou also, O Piety! grant unto

Vîṣtâspa and to me our wish; (yea) may’st Thou grant (us), O Mazda, ruler (as Thou art! that grace) whereby we may hear (with understanding) Thy benignant words.

9. That best (of gifts therefore) do I beseech (of Thee), O Thou best (of beings) Ahura! who art one in will with (Thy Divine) Righteousness (within us, likewise), the best (of spirits), desiring it (as I now do) for the (heroic) man Frashaoṣtra, and for me, upon whom also may’st Thou bestow it (not for time alone), but for all the ages of Thy Good Mind (that reign of Thy Benevolence which shall be to us as Heaven)!

10. And (impressed and moved) by these gifts of strengthening grace (which Thou may’st give in answer to these prayers) may we never anger You, O Ahura Mazda! (nor Thy) Righteousness (within us), nor yet Thy Kindly Mind (toward us), since we have most earnestly made effort (helping to advance Your cause) in the (chanted) offering of Your praisers, for most easy to be invoked (are Ye). (Yours are verily both) the desire for (spiritual) blessings (for us), and the (Divine) Possession (of their power).

11. And therefore do Thou, O Lord, the Great Creator! fill up and satisfy (my) desire with these attainments (of the grace) of Thy Good Mind, which Thou dost know to be derived from Righteousness, (and) which (are verily) sublime, for I have known

Thine instructions to be never void of their effect (in the struggles) for our (daily) food, and therefore worthy objects of desire.

12. (Yea, I approach Thee with my prayers, I) who by these (great gifts of grace) will protect ((Thy) Divine Righteousness, and (Thy) Good Mind within us) for ever. And do Thou therefore, O Ahura Mazda! teach me from Thyself, yea, from Thine own mouth of spirit, that I may declare it forth to (these Thy waiting people) by what (powers and according to what laws) the primeval world arose!

YASNA XXX.

1. And now I will proclaim, O ye who are drawing near and seeking to be taught! those animadversions which appertain to Him who knows (all things) whatsoever; the praises which are for Ahura, and the sacrifices (which spring) from the Good Mind, and likewise the benignant meditations inspired by Righteousness. And I pray that propitious results may be seen in the lights.

2. Hear ye then with your ears; see ye the bright flames with the (eyes of the) Better Mind. It is for a decision as to religions, man and man, each individually for himself. Before the great effort of the cause, awake ye (all) to our teaching!

3. Thus are the primeval spirits who as a pair (combining their opposite strivings), and (yet each) independent in his action, have been famed (of old). (They are) a better thing, they two, and a worse, as to thought, as to word, and as to deed. And between these two let the wisely acting choose aright. (Choose ye) not (as) the evil-doers!

4. (Yea) when the two spirits came together at the first to make life, and life's absence, and to determine how the world at the last shall be (ordered), for the wicked (Hell) the worst life, for the holy (Heaven) the Best Mental State,

5. (Then when they had finished each his part in the deeds of creation, they chose distinctly each his separate realm.) He who was the evil of them both (chose the evil), thereby working the worst of possible results, but the more bounteous spirit chose the

(Divine) Righteousness; (yea, He so chose) who clothes upon Himself the firm stones of heaven (as His robe). And He chose likewise them who content Ahura with actions, which (are performed) really in accordance with the faith.

6. And between these two spirits the Demon-gods (and they who give them worship) can make no righteous choice, since we have beguiled them. As they were questioning and debating in their council the (personified) Worst Mind approached them that he might be chosen. (They made their

fatal decision.) And thereupon they rushed together unto the Demon of Fury, that they might pollute the lives of mortals.

7. Upon this Âramaiti (the personified Piety of the saints) approached, and with her came the Sovereign Power, the Good Mind, and the Righteous Order. And (to the spiritual creations of good and of evil) Âramaiti gave a body, she the abiding and ever strenuous. And for these (Thy people) so let (that

body) be (at the last), O Mazda! as it was when Thou camest first with creations!

8. And (when the great struggle shall have been fought out which began when the Daêvas first seized the Demon of Wrath as their ally), and when the (just) vengeance shall have come upon these wretches, then, O Mazda! the Kingdom shall have been gained for Thee by (Thy) Good Mind (within Thy folk). For to those, O living Lord! does (that Good Mind) utter his command, who will deliver the Demon of the Lie into the two hands of the Righteous Order (as a captive to a destroyer).

9. And may we be such as those who bring on

this great renovation, and make this world progressive, (till its perfection shall have been reached). (As) the Ahuras of Mazda (even) may we be; (yea, like Thyself), in helpful readiness to meet (Thy people), presenting (benefits) in union with the Righteous Order. For there will our thoughts be (tending) where true wisdom shall abide in her home.

10. (And when perfection shall have been attained) then shall the blow of destruction fall upon the Demon of Falsehood, (and her adherents shall perish with her), but swiftest in the happy abode of the Good Mind and of Ahura the righteous saints

shall gather, they who proceed in their walk (on earth) in good repute (and honour).

11. Wherefore, O ye men! ye are learning (thus) these religious incitations which Ahura gave in (our) happiness and (our) sorrow. (And ye are also learning) what is the long wounding for the wicked, and the blessings which are in store for the righteous. And when these (shall have begun their course), salvation shall be (your portion)!

YASNA XXXI.

1. These doctrines (therefore) we are earnestly declaring to You as we recite them forth from memory, words (till now) unheard (with faith) by those who by means of the doctrinal vows of the harmful Lie are delivering the settlements of Righteousness to death, but words which are of the best unto those who are heartily devoted to Ahura.

2. And if by this means the indubitable truths are not seen in the soul, then as better (than these words) I will come to you all (in my person) with

that power, and in that way according to which Ahura Mazda knows and appoints His ruler, that ruler over both the two (struggling) bands, in order that we (in obedience to him), may live according to Righteousness.

3. And that keenness, that deciding satisfaction, which Thou hast given by (Thy) Spirit, and (Thy) Fire, and by Thy Righteousness (itself) to the two battling (sides), do Thou declare unto us, O Ahura! that vow which is for the seeing (as those endowed with mental light). Yea, do Thou declare this that we may know it, O Mazda! With the tongue of Thy mouth do Thou speak it (that as I preach its mighty truths) I may make all the living believers!

4. And when the Divine Righteousness shall be inclined to my appeal, and with him all those (remaining ones who are as) Mazda's (own) Ahuras then with the blessedness (of the reward), with (my) Piety and with Thy Best Mind (active within me), I will pray for that mighty Kingdom by whose force we may smite the Lie-demon.

5. Aye, do Thou tell me that I may discern it, since through (Thy) Righteous Order the better (lot) is given; tell me this that I may know it with (Thy) Good Mind (as it speaks within me), and that I may ponder that to which these my truths belong (and

of which my prophet speaks; yea), tell me those things, O Mazda Ahura! which may not be, and which may be.

6. And that verily shall be the best of all words to Him which the All-(wise one) will declare to me in very deed, that word which is the Mãthra of Welfare and of Immortality (for it proclaims His beneficent power). And to the Great Creator (shall there be) a Realm such as that (whose strength I asked for victory), and which (at the last) shall flourish in its holiness to His (glory)!

7. (For He has sovereign control.) He who conceived of these (truths of the Mãthra) as their first (inspirer), (and as He thought their existence they

(all) as (His) glorious (conceptions first) clothed themselves in the stars), He is through His understanding the Creator of the Righteous Order. And thus likewise He supports His Beneficent Mind (in His saints). And these (holy creatures) may’st Thou cause to prosper by Thy Spirit (since they are Thine own), O Ahura Mazda! Thou who art for every hour the same!

8. Therefore, as the first did I conceive of Thee, O Ahura Mazda! as the one to be adored with the mind in the creation, as the Father of the Good Mind within us, when I beheld Thee with my (enlightened) eyes as the veritable maker of our Righteousness, as the Lord of the actions of life!

9. Thine, O Ahura! was Piety; yea, Thine, O Creator of the Kine! was understanding and the

Spirit, when Thou didst order a path for her (guiding). From the earth's tiller (aided) she goeth (in that allotted way), or from him who was never tiller. (Thy path hath given her choice.)

10. (But she did not pause in temptation.) Of the two she chose the husbandman, the thrifty toiler in the fields, as a holy master endowed with the Good Mind's wealth. Never, Mazda! shall

the thieving nomad share the good creed. (For the Kine's choice would bestow it!)

11. (And this doctrine was the first of rules to regulate our actions. Yet the opposer speaks beside Thee.) For when first, O Ahura Mazda! Thou didst create the (holy) settlements, and didst reveal the religious laws; and when Thou gavest (us) understanding from Thine own mind, and madest our (full) bodily life, and (didst thus determine) actions (by Thy power), and didst moreover deliver to us (nearer) injunctions whereby (as by a rule) the wisher may place his choices,

12. (There strife at once arose, and still is raging.) There (beside Thy prophet) the truthful or liar, the enlightened or unenlightened, lifts his voice (to utter

his faith), and with devoted mind and heart. (But without hindrance from this striving, or pausing with feeble search, our) Piety steadily questions the two spirits (not here on earth) but (there in the spirit-world) where (they dwell as) in their home.

13. (Yea, my Piety questions searchingly, for Thou, O Maker! hast Thy view on all; we cannot question lightly.) What questions are asked which are open (permitted to our thoughts), or what questions (are asked) which are furtive (hiding themselves from the light), or (what decision soever we may make, and the man) who for the smallest sin binds on the heaviest penance, on all with Thy glittering eye(s) as a righteous guard Thou art gazing!

14. This then I will ask Thee, O Ahura Mazda! (as I seek Thy counsel once again). What events are coming now, and what events shall come in the future; and what prayers with debt-confessions are offered with the offerings of the holy? And what (are the awards) for the wicked? And how shall they be in the (final) state of completion?

15. And I would ask Thee this, O Mazda! (concerning the coadjutor of the wicked): What is the award for him who prepares the throne for the evil, for the evil-doer, O Ahura! for him who cannot else reclaim his life, not else save with lawless

harm to the tiller's herd, to the pious husbandman's flock, who speaks no word with lying, (who abjures the Lie-demon's faith)?

16. Yea, I would ask Thee such a thing as this: How such an one as he who, with wise action, has striven to promote (Thy holy) Rule over house, and region, and province, in the Righteous Order and in truth, how he may become like Thee, O Great Creator, Living Lord? And when he may so become, (this also I would ask), and in what actions living he may so be?

17. And which of the (religions) is the greater (and the more prevailing as to these questions which thus concern the soul?) Is it that which the

righteous believes, or the wicked? (Let then our questionings cease.) Let the enlightened (alone) speak to the enlightened. Let not the ignorant (further) deceive us, (high though he may lift his voice). Do Thou thyself, O Ahura Mazda! declare to us (the truth) as Thy Good Mind's full revealer.

18. (And you, ye assembled throngs!) let not a man of you lend a hearing to Mãthra, or to command of that sinner (ignorant as he is), for home, village, region, and province he would deliver to ruin and death. But (fly ye to arms without hearing), and hew ye them all with the halberd!

19. Let them hear Him who conceived of the Righteous Order for the worlds, the (all)-wise One, O Ahura! For truthful speech He rules with absolute sway over words, and ever free of tongue (to guide us in our way). By Thy shining flame (He doth guide us, Thine altar's flame with its signs of decision and of grace) sent forth for the good of the strivers.

20. (But, O ye listening men!) he who renders

the saint deceived, for him shall be later destruction. Long life shall be his lot in the darkness; foul shall be his food; his speech shall be of the lowest. And this, which is such a life as your own, O ye vile! your (perverted) conscience through your own deeds will bring you!

21. But Ahura Mazda will give both Universal Weal and Immortality in the fulness of His Righteous Order, and from himself as the head of Dominion (within His saints). And He will likewise give the Good Mind's vigorous might to him who in spirit and deeds is His friend, (and with faith fulfils his vows)

22. And to the wise are these things clear as to the one discerning with his mind (not blinded by the perverter). With Thy Good Mind and Thy (holy) Kingdom he follows the Righteous Order both in his words and his actions. And to Thee, O Ahura Mazda! such a man shall be the most helpful and vigorous being (for he serves with every power)!

YASNA XXXII.

(That rival-monarch (thus we may supply the sense of lost verses) for whom some are plotting to secure the sovereignty, and who, once in power, would deliver over home, village, town, and province to ruin and to death, is active in his efforts, and offering

the devotions of his false religion to accomplish his ends.) 1. His lord-kinsman will pray (as I Zarathuṣtra prayed), and his labouring villagers, with his (trusted) peers, and his (fellow) Daêva-worshippers. But in my mind is the friendship of Ahura Mazda, the Great Creator, the living Lord; and Thine heralds, O Ahura! may we be; may we hold back those who hate and who offend You!

2. To these (for whom the prophet spake) Ahura Mazda answered, ruling as He does through His Good Mind (within their souls), He replied from His Sovereign Power, our good friend (as he is) through His surpassing Righteousness: We have accepted

your good and bountiful Piety, and we have chosen her; ours shall she be!

3. But you, O ye Daêvas! are all a seed from the Evil Mind. He who offers sacrifice to You the most is of the Lie-demon, and (he is a child) of perversion. In advance (are your) deceits whereby ye are famed in the sevenfold earth!

4. For ye (are) confusing our thoughts, whereby men, giving forth the worst deeds, will speak, as of

the Demon-gods beloved, forsaken by the Good Mind, (far) astray from the understanding of the Great Creator, the Living Lord, and (far astray) from His Righteousness!

5. Therefore ye would beguile mankind of happy life (upon earth) and of Immortality (beyond it), since the Evil Spirit (has ruled) you with his evil mind. Yea, he has ruled you, (ye) who are of the Demon-gods, and with an evil word unto action, as his ruler (governs) the wicked!

6. Full of crime (your leader) has desired to destroy us, wherefore he is famed, (and his doctrine is declared); but if this be so of these, then in the same manner, O Ahura! Thou possessest (because Thou knowest) the true (teachings) in Thy memory. And in Thy kingdom and Thy Righteous Order I will establish Thy precepts (in Thy name).

7. Among these wretched beings (this their leader) knows not that those things which are declared

as victorious (by his allies) are bound together for the smiting; yea, those things by which he was famed (as victorious) by his (blade of) glittering iron. But the utter destruction of those things Thou, O Ahura Mazda! knowest, most surely!

8. Of these wretched beings Yima Vîvanghusha was famed to be; he who, desiring to content our men, was eating kine's flesh in its pieces. But from (such as) these, O Ahura Mazda! in Thy discerning discrimination, am I (to be seen as distinct).

9. An evil teacher (as that leader is), he will destroy (our) doctrines, and by his teachings he will pervert the (true) understanding of life, seizing away (from me) my riches, the choice and real wealth of (Thy) Good Mind. To You and to Asha, O Ahura Mazda! am I therefore crying with the voice of my spirit's (need)!

10. Aye, this man will destroy my doctrines (indeed, for he blasphemes the highest of creatures that live or are made). He declares that the (sacred) Kine and the Sun are the worst of things which eye can see; and he will offer the gifts of the wicked (as priest to their Demon-gods). And at the last he will parch our meadows with drought, and will hurl his mace at Thy saint (who may fall before his arms).

11. Yea, these will destroy my life, for they consult with the great of the wicked (enlightening themselves by their words). And they are seizing away the gifts of inherited treasures from both household-lord and from house-wife; (wretched men that they are), and those who will fiercely wound (my folk, repelled and in no way kindly moved) by the better mind of the holy.

12. (But Ahura will speak His rebuke, for) as to those doctrines which (such) men may be (basely) delivering (repelled) by the holiest action, (and galled by its sacred truth) God hath said: Evil (are they! Yea, unto these He hath said it) who have slain the Kine's life by a blessing (and have cursed her while they offered to help her), men by whom Grehmas are loved above Righteousness, and the Karpans,

and the Throne of those who have wished for the Demon of lies (as their deity and friend).

13. And the Grehma will seek for these things by means of his (evil) kingdom in the abode of (Hell which is) the Worst Mind (who both are together) the destroyers of life, and who, O Mazda! will bewail with glad but (envious) wish the message of Thy prophet. (But he will not abate with his vengeance), he will hold them afar from the sight of the truth!

14. His is Grehma; aye, his! And to (oppose) Thee he will establish the Kavis and (their) scheming

plans. Their deeds of power are but deceits since they have come as an aid to the wicked, and since he has been (falsely) said (to be set) to conquer the Kine, he who shall kindle that (very) help of grace which removes our death afar, (and lightens Thy saving flame).

15. And therefore will I drive from hence the Karpans’ and Kavis’ disciples. And after these (have thus been driven hence and away) then these (my princely aiding saints) whom they (now) render no longer rulers at will over life, (and deprive of their absolute power), these shall be borne (at

last) by the (immortal) two to the home of (Thy) Good Mind (in Heaven)!

16. (And) this entire (reward of the righteous) is from that Best One who teaches in the wide (mental) light of the pious, ruling (as supreme), O Mazda Ahura! whose are my woes and my

doubtings (yea, they lie in His power to heal), when I shall make (my prophets) men to be sought for the harm of the wicked. And this I shall do by the word of my mouth (to defend and avenge my saints)!

YASNA XXXIII.

1. As by the laws of the primeval world, so will our spiritual chieftain act (that chief besought-for by the Kine, and named as Zarathuṣtra by the Lord). Deeds most just he will do toward the wicked, as toward the righteous, and toward him whose deeds of fraud and righteous deeds combine (in equal measure).

2. Yea, (he will act with justice but with vengeance, for) he who does evil to the wicked by word, or with thought (and plan), and (who therein does not dally, but toils labouring as) with both the hands, or he (again) who admonishes one for his good, such as these are offering (a gift) to their religious faith in the love (and with the approving view) of Ahura Mazda; (they are offering to conscience.)

3. (And so may it be), O Ahura! Let the man who is the best toward the righteous saint, whether lord's kinsman, or as village labourer, with the allied peer (of the master), having light, and endowed with energy for the cattle (a Ratu such as Ahura sought to satisfy their wail), let such an one be (for us) in the work-field of the Righteous Order, in the pastures of Thy Good Mind.

4. (And I beseech for Thine instruction), I who will abjure all disobedience (toward Thee, praying that others likewise may withhold it) from Thee; I who abjure the Evil Mind as well, the lordly kinsman's arrogance, and that lying sin which is (alas!) the next thing to the people (their most familiar fault), and the blaming ally's falsehood, and from the Kine the worst care of her meadows (the crime of stint in labour),

5. I, who (abjuring these sins), call earnestly on Thine Obedience of all (assisting guardians) the greatest one for our help, gaining (thereby) long life in the Realm of (Thy) Good Mind (incarnate in our tribes), and paths that are straight from their Righteous Order, wherein Ahura Mazda dwells,

6. (Yea), I who, as this Thy faithful priest, invoke Thee through (my) Righteousness, (now) seek with longing from (Thy) Best Spirit, and with that (best) intention of mind, (to know) what he himself thought of the working of (our) fields. Therefore (because I abjure the Evil Mind, and all disobedience,

arrogance, falsehood), O Mazda! would I beseech of Thee for a sight of Thee, and for consultation with Thee! (What is Thy will and mind?)

7. Come Ye, then, to my best (regulations. Come to my men, and my laws), my very own, O Mazda! and let them see through the Righteous Order and (Thy) Good Mind (which Thou wilt bestow in Thy drawing near) how I am heard before the rich giver (in the assembly of Thy worshippers). Yea, (come Ye); and let the manifold offerings of worship be manifest among us. (Arouse Ye, and help our zeal!)

8. (Come Ye) and show me the worthy aims of our faith, so that I may approach and fulfil them with (Thy) Good Mind, the offering, O Mazda! of the One like You, or the words of praises offered with Righteousness. And give Ye as Your offering (of grace to me) the abiding gifts of Your Immortality and Welfare!

9. And let (one like those), O Mazda! bear on to Thee the spirit of the two leaders who cause the holy ritual Truth to flourish; let him bear them to (Thy) brilliant home with preternatural insight, and with the Better Mind. Yea, let him bear that spirit on as a fellow-help in (furthering) the

readiness of those (in their holy work) whose souls go hand in hand.

10. (And not for these alone do I pray, but for us as well.) All prosperous states in being which have been enjoyed in the past, which men are now enjoying, and which shall be known in the future, do Thou grant (me) these in Thy love. (Yea), cause (our) bodily and personal life to be blest with salvation through (Thy) Good Mind, (Thy) Sovereign Power, and (Thy) Sanctity.

11. And, O Thou who art the most beneficent Ahura Mazda! and thou who art Âramaiti (our piety), and also the Righteous Order who dost further on the settlements; and Thou, the Good Mind, and the Sovereign Power! hear ye me all, and have mercy for every deed which I do whatsoever!

12. And Thou, O Ahura! do Thou (Thyself) arise to me! Through Âramaiti give me power, O most bountiful Spirit Mazda! through (my) faithful appeals and offerings; and for (my) Righteousness grant me mighty strength, and (Thy) thrift-law through (Thy) Good Mind.

13. (Arise to give me power), and then for grace in a wide perception (that I may view its depth and extent), do Thou reveal to me Thy nature (?), O Ahura! (the power of Thine attributes), and those of Thy (holy) kingdom, and by these, the blessed gifts of (Thy) Good Mind! And do Thou, O bountiful Piety show forth the religious truths through (Thy) Righteous Order.

14. Thus, as an offering, Zarathuṣtra gives the life of his very body. And he offers, likewise, O Mazda! the priority of the Good Mind, (his eminence gained) by his holiness (with Thy folk); and he offers (above all his) Obedience (to Thee) in deed and in speech, and with these (Thine established) Sovereign Power!

YASNA XXXIV.

1. As to those (three gifts of blessings), Immortality, the Righteous Order, and the (established) Kingdom of Welfare, which Thou, O Mazda! hast given through (holy) deeds, words, and the sacrifice unto these (Thy servants here in my sight), gifts (shall) be offered by us in return to Thee, O Ahura! and with the foremost of them all.

2. Yea, and all those gifts of the Good Spirit have been given (back in gratitude) to Thee by the mind and the deed of the bountiful man, whose soul goes hand in hand with the Righteous Order in the settlement, in homage toward the One like You,

O Mazda! and with the chants of the (thankful) praisers.

3. And unto Thee, O Ahura! will we offer the (thankful) meat-offering with self-humbling praise, and to Thy Righteousness (like Thee a person), and for all the settlements in Thy kingdom which are guarded by Thy Good Mind. For in the perfect preparation of the justly acting (has that offering its power), O Mazda! together with all (others of its kind). Among those like You and worthy of Yourselves, it is a blessing.

4. And we pray likewise for Thy Fire, O Ahura! strong through Righteousness (as it is), most swift, (most) powerful, to the house with joy receiving it, in many wonderful ways our help, but to the hater, O Mazda! it is a steadfast harm as if with weapons hurled from the hands.

5. What is then Your Kingdom, O Mazda? What are Your riches? that I may become Your own in my actions, with the Righteous Order, and (Thy) Good Mind, to care for Your poor (in their suffering). Apart from all would we declare You, yea, apart from Daêvas, and Khrafstra-polluted mortals!

6. If thus Ye are in verity, O Mazda! with the Righteous Order and Thy Good Mind, then grant Ye me a sign of this in this world's entire abiding (while I live amid its scenes), how offering sacrifice and praising You the more devoutly, I may approach You (in my worship)!

7. Where are Thine offerers, O Mazda! Thy helpers, who as the enlightened of the Good Mind are producing the doctrines with wide mental light as inherited treasures, (delivering them as Thy word) in misfortune and in woe? I know none other than You; then do Ye save us through Your righteousness!

8. Through these our deeds (of sacrifice and zeal), they are terrified among whom there was (once) destruction, and for many (at the time) when the

oppressor of Thy holy vows was as the stronger oppressing the weaker. They who have not thought (in consonance) with Thy Righteous Order, from these Thy Good Mind abideth afar.

9. Aye, they who desert Thy bountiful Piety, O Mazda! that one desired of Thee, O Thou omniscient! and who thus abandon her by reason of the evil-doer, and in their ignorance of (Thy) Good Mind, from such as these (Âramaiti) with her holiness utterly departs as the red Khrafstras (who destroy and pollute all life, flee) from us (Thy faithful servants).

10. Through the action of this (His) Good Mind (as he works his grace within us) the benevolently wise One declared a result as its fruit, He knowing the bountiful Piety, the creatrix of righteous beings. These all, O Mazda Ahura! in Thy Kingdom (are

'helps to our progress') for they smite (our tyrants) with fear.

11. And for Thee hath Âramaiti (who is Our Piety) increased both the Universal Weal and (its continuance in) Immortality, and (with them as ever united) the Righteous (ritual and moral) Order (established and made firm) in the Kingdom of (Thy Good Mind). Those powerful lasting two (hath she increased) to (give us the needful) food. And through these, O Mazda! art Thou with Thy perfect expellers of hate. (Thou removest Thy foes afar!)

12. What then are Thy regulations? And what wilt Thou? What of praise, or of (fuller) offering? Speak forth that we hear it, O Mazda! what will establish the blessed rewards of Thine ordinance!

Teach Thou us the paths through Righteousness, those verily trod by (Thy) Good Mind as he lives within Thy saints.

13. (Do I ask what is that path?) That way which Thou declarest to me as the path of the Good Mind, O Ahura! (is made in its parts by) the religious precepts and laws of the Saviours, wherein the well-doer thrives from (his) Righteousness. And it marks for the good a reward of which Thou art Thyself the bestower.

14. For that (reward), O Mazda! ye have given as the one to be chosen for (our) bodily life through

the deeds of Thy Good Mind (in us). They who work in the toil of the mother. Kine, these further Your merciful care through the understanding's action, and (taught) by Thine Order's (word).

15. Yea, (show me, O Mazda! that path and its reward); tell me the best (of truths); reveal the best words and best actions, and the confessing prayer of the praiser through Thy Good Mind (living within us); and through the Righteous Order, O Ahura! And by Your Sovereign Power and grace may’st Thou make life really progressive (till perfection shall have been reached)!

Mentioned templesAhuraMazdāAša

The Yasna Haptanghâiti (Yasna XXXV–XLII)

YASNA XXXV.

1. We sacrifice to Ahura Mazda, the holy Lord of the ritual order, and to the Bountiful Immortals, who rule aright, who dispose of all aright; and we sacrifice to the entire creation of the clean, the spiritual and the mundane, with the longing blessing of the beneficent ritual, with the longing blessing of the benignant Religion, the Mazdayasnian Faith.

2. We are praisers of good thoughts, of good words, and of good actions, of those now and those hereafter [(Pâzand) of those being done, and of those

completed]. We implant (?) them (with our homage, and we do this) the more, and yet the more since we are (praisers) of the good (from whom they spring).

3. That, therefore, would we choose, O Ahura Mazda! and thou, O Righteousness the beauteous! that we should think, and speak, and do those thoughts, and words, and deeds, among actual good thoughts, and words, and actions, which are the best for both the worlds; and together with these gifts (?) and actions which are thus the best, we would pray for the Kine (which represents the pure creation), that she may have comfort and have fodder from the famed, and from the humble, from the potent and the weak.

5. To the best of good rulers (is) verily the Kingdom, because we render and ascribe it to Him, and make it thoroughly His own (?), to Mazda Ahura do we ascribe it, and to Righteousness the Best. 6. As thus both man or woman knows (the duty), both thoroughly and truly, so let him, or her, declare it and fulfil it, and inculcate it upon those who may perform it as it is. 7. We would be deeply mindful of Your sacrifice and homage, Yours, O Ahura Mazda! and the best, (and we would be mindful) of the nurture of the Kine. And that let us inculcate and perform for You according as we may, and (for) such (praisers as we are).

8. Under the shelter of the ritual Order let us do so in the active fulfilment of its (precepts) toward every one of the (clean) and better creatures which

are fit to live, with a gift for both the worlds. 9. Yea, those words and sayings, O Ahura Mazda! we would proclaim as Righteousness, and as of the better mind (?); and we would make Thee the one who both supports (us in our proclamation) of them, and who throws still further light upon them (as they are),

10. And by reason of Thy Righteous Order, Thy Good Mind, and Thy Sovereign Power, and through the instrumentality of our praises of Thee, O Ahura Mazda! and for the purpose of (still further) praises, by Thy spoken words, and for (still further) spoken words, through Thy Yasna, and for (still further) Yasnas (would we thus proclaim them, and make Thee the bestower of our light).

YASNA XXXVI.

1. We would approach You two, O (Ye) primeval ones in the house of this Thy holy Fire, O Ahura Mazda, Thou most bounteous Spirit! Who brings pollutions to this (Thy flame) him wilt Thou cover with pollutions (in his turn). 2. But as the most friendly do Thou give us zeal, O Fire of the Lord! and approach us, and with the loving blessing of the most friendly, with the praise of the

most adored. Yea, may’st thou approach to aid us in this our greatest (undertaking) among the efforts of our zeal.

3. The Fire of Ahura Mazda art thou verily; yea, the most bounteous one of His Spirit, wherefore Thine is the most potent of all names (for grace), O Fire of the Lord! 4. And therefore we would approach Thee, (O Ahura!) with the help of Thy Good Mind (which Thou dost implant within us), with Thy (good) Righteousness, and with the actions and the words inculcated by Thy good wisdom!

5. We therefore bow before Thee, and we direct our prayers to Thee with confessions of our guilt, O Ahura Mazda! with all the good thoughts (which Thou dost inspire), with all the words well said, and the deeds well done, with these would we approach Thee. 6. And to Thy most beauteous body do we make our deep acknowledgments, O Ahura Mazda! to those stars (which are Thy body); and to that one, the highest of the high, [such as the sun was called]!

YASNA XXXVII.

1. Thus therefore do we worship Ahura Mazda, who made the Kine (the living creation), and the (embodied) Righteousness (which is incarnate in the clean), and the waters, and the wholesome plants, the stars, and the earth, and all (existing) objects

that are good. 2. Yea, we worship Him for His Sovereign Power and His greatness, beneficent (as they are), and with priority among the Yazads who abide beside the Kine (and care for her protection and support).

3. And we worship Him under His name as Lord, to Mazda dear, the most beneficent (of names). We worship him with our bones, and with our flesh, (with our bodies and our life). And we worship the Fravashis of the saints, of holy men, and holy women; (4.) and Righteousness the Best do we worship, the most beauteous, the Bountiful Immortal and that which is endowed with light in all things good.

5. And we worship the Good Mind (of the Lord), and His Sovereign Power, and the Good Faith, the good law of our thrift, and Piety the ready mind (within Thy folk)!

YASNA XXXVIII.

1. And now we worship this earth which bears us, together with Thy wives, O Ahura Mazda! yea, those Thy wives do we worship which are so desired from their sanctity. 2. We sacrifice to their zealous wishes, and their capabilities, their inquiries (as to duty), and their wise acts of pious reverence,

and with these their blessedness, their full vigour and good portions, their good fame and ample wealth. 3. O ye waters! now we worship you, you that are showered down, and you that stand in pools and vats, and you that bear forth (our loaded vessels?) ye female Ahuras of Ahura, you that serve us (all) in helpful ways, well forded and full-flowing, and effective for the bathings, we will seek you and for both the worlds! 4. Therefore did Ahura Mazda give you names, O ye beneficent ones! when He who made the good bestowed you. And by these names we worship you, and by them we would ingratiate ourselves with you, and with them would we bow before you, and direct our prayers to you with free confessions of our debt. O waters, ye who are productive, and ye maternal ones, ye with heat that suckles the (frail and) needy (before birth), ye waters (that have once been) rulers of (us) all, we will now address you as the best, and the most beautiful; those (are) yours, those good (objects). of our offerings, ye long of arm to reach our sickness, or misfortune, ye mothers of our life!

YASNA XXXIX.

1. And now we sacrifice to the Kine's soul, and to her created body, and we sacrifice to the souls

of cattle who are fit to live (for us), and whose (we?) are, such as are the same to them.

2. And we worship the souls of those beasts which are tame and broken in, and of wild herds, and the souls of the saints wherever they were born, both of men and of women, whose good consciences are conquering in the strife against the Daêvas, or will conquer, or have conquered.

3. And now we worship the Bountiful Immortals (all) the good, and both those male, and those female (by their names). The males among them do we worship, ever living, and ever helpful, who dwell beside the pious, and the females thus the same. 4. As Thou, O Ahura Mazda! hast thought and spoken, as thou hast determined, and hast done these things (effecting) what is good, therefore do we offer to Thee, therefore do we ascribe to Thee our praises, and worship Thee, and bow ourselves before Thee; and therefore would we direct our prayers to Thee, Ahura! with confessions of our sin.

5. And we thus draw near to Thee together with the good kinship of our kindred, with that of Righteousness the blessed, and the good law of thrift and energy and the good Piety, the ready mind (within Thy folk)!

YASNA XL.

1. And now in these Thy dispensations, O Ahura Mazda! do Thou wisely act for us, and with abundance

with Thy bounty and Thy tenderness as touching us; and grant that reward which Thou hast appointed to our souls, O Ahura Mazda! 2. Of this do Thou Thyself bestow upon us for this world and the spiritual; and now as part thereof (do Thou grant) that we may attain to fellowship with Thee, and Thy Righteousness for all duration.

3. And do Thou grant us, O Ahura! men who are righteous, and both lovers and producers of the Right as well. And give us trained beasts for the pastures, broken in for riding, and for bearing, (that they may be) in helpful companionship with us, and as a source of long enduring vigour, and a means of rejoicing grace to us for this.

4. So let there be a kinsman lord for us, with the labourers of the village, and so likewise let there be the clients (or the peers). And by the help of those may we arise.

So may we be to You, O Mazda Ahura! holy and true, and with free giving of our gifts.

YASNA XLI.

1. Praises, and songs, and adorations do we offer to Ahura Mazda, and to Righteousness the Best; yea, we offer and we ascribe them, and proclaim them. 2. And to Thy good Kingdom, O Ahura Mazda!

may we attain for ever, and a good King be Thou over us; and let each man of us, and so each woman, thus abide, O Thou most beneficent of beings, and for both the worlds! 3. Thus do we render Thee, the helpful Yazad, endowed with good devices, the friend of them (who worship Thee) with (well-adjusted) ritual; so may’st Thou be to us our life, and our body's vigour, O Thou most beneficent of beings, and that for both the worlds!

4. Aye, let us win and conquer (?) long life, O Ahura Mazda! in Thy grace, and through Thy will may we be powerful. May’st Thou lay hold on us to help, and long, and with salvation, O Thou most beneficent of beings!

5. Thy praisers and Mãthra-speakers may we be called, O Ahura Mazda! so do we wish, and to this may we attain. What reward most meet for our deserving Thou hast appointed for the souls, O Ahura Mazda! of that do Thou bestow on us for this life, and for that of mind. Of that reward (do Thou Thyself grant this advantage), that we may come under Thy protecting guardianship, and that of Righteousness for ever. We sacrifice to that brave Yasna, the Yasna Haptanghâiti, the holy, the ritual chief!

YASNA XLII.

1. We worship You, O Ye Bountiful Immortals! with the entire collection of this Yasna, Haptanghâiti

(as we sum up all). And we sacrifice to the fountains of the waters, and to the fordings of the rivers, to the forkings of the highways, and to the meetings of the roads.

2. And we sacrifice to the hills that run with torrents, and the lakes that brim with waters, and to the corn that fills the corn-fields; and we sacrifice to both the protector and the Creator, to both Zarathuṣtra and the Lord.

3. And we sacrifice to both earth and heaven, and to the stormy wind that Mazda made, and to the peak of high Haraiti, and to the land, and all things good.

4. And we worship the Good Mind (in the living) and the spirits of the saints. And we sacrifice to the fish of fifty-fins, and to that sacred beast the Unicorn (?) which stands in Vouru-kasha, and we sacrifice to that sea of Vouru-kasha where he stands, and to the Haoma, golden-flowered, growing on the heights; yea, to the Haoma that restores us, and aids this world's advance. We sacrifice to Haoma that driveth death afar, and to the flood-streams of the waters, and to the great flights of the birds, and to the approaches of the Fire-priests, as they approach us from afar, and seek to gain the provinces, and spread the ritual lore. And we sacrifice to the Bountiful Immortals all!

Mentioned templesAhuraMazdā

The Gâtha Uṣtavaiti (Yasna XLIII–XLVI)

YASNA XLIII.

1. Salvation to this man, salvation to him whosoever (he may be)! Let the absolutely ruling Great Creator grant (us, He) the living Lord, the two eternal powers. Yea, verily, I ask it of Thee (O Ahura) for the maintaining Righteousness. And may’st Thou also give it to me, (O inspiring) Piety! splendour (as it is), holy blessings, the Good Mind's life.

2. Yea, to this one may the man endowed with

glory give that best of all things, the (spiritual) glory. And do Thou likewise (Thyself) reveal Thine own (gifts) through Thy most bountiful spirit, O Mazda! (And do Thou teach us) Thy wonderful thoughts of wisdom, those of Thy Good Mind, which Thou hast revealed (to us) by Thy Righteousness (within us) with the happy increase of (our joy), and on a long life's every day.

3. And may that (holy man) approach toward that which is the better than the good, he who will show to us the straight paths of (spiritual) profit, (the blessings) of this corporeal life, and of that the mental, in those veritably real (eternal) worlds, where dwells Ahura; (that holy man) an offerer of Thine, O Mazda! a faithful citizen, and bountiful of (mind).

4. Yea, I will regard Thee as mighty and likewise bountiful, O Ahura Mazda! when (I behold) those aids of grace (approach me), aids which Thou dost guard and nurture as (Thy) just awards to the wicked (to hold him far from us), as well as to the righteous (for our help), Thy Fire's flame therewith so strong through the Holy Order, and when to me the Good Mind's power comes +

5. (For) so I conceived of Thee as bountiful, O Great Giver, Mazda! when I beheld Thee as supreme in the generation of life, when, as rewarding deeds and words, Thou didst establish evil for the evil, and happy blessings for the good, by Thy (great) virtue (to be adjudged to each) in the creation's final change.

6. In which (last) changing Thou shalt come, and with Thy bounteous spirit, and Thy sovereign power,

O Ahura Mazda! by deeds of whom the settlements are furthered through the Righteous Order. And saving regulations likewise unto these shall Âramaiti utter, (she, our Piety within us), yea, (laws) of Thine understanding which no man may deceive.

7. Yea, I conceived of Thee as bountiful, O Great Giver Mazda! when he (Thy messenger, Obedience) drew near me, and asked me thus: Who art thou? And whose is thine allegiance? And how to-day shall I show the signs that give the light on this (our) question, (signs) as to the lands (from whence thou camest) and in thyself?

8. Then to him I, Zarathuṣtra, as my first answer, said: To the wicked (would that I could be) in very truth a strong tormentor and avenger, but to the

righteous may I be a mighty help and joy, since to preparations for Thy Kingdom, and in desire (for its approach), I would devote myself so long as to Thee, O Mazda! I may praise, and weave my song.

