Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 23 — The Zend-Avesta, Part II / Yasts & Nyayis (Darmesteter, page scans)
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The translator’s English as printed. The original-language text is not held; names are romanised as the translator printed them.
Zarathu5tra asked Ahiira Mazda : * Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One !
' Who is the best-armed of the heavenly gods ?'
Ahura Mazda answered : ' It is Verethraghna,
made by Ahura, O Spitama Zarathu^tra !'
7. Verethraghna, made by Ahura, came to him the second time, running in the shape of a beautiful bull, with yellow ears and golden horns ; upon whose horns floated the well-shapen Strength, and Victory, beautiful of form, made by Ahura : thus did he come, bearing the good Glory, made by Mazda, the Glory made by Mazda, that is both health and strength.
Then he, who is the strongest, said unto him : ' I am the strongest in strength . . . . ^
'And I shall destroy the malice of all malicious 2'
For his brightness and glory, I will ofifer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard . . . . ^
III.
8. We sacrifice unto Verethraghna, made by
Ahura.
ZarathuJtra asked Ahura Mazda: 'Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!
' Who is the best-armed of the heavenly gods ?'
Ahura Mazda answered : 'It is Verethraghna,
made by Ahura, O Spitama Zarathu^tra!'
9. Verethraghna, made by Ahura, came to him the third time, running in the shape of a white, beautiful horse, with yellow ears and a golden caparison ; upon whose forehead floated the well-shapen Strength,
^ As above, § 3. ^ As above, § 4. ^ As above, § 5.
p. 2
and Victory, beautiful of form, made by Ahura: thus did he come, bearing the good Glory, made by Mazda, that is both health and strength.
Then he, who is the strongest, said unto him : ' I am the strongest in strength ....
'And I shall destroy the malice of all malicious '
For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard ....
IV.
10. We sacrifice unto Verethraghna, made by
Ahura.
Zarathu^tra asked Ahura Mazda: 'Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One !
' Who is the best-armed of the heavenly gods ?'
Ahura Mazda answered : 'It is Verethraghna,
made by Ahura, O Spitama Zarathunra!'
11. Verethraghna, made by Ahura, came to him the fourth time, running in the shape of a burdenbearing ^ camel, sharp-toothed '\ swift . . . . •\ stamping forwards, long-haired, and living in the abodes of men ^;
1 2. Who of all males in rut shows greatest strength and greatest fire, when he goes to his females. Of all females those are best kept whom a burdenbearing camel keeps, who has thick forelegs and large humps, . . .
d, and living in the abodes of men ^;
1 2. Who of all males in rut shows greatest strength and greatest fire, when he goes to his females. Of all females those are best kept whom a burdenbearing camel keeps, who has thick forelegs and large humps, . . . .^ quick-eyed, long-headed, bright, tall, and strong ;
1 3. Whose piercing look goes afar . . . . ^ even in the dark of the night ; who throws white foam
1 Doubtful (vadharoi^ ^ Doubtful (dadasoij).
^ ? Urvato; cf. § 19. * Tame, domesticated.
^ ? Smarjno. ^ ? Haitahe.
p. 235
alone his mouth : well-kneed, well-footed, standing with the countenance of an all-powerful master :
Thus did Verethraghna come, bearing the good
Glory made by Mazda, the Glory made by
Mazda ....
V.
14. We sacrifice uhto Verethraghna, made by
Ahura.
Zarathu^tra asked Ahura Mazda: 'Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!
' Who is the best-armed of the heavenly gods ?'
Ahura Mazda answered : 'It Is Verethraghna,
made by Ahura, O Spltama Zarathu^tra !'
15. Verethraghna, made by Ahura, came to him the fifth time, running In the shape of a boar, opposing the foes, a sharp-toothed he-boar, a sharp-jawed boar, that kills at one stroke, pursuing, wrathful, with a dripping face\ strong, and swift to run, and rushlnof all around ^.
