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I (1-11). Angra Mainyu attempts to kill Zarathustra, and, when he fails, tempts him. Zarathustra withstands both assaults with weapons both material and spiritual.
II (I1-43). Zarathustra applies to Ahura Mazda for a revelation of the law. He is taught how the fiend may be repelled, how the creation of Mazda is to be worshipped, how uncleanness is to be washed away, and what becomes of the soul after death.
III (43-47). Angra Mainyu and his host, driven to despair, and feeling themselves powerless, flee down into hell.
This chapter may be entitled 'The Revelation,' and considered as the frame-work of the Vendīdād, the remainder of which should have its place between the first and the third part; as the first part
[1. 'Two thousand mār bānak' (Comm.) See above, p. 157, n. 1.
2. 'Two thousand dārak' (Comm.) See above, p. 157, n. 4.
3. Five tanāfūhrs, that is, six thousand dirhems.
4. §§ 75, 76 = Farg. XIV, 18.]
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shows the fiend's struggles to prevent the revelation, and the third shows the effects of it; the second being, as it were, an abstract of the law, an abridged Vendīdād.
The text and the Pahlavi commentary of this Fargard are translated in Haug's Essays, p. 253 seq., p. 333 seq., and p. 379 seq.
1. From the region of the north, from the regions of the north I, forth rushed Angra Mainyu, the deadly, the Daźva of the Daźvas[2]. And thus spake the guileful one, he the evil-doer Angra Mainyu, the deadly: 'Drug, rush down upon him! destroy the holy Zarathustra!' The Drug came rushing along, the demon Būiti[3], the unseen death, the hell-born.
2 (5). Zarathustra chanted aloud the Ahuna-Vairya[4]: 'The will of the Lord is the law of holiness; the riches of Vohu-manō shall be given to him who works in this world for Mazda, and wields according to the will of Ahura the power he gave to him to relieve the poor.'
(He added): 'Offer up prayers to the good waters of the good Dāitya[5]!
'Profess the law of the worshippers of Mazda!'
The Drug dismayed, rushed away, the demon Būiti, the unseen death, the hell-born.
[1. From hell; cf. p. 75, n. 2.
2 'The fiend of fiends,' the arch-fiend.
3. 'How does death enter the body of man? There are several Druges from Ahriman, who come into the body and the soul of man: one of whom is a Drug known as Būt; she is the forerunner of death; when the time of the end is at hand, she produces in the body of man such excessive heat that he falls ill' (Dādār i Dādūkht, British Museum, Add. 8994, 130 a).
4. See above, p. 98, n. 2.
5. The river in Airyana Vaźgō; see Farg. I, 3, and Introd. III, 15.]
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3 (7). And the Drug, the guileful one, said unto Angra Mainyu: 'O baneful Angra Mainyu! I see no way to kill him, so great is the glory of the holy Zarathustra.'
Zarathustra saw (all this) from within his soul: 'The evil-doing Daźvas and Drvants[1] (thought he) take counsel together for my death.'
4 (11). Up started Zarathustra, forward went Zarathustra, unshaken by the evil spirit, by the hardness of his malignant riddles[2], swinging stones in his hand, stones as big as a house[3], which he obtained from the Maker, Ahura Mazda, he the holy Zarathustra.
'At what on this wide, round earth, whose ends lie afar, at what dost thou swing (those stones), thou who standest by the river Darega[4], upon the mountains, in the mansion of Pourusaspa[5]?'
5 (16). Thus Zarathustra answered Angra Mainyu: 'O evil-doer, Angra Mainyu! I will smite the creation of the Daźva; I will smite the Nasu, a creature of the Daźva; I will smite the Pairika Knćthaiti[6], till the fiend-smiter Saoshyant come up to life out
[1. See Introd. IV, 22.
2. This is a fragment of an old myth in which Zarathustra and Angra Mainyu played respectively the parts of Oedipus and the Sphinx. See, for further explanation, Orm. Ahr. §§ 163-165.
3. See Introd. IV, 40. The Commentary has, 'Some say, those stones are the Ahuna-Vairya.' In another attempt to account for a mythical expression, which was no longer understood, those thunderbolts were turned into the nine-knotted stick used in the Barashnūm. (see Farg. IX, 14; Comm and Asp.)
4. See Introd. III, 15.
5. The father of Zarathustra.
6. Cf. Farg. I, 10, and Introd. IV, 21.]
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of the lake Kćsava, from the region of the dawn, from the regions of the dawn[1].'
6 (20). Again to him said the guileful one, the
Maker of the evil world, Angra Mainyu: 'Do not destroy my creatures, O holy Zarathustra! Thou art the son of Pourusaspa[2], just born of thy mother[3]. Renounce the good law of the worshippers of Mazda, and thou shalt gain such a boon as the murderer[4] gained, the ruler of the nations.'
7 (24). Thus in answer to him said Spitama Zarathustra: 'No! never will I renounce the good law of the worshippers of Mazda, though my body, my life, my soul should burst!'
8 (27). Again to him said the guileful one, the Maker of the evil world, Angra Mainyu: 'By whose Word wilt thou strike, by whose Word wilt thou repel, by whose weapon will the good creatures (strike and repel) my creation who am Angra Mainyu?'
9 (29). Thus in answer to him said Spitama Zarathustra: 'The sacred mortar, the sacred cup, the Haoma, the Words taught by Mazda, these are my weapons, my best weapons! By this Word will I strike, by this Word will I repel, by this weapon the good creatures (will strike and repel thee), O evil-doer, Angra Mainyu! To me Spenta Mainyu gave it, he gave it to me in the boundless Time[5];
[1. See Introd. IV, 39-40.
2. 'I know thee' (Comm.)
3. Doubtful (cf. § 46); possibly, 'I was invoked by thy mother.' The Commentary has, 'Some explain thus: Thy forefathers worshipped me: worship me also.'
4. Ajis Dahāka or Zohāk, who, as a legendary king, is said to have ruled the world for a thousand years (Introd. IV, 11).
5. See Introd. IV, 42. The Ahuna-Vairya was revealed before {footnote p. 207} the creation of the world (Yasna XIX), and consequently in the boundless Time.]
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to me the Amesha Spentas, the all-ruling, the all-beneficent, gave it.'
10 (35). Zarathustra chanted aloud the Ahuna-Vairya. The holy Zarathustra said aloud 'This I ask thee: teach me the truth, O Lord[1]! . . .
