[Hail unto the Sun, the swift-horsed! May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced [1]!] 350 Hail unto thee, O Ahura Mazda, in the threefold way [2]! [Hail unto thee] before all other creatures!
May this prayer come unto Ahura Mazda! May it come unto the Amesha-Speṇtas! May it come unto the Fravashis of the holy Ones! May it come unto the Sovereign Vayu of the long Period [3]!
May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced! May Angra Mainyu be destroyed! by those who do truly what is the foremost wish (of God).
I recite the ‘Praise of Holiness [4]:’
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 [5].
I give sacrifice and prayer unto you, O Amesha-Speṇtas! even with the fulness of my thoughts, of my words, of my deeds, and of my heart: I give unto you even my own life.
I recite the ‘Praise of Holiness [4:1]:’
‘Ashem Vohū: Holiness is the best of all good. Well is it for it, well is it for that holiness which is perfection of holiness [5:1]!’
[6]. Hail to Ahura Mazda!
Hail to Gaya [7]!
May I grow in health of body through Vohu-Manō, Khshathra, and Asha, and come to that luminous space, to that highest of all high things [8], when the world, O Speṇta Mainyu! has come to an end!
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 [9].
We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of all countries, whom Ahura Mazda made the most glorious of all the gods in the world unseen [10].
We sacrifice unto Tiśtrya, whose sight is sound [11].
We sacrifice unto Tiśtrya; we sacrifice unto the rains of Tiśtrya [12].
We sacrifice unto the star Vanaṇṭ [13], made by Mazda.
We sacrifice unto the most upright Cista [14], made by Mazda and holy.
We sacrifice unto the way of content [15].
We sacrifice unto the golden instrument [16].
We sacrifice unto Mount Saokaṇta, made by Mazda [16:1].
I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathuśtra . . . . 353 Unto the bright, undying, shining, swift-horsed Sun;
Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification . . . . [17]
[We sacrifice] unto the Ahurian waters [18], the waters of Ahura, with excellent libations, with finest libations, with libations piously strained [19].
[Give] unto that man brightness and glory, give him health of body, . . . . give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones.
_ [20]. Hail unto thee, O Ahura Mazda, in the threefold way! [Hail unto thee] before all other creatures!_
May this prayer come unto Ahura Mazda! May it come unto the Amesha-Speṇtas! May it come unto the Fravashis of the holy Ones! May it come unto the sovereign Vayu of the long Period!
May I grow in health of body through Vohu-Manō, Khshathra, and Asha, and come to that luminous space, to that highest of all high things, when the world, O Speṇta Mainyu, has come to an end!
[21]. 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 354 eyes, high, with full knowledge, strong, sleepless, and ever awake.
We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of all countries, whom Ahura Mazda made the most glorious of all the heavenly gods.
_ [22]. We sacrifice unto Tiśtrya, whose sight is sound . . . ._
_ [23]. I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathuśtra . . . ._
[24]. We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, who is truth-speaking, a chief in assemblies, with a thousand ears, well-shapen, with a thousand eyes, high, with full knowledge, strong, sleepless, and ever awake.
We sacrifice unto Mithra and Ahura, the two great, imperishable, holy gods; and unto the stars, and the moon, and the sun, with the trees that yield baresma. We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of all countries.
_ [25]. For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . ._ 355 We offer up libations unto Mithra . . . .
_ [26]. Yathā aha vairyō: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness . . . ._
[Give] unto that man brightness and glory, . . . . give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones.
_ [27]. Hail to Ahura Mazda! Hail to the Amesha-Speṇtas! 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!_
_ [28]. Unto the Moon that keeps in it the seed of the Bull; unto the only-created Bull and unto the Bull of many species;_
[29]. Give us strength and victory! Give us welfare in cattle and in bread! Give us a great number of male children, praisers [of God] and chiefs in assemblies, who smite and are not smitten, who smite at one stroke their enemies, who smite at one stroke their foes, ever in joy and ready to help.
Ye gods of full Glory, ye gods of full healing, let your greatness become manifest! let your assistance become manifest as soon as you are called for! and ye, Waters, manifest your Glory, and impart it to the man who offers you a sacrifice.
[Give] unto that man brightness and glory, . . . . give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones.
Unto the good Waters, made by Mazda; unto the holy water-spring ARDVI ANĀHITA; unto all waters, made by Mazda; unto all plants, made by Mazda,
Be propitiation [30] . . . .