9. Yea, I conceived of Thee as bountiful, O Ahura Mazda! when (Thine herald) with Thy Good Mind near approached me, and asked me thus: For what dost thou desire that thou may’st gain, and that thou may’st know it? Then for Thy Fire an offering of praise and holiness (I desired. And on that offering for myself) as long as I have the power, will I meditate, (and for its holy power among Thy people will I plan).

10. And may’st Thou likewise grant me (Thy) Righteousness (within me), since I earnestly invoke that perfect readiness (of mind), joining in my prayer with Âramaiti (our Piety toward Thee. Yea, pray Thou Thyself within me through these holy powers). Ask Thou (Thyself) our questions, those which shall be asked by us of Thee; for a question asked by

Thee (as its inspirer), is as the question of the mighty, whene’er Thy (?) ruler speaks his potent wish.

II. Yea, I conceived of Thee as bountiful, O Ahura Mazda! when (Thy messenger) with Thy Good Mind near approached me, and with your words I first impressed (my soul). Woes then 'midst men Thy heart-devoted one declared (to be) my (portion); but that will I do which Thou did’st say was best.

12. And since Thou, coming thus, Thy legal Righteousness in fulness spakest, then declare not to me words as yet unheard (with faith or knowledge; command me not) to go forth (with these upon my task) before Thy Sraosha (Obedience) comes to me, to go on hand in hand with me with holy recompense and mighty splendour, whereby to

give the contending throngs(?), as a blessing, (Your) spiritual gifts (of certainty and peace).

13. Thus I conceived of Thee as bounteous, O Ahura Mazda! when with Thy Good Mind (Sraosha, Obedience) approached me. (And I would therefore pray thus of Thee, that bounteous one.) In order that I may make known to men the true and sacred aims of their desires (in the rite or daily toil), grant Ye me long life for this, (that blessing) which none with daring may extort from You, even this (gift) of that desired place which has been declared to be within Thy Realm.

14. Yea, as the man enlightened (in Thy law), and who has possessions, gives to his friend, (so give Ye) me, O Great Creator! Thy rejoicing and

abounding grace, when through Thy sovereign Power, and from (the motives of Thy cause of) Righteous Order, I stand forth to go out to, or to arouse, the chiefs of Thy (pure) proclamation, with all those (others) who recite Thy well-remembered Mãthra word.

15. Yea, I conceived of Thee as bounteous, O Ahura Mazda! when with the Good Mind's grace Thy Sraosha (Obedience) approached me, (and said): Let the quiet and long-enduring better mind with understanding teach (thee); let not a foremost man

conciliate the wicked (as sycophant desiring aid), for with that (quiet mind of faith), Thy saints have brought full many a sinner unto Thee (as convert, and in penitence).

16. Thus, O Ahura Mazda! this Zarathuṣtra loves the Spirit, and every man most bounteous prays (beside him): Be Righteousness life-strong, and clothed with body. In that (holy) Realm which shines (with splendour) as the sun, let Piety be present; and may she through the indwelling of Thy Good Mind give us blessings in reward for deeds!

YASNA XLIV.

1. This I ask Thee, O Ahura! tell me aright; when praise is to be offered, how (shall I complete) the praise of the One like You, O Mazda? Let

the One like Thee declare it earnestly to the friend who is such as I, thus through Thy Righteousness (within us) to offer friendly help to us, so that the One like Thee may draw near us through Thy Good Mind (within the soul).

2. This I ask Thee, O Ahura! tell me aright, how, in pleasing Him, may we serve the supreme one of (Heaven) the better world; yea, how to serve that chief who may grant us those (blessings of His grace, and) who will seek for (grateful requitals at our hands); for He, bountiful (as He is) through the Righteous Order, (will hold off) ruin from (us) all, guardian (as He is) for both the worlds, O Spirit Mazda! and a friend.

3. This I ask Thee, O Ahura! tell me aright: Who by generation was the first father of the Righteous Order (within the world)? Who gave the (recurring) sun and stars their (undeviating) way? Who established that whereby the moon waxes, and whereby she wanes, save Thee? These things, O Great Creator! would I know, and others likewise still.

4. This I ask Thee, O Ahura! tell me aright, who from beneath hath sustained the earth and the clouds above that they do not fall? Who made the waters and the plants? Who to the wind has yoked on the storm-clouds, the swift and fleetest two? Who, O Great Creator! is the inspirer of the good thoughts (within our souls)?

5. This I ask Thee, O Ahura! tell me aright; who, as a skilful artisan, hath made the lights and the darkness? Who, as thus skilful, hath made sleep and the zest (of waking hours)? Who (spread) the Auroras, the noontides and midnight, monitors to discerning (man), duty's true (guides)?

6. This I ask Thee, O Ahura! tell me aright these things which I shall speak forth, if they are truly thus. Doth the Piety (which we cherish) in reality increase the sacred orderliness within our actions? To these Thy true saints hath she given the Realm through the Good Mind. For whom hast Thou made the Mother-kine, the producer of joy?

7. This I ask Thee, O Ahura! tell me aright; who fashioned Âramaiti (our piety) the beloved, together with Thy Sovereign Power? Who, through his guiding wisdom, hath made the son revering the father? (Who made him beloved?) With (questions

such as) these, so abundant, O Mazda! I press Thee, O bountiful Spirit, (Thou) maker of all!

8. This I ask Thee, O Ahura! tell me aright, that I may ponder these which are Thy revelations, O Mazda! and the words which were asked (of Thee) by Thy Good Mind (within us), and that whereby we may attain, through Thine Order, to this life's perfection. Yea, how may my soul with joyfulness increase in goodness? Let it thus be.

9. This I ask Thee, O Ahura! tell me aright, how to myself shall I hallow the Faith of Thy people,

which the beneficent kingdom's lord hath taught me, even the admonitions which He called Thine equal, hath taught me through His lofty (and most righteous Sovereignty and) Power, as He dwells in like abode with Thine Order and Thy Good Mind?

10. This I ask Thee, O Ahura! tell me aright that holy Faith which is of all things best, and which, going on hand in hand with Thy people, shall further my lands in Asha, Thine order, and, through the words of Âramaiti (our piety), shall render actions just. The prayers of mine understanding will seek for Thee, O Ahura!

11. This I ask Thee, O Ahura! tell me aright; how to these your (worshippers) may (that Piety once again and evermore) approach, to them to whom O Lord, Thy Faith is uttered? Yea, I beseech of Thee to tell me this, I who am known to Thee as Thy foremost of (servants); all other (Gods, with their

polluted worshippers), I look upon with (my) spirit's hate.

12. This I ask Thee, O Ahura! tell me aright; who is the righteous one in that regard in which I ask Thee my question? And who is evil? For which is the wicked? Or which is himself the (foremost) wicked one? And the vile man who stands against me (in this gain of) Thy blessing, wherefore is he not held and believed to be the sinner that he is?

13. This I ask Thee, O Ahura! tell me aright, how shall I banish this Demon-of-the-Lie from us hence to those beneath who are filled with rebellion? The friends of Righteousness (as it lives in Thy saints) gain no light (from their teachings), nor have they loved the questions which Thy Good Mind (asks in the soul)!

14. This I ask Thee, O Ahura! tell me aright; how shall I deliver that Demon-of-the-Lie into the two hands of Thine Order (as he lives in our hosts) to cast her down to death through Thy Mãthras of doctrine, and to send mighty destruction among her evil believers, to keep those deceitful and harsh oppressors from reaching their (fell) aims?

15. This I ask Thee, O Ahura! tell me aright. If through Thy Righteousness (within our souls) Thou hast the power over this for my protection, when the two hosts shall meet in hate (as they strive) for those vows which Thou dost desire to maintain, how, O Mazda! and to which of both wilt Thou give the day?

16. This I ask Thee, O Ahura! tell me aright,

who smites with victory in the protection (of all) who exist, and for the sake of, and by means of Thy doctrine? Yea, clearly reveal a lord having power (to save us) for both lives. Then let (our) Obedience with Thy Good Mind draw near to that (leader), O Mazda! yea, to him to whomsoever Thou (shalt) wish that he should come.

17. This I ask Thee, O Ahura! tell me aright; how, O Mazda! shall I proceed to that (great) conference with You, to that consummation of Your own, when my spoken wish shall be (effected) unto me, (the desire) to be in the chieftainship (and supported) by (the hope of) Weal and Immortality (those saving powers of Thy grace), and by that (holy) Mãthra (Thy word of thought) which fully guides our way through Righteousness (within).

18. (And, having gained Thine audience and Thine Order's sacred chieftainship), then I ask of Thee, O Ahura! and tell me aright, how shall I acquire that Thy Righteous Order's prize, ten (costly) mares male-mated, and with them the camel (those signs of honour and blessing for Thy chief. I ask Thee for these gifts for sacrifice). For it was told me for the sake of our Welfare (in our salvation), and of our Immortality, in what manner Thou shalt give to these (Thy conquering hosts) both of these Thy (gifts of grace).

19. This I ask Thee, O Ahura! tell me aright; (in the case of the recreant, of him) who does not give this (honoured) gift to him who hath earned it; yea, who does not give it to this (veracious tiller of the earth, to him who in no respect shows favour to the Demon-of-the-Lie, even to the) correct speaker (of Thy sacrificial word), what shall be his sentence at

the first (now at this time, and because of this false dealing? I ask it), knowing well his doom at last

20. (And how as to our deluded foes?) Have Daêva-(worshippers) e’er reigned as worthy kings? (This verily I ask of Thee, the Daêva-worshippers) who fight for these (who act amiss? Have they well reigned) by whom the Karpan and the Usig(k) gave the (sacred) Kine to Rapine, whence, too, the Kavian in persistent strength has flourished? (And these have also never given us tribal wealth nor blessings), nor for the Kine have they brought waters to the fields for the sake of the Righteous Order (in our hosts), to further on their growth (and welfare)!

YASNA XLV.

1. Yea, I will speak forth; hear ye; now listen, ye who from near, and ye who from afar have come seeking (the knowledge). Now ponder ye clearly all (that concerns) him. Not for a second time shall the false teacher slay our life (of the mind, or the body). The wicked is hemmed in with his faith and his tongue!

2. Yea, I will declare the world's two first spirits, of whom the more bountiful thus spake to the harmful: Neither our thoughts, nor commands, nor our

understandings, nor our beliefs, nor our deeds, nor our consciences, nor our souls, are at one.

3. Thus I will declare this world's first (teaching), that which the all-wise Mazda Ahura hath told me. And they among you who will not so fulfil and obey this Mãthra, as I now shall conceive and declare it, to these shall the end of life (issue) in woe.

4. Thus I will declare forth this world's best (being). From (the insight of His) Righteousness Mazda, who hath appointed these (things), hath known (what He utters to be true; yea, I will declare) Him the father of the toiling Good Mind (within us). So is His

daughter through good deeds (our) Piety. Not to be deceived is the all-viewing Lord.

5. Yea, thus I will declare that which the most bountiful One told me, that word which is the best to be heeded by mortals. They who therein grant me obedient attention, upon them cometh Weal to bless, and the Immortal being, and in the deeds of His Good Mind cometh the Lord.

6. Aye, thus I will declare forth Him who is of all the greatest, praising through my Righteousness, I who do aright, those who (dispose of all as well aright). Let Ahura Mazda hear with His bounteous spirit, in whose homage (what I asked) was asked with the Good Mind. Aye, let Him exhort me through His wisdom (which is ever) the best.

7. (Yea, I will declare Him) whose blessings the offerers will seek for, those who are living now, as well as those who have lived (aforetime), as will they

also who are coming (hereafter. Yea, even) the soul(s) of the righteous (will desire) them in the eternal Immortality. (Those things they will desire which are blessings to the righteous) but woes to the wicked. And these hath Ahura Mazda (established) through His kingdom, He, the creator (of all).

8. Him in our hymns of homage and of praise would I faithfully serve, for now with (mine) eye, I see Him clearly, Lord of the good spirit, of word, and action, I knowing through my Righteousness Him who is Ahura Mazda. And to Him (not here alone, but) in His home of song, His praise we shall bear.

9. Yea, Him with our better Mind we seek to honour, who desiring (good), shall come to us (to bless) in weal and sorrow. May He, Ahura Mazda, make us vigorous through Khshathra's royal power,

our flocks and men in thrift to further, from the good support and bearing of His Good Mind, (itself born in us) by His Righteousness.

10. Him in the Yasnas of our Piety we seek to praise with homage, who in His persistent energy was famed to be (in truth) the Lord Ahura Mazda, for He hath appointed in His kingdom, through His holy Order and His Good Mind, both Weal and Immortality, to grant the eternal mighty pair to this our land (and the creation).

11. (Him would we magnify and praise) who hath despised the Daêva-gods and alien men, them who before held Him in their derision. Far different are (these) from him who gave Him honour. This latter one is through the Saoshyaṉt's bounteous Faith, who likewise is the Lord of saving power,

a friend, brother, or a father to us, Mazda Lord!

YASNA XLVI.

1. To what land to turn; aye, whither turning shall I go? On the part of a kinsman (prince), or allied peer, none, to conciliate, give (offerings) to me (to help my cause), nor yet the throngs of labour, (not) even such as these, nor yet (still less) the evil

tyrants of the province. How then shall I (establish well the Faith, and thus) conciliate Thy (grace), O Lord?

2. This know I, Mazda! wherefore I am thus unable to attain my wish, and why my flocks are so reduced in number, and why my following is likewise scant. Therefore I cry to Thee; behold it, Lord! desiring helpful grace for me, as friend bestows on friend. (Therefore to meet my spirit's need, and this as well) declare and teach to me the Good Mind's wealth.

3. When come, Great Giver! they who are the day's enlighteners, to hold the Righteous Order of the world upright, and forward pressing? When are

the schemes of the saviour Saoshyaṉts with (their) lofty revelations (to appear)? To whom for help does he (their chief) approach, who has Thy Good Mind (as his fellow-worker)? Thee, for mine exhorter and commander, Living Lord! I choose.

4. (But e’er these helpers come to me, all rests as yet in gloom.) The evil man is holding back those who are the bearers of the Righteous Order from progress with the Kine, (from progress with the sacred cause) within the region, or the province, he, the evil governor, endowed with evil might, consuming life with evil deeds. Wherefore, whoever hurls him from his power, O Mazda! or from life, stores for the Kine in sacred wisdom shall he make.

5. (Yea), he who, as ruler, treats no coming applicant with injury, as a good citizen (or nobly wise) in sacred vow and duty, and living righteously in every covenant, who, as an uncorrupted judge, discerns the wicked (that leader who, rejecting me, would keep back those who propagate the Faith), let him, (this righteous judge,) declare (the vengeance) to that (hostile) lord, (my) kinsman. Yea, let him crush him when he sallies forth (to approach us for our harm)!

6. (And he who leaves him in his guilty error has my curse.) Yea, he who has the power, and will not thus (with stern reproof) approach him, shall go to

the abode of the Lie, (and) the enchainer. For he is evil who is the best one to the evil, and he is holy who is friendly to the righteous, as Thou didst fix the moral laws, O Lord!

7. Whom, then, as guard, O Mazda! hast Thou set me then when that wicked one still held me for his hate? Whom (had I) then but Thee, Thy Fire and Mind, Ahura! by deeds performed in which Thy Righteous rule is saved and nurtured? Therefore that spiritual power (vouchsafing me) for the (holy) Faith (its truths) declare.

8. And as to him who (now by evil power) delivers up my settlements to harm, let not his burning (wrath) in deeds attain me. But bearing back the (evil will and evil influence of such), let these things come (back) to him in anger. Let that to his body come which holds from welfare; but let no (help)

at all (approach him, which may) keep him back from misery. (And let this happen as I speak) from (vengeful) hate, O Lord!

9. But who is the freely helping one who will teach me foremost how we may adore Thee, Thou the well to be invoked as in Thy deeds, the holy, bountiful Ahura? What (words) the Kine's creator spake for Thee by aid of, and to aid, the Righteous ritual Order, these words of Thine, (Thy people coming) with Thy Good Mind, are seeking now (to gain and learn from) me, O Mazda Lord!

10. Whoever, man or woman, shall give to me those (gifts) of life which Thou hast known as best, O Mazda! and as a holy blessing through (Thy) Righteous Order, a throne (established) with (Thy) Good Mind, (with these I shall go forth; yea, those) whom I shall (accompany and so) incite, to the homage of such as You (on earth), forth to the Judge's Bridge (itself) with all of them shall I lead on (at last).

11. (And they and I have every need for help, for now) the Karpan and the Kavi will join in governments to slay the life of man with evil deeds, they whom their own souls and their own conscience will becry. And when they approach there where the Judge's Bridge (extends, unlike the believing ones of God, who go so firmly forth with me as guide and helper, these shall miss their path and fall), and

in the Lie's abode for ever shall their habitation be.

12. (But for the penitent there is yet hope; for all our former foes shall not thus fall, as from the Kinvaṭ Bridge to woe, for) when from among the tribes and kith of the Turanian, even among the more powerful ones of the Fryâna, those shall arise who further on the settlements of Piety with energy and zeal, with these shall Ahura dwell together through His Good Mind (in them), and to them for joyful grace deliver His commands.

13. Yea, he who will propitiate Zarathuṣtra Spitâma with gifts midst men, this man is fitted for the proclamation, and to him Ahura Mazda will give the (prospered) life. And he will likewise cause the settlements to thrive in mental goodness. We think him, therefore, Your good companion to (further and maintain) Your Righteousness (and meet for Your approach).

(A voice from among the Chiefs.)

14. (But where is such an one?) Whom hast thou Zarathuṣtra! thus a holy friend for the great (effort of the) cause? Who is it who thus desires to speak it forth? (Zarathuṣtra answers. Aye, such an one have.) It is our Kavi Vîṣtâspa, the heroic; (and not he alone, but all) whom thou shalt (as in Thy prophet) meet in the assembly, O Ahura Mazda! these likewise will I call (to my attempt), and with Thy Good Mind's words.

15. O ye Haêkaṭ-aspas, Spitâmas! to you will I now address my words, since ye discern the things unlawful, and the lawful, for these your actions to establish (firmly on its base) for you the Righteous Order through those which are the Lord's primeval laws.

16. (And to the Hvôgvas would I likewise speak.) Thou Frashaoṣtra Hvôgva (whom I see); go thou

(forth) with the generous helpers, with those whom we are praying for as for salvation to the land. Go thou where Piety joins hand in hand with the Righteous Order, where are the wished-for Realms of Good Mind, where Mazda in His most honoured home abides,

17. Where in your measured verse I will declare aloud (the praises), not in unmeasured lines, Gâmâspa Hvôgva! but songs of homage (will I weave) with ever gained Obedience in offering. (And unto Mazda) will I chant them, yea, to Him who will discern aright what things are lawful (or) unlawful (which I thus do, or utter), and with His wonder-working thoughts of Righteousness (attend).

18. (For) whosoever (offers) sanctity to me, to him shall be the best gifts whatsoever. Yea, of my

(spirit's) wealth will I bestow on him through Thy Good Mind (which I give), but oppressions will I send on him who as oppressor will deliver us to anguish, O Mazda! desiring, as I do, to satisfy Your choice by righteous (vengeance). This is the decision of mine understanding and my will.

19. (Yea, this I earnestly announce.) He who from Righteousness (in mind and life) shall verily perform for me, for Zarathuṣtra, that which is thus most helpful (for my cause) according to my earnest wish (and through my words of urgent zeal) on him shall they bestow reward(s) beyond this earth, with all the mental blessings gained through the sacred mother-kine. And these things (all) did’st Thou (Thyself) command to me, O Mazda, Thou most wise!

Mentioned templesAhuraMazdāAša

The Gâtha Speñtâ-mainyu (Yasna XLVII–L)

YASNA XLVII.

11. And to this (man, His chosen saint), Ahura Mazda will give both the two (greatest gifts, His)

Universal Weal and Immortality, by means of His bountiful Spirit, and with His Best Mind, from (the desire to maintain His) Righteous moral Order in word and deed, and by the (strength and wisdom) of His Sovereign Power, (established) in Piety (among His folk).

2. Aye, (that blessedness, which is the) best (creation) of this most bounteous spirit, Ahura Mazda will bring forth in action with words from the mouth and tongue of His Good Mind (within His seers), and by the two hands of Âramaiti (His Piety as she lives within the soul). And by such wise (beneficence is) He the father of the righteous Order (within our worship and our lives).

3. And Thou art therein, O Ahura Mazda! the bountiful One who appertains to, and who possesses, that (most bounteous) spirit in that Thou art He who for this (man, in whom this spirit works) hath made the joy-creating Kine. (And as to her), for her, as

joyful meadows of her peace, wilt Thou bestow (Thine) Âramaiti (who is our Piety as earth considered), since he (for her) hath taken counsel with Thy Good Mind, Lord!

4. (But this Thy bounteous spirit doth not alone bestow rewards and blessings on the good.) The wicked (foemen of the Faith) are harmed, and from (the motives which move) that bounteous spirit (of Thine own), O Mazda! but not thus the saints. (And yet the ruler's pride would ever slight the righteous.) The feeble man alone stands free to give in kindly obligation to Thy saint, but having wealth and ruling power, the evil (man) is (at the service) of the wicked, and for much.

5. But Thou wilt give these gifts, and through Thy (most blessed and most) bounteous spirit, O Ahura Mazda! to this Thy holy saint, for they are whatsoever is the best; but far from Thy love the wicked has his portion, abiding in the actions of the Evil Mind.

6. Aye, these things wilt Thou give (to him), O Thou Ahura Mazda! and through Thy bounteous spirit, (and) by Thy Fire as in a good bestowal to

the two striving (throngs) through the prosperous increase of our Piety, and of the Righteous ritual and moral Truth; for that (Piety of ours instructing) doth teach the many coming ones who seek her (face)!

YASNA XLVIII.

1. If through his action in the offering of gifts in accordance with the Righteous Order, (Thy saint) shall smite the Demon-of-the-Lie (the inspiring spirit of our foes), when that in very truth shall come, which has been (and is still yet) proclaimed as a deceit, (when it shall come) in the Immortal life, regarding (as it does both) men (to bless), and Daêvas (to afflict them), then shall (Thy faithful worshipper) increase thereby the celebration of Thy praise, O Lord! and with it blessings (for Thy folk).

2. Tell me then, Lord? (the end), for Thou dost

know it. (Tell me to grant me strength and courage) before those conflicts come which shall encounter me (as leader of Thy tribes); shall the champion of Thy holy Order, O Ahura! smite (at last) the evil heretic, and when? (I ask Thee this); for this if it be gained (is known) to be the (one) good consummation of (our) life.

3. (Yea, tell me then this), for to the enlightened man is that the best of teachings which the beneficent Ahura doth proclaim, and through (the revelations of) His holy Order, bounteous as he and wise with His intelligence, as well as they who declare to us (still other) secret sayings (in His name). The one like Thee (their chieftain) is, O Mazda! endowed with Thy Good Mind's understanding thoughts.

4. (Yea, tell me the secret of the future struggle; for that enlightened man) must follow close the holy Faith (for which that struggle had its toil and effort). Yea, O Mazda! he who would bend his mind (till it attains to) that which is the better and more holy, must pursue the Daêna close in word and action. His will and wish must be consistent with his chosen creed and fealty, and in Thine Understanding (which discerneth all) shall he in many ways be (versed) at last!

5. (But while I as yet know not the issue, I can yet hope and pray.) Let the good kings obtain the rule. Let not the evil monarchs govern us, (but let the righteous gain the day and rule us), with deeds done in a good discernment, O thou pious wisdom, Âramaiti! sanctifying to men's minds the best of blessings for (their) offspring. Yea, for the Kine, (O Âramaiti!)

let (Thy) toil be given, and may’st Thou cause her to prosper for our life.

6. For she will grant us pleasing homes, and, (while we live) in this Thy Good Mind's longing prayer (to gain her welfare), she grants us likewise lasting strength (for every deed which that Thy Good Mind moves us to perform), and therefore hath Mazda caused the plants to flourish for her (nurture), He, Ahura, in the generation of primeval life.

7. (Then in our coming strife let both her mortal foes be slain.) Let the Wrath-demon of rapine be cast down. Smite ye against the envy (which would plot against our Throne), O ye who, abiding by the Good Mind, and in accordance with our holy Order, desire to hold that refuge fast, to whose sacred bond the bounteous man belongs. And therefore,

O Ahura! (to save Thy struggling saint who toils with changing lot) will I place (that refuge) for him in Thy world.

8. (And how shall I beseech Thee for this victory and gift?) What is the (potent) prayer to bring on that Thy holy Reign? What for Thy sacred reward and blessing for my (soul)? How shall I seek the open helpers for (the spread and maintenance of) Thy (great) Order, while I myself live on in Thy Good Spirit's deeds?

9. (Aye, when shall faith be changed to sight); and when shall I in verity discern if Ye indeed have power over aught, O Lord! and through Thy Righteous Order (guarding here on earth), O Thou within whose (power lie) my griefs and doubts? Let then Thy saving prophet find and gain aright (for) my delight Thy Good Mind's wonder-working

grace; yea, let Thy Saoshyaṉt see how gifts of recompense may be his own.

10. When, Mazda! shall the men of mind's perfection come? And when shall they drive from hence, the soil of this (polluted) drunken joy, whereby the Karpans with (their) angry zeal would crush us, and by whose inspiration the tyrants of the provinces (hold on) their evil rule?

11. Yea, when shall our perfected Piety appear

together with Thy Righteousness? When shall she come, as having the amenities of home for us, and provided (like our land) with pastures (for the kine)? And who shall give us quiet from the cruel (men) of evil life and faith? To whom shall Thy Good Mind's sacred wisdom come (to guide them in their toil to rescue and avenge us)?

12. (To whom? The answer lieth near.) Such shall be the Saviours of the Provinces, and they who, through Thy Good Mind's grace, shall go on hand in hand with mental keenness (as it spreads among Thy saints) by the doing every deed of Thy commandment, O Ahura! through the help of, and in accordance with, Thy Holy Order; for such as these are set (for us), as steadfast foes of hate!

YASNA XLIX.

1. Beṉdva has ever fought with me; (yea, since he first appeared at hand to threaten, and alas to his advantage in the strife) He is the most powerful (in brutal might), and (in his predominance) would crush my strength as I seek to win back the disaffected (in my host) through Righteous (zeal), O Mazda! Come then with gifts of (vengeful) good to (meet) my sorrow. Through (Thine inspiring) Good Mind obtain (for me) that (Beṉdva's) death!

2. (Aye, he is indeed the greatest), for that

Beṉdva's evil judge doth cause me to hesitate and ponder (in my earnest course of propagation and reform), a deceiver as he is, (estranged) from the Righteous Order, and receiving from it (not happiness) but many a wound. The bountiful and perfect Piety he has not maintained nor strengthened for this land, nor questions with Thy Good Mind hath he asked (to gain him light), O Lord!

3. But (all is not yet lost!); for this religious choice (our holy creed, for which our last lost battle has been fought), O Mazda! Thy blessed Order (our guardian help) has yet been set to save and bless us. (But) for (that evil) Judge, the Demon-of-the-Lie, (is set) to deal (for him) her wounds. Therefore do I pray (the more) for the sheltering leadership of Thy Good Mind (within our folk and our commanders). And all the allies of the wicked I abjure.

4. They who with evil scheme and will shall cherish and help on the Wrath of Rapine, and with her Râma, and (not by silent favour, but) with their

very tongues, whose will and wish (run) not with good but evil deeds. These settle and support the Daêvas (in their power, not the Lord). It is the wicked's Faith and Insight (so to do. Their faith is the perverted).

5. But he, O Mazda! is our abundance and our fatness, who (will yet dare these unbelieving foes) and guard the Faith (against that envious Wrath), and with the Good Mind's power. For every man of Piety is a wise citizen in accordance with the holy Order, and so are all who are (in truth) within Thy Realm, O Lord!

6. And now, will I beseech of You, O Mazda, and Righteousness (within Thy Mãthra) speaks (to tell me) what lies within Your will's intention, that (having discerned Your Insight as the enlightened

ever must), I may as well discern aright how we can herald forth those (truths), and that pure Daêna (with them) which is the Faith of Him who is Thyself, O Lord.

7, And (as we speak it forth as taught by Asha) then let the (zealous citizen) give heed, and with Thy Good Mind, O Ahura Mazda! Yea, let him give ear in accordance with (the dictate of) the Holy Order, and do Thou hear alike as well. Who shall be the ally; and who the kinsman-lord himself, who, with his gifts and (legal rules), shall institute and settle for the serving mass a worthy praise (for God)?

8. (And I do not ask in vain, for such an one is found for us, and near at hand.) To Frashaoṣtra hast Thou given that most favouring guardian power, the headship of the Holy Order (for us), O

Ahura! This therefore would I pray of Thee (to confirm to him that gracious gift), and for myself likewise, would I now seek as well that sheltering headship which is within Thy Realm; yea, most blest and foremost may we both for ever be within it.

9. Aye, let the zealous and thrifty husbandman, so formed for giving help and blessings, give heed and listen when I call, (O Mazda!) Let not the truthful (tiller, he who hears and speaks Thy word), be he who takes that sheltering chieftainship together with the wicked. Let the believing natures (only) join in that best recompense. And thus in the course of the holy Order are in the fact so joined those two, Gâmâspa and the 'hero'.

10. (And since these champions thus join in that reward), then therefore will I place as well in Thy

protection (Thy) Good Mind (in the living) and the spirits (of the dead. Yea, I confide our very) self-humbling praises, (which we offer, unto Thee), by which (Thine) Âramaiti (who is our Piety, exists), and likewise sacrificing zeal. And this would we do to further Thy great Sovereign Power (among Thy folk), and with undying (?) strength.

11. (But as to faithless reprobates); the souls (of the evil dead) shall meet those evil men who serve their evil rulers, who speak with evil words, and harbour evil consciences, these souls (in Hell) shall come with evil food (to welcome them), and in the Lie's abode their dwelling verily shall be!

YASNA XLIX, 12–L.

Y. XLIX, 12. What aids of grace hast Thou for Thine invoking Zarathuṣtra, (O Ahura Mazda!) to grant him through Thy Righteous Order? Yea, what (aids of grace hast thou for me as) through Thy Good Mind given (within my soul), for me who will (still) pray to Thee with praises, O Great Creator! beseeching what in accordance with Your wished-for aim is best?

Y. L, 1. Aye, doth my soul indeed obtain assisting

grace, and which of Thy blessings is that gift to me, O Lord? What saving champion is found to save both flocks and herds? And who for myself other than Thy Righteous Order, and Thyself, Ahura? Tell me, O (ye) invoked ones! Or what of grace is there for me save Thy Best Mind (itself)?

2. (And if Thy guardian is verily to save our wealth) how shall he (obtain, and by what means shall he) seek after that joy-creating Kine (who is the living symbol of our peace)? (How shall that man obtain his wish) who shall desire to see her provided with pastures for (the welfare of) this land? (That only way is righteousness.) Do Thou then grant me lands (so would I ask of Thee) which live in justice in the many splendours of the sun, and lands which openly thus live, and which are to be

sought and gained by me (as conquests for the cause). Give Thou this gift!

3. (Yea, let that joy-creating one) be his possession through the Righteous Order (which he helps to bring, that living sign) which (the most valiant citizen) may give to him (at once reward and charge), and in accordance with Thy Sovereign Authority. (May that heroic settler grant him this gift) he who may make the (last imperilled) farm to flourish in the vigour of Thy blest prosperity, the tract which lies the nearest (to the fields) which our foeman holds as his.

4. (And therefore both in thankfulness and hope) will I give sacrifice to You with praises, O Ahura Mazda! together with Thine Order and Thy Best Mind (in Thy saints), and in accordance with Thy sacred Sovereign Power, by whose help the wisher (heaven-bound) may stand upon the (certain) pathway, and in Thine Home-of-song shall I (by means of these my Yasnas offered here) there hear the praises of Thine offering saints who see Thy face.

5. And we are in readiness as well (to fulfil Your praises and declare your words), O Ahura Mazda! through Your (grace, and) in accordance with Your Holy Order, since Ye advance with friendliness to cheer the speaker of Your Mãthra-word with open acts of visible relief, as if with hand sent forth,

whereby that Mãthra-speaker of Your truth may bring us on, and settle us, in weal and bliss.

6. (Therefore will I incite him to his task the more. Let him indeed proclaim the righteous way) he who already lifts his voice in Mãthras, O Ahura Mazda! he, Zarathuṣtra, the faithful friend in accordance with the Holy Order, and with self-abasing worship, giver of understanding for this land, voice-guider (of the way to glory), let him indeed proclaim and teach my regulations, and in accordance with Thy Good Mind (as his law).

7. (And together with that chief speaker of your word I would engage yet others in the cause). Your well-incited and swift (servants), O Ahura! would I yoke on (as steeds to take their holy course toward heaven), gaining thereby (at last) the Bridges where

Your adoration (rules and is complete). Yea, I (?) yoke on your mighty ones, and with Thy Holy Order, and Thy Good Mind. And with these may Ye drive on; aye, be Ye for my help!

8. (And as I yoke on Your Mãthra-speakers for their course, then) would I (myself) approach You in the (highest) deed of worship, and with these sacred metric feet (of Zarathuṣtra and his peers), those which are heard and famed afar, as the metric feet of zealous worship, and with my hands stretched out (in supplicating prayer). Yea, You (would I approach), O Mazda! in union with Your sacred ritual Truth, and with the homage of a freely-giving helper, and with the good virtue of (Your) Good Mind (in my soul).

9. Yea, with these Yasnas of Your sacrifice would I approach You, praising back to You (in answer to Your mercies), O Ahura! and Thou, O Righteousness! in (the holy) actions of Your Good Mind, (as he moves within us), so long indeed as I shall have the power, commanding at my will o’er this my sacred (privilege) and gift. (And doing as) the wise man (thus), may I (like him) become a supplicant who gains his ends.

10. (Mine every wish and prayer is this), then therefore whatsoever I shall do, and whatsoever deeds

(of ritual and truth I shall yet further do) on account of, (and to make full) these (prior deeds of worship), yea, whatsoever (holy works) shine bright as having worth in (all) men's eyes through Thy Good Mind (whose character they share; these as) the stars, suns, and the Aurora which brings on the light of days, are all, through their Righteous Order, (the speakers) of Thy praise, O Thou Great Giver, Lord!

11. Your praiser then (by eminence) would I be named, and (more), would be it, so long as by (Thine inspiring) Righteousness I am thus able and may have the power. And may the maker of the world give help through (His implanted) Good Mind (in my fellow-servants). And may that (all) be done (to further us) which through His veritable grace is most promotive (for the cause)!

Mentioned templesAhuraMazdāAša

The Gâtha Vohû-khshathrem (Yasna LI)

1. The good Government (of Ahura) is to be chosen (among all wished-for things) as that lot which most of all brings on (our happiness). Actions that oppress us it opposes, through the holy Order (which pervades it), and with the pious zeal (of its true servants). Therefore, O Great Creator! let me

produce, and help bring on (that Sovereign Power) which is the best for us at every present hour.

2. And first I will ask for these two blessings of Your own, O Thou Great Creator, and thou His Righteous Order! and I also ask of thee, Our Piety (personified, as well); and grant me this Your Sovereign Rule over our desired wealth (to give and to preserve it; and likewise) those spiritual blessings which are advantageous for our worship (of Ahura) through (the inspiration of His) Good Mind (within the soul).

3. (And it is not I alone who thus appeal to You; I speak for all) who are guarded in the (ceremonial and moral) actions of Your (law), and by those (inspired) words (which proceed) from the tongue of Thy Good Mind (as he speaks within Thy Mãthra). Yea, these are all assembling (each) to hear You, of whom Thou, O Ahura Mazda! art the foremost guide and light.

4. (And they cry aloud to Thee, O Mazda! I speaking with them, and in their name): Where is the (promised) lord of our thrift (the embodied law, saving us from the most dreaded dangers that we fear, the thrift-lord) of (our) ready zeal? Where

does he stand to (show us) mercy? Whither are (Thy) Righteousness and the Bountiful Âramaiti (our Piety) approaching? From what direction comes Thy Best Mind (to inspire and to guide)? And whence (again), O Great Creator! Thy Sovereign Power (to be our ruler and defence)?

5. And it is the tiller of the earth who asks this of Thee, O Ahura! (Thy chosen saint himself); he has asked this all of Thee, striving to discover how he may gain to himself the sacred Kine (and with all wealth in herds beside. And he would seek this) moved by the motives which flow from Thy Righteous Order (and Thy cause), upright as he is in actions, and wise in his self-humbling worship (of that One) who, as a righteous ruler, has appointed a just controlling guide for those whom He has made.

6. (And in partial answer to his question, and to solve his doubt, I now declare the truth): He who gives to this (good citizen) that which is better than the good; yea, He who bestows on him in accordance with his religious choice is (our) Ahura Mazda (and not

a false god of the Daêvas). And this will He bestow through His divine Authority (established in preparation here), while on the withholder of the sacrifice, who offers nothing to His (cause), He will send worse than the evil (and that not here alone, but) in the last turning of the creation in its course!

7. (And as Thou wilt bestow thus graciously on him), so grant me also, O Thou most bountiful Spirit Mazda, Thou who hast made both the Kine and the waters and the plants (for her support) both Immortality and Welfare, those two eternal powers, and through Thy Good Mind in the doctrine (which is revealed through his inspired words).

8. (Yea, grant me these two inseparable gifts, for having them in store) I will speak for Thee, O Mazda! because to the man of understanding one should declare for Thee that which is woe to the wicked, but salvation to him who has maintained the holy Order (in Thy folk and in his soul). For he is (repaid in his deed, and) rejoiced by the Mãthra who declares it to the wise.

9. (And when I shall speak, I will declare for You that mental) keenness (which reaches the decision), and which Thou hast bestowed upon the two striving sides, (in Thy satisfying word). And this

I will announce by means of Thy flaming Fire; yea, I will declare it for the bestowal of that sword of justice which is forged from steel, and wrought for both the worlds. And for the wounding of the wicked (with its blade) may’st Thou, O Ahura Mazda! bless and prosper Thine (avenging) saint!

10. (Yea, let Thy believer wound the wicked to the quick), for he, who totally estranged from this (our holy rule), O Mazda! seeks to destroy my life, is a son of the Lie's creation, and belongs to the miscreants; (but as for me), I call on Asha (Thy Righteous Order to be my help); and may he come with Thy good blessing.

11. (And ye who throng the great assembly, it is of you I speak while, with my lips, I now address the Lord): Who, O Ahura! is a loyal friend to the Spitâma, to Zarathuṣtra? Who has asked his question of the divine Righteousness, (as he approached)?

By whom is the bounteous Piety (received and cherished)? Or who has been regarded as upright and fitted for the great cause of Thy Good Mind?

12. ('Who is worthy?' would I ask, for Zarathuṣtra was ever such, and from earliest days. He was no polluted wretch.) Paederast never gained his ear, nor Kavi-follower on this (temptation-)bridge of earth, when his body was (maturely) grown, when they both hasten(ed) to him with the bosom's impure power.