11 (37). Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda: 'O Ahura Mazda, most beneficent spirit, Maker of the, material world, thou Holy One! [he was sitting by the Darega, on the mountain[2], praying to Ahura Mazda, to the good Vohu-manō, to Asha Vahista, Khshathra Vairya, and Spenta. Ārmaiti;]
12 (39). How shall I make the world free from that Drug, from the evil-doer Angra Mainyu? How shall I drive away direct defilement? How-indirect defilement? How shall I drive the Nasu from the house of the worshippers of Mazda? How shall I cleanse the faithful man? How shall I cleanse the faithful woman?'
13 (42). Ahura Mazda answered. 'Invoke, O Zarathustra! the good law of Mazda.
'Invoke, O Zarathustra! the Amesha Spentas who rule over the seven Karshvares of the earth[3].
'Invoke, O Zarathustra! the sovereign Heaven, the boundless Time[4], and Vayu[5], whose action is most high.
[1. This verse is the beginning of a Gātha (Yasna XLIV), in which Zarathustra applies to Ahura Mazda to be taught the mysteries of the world and of the law.
2. See § 4 and Introd. III, 15.
3. See Introd. IV, 7.
4. See Introd. IV, 42.
5 See Introd, IV, 15.]
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'Invoke, O Zarathustra! the powerful Wind, made by Mazda, and Spenta [Ārmaiti][1], the fair daughter of Ahura Mazda.
14 (46). 'Invoke, O Zarathustra! my Fravashi[2], who am Ahura Mazda, the greatest, the best, the fairest of all beings, the most solid[3], the most intelligent, the best shapen, the highest in holiness, and whose soul is the holy Word[4]!
'Invoke, O Zarathustra! this creation of mine, who am Ahura Mazda.'
15 (50). Zarathustra took those words from me, (and said): 'I invoke the holy creation of Ahura Mazda.
'I invoke Mithra[5]', the lord of wide pastures, a god armed with beautiful weapons, with the most glorious of all weapons, with the most fiend-smiting of all weapons.
'I invoke the holy, tall-formed Sraosha[6], who wields a club in his hand, to bear upon the heads of the fiends.
16 (54). 'I invoke the most glorious holy Word.
'I invoke the sovereign Heaven, the boundless Time, and Vayu, whose action is most high.
'I invoke the mighty Wind, made by Mazda, and Spenta (Ārmaiti), the fair daughter of Ahura Mazda.
'I invoke the good law of Mazda, the fiend-destroying law of Zarathustra.'
17 (58). Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda: 'O Maker of the good world, Ahura Mazda! With
[1. See Introd. IV, 30.
2. See Introd. IV, 37.
3. See Introd. IV, 5.
4. Mćthra Spenta; see Introd. IV, 40.
5. See Introd. IV, 8.
6. See Introd. IV, 31, and cf. Farg. XVIII, 22 seq.]
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what manner of sacrifice shall I worship, with what manner of sacrifice shall I worship and forward this creation of Ahura Mazda?'
18 (60). Ahura Mazda answered: 'Go, O Spitama Zarathustra! towards that tree[1] that is beautiful, high-growing, and mighty amongst the high-growing trees, and say thou these words: "Hail to thee! O good, holy tree, made by Mazda! Ashem, vohu[2]!"
19 (63). 'Let the faithful man cut off a twig of baresma, long as a ploughshare, thick as a barley-corn[3]. The faithful one, holding it in his left hand, shall not leave off keeping his eyes upon it[4], whilst he is offering up the sacrifice to Ahura Mazda and to the Amesha-Spentas, and to the high and beautiful golden Haomas, and to Vohu-manō[5] and to the good Rāta[6], made by Mazda, holy and excellent[7].'
20 (67). Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda: 'O thou, all-knowing Ahura Mazda! thou art never asleep, never intoxicated, thou Ahura Mazda! Vohu-manō[5] gets directly defiled: Vohu-manō gets indirectly defiled;
[1. The tree, whatever it is, from which the baresma is taken. See p. 22, n. 2.
2. See § 22.
3. Doubtful.
4. The Parsis are recommended to keep their eyes on the baresma during the sacrifice: 'A man is offering the Darūn, he has said all the required Avesta, but be has not looked at the baresma: what is the rule? It would have been better if he had looked at it: however he may proceed to the meal' (Old Rav. 97 b).
5. See Introd. IV, 7.
6. See Introd. IV, 30.
7. Doubtful. Possibly, 'While he is offering up the high and beautiful Haomas, and Vohu-manō (good thoughts) and the good Rāta (sacrificial presents).'
8. Vohu-manō is often used as a designation of the faithful one, literally, 'the good-minded;' this is the meaning which is given to it in this passage by the Commentary, and it certainly belongs {footnote p. 210} to it in the second part of § 25; but in the first part of the same clause it is translated 'clothes,' a meaning which is not unlikely in itself, as Vohu-manō, being the Amshaspand of cattle, may designate, and in fact did designate, the skins of cattle and leather (Comm. ad Farg. XVIII, 2). On the whole the description in the text applies to the cleansing both of the man and of the clothes, and Vohu-manō sometimes means the one, and sometimes the other.]
{p. 210}
the Daźvas defile him from the bodies smitten by the Daźvas[1]: let Vohu-manō be made clean.'
21 (70). Ahura Mazda answered: 'Thou shalt take some gōmźz from a bull ungelded and such as the law requires it[2]; thou shalt take the man who is to be cleansed[3] to the field made by Ahura[4], and the man that is to cleanse him shall draw the furrows[5].
22 (73). 'He shall recite a hundred Ashem vohu: "Holiness is the best of all good. Happy, happy the man who is holy with perfect holiness!"
'He shall chant two, hundred Ahuna-Vairya:
"The will of the Lord is the law of holiness; the riches of Vohu-manō shall be given to him who works in this world for Mazda, and wields according to the will of Ahura the power he gave to him to relieve the poor."
'He shall wash Vohu-manō four times with the gōmźz from the ox, and twice with the water made by Mazda[6].
[1. From dead bodies.
2. The so-called Varasiō: 'it must be of a white colour; if a single hair on its body be found other than white, the animal is rejected as unfit for the purpose' (Sorābji Kāvasji Khambātā, in the Indian Antiquary, VII, i 80).
3. Or better, 'the things that are to be cleansed.'
4. The place of the cleansing, the Barashnūm-gāh (see Farg. IX, 3).
5. See Farg. IX, 10.
6. This can hardly refer to the cleansing of the man, as the man {footnote p. 211} ought to be washed six times with gōmźz and three times with water (see Farg. VIII, 37 seq.; IX, 28 seq.)]
