[Pronounce a as in Fun; ā as in Far; e as in Fed; ē as in Fade; i as in Fill; ī as in Feel; o as in For; ō as in Fore; u as in Full; ū as in Food; āñ nasally as in the Avestan word avāñ; eñ as in theFrench ‘trés bieñ’; oñ nasally as in the French ‘bõn voyage’; ūñ nasally as in ‘Humayūñ’] 

 

 

[ The (Pazand and Avestan) text of the entire Kushti prayers, given below, is as it is recited by the Qadimi (Kadmi) Zarathushtis of the Subcontinent during their daily Kusti prayers.  Only the text (in Pazand) of the ‘Kushti Prayer’ and the ‘Hamāzōr - the Prayer of Unity’ has been translated.   The Qadimi Prayers differ only marginally (in text and pronunciation) from the Avestāye Koshti Prayers given in the Iranian Khordēh Avestā (in Roman script) approved by the Anjoman-ē-Mobēdān-ē-Tēhrān, Iran.  The Pāzand text of the Shāhēnshāhi Kushti Prayer, ‘Hōrmazd Khōdāyē’, although entirely different, carries more or less the same meaning.  In comparison the Qadimi Kusti recitation overall is somewhat lengthier than the Shāhēnshāhi Kushti recitation]

 

The recitation begins thus: -

 

Khshnaōthra Ahurē Mazdōā  ‘Ashēm Vōhi ‘(Recite thrice). 

Fravārānē Mazdāyasnō Zarathushtrish vidaēvō Ahur-takaēshō.

 

(Recite the appropriate Gēh)

 

Sraōshahē ashayēhē takhmahē tanu-manthrahē darshi-daraōsh ahuirēhē khshnaōthra yasnāicha vahamāicha khshnaōthrāicha frasha-sayēcha.  Yathā ahi vairyō zaōta framē marutē, athā ratush ashātchit hach frā ashava vithvāō marōtū.  Ahunēm vairim tanum pāiti, Ahunēm vairim tanum pāiti, Ahunēm vairim tanum pāiti.

‘Yathā Ahi Vairyō’ (Recite once).

 

‘Kemnā Mazdā’ recitation (Recite 3 times) followed by ‘Yathā Ahi Vairyō’ (recite twice). 

 

‘Yasnēmcha vahamēmcha’ recitation followed by ‘Ashēm Vohi’ (recite once).

 

‘Ahamāi raēshcha’ recitation followed by ‘Ashēm Vohi’ (recite once).

 

‘Hazangrēm baēshē-jnam’ recitation followed by ‘Ashēm Vohi’ (recite once).

 

‘Jasa mē avanghahē, Mazda’ recitation followed by ‘Ashēm Vohi’ (recite once).

 

 

The Qadimi Kushti Prayer recitation: 

 

[The Kushti is untied and released from around the waist. The centre of the doubled-up portion of the Kushti is held around the out-stretched thumb of the left hand while the middle part of the double fold of the Kushti is held in the fingers of the right hand]

 

Nāmē Yazad, nāmē Khudā, hazāro yakh nāmē khudā, [while uttering each of these three phrases, the suspended double fold of the kushti, held in the right hand is vertically twitched in mid-air, like a whiplash], humata va hikhata va havarasta; manashni va gavashni va kunashni va tani va ravāni va geti va minō ajash hamē vanāhi avākhsh va paēmān va pa patet haōma. 

 

Az jastē va goftē va kardē va shanidē va farmūdē ajash hamē vanāhi avākhsh va pashēmān va pa patēt haōma.  Shekast ahēriman, shekasht ahēriman, shekast ahēriman [while uttering each of these three phrase, a sound is created between the middle finger and thumb of the right hand, as if beckoning Ahēriman to move away (“get thee behind me Ahēriman”)], shekast va zad va zadē bād ghanāminō, tag dūzakh nigunsār bād va harkārō kerfē kē bād bekāmē ahurmazda va siōsē amshāspandānē firōzgar. 

 

Mas va vēh va firōzgar bād minō ē dādār Hōrmazd rāyōmand, khorēmand.

 

Khshnaōthra Ahurē Mazdāō

 

Ashēm Vōhi (Recite once)

 

 

   THE QADIMI KUSTI PRAYER recitation  - its translation: -

 

[(I offer this prayer) in the name of the one, worthy of Reverence and in the name of the one, who is All- pervasive and in the 1001 names of the one, who is Almighty.  (I offer this prayer) in a spirit of good thoughts and good words and good deeds, involving my earthly body and my soul, in earthly and in spiritual experience.  In so doing (with these words) I repent, sincerely, for whatever sins I would have committed.

 

(I pray) I will desist from the sins of wicked words and deeds and inclinations and directions, which I hold in enough scorn to repent, sincerely (with these words), for whatever sins I would have committed.  Get thee behind me, Ahēriman; get thee away from me, Ahēriman; keep thy distance from me, Ahēriman.   May thy many wicked ways, Ghanāmino (i.e. Ahēriman) be stricken hard and annulled, restricting thy presence to the inferno of hell.   May it, then, come to pass that thy ultimate annihilation is brought about by Ahurā Mazdā, in the company of the victorious 33 Yazatas and Ameshā Spentās. 

 

May, too, the shining glory of Ahurā Mazdā keep him forever victorious] 

 

Khshnaōthra Ahurē Mazdōā tarōiditē anghrahē mainyaush haithyāvarashtāñm hayat vasnā freshtōtemem, staōmi ashēm; ‘Ashēm Vōhi’ (Recite once).

 

‘Mazdāyasno Ahami’ prayer recitation (Recite once)

 

‘Jasa me avanghahe, Mazda’ prayer recitation (Recite once)

 

The Qadimi HAMAZOR - A Prayer of Unity

 

Hamāzōr bim,

 

hamāzōr ashō bim,

 

hamāzōr vesh kerfē bim;

 

ham kerfē kārān bim,

 

dūr az vanāh kārān bim,

 

sarē sarāt va chinvat pūl buzrag shād va āsān mān,

 

bēvadirad bēhēst garōthmān va fashum akhān raushan garōthmān,

 

hamā khur-rami avar rasād.   ‘Ashēm Vōhi’ (Recite once)

 

The translation: -

 

[May we remain united in strength,

 

may we remain united in righteousness,

 

may we remain united in many good deeds, and

 

may we remain the doers of all meritorious deeds, too,

 

may we remain afar from the guile of evil-doers,

 

may we be able to cross the Chinwad Bridge with rejoicing and ease, from over the summit,

 

may we, then, attain eternal bliss in the Heavenly Celestial Light of Garothman,

 

may such pious yearnings be granted unto us]                                                                                       Sam Kerr