Zoroastrian Gathas - M.Agathon - June 2018 CE Front
The Hymns of Zarathustra
A Western philosophical translation by M.Agathon
This version dated June 2018 CE

Chapter: -1- -2- -3- -4- -5- -6- -7- -8- -9- -10- -11- -12- -13- -14- -15- -16- -17-


CHAPTER 1: GOOD WORDS

A disciple speaks:

1: By venerating the bountiful Lord Mazda (Wisdom) through Good Mind, righteous deeds will follow and this is what ultimately brings peace to the soul of creation.

2: I reach up toward the ultimate source of existence through my Good Mind and this grants me the benefits of both the spiritual and corporeal realms; these benefits accrue through Truth-seeking, joy-giving and happiness.

3: Like never before, I sing hymns of praise toward the highest Arta (virtue and excellence of action in accord with the divine cosmic order) and the most mindful Mind; this action will grant me the auspicious and perpetual happiness of the heavens, which is Lady Serenity herself; this act of veneration brings the divine wisdom of God ever-closer to me.

4: Through the agency of my properly-attuned Mind and through full awareness of all the excellent advantages accrued through performing the best deeds, I am able to direct my soul toward the heavenly realms; and as long as I can retain this strength and power, I will teach others to strive for Truth through acts of the highest Arta.

5: Arta equipped with insight will reveal the good Mind and thus the abode of Lord Mazda and His co-workers and messengers; Through good mantras and eloquent speech we can combat the confusions and delusions of the wicked.

6: The Good comes to us through properly-attuned Mind; this gift of Good Mind comes to the person possessed of Arta, on account of true utterances; O Lord Mazda, immense joy is certainly bestowed upon Zarathustra and us, the disciples, so that we may overcome the evils of ignoble and ignorant persons.

7: Cultivation of Arta shall grant me that excellence which is the reward of a the great mind-state, which will grant the worldly Lord his heart-felt wish for peace and Serenity, which in turn will please the heavenly Lord Mazda so that we may hear His sacred songs.

8: Through Arta and singular desire in accord with the divine, I ask You, the most excellent friend and Lord of all creation for the the eternal gifts of Good Mind to come to both me, the sagacious spiritual guide, and to the great worldly Hero who is possessed of blazing willpower and ambition.

9: Through these gifts of the best mentality, we will not offend You, Lord Mazda, nor will we defy Truth; we are the ones who have striven eagerly in teaching Your songs of praise; O Arta and Good Mind, you are the loving friends of those divine gifts.

10: Seekers come to know Lord Mazda on account of their excellent cultivation of Arta; You will know Him as the wondrous creation of Mind, the true One; He shall fulfill your wishes with perfection; I have come to know that His victorious sacred verses are full of efficacy.

11: By the help of those verses, I will keep watch over Truth and Good Thought until the end of my life in order to promulgate highest Truth and the way of Arta among the community; I ask that through His messengers, Lord Mazda should please teach me from His divine abode of pure thought, how this world first came into being.


CHAPTER 2: CRIES FOR HELP

The soul of Mother Earth cries out to the heavenly abode where Lord Mazda and His Divine Immortals reside:
1: Why did you create me? Who fashioned me? Wrath, plunder, violence, evil, outrage and oppression have fallen upon me! I have no protector other than You! Therefore, demonstrate to me the things that will rid me of such calamities!

Thereupon, Lord Mazda consults His Natural Law (Logos) of Arta, and posed the following questions:
2: Whom did you appoint to care for your creations? Who will become its savior and steward? Who is the one that may diligently become the bringer of prosperity to the world? Whom do you consider as the Lord of its prosperity? Who can repel the passions of wicked persons?

The immortal spirit of Highest Arta offers the following answers:
3: The Lord of creation is neither cruel or seditious, rather He is harmless; Among the men of this world, I do not recognize among the existing human beings anyone who may champion the honorable and the truthful; The strongest man I see is the leader whose dictates are respected the most by his followers.

4: Whatever has manifestly been done in the past by malefic spirits and by men and whatever will be done hereafter, Lord Mazda has perfect memory of all these matters; The Lord Himself is the judge of what is wise and what is ignorant. So let us resign to His will.

A Disciple speaks:
5: With proper veneration we have asked various question to Lord Mazda in matters pertaining to these teachings and by my soul as well as by that of this revolving world, we learn that there is no harm in leading a life of honesty, nor is there any need for the diligent and industrious person who cultivates Arta to have any close contact with wicked persons, nor should they carry on any business associations with them.

And then the all-wise and beneficent Lord Mazda spoke out with His innate wisdom:
6: Owing to Arta, there is not a single worldly Lord nor a spiritual leader known to me, with the exception of Zarathustra, who is fit for this task; And for this reason, I have fashioned you as the tenderer of prosperity to the world and as an active worker for propagating this knowledge.

The disciple replies:
7: Lord Mazda, You have fashioned these sacred hymns through the highest spirit of Arta; Your beneficent prosperity created these verses for the world and for its people who seek Truth and act in good faith. So whom have you ordained to provide us mortals these bounties?

Lord Mazda replies:
8: The one person I am aware of in your world who has listened to my teachings is Zarathustra Spitama, who himself through my divine Wisdom desires to propagate Arta, and more specifically, the duties of this world; it is because of this I will bestow upon him the gift of eloquent speech.

And once again the soul of Mother Earth complains:
9: At the time of my great calamity I have been given an undesirable chief, the mere voice of one humble and impotent person! But I desire a mighty king who can act on his own accord and wield great power and force! When will such a leader arise for me? Who will grant my world a strong pillar of support I so desire?

Zarathustra replies:
10: O Lord Mazda and the spirit of Arta! I wish for You to grant me and my helpers strength and power so that through properly-attuned Mind we are able to bring joy and happiness to the people of the world; I regard You as the the first overseer of that joy and happiness.

11: When will Arta, Good Thought and Desirable Dominion reign over this world? O Lord Mazda and Your Divine Immortals, When will this hasten unto me? May you grant us help now in full measure for this great adventurous work we are more than willing to take on! There is a great need of your gifts for each of us!


CHAPTER 3: THE TWINS

Zarathustra speaks to his disciples on the duality of Good and Evil:

1: I speak to those in search of knowledge on the twin mentalities of human consciousness, as I regard these spiritually-illuminating matters worth learning; Homage be unto to Lord Mazda though cultivation of Good Mind and the use of numinous mantras, both of which are perfected through Arta.

2: With receptive ears hear my words, ponder over them with bright intellect and decide for yourself if this is the right path; For you should develop insightful realizations on spiritual matters according to your own conscience, especially prior to great events that may unfold; May you be fully awake for our lessons should you choose this illuminating path.

3: Within the conscious mind of man there are the Twins, those two mentalities which talk among themselves; In thoughts, words and deeds, these two mentalities greatly differ in that one is supremely better and the other supremely worse; those people who are possessed of good understanding are able to discern Truth from falsehood, but for those of who lack understanding, they are unable to make this discernment and thus fall prey to the wicked mentality.

4: When these two mentalities intermingle, both life and destruction result; And as long as the cycles of life and destruction exist, this mixed state of affairs will persist in one way or another; The worst mind is that of the wicked and the best mind is that of the Truth-seeker who earnestly cultivates Arta.

5: Regarding these twin mentalities, the one who falls into the clutches of the the destructive mentality chooses the worst acts to commit, whereas the one who is possessed of the most beneficent mentality which resides in the most powerful celestial domain, chooses Truth and acts according to the cosmic law of Arta.

6: Those who worship debased things and cling to untruthful doctrines are the people who are unable to accurately discern the difference between the Twin mentalities; Our teachings fail to satisfy their confused inquiries and thus they walk away from us disappointed; In spite of illuminating words offered to them, they still choose to worship ignoble beings and as a result, continue to bring bane to the mortals of this world.

7: The unflappable and and self-ruling person who is possessed of of Arta is the one most ideal for combating those beholden to Untruth; such a person who steps forward is granted strength.