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23 (76). 'Thus Vohu-manō shall be made clean, and clean shall be the man. Then he shall take up Vohu-manō[1] with his left arm and his right, with his right arm and his left: and thou shalt lay down Vohu-manō under the mighty structure of the bright heavens, by the light of the stars made by the gods, until nine nights have passed away[2].
24 (80). 'When nine nights have passed away, thou shalt bring libations unto the fire, thou shalt bring hard wood unto the fire, thou shalt bring incense of Vohu-gaona unto the fire, and thou shalt perfume Vohu-manō therewith.
25 (82). 'Thus shall Vohu-manō become clean, thus shall the man be clean[3]: he shall take up Vohu-manō with the right arm and the left, with the left arm and the right, and Vohu-manō[4] shall say aloud: "Glory be to Ahura Mazda! Glory be to the Amesha-Spentas! Glory be to all the other holy beings."'
26 (85). Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda: 'O thou all-knowing Ahura Mazda: Should I urge upon the godly man, should I urge upon the godly woman, should I urge upon the wicked Daźva-worshipper who lives in sin, that they have once to leave behind them the earth made by Ahura,
[1. 'The clothes' (Comm.)
2. The clothes of the unclean shall be exposed to the air for nine nights, all the time while he himself is confined in the Armźst-gāh. The rules for the cleansing of clothes that have been worn by the dead himself are different (see Farg. VII, 12 seq.)
3. 'Thus Vohu-manō shall be clean--the clothes; thus the man shall be clean--he who wears those clothes' (Comm.)
4. The faithful one.]
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that they have to leave the water that runs, the corn that grows, and all the rest of their wealth[1]?'
Ahura Mazda answered: 'Thou shouldst, O holy Zarathustra.'
27 (89). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Where are the rewards given? Where does the rewarding take place? Where is the rewarding fulfilled? Whereto do men come to take the reward that, in their life in the material world, they have won for their souls?
28 (90). Ahura Mazda answered: 'When the man is dead, when his time is over, then the hellish, evil-doing Daźvas assail him; and when the third night is gone, when the dawn appears and brightens up, and makes Mithra, the god with beautiful weapons, reach the all-happy mountains, and the sun is rising:
29 (94). 'Then the fiend, named Vīzaresha, carries off in bonds[2] the souls of the wicked Daźva-worshippers who live in sin. The soul enters the way made by Time, and open both to the wicked and to the righteous. At the head of the Kinvad bridge, the holy bridge made by Mazda[3], they ask for their spirits and souls the
[1.
'Linquenda tellus, et domus et placens
Uxor, nec harum, quas colis arborum. . . .'
The translation is doubtful in its details; yet there is little doubt that the sentence refers to future life (cf. § 227). Aspendiārji translates, 'Shall the godly man . . . arise (from the dead) . . . ?' which seems to be the meaning of the Pahlavi Commentary too.
2. 'Every one has a noose cast around his neck: when a man dies, if he has been a righteous man, the noose falls from his neck; if a wicked, they drag him with that noose down into hell' (Comm.; cf. Farg. V, 8, and Introd. IV, 26).
The Kinvad bridge extends over hell and leads to paradise: for the souls of the righteous it widens to the length of nine javelins; {footnote p. 213} for the souls of the wicked it narrows to a thread, and they fall down into hell (cf. Ardā Virāf V, 1). This bridge is known in many mythologies; it is the Sirath bridge of the Musulmans; not long ago they sang in Yorkshire of 'the Brig o' Dread, na brader than a thread' (Thoms, Anecdotes, 89), and even nowadays the peasant in Ničvre tells of a little board--
'Pas pu longue, pas pu large
Qu'un ch'veu de la Sainte Viarge,'
which was put by Saint Jean d'Archange between the earth and paradise:
'Ceux qu'saront la raison (= l'oraison?) d'Dieu
Par dessus passeront.
Ceux qu'la sauront pas
An bout mourront.' (Mélusine, p. 70.)
]
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reward for the worldly goods which they gave away here below[1].
30 (98) Then comes the well-shapen, strong and tall formed maid[2], with the dogs at her sides[3], one who can distinguish[4], who is graceful[5], who does what she wants, and is of high understanding.
'She makes the soul of the righteous one go up above the Hara-berezati[6]; above the Kinvad bridge she places it in the presence of the heavenly gods themselves.
31 (102). up rises Vohu-manō[7] from his golden seat: Vohu-manō exclaims: "How hast thou come to us, thou holy one, from that decaying world into this undecaying one[8]?"
[1. Cf. Farg. III, 34, 35; XVIII, 33 seq.
2. The soul of the dead, on the fourth day, finds itself in the presence of a maid, of divine beauty or fiendish ugliness, according as he himself was good or bad, and she leads him into heaven or hell: this maid is his own conscience (Yasht XXII).
3. The dogs that keep the Kinvad bridge (see Farg. XIII, 9).
4. The good from the wicked.
5. Doubtful.
6. The heavenly mountain, whence the sun rises, and upon which the abode of the gods rests.
7. The door-keeper of paradise; a Zoroastrian Saint-Pierre.
8 Cf. Farg. VII, 52.]
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32 (105). 'Gladly pass the souls of the righteous to the golden seat of Ahura Mazda, to the golden seat of the Amesha-Spentas, to the Garō-nmānem[1], the abode of Ahura Mazda, the abode of the Amesha-Spentas, the abode of all the other holy beings.
33 (108). 'As to the godly man that has been cleansed[2], the wicked evil-doing Daźvas tremble in the perfume of his soul after death, as a sheep does on which a wolf is falling[3].
34 (110). 'The souls of the righteous are gathered together there: Nairyō-sangha[4] is with them; a friend of Ahura Mazda is Nairyō-sangha.
'Do thou thyself invoke, O Zarathustra! this world of Ahura Mazda.'
35 (114). Zarathustra took those words from Ahura Mazda: 'I invoke the holy world, made by Ahura Mazda.
'I invoke the earth made by Ahura, the water made by Mazda, the holy trees.
'I invoke the sea Vouru-kasha,[5]
'I invoke the shining sky.
'I invoke the eternal and sovereign luminous space[6].
[1. The Garothmān of the Parsis; literally, 'the house of songs.'
2. That has performed the Barashnūm.
3. 'Ormazd is all perfume, Ahriman is infection and stench (Bundahis I; Eznig, Refutatio Haeresiarum II); the souls of their followers partake of the same qualities, and by the performance of the Barashnūm both the body and the soul are perfumed and sweetened.
4. The messenger of Ahura Mazda (cf. Farg. XXII, 7).
5. See Introd. IV, 11.
6. See Introd. IV, 42.]
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36 (120). 'I invoke the bright, all glorious, blissful abode of the holy ones.