13. (And he will be likewise victorious on the veritable Judgment Bridge, for) the righteous man's conscience will truly crush the wicked man's (spirit) while his soul rages fiercely on the open Kinvaṭ Bridge, as he strives by his actions, and his tongue's

(cursing speech) to reach (and to pollute) Asha's paths (where the faithful souls come).

14. (And as are those lost spirits, so are our foes.) No friends to the creatures are the Karpans, (not granting) complete (harvests) from the fields with complete (pasture) for the Kine (chief objects for our prayer), bringing woe by their deeds and their teachings. And they will deliver these (beings whom they lead) at the last (?) by their doctrine(s) in the Home of the Lie.

15. But this is the reward which Zarathuṣtra declared before (to his friends who counsel with Asha), and are fitted for the cause; Ahura Mazda will come the first into His Song Home, Garôdman,

and then these gifts will be given you by the Good Mind (within you), and with blessings for the cause of the Righteous Order (in His hosts).

16. (And one of you, the greatest, has indeed attained to that wisdom which is thus blessed with a promise), Kavi Vîṣtâspa has reached it in the Realm of our great cause (of devotion), and moved in his toil by the chants of the Good Mind (who speaks in the Mãthra); yea, he hath attained to that wisdom which the bountiful Ahura conceived in accordance with Asha, thus to teach us salvation.

17. (And not alone amidst our princes hath sanctity been marked), Frashaoṣtra, the Hvôgva, hath presented a blest and an endeared form (his child); and may Ahura Mazda, who has the Sovereign Power, grant her (to us), who is so much to be beloved. And for the (progress of the) good Religion do ye, O ye people! receive her with desire, and for the gaining of Asha; (she will help the great cause).

18. Yea, that (holy) wisdom, O Gâmâspa the Hvôgva! these (pious throngs) are choosing through

their Righteousness as the (true) splendours of riches (these pious men who are) gaining the kingdom where the Good Mind (doth govern). And grant me also, O Mazda! that which these with glad wishes receive from Thy grace.

19. (And this prayer is already and beforehand heard.) This established Sovereign Power the heroic (Kavi Vîṣtâspa has given), O Maidhyô-mâh the Spitâma. He who is wise through the Religion, and who seeks (the true) life, he is granting it to us; yea, he has pronounced the laws of Ahura our Maker, and declared that which is for (our) life's actions (beyond all other things) best.

20. And, that gift of blessedness for you, all (the Bountiful Immortals) with one consent in sympathy to help us (are disposed) to grant; (and may they likewise make) the Holy Order (firm) for us through the Good Mind (in our folk); and may they reveal to us the words with which Piety likewise (speaks her truths). And receiving sacrifice with homage (from our praises), may they seek for us Ahura Mazda's grace.

21. (Yea, this Kavi Vîṣtâspa) the man of Âramaiti is bounteous, and with understanding in his words and his actions. (And as a reward) may Ahura give

him that Righteousness which is blest, (but) with the Religion (alone), and that Sovereign Power which is established through the Good Mind (in His folk). And this same blessing would I pray from His grace.

22. For Ahura Mazda knoweth the man whose best gift for the sacrifice is given unto me, and from the motive of Righteousness; (and in thankfulness for all, and in prayer for yet still further grace), I will worship (the eternal ones); yea, I will worship those who have ever lived, and who still live, and by their own (holy) names, and to their (thrones) will I draw near with my praise!

Mentioned templesAhuraMazdāAša

Yasna LII: A Prayer for Sanctity and Its Benefits

1. I pray with benedictions for a benefit, and for the good, even for the entire creation of the holy (and the clean); I beseech for them for the (generation which is) now alive, for that which is just coming into life, and for that which shall be hereafter. And (I pray for that) sanctity which leads to prosperity, and which has long afforded shelter, which goes on hand in hand with it, which joins it in its walk, and of itself becoming its close companion as it delivers forth its precepts, bearing every form of healing virtue which comes to us in waters, appertains to cattle, or is found in plants, and overwhelming all the harmful malice of the Daêvas, (and their servants) who might harm this dwelling and its lord, bringing good gifts, and better blessings, given very early, and later (gifts), leading to successes, and for a long time giving shelter. And so the greatest, and the best, and most beautiful benefits of sanctity fall likewise to our lot for the sacrifice, homage, propitiation, and the praise of the Bountiful Immortals, for the bringing prosperity to this abode, and for the prosperity of the entire creation of the holy,

and the clean, (and as for this, so) for the opposition of the entire evil creation. (And I pray for this) as I praise through Righteousness, I who am beneficent, chose who are (likewise of a better mind). 5-8. (See Y. VIII, 5-8.) (For Y. LIII, see Gâthas, pp. 190-194.)

The Gâtha Vahiṣtâ-iṣtiṣ (Yasna LIII)

1. That best prayer has been answered, the prayer of Zarathuṣtra Spitâma, that Ahura Mazda might grant him those boons, (the most wished-for) which flow from the good Order, even a life that is prospered for eternal duration, and also those who deceived him (may He likewise thus grant him) as the good Faith's disciples in word and in deed.

2. And may Kavi Vîṣtâspa, and the Zarathuṣtrian Spitâma, and Frashaoṣtra too with them, offer propitiation to Mazda in thought, word, and deed, and

Yasna confessions as they render Him praise, making straight paths (for our going), even that Faith of the Saoshyaṉt which Ahura will found.

(The master of the feast.)

3. And him will they give Thee, O Pourukista, Haêkaṭ-aspid and Spitâmi! young (as thou art) of the daughters of Zarathuṣtra, him will they give thee as a help in the Good Mind's true service, of Asha's and Mazda's, as a chief and a guardian. Counsel well then (together), with the mind of Ârmaiti, most bounteous and pious; and act with just action.

(She answers.)

4. I will love and vie with him, since from (my) father he gained (me). For the master and toilers, and for the lord-kinsman (be) the Good Mind's bright

blessing, the pure for the pure ones, and to me (be) the insight (which I gain from his counsel). Mazda grant it, Ahura for good conscience for ever.

(The priestly master of the feast.)

5. Monitions for the marrying I speak to (you) maidens, to you, I who know them; and heed ye my (sayings): By these laws of the Faith which I utter obtain ye the life of the Good Mind (on earth and in heaven). (And to you, bride and bridegroom), let each one the other in Righteousness cherish; thus alone unto each shall the home-life be happy.

6. [Thus real are these things, ye men and ye women!] from the Lie-demon protecting, I guard o’er my (faithful), and so (I) grant progress (in weal and in goodness). And the hate of the Lie (with the hate of her) bondsmen (?) I pray from the body, (and so would expel it). For to those who bear Vayu, (and bring him to power), his shame mars the glory. To these evil truth-harmers by these means he reaches. Ye thus slay the life mental (if ye follow his courses).

7. But yours be the recompense, (O ye righteous women!) of this great cause. For while lustful desire heart-inflamed from the body there beyond goeth down where the spirit of evil reaches (to ruin, still) ye bring forth the champion to help on the cause, (and thus conquer temptation). So your last word is 'Vayu'; (ye cry it in triumph).

8. And thus let the sinners by these means be foiled; and consumed be they likewise. Let them shriek in their anger. With good kings let (our champion) deliver the smiter (as a captive in

battle), giving peace to our dwellings, and peace to our hamlets. Let him charge those deceivers, chaining death as the strongest; and swift be (the issue).

9. Through false believers the tormentor makes Thy helpers refusers; (those who once helped our heroes shall no longer give succour). The estranged thus desires, and the reprobate wills it, with the will that he harbours to conquer our honour. Where is then the Lord righteous who will smite them from life, and (beguile) them of license? Mazda! Thine is that power, (which will banish and conquer). And Thine is the Kingdom; and by it Thou bestowest the highest (of blessings) on the right-living poor!

Mentioned templesAhuraMazdāAša

Yasna LIV–LXXII: The Sacrifice Concluded

YASNA LIV.

1. Let the Airyaman, the desired friend and peers-man, draw near for grace to the men and to the women who are taught of Zarathustra, for the joyful grace of the Good Mind, whereby the conscience may attain its wished-for recompense. I pray for the sacred reward of the ritual order which is (likewise so much) to be desired; and may Ahura Mazda grant it, (or cause it to increase).

2. We sacrifice to the Airyemâ-ishyô, the powerful; the victoriously smiting, the opponent of assaulting malice, the greatest of the sentences of the holy ritual order. And we sacrifice to the bounteous Gâthas that rule supreme in the ritual, the holy (and august). And we sacrifice to the Praises of the Yasna which were the productions of the world of old.

YASNA LV.

1. We present hereby and we make known, as our offering to the bountiful Gâthas which rule (as the leading chants) within (the appointed times and seasons of) the Ritual, all our landed riches, and our persons, together with our very bones and tissues, our forms and forces, our consciousness, our soul, and Fravashi.

2. That which Gâthas (may) be to us, which are our guardians and defenders, and our spiritual food, yea, which (may) be to our souls both food and clothing, such are these Gâthas to us, guardians, and defenders, and (spiritual) food, even such they are, both food and clothing to the soul.

And (may) they be to us (for this our offering) abundant givers of rewards, and just and righteous ones, for the world beyond the present, after the parting of our consciousness and body. 3. And may these (Praises of the Offering) come forth, and appear for us with power and victorious assault, with health and healing, with progress, and with growth, with preparation and protection, with beneficence and sanctity, and abounding with gifts toward him who can understand; yea, let them appear (with free liberality to the enlightened), let them appear as

Mazda, the most beneficent, has produced them, He the one who is victorious when He smites, and who helps the settlements advance, for the protection, and the guarding of the religious order of the settlements which are now being furthered, and of those which shall bring salvation to us, and for the protection of the entire creation of the holy (and the clean).

4. And may’st thou, (O Asha! who abidest within the Gâthas), give to every holy man who comes with this prayer for a blessing, and endeavouring to help himself, according to his good thoughts, and words, and deeds.

5. We are therefore worshipping both the (divine) Righteousness and the Good Mind, and the bountiful Gâthas, that rule as the leading chants within (the times and the seasons of) the holy ritual order.

6. And we worship the Praises of the Yasna which were the production of the ancient world, those which are (now) recollected and put in use, those which are now learned and taught, those which are being held (in mind, and so) repeated, those remembered and recited, and those worshipped, and thus the ones which further the world through grace in its advance.

And we worship the part(s) of the Praises of the Yasna, and their recitation as it is heard, even their memorised recital, and their chanting, and their offering (as complete).

YASNA LVI.

1. Let Sraosha (the listening Obedience) be present here for the worship of Ahura Mazda, the most beneficent, and holy, of him) who is desired by us as at the first, so at the last; and so again may attentive Obedience be present here for the worship of Ahura Mazda, the most beneficent and the holy who (is so) desired by us.

2. (Yea), let Sraosha (the attentive Obedience) be present here for the worship of the good waters, and for the Fravashis of the saints which are so desired by us, [and for (their) souls], as at the first, so at the last.

And thus again may Sraosha (the listening Obedience) be present here for the worship of the good waters, and for the Fravashis of the saints, which are so desired by us, [(and) for (their) souls].

3. Let Sraosha (the listening Obedience) be present here for the worship of the good waters; yea, let the good Obedience be here for the worship of the good and bountiful Immortals who rule aright, and dispose (of all) aright, the good, and for the worship of the good Sanctity, or Blessedness, who is closely knit with the Righteous Order, to perfect us, and to incite us. May Sraosha (Obedience) be here present for the worship of the good waters, he the good and the holy, as at the first, so at the last.

4. And so again may Sraosha, (Obedience) the good, be present here for the worship of the good waters, and of the good and bountiful Immortals, and of Blessedness the good who is closely knit with the Righteous Order to perfect and to incite us. Yea, we worship Sraosha the blessed and the stately, who smites with victory, and who furthers the settlements in their advance, the holy lord of the ritual order.

YASNA LVII.

1. A blessing is Righteousness (called) the Best, &c.

Propitiation be to Sraosha, Obedience the blessed, the mighty, the incarnate word of reason, whose body is the Mãthra, him of the daring spear, devoted to the Lord, for (his) sacrificial worship, homage, propitiation, and praise.

2. We worship Sraosha, (Obedience) the blessed, the stately, him who smites with the blow of victory, and who furthers the settlements, the holy, (ruling) as the ritual lord. Him do we worship, who in the creation of Mazda the first adored Ahura, with the Baresman spread, who worshipped the Bountiful Immortals (first), who worshipped both the protector and the Creator, who are (both) creating all things in the creation.

3. For his splendour and his glory, for his might, and the blow which smites with victory, I will worship him with the Yasna of the Yazads, with a Yasna loud intoned, him Obedience the blessed, with the consecrated waters, and the good Blessedness, the lofty, and Nairya-sangha, the stately; and may he draw near to us to aid us, he who smites with victory, Obedience the blessed!

4. We worship Sraosha, Obedience the blessed, and that lofty Lord who is Ahura Mazda Himself, Him who has attained the most to this our ritual, Him who has approached the nearest to us in our celebrations. And we worship all the words of Zarathuṣtra, and all the deeds well done (for him), both those that have been done (in times gone by),

and those which are yet to be done (for him in times to come).

5. We worship Sraosha (Obedience) the blessed and the stately, him who smites with the blow of victory, who prospers the settlements, the holy ritual lord, who first spread forth the Baresman, and the three bundles, and the five bundles, and the seven bundles, and the nine, till it was heaped for us knee-high, and to the middle of the thighs, for the Bountiful Immortals, for their worship, and their homage, and their propitiation, and their praise.

For his splendour and his glory, for his might, and the blow which smites with victory, I will worship him with the Yasna of the Yazads, with a Yasna loud intoned, him Obedience the blessed, with the consecrated waters.

7. We worship Sraosha (Obedience) the blessed, the stately, who smites with the blow of victory, who furthers the settlements, the holy ritual chief.

8. Who first chanted the Gâthas, the five Gâthas of Zarathuṣtra, the Spitâma, the holy (with the fashion) of their metres, and after the well-constructed order of their words, together with the Zand which they contain, and the questions which they

utter, and the answers which they give, for the Bountiful Immortals, for their sacrifice and homage, their propitiation, and their praise.

For his splendour and his glory, for his might . . . .

9. We worship Sraosha (Obedience) the blessed and the stately, who smites with the blow of victory, and who furthers the settlements, the holy ritual chief, who for the poor among (our) men and women built a mighty house, who after sunset, and with his levelled battle-axe, smites Aêshema bloody wounds, and having struck the head, casts him lightly (?) (to the earth), as the stronger (smites) the weaker.

For his splendour and his glory, for his might . . . .

11. We worship Sraosha, Obedience the blessed and the stately, him who smites with the blow of victory, who furthers the settlements, the holy ritual chief, as the energetic, and the swift, the strong, the daring (and redoubted) hero, who comes back from all his battles (and comes from them) a conqueror, who amid the Bountiful Immortals sits as companion at their meeting.

For his splendour and his glory, for his might . . . .

13. We worship Sraosha (Obedience) the blessed, who is the strongest and most persistent of the youths, the most energetic, and the swiftest, who of all the youths strikes most with terror from afar (?). [Be ye desirous, O ye Mazdayasnians! of the Yasna of Obedience the blessed.]

14. Far from this house, this village, and this tribe, and from this country, the evil and destructive terrors (shall) depart. In the dwelling of that man in whose abode Obedience the blessed, who smites victoriously, is satisfied and welcomed, there is that holy man who thus contents him (most) forward in the thinking better thoughts, in the speaking truthful (ritual) words, and in the doing holy deeds.

For his splendour and his glory, for his might . . . .

15. We worship Sraosha (Obedience) the blessed and the stately, who is the conqueror of the Kayadha, and the Kâidhya, who was the smiter of the Lie-demon of the Daêvas, the one veritably powerful, the destroyer of the world, who is the guardian and watchman over all the migrations (?) of the tribes.

16. Who sleeplessly and vigilant guards the creatures of Ahura, who sleeplessly and with vigilance

saves them, who with halberd raised on high guards all the corporeal world after setting of the sun, who has never slept in quiet since the two Spirits made the worlds, [the bounteous and the evil one], who guards the homes of Asha, who battles all (?) the days long and the nights with all the Daêvas [(Pâzand) the Mâzanian], nor terror-stricken does he turn in affright before (their power); but before him all the Daêvas turn in affright against their will, and rush to darkness is their fear.

For his splendour and his glory, for his might . . . .

19. We worship Sraosha (Obedience) the blessed, whom Haoma worshipped on the highest height of high Haraiti, he Haoma, the reviver, and the healer, the beautiful, the kingly, of the golden eye, of the gracious words, of the warning and the guarding words, who intones our hymns on every side, who possesses understanding and of every brilliant form, which abounds in many an explanation and revelation of the word, who has the first place in the Mãthra.

For his splendour and his glory, for his might . . . .

21. We worship Sraosha (Obedience) the blessed,

whose house stands with its thousand pillars, as victorious, on the highest height of high Haraiti, self-lighted from within, star-studded from without, to whom the Ahuna-vairya has come, the axe of victory, and the Haptanghâiti, and the Fshûshômãthra which smites with victory, and all the Yasna sections.

For his splendour and his glory, for his might . . . .

23. We worship Sraosha (Obedience) the blessed, by whose might and victorious power, and wise conduct, and (full) knowledge, the Bountiful Immortals descend upon this earth of seven quarters.

24. Who as teacher of the law will stride forth upon this earth with its dwellers in the body, and ruling as he will.

And in this Religion, Ahura Mazda has been confessed with faith, and the Good Mind likewise with Him, and Righteousness the Best, and Khshathra-vairya, and Piety the Bounteous, and the Universal Weal and Immortality; and the question to the Lord is asked, and Mazda's lore (is written).

25. O Sraosha (Obedience), thou blessed one, and stately! protect us for the lives; yea, for both, (for that) of this world which is corporeal, and for the world of mind, against unhappy death, and the remorseless Wrath of rapine, against the hosts with ill-intent, who lift their bloody spears against us;

yea, against their assaults whom the Wrath-demon will set on, and Vîdhâtu, demon-made. 26. Therefore may’st thou, O Sraosha, the blessed and the stately! grant swiftness to our teams, soundness to our bodies, and abundant observation of our foes, and their smiting (as we mark them), and their sudden death.

For his splendour and his glory, for his might . . . .

27. We worship Sraosha (Obedience) the blessed, whom four racers draw in harness, white and shining, beautiful, and powerful, quick to learn, and fleet, obeying before speech, heeding orders from the mind, with their hoofs of horn gold-covered, fleeter than (our) horses, swifter than the winds, more rapid than the rain(-drops as they fall); yea, fleeter than the clouds, or well-winged birds, or the well-shot arrow as it flies, which overtake these swift ones all, as they fly after them pursuing, but which are never overtaken when they flee, which plunge away from both the weapons (hurled on this side and on that) and draw Sraosha with them, the good Sraosha and the blessed; which from both the weapons (those on this side and on that) bear the good Obedience the blessed, plunging forward in their zeal, when he takes his course from India on the East, and when he lights down in the West.

For his splendour and his glory, for his might . . . .

30. We worship Obedience the blessed and the stately, who though lofty and so high, yea, even to the girdle, yet stoops to Mazda's creatures, who thrice within the day, and three times of a night, will drive on to that Karshvar Hvaniratha, called the luminous, as he holds in both the hands and poizes his knife-like battle-axe, which flies as of itself, and to cleave the Daêvas’ skulls, to hew down Angra Mainyu, the wicked, and to hew down Rapine of the bloody spear, to hew down the Daêvas of Mazendran, and every Demon-god.

For his splendour and his glory, for his might . . . .

33. We worship Sraosha (Obedience) the blessed and the stately, him who smites with victory, both here and not here, and on this entire earth. And we worship all the (gifts) of Sraosha (Obedience) the blessed, the mighty, and the strong, whose body is the Mãthra.

Yea, we worship (all the martial gifts) of Sraosha (Obedience) the mighty, both armed with shielding armour, and a warrior strong of hand, skull-cleaver of the Daêvas, conquering the endowments of the conqueror, the holy conqueror of the conqueror, and (his) victorious powers, and the Ascendency which it bestows, and we worship

this Ascendency of Sraosha's (the same which conquers theirs); and that of Arṣti do we praise as well. 34. And every house by Sraosha guarded do we worship, wherein the blessed friendly Sraosha is befriended and made welcome, where, the holy man is far advanced (?) in holy thoughts, and righteous words and deeds.

For his splendour and his glory, for his might, which smites with victory, I will worship him with the Yasna of the Yazads, with a Yasna loud-intoned, him Obedience the blessed, with the consecrated waters, and the good Blessedness, the lofty, and Nairya-sangha, the stately, and may he come to us to aid us, he who smites with victory, Obedience the blessed!

YASNA LVIII.

1. (Introduction.) (To the increase of our homage and praise of God) we offer this service which, as our defence, may shield us, which is worship with its beneficent results; and Blessedness is with it of a verity, and Piety as well. [(Pâzand) and of this worship the results here mentioned are the well-thought thought, the word well spoken, and the deed well done]; and let this our worship shelter us from the Daêva and from the evil-minded man. 2. And to this worship do we confide our settlements

and persons for protection and care, for guarding, and for oversight; and in this worship will we abide, O Ahura Mazda! and with joy.

In this worship do we exercise our choices; and to it will we approach, and to it will we belong; yea, to revering worship will we confide our settlements and persons for protection, and for care, for guarding, and for oversight, to such worship as is the praise of such as You.

MÃTHRA.

4. The owner of herds is the righteous (one), and he is victorious when he strikes, and thus he is the best; [(Pâzand) we therefore offer (this) service (for herd-owners)] for the herd-owner is the father of the Kine by the help of him who follows the ritual order; and he is the father of the holy man as well, and of the sanctified creation. He is in verity the bestower of blessings, and to him, O Ye Bountiful Immortals! we render, (and his do we make) Your greatness, Your goodness, and Your (spiritual) beauty, and let this man, the cattle-owner, approach to guard over us; and may he be our watchman together with the Righteous Order, and with store for our nourishment and full generous liberality, together with sharing of the goods, with gentleness, and with Ahura Mazda's sacred Fire!

5. O Ye Bountiful Immortals! as Ye have made us, so do Ye save us, holy men, and saintly women (as we are, and steadfast in the faith). Save us, O Ye Bountiful Immortals! Ye who rule aright and who dispose (of all) aright, for none other do I know, save You; then with Your Righteousness do Ye save us.

6. And we offer hereby our thoughts, and words, and actions, our herds, and men, to the Bountiful Spirit. And may the creative stars of Ahura Mazda, the Creator, shine down on us, and round about us with full herds and healthy settlements, with healthy herds and healthy men, and with all in vigour, and endowed with the blessing of the Lord. 7. Praise to Thee, O Fire of Ahura Mazda! may’st thou come to (us in) the greatest one of the engrossing interests for the help of the great (effort), for the joy-producing grace of the great (interest of our cause); grant us both Weal and Deathlessness!

8. We sacrifice to the entire collection of the Praises of the Yasna, with the careful structure of their language which has reached the most its object. And we offer (our homage) in our celebrations to Thy body, O Ahura Mazda! the most beautiful of forms, these stars, and to that one, the highest of the high [(Pâzand) such as the sun was called]. Yea, we worship the Praises of the Yasna which were the production of the world of old.

YASNA LIX.

1-17. (See Y. XVII, 1-17.) 18-27. (See Y. XXVI, 1-10.) 28. We worship Verethraghna, the Ahura-made, the victorious blow; and we worship the Saoshyaṉt, who smites with victory; and we sacrifice to this Baresman with its Zaothra and its girdle (which is its band) and which is spread with sanctity. And we sacrifice to (our) own soul(s), and to (our) own Fravashi(s). 29. (See Y. XVII, 19.) 30. (The Ratu speaks): O thou good (servant of the Lord)! may that be thine which is better than the good; may’st thou acquire that which is (thine) own in the Zaothra; may’st thou attain to that reward which the Zaotar has been obtaining, who is far advanced in his good thoughts, and words, and deeds.

31. (The Zaotar speaks): May that happen to you (likewise) which is better than the good, and may that not happen which is worse than the evil, and may that likewise not be my lot. 32. As (our) Ahû (is) excellent, so (is our) Ratu (one who rules) from his Righteousness, a creator of mental goodness, and of life's actions done for Mazda, and the Kingdom (is) to Ahura which to the poor will offer a nurturer. A blessing is Asha called the Best, &c. We sacrifice to the Ahuna-vairya; we sacrifice to Asha Vahiṣta the most beautiful, the Bountiful

Immortal. And we sacrifice to the Fshûshô-mãthra, the by-spoken. And we sacrifice to the entire collection of the Praises of the Yasna; (yea), to the Yasna Praises which were instituted in the world of yore.

YASNA LX.

1. Thus that better than the good may he approach, who shows to us straight paths of profit appertaining to this bodily life and to the mental likewise, in the eternal (?) realms where dwells Ahura; yea, may he approach it, who is Thy worthy servant, and good citizen, O Great giver Lord!

2. May these blessings approach this house, which are the wise perceptions of the saints, the sacred blessings bestowed through the ritual, their guileless characteristics, together with their recognition of what is due; and may the Righteous Order appear for this village, and the Divine Sovereign Power, together with the benefit and glorious welfare (which ensues),

3. And with these the long enduring prominence of this Religion of Ahura's, the Zarathuṣtrian Faith. And may the Kine be now with greatest speed within (the farm-yard of) this house, most speedily

may the rewarded sanctity and the strength of the holy man be here, most speedily as well Ahura's lore. 4. And may the good and heroic and bountiful Fravashis of the saints come here, and may they go hand in hand with us with the healing virtues of (their) blessed gifts as wide-spread as the earth, as far-spread as the rivers, as high-reaching as the sun, for the furtherance of the better men, for the hindrance of the hostile, and for the abundant growth of riches and of glory.

5. May Sraosha (Obedience) conquer disobedience within this house, and may peace triumph over discord here, and generous giving over avarice, reverence over contempt, speech with truthful words over lying utterance. May the Righteous Order gain the victory over the Demon of the Lie.

6. As in this (house) the Bountiful Immortals seek for good Yasnas and good praises from the blessed Sraosha (who governs here), and as they seek for (one) good sacrifice and act of homage (more especially their own) which is a good offering (to them) for (our) salvation, and a good offering in praise, together with a long continued offering of the entire self, let not then (their) brilliant glory ever desert this house, nor the bright abundance, nor an illustrious offspring legitimately born, nor that long continued companionship which is the

furtherance of that good blessedness which teaches concerning glory. 8-10 (= Y. VIII, 5-7).

11. In order that our minds may be delighted, and our souls the best, let our bodies be glorified as well, and let them, O Mazda! go likewise openly (unto Heaven) as the best world of the saints as devoted to Ahura, and accompanied by Asha Vahiṣta (who is Righteousness the Best), and the most beautiful! And may we see Thee, and may we, approaching, come around about Thee, and attain to entire companionship with Thee! And we sacrifice to the Righteous Order, the best, the most beautiful, the bounteous Immortal!

YASNA LXI.

1. Let us peal forth the Ahuna-vairya in our liturgy between the heaven and earth, and let us send forth the Asha Vahiṣta in our prayer the same, and the Yê N hê hâtãm. And let us send forth in our liturgies between the heaven and earth the pious and good prayer of the pious man for blessings, for the encounter with, and for the displacement of Angra Mainyu with his creatures which are likewise evil as he is, for he is filled with death (for those whom he has made). Aye, let us send that petition forth for the encounter with, and for the dislodgment of the Kaḥvaredha and of the individual Kaḥvaredhas the male, and the female

(to the last individual of each), and for the encounter with, and the dislodgment of the Kayadhas, and of the individual Kayadhians, male and female, and of the thieves and robbers, of the Zandas, and the sorcerers, of the covenant breakers, and of those who tamper with the covenants. 4. Yea, we send it forth for the encounter with, and for the overthrow of the murderers of the saints, and of those who hate and torment us for our Faith, and of those who persecute the ritual, and the tyrant full of death. Yea, let us peal them forth for the encounter with, and the overthrow of the wicked, O Zarathuṣtra Spitama! whoever they may be, whose thoughts, and words, and works are not congenial to the holy ritual laws.

5. And how shall we drive the Demon of the Lie from hence from us? Aye, how shall we, the prophets who are yet to serve and save (thy people), drive the Drug from hence, so that we, having power over her as being utterly without power, may drive her hence with blow from the seven Karshvars, for the encounter with, and for the dislodgment of the entire evil world?

YASNA LXII.

1. I offer my sacrifice and homage to thee, the Fire, as a good offering, and an offering with our hail

of salvation, even as an offering of praise with benedictions, to thee, the Fire, O Ahura Mazda's son! Meet for sacrifice art thou, and worthy of (our) homage. And as meet for sacrifice, and thus worthy of our homage, may’st thou be in the houses of men (who worship Mazda). Salvation be to this man who worships thee in verity and truth, with wood in hand, and Baresman ready, with flesh in hand, and holding too the mortar. 2. And may’st thou be (ever) fed with wood as the prescription orders. Yea, may’st thou have thy perfume justly, and thy sacred butter without fail, and thine andirons regularly placed. Be of full-age as to thy nourishment, of the canon's age as to the measure of thy food, O Fire, Ahura Mazda's son! 3. Be now aflame within this house; be ever without fail in flame; be all ashine within this house; be on thy growth within this house; for long time be thou thus to the furtherance of the heroic (renovation), to the completion of (all) progress, yea, even till the good heroic (millennial) time when that renovation shall have become complete. 4. Give me, O Fire, Ahura Mazda's son! a speedy glory, speedy nourishment, and speedy booty, and abundant glory, abundant nourishment, abundant booty, an expanded mind, and nimbleness of tongue for soul and understanding, even an understanding continually growing in its largeness, and that never wanders, and long enduring virile power, an offspring sure of foot, that never sleeps on watch [not for a third part of the day, or night], and that rises quick from bed, and

likewise a wakeful offspring, helpful to nurture, or reclaim, legitimate, keeping order in men's meetings, (yea,) drawing men to assemblies through their influence and word, grown to power, skilful, redeeming others from oppression, served by many followers, which may advance my line (in prosperity and fame), and (my) Vîs, and my Zaṉtu, and (my) province, (yea, an offspring) which may deliver orders to the Province as (firm and righteous rulers). 6. And may’st thou grant me, O Fire, Ahura Mazda's Son! that whereby instructors may be (given) me, now and for evermore, (giving light to me of Heaven) the best life of the saints, brilliant, all glorious. And may I have experience of the good reward, and the good renown, and of the long forecasting preparation of the soul. 7. The Fire of Ahura Mazda addresses this admonition to all for whom he cooks the night and morning (meal). From all these, O Spitama! he wishes to secure good care, and healthful care (as guarding for salvation), the care of a true praiser. 8. At both the hands of all who come by me, I, the Fire, keenly look: What brings the mate to his mate (thus I say to him), the one who walks at large, to him who sits at home? [We worship the bounteous Fire, the swift-driving charioteer.]

9. And if this man who passes brings him wood brought (with good measure that is) with sacred care, or if he brings the Baresman spread with sanctity, or

the Hadhânaêpata plant, then afterwards Ahura Mazda's Fire will bless him, contented, not offended, and in (its) satisfaction (saying thus). 10. May a herd of kine be with thee, and a multitude of men, may an active mind go with thee, and an active soul as well. As a blest soul may’st thou live through thy life, the nights which thou shall live. This is the blessing of the Fire for him who brings it wood (well) dried, sought out for flaming, purified with the earnest blessing of the sacred ritual truth. 11. We strive after the flowing on of the good waters, and their ebb as well, and the sounding of their waves, desiring their propitiation; I desire to approach them with my praise. 12 = Y. III, 24, 25.

YASNA LXIII.

(See Y. XV, 2; Y. LXVI, 2; Y. XXXVIII, 3.)

YASNA LXIV.

(See Y. XLVI, 3; Y. L, 6-11.)

YASNA LXV.

1. I will praise the water Ardvi Sûra Anâhita, the wide-flowing (as it is) and healing in its influence,

efficacious against the Daêvas, devoted to Ahura's lore, and to be worshipped with sacrifice within the corporeal world, furthering all living things (?) and holy, helping on the increase and improvement of our herds and settlements, holy, and increasing our wealth, holy, and helping on the progress of the Province, holy (as she is)? 2. (Ardvi Sûra Anâhita) who purifies the seed of all male beings, who sanctifies the wombs of all women to the birth, who makes all women fortunate in labour, who brings all women a regular and timely flow of milk, (Ardvi Sûra Anâhita) with a volume sounding from afar, which is alone equal in its bulk to all the waters which flow forth upon earth, which flows down with mighty volume from high Hukairya to the sea Vouru-kasha. 4. And all the gulfs in Vouru-kasha are stirred (when it falls down), all the middle doth well up when Ardvi Sûra Anâhita rushes in, when she plunges foaming into them, she, whose are a thousand tributaries, and a thousand outlets, and each as it flows in, or rushes out, is a forty days’ ride in length to a rider mounted well.

5. And the (chief) outlet to this one water (Ardvi Sûra Anâhita) goes apart, dividing to all the seven Karshvars. And this outlet to my river, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita, bears off its waters always in summer and in winter. This my river purifies the seed of men, and wombs of women, and women's milk.

6. Let the saints’ Fravashis now draw near, those of the saints who live, or have lived, of those born, or yet to be born; yea, let them come near which

have borne these waters up stream from the nearest ones (that lie below as the outlet pours away).

7. Let not our waters be for the man of ill intent, of evil speech, or deeds, or conscience; let them not be for the offender of a friend, not for an insulter of a Magian, nor for one who harms the workmen, nor for one who hates his kindred. And let not our good waters (which are not only good, but) best, and Mazda-made, help on the man who strives to mar our settlements which are not to be corrupted, nor him who would mar our bodies, (our) uncorrupted (selves), nor the thief, or bludgeon-bearing ruffian who would slaughter the disciples, nor a sorcerer, nor a burier of dead bodies, nor the jealous, nor the niggard, nor the godless heretic who slays disciples, nor the evil tyrant among men. Against these may our waters come as torments. As destructive may these come (?), may they come to him who has done those first (foul evils), as to him who does the last.

9. O waters! rest still within your places while the invoking priest shall offer.

Shall not the invoker make offering to these good waters, and with the inculcated words? (And how shall this be done?) Shall he not be tongue-fettered, if he offers else than with the ritual? Shall (not) the words be so delivered as the Aêthrapaiti teaches? Where shall the blessings be (inserted)? Where the supplications with confessions? Where the gifts of those that offer? 10. (It shall be only thus) as Ahura Mazda showed before to Zarathuṣtra, and as Zarathuṣtra

taught the corporeal worlds (the men on earth)! Thou shalt pray the first petition to the waters, O Zarathuṣtra, and after that thou shalt offer the Zaothras to the waters, sanctified, and sought out with pious care; and thou shalt pronounce these words (as follows, thus): O ye waters, I beseech of you this favour; and grant ye me this great one in whose bestowal ye flow down to me for the bettering (of my state), with a never-failing truth. O ye waters, I beseech of you for wealth of many kinds (which gives) power (to its holder), and for an offspring self-dependent whom multitudes will bless, and for whose wasting, or defeat, or death, or vengeful punishment, or overtaking, no one prays. 12. And this do I beseech of you, O waters, this, O ye lands, and this, ye plants! This wealth and offspring I beseech of You, O Ye Bountiful Immortals, who rule aright, who dispose (of all) aright, O Ye good beings, male and female, givers of good things; and this I beseech of you, O ye beneficent, mighty, and overwhelming Fravashis of the saints, and this (of thee), O Mithra of the wide pastures, and this of thee, O blest and stately Sraosha; and of thee, O Rashnu the most just, and of thee, O Fire, Ahura Mazda's son; and of thee, O lofty lord, the royal Apãm-napâṭ, of the fleet horses; aye, of You all, ye Yazads, bestowers of the better gifts and holy. 13. And this do ye therefore grant me, O ye holy waters, and ye lands!

14. And grant me likewise what is still greater than this all, and still better than this all, and more

beautiful, and more exceeding precious (and that is, Immortality and Welfare), O Ye Yazads, holy and ruling mightily, and powerful at once, and grant it speedily according to this Gâthic (?) word: (Yea), by veritable grace let that be done (?) for us which is most promotive of our weal. 15. And according to this further word again: Grant me, Thou who art maker of the Kine, the plants, and the waters, Immortality and likewise Weal, O Ahura Mazda, Thou most bounteous Spirit. And grant me these two eternal gifts through Thy Good Mind in the doctrine.

16-18. (See Y. XV, 2; Y. LVI, 3-4.)

YASNA LXVI.

1. I am now offering this Zaothra here with sanctity, together with the Haoma and the flesh, and the Hadhânaêpata lifted up with sacred regularity as to thee, O Ahurian One, for the propitiation of Ahura Mazda, of the Bountiful Immortals, of Sraosha (Obedience) the blessed, and of the Fire of Ahura Mazda, the ritual's lofty lord. 2. Y. VII, 5-19. 3. Y. XXII, XXVIII, 24-27.

YASNA LXVII.

1-4. (See Y. XXIII, 1-4, replacing 'I desire to approach with sanctity' by 'I offer with sanctity;' see also Y. VII, 24.) 5-7. (See Y. XXXVIII, 3-5.)

YASNA LXVIII.

1. We offer this to thee, O Ahurian (daughter) of Ahura! as a help (?) for life. If we have offended thee, let this Zaothra then attain to thee (for satisfaction), for it is thine with its Haoma, and its milk, and its Hadhânaêpata. 2. And may’st thou approach to me for milk and for libation, O Zaothra! as health, for healing, and for progress, for growth and in preparation for ceremonial merit, for good renown, for equanimity, and for that victory which makes the settlements advance.

3. Yea, we worship thee with sacrifice, O thou Ahurian (daughter) of Ahura with the Zaothras of the good thought; and we worship, O Ahura, one with the Zaothras of the good word and deed for the enlightenment of the thoughts, and words, and actions, for preparation for the soul, for the settlement's advance, and to prepare the saints endowed with ritual merit.

5. And grant me, O thou Ahurian One! Heaven, and to have an offspring manly and legitimate, who may promote my house, my village, my tribe and province, and the authority thereof.

6. We sacrifice to thee, O thou Ahurian one! And we sacrifice to the sea Vouru-kasha, and to all waters upon earth, whether standing, or running, or waters of the well, or spring-waters which perennially

flow, or the drippings of the rains, or the irrigations of canals. 7. With this hymn from the (spirit of) the Yasna do we worship thee, and with the homage which it offers, as it is the most legitimate Yasna, and homage of them (all) because of Righteousness the Best. We sacrifice to the good waters, and to the best, which Mazda created. 8. And we sacrifice to the two, to the milk and to the libation, which make the waters flow, and the plants sprout forth, opposing therein the Dragon Daêva-made, for the arrest of that cheat the Pairika, and to contradict the insulting malice of the Ashemaogha (the disturber and destroyer of our Faith), and of the unholy tyrant full of death, and of the human Daêva (worshipper) of hateful malice (and intent).

