|
|
(Book of Common Prayer) part 2
Translation by James Darmesteter (From Sacred Books of the East, American Edition, 1898.)
Yashts (Hymns to Ahura Mazda, the Archangels, and the Angels)
1. Ohrmazd Yasht (Hymn to Ahura Mazda) -------------------------------------- (Translated by James Darmesteter (From Sacred Books of the East, American Edition, 1898.)
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-Spentas! even with the fullness 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 Vohu: 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 Zarathushtra, one who hates the Daevas and obeys the laws of Ahura; For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Havani], the holy and master of holiness; For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Savanghi and Visya], 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. Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness: the riches of Vohu-Mano shall he 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. Zarathushtra 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 Daevas and Men? What maketh the material world best come to the fulfillment of its wishes? What freeth the material world best from the anxieties of the heart?' 3. Ahura Mazda answered: 'Our Name, O Spitama Zarathushtra! who are the Amesha-Spentas, 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 Daevas and Men: that maketh the material world best come to the fulfillment of its wishes; that freeth the material World best from the anxieties of the heart.' 5. Then Zarathushtra 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 Daevas and Men; 6. 'That I may afflict all Daevas and Men; that I may afflict all Yatus and Pairikas; that neither Daevas nor Men may be able to afflict me; neither Yatus nor Pairikas.' 7. Ahura Mazda replied unto him: 'My name is the One of whom questions are asked, O holy Zarathushtra! '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 Zarathushtra, 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 Zarathushtra, to destroy the malice of Daevas and Men, of the Yatus 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; 11. '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 Discerner; 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 Athravan; my name is the most Athravan-like of all Athravans. '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 Zarathushtra! 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 Aeshma-like and is Druj-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 Druj 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-Mano and help whomsoever thou pleasest." 21. 'Hail to the Glory of the Kavis! Hail to the Airyanem Vaejah! Hail to the Saoka, made by Mazda! Hail to the waters of the Daitya! Hail to Ardvi, the undefiled well! Hail to the whole world of the holy Spirit! 'Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord... 'Ashem Vohu: Holiness is the best of all good.... 22. 'We worship the Ahuna Vairya. We worship Asha-Vahishta, 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. 'Yenghe hatam: 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. 'Yatha ahu vairyo: 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 Yasht.) 24. 'O Zarathushtra! 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-Spentas. 25. 'Here is Vohu-Mano, my creature, O Zarathushtra! here is Asha-Vahishta, my creature, O Zarathushtra! here is Khshathra-Vairya, my creature, O Zarathushtra! here is Spenta-Armaiti, my creature, O Zarathushtra! here are Haurvatat and Ameretat, who are the reward of the holy ones, when freed from their bodies, my creatures, O Zarathushtra! 26. 'Thou knowest this, and how it is, O holy Zarathushtra! 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 Spenta-Armaiti. 28. 'And with the help of Spenta-Armaiti, 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 Druj? When shall the faithful smite the wicked?' 29. Then Zarathushtra said: 'I threw you back into the earth, and by the eyes of Spenta-Armaiti 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], Spenta-Armaiti; and the holy creations of that creature and of Asha [Vahishta], 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 Aeshma of the wounding spear; to smite the Mazainya fiends; to smite all the Daevas and the Varenya fiends; to increase Ahura Mazda, bright and glorious; to increase the Amesha-Spentas; to increase the star Tishtrya, the bright and glorious; to increase the faithful men; to increase all the holy creatures of the beneficent Spirit. 'Ashem Vohu: Holiness is the best of all good....
33. Bestow on him riches... (Recite SrB5.) 'Ashem Vohu: Holiness is the best of all good....'
2. Haft Amahraspand Yasht ------------------------- 0. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced!... Ashem Vohu: Holiness is the best of all good.... I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathushtra, one who hates the Daevas and obeys the laws of Ahura; For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Havani], the holy and master of holiness....
I. 1. To Ahura Mazda, bright and glorious, and to the Amesha-Spentas; To Vohu-Mano; 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-Vahishta, 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 Spenta-Armaiti, and to the good Rata, with eyes of love, made by Mazda and holy; To Haurvatat, the master; to the prosperity of the seasons and to the years, the masters of holiness; And to Ameretat, the master; to fatness and flocks; to the plenty of corn; and to the powerful Gaokerena, made by Mazda.
4. (At the Gah Hawan): To Mithra, the lord of wide pastures and to Rama Hvastra. (At the Gah Rapithwin): To Asha-Vahishta and to Atar, the son of Ahura Mazda. (At the Gah, Uzerin): To Apam Napat, the tall lord, and to water, made by Mazda.
5. (At the Gah Aiwisruthrem): 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 Gah Usahin): To the holy, devout, fiend-smiting Sraosha, who makes the world grow; to Rashnu-Razishta and to Arshtat, who makes the world grow, who makes the world increase; Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation and glorification! Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness....
II.