_ [31]. Ahura Mazda spake unto Spitama Zarathuśtra, saying: 'Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathuśtra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sūra Anāhita . . . ._
'Who makes the seed of all males pure, who makes the womb of all females pure for bringing forth . . . .
'The large river, known afar, that is as large as the whole of the waters that run along the earth . . . .
'All the shores of the sea Vouru-Kasha are boiling over, all the middle of it is boiling over, when she runs down there . . . .
'I, Ahura Mazda, brought it down with mighty vigour, for the increase of the house, of the borough, of the town, of the country [32].
'He from whom she will hear the staota yēsnya [33]; he from whom she will hear the Ahuna 357 vairya [34]; he from whom she will hear the Asha-vahiśta [35]; he by whom the good waters will be made pure; with the words of the holy hymns [36], he will enter first the Garō-nmāna of Ahura Mazda: she will give him the boons asked for [37].
[38]. 'For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice worth being heard; I will offer her a sacrifice well-performed. Thus mayest thou advise us when thou art appealed to! Mayest thou be most fully worshipped.
'We sacrifice unto the holy Ardvi Sūra Anāhita with libations. We sacrifice unto Ardvi Sūra Anāhita, the holy and master of holiness, 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.
‘[Give] unto that man brightness and glory, . . . . give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones.’
_ [41]. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced! . . . ._ 358 Hail unto thee, O Fire, son of Ahura Mazda, thou beneficent and most great Yazata!
_ [42]Ashem Vohū: Holiness is the best of all good . . . ._
[43]. Unto Ātar, the son of Ahura Mazda; unto the Glory and the Weal, made by Mazda; unto the Glory of the Aryas, made by Mazda; unto the Glory of the Kavis, made by Mazda.
Unto Ātar, the son of Ahura Mazda; unto king Husravah; unto the lake of Husravah; unto Mount Āsnavaṇṭ, made by Mazda; unto Lake Caēcasta, made by Mazda; unto the Glory of the Kavis, made by Mazda.
Unto Ātar, the son of Ahura Mazda; unto Mount Raēvaṇṭ, made by Mazda; unto the Glory of the Kavis, made by Mazda.
Unto Ātar, the beneficent, the warrior; the God who is a full source of Glory, the God who is a full source of healing.
Unto Ātar, the son of Ahura Mazda, with all Ātars; unto the God Nairyō-sangha, who dwells in the navel of kings;
[44]. I bless the sacrifice and invocation, and the 359 good offering, the beneficent offering, the offering of assistance offered unto thee, O Ātar, son of Ahura Mazda!
Thou art worthy of sacrifice and invocation; mayest thou receive the sacrifice and the invocation in the houses of men.
Well may it be unto the man who ever worships thee with a sacrifice, holding the sacred wood in his hand, the baresma in his hand, the meat in his hand, the mortar [45] in his hand.
Mayest thou have the right [46] wood! Mayest thou have the right incense! Mayest thou have the right food! Mayest thou have the right fuel [47]!
Mayest thou burn in this house! Mayest thou ever burn in this house! Mayest thou blaze in this house! Mayest thou increase in this house! Even for a long time, till the powerful restoration of the world, till the time of the good, powerful restoration of the world!
Give me, O Ātar, son of Ahura Mazda! lively welfare, lively maintenance, lively living; fulness of welfare, fulness of maintenance, fulness of life;
Knowledge, sagacity; quickness of tongue; (holiness of) soul; a good memory; and then the understanding that goes on growing and the one that is not acquired through learning [48]; 360 And then the manly courage,
Firm-footed, unsleeping, (sleeping only) for a third part of the day and of the night, quick to rise up from bed, ever awake;
And a protecting, virtuous offspring, able to rule countries and assemblies of men, well growing up, good, freeing us from the pangs (of hell), endowed with a good intellect, that may increase my house, my borough, my town, my country, my empire.
Give me, O Ātar, son of Ahura Mazda! however unworthy I am [49], now and for ever, a seat in the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones.
Ātar, the son of Ahura Mazda, lifts up his voice to all those for whom he cooks their evening meal and their morning meal [52]. From all those he wishes a good offering, a beneficent offering, an offering of assistance, O Spitama!
Ātar looks at the hands of all those who pass by: ‘What does the friend bring to his friend? What does he who comes and goes bring to him [53] who stays motionless?’
We sacrifice unto Ātar, the valiant warrior [54].
And if the passer-by brings him wood holily brought, or bundles of baresma holily tied up, or 361 twigs of Hadhānaēpata [55] then Ātar, the son of Ahura Mazda, well pleased with him and not angry, and fed as required, will thus bless him:
‘May herds of oxen grow for thee, and increase of sons; may thy mind be master of its vow, may thy soul be master of its vow, and mayest thou live on in the joy of the soul all the nights of thy life.’
