For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto the Masters of the days, of the periods of the day, of the months, cf the seasons, and of the years *;
Unto Ahura Mazda, bright and glorious, be
propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and
glorification.
Yatha ahii vairyo : The will of the Lord is the law of holiness : the riches of Vohu-Mano shall be given to him who works in this world for Mazda, and wields according to the will of Ahura the power he gave him to relieve the poor.
1, Zarathui"tra asked Ahura Mazda: *0 Ahura
Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material
world, thou Holy One !
' What of the Holy Word is the strongest ? What
is the most victorious ? What is the most glorious ?
What is the most effective ?
2. ' What is the most fiend-smiting ? What is the
best-healing ? What destroyeth best the malice of
Daevas and Men ? What maketh the material
world best come to the fulfilment of its wishes^ ?
What freeth the material world best from the
anxieties of the heart''.'*'
^ He shows himself a Zoroastrian by offering sacrifice ....
^ The actual Gah during which the Ya^t is being recited must be mentioned here. Havani is the first Gah (see Gahs).
^ The Genii who co-operate with Havani, his hamkars; for
each Gah the names of its proper hamkars should be mentioned
(see Gahs).
* See Vendidad VHI, 19, text and notes.
^ Pun minishn it bara matartum, mandfim frarfm (Phi, tr.); manasas asti prapakatara (Sansk. tr.); »j^l^ A^ (Pers. tr.).
* Pun akhu it bara mflshitartflm : pim(i) umandiim i aparun
24 YA5TS AND SIROZAHS.
3. Ahura Mazda answered : ' Our Name, O Spi-
tama Zaratluutra ! who are the Amesha-Spe/^tas,
that is the strongest part of the Holy Word; that
is the most victorious ; that is the most glorious ;
that is the most effective ;
4. 'That is the most hend-smiting; that is the best-
healing ; that destroyeth best the malice of Daevas
and Men ; that maketh the material world best come
to the fulfilment of its wishes ; that freeth the material
world best from the anxieties of the heart.'
5. Then Zarathu^tra said : ' Reveal unto me that
name of thine, O Ahura Mazda ! that is the greatest,
the best, the fairest, the most effective, the most
fiend-smiting, the best-healing, that destroyeth best
the malice of Daevas and Men ;
6. ' That I may afflict all Daevas and Men ; that
I may afflict all Yatus and Pairikas ^ ; that neither
Daevas nor Men may be able to afflict me ; neither
Yatus nor Pairikas.'
7. Ahura Mazda replied unto him : ' My name is
the One of whom questions are asked^ O
holy Zarathui-tra !
'My second name is the Herd-giver ^ ' My third name is the Strong One^
(Phl.tr.); vitarkawam asti mushakatara (Sansk. tr.); ^:y^J Li. UJi;V ^i^* r^- ^'^•^ ^^ (Pers. tr.).
^ See Vendidad, Introd. IV, 20-21.
^ As the revealer of the law, which is generally expounded by a process of questions from Zarathujtra and answers from Ahura. The revelation itself is called spe«t6 frasna, ' the holy questions' (Vendidad XXII, 19).
^ ' That is, I give herds of men and cattle ' (Phi. tr.).
* * Strong, that is, I have strength for the works of the law ' (Phl.tr.); the Sanskrit translation has, ' powerful, that is, I have power to create.'
Ormazd Yast. 25
* My fourth name is Perfect Holiness \
* My fifth name is All good things created by Mazda, the offspring of the holy principle.
* My sixth name is Understanding'^;
'My seventh name is the One with under- standing.
'My eighth name is Knowledge;
' My ninth name is the One with Knowledge.
8. ' My tenth name is Weal ;
' My eleventh name is He who produces weal.
' My twelfth name is Ahura (the Lord) 3.
' My thirteenth name is the most Beneficent.
'My fourteenth name is He in whom there is no harm*.
'My fifteenth name is the unconquerable One.
' My sixteenth name is He who makes the true account ^
' My seventeenth name is the All-seeing One.
' My eighteenth name is the healing One.
'My nineteenth name is the Creator.
' My twentieth name is Mazda (the All-knowing One).
9. ' Worship me, O Zarathu^tra, by day and by
^ Asha-Vahii-ta, which is the name of the second Amesha-
Spewta too. The commentary has : ' That is, my own being is all
holiness.'
2 Literally: 'My sixth name is that I am Understanding.'
The same construction is used with regard to the eighth, the tenth,
and the nineteenth names.
^ ' It follows from this passage that a man is not fit to be a king, unless he possesses twelve virtues' (Phi. tr.).
* ' Some say : I keep harm from man ' (Phi. tr.).
^ ' That is, I make the account of good works and sins ' (Phi. tr.); praka/am gawanakaras kila puwyapapayos sahkhyam aham karomi (Sansk. tr.). Cf. Yasna XXXII, 6, b.
26 Ya5'Ts and Sirozahs
night, with offerings of libations well accepted ^
I will come unto thee for help and joy, I, Ahura
Mazda ; the good, holy Sraosha will come unto thee
for help and joy ; the waters, the plants, and the
Fravashis of the holy ones will come unto thee for
help and joy.
10. 'If thou wantest, O Zarathu-ftra, to destroy the
malice of Daevas and Men, of the Yatus and Pai-
rikas, of the oppressors, of the blind and of the
deaf ^, of the two-legged ruffians", of the two-legged
Ashemaoghas ^, of the four-legged wolves ;
11. 'And of the hordes with the wide front, with
the many spears ^, with the straight spears, with the
spears uplifted, bearing the spear of havock ; then,
recite thou these my names every day and every
night.
^ Yaso-bereta: praptena danena; ,.j ^^-aj> !i.-:iib.
^ The Kavis and the Karapans, the blind and the deaf, are those ' who cannot see nor hear anything of God.' Those terms were current in the theological language of the Sassanian times to designate the unbelievers. An edict, promulgated by king Yazd- gard III (fifth century a. c.) to make Zoroastrism the state religion in Armenia, had the following words : ' You must know that any man who does not follow the religion of Mazda is deaf, blind, and deceived by Ahriman's devs ' (Elisaeus, The War of Vartan).
^ Or murderers (m airy a); according to the Parsis highway- men (^^j ii\j).
^ The heretics. Casuists distinguish three kinds of Ashemaogha:
the deceiver (friftar), the self-willed (khot doshak), and the deceived (friftak). The first and worst is one who knowingly leads people astray, making forbidden what is lawful, and lawful what is forbidden ; the second is one who 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 ~%^.
Ormazd Ya5t. 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.
28 YASTS AND SIROZAHS.
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 con-
quers 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 Bene-
ficent.
' 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.
Ormazd Va5'T. 29
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;' kadar- thaka (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. '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,