6. We sacrifice unto Ahura Mazda, bright and glorious; we sacrifice unto the Amesha-Spentas, the all-ruling, the all-beneficent. We sacrifice unto Vohu-Mano, the Amesha-Spenta; 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-Vahishta, the fairest, the Amesha-Spenta; 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 Spenta-Armaiti; we sacrifice unto the good Rata, with eyes of love, made by Mazda and holy. We sacrifice unto Haurvatat, the Amesha-Spenta; we sacrifice unto the prosperity of the seasons; we sacrifice unto the years, the holy and masters of holiness. We sacrifice unto Ameretat, the Amesha-Spenta; 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 Gah Hawan): We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures; we sacrifice unto Rama Hvastra. (At the Gah Rapithwin): We sacrifice unto Asha-Vahishta and Atar, the son of Ahura Mazda. (At the Gah Uzerin): We sacrifice unto Apam Napat, 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 Gah Aiwisruthrem): 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 Gah Ushahin): We sacrifice unto the holy, tall-formed, fiend-smiting Sraosha; who makes the world grow, the holy an master of holiness; we sacrifice unto Rashnu-Razishta; we sacrifice unto Arshtat, who makes the world grow, who makes the world increase
III.
11. Let the Yatus be crushed, O Zarathushtra! both Daevas and men. Who is he in whose house, O Spitama Zarathushtra! every Druj is destroyed, every Druj perishes, when he pronounces these words:
12. ........?
13. It is he who takes the seven Amesha-Spentas, 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 Zarathustra! he has renounced all trespasses and faults, O Zarathustra! when he throws down the destroyer of Vohu-Mano 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 Vohu: Holiness is the best of all good....
16. Yatha ahu vairyo: 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-Spentas; Of Vohu-Mano; of Peace, whose breath is friendly.... Of Asha-Vahishta, the fairest; of the much-desired Airyaman.... Of Khshathra-Vairya, of the metals.... Of the good Spenta-Armaiti and of the good Rata.... Of Haurvatat, the master.... Of Ameretat, the master.... (At the Gah Hawan): Of Mithra.... (At the Gah Rapithwin): Of Asha-Vahishta.... (At the Gah Uzerin): Of the high lord Apam Napat.... (At the Gah Aiwisruthrem): Of the Fravashis of the faithful.... (At the Gah Ushahin): Of the holy, devout, fiend-smiting Sraosha, who makes the world grow; of Rashnu-Razishta and of Arshtat, who makes the world grow, who makes the world increase. Ashem Vohu: 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.
3. Ardwahisht Yasht ------------------- 0. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced! .... Ashem Vohu: Holiness is the best of all good.... I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathushtra, one who hates the Daevas and obeys the laws of Ahura; For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Havani], the holy and master of holiness.... Unto Asha-Vahishta, 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. Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness....
I. 1. Ahura Mazda spake unto Spitama Zarathushtra, saying: 'That thou mayest increase Asha-Vahishta, O Spitama Zarathushtra! 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-Spentas'....
2. Zarathushtra said: 'Say unto me the right words, such as they are, O Ahura Mazda! that I may increase Asha-Vahishta, 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-Spentas.
3. '.... I proclaim Asha-Vahishta: if I proclaim Asha-Vahishta, then easy is the way to the abode of the other Amesha-Spentas, which Ahura Mazda keeps with Good Thoughts, which Ahura Mazda keep with Good Words, which Ahura Mazda keeps with Good Deeds;
4. '(Easy is the way to the Garo-nmana of Ahura Mazda): the Garo-nmana is for the holy souls, and no one of the wicked can enter the Garo-nmana and its bright, wide, holy ways; (no one of them can go) to Ahura Mazda.
II. 5. 'The Airyaman prayer smites down the strength of all the creatures of Angra Mainyu, of the Yatus 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 at 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 Daeva fled away, the Daeva'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 Jahi, addicted to the Yatu, fled away; the Jahi, 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 Daevas by thousands of thousands, by ten thousands of ten thousands; he smites sickness, he smites death, he smites the Daevas, he smites the Daeva'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 Jahi, addicted to the Yatu; he smites the Jahi, 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 Daevas, by thousands of thousands, by ten thousands of ten thousands. Angra Mainyu, who is all death, the worst-lying of all Daevas, rushed from before him:
14. 'He exclaimed, did Angra Mainyu: "Woe is me! Here is the god Asha-Vahishta, 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 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 Jahi, addicted to the Yatu, he will afflict the Jahi, addicted to the Yatu; '"He will smite the Jahi, who makes one pine, he will afflict the Jahi, 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 Druj will perish away, the Druj will perish; the Druj will rush, the Druj 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-Vahishta, the fairest - the Amesha-Spenta. Unto Asha-Vahishta, the fairest, the Amesha-Spenta, 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. 'Yenhe hatam: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda knows the goodness....
19. 'Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness.... 'I bless the sacrifice and prayer and the strength and vigour of Asha-Vahishta, 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 Vohu: 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.'
4. Awerdad Yasht ---------------- 0. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced! .... Ashem Vohu: Holiness is the best of all good.... I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathushtra, one who hates the Daevas and obeys the laws of Ahura; For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Havani], the holy and master of holiness....
Unto Haurvatat, the master; unto the prosperity of the seasons and unto the years, the masters of holiness, Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification. Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness.... We sacrifice unto Haurvatat, the Amesha-Spenta; 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 Zarathushtra, saying: 'I created for the faithful the help, the enjoyments, the comforts, and the pleasures of Haurvatat. We unite them with him who would come up to thee as one of the Amesha-Spentas, as he would come to any of the Amesha-Spentas, Vohu-Mano, Asha-Vahishta, Khshathra-Vairya, Spenta-Armaiti, Haurvatat, and Ameretat.
