Avesta: Khorda Avesta

3. ARDWAHISHT YASHT ("Hymn to the Highest Asha")

Translated by James Darmesteter (From Sacred Books of the East, American Edition, 1898.)

0.

May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced! ....
Ashem Vohu: Holiness is the best of all good....
I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathushtra, one who hates the Daevas and obeys the laws of Ahura;
For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Havani], the holy and master of holiness....
Unto Asha-Vahishta, the fairest; unto the much-desired Airyaman, made by Mazda, and unto the good Saoka, with eyes of love, made by Mazda and holy;
Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.
Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness....

1.

Ahura Mazda spake unto Spitama Zarathushtra, saying: 'That thou mayest increase Asha-Vahishta, O Spitama Zarathushtra! with hymns of praise, with performance of the office, with invocations, holy words, sacrifice, blessings, and adoration - once to abide in the shining luminous space, in the beautiful abodes - for the sacrifice and invocation of us, the Amesha-Spentas'....

2.

Zarathushtra said: 'Say unto me the right words, such as they are, O Ahura Mazda! that I may increase Asha-Vahishta, with hymns of praise, with performance of the office, with invocations, holy words, sacrifice, blessings, and adoration, - once to abide in the shining luminous space, in the beautiful abodes, - for the sacrifice and invocation of you, the Amesha-Spentas.

3.

'.... I proclaim Asha-Vahishta: if I proclaim Asha-Vahishta, then easy is the way to the abode of the other Amesha-Spentas, which Ahura Mazda keeps with Good Thoughts, which Ahura Mazda keep with Good Words, which Ahura Mazda keeps with Good Deeds;

4.

'(Easy is the way to the Garo-nmana of Ahura Mazda): the Garo-nmana is for the holy souls, and no one of the wicked can enter the Garo-nmana and its bright, wide, holy ways; (no one of them can go) to Ahura Mazda.

5.

'The Airyaman prayer smites down the strength of all the creatures of Angra Mainyu, of the Yatus and Pairikas. It is the greatest of spells, the best of spells, the very best of all spells; the fairest of spells, the very fairest of all spells; the fearful one amongst spells, the most fearful of all spells; the firm one amongst spells, the firmest of all spells; the victorious one amongst spells, the most victorious of all spells; the healing one amongst spells, the best-healing of all spells.

6.

'One may heal with Holiness, one may heal with the Law, one may heal with the knife, one may heal with herbs, one may heal with the Holy Word: amongst all remedies this one is the healing one that heals with the Holy Word; this one it is at will best drive away sickness from the body of the faithful: for this one is the best-healing of all remedies.

7.

'Sickness fled away [before it], Death fled away; the Daeva fled away, the Daeva's counter-work fled away; the unholy Ashemaogha fled away, the oppressor of men fled away.

8.

'The brood of the Snake fled away; the brood of the Wolf fled away; the brood of the Two-legged fled away. Pride fled away; Scorn fled away; Hot Fever fled away; Slander fled away; Discord fled away; the Evil Eye fled away.

9.

'The most lying words of falsehood fled away; the Jahi, addicted to the Yatu, fled away; the Jahi, who makes one pine, fled away; the wind that blows from the North fled away; the wind that blows from the North vanished away.

10.

'He it is who smites me that brood of the Snake, and who might smite those Daevas by thousands of thousands, by ten thousands of ten thousands; he smites sickness, he smites death, he smites the Daevas, he smites the Daeva's counter-work, he smites the unholy Ashemaogha, he smites the oppressor of men.

11.

'He smites the brood of the Snake; he smites the brood of the Wolf; he smites the brood of the Two-legged. He smites Pride; he smites Scorn; he smites Hot Fever; he smites Slander; he smites Discord; he smites the Evil Eye.

12.

'He smites the most lying words of falsehood; he smites the Jahi, addicted to the Yatu; he smites the Jahi, who makes one pine. He smites the wind that blows from the North; the wind that blows from the North vanished away.

13.

'He it is who smites me that brood of the Two-legged, and who might smite those Daevas, by thousands of thousands, by ten thousands of ten thousands. Angra Mainyu, who is all death, the worst-lying of all Daevas, rushed from before him:

14.

'He exclaimed, did Angra Mainyu: "Woe is me! Here is the god Asha-Vahishta, who will smite the sickliest of all sicknesses, who will afflict the sickliest of all sicknesses;
'"He will smite the deadliest of all deaths, he will afflict the deadliest of all deaths;
'"He will smite the most fiendish of all fiends, he will afflict the most fiendish of all fiends;
'"He will smite the most counter-working of all counter-works, he will afflict the most counter-working of all counter-works;
'"He will smite the unholy Ashemaogha, he will afflict the unholy Ashemaogha;
'"He will smite the most oppressive of the oppressors of men, he will afflict most oppressive of the oppressors of men.

15.

'"He will smite the snakiest of the Snake's brood, he will afflict the snakiest of the Snake's brood;
'"He will smite the most wolfish of the Wolf's brood, he will afflict the most wolfish of the Wolf's brood;
'"He will smite the worst of the two-legged brood, he will afflict the worst of the two-legged brood;
'"He will smite Pride, he will afflict Pride;
'"He will smite Scorn, he will afflict Scorn;
'"He will smite the hottest of hot fevers, he will afflict the hottest of hot fevers;
'"He will smite the most slanderous of slanders, he will afflict the most slanderous of slanders;
'"He will smite the most discordant of discords, he will afflict the most discordant of discords;
'"He will smite the worst of the Evil Eye, he will afflict the worst of the Evil Eye.

16.

'"He will smite the most lying words of falsehood, he will afflict the most lying words of falsehood;
'"He will smite the Jahi, addicted to the Yatu, he will afflict the Jahi, addicted to the Yatu;
'"He will smite the Jahi, who makes one pine, he will afflict the Jahi, who makes one pine;
'"He will smite the wind that blows from the North, he will afflict the wind that blows from the North."

17.

'The Druj will perish away, the Druj will perish; the Druj will rush, the Druj will vanish. Thou perishest away to the regions of the North, never more to give unto death the living world of the holy spirit.

18.

'For his brightness and glory I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard, namely, unto Asha-Vahishta, the fairest - the Amesha-Spenta. Unto Asha-Vahishta, the fairest, the Amesha-Spenta, we offer up the libations, the Haoma and meat, the baresma, the wisdom of the tongue, the holy spells, the speech, the deeds, the libations, and the rightly-spoken words.
'Yenhe hatam: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda knows the goodness....

19.

'Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness....
'I bless the sacrifice and prayer and the strength and vigour of Asha-Vahishta, the fairest; of the much-desired Airyaman, made by Mazda; and of the good Saoka, with eyes of love, made by Mazda and holy.
'Ashem Vohu: Holiness is the best of all good....
'[Give] unto that man brightness and glory, give him health of body; .... give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones.'

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