9. And may’st thou hear our sacrificial chants, O thou Ahurian (daughter) of Ahura! Yea, be propitiated by our Yasna, O Ahurian one! and so may’st thou be present at our Yasna; may’st thou come to us to help, as we chant our full-offered Yaṣt, with the full offering of Zaothras.

10. If any man shall sacrifice to you, O ye good waters, the Ahurian ones of Ahura! with the best and most fitting Zaothras offered piously, to that man ye give both splendour and glory, with health and vigour of the body and prominence of form; yea, to him ye give possessions which entail abundant glory, and a legitimate scion, and a long enduring life, and (Heaven at the last), the best life of the saints, shining, all glorious. 12. And to me also do ye now give it, to me who am offering this Yasna as a priest.

(Response.) And to us Mazdayasnians who are likewise offering sacrifice, do ye grant (both the desire and knowledge of the path that is correct), to us colleagues, and disciples, Aêthrapaitis and Aêthryas, men and women as well as children, and maidens of the field, who think good only, for the overwhelming of oppression and of malice in the raids of the invader, and in face of foes who hate. Grant to us both the desire of, and the knowledge of that straightest path, the straightest because of Righteousness, and of (Heaven) the best life of the Saints, shining, all glorious. As the Ahû is excellent, so is the Ratu (one who rules) from the Righteous Order, a creator of mental goodness and of life's actions done for Mazda. And the kingdom (is) for Ahura, which to the poor may offer nurture. 14. (The Zaotar speaks): I beseech with my benediction for a safe abode, for a joyful and a long abode for the dwellers in this village from whence these Zaothras (which I offer come). And I pray in my benediction for a safe abode, and a quiet and a joyful one, and a long abiding to every Mazdayasnian village, and for a succour even with my wants, for a succour with salutations of salvation, and for one with praises, O Fire! and for thee, O Ahurian one of Ahura! do I ask the fullest Yaṣt.

15. And I pray for (?) Râman Hvâstra for this Province, and for healthfulness and healing. And I pray for it with my blessing for you pious men, for all. And I pray for him who is saintly with (true) goodness, whosoever he may be, between heaven

and the earth, for a thousand healing remedies, and for ten thousand of the same.

16-19. (See Y. VIII, 5-8.) 20. Thus may it happen as I pray. 21. And by this may I gain (that) blessing, the good Blessedness (our sanctity rewarded). And we address, and we invoke religious zeal and capability, and the waters with our Yasna thus: O ye good waters! since (they are) yours, do ye, as you are asked, grant splendour and grant glory, ye who are well able so to give; and do ye, O ye waters! grant (once more) that helpful blessing which was gained from you of old!

22. Praise (be) to Ahura Mazda, and to the Bountiful Immortals. Praise (be) to Mithra of the wide pastures. Praise to the fleet-horsed sun. Praise to (the star which so we name, and with this sun) Ahura Mazda's eyes. Praise to the Kine (the herds of blessed gift). Praise to Gaya (Maretan) and to the Fravashi of Zarathuṣtra (first of) saints; yea, praise to the entire creation of the holy (and the clean), to those now living, and to those just passing into life, and to those of days to come. 23. And do Thou then Ahura, as in answer to these our prayers and songs of praise, cause us to prosper to salvation through Thy Good Mind, the Sovereign Power, and Thy Righteous Order (in Thy ritual and law)!

YASNA LXIX.

YASNA LXIX (SP. LXVIII).

This chapter is composed of fragments: see Y. XV, 2; and Y. LI, 1 and 22.

YASNA LXX.

1. I would worship these (the Bountiful Immortals) with my sacrifice, those who rule aright, and who dispose (of all) aright, and this one (especially) I would approach with my praise, (Ahura Mazda). He is thus hymned (in our praise-songs). Yea, we worship in our sacrifice that deity and lord, who is Ahura Mazda, the Creator, the gracious helper, the maker of all good things; and we worship in our sacrifice Zarathuṣtra Spitâma, that chieftain (of the rite).

2. And we would declare those institutions established for us, exact (and undeviating as they are). And I would declare forth those of Ahura Mazda, those of the Good Mind, and of Asha Vahiṣta (who is Righteousness the Best), and those of Khshatra-vairya (the Realm to be desired), and those of the Bountiful Âramaiti (the Piety within us), and those of Weal and Immortality, and those which appertain to the body of the Kine, and to the Kine's soul, and those which appertain to Ahura Mazda's Fire, and those of Sraosha (Obedience)

the blessed, and of Rashnu the most just, and those of Mithra of the wide pastures, and of (the good and) holy Wind, and of the good Mazdayasnian Religion, and of the good and pious Prayer for blessings, and those of the good and pious Prayer which frees one from belying, and the good and pious Prayer for blessing against unbelieving words. 4. (And these we would declare) in order that we may attain unto that speech which is uttered with (true) religious zeal, or that we may be as prophets of the provinces, that we may succour him who lifts his voice (for Mazda), that we may be as prophets who smite with victory, the befriended of Ahura Mazda, and persons the most useful to Him, holy men (indeed) who think good thoughts, and speak good words, and do good deeds. 5. That he may approach us with the Good Mind, and that (our souls) may advance in good, let it thus come; yea, 'how may my soul advance in good? let it thus advance.'

6. We praise the flood and ebb of the good waters, and their roar, and that high Ahura, the royal Apãm-napâṭ, the glittering one, of the fleet horses; and this for the sacrifice, and homage, and propitiation, and praise of the entire holy creation; and may Sraosha (Obedience) be here (to aid us). 7. (Yea), we sacrifice to Sraosha, Obedience the blessed.

YASNA LXXI.

1. Frashaoṣtra, the holy, asked the saintly Zarathuṣtra: Answer me, O thou most eminent Zarathuṣtra, what is (in very truth) the memorised recital of the rites?

What is the completed delivery of the Gâthas? 2. Upon this Zarathuṣtra said: (It is as follows.) We worship Ahura Mazda with our sacrifice (as) the holy lord of the ritual order; and we sacrifice to Zarathustra likewise as to a holy lord of the ritual order; and we sacrifice also to the Fravashi of Zarathuṣtra, the saint. And we sacrifice to the Bountiful Immortals, (the guardians) of the saints. 3. And we sacrifice to (all) the good heroic and bounteous Fravashis of the saints, of the bodily (world on earth), and of the mental (those in Heaven). And we worship that one of ritual lords who attains the most his ends; and we sacrifice to that one of the Yazads, lords of the ritual order, who is the most strenuous, who gains the most, who reaches most to what he seeks, even that well-timed Prayer which is the prayer of that holy ritual lord, and which has approached the nearest (to us for our help).

4. We sacrifice to Ahura Mazda, the holy lord of

the ritual order, and we worship His entire body, and we worship the Bountiful Immortals all; and we worship all the ritual lords. And we sacrifice to the entire Mazdayasnian Faith. And we worship all the sacred metres.

5. And we worship the entire bounteous Mãthra, even the entire system of the Faith set up against the Daêvas; and we worship its complete and long descent. And we sacrifice to all the holy Yazads, heavenly and earthly; and we worship all the good, heroic, and bountiful Fravashis of the saints. 6. And we worship all the holy creatures which Mazda created, and which possess the holy institutions, which were established holy in their nature, which possess the holy lore, and the holy sacrifice, which are holy, and for the holy, and to be worshipped by the holy. And we worship all the five Gâthas, the holy ones, and the entire Yasna [its flow and its ebb, and the sounding (of its chants)]. 7. And we sacrifice to all the Praises of the Yasna, and to all the words which Mazda spake, which are the most fatal to evil thoughts, and words, and deeds; and which designate the evil thought, and word, and deed, and which then cut down and fell every evil thought, and word, and deed. [(Pâzand.) One would think of it as

when the fire cuts, sucks out, and consumes the dry wood which has been sanctified and carefully selected (for its flame).] And we sacrifice to the strength, the victory, the glory, and the speed of all these words (as they go forth for their work). 9. And we sacrifice to all the springs of water, and to the water-streams as well, and to growing plants, and forest-trees, and to the entire land and heaven, and to all the stars, and to the moon and sun, even to all the lights without beginning (to their course). And we sacrifice to all cattle, and to the aquatic beasts, and to the beasts that live on land, and to all that strike the wing, and to the beasts that roam the plains, and to those of cloven hoof. 10. And to all Thy good and holy female (creatures) in the creation do we sacrifice, (O Thou who art) Ahura Mazda the skilful maker! on account of which Thou hast made many things and good things (in Thy world). And we sacrifice to those male creatures in the creation which are Thine and which are meet for sacrifice because of Asha Vahiṣta (of Righteousness the Best). And we sacrifice to all the mountains brilliant with holiness, and to all the lakes which Mazda created, and to all fires. And we sacrifice to all the truthful and correctly spoken words, even those which have both rewards and Piety within them. Yea, we worship (you) for protection and shielding, for guarding and watching; and may ye be to me for preparation.

I call upon the Gâthas here, the bountiful holy ones,

ruling in the ritual order; yea, we sacrifice to you, (O ye Gâthas!) for protection and shielding, for guarding and watching. Mine may ye be as a preparation. For me, for (mine) own soul I call on (you), and we would worship (you) for protection and for shielding, for guarding and for watching. 12. And we sacrifice to Weal, the complete welfare, holy and ruling in its course in the ritual order; and we sacrifice to Deathlessness (the immortal being of the good), holy, and ruling in the ritual order. And we sacrifice to the question of the Lord, and to His lore, the holy chiefs, and to the heroic Haptanghâiti, the holy lord of the ritual order. 13. (Frasha.) Let the holy Zarathuṣtra himself seek out a friend and a protector. And I say to thee (O Zarathuṣtra!) to make to thee a friend holy beyond the holy, and truer than the true, for that is the better thing; for he is evil who is the best to the evil, and he is holy to whom the holy is a friend, for these are the best of words, those which Ahura Mazda spoke to Zarathuṣtra.

And do thou, O Zarathuṣtra! pronounce these words at the last ending of (thy) life. 15. For if, O Zarathuṣtra! thou shalt pronounce these words at the last ending of (thy) life I, Ahura Mazda, will keep your soul away from Hell. Yea, so far away shall I hold it as is the breadth and extension of the earth [(Pâzand) and the earth is as wide as it is long].

16. As thou dost desire, O holy (one)! so shalt thou be, holy shalt thou cause (thy) soul to pass over

the Kinvaṭ Bridge; holy shalt thou come into Heaven. Thou shalt intone the Gâtha Uṣtavaiti, reciting the salvation hail.

17. We sacrifice to the active man, and to the man of good intent, for the hindrance of darkness, of wasting of the strength and life, and of distraction. And we sacrifice to health and healing, to progress and to growth, for the hindrance of impurity, and of the diseases of the skin.

18. And we sacrifice to the (Yasna's) ending words, to those which end the Gâthas. And we sacrifice to the bounteous Hymns themselves which rule in the ritual course, the holy ones.

And we sacrifice to the Praise-songs of the Yasna which were the products of the world of yore; yea, we sacrifice to all the Staota-Yêsnya hymns. And we sacrifice to (our) own soul and to (our) Fravashi. 19-21. (See Y. VI, 14-16.) 22. I praise, invoke, and I weave my song to the good, heroic, bountiful Fravashis of the saints, to those of the house, and of the village, the district and the province, and to those of the Zarathuṣtrôtemas. 23. And we sacrifice to the Fire, Ahura Mazda's son, the holy ritual chief.

And we sacrifice to this Baresman having the Zaothra with it, and its girdle with it, and spread with sanctity, the holy ritual chief. And we sacrifice to Apãm-napâṭ, and to Nairya-sangha, and to that Yazad, the wise man's swift Curse.

And we sacrifice to the souls of the dead, [which are the Fravashis of the saints]. 24. And we sacrifice to that lofty Lord who is Ahura Mazda Himself.

25. And we pray (again) for the Kine (once more) with these gifts and (ceremonial) actions which are the best. 26-28. (See Y. VIII, 5-7.) 29-31. (See Y. LX, II-13.)

YASNA LXXII.

Mentioned templesAhuraMazdāAšaAšavahišta

Yasht I: Ormazd Yaṣt

0. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced! May Angra Mainyu be destroyed! by those who do truly what is the foremost wish (of God).

I praise well-thought, well-spoken, and well-done thoughts, words, and deeds. I embrace all good thoughts, good words, and good deeds; I reject all evil thoughts, evil words, and evil deeds.

I give sacrifice and prayer unto you, O Amesha-Speñtas! even with the fulness of my thoughts, of my words, of my deeds, and of my heart: I give unto you even my own life.

I recite the 'Praise of Holiness:'

'Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good. Well is it for it, well is it for that holiness which is perfection of holiness!'

I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathuṣtra, one who hates the Daêvas and obeys the laws of Ahura;

For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Hâvani], the holy and master of holiness;

For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Sâvanghi and Vîsya], the holy and masters of holiness;

For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto the Masters of the days, of the periods of the day, of the months, of the seasons, and of the years;

Unto AHURA MAZDA, bright and glorious, be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.

Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness: the riches of Vohû-Manô shall be given to him who works in this world for Mazda, and wields according to the will of Ahura the power he gave him to relieve the poor.

1. Zarathuṣtra asked Ahura Mazda: 'O Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

'What of the Holy Word is the strongest? What is the most victorious? What is the most glorious? What is the most effective?

2. 'What is the most fiend-smiting? What is the best-healing? What destroyeth best the malice of Daêvas and Men? What maketh the material world best come to the fulfilment of its wishes? What freeth the material world best from the anxieties of the heart?'

3. Ahura Mazda answered: 'Our Name, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! who are the Amesha-Speñtas, that is the strongest part of the Holy Word; that is the most victorious; that is the most glorious; that is the most effective;

4. 'That is the most fiend-smiting; that is the best-healing; that destroyeth best the malice of Daêvas and Men; that maketh the material world best come to the fulfilment of its wishes; that freeth the material world best from the anxieties of the heart.'

5. Then Zarathuṣtra said: 'Reveal unto me that name of thine, O Ahura Mazda! that is the greatest, the best, the fairest, the most effective, the most fiend-smiting, the best-healing, that destroyeth best the malice of Daêvas and Men;

6. 'That I may afflict all Daêvas and Men; that I may afflict all Yâtus and Pairikas; that neither Daêvas nor Men may be able to afflict me; neither Yâtus nor Pairikas.'

7. Ahura Mazda replied unto him: 'My name is the One of whom questions are asked, O holy Zarathuṣtra!

'My second name is the Herd-giver.

'My third name is the Strong One.

'My fourth name is Perfect Holiness.

'My fifth name is All good things created by Mazda, the offspring of the holy principle. 'My sixth name is Understanding;

'My seventh name is the One with understanding.

'My eighth name is Knowledge;

'My ninth name is the One with Knowledge.

8. 'My tenth name is Weal;

'My eleventh name is He who produces weal.

'My twelfth name is AHURA (the Lord).

'My thirteenth name is the most Beneficent.

'My fourteenth name is He in whom there is no harm.

'My fifteenth name is the unconquerable One.

'My sixteenth name is He who makes the true account.

'My seventeenth name is the All-seeing One.

'My eighteenth name is the healing One.

'My nineteenth name is the Creator.

My twentieth name is MAZDA (the All-knowing One).

9. 'Worship me, O Zarathuṣtra, by day and by

night, with offerings of libations well accepted. I will come unto thee for help and joy, I, Ahura Mazda; the good, holy Sraosha will come unto thee for help and joy; the waters, the plants, and the Fravashis of the holy ones will come unto thee for help and joy.

10. 'If thou wantest, O Zarathuṣtra, to destroy the malice of Daêvas and Men, of the Yâtus and Pairikas, of the oppressors, of the blind and of the deaf, of the two-legged ruffians, of the two-legged Ashemaoghas, of the four-legged wolves;

And of the hordes with the wide front, with the many spears, with the straight spears, with the spears uplifted, bearing the spear of havock; then, recite thou these my names every day and every night.

12. 'I am the Keeper I am the Creator and the Maintainer; I am the Discerners; I am the most beneficent Spirit.

'My name is the bestower of health; my name is the best bestower of health.

'My name is the Âthravan; my name is the most Âthravan-like of all Âthravans.

'My name is Ahura (the Lord).

'My name is Mazdau (the all-knowing).

'My name is the Holy; my name is the most Holy.

'My name is the Glorious; my name is the most Glorious.

'My name is the Full-seeing; my name is the Fullest-seeing.

'My name is the Far-seeing; my name is the Farthest-seeing.

13. 'My name is the Protector; my name is the Well-wisher; my name is the Creator; my name is the Keeper; my name is the Maintainer.

'My name is the Discerner; my name is the Best Discerner.

'My name is the Prosperity-producer; my name is the Word of Prosperity.

'My name is the King who rules at his will;

my name is the King who rules most at his will.

'My name is the liberal King; my name is the most liberal King.

14. 'My name is He who does not deceive; my name is He who is not deceived.

'My name is the good Keeper; my name is He who destroys malice; my name is He who conquers at once; my name is He who conquers everything; my name is He who has shaped everything.

'My name is All weal; my name is Full weal; my name is the Master of weal.

15. 'My name is He who can benefit at his wish; my name is He who can best benefit at his wish.

'My name is the Beneficent One; my name is the Energetic One; my name is the most Beneficent.

'My name is Holiness; my name is the Great One; my name is the good Sovereign; my name is the Best of Sovereigns.

'My name is the Wise One; my name is the Wisest of the Wise; my name is He who does good for a long time.

16. 'These are my names.

'And he who in this material world, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! shall recite and pronounce those names of mine either by day or by night;

17. 'He who shall pronounce them, when he rises up or when he lays him down; when he lays him down or when he rises up; when he binds on the sacred girdle or when he unbinds the sacred girdle; when he goes out of his dwelling-place, or when he goes out of his town, or when he goes out of his country and comes into another country;

18. 'That man, neither in that day nor in that night, shall be wounded by the weapons of the foe who rushes Aêshma-like and is Druǧ-minded; not the knife, not the cross-bow, not the arrow, not the sword, not the club, not the sling-stone shall reach and wound him.

19. 'But those names shall come in to keep him from behind and to keep him in front, from the Druǧ unseen, from the female Varenya fiend, from the evil-doer bent on mischief, and from that fiend who is all death, Angra Mainyu. It will be as if there were a thousand men watching over one man.

20. '"Who is he who will smite the fiend in order to maintain thy ordinances? Teach me clearly thy

rules for this world and for the next, that Sraosha may come with Vohu-Manô and help whomsoever thou pleasest."

21. 'Hail to the Glory of the Kavis! Hail to the Airyanem Vaêǧah! Hail to the Saoka, made by Mazda! Hail to the waters of the Dâitya! Hail to Ardvi, the undefiled well! Hail to the whole world of the holy Spirit!

'Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord . . . .

'Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good. . . .

22. 'We worship the Ahuna Vairya. We worship Asha-Vahiṣta, most fair, undying, and beneficent. We worship Strength and Prosperity and Might and Victory and Glory and Vigour. We worship Ahura Mazda, bright and glorious.

'Yênghê hâtãm: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda knows the goodness for a sacrifice

[performed] in holiness, all those beings, males and females, do we worship.

23. 'Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness . . . .

'I bless the sacrifice and the prayer unto Ahura Mazda, bright and glorious, and his strength and vigour

(Bahman Yaṣt.)

24. 'O Zarathuṣtra! keep thou for ever that man who is friendly [to me] from the foe unfriendly [to me]! Do not give up that friend unto the stroke (of the foe), unto vexations to be borne; wish no harm unto that man who would offer me a sacrifice, be it ever so great or ever so small, if it has reached unto us, the Amesha-Speñtas.

25. 'Here is Vohu-Manô, my creature, O Zarathuṣtra! here is Asha-Vahiṣta, my creature, O Zarathuṣtra! here is Khṣathra-Vairya, my creature, O Zarathuṣtra! here is Speñta-Ârmaiti, my creature, O Zarathuṣtra! here are Haurvatâṭ and Ameretâṭ, who are the reward of the holy ones, when freed from their bodies, my creatures, O Zarathuṣtra!

26. 'Thou knowest this, and how it is, O holy Zarathuṣtra! from my understanding and from my knowledge; namely, how the world first began, and how it will end.

'A thousand remedies, ten thousand remedies!

'A thousand remedies, ten thousand remedies!

'A thousand remedies, ten thousand remedies!

27. '[We worship] the well-shapen, tall-formed Strength; Verethraghna, made by Ahura; the crushing Ascendant, and Speñta-Ârmaiti.

28. 'And with the help of Speñta-Ârmaiti, break ye asunder their malice, turn their minds astray, bind their hands, make their knees quake against one another, bind their tongues.

'When, O Mazda! shall the faithful smite the wicked? When shall the faithful smite the Druǧ? When shall the faithful smite the wicked?'

29. Then Zarathuṣtra said: 'I threw you back into the earth, and by the eyes of Speñta-Ârmaiti the ruffian was made powerless.

30. 'We worship the powerful Gaokerena, made by Mazda; the powerful Gaokerena, made by Mazda.

31. 'We worship the memory of Ahura Mazda, to keep the Holy Word.

'We worship the understanding of Ahura Mazda, to study the Holy Word.

'We worship the tongue of Ahura Mazda, to speak forth the Holy Word.

'We worship the mountain that gives understanding, that preserves understanding; [we worship it] by day and by night, with offerings of libations well-accepted.

32. 'We worship that creation [of Ahura's], Speñta-Ârmaiti; and the holy creations of that creature and of Asha [Vahiṣta], that are foremost in holiness.

'Here I take as lord and master the greatest of all, Ahura Mazda; to smite the fiend Angra Mainyu to smite Aêṣma of the wounding spear; to smite the Mâzainya fiends 6; to smite all the Daêvas and the Varenya fiends; to increase Ahura Mazda,

bright and glorious; to increase the Amesha-Speñtas; to increase the star Tiṣtrya, the bright and glorious; to increase the faithful men; to increase all the holy creatures of the Beneficent Spirit.

'Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good. . . .

33. '[Give] unto that man brightness and glory, give him health of body, give him sturdiness of body, give him victorious strength of body, give him full welfare of wealth, give him a virtuous offspring, give him long, long life, give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones.

'May it come according to my blessing!

'A thousand remedies, ten thousand remedies! (three times.)

'Come to me for help, O Mazda!

'We worship the well-shapen, tall-formed Strength, and Verethraghna, made by Mazda, and the crushing Ascendant.

'We worship Râma Hvâstra, and Vayu who works highly and is more powerful to destroy than all other creatures. That part of thee do we worship, O Vayu, that belongs to Speñta Mainyu. We worship the sovereign Sky, the boundless Time, and the sovereign Time of the long Period.

'Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good . . . .'

Mentioned templesAhuraMazdāAšaAšavahištaHaurvatātAmərətāt

Yasht II: Haptân Yaṣt

0. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced! . . . .

Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good . . . .

I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathuṣtra, one who hates the Daêvas and obeys the laws of Ahura;

For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Hâvani], the holy and master of holiness . . . .

1. To Ahura Mazda, bright and glorious, and to the Amesha-Speñtas;

To Vohu-Manô; to Peace, whose breath is friendly, and who is more powerful to destroy than all other creatures; to the heavenly Wisdom, made by Mazda, and to the Wisdom acquired through the ear, made by Mazda;

2. To Asha-Vahiṣta, the fairest; to the much-desired Airyaman; to the instrument made by Mazda; and to the good Saoka, with eyes of love, made by Mazda and holy;

To Khshathra-Vairya; to the metals; to Mercy and Charity.

3. To the good Speñta-Ârmaiti, and to the good Râta, with eyes of love, made by Mazda and holy;

To Haurvatâṭ, the master; to the prosperity of the seasons and to the years, the masters of holiness;

And to Ameretâṭ, the master; to fatness and flocks; to the plenty of corn; and to the powerful Gaokerena, made by Mazda.

4. (At the Gâh Hâvan): To Mithra, the lord of wide pastures and to Râma Hvâstra.

(At the Gâh Rapithwin): To Asha-Vahiṣta and to Âtar, the son of Ahura Mazda.

(At the Gâh Uzîren): To Apãm Napâṭ, the tall lord, and to water, made by Mazda.

5. (At the Gâh Aiwisrûthrem): To the Fravashis of the faithful and to the females that bring forth flocks of males; to the prosperity of the seasons; to the well-shapen and tall-formed Strength; to Verethraghna, made by Ahura, and to the crushing Ascendant.

(At the Gâh Uṣahin): To the holy, devout, fiend-smiting Sraosha, who makes the world grow; to Rashnu-Raziṣta and to Arṣtâṭ, who makes the world grow, who makes the world increase;

Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification!

Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness . . . .

6 We sacrifice unto Ahura Mazda, bright and glorious; we sacrifice unto the Amesha-Speñtas, the all-ruling, the all-beneficent.

We sacrifice unto Vohu-Manô, the Amesha-Speñta; we sacrifice unto Peace, whose breath is friendly, and who is more powerful to destroy than all other creatures; we sacrifice unto the heavenly Wisdom, made by Mazda; we sacrifice unto the wisdom acquired through the ear, made by Mazda.

7. We sacrifice unto Asha-Vahiṣta, the fairest, the Amesha-Speñta; we sacrifice unto the much-desired Airyaman; we sacrifice unto the instrument made by Mazda; we sacrifice unto the good Saoka, with eyes of love, made by Mazda and holy.

We sacrifice unto Khshathra-Vairya; we sacrifice unto the metals; we sacrifice unto Mercy and Charity.

8. We sacrifice unto the good Speñta-Ârmaiti; we sacrifice unto the good Râta, with eyes of love, made by Mazda and holy.

We sacrifice unto Haurvatâṭ, the Amesha-Speñta; we sacrifice unto the prosperity of the seasons; we sacrifice unto the years, the holy and masters of holiness.

We sacrifice unto Ameretâṭ, the Amesha-Speñta; we sacrifice unto fatness and flocks; we sacrifice unto the plenty of corn; we sacrifice unto the powerful Gaokerena, made by Mazda.

9. (At the Gâh Hâvan): We sacrifice unto

Mithra, the lord of wide pastures; we sacrifice unto Râma Hvâstra.

(At the Gâh Rapithwin): We sacrifice unto Asha-Vahiṣta and Âtar, the son of Ahura Mazda.

(At the Gâh Uzîren): We sacrifice unto Apãm Napâṭ, the swift-horsed, the tall and shining lord, the lord of the females; we sacrifice unto the holy waters, made by Mazda.

10. (At the Gâh Aiwisrûthrem): We sacrifice unto the good, powerful, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful; we sacrifice unto the females who bring forth flocks of males; we sacrifice unto the prosperity of the seasons; we sacrifice unto the well-shapen, tall-formed Strength; we sacrifice unto Verethraghna, made by Mazda; we sacrifice unto the crushing Ascendant.

(At the Gâh Uṣahin): We sacrifice unto the holy, tall-formed, fiend-smiting Sraosha, who makes the world grow, the holy and master of holiness; we sacrifice unto Rashnu-Raziṣta; we sacrifice unto Arṣtâṭ, who makes the world grow, who makes the world increase.

11. Let the Yâtus be crushed, O Zarathuṣtra! both Daêvas and men.

Who is he in whose house, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! every Druǧ is destroyed, every Druǧ perishes, when he pronounces these words:

12 . . . . . . . . . ?

13. It is he who takes the seven Amesha-Speñtas,

the all-ruling, the all-beneficent, as a shield against his enemies.

We worship the Law of the worshippers of Mazda; we worship the waters coming in the shape of a horse, made by Mazda.

14-15. He has renounced trespasses and faults, O Zarathuṣtra! he has renounced all trespasses and faults, O Zarathuṣtra! when he throws down the destroyer of Vohu-Manô and his words, with a hundred times hundredfold, with a many times manifold preaching and smiting, and he takes away the Law of Mazda, that was carried away as a prisoner, from the hands of the [ungodly], who are destroyed by his strength.

Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good. . . .

16. Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness . . . .

I bless the sacrifice and the prayer, the strength and vigour

Of Ahura Mazda, bright and glorious, and of the Amesha-Speñtas;

Of Vohu-Manô; of Peace, whose breath is friendly . . . .

Of Asha-Vahiṣta, the fairest; of the much-desired Airyaman . . . .

Of Khshathra-Vairya, of the metals . .

Of the good Speñta-Ârmaiti and of the good Râta. . . .

Of Haurvatâṭ, the master . . . .

Of Ameretâṭ, the master . . . .

(At the Gâh Hâvan): Of Mithra . . . .

(At the Gâh Rapithwin): Of Asha-Vahiṣta . . .

(At the Gâh Uzîren): Of the high lord Apãm Napâṭ . . . .

(At the Gâh Aiwisrûthrem): Of the Fravashis of the faithful . . .

(At the Gâh Uṣahin): Of the holy, devout, fiend-smiting Sraosha, who makes the world grow; of Rashnu-Raziṣta and of Arṣtâṭ, who makes the world grow, who makes the world increase.

Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good . . .

Give unto that man brightness and glory, give him health of body, give him sturdiness of body, give him victorious strength of body, give him full welfare of wealth, give him a virtuous offspring, give him long, long life, give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones.

Mentioned templesAhuraMazdāAšaAšavahištaHaurvatātAmərətāt

Yasht III: Ardibehiṣt Yaṣt

0. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced! . . . .

Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good . . . .

I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathuṣtra, one who hates the Daêvas and obeys the laws of Ahura; For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Hâvani], the holy and master of holiness . . . .

Unto Asha-Vahiṣta, the fairest; unto the much-desired Airyaman, made by Mazda, and unto the good Saoka, with eyes of love, made by Mazda and holy;

Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.

Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness. . . .

1. Ahura Mazda spake unto Spitama Zarathuṣtra, saying: 'That thou mayest increase Asha-Vahiṣta, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! with hymns of praise, with performance of the office, with invocations, holy words, sacrifice, blessings, and adoration—once to abide in the shining luminous space, in the beautiful abodes—for the sacrifice and invocation of us, the Amesha-Speñtas' . . . .

2. Zarathuṣtra said: 'Say unto me the right words, such as they are, O Ahura Mazda! that I may increase Asha-Vahiṣta, with hymns of praise,

with performance of the office, with invocations, holy words, sacrifice, blessings, and adoration,—once to abide in the shining luminous space, in the beautiful abodes,—for the sacrifice and invocation of you, the Amesha-Speñtas.

3. '. . . . I proclaim Asha-Vahiṣta: if I proclaim Asha-Vahiṣta, then easy is the way to the abode of the other Amesha-Speñtas, which Ahura Mazda keeps with Good Thoughts, which Ahura Mazda keeps with Good Words, which Ahura Mazda keeps with Good Deeds;

4. '(Easy is the way to the Garô-nmâna of Ahura Mazda): the Garô-nmâna is for the holy souls, and no one of the wicked can enter the Garô-nmâna and its bright, wide, holy ways; (no one of them can go) to Ahura Mazda.

5. 'The Airyaman prayer smites down the strength of all the creatures of Angra Mainyu, of the Yâtus and Pairikas. It is the greatest of spells, the best of spells, the very best of all spells; the

fairest of spells, the very fairest of all spells; the fearful one amongst spells, the most fearful of all spells; the firm one amongst spells, the firmest of all spells; the victorious one amongst spells, the most victorious of all spells; the healing one amongst spells, the best-healing of all spells.

6. 'One may heal with Holiness, one may heal with the Law, one may heal with the knife, one may heal with herbs, one may heal with the Holy Word: amongst all remedies this one is the healing one that heals with the Holy Word; this one it is that will best drive away sickness from the body of the faithful: for this one is the best-healing of all remedies.

7. 'Sickness fled away [before it], Death fled away; the Daêva fled away, the Daêva's counter-work fled away; the unholy Ashemaogha fled away, the oppressor of men fled away.

8. 'The brood of the Snake fled away; the brood of the Wolf fled away; the brood of the Two-legged fled away. Pride fled away; Scorn fled away; Hot Fever fled away; Slander fled away; Discord fled away; the Evil Eye fled away.

9. 'The most lying words of falsehood fled away; the Ǧahi, addicted to the Yâtu, fled away; the

Ǧahi, who makes one pine, fled away; the wind that blows from the North fled away; the wind that blows from the North vanished away.

10. 'He it is who smites me that brood of the Snake, and who might smite those Daêvas by thousands of thousands, by ten thousands of ten thousands; he smites sickness, he smites death, he smites the Daêvas, he smites the Daêva's counter-work, he smites the unholy Ashemaogha, he smites the oppressor of men.

11. 'He smites the brood of the Snake; he smites the brood of the Wolf; he smites the brood of the Two-legged. He smites Pride; he smites Scorn; he smites Hot Fever; he smites Slander; he smites Discord; he smites the Evil Eye.

12. 'He smites the most lying words of falsehood; he smites the Ǧahi, addicted to the Yâtu; he smites the Ǧahi, who makes one pine. He smites the wind that blows from the North; the wind that blows from the North vanished away.

13. 'He it is who smites me that brood of the Two-legged, and who might smite those Daêvas, by thousands of thousands, by ten thousands of ten thousands. Angra Mainyu, who is all death, the worst-lying of all Daêvas, rushed from before him

14. 'He exclaimed, did Angra Mainyu: "Woe is me! Here is the god Asha-Vahiṣta, who will smite the sickliest of all sicknesses, who will afflict the sickliest of all sicknesses;

'"He will smite the deadliest of all deaths, he will afflict the deadliest of all deaths;

'"He will smite the most fiendish of all fiends, he will afflict the most fiendish of all fiends;

'"He will smite the most counter-working of all counter-works, he will afflict the most counter-working of all counter-works;

'"He will smite the unholy Ashemaogha, he will afflict the unholy Ashemaogha;

'"He will smite the most oppressive of the oppressors of men, he will afflict the most oppressive of the oppressors of men.

15. '"He will smite the snakiest of the Snake's brood, he will afflict the snakiest of the Snake's brood;

'"He will smite the most wolfish of the Wolf's brood, he will afflict the most wolfish of the Wolf's brood;

'"He will smite the worst of the two-legged brood, he will afflict the worst of the two-legged brood;

'"He will smite Pride, he will afflict Pride;

'"He will smite Scorn, he will afflict Scorn;

'"He will smite the hottest of hot fevers, he will afflict the hottest of hot fevers;

'"He will smite the most slanderous of slanders, he will afflict the most slanderous of slanders;

'"He will smite the most discordant of discords, he will afflict the most discordant of discords;

'"He will smite the worst of the Evil Eye, he will afflict the worst of the Evil Eye.

16. '"He will smite the most lying words of falsehood, he will afflict the most lying words of falsehood;

'"He will smite the Ǧahi, addicted to the Yâtu, he will afflict the Ǧahi, addicted to the Yâtu;

'"He will smite the Ǧahi, who makes one pine, he will afflict the Ǧahi, who makes one pine;

'"He will smite the wind that blows from the North, he will afflict the wind that blows from the North."

17. 'The Druǧ will perish away, the Druǧ will perish; the Druǧ will rush, the Druǧ will vanish. Thou perishest away to the regions of the North, never more to give unto death the living world of the holy spirit.

18. 'For his brightness and glory I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard, namely, unto Asha-Vahiṣta, the fairest, the Amesha-Speñta. Unto Asha-Vahiṣta, the fairest, the Amesha-Speñta, we offer up the libations, the Haoma and meat, the baresma, the wisdom of the tongue, the holy spells, the speech, the deeds, the libations, and the rightly-spoken words.

'Yêṉhê hâtãm: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda knows the goodness . . . .

19. 'Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness . . . .

'I bless the sacrifice and prayer and the strength and vigour of Asha-Vahiṣta, the fairest; of the much-desired Airyaman, made by Mazda; and of the good Saoka, with eyes of love, made by Mazda and holy.

'Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good . . . .

'[Give] unto that man brightness and glory, give him health of body; . . . . give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones.'

Mentioned templesAhuraMazdāAšaAšavahišta

Yasht IV: Khordâd Yaṣt

0. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced! . . . .

Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good . . . .

I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathuṣtra, one who hates the Daêvas and obeys the laws of Ahura;

For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Hâvani], the holy and master of holiness . . . . .

Unto Haurvatâṭ, the master; unto the prosperity

of the seasons and unto the years, the masters of holiness,

Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.

Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness . . . .

We sacrifice unto Haurvatâṭ, the Amesha-Speñta; we sacrifice unto the prosperity of the seasons; we sacrifice unto the years, the holy and masters of holiness.

1. Ahura Mazda spake unto Spitama Zarathuṣtra, saying: 'I created for the faithful the help, the enjoyments, the comforts, and the pleasures of Haurvatâṭ. We unite them with him who would come up to thee as one of the Amesha-Speñtas, as he would come to any of the Amesha-Speñtas, Vohu-Manô, Asha-Vahiṣta, Khshathra-Vairya, Speñta-Ârmaiti, Haurvatâṭ, and Ameretâṭ.

2. 'He who against the thousands of thousands of those Daêvas, against their ten thousands of ten thousands, against their numberless myriads would invoke the name of Haurvatâṭ, as one of the Amesha-Speñtas, he would smite the Nasu, he would smite Haṣi, he would smite Baṣi, he would smite Saêni, he would smite Bûǧi.

3. 'I proclaim the faithful man as the first [of men]; if I proclaim the faithful man as the first

[of men], then Rashnu Raziṣta, then every heavenly Yazata of male nature in company with the Amesha-Speñtas will free the faithful man

4. 'From the Nasu, from Haṣi, from Gaṣi, from Saêni, from Bûǧi; from the hordes with the wide front, from the hordes with the many spears uplifted, from the evil man who oppresses, from the wilful sinner, from the oppressor of men, from the Yâtu, from the Pairika, from the straying way.

5. 'How does the way of the faithful turn and part from the way of the wicked?'

Ahura Mazda answered: 'It is when a man pronouncing my spell, either reading or reciting it by heart, draws the furrows and hides there himself, [saying]:

6. "I will smite thee, O Druǧ! whomsoever thou art, whomsoever thou art amongst the Druǧes that come in an open way, whomsoever thou art amongst the Druǧes that come by hidden ways, whomsoever thou art amongst the Druǧes that defile by contact; whatsoever Druǧ thou art, I smite thee away from the Aryan countries; whatsoever Druǧ thou art, I bind thee; I smite thee down, O Druǧ! I throw thee down below, O Druǧ!"

7. 'He draws [then] three furrows: I proclaim him one of the faithful; he draws six furrows: I proclaim him one of the faithful; he draws nine furrows: I proclaim him one of the faithful.

8. 'The names of those (Amesha-Speñtas) smite the men turned to Nasus by the Druǧes; the seed and kin of the deaf are smitten, the scornful are dead, as the Zaotar Zarathuṣtra blows them away to woe, however fierce, at his will and wish, as many as he wishes.

9. 'From the time when the sun is down he smites them with bruising blows; from the time when the sun is no longer up, he deals deadly blows on the Nasu with his club struck down, for the propitiation and glorification of the heavenly gods.

