' Cf. Yt. VIII, 50.
^ The Mithradru^: one might also translate 'who breaks the contract,' as mithra, as a common noun, means 'a contract.' ^ Kayadhas; cf. Yt. I, 19. "* Cf. Arda Viraf, chap. lii.
Mihir Vast. 121
come to us for good conscienceM May he come to
us for bliss 2 ! he, the awful and overpowering, worthy
of sacrifice and prayer, not to be deceived anywhere
in the whole of the material world, Mithra, the lord
of wide pastures.
6. ' I will offer up libations unto him, the strong
Yazata, the powerful Mithra, most beneficent to the
creatures : I will apply unto him with charity^ and
prayers : I will offer up a sacrifice worth being heard
unto him, Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, with the
Haoma and meat, with the baresma, with the wis-
dom of the tongue, with the holy spells, with the
speech, with the deeds, with the libations, and with
the rightly-spoken words.
*Ye7zhe hatam : All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda* ....
7. *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 ^ ;
^ Cheerfulness at the head of the Alnva/ bridge (Yasna LXII, 6 [LXI, 17]; cf. Vend. XVIII, 6).
^ The condition of the blessed in the next world.
^ Va«ta, 'assistance, that is, making ^adangoi' (Yasna LXII [LXI], I ; ^adangoi is making a collection for the poor (fitudes Iraniennes, II, 155).
* As p. 30.
^ Perethu-vaedhayana: sampurwavittaram karyanyayanam (Khorshcf/ Nyayij 6).
"G^aghaurvawnghem: this word, strangely enough, is generally translated 'who has most strong arms'(balish/,^abhui''am); ^agauru is translated in the same way.
122 YA^-TS AND SIROZAHS.
8. ' To whom the chiefs of nations offer up sacri-
fices, as they go to the field, against havocking hosts,
against enemies coming in battle array, in the strife
of conflicting nations.
9. ' On whichever side he has been worshipped
first in the fulness of faith of a devoted heart, to that
side turns Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, with
the fiend-smiting wind, with the cursing thought
of the wise \
' For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard ....
10. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, .... sleepless, and ever awake.
II.' Whom the horsemen worship on the back
of their horses, begging swiftness for their teams,
health for their own bodies, and that they may watch
with full success those who hate them, smite down
their foes, and destroy at one stroke their adver-
saries, their enemies, and those who hate them^.
' For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard ....
12. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, .... sleepless, and ever awake ;
1 3. * Who first of the heavenly gods reaches over the Hara^ before the undying, swift-horsed sun*;
^ See p. 12, note 13. ^ cf yt. V, 53 ; X, 94.
^ Mount Alborz, whence the sun rises ; see § 50.
* Mithra is closely connected with the sun, but not yet identical with it, as he became in later times (.-fr-*, the sun; Deo invicto Soli Mithrae).
Mihir Yast. 123
who, foremost in a golden array, takes hold of the
beautiful summits, and from thence looks over the
abode of the Aryans with a beneficent eye.
14. * Where the valiant chiefs draw up their many
troops in array ^ ; where the high mountains, rich in
pastures and waters, yield plenty to the cattle^;
where the deep lakes, with salt waters, stand ^j
where wide-flowing rivers swell and hurry towards
I^kata and Pouruta, Mouru and Haroyu, the Gava-
Sughdha and /fvamzem* ;
15. 'On Arezahi and Savahi, on Fradadhafshu
and Vidadhafshu, on Vourubare^ti and Vouru^are^ti,
on this bright Karshvare of //^;aniratha^ the abode
of cattle, the dwelling of cattle, the powerful Mithra
looks with a health-bringing eye ;
16. * He who moves along all the Karshvares, a
Yazata unseen, and brings glory; he who moves
along all the Karshvares, a Yazata unseen, and
brings sovereignty; and increases*' strength for
^ In the flat countries.
^ In the mountainous parts of Iran.
^ In the lake regions (Seistan, Farsistan, Adarbai^an).
