Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 23 — The Zend-Avesta, Part II / Yasts & Nyayis (Darmesteter, page scans)

d. XXII, 7 [22] and Sirozah I, 9.

^ The words of the law.

« §§ io-i3=Yasna LVII, 15-18 [LVI, 7].

' Cf Yt. I, 19.

p. 63

Dru^, and is most strong and world - destroying ; who maintains and looks over all this moving ^ world ;

11. Who, never sleeping, wakefully guards the creation of Mazda ; who, never sleeping, wakefully maintains the creation of Mazda ; who protects all the material world with his club uplifted, from the hour when the sun is down ;

12. Who never more did enjoy sleep from the time when the two Spirits made the world, namely, the good Spirit and the evil One ; who every day, every night, fights with the Mazainya Daevas.

13. He bows not for fear and fright before the Daevas : before him all the Daevas bow for fear and fright reluctantly, and rush away to darkness ^

For his brightness and glory, for his strength and victorious power . . . .^

III.

14. Yatha ahii vairyo : The will of the Lord is the law of holiness ....

We sacrifice unto the holy, tall-formed, fiend-smiting Sraosha, who makes the world increase, the holy and master of holiness ;

Who with peace and friendship* watches the Dru^ and the most beneficent Spirit : so that the Amesha-Spe/2tas may go along the seven Karshvares of the earth ^ ; who is the teacher of the

^ Cf. above, p. 145, note i. ^ To hell.

^ As above, §§ 8-9, * To the creation of Ormazd.

- Doubtful. The Yasna has: 'Through whose strength, victorious power, wisdom, and knowledge the Amesha-Spewtas go (avan; Phi. satiinand) along the seven Karshvares of the earth' (LVII, 23 [LVI, 10, 2]).

M 2

1 64 YA5TS AND sIroZAHS.

Law 1 : he himself was taught it by Ahura Mazda, the holy One.

For his brightness and glory, for his strength and victorious power ....

IV.

15. Yatha ahft vairyo : The will of the Lord is the law of holiness ....

We sacrifice unto the holy, tall-formed, fiend-smiting Sraosha, who makes the world increase, the holy and master of holiness ;

Whom the holy Ahura Mazda has created to withstand Aeshma, the fiend of the wounding spear ; we sacrifice unto Peace, whose breath is friendly, and unto the two withstanders of sin and guilt 2,

16. The friends of the holy Sraosha ;

The friends of Rashnu Razi^ta^

The friends of the good Law of the worshippers of Mazda ;

The friends of Arsta.^\ who makes the world o-row.

, whose breath is friendly, and unto the two withstanders of sin and guilt 2,

16. The friends of the holy Sraosha ;

The friends of Rashnu Razi^ta^

The friends of the good Law of the worshippers of Mazda ;

The friends of Arsta.^\ who makes the world o-row. who makes the world increase, who makes the world prosper ;

The friends of Ashi Vanguhi 5;

The friends of the good A^isti ^ ;

The friends of the most right iTista^;

^ He teaches the law to the three saviours to come, Oshedar
Bami, OshSdar Mah, and Soshyos (Yasna LVII, 24 [LVI, 10, 2];
Phi. tr.).

2 Pare^tasy^a mravaya^^s-^a, to be corrected, according to
various readings, into staretas^a m^-vaydoska. or something like it ;
the two genii here alluded to are An a star eta and Amuyamna,
Sinlessness and Innocence, who are invoked in company with
Akhjti hamvaiwti in Visperad VIII, 4.

» See Yt. XII. * See Yt. XVII.

^ See Vend. XIX, 39. ' See ibid.

^ See Yt. XVI, I.

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1 7. The friends of all gods ;
The friends of the Mathra Spe/^ta ;
The friends of the fiend-destroying Law ;
The friends of the long-traditional teaching ;
The friends of the Amesha-Spe;^tas ;
The friends of ourselves, the Saoshya;//s \ the
two-footed part of the holy creation ;

The friends of all the beings of the holy world.

For his brightness and glory, for his strength and victorious power ....

V.

18. Yatha ahu vairyo : The will of the Lord is the law of holiness ....

We sacrifice unto the holy, tall-formed, fiend-smiting Sraosha, who makes the world increase, the holy and master of holiness ;

The first [Sraosha], the next, the middle, and the highest ; with the first sacrifice, with the next, with the middle, and with the highest 2. We sacrifice unto all [the moments]^ of the holy and strong Sraosha, who is the incarnate Word ;

19. The strong Sraosha, of the manly courage, the warrior of the strong arms, who breaks the skulls of the Daevas ; who smites with heavy blows ^ and is strong to smite ; the holy Sraosha, who smites

^ The faithful, as helping through their good deeds in the work of final restoration, to be performed by Saoshya«/ (cf. Yt. XIII, 1 7).

^ The first sacrifice is the Yasna sacrifice; the next (literally, superior) is the Visperad; the middle sacrifice is the Hadhokht [and] evak homast ; the highest sacrifice is the Dvazdah homast (Pahl.Comm.). Sraosha is called the first, next, middle, and highest, accordingly as he presides over one or the other of those sacrifices. For a definition of the evak homast and Dvazdah homast, see West, Pahlavi Texts, I, 212, note 5.

e is the Dvazdah homast
(Pahl.Comm.). Sraosha is called the first, next, middle, and highest,
accordingly as he presides over one or the other of those sacrifices.
For a definition of the evak homast and Dvazdah homast, see
West, Pahlavi Texts, I, 212, note 5.

' Vispan, translated harvisp zaman.

* Literally, the smiter who smites with smitings.

t66 YA5TS AND siROZAHS.

with heavy blows ; we sacrifice unto the crushing Ascendant of both the holy Sraosha and Ar^ti ^

20. We sacrifice for all the houses protected by Sraosha, where the holy Sraosha is dear and friendly treated and satisfied, as well as the faithful man^ rich in good thoughts, rich in good words, rich in good deeds.

21. We sacrifice unto the body of the holy
Sraosha ;

We sacrifice unto the body of Rashnu Razi^ta ;

We sacrifice unto the body of Mithra, the lord of wide pastures ;

We sacrifice unto the body of the holy wind ;

We sacrifice unto the body of the good Law of the worshippers of Mazda ;

We sacrifice unto the body of Ari-ta/, who makes the world grow, who makes the world increase, who makes the world prosper ;

We sacrifice unto the body of Ashi Vanguhi ;

We sacrifice unto the body of the good A"isti ;

We sacrifice unto the body of the most right /Tista ;

We sacrifice unto the bodies of all the gods ;

22. We sacrifice unto the body of the Mathra
SpeJtta. ;

We sacrifice unto the body of the fiend-destroying
Law ;

We sacrifice unto the body of the long-traditional teaching ;

We sacrifice unto the bodies of the Amesha- Spe?^tas ;

1 The same as Arsta/. Cf. Yasna LVII, 34-35 [LVI, 13, 3-7]. ^ He receives alms (the asho-dad).

p. 167

We sacrifice unto the bodies of ourselves, the Saoshya;2/s, the two-footed part of the holy creation ;

We sacrifice unto the bodies of all the beings of the holy world ^

For his brightness and glory, for his strength and victorious power ....

23. Yatha ahfi vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness ....

I bless the sacrifice and prayer, the strength and vigour of the holy, strong Sraosha, who is the incarnate Word, a mighty-speared and lordly god.

[Give] unto that man^ brightness and glory, .... give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones !

^ Cf. §§ 16-17. ^ Who sacrifices to Sraosha.

1 68 YA5TS AND SlRdZAHS.

XII. RASHN VAST.