Avesta: Khorda Avesta

9. GOSH YASHT.

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

0.

May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced! May Angra Mainyu be afflicted!....
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, satisfaction, and glorification unto Havani, the holy and master of holiness.
Unto the powerful Drvaspa, 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.

We sacrifice unto the powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda and holy, who heeps the flocks in health, the herds in health, the grown-up (cattle) in health, the young ones in health; who watches well from afar, with a wide-spread and long-continued welfare-giving friendship;

2.

Who yokes teams of horses, who makes her chariot turn and its wheels sound, fat and glistening, strong, tall-formed, weal-possessing, health-giving, powerful to stand and powerful to turn for assistance to the faithful.

3.

To her did Haoshyangha, the Paradhata, offer up a sacrifice on the enclosure of the Hara, the beautiful height, made by Mazda, with a hundred male horses, a thousand oxen, and ten thousand lambs, and with an offering of libations:

4.

'Grant me this boon, O good, most beneficent Drvaspa! that I may overcome all the Daevas of Mazana; that I may never fear and bow through terror before the Daevas, but that all the Daevas may fear and bow in spite of themselves before me, that they may fear and flee down to darkness.'

5.

The powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda, the holy Drvaspa, the maintainer, granted him that boon, as he was offering libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would grant him that boon.

6.

For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice worth being heard; I will offer her a sacrifice well performed, namely, unto the powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda and holy. We offer up libations to the powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda and holy; we offer her 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.
Yenghe hatam: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda....

7.

We offer up a sacrifice unto the powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda and holy, who keeps the flocks in health....
Who yokes teams of horses .... for assistance to the faithful.

8.

To her did Yima Khshaeta, the good shepherd, offer up a sacrifice from the height Hukairya, with a hundred male horses, a thousand oxen, ten thousand lambs, and with an offering of libations:

9.

'Grant me this boon, O good, most beneficent Drvaspa! that I may bring fatness and flocks down to the world created by Mazda; that I may bring immortality down to the world created by Mazda;

10.

'That I may take away both hunger and thirst, from the world created by Mazda; that I may take away both old age and death, from the world created by Mazda; that I may take away both hot wind and cold wind, from the world created by Mazda, for a thousand years.'

11.

The powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda, the holy Drvaspa, the maintainer, granted him that boon, as he was offering lipbations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would grant him that boon.
For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice worth being heard....

12.

We offer up a sacrifice unto the powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda and holy, who keeps the flocks in health....
Who yokes teams of horses .... for assistance to the faithful.

13.

To her did Thraetaona, the heir of the valiant Athwya clan, offer up a sacrifice in the four-cornered Varena, with a hundred male horses, a thousand oxen, ten thousand lambs, and with an offering of libations:

14.

'Grant me this boon, O good, most beneficent Drvaspa! that I may overcome Azhi Dahaka, the three-mouthed, the three-headed, the six-eyed, who has a thousand senses, that most powerful, fiendish Druj, that demon, baleful to the world, the strongest Druj that Angra Mainyu created against the material world, to destroy the world of the good principle; and that I may deliver his two wives, Savanghavack and Erenavach, who are the fairest of body amongst women, and the most wonderful creatures in the world.'

15.

The powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda, the holy Drvasya, the maintainer, granted him that boon, as he was offering up libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would grant him that boon.
For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice worth being heard....

16.

We offer up a sacrifice unto the powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda and holy, who keeps flocks in health....
Who yokes teams of horses .... for assistance to the faithful.

17.

To her did Haoma offer up a sacrifice, Haoma, the enlivening, the healing, the beautiful, the lordly, with golden eyes, upon the highest height of the Haraiti Bareza. He begged of her a boon saying:

18.

'Grant me this boon, O good, most beneficent Drvaspa! that I may bind the Turanian murderer Franghrasyan, that I may drag him bound, that may bring him bound unto king Husravah, that king Husravah may kill him, behind the Chaechasta lake, the deep lake of salt waters, to avenge the murder of his father Syavarshana, a man, and of Aghraeratha, a semi-man.'

19.

The powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda, the holy Drvaspa, the maintainer, granted him that boon, as he was offering up libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would give him that boon.
For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice worth being heard....

20.

We offer up a sacrifice unto the powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda and holy, who keeps the flocks in health....
Who yokes teams of horses .... for assistance to the faithful.

21.

To her did the gallant Husravah, he who united the Arya nations into one kingdom, offer up a sacrifice, behind the Chaechasta lake, the deep lake of salt waters, with a hundred male horses, a thousand oxen, ten thousand lambs, and an offering of libations:

22.

'Grant me this boon, O good, most beneficent Drvaspa! that I may kill the Turanian murderer, Franghrasyan, behind the Chaechasta lake, the deep lake of salt waters, to avenge the murder of my father Syavarshana, a man, and of Aghraeratha, a semi-man.'

23.

The powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda, the holy Drvaspa, the maintainer, granted him that boon, as he was offering up libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would grant him that boon.
For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice worth being heard....

24.

We offer up a sacrifice unlo the powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda and holy, who keeps the flocks in health....
Who yokes teams of horses .... for assistance to the faithful,

25.

To her did the holy Zarathushtra offer up a sacrifice in the Airyana Vaejah, by the good river Daitya, with the Haoma and meat, with the baresma, with the wisdom of the tongue, with the holy spells, with the speech, with the deeds, with the libations, and with the rightly-spoken words. He begged of her a boon, saying:

26.

'O good, most beneficent Drvaspa! grant me this boon, that I may bring the good and noble Hutaosa to think according to the law, to speak according to the law, to do according to the law, that she may spread my Mazdean law and make it known, and that she may bestow beautiful praises upon my deeds.'

27.

The strong Drvaspa, made by Mazda, the holy Drvaspa, the maintainer, granted him that boon, as he was offering up libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would grant him that boon.
For her brightness and glory, I wiII offer her a sacrifice worth being heard....

28.

We offer up a sacrifice unto the powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda and holy, who keeps the flocks in health....
Who yokes teams of horses .... for assistance to the faithful.

29.

To her did the tall Kavi Vistaspa offer up a sacrifice behind the waters of the river Daitya, with a hundred male horses, a thousand oxen, ten thousand lambs, and with an offering of libations:

30.

'Grant me this boon, O good, most beneficent Drvaspa! that I may put to flight Ashta-aurvant, the son of Vispa-thaurvo-asti, the all-afflicting, of the brazen helmet, of the brazen armour, of the thick neck, behind whom seven hundred camels ....; that I may put to flight the Hvyaona murderer, Arejat-aspa; that I may put to flight Darshinika, the worshipper of the Daevas;

31.

And that I may smite Tathravant of the bad law; that I may smite Spinjaurushka, the worshipper of the Daevas; and that I may bring unto the good law the nations of the Varedhakas and of the Hvyaonas; and that I may smite of the Huyaona nations their fifties and their hundreds, their hundreds and their thousands, their thousands and their tens of thousands, their tens of thousands and their myriads of myriads.

32.

The strong Drvaspa, made by Mazda, the holy Drvaspa, the maintainer, granted him that boon, as he was offering up libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that she would grant him that boon.
For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice worth being heard; I will offer her a sacrifice well performed, namely, unto the powerful Drvaspa made by Mazda and holy. We offer up libations to the powerful Drvaspa, made by Mazda and holy; we offer her 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.
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 the powerful Drvaspa, 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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