2. 'He who against the thousands of thousands of those Daevas, against their ten thousands of ten thousands, against their numberless myriads would invoke the name of Haurvatat, as one of the Amesha-Spentas, he would smite the Nasu, he would smite Hashi, he would smite Bashi, he would smite Saeni, he would smite Buji.
3. 'I proclaim the faithful man as the first [of men]; if I proclaim the faithful man as the first [of men], then Rashnu Razishta, then every heavenly Yazata of male nature in company with the Amesha-Spentas will free the faithful man
4. 'From the Nasu, from Hashi, from Gashi, from Saeni, from Buji; from the hordes with the wide front, from the hordes with the many spears uplifted, from the evil man who oppresses, from the willful sinner, from the oppressor of men, from the Yatu, 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 Druj! whomsoever thou art, whomsoever thou art amongst the Drujes that come in an open way, whomsoever thou art amongst the Drujes that come by hidden way, whomsoever thou art amongst the Drujes that defile by contact; whatsoever Druj thou art, I smite thee away from the Aryan countries; whatsoever Druj thou art, I bind thee; I smite thee down, O Druj! I throw thee down below, O Druj!"
7. 'He draws [then] three furrows: I proclaim him one of the faithful; he draws six furrow: I proclaim him one of the faithful; he draws nine furrows: I proclaim him one of the faithful.
8. 'The names of those (Amesha-Spentas) smite the men turned to Nasus by the Drujes: the seed and kin of the deaf are smitten, the scornful are dead, as the Zaotar Zarathushtra 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 Zarathushtra! 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 Athravan to his pupil in black hair, devoted to the good law, who, devoted to the good law, holy and brave, stills all the Drujes.
11. 'For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard, namely, unto Haurvatat, the Amesha-Spenta. Unto Haurvatat, the Amesha-Spenta, 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. 'Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness.... 'I bless the sacrifice and prayer, and the strength and vigour of Haurvatat, the master; of the prosperity of the seasons and of the years, the masters of holiness. 'Ashem Vohu: 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.'
5. Ardui Sur Bano Yasht (Hymn to the Waters) --------------------------------------------
Translated by James Darmesteter. (From Sacred Books of the East, American Edition, 1898.)
0. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced!.... Ashem Vohu: Holiness is the best of all good.... I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathushtra, one who hates the Daevas and obeys the laws of Ahura; For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Havani], the holy and master of holiness.... Unto the good Waters, made by Mazda; unto the holy water-spring ARDVI ANAHITA; unto all waters, made by Mazda; unto all plants, made by Mazda, Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.
Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness....
I. 1. Ahura Mazda spake unto Spitama Zarathushtra, saying: 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita, the wide-expanding and health-giving, who hates the Daevas 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 quality; 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 Sura Anahita, 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 vigor, 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 Sura Anahita, O Spitama Zarathushtra! 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 Sura Anahita 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 Sura Anahita! 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. 'Yenhe hatam: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda....
II. 10. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita, the wide-expanding and health-giving, who hates the Daevas 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 unto me, and is of good will unto me?" 'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice, worth being heard....
III. 12. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 13. 'Whom four horses carry, all white, of one and the same color, of the same blood, tall, crushing down the hates of all haters, of the Daevas and men, of the Yatus and Pairikas, of the oppressors, of the blind and of the deaf. 'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice ....
IV. 14. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 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....
V. 16. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 17. 'To her did the Maker Ahura Mazda offer up a sacrifice to the Airyana Vaejah, by the good river Daitya; 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 Sura Anahita! that I may bring the son of Pourushaspa, the holy Zarathushtra, to think after my law, to speak after my law, to do after my law!" 19. 'Ardvi Sura Anahita 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....
VI. 20. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 21. 'To her did Haoshyangha, the Paradhata, 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 Sura Anahita, that I may become the sovereign lord of all countries, of the Daevas and men, of the Yatus and Pairikas, of the oppressors, the blind and the deaf; and that I may smite down two thirds of the Daevas of Mazana and of the fiends of Varena." 23. 'Ardvi Sura Anahita 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....
VII. 24. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 25. 'To her did Yima Khshaeta, 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 Sura Anahita! that I may become the sovereign lord of all countries, of the Daevas and men, of the Yatus and Pairikas, of the oppressors, the blind and the deaf; and that I may take from the Daevas both riches and welfare, both fatness and flocks, both weal and Glory." 27. 'Ardvi Sura Anahita 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....
VIII. 28. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 29. 'To her did Azi Dahaka, 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 Sura Anahita! that I may make all the seven Karshvares of the earth empty of men." 31. 'Ardvi Sura Anahita 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....
IX. 32. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 33. 'To her did Thraetaona, the heir of the valiant Athwya 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 Sura Anahita! that I may overcome Azi Dahaka, the three-mouthed, the three-headed, the six-eyed, who has a thousand senses, that most powerful, fiendish Druj, that demon, baleful to the world, the strongest Druj that Angra Mainyu created against the material world, to destroy the world of the good principle; and that I may deliver his two wives, Savanghavach and Erenavach, who are the fairest of body amongst women, and the most wonderful creatures in the world." 35. 'Ardvi Sura Anahita 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....