10. 'O Zarathuṣtra! let not that spell be shown to any one, except by the father to his son, or by the brother to his brother from the same womb, or by the Âthravan to his pupil in black hair, devoted to the good law, who, devoted to the good law, holy and brave, stills all the Druǧes.

11. 'For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard, namely, unto Haurvatâṭ, the Amesha-Speñta. Unto Haurvatâṭ, the Amesha-Speñta, we offer up the libations, the Haoma and meat, the baresma, the wisdom of the tongue, the

holy spells, the speech, the deeds, the libations, and the rightly-spoken words.

12. 'Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness . . . .

'I bless the sacrifice and prayer, and the strength and vigour of Haurvatâṭ, the master; of the prosperity of the seasons and of the years, the masters of holiness.

'Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good. . . . .

'[Give] unto that man' brightness and glory, . . . . give him the bright, all happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones.'

Mentioned templesAhuraMazdāHaurvatātAšaAšavahištaAmərətāt

Yasht V: Âbân Yaṣt

0. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced! . . . .

Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good . . . .

I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathuṣtra, one who hates the Daêvas and obeys the laws of Ahura;

For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Hâvani]. the holy and master of holiness . . .

Unto the good Waters, made by Mazda; unto the holy water-spring ARDVI ANÂHITA; unto all waters, made by Mazda; unto all plants, made by Mazda,

Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.

Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness. . . .

1. Ahura Mazda spake unto Spitama Zarathuṣtra, saying: 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita, the wide-expanding and health-giving, who hates the Daêvas and obeys the laws of Ahura, who is worthy of sacrifice in the material world, worthy of prayer in the material world; the life-increasing and holy, the herd-increasing and holy, the fold-increasing and holy, the wealth-increasing and holy, the country-increasing and holy;

2. 'Who makes the seed of all males pure, who makes the womb of all females pure for bringing forth, who makes all females bring forth in safety, who puts milk into the breasts of all females in the right measure and the right duality;

3. 'The large river, known afar, that is as large as the whole of the waters that run along the earth; that runs powerfully from the height Hukairya down to the sea Vouru-Kasha.

4. 'All the shores of the sea Vouru-Kasha are

boiling over, all the middle of it is boiling over, when she runs down there, when she streams down there, she, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita, who has a thousand cells and a thousand channels: the extent of each of those cells, of each of those channels is as much as a man can ride in forty days, riding on a good horse.

5. 'From this river of mine alone flow all the waters that spread all over the seven Karshvares; this river of mine alone goes on bringing waters, both in summer and in winter. This river of mine purifies the seed in males, the womb in females, the milk in females' breasts.

6. 'I, Ahura Mazda, brought it down with mighty vigour, for the increase of the house, of the borough, of the town, of the country, to keep them, to maintain them, to look over them, to keep and maintain them close.

7. 'Then Ardvi Sûra Anâhita, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! proceeded forth from the Maker Mazda. Beautiful were her white arms, thick as a horse's shoulder or still thicker; beautiful was her . . . . , and thus came she, strong, with thick arms, thinking thus in her heart:

8. '"Who will praise me? Who will offer me a sacrifice, with libations cleanly prepared and well-strained, together with the Haoma and meat? To whom shall I cleave, who cleaves unto me, and thinks with me, and bestows gifts upon me, and is of good will unto me?"

9. 'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her

a sacrifice worth being heard; I will offer up unto the holy Ardvi Sûra Anâhita a good sacrifice with an offering of libations;—thus mayest thou advise us when thou art appealed to! Mayest thou be most fully worshipped, O Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! with the Haoma and meat, with the baresma, with the wisdom of the tongue, with the holy spells, with the words, with the deeds, with the libations, and with the rightly-spoken words.

'Yêṉhê hâtãm: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda . . . .

10. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita, the wide-expanding and health-giving, who hates the Daêvas and obeys the laws of Ahura, who is worthy of sacrifice in the material world, worthy of prayer in the material world; the life-increasing and holy, the herd-increasing and holy, the fold-increasing and holy, the wealth-increasing and holy, the country-increasing and holy;

11. 'Who drives forwards on her chariot, holding the reins of the chariot. She goes driving, on this chariot, longing for men and thinking thus in her heart: "Who will praise me? Who will offer me a sacrifice, with libations cleanly prepared and well-strained, together with the Haoma and meat? To whom shall I cleave, who cleaves unto me, and thinks with me, and bestows gifts upon me, and is of good will unto me?"

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice, worth being heard . . . .

12. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita. . . .

13. 'Whom four horses carry, all white, of one and the same colour, of the same blood, tall, crushing down the hates of all haters, of the Daêvas and men, of the Yâtus and Pairikas, of the oppressors, of the blind and of the deaf.

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . . .

14. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .

15. 'Strong and bright, tall and beautiful of form, who sends down by day and by night a flow of motherly waters as large as the whole of the waters that run along the earth, and who runs powerfully.

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . .

16. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .

17. 'To her did the Maker Ahura Mazda offer up a sacrifice in the Airyana Vaêǧah, by the good river Dâitya; with the Haoma and meat, with the baresma, with the wisdom of the tongue, with the holy spells, with the words, with the deeds, with the libations, and with the rightly-spoken words.

18. 'He begged of her a boon, saying: "Grant me this, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! that I may bring the son of Pourushaspa, the holy Zarathuṣtra, to think after my law, to speak after my law, to do after my law!"

19. 'Ardvi Sûra Anâhita granted him that boon, as he was offering libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and begging that she would grant him that boon.

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . . .

20. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .

21. 'To her did Haoshyangha, the Paradhâta, offer up a sacrifice on the enclosure of the Hara, with a hundred male horses, a thousand oxen, and ten thousand lambs.

22. 'He begged of her a boon, saying: "Grant me this, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! that I may become the sovereign lord of all countries, of the Daêvas and men, of the

Yâtus and Pairikas, of the oppressors, the blind and the deaf; and that I may smite down two thirds of the Daêvas of Mâzana and of the fiends of Varena."

23. Ardvi Sûra Anâhita granted him that boon, as he was offering libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would grant him that boon.

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . .

24. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .

25. 'To her did Yima Khshaêta, the good shepherd, offer up a sacrifice from the height Hukairya, with a hundred male horses, a thousand oxen, ten thousand lambs.

26. 'He begged of her a boon, saying: "Grant me this, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! that I may become the sovereign lord of all countries, of the Daêvas and men, of the Yâtus and Pairikas, of the oppressors, the blind and the deaf; and that I may take from the Daêvas both

riches and welfare, both fatness and flocks, both weal and Glory."

27. 'Ardvi Sûra Anâhita granted him that boon, as he was offering libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would grant him that boon.

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . . .

28. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .

29. 'To her did Azi Dahâka, the three-mouthed, offer up a sacrifice in the land of Bawri, with a

hundred male horses, a thousand oxen, and ten thousand lambs.

30. 'He begged of her a boon, saying: "Grant me this boon, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! that I may make all the seven Karshvares of the earth empty of men."

31. 'Ardvi Sûra Anâhita did not grant him that boon, although he was offering libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating her that she would grant him that boon.

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . . .

32. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .

33. 'To her did Thraêtaona, the heir of the valiant Âthwya clan, offer up a sacrifice in the four-cornered Varena, with a hundred male horses, a thousand oxen, ten thousand lambs.

34. 'He begged of her a boon, saying: "Grant me this, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! that I may overcome Azi Dahâka, the three-mouthed, the three-headed, the six-eyed, who has a thousand senses, that most powerful, fiendish Druǧ,

that demon, baleful to the world, the strongest Druǧ that Angra Mainyu created against the material world, to destroy the world of the good principle; and that I may deliver his two wives, Savanghavâk and Erenavâk, who are the fairest of body amongst women, and the most wonderful creatures in the world."

35. Ardvi Sûra Anâhita granted him that boon, as he was offering libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would grant him that boon.

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . .

36. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .

37. 'To her did Keresâspa, the manly-hearted, offer up a sacrifice behind the Vairi Pisanah, with a

hundred male horses, a thousand oxen, ten thousand lambs.

38. 'He begged of her a boon, saying: "Grant me this, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! that I may overcome the golden-heeled Gaṉdarewa, though all the shores of the sea Vouru-Kasha are boiling over; and that I may run up to the stronghold of the fiend on the wide, round earth, whose ends lie afar."

39. 'Ardvi Sûra Anâhita granted him that boon, as he was offering libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would grant him that boon.

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . .

40. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .

41. 'To her did the Turanian murderer, Frangrasyan, offer up a sacrifice in his cave under the earth, with a hundred male horses, a thousand oxen, ten thousand lambs.

42. 'He begged of her a boon, saying: "Grant me this, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! that I may seize hold of that Glory, that is waving in the middle of the sea Vouru-Kasha and

that belongs to the Aryan people, to those born and to those not yet born, and to the holy Zarathuṣtra."

43. 'Ardvi Sûra Anâhita did not grant him that boon.

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . . .

44. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .

45. 'To her did the great, most wise Kavi Usa offer up a sacrifice from Mount Erezifya, with a hundred male horses, a thousand oxen, ten thousand lambs.

46. 'He begged of her a boon, saying: "Grant me this, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! that I may become the sovereign lord of all countries, of the Daêvas and men, of the Yâtus and Pairikas, of the oppressors, the blind and the deaf."

47. 'Ardvi Sûra Anâhita granted him that boon, as he was offering libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would grant him that boon.

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . . .

48. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .

49. 'To her did the gallant Husravah, he who

united the Aryan nations into one kingdom, offer up a sacrifice behind the Kaêkasta lake, the deep lake, of salt waters, with a hundred male horses, a thousand oxen, ten thousand lambs.

50. 'He begged of her a boon, saying: "Grant me this, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! that I may become the sovereign lord of all countries, of Daêvas and men, of the Yâtus and Pairikas, of the oppressors, the blind and the deaf; and that I may have the lead in front of all the teams and that he may not pass through the forest, he, the murderer, who now is fiercely striving against me on horseback."

51. 'Ardvi Sûra Anâhita granted him that boon, as he was offering libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would grant him that boon.

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . . .

52. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sara Anâhita . . . .

53. 'To her did the valiant warrior Tusa offer

worship on the back of his horse, begging swiftness for his teams, health for his own body, and that he might, watch with full success those who hated him, smite down his foes, and destroy at one stroke his adversaries, his enemies, and those who hated him.

54. 'He begged of her a boon, saying: "Grant me this, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! that I may overcome the gallant sons of Vaêsaka, by the castle Khshathrô-saoka, that stands high up on the lofty, holy Kangha; that I may smite of the Turanian people their fifties and their hundreds, their hundreds and their thousands, their thousands and their tens of thousands, their tens of thousands and their myriads of myriads."

55. 'Ardvi Sûra Anâhita granted him that boon, as he was offering libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would grant him that boon.

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . . .

56. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .

57. 'To her did the gallant sons of Vaêsaka offer up a sacrifice in the castle Khshathrô-saoka, that stands high up on the lofty, holy Kangha, with a hundred male horses, a thousand oxen, ten thousand lambs.

58. 'They begged of her a boon, saying: "Grant us this, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! that we may overcome the valiant warrior Tusa, and that we may smite of the Aryan people their fifties and their hundreds, their hundreds and their thousands, their thousands and their tens of thousands, their tens of thousands and their myriads of myriads."

59. 'Ardvi Sûra Anâhita did not grant them that boon.

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . . .

60. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .

61. 'The old Vafra Navâza worshipped her, when the strong fiend-smiter, Thraêtaona, flung him up in the air in the shape of a bird, of a vulture.

62. 'He went on flying, for three days and three nights, towards his own house; but he could not, he could not turn down. At the end of the third night, when the beneficent dawn came dawning up, then he prayed unto Ardvi Sûra Anâhita, saying:

63. '"Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! do thou quickly hasten helpfully and bring me assistance at once. I will offer thee a thousand libations, cleanly prepared and well strained, along with Haomas and meat, by the brink of the river Rangha, if I reach alive the earth made by Ahura and my own house."

64. 'Ardvi Sûra Anâhita hastened unto him in the shape of a maid, fair of body, most strong, tall-formed, high-girded, pure, nobly born of a glorious race, wearing shoes up to the ankle, wearing a golden . . . ., and radiant.

65. 'She seized him by the arm: quickly was it done, nor was it long till, speeding, he arrived at the earth made by Mazda and at his own house, safe, unhurt, unwounded, just as he was before.

[66. 'Ardvi Sûra Anâhita granted him that boon, as he was offering up libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, entreating that she would grant him that boon.]

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . . .

67. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . .

68. 'To her did Ǧâmâspa offer up a sacrifice, with a hundred horses, a thousand oxen, ten thousand lambs, when he saw the army of the wicked, of the worshippers of the Daêvas, coming from afar in battle array.

69. 'He asked of her a boon, saying: "Grant me this, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! that I may be as constantly victorious as any one of all the Aryans."

70. 'Ardvi Sûra Anâhita granted him that boon, as he was offering up libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would grant him that boon.

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . .

71. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .

72. 'To her did Ashavazdah, the son of

Pourudhâkhṣti, and Ashavazdah and Thrita, the sons of Sâyuzdri, offer up a sacrifice, with a hundred horses, a thousand oxen, ten thousand lambs, by Apãm Napâṭ, the tall lord, the lord of the females, the bright and swift-horsed.

73. 'They begged of her a boon, saying: "Grant us this, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! that we may overcome the assemblers of the Turanian Dânus, Kara Asabana, and Vara Asabana, and the most mighty Dûraêkaêta, in the battles of this world.

74. 'Ardvi Sûra Anâhita granted them that boon, as they were offering up libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would grant them that boon.

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . . .

75. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .

76. 'Vistauru, the son of Naotara, worshipped

her by the brink of the river Vîtanghuhaiti, with well-spoken words, speaking thus:

77. '"This is true, this is truly spoken, that I have smitten as many of the worshippers of the Daêvas as the hairs I bear on my head. Do thou then, O Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! leave me a dry passage, to pass over the good Vîtanghuhaiti."

78. 'Ardvi Sûra Anâhita hastened unto him in the shape of a maid, fair of body, most strong, tall-formed, high-girded, pure, nobly born of a glorious race, wearing shoes up to the ankle, with all sorts of ornaments and radiant. A part of the waters she made stand still, a part of the waters she made flow forward, and she left him a dry passage to pass over the good Vîtanghuhaiti.

[79. 'Ardvi Sûra Anâhita granted him that boon, as he was offering up libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would grant him that boon.]

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . . .

80. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .'

81. 'To her did Yôiṣta, one of the Fryanas,

offer up a sacrifice with a hundred horses, a thousand oxen, ten thousand lambs on the Pedvaêpa of the Rangha.

82. 'He begged of her a boon, saying: "Grant me this, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! that I may overcome the evil-doing Akhtya, the offspring of darkness, and that I may answer the ninety-nine hard riddles that he asks me maliciously, the evil-doing Akhtya, the offspring of darkness."

83. 'Ardvi Sûra Anâhita granted him that boon, as he was offering up libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would grant him that boon.

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . . .

84. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .

85. 'Whom Ahura Mazda the merciful ordered thus, saying: "Come, O Ardvi Sûra Anâhita, come from those stars down to the earth made by Ahura,

that the great lords may worship thee, the masters of the countries, and their sons.

86. '"The men of strength will beg of thee swift horses and supremacy of Glory.

'"The Âthravans who read and the pupils of the Âthravans will beg of thee knowledge and prosperity, the Victory made by Ahura, and the crushing Ascendant.

87. '"The maids of barren womb, longing for a lord, will beg of thee a strong husband;

'"Women, on the point of bringing forth, will beg of thee a good delivery.

'"All this wilt thou grant unto them, as it lies in thy power, O Ardvi Sûra Anâhita!"

88. 'Then Ardvi Sûra Anâhita came forth, O Zarathuṣtra! down from those stars to the earth made by Mazda; and Ardvi Sûra Anâhita spake thus:

89. "O pure, holy Zarathuṣtra! Ahura Mazda has established thee as the master of the material world: Ahura Mazda has established me to keep the whole of the holy creation.

'"Through my brightness and glory flocks and herds and two-legged men go on, upon the earth: I, forsooth, keep all good things, made by Mazda, the offspring of the holy principle, just as a shepherd keeps his flock."

90. 'Zarathuṣtra asked Ardvi Sûra Anâhita: "O Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! With what manner of sacrifice shall I worship thee? With what manner of sacrifice shall I worship and forward thee? So that Mazda may make thee run down (to the earth), that

he may not make thee run up into the heavens, above the sun; and that the Serpent may not injure thee with . . . ., with . . . ., with . . . ., and . . . . poisons."

91. 'Ardvi Sûra Anâhita answered: "O pure, holy Spitama! this is the sacrifice wherewith thou shalt worship me, this is the sacrifice wherewith thou shalt worship and forward me, from the time when the sun is rising to the time when the sun is setting.

'"Of this libation of mine thou shalt drink, thou who art an Âthravan, who hast asked and learnt the revealed law, who art wise, clever, and the Word incarnate.

92. '"Of this libation of mine let no foe drink, no man fever-sick, no liar, no coward, no jealous one, no woman, no faithful one who does not sing the Gâthas, no leper to be confined.

93. '"I do not accept those libations that are drunk in my honour by the blind, by the deaf, by the wicked, by the destroyers, by the niggards, by the . . . ., nor any of those stamped with those characters which have no strength for the holy Word.

'"Let no one drink of these my libations who is hump-backed or bulged forward; no fiend with decayed teeth."

94. 'Then Zarathuṣtra asked Ardvi Sûra Anâhita "O Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! What becomes of those libations which the wicked worshippers of the Daêvas bring unto thee after the sun has set?"

95. 'Ardvi Sûra Anâhita answered: "O pure, holy Spitama Zarathuṣtra! howling, clapping, hopping, and shouting, six hundred and a thousand Daêvas, who ought not to receive that sacrifice, receive those libations that men bring unto me after [the sun has set]."

96. 'I will worship the height Hukairya, of the deep precipices, made of gold, wherefrom this mine Ardvi Sûra Anâhita leaps, from a hundred times the height of a man, while she is possessed of as much Glory as the whole of the waters that run along the earth, and she runs powerfully.

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . . .

97. Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sara Anâhita . . . .

98. 'Before whom the worshippers of Mazda

stand with baresma in their hands: the Hvôvas did worship her, the Naotaras did worship her; the Hvôvas asked for riches, the Naotaras asked for swift horses. Quickly was Hvôva blessed with riches and full prosperity; quickly became Vîṣtâspa, the Naotaride, the lord of the swiftest horses in these countries

99. ['Ardvi Sûra Anâhita granted them that boon, as they were offering up libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would grant them that boon.]

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . . .

100. Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .

101. 'Who has a thousand cells and a thousand channels: the extent of each of those cells, of each of those channels, is as much as a man can ride in forty days, riding on a good horse. In each channel there stands a palace, well-founded, shining with a hundred windows, with a thousand columns, well-built, with ten thousand balconies, and mighty.

102. 'In each of those palaces there lies a well-laid, well-scented bed, covered with pillows, and

Ardvi Sûra Anâhita, O Zarathuṣtra! runs down there from a thousand times the height of a man, and she is possessed of as much Glory as the whole of the waters that run along the earth, and she runs powerfully.

103. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .

104. 'Unto her did the holy Zarathuṣtra offer up a sacrifice in the Airyana Vaêǧah, by the good river Dâitya; with the Haoma and meat, with the baresma, with the wisdom of the tongue, with the holy spells, with the speech, with the deeds, with the libations, and with the rightly-spoken words.

105. 'He begged of her a boon, saying: "Grant me this, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! that I may bring the son of Aurvaṭ-aspa, the valiant Kavi Vîṣtâspa, to think according to the law, to speak according to the law, to do according to the law."

106. 'Ardvi Sûra Anâhita granted him that boon, as he was offering up libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would grant him that boon.

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . . .

107. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .

108. 'Unto her did the tall Kavi Vîṣtâspa offer up a sacrifice behind Lake Frazdânava, with a hundred male horses, a thousand oxen, ten thousand lambs.

109. 'He begged of her a boon, saying: "Grant me this, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! that I may overcome Tãthravaṉṭ, of the bad law, and Peshana, the worshipper of the Daêvas, and the wicked Areǧaṭ-aspa, in the battles of this world!"

110. 'Ardvi Sûra Anâhita granted him that boon, as he was offering up libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would grant him that boon.

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . . .

111. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .

112. 'Unto her did Zairi-vairi, who fought on horseback, offer up a sacrifice behind the river Dâitya, with a hundred male horses, a thousand oxen, ten thousand lambs.

113. 'He begged of her a boon, saying: "Grant me this, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! that I may overcome Peshô-Kangha the corpse-burier, Humâyaka the worshipper of the Daêvas, and the wicked Areǧaṭ-aspa, in the battles of this world.

114. Ardvi Sûra Anâhita granted him that boon, as he was offering up libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would grant him that boon.

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . . .

115. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .

116. 'Unto her did Areǧaṭ-aspa and Vaṉdaremaini

offer up a sacrifice by the sea Vouru-Kasha, with a hundred male horses, a thousand oxen, ten thousand lambs.

117. 'They begged of her a boon, saying: "Grant us this, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! that we may conquer the valiant Kavi Vîṣtâspa and Zairivairi who fights on horseback, and that we may smite of the Aryan people their fifties and their hundreds, their hundreds and their thousands, their thousands and their tens of thousands, their tens of thousands and their myriads of myriads."

118. 'Ardvi Sûra Anâhita did not grant them that favour, though they were offering up libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she should grant them that favour.

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . . .

119. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .

120. 'For whom Ahura Mazda has made four horses—the wind, the rain, the cloud, and the sleet—and thus ever upon the earth it is raining, snowing, hailing, and sleeting; and whose armies are so many and numbered by nine-hundreds and thousands.

121. 'I will worship the height Hukairya, of the

deep precipices, made of gold, wherefrom this mine Ardvi Sûra Anâhita leaps, from a hundred times the height of a man, while she is possessed of as much Glory as the whole of the waters that run along the earth, and she runs powerfully.

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . . .

122. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .

123. 'She stands, the good Ardvi Sûra Anâhita, wearing a golden mantle, waiting for a man who shall offer her libations and prayers, and thinking thus in her heart:

124. '"Who will praise me? Who will offer me a sacrifice, with libations cleanly prepared and well-strained, together with the Haoma and meat? To whom shall I cleave, who cleaves unto me, and thinks with me, and bestows gifts upon me, and is of good will unto me?"

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . . .

325. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita . . . .

126. 'Ardvi Sûra Anâhita, who stands carried forth in the shape of a maid, fair of body, most strong, tall-formed, high-girded, pure, nobly born of

a glorious race, wearing along her . . . . a mantle fully embroidered with gold;

127. 'Ever holding the baresma in her hand, according to the rules, she wears square golden earrings on her ears bored, and a golden necklace around her beautiful neck, she, the nobly born Ardvi Sûra Anâhita; and she girded her waist tightly, so that her breasts may be well-shaped, that they may be tightly pressed.

128. 'Upon her head Ardvi Sûra Anâhita bound a golden crown, with a hundred stars, with eight rays, a fine . . . . , a well-made crown, in the shape of a . . . ., with fillets streaming down.

129. 'She is clothed with garments of beaver, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita; with the skin of thirty beavers of those that bear four young ones, that are the finest kind of beavers; for the skin of the beaver that lives in water is the finest-coloured of all skins, and when worked at the right time it shines to the eye with full sheen of silver and gold.

130. 'Here, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! I beg of thee this favour: that I, fully blessed, may conquer large kingdoms, rich in horses, with high tributes, with snorting horses, sounding chariots, flashing swords, rich in aliments, with stores of food, with well-scented beds; that I may have

at my wish the fulness of the good things of life and whatever makes a kingdom thrive.

131. 'Here, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! I beg of thee two gallant companions, one two-legged and one four-legged: one two-legged, who is swift, quickly rushing, and clever in turning a chariot round in battle; and one four-legged, who can quickly turn towards either wing of the host with a wide front, towards the right wing or the left, towards the left wing or the right.

132. 'Through the strength of this sacrifice, of this invocation, O Ardvi Sûra Anâhita! come down from those stars, towards the earth made by Ahura, towards the sacrificing priest, towards the full boiling [milk]; come to help him who is offering up libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that thou wouldst grant him thy favours; that all those gallant warriors may be strong, like king Vîṣtâspa.

'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice . . . .

133. 'Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness . . . .

'I bless the sacrifice and prayer, and the strength and vigour of the holy water-spring Anâhita.

'Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good . . . .

'[Give] unto that man brightness and glory, . . . . give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones!'

Mentioned templesAhuraMazdā

Yasht VIII: Tîr Yaṣt

0. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced! . . . .

Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good . . . .

I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathuṣtra, one who hates the Daêvas and obeys the laws of Ahura;

For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Hâvani], the holy and master of holiness . . . .

Unto Tiṣtrya, the bright and glorious star, and unto the powerful Satavaêsa, made by Mazda, who pushes waters forward,

Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.

Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness . . . .

1. Ahura Mazda spake unto Spitama Zarathuṣtra, saying: 'We worship the lordship and mastership [of Tiṣtrya], whereby he protects the Moon, the dwelling, the food, when my glorious stars come along and impart their gifts to men. I will sacrifice unto the star Tiṣtrya, that gives the fields their share [of waters].

2. 'We offer up libations unto Tiṣtrya, the bright and glorious star, that gives happy dwelling and good dwelling; the white, shining, seen afar, and piercing; the health-bringing, loud-snorting, and high, piercing from afar with its shining, undefiled rays; and unto the waters of the wide sea, the Vanguhi of wide renown, and the species of the Bull, made by Mazda, the awful kingly Glory, and the Fravashi of the holy Spitama Zarathuṣtra.

3. 'For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard, namely, unto the star Tiṣtrya.

'Unto Tiṣtrya, the bright and glorious star, we offer up the libations, the Haoma and meat, the baresma, the wisdom of the tongue, the holy spells, the speech, the deeds, the libations, and the rightly-spoken words.

'Yêṉhê hâtãm: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda . . . .

4. 'We sacrifice unto Tiṣtrya, the bright and glorious star, who is the seed of the waters, powerful, tall, and strong, whose light goes afar; powerful and highly working, through whom the brightness and the seed of the waters come from the high Apãm Napâṭ.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

5. 'We sacrifice unto Tiṣtrya, the bright and glorious star; for whom long flocks and herds and men, looking forward for him and deceived in their hope: "When shall we see him rise up, the bright and glorious star Tiṣtrya? When will the springs run with waves as thick as a horse's size and still thicker? Or will they never come?"

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

6. 'We sacrifice unto Tiṣtrya, the bright and glorious star; who flies, towards the sea Vouru-Kasha, as swiftly as the arrow darted through the heavenly

space, which Erekhsha, the swift archer, the Arya amongst the Aryas whose arrow was the swiftest, shot from Mount Khshaotha to Mount Hvanvaṉṭ.

7. 'For Ahura Mazda gave him assistance; so did the waters and the plants; and Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, opened a wide way unto him.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

8. 'We sacrifice unto Tiṣtrya, the bright and glorious star, that afflicts the Pairikas, that vexes the Pairikas, who, in the shape of worm-stars, fly

between the earth and the heavens, in the sea Vouru-Kasha, the powerful sea, the large-sized, deep sea of salt waters. He goes to its lake in the shape of a horse, in a holy shape; and down there he makes the waters boil over, and the winds flow above powerfully all around.

9. 'Then Satavaêsa makes those waters flow down to the seven Karshvares of the earth, and when he has arrived down there, he stands, beautiful, spreading ease and joy on the fertile countries (thinking in himself): "How shall the countries of the Aryas grow fertile?"

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

10. 'We sacrifice unto Tiṣtrya, the bright and glorious star, who spake unto Ahura Mazda, saying: "Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

11. '"If men would worship me with a sacrifice in which I were invoked by my own name, as they worship the other Yazatas with sacrifices in which they are invoked by their own names, then I should have come to the faithful at the appointed time;

I should have come in the appointed time of my

beautiful, immortal life, should it be one night, or two nights, or fifty, or a hundred nights."

12. 'We sacrifice unto Tiṣtrya;

'We sacrifice unto the rains of Tiṣtrya.

'We sacrifice unto the first star; we sacrifice unto the rains of the first star.

'I will sacrifice unto the stars Haptôiriṉga, to oppose the Yâtus and Pairikas.

'We sacrifice unto Vanaṉṭ, the star made by Mazda; for the well-shapen strength, for the Victory, made by Ahura, for the crushing Ascendant, for the destruction of what distresses us, for the destruction of what persecutes us.

'We sacrifice unto Tiṣtrya, whose eye-sight is sound.

13. 'For ten nights, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! Tiṣtrya, the bright and glorious star, mingles his shape

with light, moving in the shape of a man of fifteen years of age, bright, with clear eyes, tall, full of strength, strong, and clever.

14. 'He is active as the first man was; he goes on with the strength of the first man; he has the virility of the first man.

15. 'Here he calls for people to assemble, here he asks, saying: "Who now will offer me the libations with the Haoma and the holy meat? To whom shall I give wealth of male children, a troop of male children, and the purification of his own soul? Now I ought to receive sacrifice and prayer in the material world, by the law of excellent holiness."

16. 'The next ten nights, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! the bright and glorious Tiṣtrya mingles his shape with light, moving in the shape of a golden-horned bull.

17. 'Here he calls for people to assemble, here he asks, saying: "Who now will offer me the libations with the Haoma and the holy meat? To whom shall I give wealth of oxen, a herd of oxen, and the purification of his own soul? Now I ought to receive sacrifice and prayer in the material world, by the law of excellent holiness."

18. 'The next ten nights, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! the bright and glorious Tiṣtrya mingles his shape with light, moving in the shape of a white, beautiful horse, with golden ears and a golden caparison.

19. 'Here he calls for people to assemble, here he asks, saying: "Who now will offer me the libations with the Haoma and the holy meat? To whom shall I give wealth of horses, a troop of horses, and the purification of his own soul? Now I ought to receive sacrifice and prayer in the material world, by the law of excellent holiness."

20. 'Then, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! the bright and glorious Tiṣtrya goes down to the sea Vouru-Kasha in the shape of a white, beautiful horse, with golden ears and a golden caparison.

21. 'But there rushes down to meet him the Daêva Apaosha, in the shape of a dark horse, black with black ears, black with a black back, black with a black tail, stamped with brands of terror.

22. 'They meet together, hoof against hoof, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! the bright and glorious Tiṣtrya and the Daêva Apaosha. They fight together, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! for three days and three nights. And then the Daêva Apaosha proves stronger than the bright and glorious Tiṣtrya, he overcomes him.

23. 'And Tiṣtrya flees from the sea Vouru-Kasha, as far as a Hâthrâ's length. He cries out in woe and distress, the bright and glorious Tiṣtrya: "Woe is me, O Ahura Mazda! I am in distress, O Waters and Plants! O Fate and thou, Law of the worshippers of Mazda! Men do not worship me with a

sacrifice in which I am invoked by my own name, as they worship the other Yazatas with sacrifices in which they are invoked by their own names.

24. '"If men had worshipped me with a sacrifice in which I had been invoked by my own name, as they worship the other Yazatas with sacrifices in which they are invoked by their own names, I should have taken to me the strength of ten horses, the strength of ten camels, the strength of ten bulls, the strength of ten mountains, the strength of ten rivers."

25. 'Then I, Ahura Mazda, offer up to the bright and glorious Tiṣtrya a sacrifice in which he is invoked by his own name, and I bring him the strength of ten horses, the strength of ten camels, the strength of ten bulls, the strength of ten mountains, the strength of ten rivers.

26. 'Then, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! the bright and glorious Tiṣtrya goes down to the sea Vouru-Kasha in the shape of a white, beautiful horse, with golden ears and golden caparison.

27. 'But there rushes down to meet him the Daêva Apaosha in the shape of a dark horse, black with black ears, black with a black back, black with a black tail, stamped with brands of terror.

28. 'They meet together, hoof against hoof, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! the bright and glorious Tiṣtrya, and the Daêva Apaosha; they fight together, O Zarathuṣtra! till the time of noon. Then the bright and glorious Tiṣtrya proves stronger than the Daêva Apaosha, he overcomes him.

29. 'Then he goes from the sea Vouru-Kasha as far as a Hâthra's length: "Hail!" cries the

bright and glorious Tiṣtrya. "Hail unto me, O Ahura Mazda! Hail unto you, O waters and plants! Hail, O Law of the worshippers of Mazda! Hail will it be unto you, O lands! The life of the waters will flow down unrestrained to the big-seeded cornfields, to the small-seeded pasture-fields, and to the whole of the material world!"

30. 'Then the bright and glorious Tiṣtrya goes back down to the sea Vouru-Kasha, in the shape of a white, beautiful horse, with golden ears and a golden caparison.

31. 'He makes the sea boil up and down; he makes the sea stream this and that way; he makes the sea flow this and that way: all the shores of the sea Vouru-Kasha are boiling over, all the middle of it is boiling over.

32. 'And the bright and glorious Tiṣtrya rises up from the sea Vouru-Kasha, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! the bright and glorious Satavaêsa rises up from the sea Vouru-Kasha; and vapours rise up above Mount Us-hindu, that stands in the middle of the sea Vouru-Kasha.

33. 'Then the vapours push forward, in the regular shape of clouds; they go following the wind, along the ways which Haoma traverses, the increaser of the world. Behind him travels the mighty wind, made by Mazda, and the rain, and the cloud, and the sleet, down to the several places, down to the fields, down to the seven Karshvares of the earth.

34. 'Apãm Napâṭ, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! divides the waters amongst the countries in the material world, in company with the mighty wind, the Glory, made by the waters, and the Fravashis of the faithful.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

35. 'We sacrifice unto Tiṣtrya, the bright and glorious star, who from the shining east, moves along his long winding course, along the path made by the gods, along the way appointed for him the

watery way, at the will of Ahura Mazda, at the will of the Amesha-Speñtas.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

36. 'We sacrifice unto Tiṣtrya, the bright and glorious star, whose rising is watched by men who live on the fruits of the year, by the chiefs of deep understanding; by the wild beasts in the mountains, by the tame beasts that run in the plains; they watch him, as he comes up to the country for a bad year, or for a good year, (thinking in themselves): "How shall the Aryan countries be fertile?"

For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

37. 'We sacrifice unto Tiṣtrya, the bright and glorious star, swift-flying and swift-moving, who flies towards the sea Vouru-Kasha, as swiftly as the arrow darted through the heavenly space, which Erekhsha, the swift archer, the Arya amongst the Aryas whose arrow was the swiftest, shot from Mount Khshaotha to Mount Hvanvaṉṭ.

38. 'Ahura Mazda gave him assistance, and the Amesha-Speñtas and Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, pointed him the way: behind him went the

tall Ashiṣ Vanguhi and Pâreṉdi on her light chariot: always till, in his course, he reached Mount Hvanvaṉṭ on the shining waters.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

39. 'We sacrifice unto Tiṣtrya, the bright and glorious star, who afflicts the Pairikas, who destroys the Pairikas, that Angra Mainyus flung to stop all the stars that have in them the seed of the waters.

40. 'Tiṣtrya afflicts them, he blows them away from the sea Vouru-Kasha; then the wind blows the clouds forward, bearing the waters of fertility, so that the friendly showers spread wide over, they spread helpingly and friendly over the seven Karshvares.

'For his brightness and glory, I will oar him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

41. 'We sacrifice unto Tiṣtrya, the bright and glorious star, for whom long the standing waters, and the running spring-waters, the stream-waters, and the rain-waters:

42. '"When will the bright and glorious Tiṣtrya rise up for us? When will the springs with a flow and overflow of waters, thick as a horse's shoulder, run to the beautiful places and fields, and to the

pastures, even to the roots of the plants, that they may grow with a powerful growth?"

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

43. 'We sacrifice unto Tiṣtrya, the bright and glorious star, who washes away all things of fear, stunts the growth of all . . . . , and brings health to all these creations, being most beneficent, when he has been worshipped with a sacrifice and propitiated, rejoiced, and satisfied.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

44. 'I will sacrifice unto Tiṣtrya, the bright and glorious star, whom Ahura Mazda has established as a lord and overseer above all stars, in the same way as he has established Zarathuṣtra above men; whom neither Angra Mainyu, nor the Yâtus and the Pairikas, nor the men Yâtus can deliver unto death, nor can all the Daêvas together prevail for his death.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

45. 'We sacrifice unto Tiṣtrya, the bright and glorious star, to whom Ahura Mazda has given a thousand senses, and who is the most beneficent amongst the stars that have in them the seed of the waters:

46. 'Who moves in light with the stars that have in them the seed of the waters: he, from the sea Vouru-Kasha, the powerful sea, the large-sized, deep, and salt of waters, goes to all the lakes, and to all the beautiful caves, and to all the beautiful channels, in the shape of a white, beautiful horse, with golden ears and a golden caparison.

47. 'Then, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! the waters flow down from the sea Vouru-Kasha, mother-like, friendly, and healing: he divides them amongst these countries, being most beneficent, when he has been worshipped with a sacrifice and propitiated, rejoiced, and satisfied.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

48. 'We sacrifice unto Tiṣtrya, the bright and glorious star, for whom long all the creatures of Speñta-Mainyu, those that live under the ground, and those that live above the ground; those that live in the waters, and those that live on dry land; those that fly, and those that run in the plains; and all those

that live within this boundless and endless world of the holy Spirit.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . .

49. 'We sacrifice unto Tiṣtrya, the bright and glorious star, the healthful, wise, happy, and powerful, who is the lord of a thousand boons, and grants many boons to that man who has pleased him, whether begging or not begging for them.

50. 'I, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! have created that star Tiṣtrya as worthy of sacrifice, as worthy of prayer, as worthy of propitiation, as worthy of glorification as myself, Ahura Mazda;

51. 'In order to withstand, to break asunder, to afflict, to drive back the malice of that Pairika Duzyâirya, whom evil-speaking people call Huyâirya.

52. 'Had I not created that star Tiṣtrya as worthy of sacrifice, as worthy of prayer, as worthy of propitiation, as worthy of glorification as myself, Ahura Mazda;

53. 'In order to withstand, to break asunder, to afflict, to drive back the malice of that Pairika Duzyâirya, whom evil-speaking people call Huyâirya;

54. 'Then all day long, all night long, that Pairika Duzyâirya would wage war against this material world of mine, wanting to extinguish its life, and she goes on, rushing upon and around it.

55. 'But the bright and glorious Tiṣtrya keeps that Pairika in bonds, with twofold bonds, with threefold bonds, that cannot be overcome, with bonds all over the body: it is as if there were a thousand men keeping one man in bonds, a thousand men of those who are the strongest in strength.

56. 'If the Aryan countries, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! would perform in honour of the bright and glorious Tiṣtrya the due sacrifice and invocation, just as that sacrifice and invocation ought to be performed in the perfection of holiness; never should a hostile horde enter these Aryan countries, nor any plague, nor leprosy, nor venomous plants, nor the chariot of a foe, nor the uplifted spear of a foe.'