* In the country of the large rivers in the East. Mouru is Marv (Margiana), with the Murghab river (the Margus) ; Haroyu is the Herat country, with the Harerud ; Gava-Sughdha and Ilvavizm are Sogdiana and Khvarizm, with the Oxus. The situation of li-kata and Pouruta is not clear : one might think of Alexander eschata on the laxartes and the Paretacene country between the Oxus and the laxartes.
^ The earth is divided into seven Karshvares, separated from one another by seas and mountains impassable to men. Arezahi and Savahi are the western and the eastern Karshvare ; Fradadhafshu and Vidadhafshu are in the south ; Vourubare^ti and Vouru^arejti are in the north ; ZTz'aniratha is the central Karshvare. -^^aniratha is the only Karshvare inhabited by man (Bundahij- XI, 3).
« Doubtful.
124 YA^-TS AND stROZAHS.
victory to those who, with a pious intent, hohly offer him hbations.
' For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth
being heard
17. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, .... sleepless, and ever awake ;
' Unto whom nobody must lie, neither the master
of a house, nor the lord of a borough, nor the lord
of a town, nor the lord of a province.
18. 'If the master of a house lies unto him, or the
lord of a borough, or the lord of a town, or the lord
of a province, then comes Mithra, angry and offended,
and he breaks asunder the house, the borough, the
town, the province; and the masters of the houses,
the lords of the boroughs, the lords of the towns,
the lords of the provinces, and the foremost men
of the provinces.
19. ' On whatever side there is one who has lied
unto Mithra, on that side Mithra stands forth, angry
and offended, and his wrath ^ is slow to relent^.
20. ' Those who lie unto Mithra, however swift
they may be running, cannot overtake ^ ; riding,
cannot . . . .^ ; driving, cannot ... .2. The spear that
the foe of Mithra flings, darts backwards, for the
^ Mainyu, in the meaning of the Sanskrit manyu (?).
^ Doubtful; aspa>^a/: cf ^jjLi>.j.^, to be late.
^ Apayeiwti, frastanvaiwti, framanyei«te : these are three technical words for the movements of the three classes of soldiers, footmen, horsemen, and chariot-men; the last two words are probably synonymous with the first, but the exact shades of mean- ing are not known. Mr. West suggests, cannot outrun, outride, outdrive him.
Mihir Yast. 125
number of the evil spells that the foe of Mithra
works out^
21. 'And even though the spear be flung well,
even though it reach the body, it makes no wound,
for the number of the evil spells that the foe of
Mithra works out \ The wind drives away the
spear that the foe of Mithra flings, for the number
of the evil spells that the foe of Mithra works out.
' For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard ....
2 2. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, .... sleepless, and ever awake ;
* Who takes out of distress the man who has not lied unto him, who takes him out of death.
23. 'Take us out of distress, take us out of dis-
tresses, O Mithra ! as we have not lied unto thee.
Thou bringest down terror upon the bodies of the
men who lie unto Mithra; thou takest away the
strength from their arms, being angry and all-power-
ful; thou takest the swiftness from their feet, the
eye-sight from their eyes, the hearing from their
ears.
24. ' Not the wound 2 of the well-sharpened spear
or of the flying arrow reaches that man to whom
Mithra comes for help with all the strength of his
soul, he, of the ten thousand spies, the powerful,
all-seeing, undeceivable Mithra.
* For his brightness and glory, I will off'er him a sacrifice worth being heard ....
^ The sacramental words of the contract, by their not being kept, turn to evil spells against the contract-breaker.