'I invoke the Garō-nmānem, the abode of Ahura Mazda, the abode invoke of the Amesha-Spentas, the abode of all the other holy beings.
'I invoke the sovereign place of eternal weal[1], and the Kinvad bridge made by Mazda.
37 (123) 'I invoke the good Saoka[2], whose looks go far and wide.
'I invoke the mighty Fravashis[3] of the righteous.
'I invoke the whole creation of weal.
'I invoke Verethraghna[4], made by Ahura, who, wears the glory made by Mazda[5].
'I invoke Tistrya[6], the bright and glorious star, in the shape of a golden-horned bull.
38 (127). , I invoke the holy, beneficent Gāthas[7], who rule over the ratus[8]:
'I invoke the Ahunavaiti Gātha;
'I invoke the Ustavaiti Gātha;
'I invoke the Spenta-mainyu Gātha;
'I invoke the Vohu-khshathra Gātha; it
[1. Misvāna gātva, another name of the heavenly spaces; it designates heaven as the abode and source Of all blessings, of all savah, or saoka.
2. A personification of the Ormazdean weal,
3. See Introd. IV, 37.
4. See Introd. IV, 14, and Yasht XIV.
5 The hvarenō or light of sovereignty (Introd. IV, 11).
6. See Introd. IV, 13, and Yasht VIII.
7. The five collections of hymns which form the oldest and holiest part of the Yasna and of the Avesta (Yasna XXVIII-XXXIV; XLIII-XLVI; XLVII-L; LI; LIII); they are named after their first words.
8. The chiefs of creation (Introd. IV, 35); 'they rule over the their means that other beings are ratus insomuch as it is by invoked' (Comm.)]
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'I invoke the Vahistōisti Gātha.
39 (129). 'I invoke the Karshvares of Arzahź and Savahź;
'I invoke the Karshvares of Fradadhafshu and Vidadhafshu;
'I invoke the Karshvares of Vourubaresti and Vouruzaresti;
'I invoke the bright Hvaniratha[1];
'I invoke the bright, glorious Haźtumant[2];
'I invoke the good Ashi[3];
['I invoke the good Kisti[4]]
'I invoke the most right Kista[5];
'I invoke the glory of the Aryan regions[6];
'I invoke the glory of the bright Yima, the great shepherd[7].
40 (133). 'Let him be worshipped with sacrifice, let him be gladdened, gratified, and satisfied, the holy Sraosha, the tall-formed, fiend-smiting, holy Sraosha[8].
'Bring libations unto the Fire, bring hard wood unto the Fire, bring incense of Vohu-gaona unto the Fire.
'Offer up the sacrifice to the Vāzista fire, which
[1. See Introd. IV, 7.
2. See Farg. I, 14.
3. See Introd. IV, 30.
4. An angel of knowledge; the clause is found only in the Vendīdād Sādah.
5. Religious knowledge.
6. The light of sovereignty, hvarenō, which if secured by the Aryans makes them rule over their enemies (cf. Introd. IV, 11).
7. See Introd. IV, 18, and Farg. II.
6. This praise of Sraosha was probably introduced here with reference to the great part he plays in the fate of the soul after death, and to the performance of the sadis ritual (see above, p. 87, n. 4).]
{p. 217}
smites the fiend Spengaghra[1]: bring unto it the cooked meat and the offerings of boiling milk[2].
4, (137). Offer up the sacrifice to the holy Sraosha, that the holy Sraosha may smite down the fiend Kunda[3], who is drunken without drinking. He will fall upon the men of the Drug, the slothful ones[4], the wicked, Daźva-worshippers, who live in sin.
[42[5]. 'I invoke the Kara fish[6], who lives beneath waters in the bottom of the deep lakes.
I invoke the ancient and sovereign Merezu[7], the greatest seat of battle in the creation of the two spirits[8].
'I invoke the seven bright Sravah[9] with their sons and their flocks.
43. They run about to and fro, their minds waver to and fro[10], Angra Mainyu the deadly, the
[1. See Introd. IV. 13.
2. Doubtful.
3. The same as Kundi; see Farg. XI, 9.
4. Those who neglect their religious duties. The translation is doubtful.
5. From the Vendīdād Sādah. The clause may have belonged to the original text; it, is preceded by another clause which certainly did not belong to it, and part of which is cited in the Commentary ad Farg. VIII, 103, where it would have been more suitably placed: 'When he has been cleansed in the next inhabited place, he may then sow and till the pasture fields, as food for the sheep and as food for the ox.'
6. The Kar-māhī (see above, p. 59, n. 4).
7. According to Professor Justi, 'the milky way' (Handbuch der Zendsprache s. v.), an Iranian representative of the Eddic Bifrost. There is much probability in that translation.
8. Doubtful.
9. A word of unknown meaning.
10. Up and down, in hope and despair.]
{p. 218}
Daźva of the Daźvas; Indra the Daźva, Sāuru the Daźva, Naunghaithya the Daźva, Taurvi and Zairi[1], Aźshma of the wounding spear[2], Akatasha the Daźva[3], Zaurva[4], baneful to the fathers, Būiti the Daźva[5], Driwi[6] the Daźva, Daiwi[7] the Daźva, Kasvi[8] the Daźva, Paitisha[8] the most Daźva-like amongst the Daźvas.]
44 (140). 'And he said, the guileful, the evildoing Daźva, Angra Mainyu the deadly: "What! let the wicked, evil-doing Daźvas gather together at the head of Arezūra[10]."
45 (141). 'They rush, they run away, the wicked, evil-doing Daźvas; they run away with shouts, the wicked, evil-doing Daźvas; they run away casting the evil eye, the wicked, evil-doing Daźvas: "Let us gather together at the head of Arezūra!
46 (143). '"For he is just born the holy Zarathustra, in the house of Pourushaspa. How can we procure his death? He is the stroke that fells the fiends: he is a counter-fiend to the fiends; he is a Drug to the Drug. Down are the Daźva-worshippers, the Nasu made by the Daźva, the false-speaking Lie!"
47 (147). 'They run away, they rush away, the wicked, evil-doing Daźvas, into the depths of the dark, horrid world of hell.
[1. See Introd. IV, 34.
2. See Introd. IV, 22.
3. See above, p. 136, n. 5.
4. Old age.
5. See above, p. 204, n. 3.
6. Poverty; see above, Farg. II, 29.
7. Lying; see above, Farg. II, 29.
8. Meanness; see above, Farg. II, 29.
9. 'Opposition, or counter-action,' a personification of the doings of Ahriman and of his marring power.
10. At the gate of hell; see above, p. 24, n. 1.]
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'Ashem vohu: Holiness is the best of all good.'