57. Zarathuṣtra asked: 'What is then, O Ahura Mazda! the sacrifice and invocation in honour of the bright and glorious Tiṣtrya, as it ought to be performed in the perfection of holiness?'

58. Ahura Mazda answered: 'Let the Aryan nations bring libations unto him; let the Aryan nations tie bundles of baresma for him; let the Aryan nations cook for him a head of cattle, either white, or black, or of any other colour, but all of one and the same colour.

59. 'Let not a murderer take of these offerings, nor a whore, nor a . . . . who does not sing the Gâthâs, who spreads death in the world and withstands the law of Mazda, the law of Zarathuṣtra.

60. 'If a murderer take of these offerings, or a whore, or a . . . . who does not sing the Gâthâs, who spreads death in the world and withstands the law of Mazda, the law of Zarathuṣtra, then the bright and glorious Tiṣtrya takes back his healing virtues.

61. 'Plagues will ever pour upon the Aryan nations; hostile hordes will ever fall upon the Aryan nations; the Aryans will be smitten, by their fifties and their hundreds, by their hundreds and their thousands, by their thousands and their tens of thousands, by their tens of thousands and their myriads of myriads.

62. 'Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness . . . .

'I bless the sacrifice and prayer, and the strength and vigour of Tiṣtrya, the bright and glorious star, and of the powerful Satavaêsa, made by Mazda, who pushes waters forward.

'Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good . . . .

'[Give] unto that man brightness and glory, . . . . give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones.'

Mentioned templesAhuraMazdā

Yasht X: Mihir Yaṣt

0. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced! . . . .

Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good . . . .

I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathuṣtra, one who hates the Daêvas, and obeys the laws of Ahura;

For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Hâvani], the holy and master of holiness . . . .

Unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, who has a thousand ears, ten thousand eyes, a Yazata invoked by his own name, and unto Rama Hvâstra,

Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.

Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness . . . .

1. Ahura Mazda spake unto Spitama Zarathuṣtra, saying: 'Verily, when I created Mithra, the lord of

wide pastures, O Spitama! I created him as worthy of sacrifice, as worthy of prayer as myself, Ahura Mazda.

2. 'The ruffian who lies unto Mithra brings death unto the whole country, injuring as much the faithful world as a hundred evil-doers could do. Break not the contract, O Spitama! neither the one that thou hadst entered into with one of the unfaithful, nor the one that thou hadst entered into with one of the faithful who is one of thy own faith. For Mithra stands for both the faithful and the unfaithful.

3. 'Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, gives swiftness to the horses of those who lie not unto Mithra.

'Fire, the son of Ahura Mazda, gives the straightest way to those who lie not unto Mithra.

'The good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful give a virtuous offspring to those who lie not unto Mithra.

4. 'For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard, namely, unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures.

'We offer up libations unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, who gives a happy dwelling and a good dwelling to the Aryan nations.

5. 'May he come to us for help! May he come to us for ease! May he come to us for joy! May he come to us for mercy! May he come to us for health! May he come to us for victory! May he

come to us for good conscience! May he come to us for bliss! he, the awful and overpowering, worthy of sacrifice and prayer, not to be deceived anywhere in the whole of the material world, Mithra, the lord of wide pastures.

6. 'I will offer up libations unto him, the strong Yazata, the powerful Mithra, most beneficent to the creatures: I will apply unto him with charity and prayers: I will offer up a sacrifice worth being heard unto him, Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, with the Haoma and meat, with the baresma, with the wisdom of the tongue, with the holy spells, with the speech, with the deeds, with the libations, and with the rightly-spoken words.

'Yêṉhê hâtãm: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda . . . .

7. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, who is truth-speaking, a chief in assemblies, with a thousand ears, well-shapen, with ten thousand eyes, high, with full knowledge, strong, sleepless, and ever awake;

8. 'To whom the chiefs of nations offer up sacrifices, as they go to the field, against havocking hosts, against enemies coming in battle array, in the strife of conflicting nations.

9. 'On whichever side he has been worshipped first in the fulness of faith of a devoted heart, to that side turns Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, with the fiend-smiting wind, with the cursing thought of the wise.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

10. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake.

11. 'Whom the horsemen worship on the back of their horses, begging swiftness for their teams, health for their own bodies, and that they may watch with full success those who hate them, smite down their foes, and destroy at one stroke their adversaries, their enemies, and those who hate them.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

12. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

13. 'Who first of the heavenly gods reaches over the Hara, before the undying, swift-horsed sun;

who, foremost in a golden array, takes hold of the beautiful summits, and from thence looks over the abode of the Aryans with a beneficent eye.

14. 'Where the valiant chiefs draw up their many troops in array; where the high mountains, rich in pastures and waters, yield plenty to the cattle; where the deep lakes, with salt waters, stand; where wide-flowing rivers swell and hurry towards Iṣkata and Pouruta, Mouru and Harôyu, the Gava-Sughdha and Hvâirizem;

15. 'On Arezahi and Savahi, on Fradadhafshu and Vîdadhafshu, on Vourubareṣti and Vourubareṣti, on this bright Karshvare of Hvaniratha, the abode of cattle, the dwelling of cattle, the powerful Mithra looks with a health-bringing eye;

16. 'He who moves along all the Karshvares, a Yazata unseen, and brings glory; he who moves along all the Karshvares, a Yazata unseen, and brings sovereignty; and increases strength for

victory to those who, with a pious intent, holily offer him libations.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

17. We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'Unto whom nobody must lie, neither the master of a house, nor the lord of a borough, nor the lord of a town, nor the lord of a province.

18. 'If the master of a house lies unto him, or the lord of a borough, or the lord of a town, or the lord of a province, then comes Mithra, angry and offended, and he breaks asunder the house, the borough, the town, the province; and the masters of the houses, the lords of the boroughs, the lords of the towns, the lords of the provinces, and the foremost men of the provinces.

19. 'On whatever side there is one who has lied unto Mithra, on that side Mithra stands forth, angry and offended, and his wrath is slow to relent.

20. 'Those who lie unto Mithra, however swift they may be running, cannot overtake; riding, cannot . . . .; driving, cannot The spear that the foe of Mithra flings, darts backwards, for the

number of the evil spells that the foe of Mithra works out.

21. 'And even though the spear be flung well, even though it reach the body, it makes no wound, for the number of the evil spells that the foe of Mithra works out. The wind drives away the spear that the foe of Mithra flings, for the number of the evil spells that the foe of Mithra works out.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

22. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'Who takes out of distress the man who has not lied unto him, who takes him out of death.

23. 'Take us out of distress, take us out of distresses, O Mithra! as we have not lied unto thee. Thou bringest down terror upon the bodies of the men who lie unto Mithra; thou takest away the strength from their arms, being angry and all-powerful; thou takest the swiftness from their feet, the eye-sight from their eyes, the hearing from their ears.

24. 'Not the wound of the well-sharpened spear or of the flying arrow reaches that man to whom Mithra comes for help with all the strength of his soul, he, of the ten thousand spies, the powerful, all-seeing, undeceivable Mithra.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

25. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'Who is lordly, deep, strong, and weal-giving; a chief in assemblies, pleased with prayers, high, holily clever, the incarnate Word, a warrior with strong arms;

26. 'Who breaks the skulls of the Daêvas, and is most cruel in exacting pains; the punisher of the men who lie unto Mithra, the withstander of the Pairikas; who, when not deceived, establisheth nations in supreme strength; who, when not deceived, establisheth nations in supreme victory;

27. 'Who confounds the ways of the nation that delights in havoc, who turns away their Glory, takes away their strength for victory, blows them away helpless, and delivers them unto ten thousand strokes; he, of the ten thousand spies, the powerful, all-seeing, undeceivable Mithra.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

28. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'Who upholds the columns of the lofty house and makes its pillars solid; who gives herds of oxen and male children to that house in which he has been satisfied; he breaks to pieces those in which he has been offended.

29. 'Thou, O Mithra! art both bad and good to

nations; thou, O Mithra! art both bad and good to men; thou, O Mithra! keepest in thy hands both peace and trouble for nations.

30. 'Thou makest houses large, beautiful with women, beautiful with chariots, with well-laid foundations, and high above their groundwork; thou makest that house lofty, beautiful with women, beautiful with chariots, with well-laid foundations, and high above its groundwork, of which the master, pious and holding libations in his hand, offers thee a sacrifice, in which thou art invoked by thy own name and with the proper words.

31. 'With a sacrifice, in which thou art invoked by thy own name, with the proper words will I offer thee libations, O powerful Mithra!

'With a sacrifice, in which thou art invoked by thy own name, with the proper words will I offer thee libations, O most beneficent Mithra!

'With a sacrifice, in which thou art invoked by thy own name, with the proper words will I offer thee libations, O thou undeceivable Mithra!

32. 'Listen unto our sacrifice, O Mithra! Be thou pleased with our sacrifice, O Mithra! Come and sit at our sacrifice! Accept our libations! Accept them as they have been consecrated! Gather them together with love and lay them in the Garô-nmâna!

33. 'Grant us these boons which we beg of thee, O powerful god! in accordance with the words of revelation, namely, riches, strength, and victory, good conscience and bliss, good fame and a good

soul; wisdom and the knowledge that gives happiness, the victorious strength given by Ahura, the crushing Ascendant of Asha Vahiṣta, and conversation (with God) on the Holy Word.

34. 'Grant that we, in a good spirit and high spirit, exalted in joy and a good spirit, may smite all our foes; that we, in a good spirit and high spirit, exalted in joy and a good spirit, may smite all our enemies; that we, in a good spirit and high spirit, exalted in joy and a good spirit, may smite all the malice of Daêvas and Men, of the Yâtus and Pairikas, of the oppressors, the blind, and the deaf.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

35. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'Victory-making, army-governing, endowed with a thousand senses; power-wielding, power-possessing, and all-knowing;

36. 'Who sets the battle a going, who stands against (armies) in battle, who, standing against (armies) in battle, breaks asunder the lines arrayed. The wings of the columns gone to battle shake, and he throws terror upon the centre of the havocking host.

37. 'He can bring and does bring down upon them distress and fear; he throws down the heads of those who lie unto Mithra, he takes off the heads of those who lie unto Mithra.

38. 'Sad is the abode, unpeopled with children, where abide men who lie unto Mithra, and, verily, the fiendish killer of faithful men. The grazing cow goes a sad straying way, driven along the vales of the Mithradruǧes: they stand on the road, letting tears run over their chins.

39. 'Their falcon-feathered arrows, shot from the string of the well-bent bow, fly towards the mark, and hit it not, as Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, angry, offended, and unsatisfied, comes and meets them.

'Their spears, well whetted and sharp, their long spears fly from their hands towards the mark, and hit it not, as Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, angry, offended, and unsatisfied, comes and meets them.

40. 'Their swords, well thrust and striking at the heads of men, hit not the mark, as Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, angry, offended, and unsatisfied, comes and meets them.

'Their clubs, well falling and striking at the heads of men, hit not the mark, as Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, angry, offended, and unsatisfied, comes and meets them.

41. 'Mithra strikes fear into them; Rashnu strikes a counter-fear into them; the holy Sraosha blows them away from every side towards the two Yazatas, the maintainers of the world. They make the ranks of the army melt away, as Mithra, the lord

of wide pastures, angry, offended, and unsatisfied, comes and meets them.

42. 'They cry unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, saying: "O Mithra, thou lord of wide pastures! here are our fiery horses taking us away, as they flee from Mithra; here are our sturdy arms cut to pieces by the sword, O Mithra!"

43. 'And then Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, throws them to the ground, killing their fifties and their hundreds, their hundreds and their thousands, their thousands and their tens of thousands, their tens of thousands and their myriads of myriads; as Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, is angry and offended.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

44. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'Whose dwelling, wide as the earth, extends over the material world, large, unconfined, and bright, a far-and-wide-extending abode.

45. 'Whose eight friends sit as spies for Mithra, on all the heights, at all the watching-places, observing the man who lies unto Mithra, looking at those, remembering those who have lied unto Mithra, but guarding the ways of those whose life is sought by

men who lie unto Mithra, and, verily, by the fiendish killers of faithful men.

46. 'Helping and guarding, guarding behind and guarding, in front, Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, proves an undeceivable spy and watcher for the man to whom he comes to help with all the strength of his soul, he of the ten thousand spies, the powerful, all-knowing, undeceivable god.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

47. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'A god of high renown and old age, whom wide-hoofed horses carry against havocking hosts, against enemies coming in battle array, in the strife of conflicting nations.

48. 'And when Mithra drives along towards the havocking hosts, towards the enemies coming in battle array, in the strife of the conflicting nations, then he binds the hands of those who have lied unto Mithra, he confounds their eye-sight, he takes the hearing from their ears; they can no longer move their feet; they can no longer withstand those people, those foes, when Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, bears them ill-will.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

49 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

50. 'For whom the Maker, Ahura Mazda, has

built up a dwelling on the Hara Berezaiti, the bright mountain around which the many (stars) revolve, where come neither night nor darkness, no cold wind and no hot wind, no deathful sickness, no uncleanness made by the Daêvas, and the clouds cannot reach up unto the Haraiti Bareza;

51. 'A dwelling that all the Amesha-Speñtas, in one accord with the sun, made for him in the fulness of faith of a devoted heart, and he surveys the whole of the material world from the Haraiti Bareza.

52. 'And when there rushes a wicked worker of evil, swiftly, with a swift step, Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, goes and yokes his horses to his chariot, along with the holy, powerful Sraosha and Nairyô-sangha, who strikes a blow that smites the army, that smites the strength of the malicious.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

53. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

54. 'Who, with hands lifted up, ever cries unto Ahura Mazda, saying: "I am the kind keeper of all creatures, I am the kind maintainer of all creatures; yet men worship me not with a sacrifice in which I am invoked by my own name, as they worship the other gods with sacrifices in which they are invoked by their own names.

55. "If men would worship me with a sacrifice

in which I were invoked by my own name, as they worship the other Yazatas with sacrifices in which they are invoked by their own names, then I would come to the faithful at the appointed time; I would come in the appointed time of my beautiful, immortal life."

56. 'But the pious man, holding libations in his hands, does worship thee with a sacrifice, in which thou art invoked by thy own name, and with the proper words.

'With a sacrifice, in which thou art invoked by thy own name, with the proper words will I offer thee libations, O powerful Mithra!

'With a sacrifice, in which thou art invoked by thy own name, with the proper words will I offer thee libations, O most beneficent Mithra!

'With a sacrifice, in which thou art invoked by thy own name, with the proper words will I offer thee libations, O thou undeceivable Mithra!

57. 'Listen unto our sacrifice, O Mithra! Be thou pleased with our sacrifice, O Mithra! Come and sit at our sacrifice! Accept our libations! Accept them as they have been consecrated! Gather them together with love and lay them in the Garô-nmâna!

58. 'Grant us these boons which we beg of thee, O powerful god! in accordance with the words of revelation, namely, riches, strength, and victory, good conscience and bliss, good fame and a good soul; wisdom and the knowledge that gives happiness, the victorious strength given by Ahura, the crushing Ascendant of Asha-Vahiṣta, and conversation (with God) on the Holy Word.

59. 'Grant that we, in a good spirit and high spirit, exalted in joy and a good spirit, may smite all our foes; that we, in a good spirit and high spirit, exalted in joy and a good spirit, may smite all our enemies; that we, in a good spirit and high spirit, exalted in joy and a good spirit, may smite all the malice of Daêvas and Men, of the Yâtus and Pairikas, of the oppressors, the blind, and the deaf.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

60. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'Whose renown is good, whose shape is good, whose glory is good; who has boons to give at his will, who has pasture-fields to give at his will; harmless to the tiller of the ground, . . . . , beneficent; he, of the ten thousand spies, the powerful, all-knowing, undeceivable god.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

61. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'Firm-legged, a watcher fully awake; valiant, a chief in assemblies; making the waters flow forward; listening to appeals; making the waters run and the plants grow up; ruling over the

Karshwares; delivering; happy; undeceivable; endowed with many senses; a creature of wisdom;

62. 'Who gives neither strength nor vigour to him who has lied unto Mithra; who gives neither glory nor any boon to him who has lied unto Mithra.

63. 'Thou takest away the strength from their arms, being angry and all-powerful; thou takest the swiftness from their feet, the eye-sight from their eyes, the hearing from their ears.

'Not the wound of the well-sharpened spear or of the flying arrow reaches that man to whom Mithra comes for help with all the strength of his soul, he, of the ten thousand spies, the powerful, all-knowing, undeceivable god.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

64. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'Who takes possession of the beautiful, wide-expanding law, greatly and powerfully, and whose face looks over all the seven Karshvares of the earth;

65. 'Who is swift amongst the swift, liberal amongst the liberal, strong amongst the strong, a chief of assembly amongst the chiefs of assemblies; increase-giving, fatness-giving, cattle-giving, sovereignty-giving, son-giving, cheerfulness-giving, and bliss-giving.

66. 'With whom proceed Ashi Vanguhi, and Pâreṉdi on her light chariot, the awful Manly Courage, the awful kingly Glory, the awful sovereign Sky, the awful cursing thought of the wise, the awful Fravashis of the faithful, and he who keeps united together the many faithful worshippers of Mazda.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

67. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'Who drives along on his high-wheeled chariot, made of a heavenly substance, from the Karshvare of Arezahi to the Karshvare of Hvaniratha, the bright one; accompanied by the wheel of sovereignty, the Glory made by Mazda, and the Victory made by Ahura;

68. 'Whose chariot is embraced by the great Ashi Vanguhi; to whom the Law of Mazda opens a way, that he may go easily; whom four heavenly steeds, white, shining, seen afar, beneficent, endowed with knowledge, swiftly carry along the heavenly space, while the cursing thought of the wise pushes it forward;

69. 'From whom all the Daêvas unseen and the Varenya fiends flee away in fear. Oh! may we

never fall across the rush of the angry lord, who goes and rushes from a thousand sides against his foe, he, of the ten thousand spies, the powerful, all-knowing, undeceivable god.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

70. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'Before whom Verethraghna, made by Ahura, runs opposing the foes in the shape of a boar, a sharp-toothed he-boar, a sharp-jawed boar, that kills at one stroke, pursuing, wrathful, with a dripping face; strong, with iron feet, iron fore-paws, iron weapons, an iron tail, and iron jaws;

71. 'Who, eagerly clinging to the fleeing foe, along with Manly Courage, smites the foe in battle, and does not think he has smitten him, nor does he consider it a blow till he has smitten away the marrow and the column of life, the marrow and the spring of existence.

72. 'He cuts all the limbs to pieces, and mingles, together with the earth, the bones, hair, brains, and blood of the men who have lied unto Mithra.

'For his brightness and glory, we offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

73. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'Who, with hands lifted up, rejoicing, cries out, speaking thus:

74. '"O Ahura Mazda, most beneficent spirit! Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

'"If men would worship me with a sacrifice in which I were invoked by my own name, as they worship the other gods with sacrifices in which they are invoked by their own names, then I should come to the faithful at the appointed time; I should come in the appointed time of my beautiful, immortal life."

75. 'May we keep our field; may we never be exiles from our field, exiles from our house, exiles from our borough, exiles from our town, exiles from our country.

76. 'Thou dashest in pieces the malice of the malicious, the malice of the men of malice: dash thou in pieces the killers of faithful men!

'Thou hast good horses, thou hast a good chariot: thou art bringing help at every appeal, and art powerful.

77. 'I will pray unto thee for help, with many consecrations, with good consecrations of libations; with many offerings, with good offerings of libations, that we, abiding in thee, may long inhabit a good abode, full of all the riches that can be wished for.

78. 'Thou keepest those nations that tender a good worship to Mithra, the lord of wide pastures; thou dashest in pieces those that delight in havoc. Unto thee will I pray for help: may he come to us for help, the awful, most powerful Mithra, the worshipful and praiseworthy, the glorious lord of nations.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

79. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'Who made a dwelling for Rashnu, and to whom Rashnu gave all his soul for long friendship;

80. 'Thou art a keeper and protector of the dwelling of those who lie not: thou art the maintainer of those who lie not. With thee hath Verethraghna, made by Ahura, contracted the best of all friendships, and thus it is how so many men who have lied unto Mithra, even privily, lie smitten down on the ground.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

81. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'Who made a dwelling for Rashnu, and to whom Rashnu gave all his soul for long friendship;

82. 'To whom Ahura Mazda gave a thousand

senses and ten thousand eyes to see. With those eyes and those senses, he watches the man who injures Mithra, the man who lies unto Mithra. Through those eyes and those senses, he is undeceivable, he, of the ten thousand spies, the powerful, all-knowing, undeceivable god.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

83. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'Whom the lord of the country invokes for help, with hands uplifted;

'Whom the lord of the town invokes for help, with hands uplifted;

84. 'Whom the lord of the borough invokes for help, with hands uplifted;

'Whom the master of the house invokes for help, with hands uplifted;

'Whom the . . . . in danger of death invokes for help, with hands uplifted;

'Whom the poor man, who follows the good law, when wronged and deprived of his rights, invokes for help, with hands uplifted.

85. 'The voice of his wailing reaches up to the sky, it goes over the earth all around, it goes over

the seven Karshvares, whether he utters his prayer in a low tone of voice or aloud.

86. 'The cow driven astray invokes him for help, longing for the stables:

'"When will that bull, Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, bring us back, and make us reach the stables? when will he turn us back to the right way from the den of the Druǧwhere we were driven?"

87. 'And to him with whom Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, has been satisfied, he comes with help; and of him with whom Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, has been offended, he crushes down the house, the borough, the town, the province, the country.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

88. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'To whom the enlivening, healing, fair, lordly, golden-eyed Haoma offered up a sacrifice on the highest of the heights, on the Haraiti Bareza, he

the undefiled to one undefiled, with undefiled baresma, undefiled libations, and undefiled words;

89. 'Whom the holy Ahura Mazda has established as a priest, quick in performing the sacrifice and loud in song. He performed the sacrifice with a loud voice, as a priest quick in sacrifice and loud in song, a priest to Ahura Mazda, a priest to the Amesha-Speñtas. His voice reached up to the sky, went over the earth all around, went over the seven Karshvares.

90. 'Who first lifted up Haomas, in a mortar inlaid with stars and made of a heavenly substance. Ahura Mazda longed for him, the Amesha-Speñtas longed for him, for the well-shapen body of him whom the swift-horsed sun awakes for prayer from afar.

91. 'Hail to Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, who has a thousand ears and ten thousand eyes! Thou art worthy of sacrifice and prayer: mayest thou have sacrifice and prayer in the houses of men! Hail to the man who shall offer thee a sacrifice, with the holy wood in his hand, the baresma in his hand, the holy meat in his hand, the holy mortar in his hand, with his hands well-washed, with the mortar well-washed, with the bundles of baresma tied up, the Haoma uplifted, and the Ahuna Vairya sung through.

92. 'The holy Ahura Mazda confessed that religion and so did Vohu-Manô, so did Asha-Vahiṣta, so did Khshathra-Vairya, so did Speñta-Ârmaiti, so

did Haurvatâṭ and Ameretâṭ; and all the Amesha-Speñtas longed for and confessed his religion. The kind Mazda conferred upon him the mastership of the world; and [so did they] who saw thee amongst all creatures the right lord and master of the world, the best cleanser of these creatures.

93. 'So mayest thou in both worlds, mayest thou keep us in both worlds, O Mithra, lord of wide pastures! both in this material world and in the world of the spirit, from the fiend of Death, from the fiend Aêshma, from the fiendish hordes, that lift up the spear of havoc, and from the onsets of Aêshma, wherein the evil-doing Aêshma rushes along with Vîdôtu, made by the Daêvas.

94. 'So mayest thou, O Mithra, lord of wide pastures! give swiftness to our teams, strength to our own bodies, and that we may watch with full success those who hate us, smite down our foes, and destroy at one stroke our adversaries, our enemies and those who hate us.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

95. We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'Who goes over the earth, all her breadth over, after the setting of the sun, touches both ends of

this wide, round earth, whose ends lie afar, and surveys everything that is between the earth and the heavens,

96. 'Swinging in his hands a club with a hundred knots, a hundred edges, that rushes forwards and fells men down; a club cast out of red brass, of strong, golden brass; the strongest of all weapons, the most victorious of all weapons;

97. 'From whom Angra Mainyu, who is all death, flees away in fear; from whom Aêshma, the evildoing Peshôtanu, flees away in fear; from whom the long-handed Bûshyãsta flees away in fear; from whom all the Daêvas unseen and the Varenya fiends flee away in fear.

98. 'Oh! may we never fall across the rush of Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, when in anger! May Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, never smite us in his anger; he who stands up upon this earth as the strongest of all gods, the most valiant of all gods, the most energetic of all gods, the swiftest of all gods, the most fiend-smiting of all gods, he, Mithra, the lord of wide pastures.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

99. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'From whom all the Daêvas unseen and the Varenya fiends flee away in fear.

'The lord of nations, Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, drives forward at the right-hand side of this wide, round earth, whose ends lie afar.

100. 'At his right hand drives the good, holy Sraosha; at his left hand drives the tall and strong Rashnu; on all sides around him drive the waters, the plants, and the Fravashis of the faithful.

101. 'In his might, he ever brings to them falcon-feathered arrows, and, when driving, he himself comes there, where are nations, enemy to Mithra, he, first and foremost, strikes blows with his club on the horse and his rider; he throws fear and fright upon the horse and his rider.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

102. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'The warrior of the white horse, of the sharp spear, the long spear, the quick arrows; foreseeing and clever;

103. 'Whom Ahura Mazda has established to maintain and look over all this moving world, and who maintains and looks over all this moving world; who, never sleeping, wakefully guards the creation of Mazda; who, never sleeping, wakefully maintains the creation of Mazda.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

104. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'Whose long arms, strong with Mithra-strength, encompass what he seizes in the easternmost river and what he beats with the westernmost river, what is by the Sanaka of the Rangha and what is by the boundary of the earth.

105. 'And thou, O Mithra! encompassing all this around, do thou reach it, all over, with thy arms.

'The man without glory, led astray from the right way, grieves in his heart; the man without glory thinks thus in himself: "That careless Mithra does not see all the evil that is done, nor all the lies that are told."

106. 'But I think thus in my heart:

'"Should the evil thoughts of the earthly man be a hundred times worse, they would not rise so high as the good thoughts of the heavenly Mithra;

'"Should the evil words of the earthly man be a hundred times worse, they would not rise so high as the good words of the heavenly Mithra;

'"Should the evil deeds of the earthly man be a hundred times worse, they would not rise so high as the good deeds of the heavenly Mithra;

107. '"Should the heavenly wisdom in the earthly man be a hundred times greater, it would not rise so high as the heavenly. wisdom in the heavenly Mithra;

'"And thus, should the ears of the earthly man hear a hundred times better, he would not hear so well as the heavenly Mithra, whose ear hears well, who has a thousand senses, and sees every man that tells a lie."

'Mithra stands up in his strength, he drives in the awfulness of royalty, and sends from his eyes beautiful looks that shine from afar, (saying):

108. '"Who will offer me a sacrifice? Who will lie unto me? Who thinks me a god worthy of a good sacrifice? Who thinks me worthy only of a bad sacrifice? To whom shall I, in my might, impart brightness and glory? To whom bodily health? To whom shall I, in my might, impart riches and full weal? Whom shall I bless by raising him a virtuous offspring?

109. '"To whom shall I give in return, without his thinking of it, the awful sovereignty, beautifully arrayed, with many armies, and most perfect; the sovereignty of an all-powerful tyrant, who fells down heads, valiant, smiting, and unsmitten; who orders chastisement to be done and his order is done at once, which he has ordered in his anger?"

'O Mithra! when thou art offended and not satisfied, he soothes thy mind, and makes Mithra satisfied.

110. '"To whom shall I, in my might, impart sickness and death? To whom shall I impart poverty and sterility? Of whom shall I at one stroke cut off the offspring?

111. '"From whom shall I take away, without his thinking of it, the awful sovereignty, beautifully arrayed, with many armies, and most perfect; the sovereignty of an all-powerful tyrant, who fells down heads, valiant, smiting, and unsmitten; who orders chastisement to be done and his order is done at once, which he has ordered in his anger?"

'O Mithra! while thou art satisfied and not angry, he moves thy heart to anger, and makes Mithra unsatisfied.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

112. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

A warrior with a silver helm, a golden cuirass, who kills with the poniard, strong, valiant, lord of the borough. Bright are the ways of Mithra, by which he goes towards the country, when, wishing well, he turns its plains and vales to pasture grounds,

113. 'And then cattle and males come to graze, as many as he wants.

'May Mithra and Ahura, the high gods, come to us for help, when the poniard lifts up its voice

aloud, when the nostrils of the horses quiver, when the poniards . . . ., when the strings of the bows whistle and shoot sharp arrows; then the brood of those whose libations are hated fall smitten to the ground, with their hair torn off.

114. 'So mayest thou, O Mithra, lord of wide pastures! give swiftness to our teams, strength to our own bodies, and that we may watch with full success those who hate us, smite down our foes, and destroy at one stroke our adversaries, our enemies, and those who hate us.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

115. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake.

'O Mithra, lord of wide pastures! thou master of the house, of the borough, of the town, of the country, thou Zarathuṣtrôtema!

116. 'Mithra is twentyfold between two friends or two relations;

'Mithra is thirtyfold between two men of the same group;

'Mithra is fortyfold between two partners;

'Mithra is fiftyfold between wife and husband;

'Mithra is sixtyfold between two pupils (of the same master);

'Mithra is seventyfold between the pupil and his master;

'Mithra is eightyfold between the son-in-law and his father-in-law;

'Mithra is ninetyfold between two brothers;

117. 'Mithra is a hundredfold between the father and the son;

'Mithra is a thousandfold between two nations;

'Mithra is ten thousandfold when connected with the Law of Mazda, and then he will be every day of victorious strength.

118. 'May I come unto thee with a prayer that goes lowly or goes highly! As this sun rises up above the Hara Berezaiti and then fulfils its career, so may I, O Spitama! with a prayer that goes lowly or goes highly, rise up above the will of the fiend Angra Mainyu!

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

119. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake.

'Offer up a sacrifice unto Mithra, O Spitama! and order thy pupils to do the same.

'Let the worshipper of Mazda sacrifice unto thee with small cattle, with black cattle, with flying birds, gliding forward on wings.

120. 'To Mithra all the faithful worshippers of Mazda must give strength and energy with offered and proffered Haomas, which the Zaotar proffers unto him and gives in sacrifice. Let the faithful man drink of the libations cleanly prepared, which if he does, if he offers them unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, Mithra will be pleased with him and without anger.'

121. Zarathuṣtra asked him: 'O Ahura Mazda! how shall the faithful man drink the libations cleanly prepared, which if he does and he offers them unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, Mithra will be pleased with him and without anger?'

122. Ahura Mazda answered: 'Let them wash their bodies three days and three nights; let them undergo thirty strokes for the sacrifice and prayer unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures. Let them wash their bodies two days and two nights; let them undergo twenty strokes for the sacrifice and prayer unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures. Let no

man drink of these libations who does not know the staota yêsnya: Vîspê ratavô.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

123. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'To whom Ahura Mazda offered up a sacrifice in the shining Garô-nmâna.

124. 'With his arms lifted up towards Immortality, Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, drives forward from the shining Garô-nmâna, in a beautiful chariot that drives on, ever-swift, adorned with all sorts of ornaments, and made of gold.

125. 'Four stallions draw that chariot, all of the same white colour, living on heavenly food and undying. The hoofs of their fore-feet are shod with gold, the hoofs of their hind-feet are shod with silver; all are yoked to the same pole, and wear the yoke and the cross-beams of the yoke, fastened with hooks of Khshathra vairya to a beautiful . . . .

126. 'At his right hand drives Rashnu-Raziṣta, the most beneficent and most well-shapen.

'At his left hand drives the most upright Kista, the holy one, bearing libations in her hands, clothed with white clothes, and white herself; and the cursing thought of the Law of Mazda.

127. 'Close by him drives the strong cursing thought of the wise man, opposing foes in the shape of a boar, a sharp-toothed he-boar, a sharp-jawed boar, that kills at one stroke, pursuing, wrathful, with a dripping face, strong and swift to run, and rushing all around.

'Behind him drives Âtar, all in a blaze, and the awful kingly Glory.

128. 'On a side of the chariot of Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, stand a thousand bows well-made, with a string of cowgut; they go through the heavenly space, they fall through the heavenly space upon the skulls of the Daêvas.

129. 'On a side of the chariot of Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, stand a thousand vulture-feathered arrows, with a golden mouth, with a horn shaft, with a brass tail, and well-made. They go through the heavenly space, they fall through the heavenly space upon the skulls of the Daêvas.

130. 'On a side of the chariot of Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, stand a thousand spears well-made and sharp-piercing. They go through the heavenly space, they fall through the heavenly space upon the skulls of the Daêvas.

'On a side of the chariot of Mithra, the lord of

wide pastures, stand a thousand steel-hammers, two-edged, well-made. They go through the heavenly space, they fall through the heavenly space upon the skulls of the Daêvas.

131. 'On a side of the chariot of Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, stand a thousand swords, two-edged and well-made. They go through the heavenly space, they fall through the heavenly space upon the skulls of the Daêvas.

'On a side of the chariot of Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, stand a thousand maces of iron, well-made. They go through the heavenly space, they fall through the heavenly space upon the skulls of the Daêvas.

132. 'On a side of the chariot of Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, stands a beautiful well-falling club, with a hundred knots, a hundred edges, that rushes forward and fells men down; a club cast out of red brass, of strong, golden brass; the strongest of all weapons, the most victorious of all weapons. It goes through the heavenly space, it falls through the heavenly space upon the skulls of the Daêvas.

133. 'After he has smitten the Daêvas, after he has smitten down the men who lied unto Mithra, Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, drives forward through Arezahê and Savahê, through Fradadhafshu and Vîdadhafshu, through Vourubareṣti and Vouruǧareṣti, through this our Karshvare, the bright Hvaniratha.

134. 'Angra Mainyu, who is all death, flees away in fear; Aêshma, the evil-doing Peshotanu, flees

away in fear; the long-handed Bûshyãsta flees away in fear; all the Daêvas unseen and the Varenya fiends flee away in fear.

135. 'Oh! may we never fall across the rush of Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, when in anger! May Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, never smite us in his anger; he who stands up upon this earth as the strongest of all gods, the most valiant of all gods, the most energetic of all gods, the swiftest of all gods, the most fiend-smiting of all gods, he, Mithra, the lord of wide pastures.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

136. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'For whom white stallions, yoked to his chariot, draw it, on one golden wheel, with a full shining axle.

137. 'If Mithra takes his libations to his own dwelling, "Happy that man, I think,"—said Ahura Mazda,—"O holy Zarathuṣtra! for whom a holy priest, as pious as any in the world, who is the Word incarnate, offers up a sacrifice unto Mithra with bundles of baresma and with the [proper] words.

'"Straight to that man, I think, will Mithra come, to visit his dwelling,

138. '"When Mithra's boons will come to him, as he follows God's teaching, and thinks according to God's teaching.

'"Woe to that man, I think,"—said Ahura Mazda,—

"O holy Zarathuṣtra! for whom an unholy priest, not pious, who is not the Word incarnate, stands behind the baresma, however full may be the bundles of baresma he ties, however long may be the sacrifice he performs."

139. 'He does not delight Ahura Mazda, nor the other Amesha-Speñtas, nor Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, he who thus scorns Mazda, and the other Amesha-Speñtas, and Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, and the Law, and Rashnu, and Arṣtâṭ, who makes the world grow, who makes the world increase.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

140. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . . sleepless, and ever awake.

'I will offer up a sacrifice unto the good Mithra, O Spitama! unto the strong, heavenly god, who is foremost, highly merciful, and peerless; whose house is above, a stout and strong warrior;

141. 'Victorious and armed with a well-fashioned weapon, watchful in darkness and undeceivable. He is the stoutest of the stoutest, he is the strongest of the strongest, he is the most intelligent of the gods, he is victorious and endowed with Glory: he, of the ten thousand eyes, of the ten thousand spies, the powerful, all-knowing, undeceivable god.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard. . . .

142. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, . . . sleepless, and ever awake;

'Who, with his manifold knowledge, powerfully increases the creation of Speñta Mainyu, and is a well-created and most great Yazata, self-shining like the moon, when he makes his own body shine;

143. 'Whose face is flashing with light like the face of the star Tiṣtrya; whose chariot is embraced by that goddess who is foremost amongst those who have no deceit in them, O Spitama! who is fairer than any creature in the world, and full of light to shine. I will worship that chariot, wrought by the Maker, Ahura Mazda, inlaid with stars and made of a heavenly substance; (the chariot) of Mithra, who has ten thousand spies, the powerful, all-knowing, undeceivable god.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

144. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, who is truth-speaking, a chief in assemblies, with a thousand ears, well-shapen, with a thousand eyes, high, with full knowledge, strong, sleepless, and ever awake.

'We sacrifice unto the Mithra around countries;

'We sacrifice unto the Mithra within countries;

'We sacrifice unto the Mithra in this country;

'We sacrifice unto the Mithra above countries;

'We sacrifice unto the Mithra under countries;

'We sacrifice unto the Mithra before countries;

'We sacrifice unto the Mithra behind countries.

145. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra and Ahura, the two great, imperishable, holy gods; and unto the stars, and the moon, and the sun, with the trees that yield up baresma. We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of all countries.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard, namely, unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures.

'Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness . . . .

'I bless the sacrifice and prayer, and the strength and vigour of Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, who has a thousand ears, ten thousand eyes, a Yazata invoked by his own name; and that of Râma Hvâstra.

'Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good . . . .

'[Give] unto that man brightness and glory, . . . . give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones!'

Mentioned templesAhuraMazdāAšaAšavahištaHaurvatātAmərətāt

Yasht XIII: Farvardîn Yaṣt

0. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced! . . . .

Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good . . . .

I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathuṣtra, one who hates the Daêvas and obeys the laws of Ahura;

For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Hâvani], the holy and master of holiness.

Unto the awful, overpowering Fravashis of the faithful; unto the Fravashis of the men of the primitive law; unto the Fravashis of the next-of-kin,

Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.

Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness. . . .

1. Ahura Mazda spake unto Spitama Zarathuṣtra, saying: 'Do thou proclaim, O pure Zarathuṣtra! the vigour and strength, the glory, the help and the joy that are in the Fravashis of the faithful, the awful and overpowering Fravashis; do thou tell how they come to help me, how they bring assistance unto me, the awful Fravashis of the faithful.

2. 'Through their brightness and glory, O Zarathuṣtra! I maintain that sky, there above, shining and seen afar, and encompassing this earth all around.

3. 'It looks like a palace, that stands built of a

heavenly substance, firmly established, with ends that lie afar, shining in its body of ruby over the three-thirds (of the earth); it is like a garment inlaid with stars, made of a heavenly substance, that Mazda puts on, along with Mithra and Rashnu and Speñta-Ârmaiti, and on no side can the eye perceive the end of it.