8: And when the wicked persons who worship the Druj (falsehood) are brought to justice by those strong and unflappable persons possessed of Arta, then O Lord Mazda, through Good Mind they will be able to rightfully perceive You as Sovereign and supreme.

9: May we be manifestly akin to those who made this existence prosperous; Under heavenly authority, may the wise leaders among us become our helpers and supporters through Arta; Because where wisdom may establish its abode, a sagacious person arises.

10: Thereupon, when those who command respect, prestige and good fame become associated with the good abode and great Mind of Lord Mazda and the excellent acts of Arta, support of the destructive Druj (Spirit of Untruth/The Lie) becomes ever-weakened and thus rendered ineffective.

11: O Men, you are now able to comprehend these teaching which Lord Mazda has ordained: the law of happiness and misery; Namely the long period of pain that ignoble and ignorant persons must bear, and the advantages for the righteous persons who follow Arta; These advantages are what accrues radiant happiness unto the virtuous and excellent.


CHAPTER 4: DUALITY

Zarathustra speaks to his disciples on the dualities of the spiritual and corporeal worlds and on the Laws of divinity and temporal religion:

1: O earnest seeker, through these teachings which have never before been heard, we proclaim that these verses are certainly concerned with those rapacious marauders and cheats who plunder the settlements of the righteous and aimlessly drift about due to the untruthful doctrines and wicked leaders they are under the sway of; But first and foremost, these verses are for those devoted to seeking the wisdom of the divine.

2: Disciples, please do not despair if these teachings are not self-evident upon first examination, for your faith will fortify in your soul as evidence of these teachings becomes more and more manifest as you actively dwell in both worlds, corporeal and spiritual; Just as the Lord of Wisdom has recognized the spiritual leader of both of these worlds in the same way that I may teach you all to live in both of these worlds, on account of the Natural Law (Logos) of Arta.

3: O Divine Mind, do grant us on account of our devotion and Arta, that intense bliss which You have awarded those who fight to spread this divine knowledge, and those who become devoted to learning it; O Wise One, for our enlightenment, speak with your mouth so that I can inspire all worthy people to invest faith in these good teachings.

4: When those under the auspicious guidance of divine wisdom are gracious in full measure, I desire for myself thoughts that are mighty and powerful; Through this we may overcome the great web of untruths; I desire this mental fortitude by way of the highest virtues of Arta and the best Serene state of calmness and humility.

5: O Wisdom of the divine, do advise me on making better choices and for knowing both Arta and the temporal laws for this world, whereby I may know through good thoughts whose benefit may be accrued to me; Please do make me aware as to the things that will and will not come to be.

6: The best may accrue to the person whom the learned one tells openly the auspicious mantras for Wellness, Arta and Immortality; The kingdom of the divine wisdom has remained ever-luminous on account of His good thoughts.

7: He who is the first great thinker, whose brilliance has mingled with the boundless light of the heavens; Who Himself is the creator of life through all-knowing wisdom, by means of which he upholds the laws of Arta and the best thought; O divine spirit of wisdom, You who are always the same has made life prosperous.

8: Ever since I first held You in my mind’s eye, I have always regarded You, O Divine Wisdom, with pure thought, as the first of all worthy of veneration; Since then, I have always regarded You as the father of the Good Mind, as the real origin of Arta and as Lord over all actions of this world.

9: Your mind is that of perfect Serenity; It is the Divine Mind which creates life; O Lord Mazda, You have set forth two paths in life: the path for the person who passes his life with industry, and the path for the one who lives an idle life.

10: From these two, the Serene mind chose for the benefit of this world, the prosperity-bringing agriculturist as the true Lord; He is the promoter of Good Mind; O Wise One, the deceitful idler would never gain anything from these good teachings.

11: O Lord Mazda, when you first created life in all its gradiations, you also created many layers of religious knowledge for sentient beings to uncover with Your power of Thought; You did bestow upon us both corporeal life and wisdom; Along with these, You also ordained for us the power to enact temporal religious laws and work them upon this world; Our wishes and our faith of choice may be fixed upon this.

12: To it, either the false speaker or the true speaker, either the enlightened or the unenlightened, lifts up his voice with his heart and also with his true mind; then immediately, the spirit of serene-mindedness asks the twin mentalities as to where each of their respective inclinations may lie.

13: O Lord Mazda, you perceive with utmost sharpness these questions people ask openly and secretly; And you are aware of anyone who undergoes the highest penance; For you observe all of these actions in accordance with Arta.

14: O Lord I ask of you as to that which happens now and that which will happen hereafter; I also ask of you about the reward for good deeds that is granted to the person possessed of Arta, and the question concerning whatever punishment is meted out to people who act in error; O Wise One, I inquire about what will be considered after each person’s death according to their respective actions.

15: I ask of You about the punishment of such a person; Of both the man who secures authority for the wicked person who works misdeeds in this world, O Lord, and the man who would be completely unfit for living on account of the harm he does to productive, industrious person who improves the land and generates prosperity for his community.

16: I ask of You how a man possessed of good wisdom might try to enhance the authority of his house, his province and his country, by means of Arta; O Lord Mazda, I ask of you when this type of man will be siding with You and what the nature of his actions will be.

17: Which of the two choices is greater? That which the man who earnestly pursues Arta chooses? Or the decision to follow untruthful doctrines? Let the enlightened man explain good teachings to the learned man; This work of giving religious instruction is not to be entrusted to the person who is a fanatic; O Lord Mazda, reveal to us the symbols of the Good Mind.

18: Let not any of you even hear the noxious utterances of the wicked man or his untruthful doctrines, because he may put into distress and destruction the house, the community, the town and the country; So neutralize and repel these wicked persons using whatever tools you have at your disposal.

19: The enlightened one is the one who hears and meditates over matters of Arta for the advantages of both these worlds; O Lord, the enlightened one is the ruler over truthful utterances and the controller of his own tongue; Through Your radiant Fire, those persons are fully absorbed in the good affairs of life.

20: The person who deceives the righteous man will have his abode hereafter in darkness for a long time; His food will be putrid and his shouts full of woe; O sinful person, on account of your own deeds, your wicked conscience will lead you to that dark world.

21: Lord Mazda will bestow Wellness and Immortality upon the righteous man who sows the seeds of prosperity; And by virtue of his own Lordship, He will bestow leadership and the benefits of Desirable Dominion, of happiness and of the Good Mind as well upon that righteous person, who through his own thoughts and actions, becomes His friend.

22: These matters are manifest for the one with good wisdom; Likewise for the one who understands with their Mind; That person with his good powers infused with thoughts and deeds, guards over Arta, the highest Truth of nature; O Lord Mazda, may such a person be regarded as the most helpful person for You.


CHAPTER 5: REFUTING UNTRUTH

&Regarding the mischievous leader Bendwa and the corrupt Kavi priests who accompany him, Zarathustra says:

1: His kinsmen, comrades and obedient minions who are all wicked persons, begged our Lord to interfere in our mission and sabotage it; But in my mind there is only joy of Lord Mazda! May we become Your messengers and may we become the men who repel those who torment You.

In accord with His authority, Lord Mazda, that sincere friend of Zarathustra who presides over all life, replies to the band of miscreants:
2: Through good thoughts and glorious Arta, we have chosen Serenity’s path of good and beneficent humility; May she be ours.

3: But all of you demons are of the brood of the Druj (Untruth), that spirit of lies and wicked thoughts; He who worships you ghastly beings is himself a deceiver and entertains many conceited ideas and is full of misplaced pride and insolence; Deceits, on account of which you have become quite notorious all across the many regions of this Earth, are more and more in you.

Zarathustra interjects:
4: O Lord of Lies, because you have perverted many minds, whereby men turn to doing the worst and speak utterances that only friends of demons would make, you turn men away from Good Thought; Moreover they are led astray from the noble path of Arta and wisdom-seeking that is bestowed by Lord Mazda, and they thus become liars and unwise.

5: O fiendish spirits, you have defrauded and misled many innocent people in matters relating to happiness of life and the Immortality of the soul; O demons, through wicked thoughts, lies, obfuscation and confusion, the Druj has convinced you that the destructive mentality (known as Angra Mainyu) is your ruler.