X. 36. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 37. 'To her did Keresaspa, 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 Sura Anahita! that I may overcome the golden-heeled Gandarewa, 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 Sura Anahita 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....
XI. 40. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sara Anahita.... 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 Sura Anahita! 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 Zarathushtra." 43. 'Ardvi Sura Anahita did not grant him that boon. 'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice....
II. 44. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 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 Sura Anahita! that I may become the sovereign lord of all countries, of the Daevas and men, of the Yatus and Pairikas, of the oppressors, the blind and the deaf." 47. 'Ardvi Sura Anahita 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....
XIII. 48. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 49. 'To her did the gallant Husravah, he who united the Aryan nations into one kingdom, offer up a sacrifice behind the Chaechasta 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 Sura Anahita! that I may become the sovereign lord of all countries, of Daevas and men, of the Yatus 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 Sura Anahita 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....
XIV. 52. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 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 Sura Anahita! that I may overcome the gallant sons of Vaesaka, by the castle Khshathro-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 Sura Anahita 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....
XV. 56. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 57. 'To her did the gallant sons of Vaesaka offer up a sacrifice in the castle Khshathro-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 Sura Anahita! 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 Sura Anahita did not grant them that boon. 'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice....
XVI. 60. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 61. 'The old Vafra Navaza worshipped her when the strong fiend-smiter, Thraetaona, 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 Sura Anahita, saying: 63. '"Ardvi Sura Anahita! 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 Sura Anahita hastened unto him in the shape of a maid, fair of body, most strong, tall-formed, high-girdled, 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 Sura Anahita 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....
XVII. 67. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 68. 'To her did Jamaspa 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 Daevas, coming from afar in battle array. 69. 'He asked of her a boon, saying: "Grant me this, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sura Anahita! that I may be as constantly victorious as any one of all the Aryans." 70. 'Ardvi Sura Anahita 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....
XVIII. 71. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 72. 'To her did Ashavazdah, the son of Pouru-dhakhshti, and Ashavazdah and Thrita, the sons of Sayuzhdri, offer up a sacrifice, with a hundred horses, a thousand oxen, ten thousand lambs, by Apam Napat, 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 Sura Anahita! that we may overcome the assemblers of the Turanian Danus, Kara Asabana, and Vara Asabana, and the most mighty Duraekaeta, in the battles of this world. 74. 'Ardvi Sura Anahita 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, l will offer her a sacrifice....
XIX. 75. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 76. 'Vistauru, the son of Naotara, worshipped her by the brink of the river Vitanghuhaiti, 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 Daevas as the hairs I bear on my head. Do thou then, O Ardvi Sura Anahita! leave me a dry passage, to pass over the good Vitanghuhaiti." 78. 'Ardvi Sura Anahita 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 Vitanghuhaiti. [79. 'Ardvi Sura Anahita 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....
XX. 80. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 81. 'To her did Yoishta, one of the Fryanas, offer up a sacrifice with a hundred horses, a thousand oxen, ten thousand lambs on the Pedvaepa of the Rangha. 82. 'He begged of her a boon, saying: "Grant me this, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sura Anahita! 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 Sura Anahita 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....
XXI. 84. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 85. 'Whom Ahura Mazda the merciful ordered thus, saying: "Come, O Ardvi Sura Anahita, 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 Athravans who read and the pupils of the Athravans 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 Sura Anahita!" 88. 'Then Ardvi Sura Anahita came forth, O Zarathushtra! down from those stars to the earth made by Mazda; and Ardvi Sura Anahita spake thus: 89. '"O pure, holy Zarathushtra! 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. 'Zarathushtra asked Ardvi Sura Anahita: "O Ardvi Sura Anahita! 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 Sura Anahita 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 Athravan, 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 Gathas, no leper to be confined. 93. '"I do not accept those libations that are drunk in my honor 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 Zarathushtra asked Ardvi Sura Anahita: "O Ardvi Sura Anahita! What becomes of those libations which the wicked worshippers of the Daevas bring unto thee after the sun has set?" 95. 'Ardvi Sura Anahita answered: "O pure, holy Spitama Zarathushtra! howling, clapping, hopping, and shouting, six hundred and a thousand Daevas, 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 Sura Anahita 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....
XXII. 97. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 98. 'Before whom the worshippers of Mazda stand with baresma in their hands: the Hvovas did worship her, the Naotaras did worship her; the Hvovas asked for riches, the Naotaras asked for swift horses. Quickly was Hvova blessed with riches an full prosperity; quickly became Vishtaspa, the Naotaride, the lord of the swiftest horses in these countries. 99. ['Ardvi Sura Anahita 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....
XXIII. 100. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 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 Sura Anahita, O Zarathushtra! 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.
XXIV. 103. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 104. 'Unto her did the holy Zarathushtra offer up a sacrifice in the Airyana Vaejah, by the good river Daitya; 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 Sura Anahita! that I may bring the son of Aurvat-aspa, the valiant Kavi Vistaspa, to think according to the law, to speak according to the law, to do according to the law." 106. 'Ardvi Sura Anahita 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....
XXV. 107. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 108. 'Unto her did the tall Kavi Vishtaspa offer up a sacrifice behind Lake Frazdanava, 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 Sura Anahita! that I may overcome Tathravant, of the bad law, and Peshana, the worshipper of the Daevas and the wicked Arejat-aspa, in the battles of this world!" 110. 'Ardvi Sura Anahita 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....