Thrita was the first who drove back death and disease, as Ahura Mazda had brought to him down from heaven ten thousand healing plants that bad been growing up around the tree of eternal life, the white Hōm or Gaokerena.
This Thrita is mentioned only once again in the Avesta, in Yasna IX, 7, where he appears to have been one of the first priests of Haoma. This accounts for his medical skill; as Haoma is a source of life and health, his first priests must have been the first healers.
Thrita was originally the same as Thraźtaona[1]. On one hand, we see that in the Rig-veda the great feat of Thraźtaona is ascribed to Trita as well as to Traitāna, and Trita Āptya, 'the son of the waters,' was as well the celestial priest who pours Haoma into rain as the celestial hero who kills the snake in storms. On the other hand, we see that Thraźtaona fulfilled the same functions as Thrita: according to Hamza he was the inventor of medicine[2]; the Tavids[3] against sickness are inscribed with his name, and we find in the Avesta itself the Fravashi of Thraźtaona invoked 'against itch, hot fever, humours, cold fever[4], vāvareshi, against the plagues created by the serpent[5].' We see from this passage that disease was understood as coming from the serpent; in other words, that it was considered a sort of poisoning[6], and this is the reason why the
[1. See Introd. IV, 14.
2. Ed. Gottwaldt, p. 23; cf. Mirkhond, Early Kings of Persia, Shea, p. 152.
3. Formulas of exorcism.
4. Cf. Farg. VII, 58.
5. Yasht XIII, 131.
6. This theory, which modern science would not utterly reject, accounts for the great part which the serpent plays in the worship of Asklepios; as sickness comes from him, from him too must or may come the healing.]
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killer of the serpent was invoked to act against it. Thus Thrita-Thraźtaona had a double right to the title of the first of the healers, both as a priest of Haoma and as the conqueror of the serpent[1].
1. Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda: 'Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Who was he who first of the healthful[2], the wise, the happy, the wealthy, the glorious, the strong men of yore[3], drove back sickness to sickness, drove back death to death[4], and first turned away the point of the poniard and the fire of fever from the bodies of mortals.'
2 (11). Ahura Mazda answered: 'Thrita it was who first of the healthful, the wise, the happy, the wealthy, the glorious, the strong man of yore, drove back sickness to sickness, drove back death to death, and first turned away the point of the poniard and the fire of fever from the bodies of mortals.
3 (12). 'He asked for a source of remedies[5]; he obtained it from Khshathra-Vairya[6], to withstand sickness and to withstand death, to withstand pain and fever, to withstand the disease[7], rottenness and
[1. It seems as if in the Vedas, too, Trita had been a healing god (Rig-veda VIII, 47, 13 seq.)
2. Whom no weapon could wound, like Isfendiār (Comm.)
3. Or better, Paradhāta (or Pźshdād), 'the kings of yore,' which became the name of the first Iranian dynasty.
4. 'That is to say, who kept sickness in bonds, who kept death in bonds' (Comm.)
5. Doubtful.
6. As Khshathra-Vairya presides over metals, it was a knife he received, 'of which the point and the base were set in gold.' He was therefore the first who healed with the knife (cf. Farg. VII, 44); and it appears from § 4 that he was also the first who healed with herbs, As for the healing with the holy word, see Farg. XXII.
7. Doubtful.]
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infection which Angra Mainyu had created witchcraft against the bodies of mortals[1].
4 (15). 'And I Ahura Mazda brought down the healing plants that, by many hundreds, by many thousands, by many myriads, grow up all around the one Gaokerena[2].
5 (18). All this (health) do we call by our blessing-spells, by our prayers, by our praises, upon the bodies of mortals[3].
7 (19)[4]. 'To thee, O Sickness, I say avaunt! to thee, O Death, I say avaunt! to thee, O Pain, I say avaunt! to thee, O Fever, I say avaunt! to thee, O Disease, I say avaunt[5]!
[1. The Vendīdād Sādah has here eight names of diseases: to withstand Sārana (head-ache), to withstand Sārastya (cold fever), to withstand Azana, to withstand Azahva, to withstand Kurugha, to withstand Azivāka, to withstand Duruka, and to withstand Astairya.
2 The white Hōm, which is the king of healing plants (see Introd. IV, 28). The healing plants are said to have been created ten thousand in number, in order to oppose so many diseases that had been created by Ahriman (Bundahis IX; cf. Farg XXII, 2). In India also, healing plants are said to have come down from heaven: 'Whilst coming down from heaven, the plants said: He will never suffer any wound, the mortal whom we both touch' (Rig-veda X, 97, 17; cf. Haurvatāt et Ameretāt, §§ 46-47).
3. Or possibly, All those (plants) do we bless, all those (plants) do we pray, all those (plants) do we praise, for (the weal of) the bodies of mortals.
4 Vendīdād Sādah: 6. To withstand sickness, to withstand death, to withstand pain, to withstand fever, to withstand Sārana, to withstand Sārastya, to withstand Azana, to withstand Azahva, to withstand Kurugha, to withstand Azivāka, to withstand Duruka, to withstand Astairya, to withstand the. disease, rottenness, and infection which Angra Mainyu has created by his witchcraft against the bodies of mortals.
5. Vendīdād Sādah: To thee O Sārana, I say avaunt I to thee, {footnote p. 222} O Sārastya, I say avaunt! to thee, O Azana, I say avaunt! to thee, O Azahva, I say avaunt! to thee, O Kurugha, I say avaunt! to thee, O Azivāka, I say avaunt! to thee, O Duruka, I say avaunt! to thee, O Astairya, I say avaunt!]
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8 (21). 'By their might may we smite down the Drug! By their might may we smite the Drug! May they give to us strength and power, O Ahura[1]!
9[2] (23). 'I drive away sickness, I drive away death, I drive away pain and fever[3], I drive away the disease, rottenness, and infection which Angra Mainyu has created by his witchcraft against the bodies of mortals.
10 (25). 'I drive away all manner of diseases and deaths, all the Yātus and Pairikas[4], and all the wicked Gainis[5].
11 (26). 'May the much-desired Airyaman[6]; come here, for the men and women of Zarathustra to rejoice, for the faithful to rejoice; with the desirable reward that is won by means of the law, and with that boon for holiness that is vouchsafed by Ahura!
12 (29). 'May the much-desired Airyaman smite
[1. This clause is borrowed, with some alteration, from Yasna XXXI, 4; the original text is, 'May the strong power come to me, by the might of which we may smite down the Drug!'