6: O Beneficent Lord, the doers of misdeeds will soon be brought to justice; Through Your best mental power, You are able to record and remember the actions and reactions of humans; O Wise One, I shall make permanent the prescriptions of Your teachings; And I shall propagate the laws of Arta under the auspices of your Sovereignty.

7: Among these bringers of strife and misery, no one is openly aware of the punishments related to the laws of action and reaction which affect the soul; The soul learns its lessons by means of punishments akin to the essence of glowing molten metal; O Lord Mazda, You have the best knowledge of what constitutes erroneous and malefic action.

8: Among all the fraudsters, egotists and ne’er-do-wells, the ancestral king Yima is well known; He had rejoiced in his mind all the great distress he caused to us men through the strength of his prideful, arrogant words; Knowing of Your first judgment of such a wicked person, I freely choose to associate with the Wise One.

9: The teachers of false doctrines will always try to distort these sacred verses, and through their false teachings they destroy the wisdom of men; Such persons snatch away from me my wish of pure conscience and true desire; Therefore, through my sincere prayer, I earnestly appeal to you O Wise One and to Arta that the knowledge and practice of Your divine wisdom will destroy these fraudulent teachers!

10: Such is the person who totally distorts the sacred verses and leads the good teachings astray from its original principles; Just what sort of person considers it very bad to see with his own eyes this Earth and the Sun? And what sort of person grants gifts to wicked persons? And what sort of person renders the fields desolate? And what sort of person torments the righteous people who pursue Arta?

11: These sort of people corrupt the manner of living which I enjoy, which is the good life men live through the excellent fruits of my teachings; Those who regard the wicked as great use their powers cunning and trickery to gain possession of the wealth of the lords and the ladies and work to inhibit noble and honorable persons from harboring the best thoughts.

12: What sort of person by means of false teachings would prevent men from performing their best actions? What sort of person through false teachings would joyfully destroy the life of the cattle and lay waste to cultivated land? What sort of person through false teachings willfully forsakes Truth and honor and instead prefers to obtain wealth through deceitful means? Who exactly are these plunderers who desire the authority of the Druj (Untruth)? The Wise Lord regards them as wicked and anathema to the spirit of Arta.

13: Lord Mazda considers as wicked all who promote the worst thoughts and desires to obtain wealth by evil practices, especially through the abuse of power; He considers as wicked all who are the destroyers of prosperity in this world; And all who in spite of their wishes being fulfilled, remain discontented; And all who in the face of Truth, hold back any messenger of Your sacred teachings.

14: The greedy person ensnared in worldly love relinquishes true wisdom by remaining in its bond; So does anyone who is willfully blind toward divine things; Such people seek counsel of those under the sway of the Druj (the Lie); They eagerly embrace that destructive glamour of deceit; It is so stated that the person who ignores the help of a wise sage who extends his life through Arta, ignores the soul-developing elixir itself.

Lord Mazda interjects:
15: I will expel from the heavens those who reject the religious laws which derive from my Good Mind and Arta, and of course those who outright refuse to listen to teachings that are a product of Good Thought and Arta; I will also expel those who attain great vitality and strength through their own will but refuse to grant help to those who promote good teachings; But through the two immortal spirits of Wellness and Immortality, those who do choose to offer help will be lifted up into the abode of my Good Mind.

Zarathustra addresses his disciples:
16: To get rid of those doubts you may have lingering in your mind, continuously heed the teachings of those widely intelligent on matters relating to questions of existence, for those of wide intelligence are akin to the very best beings in existence; Refuse the advice of those who have not proven their ability to comprehend the Good Mind and Arta.


CHAPTER 6: DEVOTION TO DUTY

A disciple speaks:

1: In accordance with the laws of the ancient world, the Spiritual Leader who is possessed of Good Mind and Arta will exercise the most just action upon persons both noble and wicked; He will exercise this most sound judgment also upon the man whose wicked and good deeds are mixed in equal proportion.

2: And to whoever through his word and thought and action foils a wicked person or teaches good things to an approaching stranger, let it be known that he will strengthen his own convictions by performing such actions.

3: He who behaves very well toward a virtuous person, whether that person is his relative, his business associate, his subordinate or caretaker of his cattle, He himself should be regarded as living in the domain of Good Mind and Arta.

4: O Lord Mazda, I drive away insolence and evil thought by means of prayers to You; By the force of prayers I drive away from me bad behaviors like haughtiness with my relatives, deceit with co-workers and my contempt towards subordinates working under my command, and regarding the cattle pastures, my immense carelessness.

5: The most excellent among all demigods worthy of veneration is Observance; I invoke you with an earnest request for help; Do you obtain for me a long life in the domain of Good Thought where God dwells, so that no evil thoughts of any kind may enter our minds; Do you help us to stay on the path of virtue on account of our devotion to Arta.

6: As the invoker of truth through Arta, I always remember You with the most mindful intent so that I may fulfill this work which is my wish; O Lord Mazda, I ask of You two things: (1) Vision of You, and (2) conversation with You about the good teachings.

7: O Wise One, come unto me and teach me whatever is best for me on account of Arta and good thought; Teach me how our words might be well received out in the wider world beyond our fellowship and let our devotional offerings become clearly manifested and known.

8: O Wise One, please make it known to me what is the main purpose of our mission so that I would pursue it with good intentions; The worship of one like You as well as words of Your fame with sincerity; Please do grant me the everlasting gift of Immortality in the spiritual world and of Wellness in this world, as a gift of Your love.

9: Lord Mazda and the Good Mind, the eternal promoters of Arta, are the two essences that inspire the states of wisdom and moderation which produce the best thoughts; Owing to the cooperation of these two, souls are proceeding closer and closer to perfection.

10: Owing to my devotion to you, please make manifest for me all the happy states of lie which had been enjoyed by men in the past, which are enjoyed in the present, and which will be enjoyed hereafter, O Wise One; Also, through good thought may You please strengthen my body through Arta, Dominion and radiant happiness.

11: O You who are the most beneficent, Wise One; and O you who are Serenity and Arta, bringing prosperity to the world; O you Good Mind and Dominion, heed all of you our requests and prayers and have mercy upon me for my every deed.

12: O Lord, please make me impervious to wicked deeds; may Your most beneficent spirit grant me strength on account of my serene humility; O Wise One, the giver of rewards for good devotional offerings, please bestow upon me vigor replete with power, on account of my Arta; And grant me lordship on account of my pure thoughts.

13: O Lord, for my rejoicing and for sufficiently acquiring knowledge of the good teachings, please grant me as a certainty the blessed gifts of Dominion and of Good Mind; O Serenity, teach me through Arta, the principles and insights of the good teachings.

14: Our sagacious spiritual leader Zarathustra dedicated the life of his own body and the excellence of his good thoughts and deeds unto the Wise One; He also dedicated his life to the pursuit of Arta and he established the authority of Observance for the maintenance and promulgation of the sacred verses.


CHAPTER 7: RENOVATION AND REBIRTH

A disciple speaks:

1: Our good words and good deeds come about as a result of our devotion to divine things; O Wise One, we offer up the Immortality of the spiritual world and all the sovereign power and holistic Wellness it bestows upon this world.

2: With a full heart we offer unto You the good thoughts and good deeds of beneficent men whose souls are accompanied by Arta; O Wise One, I approach You through prayer worthy of You and the divine songs of Your glorifiers.

3: O Lord, with humble adoration unto You through Arta, I offer vows and wishes; Within your dominion, living creatures are nourished on account of your good thoughts; The person possessed of this is the one who is fully sagacious and offers prayers to You and all the demigods who aid you.

4: O Lord, we ardently choose Your Fire; Which through Arta is mighty, swift, courageous and an ever-giving wellspring of delight that offers help in numerous wonderful ways; Fire, through its full strength, is the punisher and avenger of the wicked tormentor, O Wise One!

5: O Wise One, please tell me of that which your Dominion is founded upon and what your wish is, so that through my good works, I may remain in Your friendship; Being possessed of virtue and sincere intent, I give shelter to Your men in need; Being separated from all the demonic spirits and wicked men, we regard You as most excellent.