XXVI. 111. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 112. 'Unto her did Zairi-vairi, who fought on horseback, offer up a sacrifice behind the river Daitya, 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 Sura Anahita! that I may overcome Pesho-Changha the corpse-burier, Humayaka the worshipper of the Daevas, and the wicked Arejat-aspa, in the battles of this world. 114. 'Ardvi Sura Anahita 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....
XXVII. 115. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 116. 'Unto her did Arejat-aspa and Vandaremaini 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 Sura Anahita! that we may conquer the valiant Kavi Vishtaspa 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 Sura Anahita did not grant them that favor, though they were offering up libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she should grant them that favor. 'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice....
XXVIII. 119. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 120. 'For whom Ahura Mazda has made four horses -- the wind, the rain, the cloud, and the sleet -- and thus ever a 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 Sura Anahita 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....
XXIX. 122. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 123. 'She stands, the good Ardvi Sura Anahita, 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....
XXX. 125. 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathushtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita.... 126. 'Ardvi Sura Anahita, 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 Sura Anahita; 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 Sura Anahita 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 Sura Anahita; 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-colored 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 Sura Anahita! I beg of thee this favor: 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 fullness of the good things of life and whatever makes a kingdom thrive. 131. 'Here, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sura Anahita! 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 Sura Anahita! 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 favors; that all those gallant warriors may be strong, like king Vishtaspa. 'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice.... 133. 'Yatha ahu vairya: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness....
'I bless the sacrifice and prayer, and the strength and vigor of the holy water-spring Anahita. 'Ashem Vohu: 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!'
6. Khwarshed Yasht (Hymn to the Sun) ------------------------------------ 0. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced!.... Ashem Vohu: Holiness is the best of all good.... I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathushtra, one who hates the Daevas and obeys the laws of Ahura; For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Havani], the holy and master of holiness.... Unto the undying, shining, swift-horsed Sun; Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.
Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness.... 1. We sacrifice unto the undying, shining, swift-horsed Sun.
When the light of the sun waxes warmer, when the brightness of the sun waxes warmer, then up stand the heavenly Yazatas, by hundreds and thousands: they gather together its Glory, they make its Glory pass down, they pour its Glory upon the earth made by Ahura, for the increase of the world of holiness, for the increase of the creatures of holiness, for the increase of the undying, shining, swift-horsed Sun. 2. And when the sun rises up, then the earth, made by Ahura, becomes clean; the running waters become clean, the waters of the wells become clean, the waters of the sea become clean, the standing waters become clean; all the holy creatures, the creatures of the Good Spirit, become clean. 3. Should not the sun rise up, then the Daevas would destroy all the things that are in the seven Karshvares, nor would the heavenly Yazatas find any way of withstanding or repelling them in the material world. 4. He who offers up a sacrifice unto the undying, shining, swift-horsed Sun - to withstand darkness, to withstand the Daevas born of darkness, to withstand the robbers and bandits, to withstand the Yatus and Pairikas, to withstand death that creeps in unseen - offers it up to Ahura Mazda, offers it up to the Amesha-Spentas, offers it up to his own soul. He rejoices all the heavenly and worldly Yazatas, who offers up a sacrifice unto the undying, shining, swift-horsed Sun. 5. I will sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, who has a thousand ears, ten thousand eyes. I will sacrifice unto the club of Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, well struck down upon the skulls of the Daevas. I will sacrifice unto that friendship, the best of all friendships, that reigns between the moon and the sun. 6. For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard, namely, unto the undying, shining, swift-horsed Sun. Unto the undying, shining, swift-horsed Sun 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. Yenghe hatam: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda.... 7. Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness....
I bless the sacrifice and the invocation, and the strength and vigour of the undying, shining, swift-horsed Sun. Ashem Vohu: 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.
7. Mah Yasht (Hymn to the Moon) ------------------------------- 0. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced!.... Ashem Vohu: Holiness is the best of all good.... I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathushtra, one who hates the Daevas and obeys the laws of Ahura; For sacrifice,prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Havani], the holy and master of holiness.... Unto the Moon that keeps in it the seed of the Bull; unto the only-created Bull and unto the Bull of many species; Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.
Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness.... 1. Hail to Ahura Mazda! Hail to the Amesha-Spentas! Hail to the Moon that keeps in it the seed of the Bull! Hail to thee when we look at thee! Hail to thee when thou lookest at us! 2. How does the moon wax? How does the moon wane? For fifteen days does the moon wax; for fifteen days does the moon wane. As long as her waxing, so long is the waning; as long as her waning, so long is the waxing. 'Who is there but thee who makes the moon wax and wane?' 3. We sacrifice unto the Moon that keeps in it the seed of the Bull, the holy and master of holiness. Here I look at the moon, here I perceive the moon; here I look at the light of the moon, here I perceive the light of the moon. The Amesha-Spentas stand up holding its glory; the Amesha-Spentas stand up, pouring its glory upon the earth, made by Mazda. 4. And when the light of the moon waxes warmer, golden-hued plants grow on from the earth during the spring. We sacrifice unto the new moons, the full moons, and the Vishaptathas. We sacrifice unto the new moon, the holy and master of holiness; We sacrifice unto the full moon, the holy and master of holiness; We sacrifice unto the Vishaptatha, the holy and master of holiness. 5. I will sacrifice unto the Moon, that keeps in it the seed of the Bull, the liberal, bright, glorious, water-giving, warmth-giving, wisdom-giving, wealth-giving, riches-giving, thoughtfulness-giving, weal-giving, freshness-giving, prosperity-giving, the liberal, the healing. 6. For its brightness and glory, I will offer unto it a sacrifice worth being heard, namely, unto the Moon that keeps in it the seed of the Bull. Unto the Moon that keeps in it the seed of the Bull, 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. Yenghe hatam: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda.... 7. Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness....