2. The Vendīdād Sādah has, 'I drive away Ishirź, I drive away Aghūirź, I drive away Aghra, I drive away Ughra.'
3. The Vendīdād Sādah has, 'I drive away Sārana, I drive away Sārastya, I drive away Azana, I drive away Azahva, I drive away Kurugha, I drive away Azivāka, I drive away Duruka, I drive away Astairya.'
4. See Introd. IV, 20-21.
5. 'Gai' (Comm.), that is Gahi (see Introd. IV, 5); cf. p. 89, note 1, and Farg. XXII, 2, note.
6. Or better, 'Airyaman, the bestower of good.' On Airyaman, see Farg. XXII. Clauses 11-12 are borrowed from Yasna LIV, 1, and form the prayer known as Airyama-ishyō.]
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all manner of diseases and deaths, all the Yātus and Pairikas, and all the wicked Gainis.'
[13. Yathā ahū vairyō:--the will of the Lord is the law of holiness; the riches of Vohu-manō shall be given to him who works in this world for Mazda, and wields according to the will of Ahura the power he gave to him to relieve the poor.
Kem nā mazdā:--whom hast thou placed to protect me, O Mazda! while the hate of the fiend is grasping me? Whom but thy Atar and Vohu-manō, by whose work the holy world goes on? Reveal to me the rules of thy law!
Ke verethrem gā:--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-manō and help whomsoever thou pleasest.
Keep us from our hater, O Mazda and Ārmaiti Spenta! Perish, O fiendish Drug! Perish, O brood of the fiend! Perish, O world of the fiend! Perish away, O Drug! Perish away to the regions of the north, never more to give unto death the living world of the holy spirit!][1]
I (1). Praise of the holy bull.
II (2-3). Invocation addressed to rain as a healing power.
III a (4-7). Joint invocation addressed to the waters and to the light of the sun.
III b (8-11). Joint invocation addressed to the waters and to the light of the moon.
[1. From the Vendīdād Sādah.]
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III c (12-17). Joint invocation addressed to the waters and to the light of the stars.
IV (18-21). Spells against disease.
1. Hail, holy bull[1]! Hail to thee, beneficent bull! Hail to thee, who makest increase! Flail to thee, who makest growth! Hail to thee, who dost bestow thy gifts upon the excellent faithful, and who wilt bestow them on the faithful yet unborn! Hail to thee, whom the Gahi kills[2] , and the ungodly Ashemaogha, and the wicked tyrant.
II.
2 (3). 'Come, come on, O clouds, along the sky, through the air, down on the earth, by thousands of drops, by myriads of drops:' thus say, O holy Zarathustra! 'to destroy sickness altogether, to destroy death altogether, to destroy altogether the sickness made by the Gaini[3], to destroy altogether the death made by the Gaini, to destroy altogether Gadha and Apagadha[4].
3 (9). 'If death come at eve, may healing come at daybreak!
'If death come at daybreak, may healing come at night!
[1. The primeval bull who was created by Ormazd and killed by Ahriman with the help of the Gahi. The praise of the holy bull serves as an introduction to the praise of the waters. There were old myths in which a cloud was compared to a bull in the atmosphere, from whom rain was supposed to come. (See Orm. Ahr. § 122 seq.; cf. Introd. V, 5. Clause 1 is to be recited when one meets an ox or any kind of cattle, Gr. Rav. 386.)
2. Possibly, 'who dost kill the Gahi' (by means of gōmźz).
3 The Gahi (see Farg. XX, 10) as bringing sickness (cf. Farg. VII, 59).
4 Names of diseases.]
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'If death come at night, may healing come at dawn!
'Let showers shower down new waters, new earth, new trees, new health, and new healing powers.
4 (15). 'As the sea Vouru-kasha is the gathering place of waters[1], rise up, go up the aerial way and go down on the earth; go down on the earth and go up the aerial way[2]. Rise up and roll along! thou in whose rising and growing Ahura Mazda made the aerial way[3].
5 (20). 'Up! rise up and roll along! thou swift-horsed sun, above Hara Berezaiti, and produce light for the world (and mayst thou [O man!] rise up there, if thou art to abide in Garō-nmānem[4])[5], along the path made by Mazda, along the way made by the gods, the watery way they opened.
[1. Waters and light are believed to flow from the same spring and in the same bed: 'As light rises up from Hara Berezaiti [Alborz, the mountain by which the earth is surrounded], so waters spring up from it and come back to it' (Bund. XX); every day the sun, moon, and stars rise up from Alborz, and every day all the waters on the earth come back together to the sea Vouru-kasha, and there collected come down again to the earth from the peaks of Alborz (Bund. VII, Gr. Rav. 431; cf. Farg. V, 15 seq.) As light comes from three different sources, the sun, the moon, and the stars, the waters are invoked three times, first in company with the sun, then with the moon, lastly with the stars, as if there should be three different movements of the rain connected with the three movements of light.
2. Waters come down from the sky to the earth and come up back from the earth to the sky (see Farg. V, 15 seq.)
3. Doubtful.
4. 'If thou art a righteous man' (Comm.)
5. The translation of this clause is doubtful.]
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6 (23). 'And thou shalt keep away the evil by this holy spell[1]: Of thee [O child!] I will cleanse the birth and growth; of thee [O woman!] I will make the body and the strength pure; I make thee a woman rich in children and rich in milk;
7 (27). 'A woman[2] rich in seed, in milk, in fat, in marrow, and in offspring. I shall make for thee a thousand springs flow and run towards the pastures that will give food to the child.
8 (30). 'As the sea Vouru-kasha is the gathering place of waters, rise up, go up the aerial way, and go down on the earth; go down on the earth and go up the aerial way, Rise up and roll along! thou in whose rising and growing Ahura Mazda made the earth[3].
9 (31). Up! rise up, thou moon, that dost keep in thee the seed of the bull[4], rise up above Hara Berezaiti, and produce light for the world (and mayst thou [O man!] rise up there, if thou art to
[1. Doubtful; the text is corrupt. The spell refers to the cleansing and generative power of the waters; cf. the invocation to Ardvī Sūra, Farg. VII, 16: the waters are supposed to make females fertile as they make the earth. This spell was probably pronounced to facilitate childbirth.
2. Or better, 'a female;' there are, in the text, two words for 'milk,' the one referring to the milk of women, the other to the milk of cows.
3. Doubtful.
4. When the bull died, 'what was bright and strong in his seed was brought to the sphere of the moon, and when it was cleansed there in the light of the astre, two creatures were shaped with it, a male and a female, from which came two hundred and seventy-two kinds of animals' (Bund. IV, X; cf. Orm. Ahr. §§ 125 and 127).]