This is the blessing which Ātar speaks unto him who brings him dry wood, well-examined by the light of the day, well-cleansed with godly intent [56].
I bless the sacrifice and prayer, and the strength and vigour of Ātar, the son of Ahura Mazda [57] . . . .
[57:1]. We gladden by our virtue thy mighty Fire, O Ahura! thy most quick and powerful Fire, who shows his assistance [58] to him who has ever comforted him, but delights in taking vengeance with his hands on the man who has harmed him.
This clause is wanting in most manuscripts. ↩︎
In thought, speech, and deed (Pers. and Sansk. transl.). ↩︎
Vayu, as being the same with Fate (Vend. Introd. IV, 17), became identified with Time. ↩︎
§ 5 = Yasna LXVIII (22-23 [LXVII, 58-67]). ↩︎
Gaya Maretan, the first man. ↩︎
The sun: ‘May my soul arrive at the sun-region!’ (Pahl. transl.) ↩︎
Yt. X, 7. ↩︎
In heaven. ↩︎
See Yt. VIII, 12, note 7. ↩︎
See Yt. VIII, 12, note 2. ↩︎
See Yt. XX. ↩︎
See Yt. XVI. ↩︎
Or, of pleasure. ↩︎
‘On Mount Saokaṇta there is a golden tube coming from the root of the earth; the water that is on the surface of the earth goes up through the hole of that tube to the heavens, and being driven by the wind, spreads everywhere, and thus the dew is produced’ (Sansk. transl.). ↩︎ ↩︎
The whole of the Khōrshēḍ Yaśt is inserted here. ↩︎
Rivers considered as Ahura’s wives (cf. Ormazd et Ahriman, § 32). ↩︎
§§ 1-5 = Khōrshēḍ Nyāyiś, §§ 1-5. ↩︎
§§ 6-7 = Khōrshēḍ Nyāyiś, §§ 6-7. ↩︎
§ 8-9 = Khōrshēḍ Nyāyiś, §§ 8-9. ↩︎
Yt. X, 0. ↩︎
§§ 11-12 = Yt. X, 144-145. ↩︎
§§ 13-15 = Yt. X, 4-6. ↩︎
Yt. X, 146. ↩︎
§ 1 = Māh Yaśt, § 1. ↩︎
§§ 2-9 = Māh Yaśt. ↩︎
§§ 10-11; cf. Yt. XXIV, 6-8. ↩︎
As Ābān Yaśt, 0. ↩︎
§§ 2-6 = Ābān Yaśt, §§ 1-5. ↩︎
Cf. Ābān Yaśt, § 6. ↩︎
The Yathā ahū vairyō prayer. ↩︎
The Ashem Vohū prayer. ↩︎
Cf. Yt. XXII, 2, and Yt. XXIV, 39. ↩︎
Cf. Ābān Yaśt, §§ 19, 23, 27, 35, 39, 47, &c. ↩︎
Cf. Ābān Yaśt, § 9. ↩︎
§§ 1-3 = Yasna XXXIII, 12-14. ↩︎
‘Deliver me from Ahriman’ (Pahl. Comm.). ↩︎
As in Ormazd Yaśt, 0. ↩︎
As in Ormazd Yaśt, 0. ↩︎
Cf. Sīrōzah, § 9. ↩︎
§§ 7-16 = Yasna LXII, 1-10 (LXI). See the Sanskrit translation in Études Iraniennes, II. ↩︎
The mortar for pounding the Haoma. ↩︎
In quality and quantity. ↩︎
Upasayēni: what is added to keep up the fire when lighted (Pers. transl.). ↩︎
The gaoshō-srūta khratu and the āsna khratu (see p. 7. note 1). ↩︎
Yā mē afrasāunghāu anghaṭ: yā me abhūt ayogyatā (Sansk. trans.). ↩︎
Here. ↩︎
Above. ↩︎
Khshafnīm, sūirīm (Études Iraniennes, II, 161). ↩︎
Ātar. ↩︎
‘Bodily he is infirm (armēśt, motionless); spiritually he is a warrior’ (Pahl. Comm.). ↩︎
See Vend. p. 94, note 1. ↩︎
Cf. Vend. XVIII, 26-27. ↩︎
‘In the var nīrang’ (Pahl. Comm.), that is to say, in the fire ordeal; see above, p. 170, note 3. ↩︎