4. 'Through their brightness and glory, O Zarathuṣtra! I maintain Ardvi Sara Anâhita, the wide-expanding and health-giving, who hates the Daêvas and obeys the laws of Ahura, who is worthy of sacrifice in the material world, worthy of prayer in the material world; the life-increasing and holy, the flocks-increasing and holy, the fold-increasing and holy, the wealth-increasing and holy, the country-increasing and holy;

5. 'Who makes the seed of all males pure, who makes the womb of all females pure for bringing forth, who makes all females bring forth in safety, who puts milk in the breasts of all females in the right measure and the right quality;

6. 'The large river, known afar, that is as large as the whole of all the waters that run along the earth; that runs powerfully from the height Hukairya down to the sea Vouru-Kasha.

7. 'All the shores of the sea Vouru-Kasha are boiling over, all the middle of it is boiling over,

when she runs down there, when she streams down there, she, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita, who has a thousand cells and a thousand channels; the extent of each of those cells, of each of those channels, is as much as a man can ride in forty days, riding on a good horse.

8. 'From this river of mine alone flow all the waters that spread all over the seven Karshvares; this river of mine alone goes on bringing waters, both in summer and in winter. This river of mine purifies the seed in males, the womb in females, the milk in females’ breasts.

9. 'Through their brightness and glory, O Zarathuṣtra! I maintain the wide earth made by Ahura, the large and broad earth, that bears so much that is fine, that bears all the bodily world, the live and the dead, and the high mountains, rich in pastures and waters;

10. 'Upon which run the many streams and rivers; upon which the many kinds of plants grow up from the ground, to nourish animals and men, to nourish the Aryan nations, to nourish the five kinds of animals, and to help the faithful.

11. 'Through their brightness and glory, O Zarathuṣtra! I maintain in the womb the child that has been conceived, so that it does not die from the

assaults of Vîdôtu, and I develop in it the bones, the hair, the . . . . , the entrails, the feet, and the sexual organs.

12. 'Had not the awful Fravashis of the faithful given help unto me, those animals and men of mine, of which there are such excellent kinds, would not subsist; strength would belong to the Druǧ, the dominion would belong to the Druǧ, the material world would belong to the Druǧ.

13. 'Between the earth and the sky the immaterial creatures would be harassed by the Druǧ; between the earth and the sky the immaterial creatures would be smitten by the Druǧ; and never afterwards would Angra-Mainyu give way to the blows of Speñta-Mainyu.

14. 'Through their brightness and glory the waters run and flow forward from the never-failing springs; through their brightness and glory the plants grow up from the earth, by the never-failing springs; through their brightness and glory the winds blow, driving down the clouds towards the never-failing springs.

15. 'Through their brightness and glory the females conceive offspring; through their brightness and glory they bring forth in safety; it is through their brightness and glory when they become blessed with children.

16. 'Through their brightness and glory a man is born who is a chief in assemblies and meetings, who listens well to the (holy) words, whom Wisdom

holds dear, and who returns a victor from discussions with Gaotema, the heretic.

'Through their brightness and glory the sun goes his way; through their brightness and glory the moon goes her way; through their brightness and glory the stars go their way.

17. 'In fearful battles they are the wisest for help, the Fravashis of the faithful.

'The most powerful amongst the Fravashis of the faithful, O Spitama! are those of the men of the primitive law or those of the Saoshyaṉṭs not yet born, who are to restore the world. Of the Others, the Fravashis of the living faithful are more powerful, O Zarathuṣtra! than those of the dead, O Spitama!

18. 'And the man who in life shall treat the Fravashis of the faithful well, will become a ruler of the country with full power, and a chief most strong; so shall any man of you become, who shall treat Mithra well, the lord of wide pastures, and Arṣtâṭ, who makes the world grow, who makes the world increase.

19. 'Thus do I proclaim unto thee, O pure Spitama! the vigour and strength, the glory, the help, and the joy that are in the Fravashis of the faithful,

the awful and overpowering Fravashis; and how they come to help me, how they bring assistance unto me, the awful Fravashis of the faithful.'

20. Ahura Mazda spake unto Spitama Zarathuṣtra, saying: 'If in this material world, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! thou happenest to come upon frightful roads, full of dangers and fears, O Zarathuṣtra! and thou fearest for thyself, then do thou recite these words, then proclaim these fiend-smiting words, O Zarathuṣtra!

21. '"I praise, I invoke, I meditate upon, and we sacrifice unto the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful. We worship the Fravashis of the masters of the houses, those of the lords of the boroughs, those of the lords of the towns, those of the lords of the countries, those of the Zarathuṣtrôtemas; the Fravashis of those that are, the Fravashis of those that have been, the Fravashis of those that will be; all the Fravashis of all nations, and most friendly the Fravashis of the friendly nations;

22. '"Who maintain the sky, who maintain the waters, who maintain the earth, who maintain the cattle, who maintain in the womb the child that has been conceived, so that it does not die from the assaults of Vîdôtu, and develop in it the bones, the hair, the . . . ., the entrails, the feet, and the sexual organs;

23. '"Who are much-bringing, who move with

awfulness, well-moving, swiftly moving, quickly moving, who move when invoked; who are to be invoked in the conquest of good, who are to be invoked in fights against foes, who are to be invoked in battles;

24. '"Who give victory to their invoker, who give boons to their lover, who give health to the sick man, who give good Glory to the faithful man that brings libations and invokes them with a sacrifice and words of propitiation;

25. '"Who turn to that side where are faithful men, most devoted to holiness, and where is the greatest piety, where the faithful man is rejoiced, and where the faithful man is not ill-treated."'

26. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, who are the mightiest of drivers, the lightest of those driving forwards, the slowest of the retiring, the safest of all bridges, the least-erring of all weapons and arms, and who never turn their backs.

27. At once, wherever they come, we worship them, the good ones, the excellent ones, the good, the strong, the beneficent Fravashis of the faithful. They are to be invoked when the bundles of baresma are tied; they are to be invoked in fights against foes, in battles, and there where gallant men strive to conquer foes.

28. Mazda invoked them for help, when he fixed the sky and the waters and the earth and the plants; when Speñta-Mainyu fixed the sky, when he fixed the waters, when the earth, when the cattle, when the plants, when the child conceived in the womb, so that it should not die from the assaults of Vîdôtu, and developed in it the bones, the hair, the . . . ., the entrails, the feet, and the sexual organs.

29. Speñta-Mainyu maintained the sky, and they sustained it from below, they, the strong Fravashis, who sit in silence, gazing with sharp looks; whose eyes and ears are powerful, who bring long joy, high and high-girded; well-moving and moving afar, loud-snorting, possessing riches and a high renown.

30. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful; whose friendship is good, and who know how to benefit; whose friendship lasts long; who like to stay in the abode where they are not harmed by its dwellers; who are good, beautiful afar, health-giving, of high renown, conquering in battle, and who never do harm first.

31. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful; whose will is dreadful unto those who vex them; powerfully working and most beneficent; who in battle break the dread arms of their foes and haters.

32. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful; liberal, valiant, and full of strength, not to be seized by thought, welfare-giving, kind, and health-giving, following with Ashi's remedies, as far as the earth extends, as the rivers stretch, as the sun rises.

33. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, who gallantly and bravely fight, causing havoc, wounding, breaking to pieces all the malice of the malicious, Daêvas and men, and smiting powerfully in battle, at their wish and will.

34. You kindly deliver the Victory made by Ahura, and the crushing Ascendant, most beneficently, to those countries where you, the good ones, unharmed and rejoiced, unoppressed and unoffended, have been held worthy of sacrifice and prayer, and proceed the way of your wish.

35. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, of high renown, smiting in battle, most strong, shield-bearing and harmless to those who are true, whom both the pursuing and the fleeing invoke for help: the pursuer invokes

them for a swift race, and for a swift race does the fleer invoke them;

36. Who turn to that side where are faithful men, most devoted to holiness, and where is the greatest piety, where the faithful man is rejoiced, and where the faithful man is not ill-treated.

37. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, who form many battalions, girded with weapons, lifting up spears, and full of sheen; who in fearful battles come rushing along where the gallant heroes go and assail the Dânus.

38. There you destroy the victorious strength of the Turanian Dânus; there you destroy the malice of the Turanian Dânus; through you the chiefs are of high intellect and most successful; they, the gallant heroes the gallant Saoshyaṉṭs, the gallant conquerors of the offspring of the Dânus chiefs of myriads, who wound with stones.

39. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, who rout the two wings of an army standing in battle array, who make the centre swerve, and swiftly pursue onwards, to help the faithful and to distress the doers of evil deeds.

40. We worship the good, strong, beneficent

Fravashis of the faithful; awful, overpowering, and victorious, smiting in battle, sorely wounding, blowing away (the foes), moving along to and fro, of good renown, fair of body, godly of soul, and holy; who give victory to their invoker, who give boons to their lover, who give health to the sick man;

41. Who give good glory to him who worships them with a sacrifice, as that man did worship them, the holy Zarathuṣtra, the chief of the material world, the head of the two-footed race, in whatever struggle he had to enter, in whatever distress he did fear;

42. Who, when well invoked, enjoy bliss in the heavens; who, when well invoked, come forward from the heavens, who are the heads of that sky above, possessing the well-shapen Strength, the Victory made by Ahura, the crushing Ascendant, and Welfare, the wealth-bringing, boon-bringing, holy, well fed, worthy of sacrifice and prayer in the perfection of holiness.

43. They shed Satavaêsa between the earth and the sky, him to whom the waters belong, who listens to appeals and makes the waters flow and the plants grow up, to nourish animals and men, to nourish the Aryan nations, to nourish the five kinds of animals, and to help the faithful.

44. Satavaêsa comes down and flows between the earth and the sky, he to whom the waters belong, who listens to appeals and makes the waters and the plants grow up, fair, radiant, and full of

light, to nourish animals and men, to nourish the Aryan nations, to nourish the five kinds of animals, and to help the faithful.

45. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful; with helms of brass, with weapons of brass, with armour of brass; who struggle in the fights for victory in garments of light, arraying the battles and bringing them forwards, to kill thousands of Daêvas.

When the wind blows from behind them and brings their breath unto men,

46. Then men know where blows the breath of victory: and they pay pious homage unto the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, with their hearts prepared and their arms uplifted.

47. Whichever side they have been first worshipped in the fulness of faith of a devoted heart, to that side turn the awful Fravashis of the faithful, along with Mithra and Rashnu and the awful cursing thought of the wise and the victorious wind.

48. And those nations are smitten at one stroke by their fifties and their hundreds, by their hundreds and their thousands, by their thousands and their tens of thousands, by their tens of thousands and their myriads of myriads, against which turn the awful Fravashis of the faithful, along with Mithra and Rashnu, and the awful cursing thought of the wise and the victorious wind.

49. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, who come and go through the borough at the time of the Hamaspathmaêdha; they go along there for ten nights, asking thus:

50. 'Who will praise us? Who will offer us a sacrifice? Who will meditate upon us? Who will bless us? Who will receive us with meat and clothes in his hand and with a prayer worthy of bliss? Of which of us will the name be taken for invocation? Of which of you will the soul be worshipped by you with a sacrifice? To whom will this gift of ours be given, that he may have never-failing food for ever and ever?'

51. And the man who offers them up a sacrifice,

with meat and clothes in his hand, with a prayer worthy of bliss, the awful Fravashis of the faithful, satisfied, unharmed, and unoffended, bless thus:

52. 'May there be in this house flocks of animals and men! May there be a swift horse and a solid chariot! May there be a man who knows how to praise God and rule in an assembly, who will offer us sacrifices with meat and clothes in his hand, and with a prayer worthy of bliss.'

53. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, who show beautiful paths to the waters, made by Mazda, which had stood before for a long time in the same place without flowing:

54. And now they flow along the path made by Mazda, along the way made by the gods, the watery way appointed to them, at the wish of Ahura Mazda, at the wish of the Amesha-Speñtas.

55. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, who show a beautiful growth to the fertile plants, which had stood before for a long time in the same place without growing:

56. And now they grow up along the path made

by Mazda, along the way made by the gods, in the time appointed to them, at the wish of Ahura Mazda, at the wish of the Amesha-Speñtas.

57. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, who showed their paths to the stars, the moon, the sun, and the endless lights, that had stood before for a long time in the same place, without moving forwards, through the oppression of the Daêvas and the assaults of the Daêvas.

58. And now they move around in their far-revolving circle for ever, till they come to the time of the good restoration of the world.

59. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, who watch over the bright sea Vouru-Kasha, to the number of ninety thousand, and nine thousand, and nine hundred, and ninety-nine.

60. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, who watch over the stars Haptôiriṉga, to the number of ninety thousand, and nine thousand, and nine hundred, and ninety-nine.

61. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, who watch over the body

of Keresâspa, the son of Sâma, the club-bearer with plaited hair, to the number of ninety thousand, and nine thousand, and nine hundred, and ninety-nine.

62. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, who watch over the seed of the holy Zarathuṣtra, to the number of ninety thousand, and nine thousand, and nine hundred, and ninety-nine.

63. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, who fight at the right hand of the reigning lord, if he rejoices the faithful and if the awful Fravashis of the faithful are not hurt by him, if they are rejoiced by him, unharmed and unoffended.

64. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, who are greater, who are

stronger, who are swifter, who are more powerful, who are more victorious, who are more healing, who are more effective than can be expressed by words; who run by tens of thousands into the midst of the Myazdas.

65. And when the waters come up from the sea Vouru-Kasha, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! along with the Glory made by Mazda, then forwards come the awful Fravashis of the faithful, many and many hundreds, many and many thousands, many and many tens of thousands,

66. Seeking water for their own kindred, for their own borough, for their own town, for their own country, and saying thus: 'May our own country have a good store and full joy!'

67. They fight in the battles that are fought in their own place and land, each according to the place and house where he dwelt (of yore): they look like a gallant warrior who, girded up and watchful, fights for the hoard he has treasured up.

68. And those of them who win bring waters to their own kindred, to their own borough, to their own town, to their own country, saying thus: 'May my country grow and increase!'

69. And when the all-powerful sovereign of a country has been surprised by his foes and haters, he invokes them, the awful Fravashis of the faithful.

70. And they come to his help, if they have not been hurt by him, if they have been rejoiced by him, if they have not been harmed nor offended, the awful Fravashis of the faithful: they come flying unto him, it seems as if they were well-winged birds.

71. They come in as a weapon and as a shield, to keep him behind and to keep him in front, from the Druǧ unseen, from the female Varenya fiend, from the evil-doer bent on mischief, and from that fiend who is all death, Angra Mainyu. It will be as if there were a thousand men watching over one man;

72. So that neither the sword well-thrust, neither the club well-falling, nor the arrow well-shot, nor the spear well-darted, nor the stones flung from the arm shall destroy him.

73. They come on this side, they come on that side, never resting, the good, powerful, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, asking for help thus: 'Who will praise us? Who will offer us a sacrifice? Who will meditate upon us? Who will bless us? Who will receive us with meat and clothes in his hand and with a prayer worthy of bliss? Of which of us will the name be taken for invocation? Of which of you will the soul be worshipped by you with a sacrifice? To whom will that gift of ours be given, that he may have never-failing food for ever and ever?'

74. We worship the perception; we worship the intellect; we worship the conscience; we worship those of the Saoshyaṉṭs;

We worship the souls; those of the tame animals; those of the wild animals; those of the animals that live in the waters; those of the animals that live under the ground; those of the flying ones; those of the running ones; those of the grazing ones.

We worship their Fravashis.

75. We worship the Fravashis.

We worship them, the liberal;

We worship them, the valiant; we worship them, the most valiant;

We worship them, the beneficent; we worship them, the most beneficent;

We worship them, the powerful;

We worship them, the most strong;

We worship them, the light; we worship them, the most light;

We worship them, the effective; we worship them, the most effective.

76. They are the most effective amongst the creatures of the two Spirits, they the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, who stood holding fast when the two Spirits created the world, the Good Spirit and the Evil One.

77. When Angra Mainyu broke into the creation of the good holiness, then came in across Vohû Manô and Âtar.

78. They destroyed the malice of the fiend Angra Mainyu, so that the waters did not stop flowing nor did the plants stop growing; but at once the most beneficent waters of the creator and

ruler, Ahura Mazda, flowed forward and his plants went on growing.

79. We worship all the waters;

We worship all the plants;

We worship all the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful.

We worship the waters by their names;

We worship the plants by their names;

We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful by their names.

80. Of all those ancient Fravashis, we worship the Fravashi of Ahura Mazda; who is the greatest, the best, the fairest, the most solid, the wisest, the finest of body and supreme in holiness;

81. Whose soul is the Mãthra Speñta, who is white, shining, seen afar; and we worship the beautiful forms, the active forms wherewith he clothes the Amesha-Speñtas; we worship the swift-horsed sun.

82. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the Amesha-Speñtas, the bright ones, whose looks perform what they wish, the tall, quickly coming to do, strong, and lordly, who are undecaying and holy;

83. Who are all seven of one thought, who are all seven of one speech, who are all seven of one deed; whose thought is the same, whose speech is the same, whose deed is the same, whose father and

commander is the same, namely, the Maker, Ahura Mazda;

84. Who see one another's soul thinking of good thoughts, thinking of good words, thinking of good deeds, thinking of Garô-nmâna, and whose ways are shining as they go down towards the libations.

85. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis: that of the most rejoicing fire, the beneficent and assembly-making; and that of the holy, strong Sraosha, who is the incarnate Word, a mighty-speared and lordly god; and that of Nairyô-sangha.

86. And that of Rashnu Raziṣta;

That of Mithra, the lord of wide pastures;

That of the Mãthra-Speñta;

That of the sky;

That of the waters;

That of the earth;

That of the plants;

That of the Bull;

That of the living man;

That of the holy creation.

87. We worship the Fravashi of Gaya Maretan,

who first listened unto the thought and teaching of Ahura Mazda; of whom Ahura formed the race of the Aryan nations, the seed of the Aryan nations.

We worship the piety and the Fravashi of the holy Zarathuṣtra;

88. Who first thought what is good, who first spoke what is good, who first did what is good; who was the first Priest, the first Warrior, the first Plougher of the ground; who first knew and first taught; who first possessed and first took possession of the Bull, of Holiness, of the Word, the obedience to the Word, and dominion, and all the good things made by Mazda, that are the offspring of the good Principle;

89. Who was the first Priest, the first Warrior, the first Plougher of the ground; who first took the turning of the wheel from the hands of the Daêva and of the cold-hearted man; who first in the material world pronounced the praise of Asha, thus bringing the Daêvas to naught, and confessed himself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathuṣtra, one who hates the Daêvas, and obeys the laws of Ahura.

90. Who first in the material world said the word that destroys the Daêvas, the law of Ahura; who first in the material world proclaimed the word that destroys the Daêvas, the law of Ahura; who

first in the material world declared all the creation of the Daêvas unworthy of sacrifice and prayer; who was strong, giving all the good things of life, the first bearer of the Law amongst the nations;

91. In whom was heard the whole Mãthra, the word of holiness; who was the lord and master of the world, the praiser of the most great, most good and most fair Asha; who had a revelation of the Law, that most excellent of all beings;

92. For whom the Amesha-Speñtas longed, in one accord with the sun, in the fulness of faith of a devoted heart; they longed for him, as the lord and master of the world, as the praiser of the most great, most good, and most fair Asha, as having a revelation of the Law, that most excellent of all beings;

93. In whose birth and growth the waters and the plants rejoiced; in whose birth and growth the waters and the plants grew; in whose birth and growth all the creatures of the good creations cried out, Hail!

94. 'Hail to us! for he is born, the Âthravan, Spitama Zarathuṣtra. Zarathuṣtra will offer us sacrifices with libations and bundles of baresma; and there will the good Law of the worshippers of Mazda come and spread through all the seven Karshvares of the earth.

95. 'There will Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, increase all the excellences of our countries, and allay their troubles; there will the powerful Apãm-Napâṭincrease all the excellences of our countries, and allay their troubles.'

We worship the piety and Fravashi of Maidhyô-maungha, the son of Arâsti, who first listened unto the word and teaching of Zarathuṣtra.

96. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Asmô-ḥvanvaṉṭ;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Asan-ḥvanvaṉṭ.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Gavayan.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Parshaṭ-gauṣ, the son of Frâta;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vohvasti, the son of Snaoya;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Isvaṭ, the son of Varâza.

97. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Saêna, the son of Ahûm-stuṭ, who first appeared upon this earth with a hundred pupils.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Fradhidaya.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Usmânara, the son of Paêshata.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vohu-raokah, the son of Frânya;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Ashô-raokah, the son of Frânya;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Varesmô-raokah, the son of Frânya.

98. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Isaṭ-vâstra, the son of Zarathuṣtra;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Urvataṭ-nara, the son of Zarathuṣtra;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Hvare-kithra, the son of Zarathuṣtra.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Daêvô-ṭbiṣ, the son of Takhma.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Thrimithwaṉṭ, the son of Spitâma.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Daungha, the son of Zairita.

99. We worship the Fravashi of the holy king Vîṣtâspa; the gallant one, who was the incarnate

Word, the mighty-speared, and lordly one; who, driving the Druǧbefore him, sought wide room for the holy religion; who, driving the Druǧbefore him, made wide room for the holy religion, who made himself the arm and support of this law of Ahura, of this law of Zarathuṣtra.

100. Who took her, standing bound, from the hands of the Hunus, and established her to sit in the middle [of the world], high ruling, never falling back, holy, nourished with plenty of cattle and pastures, blessed with plenty of cattle and pastures.

101. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Zairivairi;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Yukhtavairi;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Srîraokhshan;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Keresaokhshan;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vanâra;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Varâza;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Bûǧi-sravah.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Berezy-arṣti;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Tîzyarṣti;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Perethu-arṣti;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vîzyarṣti.

102. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Naptya;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vazâspa;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Habâspa.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vistauru, the son of Naotara.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Fraṣ-hãm-vareta;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Frashôkareta.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Âtare-vanu;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Âtare-pâta;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Âtare-dâta;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Âtare-kithra;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Âtare-ḥvarenah;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Âtare-savah;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Âtare-zaṉtu;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Âtare-danghu.

103. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Huṣkyaothna;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Piṣkyaothna;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy and gallant Speñtô-dâta.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Bastavairi;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Kavârazem.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Frashaoṣtra, the son of Hvôva;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Ǧâmâspa, the son of Hvôva;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Avâraoṣtri.

104. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Huṣkyaothna, the son of Frashaoṣtra;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Hvâdaêna, the son of Frashaoṣtra.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Hanghaurvaungh, the son of Ǧâmâspa;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vareshna, the son of Hanghaurvaungh.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vohu-nemah, the son of Avâraoṣtri,

To withstand evil dreams, to withstand evil visions, to withstand evil . . . ., to withstand the evil Pairikas.

105. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Mãthravâka, the son of Sîmaêzi, the Aêthrapati, the Hamidhpati, who was able to smite down most of the evil, unfaithful Ashemaoghas, that shout the hymns, and acknowledge no lord and no master, the dreadful ones whose Fravashis are to be broken; to withstand the evil done by the faithful.

106. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Ashastu, the son of Maidhyô-maungha.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Avarethrabah, the son of Râstare-vaghaṉṭ.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Bûǧra, the son of Dâzgarâspa.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Zbaurvaṉṭ;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy and gallant Karesna, the son of Zbaurvaṉṭ; who was the incarnate Word, mighty-speared and lordly;

107. In whose house did walk the good, beautiful, shining Ashi Vanguhi, in the shape of a maid fair of body, most strong, tall-formed, high-up girded, pure, nobly born of a glorious seed; who, rushing to the battle, knew how to make room for himself with his own arms; who, rushing to the battle, knew how to fight the foe with his own arms.

108. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vîrâspa, the son of Karesna;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Âzâta, the son of Karesna:

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Frâyaodha, the son of Karesna.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy and good Arshya; Arshya, the chief in assemblies, the most energetic of the worshippers of Mazda.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Dârayaṭ-ratha;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Frâyaṭ-ratha;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Skârayaṭ-ratha.

109. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Arṣvaṉṭ;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vyarṣvaṉṭ;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Paityarṣvaṉṭ.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Amru;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Kamru.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Drâtha;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Paitidrâtha;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Paitivangha.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Frashâvakhsha.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Nemôvanghu, the son of Vaêdhayangha.

110. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vîsadha.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Ashâvanghu, the son of Bivaṉdangha;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Ǧarô-danghu, the son of Pairiṣtîra;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Neremyazdana, the son of Âthwyôza.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Bereziṣnu, the son of Ara;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Kasupatu, the son of Ara.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Frya.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy ASTVAṬ-ERETA.

111. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Gaopi-vanghu.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy and gallant Hãm-baretar vanghvãm.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Staotar-Vahiṣtahê-Ashyêhê.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Pourudhâkhṣti, the son of Khṣtâvaênya;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Khshoiwrâspa, the son of Khṣtâvaênya.

112. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Ayôasti, the son of Pouru-dhâkhṣti;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vohv-asti, the son of Pouru-dhâkhṣti;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Gayadhâsti, the son of Pouru-dhâkhṣti;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Asha-vazdah, the son of Pouru-dhâkhṣti;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Urûdhu, the son of Pouru-dhâkhṣti.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Khshathrô-kinah, the son of Khshvôiwrâspa.

113. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Ashâhura, the son of Ǧîṣti.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Frâyazaṉta;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Frenah, the son of Frâyazaṉta;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Garô-vanghu, the son of Frâyazaṉta.

We worship the Fravashis of the holy Ashavazdah and Thrita, the sons of Sâyuzdri.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vohu-raokah, the son of Varakasa.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Areǧanghaṉṭ, the Turanian.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Usinemah.

114. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Yukhtâspa.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Ashaskyaothna, the son of Gayadhâsti.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vohu-nemah, the son of Katu;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vohu-vazdah, the son of Katu.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Ashasaredha, the son of Asha-sairyãk;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Ashasaredha, the son of Zairyãk.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Kâkhshni.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Syâvâspi.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Pouruṣti, the son of Kavi.

115. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Varesmapa, the son of Ǧanara.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Nanârâsti, the son of Paêshatah;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Zarazdâti, the son of Paêshatah.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Gaêvani, the son of Vohu-nemah.

We worship the Fravashis of the holy Arezva and Srûta-spâdha.

We worship the Fravashis of the holy Zrayah and Speñtô-khratu.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Varṣni, the son of Vâgereza.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Frâkya, the son of Taurvâti.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vahmaêdâta, the son of Mãthravâka.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Uṣtra, the son of Sadhanah.

116. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Danghu-srûta;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Danghu-frâdhah.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Aspô-padhô-makhṣti;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Payanghrô-makhṣti.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Uṣtâzaṉta.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Ashasavah;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Ashô-urvatha.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Haomô-ḥvarenah.

117. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Fraya.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Usnâka.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Hvanvaṉṭ.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Daênô-vazah.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Areǧaona.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Aiwiḥvarenah.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Huyazata.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Haredhaspa.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Pâzinah.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Hvâkhshathra.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Ashô-paoirya.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy ASTVAṬ-ERETA.

118. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Hugau.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Anghuyu.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Gâuri;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Yûṣta, the son of Gâuri.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Mãzdrâvanghu;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Srîrâvanghu.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Âyûta.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Sûrôyazata.

119. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Eredhwa.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Ravi.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Ukhshan, the son of the great Vîdi-sravah, known afar.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vanghu-dhâta, the son of Hvadhâta;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Uzya, the son of Vanghu-dhâta;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Frya.

120. We worship the Fravashi of the holy one whose name is Ashem-yê N hê-raokau;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy one whose name is Ashem-yê N hê-vereza;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy one whose name is Ashem-yahmâi-uṣtâ.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Yôiṣta, of the Fryâna house.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Usmânara, the son of Paêshatah Paitisrîra, to withstand the evil done by one's kindred.

121. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Spiti, the son of Uspãsnu;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Erezrâspa, the son of Uspãsnu.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Usadhan, the son of Mazdayasna.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Frâdaṭ-vanghu, the son of Stivaṉṭ.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Raok as-kaêshman;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Hvare-kaêshman.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Frasrûtâra;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vîsrûtâra.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Baremna.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Visrûta.

122. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Hvaspa;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Kathwaraspa.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Dawrâmaêshi.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Fraoraostra, the son of Kaosha.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Frînâspa, the son of Kaêva.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Frâdaṭ-nara, the son of Gravâratu.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vohu-uṣtra, the son of Ãkhnangha.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vîvareshvaṉṭ, the son of Ainyu.

123. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Frârâzi, the son of Tûra.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Stipi, the son of Ravaṉṭ.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Parshaṉta, the son of Gaṉdarewa.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Avahya, the son of Speñta.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Aêta, the son of Mâyu;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Yaêtuṣ-gau, the son of Vyâtana.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Garṣta, the son of Kavi.

124. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Pouru-bangha, the son of Zaosha.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vohudâta, the son of Kâta.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Baungha, the son of Saungha.

We worship the Fravashis of the holy Hvareza and Aṉkasa.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Aravaoṣtra, the son of Erezvaṭ-danghu.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Frâkithra, the son of Berezvaṉṭ.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vohu-peresa, the son of Ainyu.

125. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Parôdasma, the son of Dâṣtâghni, a Mîza man of the Mîza land.

We worship the Fravashis of the holy Fratîra and Baêshatastîra.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy and pure Avare-gau, the son of Aoighimatastîra.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Gaomaṉṭ, the son of Zavan, a Raozdya man of the Raozdya land.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Thriṭ, the son of Aêvo-saredha-fyaêṣta, a Tanya man of the Tanya land.

126. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Tîrô-nakathwa, of the Uspaêṣta-Saêna house.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Utayuti Viṭ-kavi, the son of Zighri, of the Saêna house;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Frôhakafra, the son of Merezîshmya, of the Saêna house.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Varesmô-raokah, the son of Perethu-afzem.

127. We worship the Fravashis of the holy Asha-nemah and Vîdaṭ-gau, of this country.

We worship the Fravashis of the holy Parishaṭ-gau and Dâzgara-gau, of the Apakhshîra country.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Hufravâkhṣ, of the Kahrkana house.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Akayadha, of the Pîdha house.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Ǧâmâspa, the younger.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Maidhyô-maungha, the younger.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Urvataṭ-nara, the younger.

128. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Raok as-kaêṣman;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Hvare-kaêṣman;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Frâdaṭ-ḥvarenah;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Varedaṭ-ḥvarenah;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vouru-nemah;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vouru-savah;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Ukhshyaṭ-ereta;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Ukhshyaṭ-nemah;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy ASTVAṬ-ERETA;

129. Whose name will be the victorious SAOSHYAṈṬ and whose name will be Astvaṭ-ereta. He will be SAOSHYAṈṬ (the Beneficent One), because he will benefit the whole bodily world; he will be ASTVAṬ-ERETA (he who makes the bodily creatures

rise up), because as a bodily creature and as a living creature he will stand against the destruction of the bodily creatures, to withstand the Druǧ of the two-footed brood, to withstand the evil done by the faithful.

130. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Yima, the son of Vîvanghaṉṭ; the valiant Yima, who had flocks at his wish; to stand against the oppression caused by the Daêvas, against the drought that destroys pastures, and against death that creeps unseen.

131. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Thraêtaona, of the Âthwya house; to stand against itch, hot fever, humours, cold fever, and incontinency, to stand against the evil done by the Serpent.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Aoshnara, the son of Pouru-ǧîra.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Uzava, the son of Tûmâspa.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Aghraêratha, the demi-man.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Manuṣ-kithra, the son of Airyu.

132. We worship the Fravashi of the holy king Kavâta;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy king Aipivanghu;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy king Usadhan;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy king Arshan;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy king Pisanah;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy king Byârshan;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy king Syâvarshan;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy king Husravah;

133. For the well-shapened Strength, for the Victory made by Ahura, for the crushing Ascendant; for the righteousness of the law, for the innocence of

the law, for the unconquerable power of the law; for the extermination of the enemies at one stroke;

134. And for the vigour of health, for the Glory made by Mazda, for the health of the body, and for a good, virtuous offspring, wise, chief in assemblies, bright, and clear-eyed, that frees [their father] from the pangs [of hell], of good intellect; and for that part in the blessed world that falls to wisdom and to those who do not follow impiety;

135. For a dominion full of splendour, for a long, long life, and for all boons and remedies; to withstand the Yâtus and Pairikas, the oppressors, the blind, and the deaf; to withstand the evil done by oppressors.

136. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Keresâspa, the Sâma, the club-bearer with plaited hair; to withstand the dreadful arm and the hordes with the wide battle array, with the many spears, with the straight spears, with the spears uplifted, bearing the spears of havoc; to withstand the dreadful brigand who works destruction, the man-slayer who has no mercy; to withstand the evil done by the brigand.

137. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Âkhrûra, the son of Husravah;

To withstand the wicked one that deceives his friend and the niggard that causes the destruction of the world.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy and gallant Haoshyangha;

To withstand the Mâzainya Daêvas and the Varenya fiends; to withstand the evil done by the Daêvas.

138. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Fradhâkhṣti, the son of the jar,

To withstand Aêshma, the fiend of the wounding spear, and the Daêvas that grow through Aêshma; to withstand the evil done by Aêshma.

139. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Hvôvi.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Freni;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Thriti;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Pouru-kista.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Hutaosa;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Huma.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Zairiki.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Vîspa-taurvashi.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Uṣtavaiti.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Tuṣnâmaiti.

140. We worship the Fravashi of the holy Freni, the wife of Usenemah;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Freni, the wife of the son of Frâyazaṉta;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Freni, the wife of the son of Khshôiwrâspa;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Freni, the wife of Gayadhâsti.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Asabani, the wife of Pourudhâkhṣti.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Ukhshyeiṉti, the wife of Staotar-Vahiṣtahê-Ashyêhê.

141. We worship the Fravashi of the holy maid Vadhûṭ.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy maid Ǧaghrûdh.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy maid Franghâdh.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy maid Urûdhayaṉṭ.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy maid Paêsanghanu.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Hvaredhi.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Hukithra.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy Kanuka.

We worship the Fravashi of the holy maid Srûtaṭ-fedhri.

142. We worship the Fravashi of the holy maid Vanghu-fedhri;

We worship the Fravashi of the holy maid Eredaṭ-fedhri, who is called Vîspa-taurvairi. She is Vîspa-taurvairi (the all-destroying) because she will bring him forth, who will destroy the malice of Daêvas and men, to withstand the evil done by the Ǧahi.

143. We worship the Fravashis of the holy men in the Aryan countries;

We worship the Fravashis of the holy women in the Aryan countries.

We worship the Fravashis of the holy men in the Turanian countries;

We worship the Fravashis of the holy women in the Turanian countries.

We worship the Fravashis of the holy men in the Sairimyan countries;

We worship the Fravashis of the holy women in the Sairimyan countries.

144. We worship the Fravashis of the holy men in the Sâini countries;

We worship the Fravashis of the holy women in the Sâini countries.

We worship the Fravashis of the holy men in the Dâhi countries;

We worship the Fravashis of the holy women in the Dâhi countries.

We worship the Fravashis of the holy men in all countries;

We worship the Fravashis of the holy women in all countries.

145. We worship all the good, awful, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, from Gaya Maretan down to the victorious Saoshyaṉṭ. May the Fravashis of the faithful come quickly to us! May they come to our help!

146. They protect us when in distress with manifest assistance, with the assistance of Ahura Mazda and of the holy, powerful Sraosha, and with the Mãthra-Speñta, the all-knowing, who hates the Daêvas with a mighty hate, a friend of Ahura Mazda, whom Zarathuṣtra worshipped so greatly in the material world.

147. May the good waters and the plants and

the Fravashis of the faithful abide down here! May you be rejoiced and well received in this house! Here are the Âthravans of the countries, thinking of good holiness. Our hands are lifted up for asking help, and for offering a sacrifice unto you, O most beneficent Fravashis!

148. We worship the Fravashis of all the holy men and holy women whose souls are worthy of sacrifice, whose Fravashis are worthy of invocation.

We worship the Fravashis of all the holy men and holy women, our sacrificing to whom makes us good in the eyes of Ahura Mazda: of all of those we have heard that Zarathuṣtra is the first and best, as a follower of Ahura and as a performer of the law.

149. We worship the spirit, conscience, perception, soul, and Fravashi of men of the primitive law, of the first who listened to the teaching (of Ahura), holy men and holy women, who struggled for holiness; we worship the spirit, conscience, perception, soul, and Fravashi of our next-of-kin, holy men and holy women, who struggled for holiness.

150. We worship the men of the primitive law who will be in these houses, boroughs, towns, and countries;

We worship the men of the primitive law who have been in these houses, boroughs, towns, and countries;

We worship the men of the primitive law who are in these houses, boroughs, towns, and countries.

151. We worship the men of the primitive law

in all houses, boroughs, towns, and countries, who obtained these houses, who obtained these boroughs, who obtained these towns, who obtained these countries, who obtained holiness, who obtained the Mãthra, who obtained the [blessedness of the] soul, who obtained all the perfections of goodness.

152. We worship Zarathuṣtra, the lord and master of all the material world, the man of the primitive law; the wisest of all beings, the best-ruling of all beings, the brightest of all beings, the most glorious of all beings, the most worthy of sacrifice amongst all beings, the most worthy of prayer amongst all beings, the most worthy of propitiation amongst all beings, the most worthy of glorification amongst all beings, whom we call well-desired and worthy of sacrifice and prayer as much as any being can be, in the perfection of his holiness.

153. We worship this earth;

We worship those heavens;

We worship those good things that stand between (the earth and the heavens) and that are worthy of sacrifice and prayer and are to be worshipped by the faithful man.

154. We worship the souls of the wild beasts and of the tame.

We worship the souls of the holy men and women, born at any time, whose consciences struggle, or will struggle, or have struggled, for the good.

155. We worship the spirit, conscience, perception, soul, and Fravashi of the holy men and holy women who struggle, will struggle, or have struggled, and teach the Law, and who have struggled for holiness.

Yêṉhê hâtãm: All those beings to whom Ahura Mazda . . .

Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness . . . .

156. The Fravashis of the faithful, awful and overpowering, awful and victorious; the Fravashis of the men of the primitive law; the Fravashis of the next-of-kin; may these Fravashis come satisfied into this house; may they walk satisfied through this house!

157. May they, being satisfied, bless this house with the presence of the kind Ashi Vanguhi! May they leave this house satisfied! May they carry back from here hymns and worship to the Maker, Ahura Mazda, and the Amesha-Speñtas! May they not leave this house of us, the worshippers of Mazda, complaining!

158. Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness . . . .

I bless the sacrifice and prayer, and the strength and vigour of the awful, overpowering Fravashis of the faithful; of the Fravashis of the men of the primitive law; of the Fravashis of the next-of-kin.

Ashem Vohû.: Holiness is the best of all good. . . .

[Give] unto that man brightness and glory, . . . . give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones.

Mentioned templesAhuraMazdāAša

Yasht XIV: Bahrâm Yaṣt

0. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced

Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good . . . .

I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathuṣtra, one who hates the Daêvas and obeys the laws of Ahura;

For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Hâvani], the holy and master of holiness . . . .