6: If You yourself are truly the highest form of Good Thought and Arta, then grant such inspiration to me in this world for enjoying my whole life so that I may approach You as Your most devoted worshiper and glorifier.

7: O Wise One, where are Your worshipers? By that, I mean the worshipers who through the understanding of good thought, regard the principles of Your teachings as true wealth, which they will fulfill with full intelligence in both happiness and distress; I have not known any one except You; Therefore, may you protect us through Arta.

8: For all those insolent and ignoble men cause us much anxiety because of their destructive and disruptive deeds; O Wise One, the person who defies Your principles is willing and able to take advantage of the weak and poor; Such a person does not pay heed to the honor and nobility of Arta, and from such a person, Good Thought will remain at quite a distance for quite a long time.

9: O Wise One, there are people who know Your beloved immortal spirit of Serenity, but in spite of that, they go through life performing misdeeds because of their ignorance of good thought; From such persons, Arta flees away entirely, just as wild noxious creatures flee away from us.

10: The person of good wisdom speaks about upholding deeds possessed of Good Thought, moreover he knows the spirit of Serenity to be the real foundation of a life devoted to pursuing Arta; O Lord Mazda, all of these moral virtues help our fellowship grow, because these virtues smite wickedness!

11: The Holy Spirits of Wellness and Immortality are for your nourishment; Through the mighty strength of good thoughts and through Arta, Your reverential Serene-mindedness increases; Strength and vigor come to us through them; You are the banisher of malice and harm!

12: What are Your guiding principles? What do You wish regarding Your praise and worship? O Wise One, please tell me openly all these things that I should hear! Tell me, so that I may accrue the blessings of your teachings; Through Arta, please do teach us the path of Good Thought.

13: O Lord, regarding the path of Good Thought on which you have instructed me, and about insight regarding future renovators of the good teachings, please explain these further so I may interpret them correctly; By pursuing this path and performing the good deeds which result from doing so, I will reap the rewards You have promised.

14: O Wise One, surely you have bestowed Your good wisdom upon this corporeal life; The promoters of deeds of wisdom are those of us living on this revolving world who are fully immersed in performing the deeds that arise out of Good Thought and Arta.

15: O Wise One, please instruct me on the sacred verses of these best teachings; That through the good deeds which result from understanding these verses, I will repay You with Good Thought and the noble practice of Arta; May You O Lord, through Your power, make my existence become a truly reinvigorated existence in accordance with Your will.


CHAPTER 8: OBSERVANCE

Zarathustra says:

1: O sacred hymns, salutations be unto you! May prosperity come to the person who spreads happiness to others; Through the spirit of Serenity, may Lord Mazda grant health and vigor to these benevolent persons; And In order to hold fast to the noble way of Arta, I earnestly ask of You that I too shall receive those gifts of health and vigor; Please grant me the wealth, good blessings and good life which reinforce Good Thought.

2: We should know Him with utmost sincerity; The glorious person who preservers His glory is the most fortunate among all; O most beneficent Spirit of divine wisdom, reveal yourself and with love and, through Arta, grant us the riches of Good Mind for the remaining days of our long lives.

3: The man who works in good faith to better himself is the man who can show true paths of profit in both this corporeal world and in the spiritual world where You dwell, O God; Being possessed of good wisdom, that man becomes the maker of prosperity in this world and he is regarded as Your devotee and is squarely on Your side.

4: O Wise One, I will certainly regard You as all-knowing and beneficent; Because, with Your hand You do grant help to the ignoble as well as the righteous man, and with the same hand, You shower Your blessings upon them; Possessing the strength of Arta and Good Mind, Your blessings shall come to me through the splendor of Your Fire.

5: O Lord Mazda, I recognized that You are indeed bountiful when I saw You most supreme in the creation of life; I recognize that You will grant men the appropriate reward for their deeds as well as their words; In accordance with your sense of justice that always reveals itself at the end of cycle of the creation, I recognize that evil possesses evil men, just as good blessings are bestowed upon good men.

6: O Wise One, at the end of each cycle of the creation, Your Holy Spirit and Your Good Mind and Your finely-wrought Dominion will become manifest through worldly deeds; The people of the world will become prosperous by means of Arta; Through Your wisdom, a great sage will teach peace and Serenity to the people; Such wisdom of Yours can not be thwarted!

7: O God, when your messenger, the demigod Observance, came to me through my Good Thought, it was at that point I sincerely considered You to be bountiful; He asked me: What are you? And whom do you stand with? If it’s indeed to the Wise One then how shall I relay all the correct signs and symbols pertaining to the good teachings so you can explain it in such a way that touches the hearts of the people residing in your lands?

8: I replied to Observance: May I openly be a powerful adversary of ignoble men and a mighty joy giver to the righteous men who earnestly pursue Arta; O Wise one, as long as I praise You and weave hymns of praise of Your fame, May I be absorbed into the splendor of Your desirable Dominion.

9: O Lord, when your messenger came to me through my Good Thought, I sincerely considered You to be bountiful; With love and respect, he asked me: What is your wish? I replied to him: To have the strength necessary to behold with reverence and affection my offering of Arta and homage upon Your Fire.

10: May You grant me Arta, because I earnestly yearn for it myself so that I may properly act in harmony with Lady Serenity; I approach You with our questions about the good teachings, because every question asked through You is courage-giving to us; By Your authority, any ruler in any place can hold steadfast to his supreme desire to be possessed of Arta, O Wise One.

11: O Lord Mazda, I sincerely considered You bountiful when your messenger came to me through my Good Thoughts, and first and foremost, when I became learned by means of Your sacred verses; But the things you taught me about promulgating the good teachings among men is difficult; Yet I will accomplish this great work because what You have told me is the greatest.

12: When You said to me that I am fully preaching the Truth of Arta, you did not proclaim that I must do so; therefore such a proclamation is not worth hearing of me; It was Your demigod helper who first sparked in me that great inspiration of You; I am now preparing myself for this great mission so that my companions in the fellowship may accrue Your blessings as a reward for their great efforts.

13: O Lord Mazda, I sincerely considered You bountiful when your messenger came to me through my good thoughts; In order to maintain the aim of my desire, may you grant me that long spiritual life which no one else until now has obtained in this way from You; the desirable things of existence which are said to be in Your kingdom.

14: That wise and powerful man who is my friend is able to bestow upon me that bliss derived from You, O Wise One; That bliss which you have ordained by means of your Sovereignty and Arta; I may incite the chiefs of these good teachings together with all others who remember Your numinous mantras.

15: O Lord Mazda, I sincerely considered You bountiful when your messenger came to me through my good thoughts and intelligently pointed out to me that a contented thought is the greatest thing; And that it would be ideal if a perfect man not become pleasing to a sinful man, because it’s the sinful man who has considered all righteous persons to be wicked.
A disciple concludes:

16: O Lord most bountiful, Zarathustra himself looks upon Your spirit with an eye of respect, as will any other person who follows his example; May Arta be powerful in this world and victoriously shine like our Sun with the full brilliance of Your entire Kingdom; May Serenity establish her own abode here in this world and through Good Thought may she bestow blessings upon men according to their deeds.


CHAPTER 9: ANSWERING QUESTIONS

Zarathustra asks Lord Mazda 20 questions:

1: O Lord, will You truly answer my inquiry regarding when prayers to You and your helpers are necessary? Next, O Wise One, it would be greatly pleasing if a friend like You may teach a friend like me about that prayer for giving help so that your helpers may come near us by way of good thoughts and fill us with bright intuition regarding the help You have to offer.

2: O Lord, will You truly answer my inquiry regarding the origin of the best way of life? In what way should the man who knows both of these worlds accrue benefits? You Yourself are indeed bountiful by way of Arta; You are indeed bountiful owing to the way you keep evil far away from all of us; And You are indeed a bountiful friend to us in both the corporeal and spiritual worlds, O Wise One.

3: O Lord, will You truly answer my inquiry regarding who was the creator and father of Arta in the beginning? Who determined the path of the Sun and of the stars? Who is there other than You through whom the Moon waxes and wanes? O Wise One, I do wish to know these as well as other things.