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abide in Garō-nmānem), along the path made by Mazda, along the way made by the gods, the watery way they opened.
10 (32). And thou shalt keep away the evil by this holy spell: Of thee [O child!] I will cleanse the birth and growth; of thee [O woman!] I will make the body and the strength pure; I make thee a woman rich in children and rich in milk;
11 (32). A woman rich in seed, in milk, in fat, in marrow, and in offspring. I shall make for thee a thousand springs flow and run towards the pastures that will give food to the child.
12 (32). 'As the sea Vouru-kasha is the gathering place of waters, rise up, go up the aerial way, and go down on the earth; go down on the earth and go up the aerial way. Rise up and roll along! thou in whose rising and growing Ahura Mazda made everything grow[1].
13 (33). 'Up! rise up, ye stars, that have in you the seed of waters[2] , rise up above Hara Berezaiti, and produce light for the world (and mayst thou [O man!] rise up there, if thou art to abide in Garō-nmānem), along the path made by Mazda, along the way made by the gods, the watery way they opened.
14 (34). 'And thou shalt keep away the evil by this holy spell: Of thee [O child!] I will cleanse the birth and growth; of thee [O woman!] I will make
[1. Doubtful.
2. When Tistrya, the storm god who gives rain, became a star (see Introd. IV, 36), it was thought that there was a relation between the stars and rain.]
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the body and the strength pure; I make thee a woman rich in children and rich in milk;
15 (34). 'A woman rich in seed, in milk, in fat, in marrow, and in offspring. I shall make for thee a thousand springs flow and run towards the pastures that will give food to the child.
16(34). 'As the sea Vouru-kasha is the gathering place of waters, rise up and gather together, go up the aerial way and go down on the earth; go down on the earth and go up the aerial way. Rise up and roll along!
17 (35). 'Up! rise up! away will the Kahvuzi[1] fly and cry, away will Ayźhi[2] fly and cry, away will the Gahi, who is addicted to the Yātu, fly and cry.
[18. 'I drive away Ishirź, I drive away Aghūirź, I drive away Aghra, I drive away Ughra; I drive away sickness, I drive away death, I drive away pain and fever; I drive away Sārana, I drive away Sārasti, I drive away Azana, I drive away Azahva, I drive away Kurugha, I drive away Azivāka, I drive away Duruka, I drive away Astairya; I drive away the disease, rottenness, and infection which Angra Mainyu has created by his witchcraft against the bodies of mortals.
19. 'I drive away all manner of diseases and deaths, all the Yātus and Pairikas, and all the wicked Gainis.
20. 'May the much-desired Airyaman come here, for the men and women of Zarathustra to rejoice, for the faithful to rejoice; with the desirable reward
[1. 'He who diminishes light, Ahriman' (Comm.)
2. 'Sterility, Ahriman' (Comm.)]
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that is won by means of the law, and with that boon for holiness that is vouchsafed by Ahura!
21. 'May the much-desired Airyaman smite all manner of diseases and deaths, all the Yātus and Pairikas, and all the wicked Gainis.
22. 'Yathā ahū vairyō:--the will of the Lord . . . [1].
'Kem nā mazdā:--whom hast thou placed to protect me . . . [1]?
'Ke verethrem gā:--who is he who will smite the fiend . . . [1]?
23. 'Keep us from our hater, O Mazda and Ārmaiti Spenta! Perish, O fiendish Drug! Perish, O brood of the fiend! Perish, O world of the fiend! Perish away, O Drug! Perish, away to the regions of the north, never more to give unto death the living world of the holy spirit!'
Angra Mainyu creates 99,999 diseases: Ahura Mazda applies for healing to the holy word and to Airyaman.
Airyaman is an old Indo-Iranian god: in the Rig-veda he is an Āditya (Aryaman), who is seldom invoked alone, but nearly always in company with Mitra and Varuna. His name, like Mitra's, means, 'the friend,' and, like Mitra, he is the god of heavenly light, kind, beneficent, and helpful to man.
In the Avesta the word Airyaman has the same meaning as in the Veda; but. the character of the god is more fully developed, and whereas he has no distinct personality in the Vedic hymns, he appears here in the character of a healing god, which is derived in a very natural manner from his primitive and general character.
Airyaman abides in a mansion called the mansion of Airyaman (Airyamnō nmānem), which is the same as 'the bright mansion in
[1. As in preceding Fargard, § 13.]
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which Mitra, Aryaman, Varuna abide,' according to the Vedas, that is to say, the sky. In later Parsism, Airyaman appears as 'the Ized of Heaven[1].'
This Fargard is unfinished or, more correctly, the end of it is understood. Airyaman, called out from his mansion, comes and digs nine furrows. It is no doubt in order to perform the Barashnūm[2] or some ceremony of that kind, in order to cleanse the unclean, that is to say, the sick man, and to restore him to health by virtue of the Nirang and of the holy word. The Fargard ends therefore with spells against sickness and against death.
1. Ahura Mazda spake unto Spitama Zarathustra, saying: 'I, Ahura Mazda, the Maker of all good things, when I made this mansion[4], the beautiful, the shining, seen afar (there may I go up, there may I pass!)
2 (5). 'Then the ruffian looked at me[5]; the ruffian Angra Mainyu, the deadly, wrought by his witchcraft nine diseases, and ninety, and nine hundred, and nine thousand, and nine times ten thousand diseases. So mayst thou heal me, O Mćthra Spenta[6], thou most glorious one!
3 (8). 'Unto thee will I give in return a thousand fleet, swift-running steeds; offer them up[7] as a sacrifice unto the good Saoka[8], made by Mazda and holy.
'Unto thee will I give in return a thousand fleet,
[1. Aspendiārji.
2. See Farg. IX; cf. infra, § 20, n.
3. See Introd. V, 14.
4. 'The Garotman' (Comm.), paradise.
5. And cast on me the evil eye; 'it was by casting the evil eye on the good creatures of Ormazd that Ahriman corrupted them' (Eznig, Refutatio Haeresiarum. II).
6. The holy word.
7. Possibly, 'I offer them up as a sacrifice.'
8. An incarnation of weal; here invoked as procuring health.]
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high-humped camels; offer them up as a sacrifice unto the good Saoka, made by Mazda and holy.
4 (12). 'Unto thee will I give in return a thousand brown oxen that do not push I; offer them up as a sacrifice unto the good Saoka, made by Mazda and holy.
'Unto thee will I give in return a thousand young of all species of small cattle; offer them up as a sacrifice unto Saoka, made by Mazda and holy.