I bless the sacrifice and prayer, and the strength and vigour of the Moon, that keeps in it the seed of the Bull, and of the only-created Bull, and of the Bull of many species. Ashem Vohu: 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.
8. Tishtar Yasht (Hymn to the Star Sirius) ------------------------------------------ (Tishtrya is the angel (Yazad) of the star Sirius. Tishtrya also presides over the fourth month and the thirteenth day of each month. Sirius also directs the rain.)
0. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced!.... Ashem Vohu: Holiness is the best of all good.... I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathushtra, one who hates the Daevas and obeys the laws of Ahura; For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Havani], the holy and master of holiness.... Unto Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, and unto the powerful Satavaesa, made by Mazda, who pushes waters forward, Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.
Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness....
[[1]] 1. Ahura Mazda spake unto Spitama Zarathushtra, saying: 'We worship the lordship and mastership [of Tishtrya], 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 Tishtrya, that gives the fields their share [of waters]. 2. 'We offer up libations unto Tishtrya, 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 Zarathushtra. 3. 'For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard, namely, unto the star Tishtrya. 'Unto Tishtrya, 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. 'Yenhe hatam: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda....
[[2]] 4. 'We sacrifice unto Tishtrya, 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 Apam Napat. 'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard....
[[3]] 5. 'We sacrifice unto Tishtrya, 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 Tishtrya? 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....
[[4]] 6. 'We sacrifice unto Tishtrya, 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 Hvanvant. 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....
[[5]] 8. 'We sacrifice unto Tishtrya, 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 Satavaesa 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....
[[6]] 10. 'We sacrifice unto Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, who spoke 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 Tishtrya; 'We sacrifice unto the rains of Tishtrya. 'We sacrifice unto the first star; we sacrifice unto the rains of the first star. 'I will sacrifice unto the stars Haptoiringa, to oppose the Yatus and Pairikas. 'We sacrifice unto Vanant, 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 Tishtrya, whose eye-sight is sound. 13. 'For ten nights, O Spitama Zarathushtra! Tishtrya, 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 Zarathushtra! the bright and glorious Tishtrya 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 Zarathushtra! the bright and glorious Tishtrya 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 Zarathushtra! the bright and glorious Tishtrya 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 Daeva 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 Zarathushtra! the bright and glorious Tishtrya and the Daeva Apaosha. They fight together, O Spitama Zarathushtra! for three days and three nights. And then the Daeva Apaosha proves stronger than the bright and glorious Tishtrya, he overcomes him. 23. 'And Tishtrya flees from the sea Vouru-Kasha, as far as a Hathra's length. He cries out in woe and distress, the bright and glorious Tishtrya: "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 Tishtrya 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 Zarathushtra! the bright and glorious Tishtrya 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 Daeva 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 Zarathushtra! the bright and glorious Tishtrya, and the Daeva Apaosha; they fight together, O Zarathushtra! till the time of noon. Then the bright and glorious Tishtrya proves stronger than the Daeva Apaosha, he overcomes him. 29. 'Then he goes from the sea Vouru-Kasha as far as a Hathra's length: "Hail!" cries the bright and glorious Tishtrya. "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 corn fields, to the small-seeded pasture-fields, and to the whole of the material world!" 30. Then the bright and glorious Tishtrya 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 Tishtrya rises up from the sea Vouru-Kasha, O Spitama Zarathushtra! the bright and glorious Satavaesa 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. 'Apam Napat, O Spitama Zarathushtra! 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....
[[7]] 35. 'We sacrifice unto Tishtrya, 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-Spentas. 'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard....
[[8]] 36. 'We sacrifice unto Tishtrya, 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....
[[9]] 37. 'We sacrifice unto Tishtrya, 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 Hvanvant. 38. 'Ahura Mazda gave him assistance, and the Amesha-Spentas and Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, pointed him the way: behind him went the tall Ashish Vanguhi and Parendi on her light chariot: always till, in his course, he reached Mount Hvanvant on the shining waters. 'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard....
[[10]] 39. 'We sacrifice unto Tishtrya, 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. 'Tishtrya 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 offer him a sacrifice worth being heard....
[[10]] 41. 'We sacrifice unto Tishtrya, 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 Tishtrya 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....
[[10]] 43. 'We sacrifice unto Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, who washes away all things of fear, who 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....
[[10]] 44. 'I will sacrifice unto Tishtrya, 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 Zarathushtra above men; whom neither Angra Mainyu, nor the Yatus and the Pairikas, nor the men Yatus can deliver unto death, nor can all the Daevas together prevail for his death. 'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard....