4: O Lord, will You truly answer my inquiry regarding who is the supporter of the Earth? And who prevents the sky from falling down? Who created waters and plants? Who bestowed swiftness in the wind and the clouds? Who is the creator of Good Mind, O Wise One?

5: O Lord, will You truly answer my inquiry regarding what architect fashioned light and darkness? What architect fashioned sleep and wakefulness? Who created morning, noon and night? Which of the three parts of the day are the best reminders to the observant priest about his duties?

6: : O Lord, will You truly answer my inquiry regarding whether or not the things I say are true? Does Serenity increase Arta through her deeds? What is it you have established? Is it Your Kingdom of Good Thought? For whom did you fashion this joy-bringing world that turns?

7: O Lord, will You truly answer my inquiry regarding who fashioned the agreeable spirit of Serenity together with her exalted status? Who through his far-sighted wisdom made the son beloved to the father? These are matters I wish to know from You, O bountiful and wise being of Mind, creator of all life!

8: O Lord, will You truly answer my inquiry regarding those five daily prayers You have prescribed for us? The prayers which must be performed through Good Thought; And which, by way of Arta, are necessary in this world for acquiring happiness; Which meritorious deeds shall I perform so that my soul will be pleased?

9: O Lord, will You truly answer my inquiry regarding the methods I shall employ to keep pure these good teachings and its prescriptions? What is the manner worthy of a wise leader who is a reflection of Your Sovereignty you have taught me? On account of Your Sovereignty, You dwell in one abode only, together with Arta, O Wise One.

10: O Lord, will You truly answer my inquiry regarding this religion which is the best among all the existing religions and the one which can bring prosperity to my lands following the path of Arta? And which, by way of the sacred verses of Serene thought, can make our deeds true? May all the desires of my wisdom incline toward You alone, O Wise One.

11: O Lord, will You truly answer my inquiry regarding the way Serenity will exert her influence over those who proclaim Your religion? Among those listeners I have recognized You as the being proclaimed the best; Through my inner spirit, I look upon all the other wicked gods with contempt.

12: O Lord, will You truly answer my inquiry regarding who is righteously possessed of Arta and who is wicked among those I meet with? On which side is the evil one, Angra Mainyu? Which of the two is the evil one? Who blames me and Your good creations? Why is that wicked person himself not regarded as belonging to Angra Mainyu?

13: O Lord, will You truly answer my inquiry regarding how we should drive deceit away from us and how we should drive away those who willfully ignore the prescriptions of our good teachings? How do we repel those who are not willing to pursue Arta and those who are not pleased by the promotion of morality?

14: O Lord, will You truly answer my inquiry regarding how I shall deliver deceit into the hands of Arta? How shall destroy deceit through the numinous mantras of Your sacred verses? What are the words for causing heavy destruction among the promoters of untruth and ignoble deeds? Which words will prevent them from propagating their intrigues and frauds?

15: O Lord, will You truly answer my inquiry regarding how You rule together with Arta in this world as the protector of all? When two armies will meet together in complete opposition, then in accordance with the laws You have laid down, to which of these two armies will you grant victory?

16: O Lord, will You truly answer my inquiry regarding who shall be the one who smites their foes? By the help of Your words which army shall you be protecting? Will you clearly reveal to me a wise spiritual leader who dwells in both worlds? Through Good Thoughts, may the demigod Observance approach anyone who points out the path of virtue, O Wise One.

17: O Lord, will You truly answer my inquiry regarding how I shall draw towards myself the loving attraction of Your spirit? And how shall I realize your love fully so that my voice may fulfill my wishes? And by which mantras may I obtain for my leadership, through Arta, the essences of Wellness and Immortality?

18: O Lord, will You truly answer my inquiry regarding how, by way of Arta, I shall be worthy of that prize of ten pregnant mares and a camel? O Wise One, this prize is known to me through the essences of Wellness and Immortality; I will dedicate both prizes to You and give them away to a pious man.

19: O Lord, will You truly answer my inquiry regarding those who will not give that prize to the deserving man and any one who does not grant it even to a truthful man? What will be his punishment in this worldly life? Because I am aware of that which will certainly take place after death in the world beyond.

20: O mighty Lord, what is to be considered of the gods these marauding clans worship? I ask you about this because they constantly harass and agitate against the deserving and truthful men of our land; And by way of malefic religious practices, the wicked clan chiefs have delivered even these lands into evil; The corrupt Kavi priests have grown ever-more-powerful on account of these plundering warlords; They thwart those who, by way of Arta, keep the fields fresh and green and increase prosperity; May radiant happiness come to that person who may reach others through radiant happiness; May Lord Mazda, ruling at will, grant health and vigor to the benevolent man; In order to hold fast to Arta, I sincerely ask of You that health and vigor; By way of Serenity, may you grant me wealth, good blessings and the life of Good Mind!


CHAPTER 10: ZARATHUSTRA’S SERMON

Zarathustra gives a sermon to his fellowship:

1: May all of you listen attentively to the matters I speak openly of: Those of you who are coming from near and far to learn about this good path, please bear in mind all of my teachings, so that charlatans and cheats may not once again bring ruin to your lives; The wicked man goes astray through the evil doctrine of the false teacher.

2: I declare to the members of this fellowship my deep knowledge regarding the twin mentalities of this world: When these Twins first make contact with one another, nothing of their respective thoughts, teachings, understandings, manners, deeds, souls or consciences are ever in a state of conformity or agreement.

3: I will expound to you, first and foremost, my knowledge of life in this world, which the all-knowing Wise One has spoken to me about: Those among you who will not put into practice these auspicious mantras I have instructed you on, your lives will end in calamity.

4: Next is something important I must stress regarding the all-knowing Wise One Himself, the Lord who is all-seeing and who has given me these numinous words on account of Arta: He is never deceived by anyone; He is Father of Good Thought in this world; And His daughter Serenity is always working benevolent things.

5: I will explain to you the sacred verses of our good teachings, about which the Bounteous One said to me and which is the most beneficial for men to hear: Those who will devote Observance and attention to Him will acquire Wellness and Immortality; In addition to this, Lord Mazda will appear to you through your Good Thoughts.

6: I will explain to you about the greatest of all and I will also sing hymns in His praise; These acts of devotion are performed through Good Thought and Arta; Lord Mazda will hear my prayer through his Holy Spirit; He will teach me this through his own best wisdom.

7: The charitable ones who are living, who have lived and who will be living, earnestly desire His gifts; The soul of the man who cultivates Arta is the soul aspiring for the Immortality of the spiritual realm; But to sinful persons, tribulations are severe; Lord Mazda, the creator of life, has established these laws of nature (Logos) through his Sovereign power.

8: We wish to praise Him with hymns of adoration; We wish to praise Him because we are indeed aware of the good teachings; I now clearly see with my own eyes that Wise Lord of Good thoughts, words and deeds; We will offer His songs of praise not only in this world, but in the heavenly realm too!

9: Being gathered here together with Good Thought, we wish to make an offering to He who is wishing good for us; He has given us the choice of weal and woe; In order to make our men and cattle prosperous, Lord Mazda, through his Sovereign power, will bestow upon us the strength we require, on account of our good wisdom and Arta.

10: Through our humility we wish to offer prayers to He who through his impenetrable strength is known as all-Wise and the bestower of life, and who through Arta and Good Thought, has decreed Wellness and Immortality for virtuous persons in His Dominion; And, He bestows an ever-replenishing strength and might upon the virtuous person.

11: It is the virtuous person looks upon the wicked spirits with utter disgust and holds in contempt those people who despise the Wise One; It is the virtuous person who looks upon Him and and the wise Saviors of our bountiful good religion with reverence; O Lord Mazda, you are the friend, helper and Father of that virtuous person; To such a person, the evil spirits and their followers are anathema.


CHAPTER 11: ZARATHUSTRA’S EXILE

Zarathustra speaks after being exiled from his homeland and separated from many of his followers:

1: To what land shall I turn? Where should I go? For I have been driven out of my home country and separated from my family and most of my followers! Neither the diligent workers, nor the cruel tyrants of my homeland, nor anyone else please me; O Wise Lord, in light of these unfortunate events, how should I go on worshiping you?