2 Doubtful: j-anamayo, or janamaoyo; read shanmaoyo (?), from shan, Sansk. kshan.
126 YA^-TS AND SIROZAHS.
25. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, .... sleepless, and ever awake ;
' Who is lordly, deep, strong, and weal-giving ;
a chief in assemblies, pleased with prayers \ high,
holily clever, the incarnate Word, a warrior with
strong arms ;
26. ' Who breaks the skulls of the Daevas, and is
most cruel in exacting pains ; the punisher of the
men who lie unto Mithra, the withstander of the
Pairikas ; who, when not deceived, establisheth
nations in supreme strength ; who, when not de-
ceived, establisheth nations in supreme victory;
2 7. ' Who confounds the ways of the nation that
delights in havoc, who turns away their Glory 2, takes
away their strength for victory, blows them away
helpless ^ and delivers them unto ten thousand
strokes ; he, of the ten thousand spies, the powerful,
all-seeing, undeceivable Mithra.
' For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard ....
28. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, .... sleepless, and ever awake ;
' Who upholds the columns of the lofty house and
makes its pillars* solid ; who gives herds of oxen and
male children to that house in which he has been
satisfied ; he breaks to pieces those in which he has
been offended.
29. 'Thou, O Mithra! art both bad and good to
^Vahmo-sendah; cf. Visperad VIII (IX, i), Phi. tr. 2 Their Hvz.xend. ^ Doubtful.
* Aithya; cf. Lat. antae (Brugmann).
Mihir Ya5t. I 27
nations ; thou, O Mithra ! art both bad and good
to men ; thou, O Mithra ! keepest in thy hands both
peace and trouble for nations.
30. ' Thou makest houses large, beautiful with
women, beautiful with chariots, with well-laid found-
ations ^ and high above their groundwork 2; thou
makest that house lofty, beautiful with women,
beautiful with chariots, with well-laid foundations,
and high above its groundwork, of which the master,
pious and holding libations in his hand, offers thee
a sacrifice, in which thou art invoked by thy own
name and with the proper words.
31. 'With a sacrifice, in which thou art invoked
by thy own name, with the proper words will I offer
thee libations, O powerful Mithra !
' With a sacrifice, in which thou art invoked by
thy own name, with the proper words will I offer
thee libations, O most beneficent Mithra !
' With a sacrifice, in which thou art invoked by
thy own name, with the proper words will I offer
thee libations, O thou undeceivable Mithra !
32. 'Listen unto our sacrifice^, O Mithra! Be
thou pleased with our sacrifice, O Mithra ! Come
and sit at our sacrifice ! Accept our libations !
Accept them as they have been consecrated*!
Gather them together with love and lay them in
the Garo-nmana !
33. ' Grant us these boons which we beg of thee,
O powerful god! in accordance^ with the words of
revelation, namely, riches, strength, and victory,
good conscience and bliss", good fame and a good
1 Doubtful. 2 Doubtful. =* Cf. Yt. Ill, 18.
* By the proper prayers (yasiau). ^ Doubtful.
' Cf. § 5.
128 YA5TS AND SIROZAHS.
soul ; wisdom and the knowledge that gives happi-
ness ^ the victorious strength given by Ahura, the
crushing Ascendant of Asha Vahi^ta, and conversa-
tion (with God) on the Holy Word 2.
34. 'Grant that we, in a good spirit and high spirit,
exalted in joy and a good spirit, may smite all our
foes ; that we, in a good spirit and high spirit, exalted
in joy and a good spirit, may smite all our enemies ;
that we, in a good spirit and high spirit, exalted in
joy and a good spirit, may smite all the malice of
Daevas and Men, of the Yatus and Pairikas, of the
oppressors, the blind, and the deaf ^
' For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard ....
35. ' We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, .... sleepless, and ever awake ;
'Victory-making^, army-governing, endowed with
a thousand senses^ ; power-wielding, power-possess-
ing, and all-knowing ;
36. ' Who sets the battle a going, who stands
against (armies) in battle, who, standing against
(armies) in battle, breaks asunder the lines arrayed.
The wings of the columns gone to battle shake, and
he throws terror upon the centre of the havocking
host.
37. 'He can bring and does bring down upon
them distress and fear ; he throws down the heads
of those who lie unto Mithra, he takes off the
heads of those who He unto Mithra.