Unto Verethraghna, made by Mazda, and unto the crushing Ascendant;

Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.

Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness . . . .

1. We sacrifice unto Verethraghna, made by Ahura.

Zarathuṣtra asked Ahura Mazda: 'Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

'Who is the best-armed of the heavenly gods?'

Ahura Mazda answered: 'It is Verethraghna, made by Ahura, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra!'

2. Verethraghna, made by Ahura, came to him first, running in the shape of a strong, beautiful wind, made by Mazda; he bore the good Glory, made by Mazda, the Glory made by Mazda, that is both health and strength.

3. Then he, who is the strongest, said unto him: 'I am the strongest in strength; I am the most victorious in victory; I am the most glorious in Glory; I am the most favouring in favour; I am the best giver of welfare; I am the best-healing in health-giving.

4. 'And I shall destroy the malice of all the malicious, the malice of Daêvas and men, of the Yâtus and Pairikas, of the oppressors, the blind, and the deaf.

5. 'For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard; namely, unto Verethraghna, made by Ahura. We worship Verethraghna, made by Ahura, with an offering of libations, according to the primitive ordinances of Ahura; with the Haoma and meat, the baresma, the wisdom of the tongue, the holy spells, the speech, the deeds, the libations, and the rightly-spoken words.

'Yêṉhê hâtãm: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda. . . .

6. 'We sacrifice unto Verethraghna, made by Ahura.'

Zarathuṣtra asked Ahura Mazda: 'Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

'Who is, the best-armed of the heavenly Gods?'

Ahura Mazda answered: 'It is Verethraghna, made by Ahura, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra!'

7. Verethraghna, made by Ahura, came to him the second time, running in the shape of a beautiful bull, with yellow ears and golden horns; upon whose horns floated the well-shapen Strength, and Victory, beautiful of form, made by Ahura: thus did he come, bearing the good Glory, made by Mazda, the Glory made by Mazda, that is both health and strength.

Then he, who is the strongest, said unto him: 'I am the strongest in strength . . .

'And I shall destroy the malice of all malicious . . . .'

For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

8. We sacrifice unto Verethraghna, made by Ahura.

Zarathuṣtra asked Ahura Mazda: 'Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

'Who is the best-armed of the heavenly gods?'

Ahura Mazda answered: 'It is Verethraghna, made by Ahura, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra!'

9. Verethraghna, made by Ahura, came to him the third time, running in the shape of a white, beautiful horse, with yellow ears and a golden caparison; upon whose forehead floated the well-shapen Strength,

and Victory, beautiful of form, made by Ahura: thus did he come, bearing the good Glory, made by Mazda, that is both health and strength.

Then he, who is the strongest, said unto him: 'I am the strongest in strength . . . .

'And I shall destroy the malice of all malicious . . . .'

For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

10. We sacrifice unto Verethraghna, made by Ahura.

Zarathuṣtra asked Ahura Mazda: 'Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

'Who is the best-armed of the heavenly gods?'

Ahura Mazda answered: 'It is Verethraghna, made by Ahura, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra!'

11. Verethraghna, made by Ahura, came to him the fourth time, running in the shape of a burden-bearing camel, sharp-toothed, swift . . . ., stamping forwards, long-haired, and living in the abodes of men;

12. Who of all males in rut shows greatest strength and greatest fire, when he goes to his females. Of all females those are best kept whom a burden-bearing camel keeps, who has thick forelegs and large humps, . . . ., quick-eyed, long-headed, bright, tall, and strong;

13. Whose piercing look goes afar . . . ., even in the dark of the night; who throws white foam

along his mouth; well-kneed, well-footed, standing with the countenance of an all-powerful master:

Thus did Verethraghna come, bearing the good Glory made by Mazda, the Glory made by Mazda . . . .

14, We sacrifice unto Verethraghna, made by Ahura.

Zarathuṣtra asked Ahura Mazda: 'Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

'Who is the best-armed of the heavenly gods?'

Ahura Mazda answered: 'It is Verethraghna, made by Ahura, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra!'

15. Verethraghna, made by Ahura, came to him the fifth time, running in the shape of a boar, opposing the foes, a sharp-toothed he-boar, a sharp-jawed boar, that kills at one stroke, pursuing, wrathful, with a dripping face, strong, and swift to run, and rushing all around. Thus did Verethraghna come, bearing the good Glory made by Mazda, the Glory made by Mazda. . . .

16. We sacrifice unto Verethraghna, made by Ahura.

Zarathuṣtra asked Ahura Mazda: 'Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

'Who is the best-armed of the heavenly gods?'

Ahura Mazda answered: 'It is Verethraghna, made by Ahura, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra!'

17. Verethraghna, made by Ahura, came to him the sixth time, running in the shape of a beautiful youth of fifteen, shining, clear-eyed, thin-heeled.

Thus did Verethraghna come, bearing the good Glory made by Mazda, the Glory made by Mazda . . . .

18. We sacrifice unto Verethraghna, made by Ahura.

Zarathuṣtra asked Ahura Mazda: 'Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

'Who is the best-armed of the heavenly gods?'

Ahura Mazda answered: 'It is Verethraghna, made by Ahura, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra!'

19. Verethraghna, made by Ahura, came to him the seventh time, running in the shape of a raven that . . . . below and . . . . above, and that is the swiftest of all birds, the lightest of the flying creatures.

20. He alone of living things,—he or none,—overtakes the flight of an arrow, however well it has been shot. He flies up joyfully at the first break of dawn, wishing the night to be no more, wishing the dawn, that has not yet come, to come.

21. He grazes the hidden ways of the mountains, he grazes the tops of the mountains, he grazes the depths of the vales, he grazes the summit of the trees, listening to the voices of the birds.

Thus did Verethraghna come, bearing the good Glory made by Mazda, the Glory made by Mazda . . . .

22. We sacrifice unto Verethraghna, made by Ahura.

Zarathuṣtra asked Ahura Mazda: 'Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

'Who is the best-armed of the heavenly gods?'

Ahura Mazda answered: 'It is Verethraghna, made by Ahura, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra!'

23. Verethraghna, made by Ahura, came to him the eighth time, running in the shape of a wild, beautiful ram, with horns bent round.

Thus did Verethraghna come, bearing the good Glory made by Mazda, the Glory made by Mazda . . . .

24. We sacrifice unto Verethraghna, made by Ahura.

Zarathuṣtra asked Ahura Mazda: 'Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

'Who is the best-armed of the heavenly gods?'

Ahura Mazda answered: 'It is Verethraghna, made by Ahura, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra!'

25. Verethraghna, made by Ahura, came to him the ninth time, running in the shape of a beautiful, fighting buck, with sharp horns.

Thus did Verethraghna come, bearing the good Glory made by Mazda, the Glory made by Mazda. . . .

26. We sacrifice unto Verethraghna, made by Ahura.

Zarathuṣtra asked Ahura Mazda: 'Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

'Who is the best-armed of the heavenly gods?'

Ahura Mazda answered: 'It is Verethraghna, made by Ahura, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra!'

27. Verethraghna, made by Ahura, came to him the tenth time, running in the shape of a man, bright and beautiful, made by Mazda: he held a sword with a golden blade, inlaid with all sorts of ornaments.

Thus did Verethraghna come, bearing the good Glory made by Mazda, the Glory made by Mazda. . . .

28. We sacrifice unto Verethraghna, made by Ahura, who makes virility, who makes death, who makes resurrection, who possesses peace, who has a free way.

Unto him did the holy Zarathuṣtra offer up a sacrifice, [asking] for victorious thinking, victorious speaking, victorious doing, victorious addressing, and victorious answering.

29. Verethraghna, made by Ahura, gave him the

fountains of manliness, the strength of the arms, the health of the whole body, the sturdiness of the whole body, and the eye-sight of the Kara fish, that lives beneath the waters and can measure a rippling of the water, not thicker than a hair, in the Rangha whose ends lie afar, whose depth is a thousand times the height of a man.

For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

30. We sacrifice unto Verethraghna, made by Ahura, who makes virility, who makes death, who makes resurrection, who possesses peace, who has a free way.

Unto him did the holy Zarathuṣtra offer up a sacrifice, [asking] for victorious thinking, victorious speaking, victorious doing, victorious addressing, and victorious answering.

31. Verethraghna, made by Ahura, gave him the fountains of manliness, the strength of the arms, the health of the whole body, the sturdiness of the whole body, and the eye-sight of the male horse, that, in the dark of the night, in its first half and through the rain, can perceive a horse's hair lying on the ground and knows whether it is from the head or from the tail.

For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

32. We sacrifice unto Verethraghna, made by Ahura, who makes virility, who makes death, who makes resurrection, who possesses peace, who has a free way.

Unto him did the holy Zarathuṣtra sacrifice, [asking] for victorious thinking, victorious speaking, victorious doing, victorious addressing, and victorious answering.

33. Verethraghna, made by Ahura, gave him the fountains of virility, the strength of the arms, the health of the whole body, the sturdiness of the whole body, and the eye-sight of the vulture with a golden collar, that, from as far as nine districts, can perceive a piece of flesh not thicker than the fist, giving just as much light as a needle gives, as the point of a needle gives.

For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

34. We sacrifice unto Verethraghna, made by Ahura.

Zarathuṣtra asked Ahura Mazda: 'Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

'If I have a curse thrown upon me, a spell told upon me by the many men who hate me, what is the remedy for it?'

35. Ahura Mazda answered: Take thou a feather of that bird with . . . . feathers, the Vâreṉǧana, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! With that feather thou shalt rub thy own body, with that feather thou shalt curse back thy enemies.

36. 'If a man holds a bone of that strong bird, or a feather of that strong bird, no one can smite or turn to flight that fortunate man. The feather of that bird of birds brings him help; it brings unto him the homage of men, it maintains in him his glory.

37. 'Then the sovereign, the lord of countries, will no longer kill his hundreds, though he is a killer of men; the . . . . will not kill at one stroke; he alone smites and goes forwards.

38. 'All tremble before him who holds the feather, they tremble therefore before me; all my enemies tremble before me and fear my strength and victorious force and the fierceness established in my body.

39. 'He carries the chariot of the lords; he carries the chariots of the lordly ones, the chariots of the sovereigns. He carried the chariot of Kavi

Usa; upon his wings runs the male horse, runs the burden-bearing camel, runs the water of the river.

40. 'Him rode the gallant Thraêtaona, who smote Azi Dahâka, the three-mouthed, the three-headed, the six-eyed, who had a thousand senses; that most powerful, fiendish Druǧ, that demon, baleful to the world, the strongest Druǧ that Angra Mainyu created against the material world, to destroy the world of the good principle.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

41. 'We sacrifice to Verethraghna, made by Ahura.

'Verethraghna confounds the glory of this house with its wealth in cattle. He is like that great bird, the Saêna; he is like the big clouds, full of water, that beat the mountains.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

42. 'We sacrifice to Verethraghna, made by Ahura.'

Zarathuṣtra asked Ahura Mazda: 'Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

'Where is it that we must invoke the name of Verethraghna, made by Ahura? Where is it that

we must praise him? That we must humbly praise him?'

43. Ahura Mazda answered: 'When armies meet together in full array, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! (asking) which of the two is the party that conquers and is not crushed, that smites and is not smitten;

44. 'Do thou throw four feathers in the way. Whichever of the two will first worship the well-shapen Strength, and Verethraghna, beautiful of form, made by Mazda, on his side will victory stand.

45. 'I will bless Strength and Victory, the two keepers, the two good keepers, the two maintainers; the two who . . . ., the two who . . . ., the two who . . . .; the two who forgive, the two who strike off, the two who forget.

46. 'O Zarathuṣtra! let not that spell be shown to any one, except by the father to his son, or by the brother to his brother from the same womb, or by the Âthravan to his pupil. These are words that are awful and powerful, awful and assembly-ruling, awful and victorious, awful and healing; these are words that save the head that was lost and chant away the uplifted weapon.'

47. We sacrifice to Verethraghna, made by Ahura: who goes along the armies arrayed, and goes here

and there asking, along with Mithra and Rashnu: 'Who is it who lies unto Mithra? Who is it who thrusts [his oath] against Rashnu? To whom shall I, in my might, impart illness and death?

48. Ahura Mazda said: 'If men sacrifice unto Verethraghna, made by Ahura, if the due sacrifice and prayer is offered unto him just as it ought to be performed in the perfection of holiness, never will a hostile horde enter the Aryan countries, nor any plague, nor leprosy, nor venomous plants, nor the chariot of a foe, nor the uplifted spear of a foe.'

49. Zarathuṣtra asked: 'What is then, O Ahura Mazda! the sacrifice and invocation in honour of Verethraghna, made by Ahura, as it ought to be performed in the perfection of holiness?'

50. Ahura Mazda answered: 'Let the Aryan nations bring libations unto him; let the Aryan nations tie bundles of baresma for him; let the Aryan nations cook for him a head of cattle, either white, or black, or of any other colour, but all of one and the same colour.

51. 'Let not a murderer take of those offerings, nor a whore, nor a . . . ., who does not sing the Gâthâs, who spreads death in the world and withstands the law of Mazda, the law of Zarathuṣtra.

52. 'If a murderer take of those offerings, or a whore, or a . . . ., who does not sing the Gâthâs, then Verethraghna, made by Ahura, takes back his healing virtues.

53. 'Plagues will ever pour upon the Aryan nations; hostile hordes will ever fall upon the Aryan nations; the Aryans will be smitten by their fifties and their hundreds, by their hundreds and their thousands, by their thousands and their tens of thousands, by their tens of thousands and their myriads of myriads.'

54. There Verethraghna, made by Ahura, proclaimed thus: 'The Soul of the Bull, the wise creature, does not receive from man due sacrifice and prayer; for now the Daêvas and the worshippers of the Daêvas make blood flow and spill it like water;

55. 'For now the . . . . Daêvas and the worshippers of the Daêvas bring to the fire the plant that is called Haperesi, the wood that is called Nemeṭka;

56. '(Therefore) when the . . . . Daêvas and the worshippers of the Daêvas bow their backs, bend their waists, and arrange all their limbs, they think they will smite and smite not, they think they will kill and kill not; and then the . . . Daêvas and the worshippers of the Daêvas have their minds confounded and their eyes made giddy.'

For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

57. We sacrifice to Verethraghna, made by Ahura.

I offer up Haoma, who saves one's head; I offer up the victorious Haoma; I offer him up, the good protector; I offer up Haoma, who is a protector to my body, as a man who shall drink of him shall win and prevail over his enemies in battle;

58. That I may smite this army, that I may smite down this army, that I may cut in pieces this army that is coming behind me.

For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

59. We sacrifice to Verethraghna, made by Ahura.

The prince and his son and his sons who are chiefs of myriads offer him up a bright . . . . [saying]: 'He is strong, and Victorious is his name; he is victorious, arid Strong is his name;'

60. That I may be as constantly victorious as any one of all the Aryans; that I may smite this army, that I may smite down this army, that I may cut in pieces this army that is coming behind me.

For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

61. We sacrifice to Verethraghna, made by Ahura.

Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness . . . .

In the ox is our strength, in the ox is our need; in the ox is our speech, in the ox is our victory; in the ox is our food, in the ox is our clothing; in the ox is tillage, that makes food grow for us.

For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

62. We sacrifice to Verethraghna, made by Ahura;

Who breaks the columns asunder, who cuts the columns to pieces, who wounds the columns, who makes the columns shake; who comes and breaks the columns asunder, who comes and cuts the columns to pieces, who comes and wounds the columns, who comes and makes the columns shake, both of Daêvas and men, of the Yâtus and Pairikas, of the oppressors, the blind, and the deaf.

For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard . . .

63. We sacrifice to Verethraghna, made by Ahura.

When Verethraghna, made by Ahura, binds the hands, confounds the eye-sight, takes the hearing

from the ears of the Mithradruǧes marching in columns, allied by cities, they can no longer move their feet, they can no longer withstand.

For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . .

64. Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness. . . . .

I bless the sacrifice and prayer, and the strength and vigour of Verethraghna, made by Mazda; and of the crushing Ascendant.

Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good . . . .

[Give] unto that man brightness and glory, . . . . give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones.

Mentioned templesAhuraMazdā

Yasht XIX: Zamyâd Yaṣt

0. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced! . . . .

Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good . . .

I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathuṣtra, one who hates the Daêvas and obeys the laws of Ahura;

For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Hâvani], the holy and master of holiness . . . .

Unto Mount Ushi-darena, made by Mazda, the seat of holy happiness; unto the kingly Glory, made by Mazda; unto that Glory that cannot be forcibly seized, made by Mazda,

Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.

Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness . . . .

1. The first mountain that rose up out of the earth, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! was the Haraiti Barez. That mountain stretches all along the shores of the land washed by waters towards the east.

The second mountain was Mount Zeredhô, outside Mount Manusha: this mountain too stretches all along the shores of the land washed by waters towards the east.

2. From there grew up Mount Ushi-dhau Ushi-darena, Mount Erezifya, and Mount Fraorepa.

The sixth was Mount Erezura.

The seventh was Mount Bumya.

The eighth was Mount Raoidhita.

The ninth was Mount Maziṣiṣvau.

The tenth was Mount Aṉtare-danghu.

The eleventh was Mount Erezisha.

The twelfth was Mount Vâiti-gaêsa.

3. And Mount Âdarana, Mount Bayana, Mount Iṣkata Upairi-saêna, with the . . . . snows; the two Hamaṉkuna mountains, the eight Vasna mountains, the eight powerful Frâvaṉku, the four Vidhvana summits;

4. Mount Aêzakha, Mount Maênakha, Mount Vâkhedrakaê, Mount Asaya, Mount Tudhaskaê, Mount Iṣavaê, Mount Draoshiṣvau, Mount Sâirivau, Mount Nanghuṣmau, Mount Kakahyu, Mount Aṉtare-Kangha;

5. Mount Sikidava, Mount Ahuna, Mount Raêmana, Mount Asha-stembana, Mount Urunyô-vâidhkaê, Mount Âsnavaṉṭ, Mount Ushaoma, Mount Uṣta-ḥvarenah, Mount Syâmaka, Mount Vafrayau, Mount Vourusha;

6. Amongst which stand MountǦatara, Mount Adhutavau, Mount Spitavarena, Mount Speñtô-dâta, Mount Kadrva-aspa, Mount Kaoirisa, Mount Taêra, Mount Barô-srayana, Mount Barana, Mount Frâpayau, Mount Udrya, and Mount Raêvaṉṭ, and all those heights to which men have given the name of mount,

7. To the number of two thousand mountains, and two hundred and forty and four, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra!

8. For its brightness and glory, I will offer it a sacrifice worth being heard, namely, unto the awful kingly Glory. Unto the awful kingly Glory we offer up the libations, the Haoma and meat, the baresma, the wisdom of the tongue, the holy spells, the speech, the deeds, the libations, and the rightly-spoken words.

Yêṉhê hâtãm: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda . . . .

9. We sacrifice unto the awful kingly Glory, made by Mazda; most conquering, highly working, that possesses health, wisdom, and happiness, and is more powerful to destroy than all other creatures;

10. That belongs to Ahura Mazda, as (through it) Ahura Mazda made the creatures, many and good, many and fair, many and wonderful, many and prosperous, many and bright;

11. So that they may restore the world, which will (thenceforth) never grow old and never die, never decaying and never rotting, ever living and ever increasing, and master of its wish, when the dead will rise, when life and immortality will come, and the world will be restored at its wish;

12. When the creation will grow deathless,—the prosperous creation of the Good Spirit,—and the Druǧ shall perish, though she may rush on every side to kill the holy beings; she and her hundredfold brood shall perish, as it is the will of the Lord.

13. For its brightness and glory, I will offer it a sacrifice . . . .

14. We sacrifice unto the awful kingly Glory, made by Mazda . . . .

15. That belongs to the Amesha-Speñtas, the bright ones, whose looks perform their wish, tall, quickly coming to do, strong, lordly, who are undecaying and holy;

16. Who are all seven of one thought, who are all seven of one speech, who are all seven of one deed; whose thought is the same, whose speech is the same, whose deed is the same, whose father and commander is the same, namely, the Maker, Ahura Mazda.

17. Who see one another's soul thinking of good thoughts, thinking of good words, thinking of good deeds, thinking of Garô-nmâna, and whose ways are shining as they go down to the libations;

18. Who are the makers and governors, the shapers and overseers, the keepers and preservers of these creations of Ahura Mazda.

19. It is they who shall restore the world, which will (thenceforth) never grow old and never die, never decaying and never rotting, ever living and ever increasing, and master of its wish, when the dead will rise, when life and immortality will come, and the world will be restored at its wish;

20. When the creation will grow deathless,—the prosperous creation of the Good Spirit,—and the Druǧ shall perish, though she may rush on every side to kill the holy beings; she and her hundredfold brood shall perish, as it is the will of the Lord.

For its brightness and glory, I will offer it a sacrifice . . . .

21. We sacrifice unto the awful kingly Glory, made by Mazda . . . .

22. That belongs to the gods in the heavens and to those in the material world, and to the blessed ones, born or not yet born, who are to perform the restoration of the world.

23. It is they who shall restore the world, which will (thenceforth) never grow old and never die, never decaying and never rotting, ever living and

ever increasing, and master of its wish, when the dead will rise, when life and immortality will come, and the world will be restored at its wish;

24. When the creation will grow deathless,—the prosperous creation of the Good Spirit,—and the Druǧ shall perish, though she may rush on every side to kill the holy beings; she and her hundredfold brood shall perish, as it is the will of the Lord.

For its brightness and glory, I will offer it a sacrifice . . . .

25. We sacrifice unto the awful kingly Glory, made by Mazda . . . .

26. That clave unto Haoshyangha, the Paradhâta, for a long time, when he ruled over the seven Karshvares of the earth, over the Daêvas and men, over the Yâtus and the Pairikas, over the oppressors, the blind, and the deaf, he who smote two-thirds of the Daêvas of Mâzana and of the Varenya fiends.

For its brightness and glory, I will offer it a sacrifice . . . .

27. We sacrifice unto the awful kingly Glory, made by Mazda . . . .

28. That clave unto Takhma Urupa, the well-armed, while he ruled over the seven Karshvares of the earth, over the Daêvas and men, the Yâtus and Pairikas, the oppressors, the blind, and the deaf;

29. When he conquered all Daêvas and men, all the Yâtus and Pairikas, and rode Angra Mainyu,

turned into the shape of a horse, all around the earth from one end to the other, for thirty years.

For its brightness and glory, I will offer it a sacrifice . . . .

30. We sacrifice unto the awful kingly Glory, made by Mazda . . . .

31. That clave unto the bright Yima, the good shepherd, for a long time, while he ruled over the seven Karshvares of the earth, over the Daêvas and men, the Yâtus and Pairikas, the oppressors, the blind, and the deaf;

32. He who took from the Daêvas both riches and welfare, both fatness and flocks, both weal and Glory;

In whose reign both aliments were never failing for feeding creatures, flocks and men were undying, waters and plants were undrying;

33. In whose reign there was neither cold wind nor hot wind, neither old age nor death, nor envy made by the Daêvas, in the times before his lie, before he began to have delight in words of falsehood and untruth.

34. But when he began to find delight in words of falsehood and untruth, the Glory was seen to flee away from him in the shape of a bird. When his Glory had disappeared, then the great Yima

Khshaêta the good shepherd, trembled and was in sorrow before his foes; he was confounded, and laid him down on the ground.

35. The first time when the Glory departed from the bright Yima, the Glory went from Yima, the son of Vîvanghaṉṭ, in the shape of a Vâraghna bird.

Then Mithra seized that Glory, Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, whose ear is quick to hear, who has a thousand senses. We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of all countries, whom Ahura Mazda has created the most glorious of all the gods in the heavens.

36. The second time when the Glory departed from the bright Yima, the Glory went from Yima, the son of Vîvanghaṉṭ, in the shape of a Vâraghna bird.

Then Thraêtaona seized that Glory, he, the heir of the valiant Âthwya clan, who was the most victorious of all victorious men next to Zarathuṣtra;

37. Who smote Azi Dahâka, the three-mouthed, the three-headed, the six-eyed, who had a thousand senses, that most powerful, fiendish Druǧ; that demon baleful to the world, the strongest Druǧ that Angra Mainyu created against the material world, to destroy the world of the good principle.

38. The third time when the Glory departed from the bright Yima, that Glory went from Yima, the son of Vîvanghaṉṭ, in the shape of a Vâraghna bird. Then the manly-hearted Keresâspa seized that Glory; he who was the sturdiest of the men of strength, next to Zarathuṣtra, for his manly courage.

39. For Manly Courage clave unto him. We worship Manly Courage, firm or foot, unsleeping, quick to rise, and fully awake, that clave unto Keresâspa;

40. Who killed the snake Srvara, the horse-devouring, men-devouring, yellow, poisonous snake, over which yellow poison flowed a thumb's breadth thick. Upon him Keresâspa was cooking his food in a brass vessel: at the time of noon, the fiend felt the heat, and stood upon his feet: he rushed from under the brass vessel and upset the boiling water: the manly-hearted Keresâspa fell back affrighted;

41. Who killed the golden-heeled Gaṉdarewa, that was rushing with open jaws, eager to destroy the living world of the good principle;

Who killed the brood of Pathana, all the nine;

and the brood of Nivika, and the brood of Dâṣtayana;

Who killed the golden-crowned Hitâspa, and Vareshava, the son of Dâna, and Pitaona, attended by many Pairikas;

42. Who killed Arezô-shamana, him of the manly courage, who was strong, well-beloved, hail, energetically rushing, fully awake, never falling back. . . .;

43. Who killed Snâvidhaka, him who killed with his nails, the stone-handed: thus did he exclaim to all around: 'I am an infant still, I am not yet of age: if I ever grow of age, I shall make the earth a wheel, I shall make the heavens a chariot;

44. 'I shall bring down the Good Spirit from the shining Garô-nmâna; I shall make the Evil Spirit rush up from the dreary Hell. They will carry my

chariot, both the Good Spirit and the Evil One, unless the manly-hearted Keresâspa kill me.'

The manly-hearted Keresâspa killed him, his life went away, his spirit vanished.

For its brightness and glory, I will offer it a sacrifice . . . .

45. We sacrifice unto the awful Glory, that cannot be forcibly seized, made by Mazda . . . .

46. For which the Good Spirit and the Evil One did struggle with one another: for that Glory that cannot be forcibly seized they flung each of them. their darts most swift.

The Good Spirit flung a dart, and so did Vohu-Manô, and Asha-Vahiṣta and Âtar, the son of Ahura Mazda.

The Evil Spirit flung a dart, and so did Akem-Manô, and Aêshma of the wounding spear, and Azi Dahâka and Spityura, he who sawed Yima in twain.

47. Then forward came Âtar, the son of Ahura Mazda, thinking thus in his heart: 'I want to seize that Glory that cannot be forcibly seized.'

But Azi Dahâka, the three-mouthed, he of the evil law, rushed on his back, thinking of extinguishing it:

48. 'Here give it up to me, O Âtar, son of Ahura Mazda: if thou seizest that Glory that cannot be forcibly seized, I shall rush upon thee, so that thou mayest never more blaze on the earth made by Ahura and protect the world of the good principle.'

And Âtar took back his hands, as the instinct of life prevailed, so much had Azi affrighted him.

49. Then Azi, the three-mouthed, he of the evil law, rushed forward, thinking thus in his heart: 'I want to seize that Glory that cannot be forcibly seized.'

But Âtar, the son of Ahura Mazda, advanced behind him, speaking in these words:

50. 'There give it up to me, thou three-mouthed Azi Dahâka. If thou seizest that Glory that cannot be forcibly seized, then I will enter thy hinder part, I will blaze up in thy jaws, so that thou mayest never more rush upon the earth made by Mazda and destroy the world of the good principle.'

Then Azi took back his hands, as the instinct of life prevailed, so much had Âtar affrighted him.

51. That Glory swells up and goes to the sea

Vouru-Kasha. The swift-horsed Son of the Waters seizes it at once: this is the wish of the Son of the Waters, the swift-horsed: 'I want to seize that Glory that cannot be forcibly seized, down to the bottom of the sea Vouru-Kasha, in the bottom of the deep rivers.'

52. We sacrifice unto the Son of the Waters, the swift-horsed, the tall and shining lord, the lord of females; the male god, who helps one at his appeal; who made man, who shaped man, a god who lives beneath waters, and whose ear is the quickest to hear when he is worshipped.

53. 'And whosoever of you, O men,'—thus said Ahura Mazda,—'O holy Zarathuṣtra! shall seize that Glory that cannot be forcibly seized, he has the gifts of an Âthravan; whosoever shall long for the illumination of knowledge, he has the gifts of an Âthravan; whosoever shall long for fulness of knowledge, he has the gifts of an Âthravan;

54. 'And Riches will cleave unto him, giving him full welfare, holding a shield before him, powerful, rich of cattle and garments; and Victory will cleave unto him, day after day; and likewise Strength, that smites more than a year. Attended by that Victory, he will conquer the havocking hordes; attended by that Victory, he will conquer all those who hate him.'

For its brightness and glory, I will offer it a sacrifice . . . .

55. We sacrifice unto the awful Glory, that cannot be forcibly seized, made by Mazda . . . .

56. Which the Turanian ruffian Frangrasyan tried to seize in the sea Vouru-Kasha. He stripped himself naked, wishing to seize that Glory that belongs to the Aryan nations, born and unborn, and to the holy Zarathuṣtra. But the Glory escaped, the Glory fled away, the Glory changed its seat, and an arm of the sea Vouru-Kasha was produced, namely, that lake that is called Lake Husravah.

57. Then the most crafty Turanian Frangrasyan rushed out of the sea Vouru-Kasha, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! thinking evil thoughts: '. . . . I have not been able to conquer the Glory that belongs to the Aryan nations, born and unborn, and to the holy Zarathuṣtra.

58. 'Then I will defile all corn and liquors, as to greatness, goodness, and fairness.'

—'Ahura Mazda will come against thee, ever eager to create new creatures.'

Then the most crafty Turanian Frangrasyan rushed down into the sea Vouru-Kasha, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra!

59. A second time he stripped himself naked, wishing to seize that Glory that belongs to the Aryan nations, born and unborn, and to the holy Zarathuṣtra. But the Glory escaped, the Glory fled away, the Glory changed its seat, and an arm of the sea Vouru-Kasha was produced, namely, that lake that is called Lake Vanghazdau.

60. Then the most crafty Turanian Frangrasyan rushed out of the sea Vouru-Kasha, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! thinking evil thoughts: '. . . . I have not been able to conquer the Glory that belongs to the Aryan nations, born and unborn, and to the holy Zarathuṣtra.

61. 'Then I will defile all corn and liquors, as to greatness, goodness, and fairness.'

—'Ahura Mazda will come against thee, ever eager to create new creatures.'

Then the most crafty Turanian Frangrasyan rushed down into the sea Vouru-Kasha.

62. A third time he stripped himself naked, wishing to seize the Glory that belongs to the Aryan nations, born and unborn, and to the holy Zarathuṣtra. But the Glory escaped, the Glory fled away, the Glory changed its seat, and an arm was produced in the sea Vouru-Kasha, namely, the water that is called Awz-dânva.

63. Then the most crafty Turanian Frangrasyan rushed out of the sea Vouru-Kasha, O Spitama Zarathuṣtra! thinking evil thoughts: '. . . . I have

not been able to conquer the Glory that belongs to the Aryan nations, born and unborn, and to the holy Zarathuṣtra!'

64. He was not able to seize the Glory that belongs to the Aryan nations, born and unborn, and to the holy Zarathuṣtra.

For its brightness and glory, I will offer it a sacrifice . . . .

65. We sacrifice unto the awful Glory that cannot be forcibly seized, made by Mazda . . . .

66. That cleaves unto him who grows up there, where lies Lake Kãsava, along with the Haêtumaṉṭriver; there where stands Mount Ushidhau, surrounded by waters, that run from the mountain.

67. It runs unto him, it flows and swells unto him, bringing good pastures and fine horses, bringing plenty, full of glory; with beauty and weal; powerful and friendly, rich of pastures, prolific and golden. It runs unto him, it flows and swells unto him, bright and glorious, making the white . . . . grow, smiting away all plagues.

68. And there comes with him a horse's strength, there comes with him a camel's strength, there

comes with him a man's strength, there comes with him the kingly Glory: and there is in him, O holy Zarathuṣtra! so much of kingly Glory as might extinguish at once all the non-Aryan nations.

69. And then (through it) living creatures may keep away hunger and death, living creatures (may keep away) cold and heat. Such is the kingly Glory, the keeper of the Aryan nations and of the five kinds of animals, made to help the faithful and the Law of the worshippers of Mazda.

For its brightness and glory, I will offer it a sacrifice . . . .

70. We sacrifice unto the awful kingly Glory, made by Mazda . . . .

71. That clave unto Kavi Kavâta, and unto Kavi Aipivôhu, and unto Kavi Usadha, and unto Kavi Arshan, and unto Kavi Pisina, and unto Kavi Byârshan, and unto Kavi Syâvarshan;

72. So that they were all of them brave, all of them strong, all of them healthful, all of them wise, all of them happy in their wishes, all of them powerful kings.

For its brightness and glory, I will offer it a sacrifice . . . .

73. We sacrifice unto the awful kingly Glory, made by Mazda . . . .

74. That clave unto Kavi Husravah for the well-shapen Strength, for the Victory made by Ahura, for the crushing Ascendant; for the righteousness of the law, for the innocence of the law, for the

unconquerable power of the law; for the extermination of the enemies at one stroke;

75. And for the vigour of health, for the Glory made by Mazda, for the health of the body, and for a good, virtuous offspring, wise, chief in assemblies, bright, and clear-eyed, that frees [their father] from the pangs [of hell], of good intellect; and for that part in the blessed world that falls to wisdom and to those who do not follow impiety;

76. And for a dominion full of splendour, for a long, long life, and for all boons and remedies;

77. So that king Husravah [had the lead] all along the long race, and he could not pass through the forest, he, the murderer, who was fiercely striving against him on horseback; the lord Kavi Husravah prevailed over all; he put in bonds Frangrasyan and Keresavazda, to avenge the murder of his father Syâvarshâna, a man, and of Aghraêratha, a semi-man.

For its brightness and glory, I will offer it a sacrifice . . . .

78. We sacrifice unto the awful kingly Glory, made by Mazda . . . .

79. That clave unto the holy Zarathuṣtra, so that he thought according to the Law, spake according

to the Law, and did according to the Law; so that he was the holiest in holiness in all the living world, the best-ruling in exercising rule, the brightest in brightness, the most glorious in glory, the most victorious in victory.

80. At his sight the Daêvas rushed away; at his sight the (demoniac) malices were extinguished; at his sight the Ǧainis drew back their ways from the mortals and, lamenting and wailing, laid violent hands on the Daêvas.

81. And that one prayer, the Ahuna Vairya, which the holy Zarathuṣtra sang and repeated four times, with a song that waxed louder and louder, drove back all the Daêvas beneath the earth, and took off from them sacrifice and prayer.

82. It was it, the Glory of Zarathuṣtra, that the Turanian ruffian Frangrasyan tried to seize to rule over all the Karshvares; round about the seven Karshvares did that ruffian Frangrasyan rush, trying to seize the Glory of Zarathuṣtra. But that Glory escaped to hidden inlets of the sea; and there those two made my will roll on; they entered my will, as it was my wish, Ahura Mazda's, and as it was the wish of the Law of Mazda.

For its brightness and glory, I will offer it a sacrifice . . . .

83. We sacrifice unto the awful kingly Glory, made by Mazda . . . .

84. That clave unto king Vîṣtâspa, so that he thought according to the Law, spake according to the Law, and did according to the Law; so that he professed that Law, destroying his foes and causing the Daêvas to retire.

85. Who, driving the Druǧbefore him, sought wide room for the holy religion; who, driving the Druǧbefore him, made wide room for the holy religion; who made himself the arm and support of this law of Ahura, of this law of Zarathuṣtra;

86. Who took her, standing bound, from the hands of the Hunus, and established her to sit in the middle [of the world], high ruling, never falling back, holy, nourished with plenty of cattle and pastures, blessed with plenty of cattle and pastures.

87. The valiant king Vîṣtâspa conquered all enemies, Tãthravaṉṭ of the evil law, Peshana, the worshipper of the Daêvas, and the fiendish wicked Areǧaṭ-aspa and the other wicked Hvyaonas.

For its brightness and glory, I will offer it a sacrifice . . . .

88. We sacrifice unto the awful kingly Glory, made by Mazda . . . .

89. That will cleave unto the victorious Saoshyaṉṭ and his helpers, when he shall restore the

world, which will (thenceforth) never grow old and never die, never decaying and never rotting, ever living and ever increasing, and master of its wish, when the dead will rise, when life and immortality will come, and the world will be restored at its wish;

90. When the creation will grow deathless,—the prosperous creation of the Good Spirit,—and the Druǧ shall perish, though she may rush on every side to kill the holy beings; she and her hundredfold brood shall perish, as it is the will of the Lord.

For its brightness and glory, I will offer it a sacrifice . . . .

91. We sacrifice unto the awful kingly Glory, made by Mazda . . . .

92. When Astvaṭ-ereta shall rise up from Lake Kãsava, a friend of Ahura Mazda, a son of Vîspa-taurvairi, knowing the victorious knowledge.

It was that Glory that Thraêtaona bore with him when Azi Dahâka was killed;

93. That Frangrasyan, the Turanian, bore when Drvau was killed, when the Bull was killed;

That king Husravah bore when Frangrasyan, the Turanian, was killed;

That king Vîṣtâspa bore, when he victoriously maintained Holiness against the host of the fiends and took off the Drub from the world of the good principle.

94. He, with the eye of intelligence, shall look down upon all the creatures of the Paêṣiṣ, her of the evil seed: he shall look upon the whole living world with the eye of plenty, and his look shall deliver to immortality the whole of the living creatures.

95. And there shall his friends come forward, the friends of Astvaṭ-ereta, who are fiend-smiting, well-thinking, well-speaking, well-doing, following the good law, and whose tongues have never uttered a word of falsehood.

Before them shall Aêshma of the wounding spear, who has no Glory, bow and flee; he shall smite the most wicked Druǧ, her of the evil seed, born of darkness.

96. Akem-Manô smites, but Vohu-Manô shall smite him; the Word of falsehood smites, but the Word of truth shall smite it. Haurvatâṭ and Ameretâṭ shall smite both hunger and thirst: Haurvatâṭ and Ameretâṭ shall smite the evil hunger and the evil thirst. The evil-doing Angra Mainyu bows and flees, becoming powerless.

For its brightness and glory, I will offer it a sacrifice . . . .

97. Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness . . . .

I bless the sacrifice and prayer, and the strength and vigour of Mount Ushi-darena, made by Mazda, the seat of holy happiness; of the kingly Glory, made by Mazda; of the Glory that cannot be forcibly seized, made by Mazda.

Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good . . . .

[Give] unto that man brightness and glory, . . . . give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones.

Mentioned templesAhuraMazdāAšaAšavahištaHaurvatātAmərətāt