2: O Wise One, I am well aware of these unfortunate facts and thus disappointed; I still have a small amount of possessions and a small following; Therefore, I humbly beg You for some consolation on this condition of mine, O Lord, just as a friend can give to another friend; Please teach me through Arta about the wealth of Good Mind.

3: O Wise One, when will the best wisdom of the Saviors will come forth for the prosperity of the world through Arta? This is the wisdom that comes about through effective spiritual utterances which bring ever-increasing light up until the end-of-days; To whom will this Savior give help on account of possessing Good Mind? O God, I choose You as my teacher!

4: It’s the wicked and corrupt men who stymie the supporters of Arta, plunder the cattle of the province, and hinder movement throughout the land; This evil man of ill-gotten power destroys life by way of his wicked deeds; The man of good wisdom who overthrows such a wicked person from his position of power or brings him to justice, will open widely the paths for the cattle to traverse.

5: During my travels I encountered two newcomers; First, a powerful man of many noble qualities; He had good knowledge of laws, had firm sense of justice and was someone who always kept his word on his contracts; And the second was guest in his house; He was a deceitful man falling into destruction; Being possessed of Arta, the noble man was able to discriminate right from wrong and thus discern the wicked man as being just that; And for the sake of spiritual attainment, I informed the righteous man that he should share his knowledge about his deceitful guest with the rest of his household so the matter could be settled with careful deliberation; And that rightfully dealing with the wicked man and ceasing any association with him will save the righteous man’s soul from ruin.

6: The man who, in spite of being powerful, does not come to the aid of the righteous person being harmed, is he himself truly considered to be an agent of the Druj (Untruth); Because he who serves the wicked man is wicked himself; On the contrary, he who is righteous to other righteous people, is beloved; O God, you first and foremost have fixed in place the principles of these good teachings.

7: O Wise One, what man other than you is able grant protection to me and my followers? We are constantly harassed by wicked men who glare at us and threaten us with violence; Who can it be other than Your Fire and your Good Mind? Through the actions of these two, Arta increases all around and wickedness flees; O Lord, may you please impart upon me that knowledge of the good teachings to me so that I may keep spreading this knowledge.

8: The person who intends to harm me and my fellowship shall not have his wrathful flames come near us through his misdeeds; He shall be consumed by his own hatred and malice and thus never experience happiness or a good life; O Wise One, no person can begin redeem their past wrongs while they are still in a state of anguish.

9: Who is the first one who regarded me as advanced and devoted? Just as we regarded You with loftiness in the matters of action, as the brilliant, bountiful God; In the same way, through your Arta and Good Mind, I will be able to gain more insight on how mortal life shaped this world and how the origin of this life might correspond with Arta.

10: O Lord Mazda, I will point out the path to Your worship for any man or woman who may: Give me the best of this life which You indeed have known, pursue Arta for the sake of Arta, and exercise their Sovereignty through Good Mind; I will point out the path that leads them to crossing the bridge of sorting.

11: The corrupt priests and princes intend to drain the life out of their countrymen by means of their wicked deeds; By way of these misdeeds their souls will harden and they will stand rebuffed by their own conscience; When they attempt to cross the Bridge of Sorting they will fall off and land in their dwelling which is the miserable abode of the Druj (Untruth).

12: But with majesty owing to Arta, a powerful Turanian dynasty and their subjects are prosperous and blessed by Lady Serenity because of their skillfulness; Lord Mazda has comes to them through Good Mind and for the sake of their happiness and He has pointed out the right path to them.

A disciple speaks:
13: To those among men who shall please Zarathustra Spitama with the gift of affection, To that man himself, Lord Mazda shall grant heaven, and on account of Good Thought, shall render prosperous his family and cattle; That man possessed of Arta we regard and Your friend, since the one he devotes affection to is himself worthy of proclaiming the tenets of the good teachings.

14: O Zarathustra, who is Your true friend for this great mission and who wishes to spread the message of these good teachings among the people? Zarathustra replies: Indeed it is the brave King Hystaspes himself; Through the sacred verses of Good Thought I invoke those whom Lord Mazda has regarded worthy of sitting in the heavenly assembly.

15: O scions of Haechat-Aspa, of the family of Spitama, now I will declare to you the tenets of these good teachings because you are able to discern right from wrong; Through your deeds you have decided the path of Arta for yourselves, in accordance with the primeval divine law.

16: O Frasostres of the family of Hvova! You all should go forth together with these helpers whom we both have chosen for the benefit of the world; Where Lady Serenity follows Arta; Where the desirable Sovereignty of Good Thoughts reigns; And where Lord Mazda dwells in his own honored abode.

17: O wise Jamasp of the family of Hvo-gva, I will praise you in poetic cadence, not just in ordinary language; The person who is known to be observant is always dedicating venerable offerings to Him and is able to discriminate between true and false; Lord Mazda will maintain affection upon that person.

18: The best gift will be accrued to he who is the source of delight to me; And with Good Thought I may give him a share of my possessions; But calamity will befall he who will inflict pain upon us; O Wise One, I wish to satisfy your wish through Arta; This is the only decision of my mind and wisdom.

19: O Zarathustra, the person who shall manifestly accomplish my sincere wish for me through Arta, will be considered deserving of the reward in the world to come and in this revolving Earth together with wealth made up of many honors; O Wise One, you did teach me this fact!


CHAPTER 12: SPIRITUAL QUALITIES

A disciple speaks:

1: Salutations be unto Lord Mazda’s Holy Spirit by way of His sacred hymns; Owing to the best thoughts, words and deeds inspired through Arta, He gives us the Wellness of this world and Immortality of the world beyond, that Serene domain of the heavenly realms.

2: Any person, owing to the Good Thoughts of his mind, the Good Words of his tongue and the Good Deeds of both his hands, can secure the best of His Holy Spirit; Only by means of religious wisdom can it be known that the Lord Himself is the origin of Truth.

3: Of this Spirit You are bountiful; You fashioned this joy-producing world for our prosperity and are thus joy-giving; And Lady Serenity nurtures our prosperity through our combined Good Thoughts.

4: Of the qualities regarding the Twin Spirits: torment comes not to the virtuous, but to the wicked, O bountiful Wise One; For keeping the virtuous man pleased, his needs are always the same; But for keeping the wicked man pleased, his need is always for more and more, despite how powerful that wicked man may be.

5: Regarding that which is best gift: O Holy Spirit of Lord Mazda, you are manifestly giving to the virtuous man possessed of Arta; But remaining far from Your love, the wicked man, on account of his wicked deeds, partakes in the consequences of his own actions and becomes a co-dweller in the miserable realm of Untruth.

6: O Holy Spirit of Lord Mazda, through Your Fire, you give the rightful reward to the two rivals by means of your proper justice, in accordance with their attainment of Serene-mindedness and of the virtues required to attain that state; Indeed those two contestants approve fully of Your proper justice.


CHAPTER 13: GODLY ADVICE FOR THE FELLOWSHIP

A disciple speaks:

1: When the virtuous man will smite falsehood and deceit by means of his benevolent deeds and his cultivation of Arta, and when the things which were declared to be the deceits of the wicked spirits and wicked persons will come out in their true shapes, then Your adoration will spread along with Your benefits, O God!

2: O God, because you are all-knowing, please do tell me prior to the time of the great battle I must fight: Will the man possessed of Arta overcome the wicked man of deceit and misdeeds? O Wise One, if he does indeed win, then surely this shall be understood as the most excellent event of his life?

3: Unto that wise man and his best teachings, the bountiful and all-knowing God who is the bestower of good things, teaches through Arta; These teachings are in fact His mystical verses; O Wise One, anyone can be Your nearest devotee through the wisdom of the Good Mind.

4: O Wise One, the person who keeps his Mind perfectly-attuned and thus holy, is the one who through words and deeds keeps the good teachings pure; His wish follows his faith and fealty; His destiny is distinctly in Your wisdom.