Thus did Verethraghna come, bearing the good
Glory made by Mazda, the Glory made by
Mazda ....
VI.
16. We sacrifice unto Verethraghna, made by
Ahura.
Zarathui-tra asked Ahura Mazda : ' Ahura Mazda.
most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One !
' Who Is the best-armed of the heavenly gods ?'
Ahura Mazda answered : ' It Is Verethraghna,
made by Ahura, O Spltama Zarathu^tra !'
1 Cf. Yt. X, 70. " Or better, rushing before. Cf. Yt. X, 1 27.
p. 236
17. Verethraghna,' made by Ahura, came to him the sixth time, running in the shape of a beautiful youth of fifteen, shining, clear-eyed, thin-heeled.
Thus did Verethraghna come, bearing the good
Glory made by Mazda, the Glory made by
Mazda ....
VIL-
18. We sacrifice unto Verethraghna, made by
Ahura.
Zarathui-tra asked Ahura Mazda: 'Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One !
' Who is the best-armed of the heavenly gods ?'
Ahura Mazda answered: 'It is Verethraghna,
made by Ahura, O Spitama Zarathu^tra ! '
19. Verethraghna, made by Ahura, came to him the seventh time, running in the shape of a raven that . . . . ^ below and . . . .
best-armed of the heavenly gods ?' Ahura Mazda answered: 'It is Verethraghna, made by Ahura, O Spitama Zarathu^tra ! '
19. Verethraghna, made by Ahura, came to him the seventh time, running in the shape of a raven that . . . . ^ below and . . . . ^ above, and that is the swiftest of all birds, the lightest of the fiying creatures.
20. He alone of living things, — he or none, — overtakes the flight of an arrow, however well it has been shot. He flies up joyfully at the first break of dawn, wishing the night to be no more, wishing the dawn, that has not yet come, to come ^
21. He grazes the hidden ways^ of the mountains, he grazes the tops of the mountains, he grazes the depths of the vales, he grazes the summits ^ of the trees, listeningr to the voices of the birds.
^ ? Urvato, pishato.
^ The raven was sacred to Apollo. The priests of the sun in
Persia are said to have been named ravens (Porphyrins). Cf.
Georgica I, 45.
=* Reading vi^atavo. "Doubtful.
p. 237
Thus did Verethraghna come, bearing the good
Glory made by Mazda \ the Glory made by
Mazda ....
VIII.
22. We sacrifice unto Verethraghna, made by
Ahura.
Zarathui'tra asked Ahura Mazda : ' Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One !
' Who is the best-armed of the heavenly gods ?'
Ahura Mazda answered : ' It is Verethraghna,
made by Ahura, O Spitama Zarathu^tra !'
23. Verethraghna, made by Ahura, came to him the eighth time, running in the shape of a wild, beautiful ram, with horns bent rounds
Thus did Verethraghna come, bearing the good
Glory made by Mazda ^ the Glory made by
Mazda ....
IX.
24. We sacrifice unto Verethraghna, made by
Ahura.
Zarathui-tra asked Ahura Mazda : 'Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!
* Who is the best-armed of the heavenly gods ?' Ahura Mazda answered: 'It is Verethraghna, made by Ahura, O Spitama Zarathui^tra !'
^ The royal Glory is described flying in the shape of a raven, Yt. XIX, 35.
2 Doubtful.
^ While Ardashir, the founder of the Sasanian dynasty, was flying from Ardavan, a beautiful wild ram ran after him and overtook him, and Ardavan understood from this that the kingly Glory had left him and had passed over to his rival (Shah Namah, Ardashir; Kar Namaki Artachshir, tr. Noeldeke, p. 45}.
2^8 YASTS AND SIROZAHS.
•vD'
25. Verethraghna, made by Ahura, came to him the ninth time, running in the shape of a beautiful, fighting buck, with sharp horns.
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