[[10]] 45. 'We sacrifice unto Tishtrya, 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 Zarathushtra! 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 brigbtness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard....
[[10]] 48. 'We sacrifice unto Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, for whom long all the creatures of Spenta-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....
[[10]] 49. 'We sacrifice unto Tishtrya, 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 Zarathushtra! have created that star Tishtrya as worthy of sacrifice, as worthy of prayer, as worthy of progitiation, 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 Duzyairya, whom evil-speaking people call Huyairya. 52. 'Had I not created that star Tishtrya 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 Duzyairya, whom evil-speaking people call Huyairya; 54. 'Then all day long, all night long, that Pairika Duzyairya 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 Tishtrya 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 Zarathushtra! would perform in honour of the bright and glorious Tishtrya 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. Zarathushtra asked: 'What is then, O Ahura Mazda! the sacrifice and invocation in honour of the bright and glorious Tishtrya, 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 Gathas, who spreads death in the world and withstands the law of Mazda, the law of Zarathushtra. 60. 'If a murderer take of these offerings, or a whore, or a .... who does not sing the Gathas, who spreads death in the world and withstands the law of Mazda, the law of Zarathushtra, then the bright and glorious Tishtrya 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 thetr thousands and their tens of thousands, by their tens of thousands and their myriads of myriads. 62. 'Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness....
'I bless the sacrifice and prayer, and the strength and vigour of Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, and of the powerful Satavaesa, made by Mazda, who pushes waters forward. 'Ashem Vohu: 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.'
9. Drvasp Yasht --------------- 0. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced! May Angra Mainyu be afflicted!....
Ashem Vohu: Holiness is the best of all good.... I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathushtra, one who hates the Daevas and obeys the laws of Ahura; For sacrifice, prayer, satisfaction, and glorification unto Havani, the holy and master of holiness. Unto the powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda and holy, Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.
Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness....
[[1]] 1. We sacrifice unto the powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda and holy, who heeps the flocks in health, the herds in health, the grown-up (cattle) in health, the young ones in health; who watches well from afar, with a wide-spread and long-continued welfare-giving friendship; 2. Who yokes teams of horses, who makes her chariot turn and its wheels sound, fat and glistening, strong, tall-formed, weal-possessing, health-giving, powerful to stand and powerful to turn for assistance to the faithful. 3. To her did Haoshyangha, the Paradhata, offer up a sacrifice on the enclosure of the Hara, the beautiful height, made by Mazda, with a hundred male horses, a thousand oxen, and ten thousand lambs, and with an offering of libations: 4. 'Grant me this boon, O good, most beneficent Drvaspa! that I may overcome all the Daevas of Mazana; that I may never fear and bow through terror before the Daevas, but that all the Daevas may fear and bow in spite of themselves before me, that they may fear and flee down to darkness.' 5. The powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda, the holy Drvaspa, the maintainer, granted him that boon, as he was offering libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would grant him that boon. 6. For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice worth being heard; I will offer her a sacrifice well performed, namely, unto the powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda and holy. We offer up libations to the powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda and holy; we offer her 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. Yenghe hatam: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda....
[[2]] 7. We offer up a sacrifice unto the powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda and holy, who keeps the flocks in health.... Who yokes teams of horses .... for assistance to the faithful. 8. To her did Yima Khshaeta, the good shepherd, offer up a sacrifice from the height Hukairya, with a hundred male horses, a thousand oxen, ten thousand lambs, and with an offering of libations: 9. 'Grant me this boon, O good, most beneficent Drvaspa! that I may bring fatness and flocks down to the world created by Mazda; that I may bring immortality down to the world created by Mazda; 10. 'That I may take away both hunger and thirst, from the world created by Mazda; that I may take away both old age and death, from the world created by Mazda; that I may take away both hot wind and cold wind, from the world created by Mazda, for a thousand years.' 11. The powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda, the holy Drvaspa, the maintainer, granted him that boon, as he was offering lipbations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would grant him that boon. For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice worth being heard....
[[3]] 12. We offer up a sacrifice unto the powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda and holy, who keeps the flocks in health.... Who yokes teams of horses .... for assistance to the faithful. 13. To her did Thraetaona, the heir of the valiant Athwya clan, offer up a sacrifice in the four-cornered Varena, with a hundred male horses, a thousand oxen, ten thousand lambs, and with an offering of libations: 14. 'Grant me this boon, O good, most beneficent Drvaspa! that I may overcome Azhi Dahaka, the three-mouthed, the three-headed, the six-eyed, who has a thousand senses, that most powerful, fiendish Druj, that demon, baleful to the world, the strongest Druj that Angra Mainyu created against the material world, to destroy the world of the good principle; and that I may deliver his two wives, Savanghavack and Erenavach, who are the fairest of body amongst women, and the most wonderful creatures in the world.' 15. The powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda, the holy Drvasya, the maintainer, 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 worth being heard....