5: May good rulers rule over us, not wicked rulers; O Serenity, by the deeds of good wisdom, purity is able to be the best thing for man from birth; Man must steward his cattle because they increase our food.

6: Because she is our precious property and in the wishes of Good Thought, the cow grants us strength and power; Through Arta, Lord Mazda grew vegetation for her in the creation of the primeval world.

7: You should keep the demon of wrath suppressed by driving out violence and hatred; You who wish to hold fast to the path of Good Thought through Arta; This path is the one dedicated to the beneficent man of this world.

8: O Wise One, what is the main object of your just Sovereignty? What is the effective prayer for securing the Your holy reward and blessing to my soul? For me to be the promoter of deeds stemming from Good Thought, how shall I attract Your manifested helpers through Arta?

9: If you rule over every realm of creation by means of Arta, when will I gain knowledge regarding that matter which I have doubts about? Which is: I wish to know about what happens at the end of righteous lives full of good and beneficent thought? The Savior you send us must know this fact so that benefits may accrue to him.

10: O Wise One, when will men of perfected mind come and when will they remove the mental blight which enables the corrupt princes and priests who rule over this land to perpetuate evil by means of their wicked minds?

11: O Wise One, when will Serenity and Arta be accrued to us? And when will we be in possession of a prosperous and pleasant abode? Who will give us happiness and peace that will protect us from wicked and bloodthirsty men? To whom shall come the wisdom of the Good Mind?

12: They are the Saviors of the lands who will surely adhere to the knowledge of the good teachings through their Good Mind, good deeds and Arta, in accord with Your prescriptions; Because they are appointed as the vigorous opponents of hatred, O Wise One.


CHAPTER 14: ZARATHUSTRA BEGS FOR HELP AGAINST A WICKED ENEMY

Zarathustra speaks:

1: O Wise One, that most powerful warlord Bendwa always opposes me and the disheartened Arta-seeking people I desire to please; Therefore, please come with Your good reward and help me with this difficulty of mine; Through Good Mind, I seek out Bendwa’s demise.

2: The false doctrines Bendwa and his peoples practice makes me anxious; In addition, that tormenting deceiver, he the one who is cut off from Arta, does not uphold at any time anything resembling the benevolent humility of Lady Serenity; And of course he is nowhere near the Good Mind, O Wise One.

3: In order to render benefit to the people of this world, Arta must be laid down, O Wise One.; In order to cause harm to the people of this world, Untruth is laid down; Such is the wicked doctrine of the pretentious Bendwa; I choose the chieftainship of Good Thoughts; With contempt, I declare all the willing companions of that treacherous ruler to be anathema.

4: Such people, who through wicked wisdom increase anger and jealousy with their own tongues, are futile amid diligent men; Their inclinations are not toward good deeds, but towards wicked deeds; They support demons through their religion of the False One, the destructive spirit Angra Mainyu.

5: The person who through Good Mind, regards these good teachings as the best doctrine, is he himself the source of abundance and prosperity; Through the Arta of Serenity, any such person is considered to be of good understanding, and he will proceed with happiness to Your sovereign divine realm, O Lord.

6: O Wise One, I zealously choose You through the thoughts of Your wisdom; Truth is attracted to that which is true and thus what is true must be adapted so that we may be able to proclaim these good teachings of Yours, O Lord.

7: O Wise One, please take notice of the person who listens to this message through his Good Mind and thinks it over sincerely with Arta in mind; O God, who will become my helper according to Arta? And who will be like a relative? Who may provide me constructive advice for my work?

8: O Lord, please give me the strength I need to give to help and protection to Frasostres, specifically chieftainship possessed of Arta; This request I beg of You for my sake so that under Your good Sovereignty, we may forever be beloved of all.

9: The hard-working, intelligent man born for benefiting the world will listen to the prescriptions of the good teachings; The truthful person should lead the wicked or associate with them; Pious men unite with the best reward, just as heroic Hystaspes and the wise Jamaspa are united under the banner of Arta.

10: O Wise One, I entrust in Your shelter of Good Thought the souls of those who pursue Arta; And the souls who bring about Serenity and prosperity through prayer; Owing to their great spiritual power, these souls become indestructible.

11: Those people under the spell of the evil spirits are committing evil deeds, speaking evil words, and are of evil-minded conscience; The demons, equipped with stinking and foul food, go forth to congregate with the souls of the wicked; And the fate of these souls truly lies in the abode of the Druj (Untruth).

12: O Lord, how much of Your divine grace do you wish to give for Your mortal and humble Zarathustra, on account of his attainment of the Highest Arta? How much of Your divine grace do you wish to give on account of his Good Thought? O Wise One, with a hymn of praise, I will extol You acting according to Your will which eagerly yearns for whatever is the best.


CHAPTER 15: COMMUNION

A disciple speaks:

1: O Lord Mazda, I invoke you to tell me whether my soul has has wished for the help of the one who shall protect my cattle, and the one who shall protect me; Who will these protectors be other than Your Arta and Good Thought?

2: O Wise One, how does a man make manifest this joy-bringing world that he wishes to be full of prosperity? Those living truthfully through Arta are the ones who shine with the abundance of the sun; Please grant me the gifts that will bring me into that state, O Lord!

3: O Wise One, the powers of Arta, Good Mind and Dominion come to he who transforms himself through spiritual growth; That person, strengthened by His gifts will promote transformation of this world which has been plagued by those wrongful people in the grip of Untruth.

4: O Lord Mazda, I who am Your singer of praises always invoke You with sincere Arta, with the Best Thoughts and with steadfast Sovereign strength; So that I might stand on the path of the Bridge of Sorting and hear openly the hymns of adoration in the heavenly realms.

5: O Lord of Wisdom and Arta, you indeed bring joy fully into the unveiler of Your numinous words; You do this by giving Your powerful and manifest help so that your helpers may grant us happiness with sufficient vigor on account of the strength of your aid.

6: Zarathustra is a friend to any man who pronounces the Wise One’s auspicious mantras with sincerity and homage; By means of his tongue, Zarathustra is always the keeper of wisdom and the conductor of the right path; He says that any person can teach the divine secrets through Good Thought.

7: O Wise One, I meditate upon You only through Arta and Good Thought; Through this I reach the beneficial strong and steadfast path of Your adoration; On account of my cultivation of Arta and Good Thoughts, please guide me toward that path and become my helper.

8: O Wise One, together with poetic hymns sung from the fullness of my heart which I know fully, I earnestly aim to reach toward You; I do this with both of my hands uplifted in the spirit of Arta; And I reach up toward You with adoration accompanied by libations; I perform all of these acts through the excellence of Good Thought.

9: O Wise One, may I the praiser reach You through these acts of veneration, which are performed through Arta, good deeds and good thoughts; When I am steadfast about my wish of bringing Arta to this world, then my wishes become akin to that of a man possessed of good wisdom; By that, I am earnestly yearning You with the observance of a humble petitioner.

10: Through all of these, whatever good acts I will perform successively will be considered worthy of respect in eyes of men possessed of Good Thoughts; The stars, the sun or any body which transmits light, all move about the cosmos while singing Your hymns of praise, O Lord Mazda!

11: I will be known as the singer of Your hymns of praise as long as I can wield the Wise One’s power through Arta; The creator of life fulfills the beneficent wishes of those who perform good deeds through Good Thoughts.


CHAPTER 16: DESIRABLE DOMINION

A disciple speaks:

1. Homage be unto you, O hymns possessed of Arta! The good Dominion that is worthy of desire and most beneficial in spreading wealth, prosperity and happiness among the people, is the Dominion that is full of Arta and the pious deeds that spring forth from it; O Wise One, let me accomplish now that which is best for all of us.

2: O Wise One, concerning the establishment of Arta, I regard You and Lady Serenity as most supreme; Please grant me the domains I wish to infuse with Arta; For our acts of veneration performed in the spirit of Good Thought, please grant us the acquisition of its advantages.

3: O Wise One, those souls who will eventually merge with You are of the souls of the persons who consider You as Lord: by way of their deeds, truthful utterances and earnest prayers possessed of Good Thought; They are those whose foremost guide is You.

