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

o follows his own will and reason, instead of applying to a Dastur (a spiritual guide) for direction ; the third is one who has been led astray by another.

^ Drafi'a means also banner: the Persian ^_;^9,.i, derived from drafja, has preserved the two meanings. The Sanskrit translation has jastra, the Persian has ~%^.

p. 27

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 Mazdrt;u (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 Maintalner.

'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 ;

^ ' I keep the creation ' (Phi. tr.).

^ ' I created the world and I maintain it' (ibid.).

^ ' I can know what is useful and what is hurtful' (Ibid.).

* ' The priest.'

^ ' I impart increase to the righteous ' (Phi. tr.).

« Doubtful. Fjujo-mathro is used in several passages as the name of a part of the Avesta, Yasna LVIII [LVII], which appears to be called so from the presence in it of the words fjuja, f.yuma?//, 'thriving, causing to thrive,' which aptly express its contents.

p. 28

my name is the King who rules most at his will.

' My name is the liberal King^; my name is the most liberal Kin(T.

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.

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 Zarathu-S"tra! shall recite and pronounce those names of mine^ either by day or by night ;

^ Nama, translated apat, and interpreted Khutai rat. The Sanskrit translator has misread azat for apat, and translated svatantra, independent.

^ The commentator observes orthodoxly, 'everything good.'

^ That is to sav, who will recite this Ya^t.

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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 Dru^-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 Dru^ unseen, from the female Varenya fiend ^, from the evil-doer^ bent on mischiefs, 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

^ The aiwyaonghanem or kosti (see Vendidad XVIII, p. 191, note 4).

^ Or ' with anger.'

' Akavo, >Jakav6, ishavo, kareta, vazra, translated kartari, ^akra, ^ara, jastrika, va^ra.

* Min akhar u luin (Phi. tr.) ; p;-i'sh/^a[ta]s purataj^'a (Sansk. tr.).

° Interpreted as the demon of lust and envy. Cf. Vendidad, Introd. IV, 23.

® Kayadha, translated kastar (Phi.), 'the impairer;' kadarthaka (Sansk.), 'he who holds for nothing, who makes slight of.'

■^ Doubtful. The Phi. tr. has ' who impairs living creatures,' etc.

« Cf. Yt. XIII, 71.

30 YA^TS AND stROZAHS.

rules for this world and for the next, that Sraosha may come with Vohu-Mano and help whomsoever thou pleasest ^"

21.

who makes slight of.'

■^ Doubtful. The Phi. tr. has ' who impairs living creatures,' etc.

« Cf. Yt. XIII, 71.

30 YA^TS AND stROZAHS.

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 Vae^'-ah^! 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 ahii vairyo : The will of the Lord . . . ."^

'Ashem Vohia: Holiness is the best of all good . . . . ^

2 2. 'We worship the Ahuna Vairya ''. We worship Asha-Vahii-ta, 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

1 From Yasna XLIV, i6; cf. Vendidad VIII, 20.

^ See Sirozah I, 9, p. 7, note 2.

^ Iran Ve^'- ; see Vendidad, p. 3.

* Saoka; see Sirozah I, 3.

^ See Vendidad, p. 5, note 2.

^ Ardvi Sura Anahita, the great goddess of the waters; see Yt. V.

' See above, p. 23. ^ See above, p. 22.

® The prayer yatha ahu vairyo, known as Ahuna vairya (Honover), from the first words in it: ahu vairyo. See above, p. 23.

^^ Or 'the fairest Amesha-Spe«ta;' cf. Vend. Introd. IV, 7.

" Impersonated as gods, to obtain from them the benefits of which they are the impersonations.

^^ A formula found at the end of most chapters of the Yasna and imitated from Yasna LI [L], 22.

^^ The Amesha-Spewtas (Pahl. Comm. ad Yasna XXVII, fin.).

^* The benefits of which they dispose, and which they impart as rewards to the righteous.

ORMAZD YA5'T. 3 I

[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 vifjour ^'

(Bahman Yanl)

24. *0 Zarathu^tra! 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-Spe;/tas.

25.