[[4]] 16. We offer up a sacrifice unto the powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda and holy, who keeps flocks in health.... Who yokes teams of horses .... for assistance to the faithful. 17. To her did Haoma offer up a sacrifice, Haoma, the enlivening, the healing, the beautiful, the lordly, with golden eyes, upon the highest height of the Haraiti Bareza. He begged of her a boon saying: 18. 'Grant me this boon, O good, most beneficent Drvaspa! that I may bind the Turanian murderer Franghrasyan, that I may drag him bound, that may bring him bound unto king Husravah, that king Husravah may kill him, behind the Chaechasta lake, the deep lake of salt waters, to avenge the murder of his father Syavarshana, a man, and of Aghraeratha, a semi-man.' 19. The powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda, the holy Drvaspa, the maintainer, granted him that boon, as he was offering up libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would give him that boon. For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice worth being heard....
[[5]] 20. We offer up a sacrifice unto the powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda and holy, who keeps the flocks in health.... Who yokes teams of horses .... for assistance to the faithful. 21. To her did the gallant Husravah, he who united the Arya nations into one kingdom, offer up a sacrifice, behind the Chaechasta lake, the deep lake of salt waters, with a hundred male horses, a thousand oxen, ten thousand lambs, and an offering of libations: 22. 'Grant me this boon, O good, most beneficent Drvaspa! that I may kill the Turanian murderer, Franghrasyan, behind the Chaechasta lake, the deep lake of salt waters, to avenge the murder of my father Syavarshana, a man, and of Aghraeratha, a semi-man.' 23. The powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda, the holy Drvaspa, the maintainer, 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 worth being heard....
[[6]] 24. We offer up a sacrifice unlo the powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda and holy, who keeps the flocks in health.... Who yokes teams of horses .... for assistance to the faithful, 25. To her did the holy Zarathushtra offer up a sacrifice in the Airyana Vaejah, by the good river Daitya, 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. He begged of her a boon, saying: 26. 'O good, most beneficent Drvaspa! grant me this boon, that I may bring the good and noble Hutaosa to think according to the law, to speak according to the law, to do according to the law, that she may spread my Mazdean law and make it known, and that she may bestow beautiful praises upon my deeds.' 27. The strong Drvaspa, made by Mazda, the holy Drvaspa, the maintainer, 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 wiII offer her a sacrifice worth being heard....
[[7]] 28. We offer up a sacrifice unto the powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda and holy, who keeps the flocks in health.... Who yokes teams of horses .... for assistance to the faithful. 29. To her did the tall Kavi Vistaspa offer up a sacrifice behind the waters of the river Daitya, with a hundred male horses, a thousand oxen, ten thousand lambs, and with an offering of libations: 30. 'Grant me this boon, O good, most beneficent Drvaspa! that I may put to flight Ashta-aurvant, the son of Vispa-thaurvo-asti, the all-afflicting, of the brazen helmet, of the brazen armour, of the thick neck, behind whom seven hundred camels ....; that I may put to flight the Hvyaona murderer, Arejat-aspa; that I may put to flight Darshinika, the worshipper of the Daevas; 31. And that I may smite Tathravant of the bad law; that I may smite Spinjaurushka, the worshipper of the Daevas; and that I may bring unto the good law the nations of the Varedhakas and of the Hvyaonas; and that I may smite of the Huyaona nations 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. 32. The strong Drvaspa, made by Mazda, the holy Drvaspa, the maintainer, 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 worth being heard; I will offer her a sacrifice well performed, namely, unto the powerful Drvaspa made by Mazda and holy. We offer up libations to the powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda and holy; we offer her 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. Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness....
I bless the sacrifice and prayer, and the strength and vigour of the powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda and holy. Ashem Vohu: 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.
10. Mihr Yasht (Hymn to Mithra) ------------------------------- 0. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced!.... Ashem Vohu: Holiness is the best of all good.... I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathushtra, one who hates the Daevas, and obeys the laws of Ahura; For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Havani], 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 Hvastra, Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.
Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness....
[[1]] 1. Ahura Mazda spake unto Spitama Zarathushtra, 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 ofwide 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. 'Yenhe hatam: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda....
[[2]] 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....
[[3]] 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 themn, 'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard....
[[4]] 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 Ishkata and Pouruta, Mouru and Haroyu, the Gava-Sughdha and Hvairizem; 15. 'On Arezahi and Savahi, on Fradadhafshu and Vidadhafshu, on Vourubareshti and Vourujareshti, 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....
[[5]] 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 ofa 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....
[[6]] 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....
[[7]] 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 Daevas, 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....
[[8]] 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 Garo-nmana! 33. 'Grant us these boons which we beg of thee, O powerful god I 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 Vahishta, 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 Daevas and Men, of the Yatus and Pairikas, of the oppressors, the blind, and the deaf. 'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard....
[[9]] 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 to 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 Mithradrujes: 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....
[[10]] 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....
[[11]] 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....
[[12]] 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 Daevas, and the clouds cannot reach up unto the Haraiti Bareza; 51. 'A dwelling that all the Amesha-Spentas, in one accord with the sun, made for him in the fulness of faith of a devoted heart, and he survevs 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 Nairyo-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....
[[13]] 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 ame, 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 groper 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 Garo-nmana! 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-Vahishta, 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 Daevas and Men, of the Yatus and Pairikas, of the oppressors, the blind, and the deaf. 'For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard....
[[14]] 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....
[[15]] 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 Karshvares; 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....
[[16]] 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 Parendi 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....
[[17]] 67. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastares, .... 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 Daevas 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....
[[18]] 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....
[[19]] 73. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide past