4: Where does one obtain their reward for performing acts of goodness? It is in the world beyond! How is one pardoned for their misdeeds? They are pardoned by rendering service to their brethren and performing benevolent deeds! Where shall there be attainment of Arta? And where shall we find the beneficent mentality? We shall find this in the person who drives away falsehood and arrogant pride! Where does the best thought reside? In the one who does not wish ill of anyone! Where is Your Sovereignty, O Wise One? It is everywhere!

5: The diligent man asks questions regarding all these matters, so that he may render the world prosperous through Arta; The diligent man is the one who cultivates Arta through his good deeds; He is the man who attains good wisdom through humility; And he is the one who defers with reverence to the righteous spiritual teacher of just laws.

6: The person who curries favor with Him is the person who venerates Him with libations; The Wise One of the Divine Domain, grants this favor; However the one who does not perform this proper observance will be worse off at the end of his worldly existence.

7: O Wise One who has created cattle, waters and plants, please grant me Wellness of the body and Immortality of the heavens; O Mazda, the most Beneficent Spirit, please grant me strength, power and insightful teachings, on account of my Good Thought.

8: O Wise One, I will indeed announce Your words among the people; Because, the wise man man should declare to observant men that eventually there is punishment for the wicked and happiness for those who pursue and promote Arta; And joyous is that wise man who teaches the people through auspicious mantras.

9: Through Your blazing fire and molten metal, You do bring into recognition among these two opposing parties, their respective orientations toward good and evil; You do this by manifesting its evidence; In both worlds, You punish the wicked and grant happiness to the righteous, O Wise One.

10: O Wise One, the man who seeks to harm me by working against the natural law (Logos) of Arta is he himself the child of the Druj’s (The Lie’s) creation; Such people are foolish and ignorant; For myself, I praise Arta; As the reward of Your good blessing, may Arta accrue unto me!

11: O Wise One, what man is the true friend of Zarathustra Spitama? What man had asked questions in the spirit of Arta? Through whom can the beneficent Serene state be gained? What truthful man of Good Thought has knowledge of the Herculean task that lies ahead?

12: There are two types of people, the perverted and the impious, who do not please Zarathustra Spitama on this earthly bridge; Zarathustra is the one who has attained supreme status as the bringer of Arta to this world; It is those two types of people who indeed annoy him by means of their ignoble misuse of vigor.

13: Without doubt, the doctrine of the wicked man is eventually dismantled by the insightful teachings of the earnest, truth-seeking man; On the well-known Bridge of Sorting, the soul of the ignorant man wishes to reach the path of Arta; But owing to his own acts and his own tongue, he cannot cross; Hence his soul weeps in agony.

14: The wicked Karapans are unable to achieve friendship by means of gifts, good industry or any good act whatsoever; Neither their deeds or doctrines result in the proper stewardship of cattle; Because of their corrupt ways and shoddy methods, they will ultimately fall into the abode of the Druj (the Lie).

15: That heavenly reward Zarathustra has arranged for the Magi (the fellowship) foremost, will also be awarded to you (any adherent of the good teachings) with blessings on account of your Good Thought and dedication to Arta.

16: King Hystaspes realized the wisdom of Good Thought, by means of his virtuous conduct which is in accord with Arta; And thus he has attained rightful sovereignty; He is a wise and benevolent man and thus he will bring radiant happiness to his domains, O Wise Lord.

17: Frasostres, a descendant of the Hvogva family, has shown me his precious daughter; He has done so for the benefit of the good religion; It would be ideal if Lord Mazda Himself may ordain my marriage to Frasostres’s daughter; Because of her dedication to Arta, all of you in the fellowship should acknowledge her with respect.

18: Jamaspa of the wise family of Hvogva desires that sufficient glory which is acquired through Arta, and to understand the kingdom of Good Thought; O Lord Mazda, please grant me that which gives you joy.

19: Zarathustra said: O Maidyo-Maongha, descendant of Spitama, recites the laws of Divine Wisdom; He can now do so because he has gained understanding of the good teachings; And having displayed his love for the people of this world, and having become virtuous through the acts of his life, he is now regarded as devoted to us.

20: All you divine spirits, please grant us happiness and prosperity on account of our devotion to Arta, and Good Thought and homage that accrues us the Serene state of mind; May we venerate Him with humility; And may the seekers venerate the Wise One with eagerness and joy.

21: The man who has attained the Serene state is himself bountiful; He is so through good utterances and good actions; Owing to this man’s spiritual practice, Lord Mazda bestows him the gift of Arta and the realm of Good Mind; This is the divine blessing I make an offering for.

22: Regarding those who are the best at performing devotions through Arta, and thus become known by Lord- Wisdom; And concerning those who have been and who are known by Him, I offer devotion to such persons with their own names, so I can reach them with sincere love.


CHAPTER 17: BEST WISHES

A disciple addresses the fellowship:

1: The best wish of Zarathustra Spitama had been fulfilled when Lord Mazda granted him two gifts on account of his devotion to Arta: (1) Happiness of the heavens for all eternity; (2) Those who had previously been tormenting him were now wishing earnestly to learn the principles and acts of his good teachings.

2: Now they are eager to learn and teach with good thoughts, good words and good deeds; They are now recognized as those who sing the hymns of praise to the Wise One; They have faith in the efficacy of the lore and rituals; King Hystaspes and Frasostres, both of whom have accepted the word of Zarathustra, are now well-versed in his teachings and will teach the truthful path of these good teachings; This is the path the divinely-ordained Saviors and Renovators will keep renewing.

Zarathustra had three sons and three daughters; The Sons were named, (1) Isat Vastra, (2) Urvatat Vastra, (3) Khorshed-cheher; The Daughters, (1) Freni, (2) Thriti, (3) Pouri-chista

3: O you, Pouri-chista, the youngest among the daughters of Zarathustra of the family Haechat-aspana, of the descendent of Spitama, the creator of this world has arranged for you a husband who is devoted to Good Thoughts and Arta; Therefore you should be conversing with him, and through the most bountiful wisdom of Serene-mindedness, may you make this arrangement work with good prudence.

4: Pouri-chista replies: Indeed I will love him and I will aim to show him more love than he does for me; Pouri-chista is the daughter who will remain faithful to her father, to her husband, to the diligent men of her community, as well as her kinsmen, and to men who cultivate virtue by way of Arta; Her wish of heavenly Good Thought will be fully fulfilled and the Wise One will grant her good conscience for all of eternity.

Zarathustra speaks:
5: I speak the word of admonition for this maiden and to you, the bridegroom who is marrying her; Please bear in mind these utterances of mine; Being educated through wise religious-minded people, you will strive to secure a life of Good Thought and of Arta; Keep on loving each other and those among you and the domestic life of each one shall be happy.

6: But, O ladies and gentlemen, should you manifestly block the path of Falsehood and its advancement, you will sever your body’s connection from the worship of the Druj (the Lie); Happiness that derived from disrepute and shame is destructive for men; You pervert your spiritual life when you keep company with truth-destroying ignoble persons, O men and women.

7: O ladies and gentlemen, you will get the reward of that great task when your inner greed and wicked lust, both of which are attached to the bottom of your heart, will be completely removed; And then wicked thoughts will be fully chased out of you; Therefore you should roll up your sleeves for this great adventurous work, otherwise your speech will be that of woe to the end.

8: May those who work wicked deeds be defeated! May they all be jeered at with contempt and lamenting; At the hands of good rulers, may they suffer misery and wounds! May they be banished from our dwellings and communities; Let the evil-doer himself be bound in double fetters and those chains shaken; May the greatest blow of death come upon him quickly.

9: Concerning those persons who adhere to destructive beliefs: Your most devoted religious guides must suffer calamity; Intentionally, the destroyers of Arta are to be considered sinners; Where is the righteous ruler who can destroy the freedom and life of those wicked persons? O Wise One, surely Your Dominion is such that You may bestow goodness upon the meek person who lives truthfully.


Translated by: M.Agathon
This version dated: June 2018 CE
For copyright details see: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Author website: returnofthemagi.wordpress.com