5 (16). 'And I will bless thee with the fair, holy blessing-spell, the friendly, holy blessing-spell, that makes the empty swell to fulness and the full to overflowing, that comes to help him who was sickening, and makes the sick man sound again.
6 (20). 'Mćthra Spenta, the all-glorious, replied unto me: "How shall I heal thee? How shall I drive away from thee those nine diseases, and those ninety, those nine hundred, those nine thousand, and those nine times ten thousand diseases?"'
7 (22). The Maker Ahura Mazda called for Nairyō-sangha[2]: Go thou, Nairyō-sangha, the herald, and drive towards the mansion of Airyaman, and speak thus unto him:
8 (23). Thus speaks Ahura Mazda, the Holy One, unto thee: 'I, Ahura Mazda, the Maker of all good things when I made this mansion, the
[1. Possibly, 'in which there is no blemish.'
2. The messenger of Ahura Mazda. He was originally the same as the Vedic Narā-sansa, a name of Agni, chiefly as the sacrificial fire, that is, as the messenger that goes from the heavens to the earth, and from the earth to the heavens. Mazdeism still knows that he is a form of Ātar, the Fire (Yasna XVII. 11 [68]).]
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beautiful, the shining, seen afar (there may I go up, there may I pass!)
9 (24). 'Then the ruffian looked at me; the ruffian Angra Mainyu, the deadly, wrought by his witchcraft nine diseases, and ninety, and nine hundred, and nine thousand, and nine times ten thousand diseases. So mayst thou heal me, O Airyaman, the much-desired!
10 (26). 'Unto thee will I give in return a thousand fleet, swift-running steeds; offer them up as a sacrifice unto the good Saoka, made by Mazda and holy.
'Unto thee will I give in return a thousand fleet, high-humped camels; offer them up as a sacrifice unto the good Saoka, made by Mazda and holy.
11 (30). 'Unto thee will I give in return a thousand brown oxen that do not push; offer them up as a sacrifice unto the good Saoka, made by Mazda and holy.
'Unto thee will I give in return a thousand young of all species of small cattle; offer them up as a sacrifice unto the good Saoka, made by Mazda and holy.
12 (34). 'And I will bless thee with the fair, holy blessing-spell, the friendly, holy blessing-spell, that makes the empty swell to fulness and the full to overflowing, that comes to help him who was sickening, and makes the sick man sound again.'
13 (38). In obedience to Ahura's words he went, Nairyō-sangha, the herald; he drove towards the mansion of Airyaman, he spake unto Airyaman, saying:
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14 (38). Thus speaks Ahura Mazda, the Holy One, unto thee: 'I, Ahura Mazda, the Maker of all good things, when I made this mansion, the beautiful, the shining, seen afar (there may I go up, there may I pass!)
15 (39). 'Then the ruffian looked at me; the ruffian Angra Mainyu the deadly, wrought by his witchcraft nine diseases, and ninety, and nine hundred, and nine thousand, and nine times ten thousand diseases. So mayst thou heal me, O Airyaman, the much-desired!
16 (40). 'Unto thee will I give in return a thousand fleet, swift-running steeds; offer them up as a sacrifice unto the good Saoka, made by Mazda and holy.
Unto thee will I give in return a thousand fleet, high-humped camels; offer them up as a sacrifice unto the good Saoka, made by Mazda and holy.
17 (44). 'Unto thee will I give in return a thousand brown oxen that do not push; offer them up as a sacrifice unto the good Saoka, made by Mazda and holy.
'Unto thee will I give in return a thousand young of all species of small cattle; offer them up as a sacrifice unto the good Saoka, made by Mazda and holy.
18 (48). 'And I will bless thee with the fair, holy blessing-spell, the friendly, holy blessing-spell, that makes the empty swell to fulness and the full to overflowing, that comes to help him who was sickening, and makes the sick man sound again.'
19 (52). Quickly was it done, nor was it long, eagerly set off the much-desired Airyaman, towards
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the mountain of the holy questions[1], towards the forest of the holy questions.
20 (54). Nine stallions brought he with him, the much-desired Airyaman[2].
Nine camels brought he with him, the much desired Airyaman.
Nine bulls brought he with him, the much desired Airyaman.
Nine head of small cattle brought he with him, the much-desired Airyaman.
He brought with him the nine twigs[3]; he drew along nine furrows[4].
[21[5]. 'I drive away Ishirź!, I drive away Aghūirź, I drive away Aghra, I drive away Ughra; I drive away sickness, I drive away death, I drive away pain and fever; I drive away Sārana, I drive away Sārastya, I drive away Azana, I drive away Asahva, I drive away Kurugha, I drive away Azivāka, I drive away Duruka, I drive away Astairya; I drive away the disease, rottenness, and infection which Angra Mainyu has created by his witchcraft against the bodies of mortals.
22. A drive away all manner of diseases and deaths, all the Yātus and Pairikas, and all the wicked Gainis.
[1. The mountain where 'the holy conversations' between Ormazd and Zoroaster took place (cf. Farg. XIX, 11, and Introd. 40).
2. According to Aspendiārji, 'He brought with him the strength of nine stallions,' to infuse it into the sick man (cf. Yasht VIII, 2 4).
3. That is to say, 'the nine-knotted stick' (Asp.; cf. Farg. IX, 14).
4. To perform the Barashnūm, 'the great service of the Nirang-Dīn, through which all evil, moral and natural, including evil passions, disease, and death will be removed' (Wilson, The Parsi Religion, p. 341).
5. From the Vendīdād Sādah.]
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23. 'May the much-desired Airyaman come here for the men and women of Zarathustra to rejoice, for the faithful to rejoice; with the desirable reward that is won by means of the law, and with that boon for holiness that is vouchsafed by Ahura.
24. 'May the much-desired Airyaman smite all manner of diseases and deaths, all the Yātus and Pairikas, and all the wicked Gainis.
25. 'Yathā ahū vairyō:--the will of the Lord is the law of holiness; the riches of Vohu-manō shall be given to him who works in this world for Mazda, and wields according to the will of Ahura the power he gave him to relieve the poor.
'Kem nā mazdā:--whom hast thou placed to protect me, O Mazda! while the hate of the fiend is grasping me? Whom but thy Ātar and Vohu-manō, by whose work the holy world goes on? Reveal to me the rules of thy law!
'Ke verethrem gā:--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-manō and help whomsoever thou pleasest.
'Keep us from our hater, O Mazda and Ārmaiti Spenta! Perish, O fiendish Drug! Perish, O brood of the fiend! Perish, O world of the fiend! Perish away, O Drug! Perish away to the regions of the north, never more to give unto death the living world of the holy spirit!']
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