Vendidad 10

Fargard X

Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda: 'O Ahura Mazda! most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I fight against that Drug who from the dead rushes upon the living? How shall I fight against that Drug who from the dead defiles the living?'

Ahura Mazda answered: 'Say aloud those words in the Gâthas that are to be said twice'. Say aloud those words in the Gâthas that are to be said thrice. 'Say aloud those words in the Gâthas that are to be said four times.'

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Which are those words in the Gâthas that are to be said twice?

Ahura Mazda answered: 'These are the words in the Gâthas that are to be said twice, and thou shalt twice say them aloud:- ahyâ yâsâ... urvânem (Yasna XXVIII, 2). humatenẩm... maht (Yas. XXXV, 2), ashahyâ âad sairê... ahubyâ (Yas. XXXV, 8), yatha tú i... ahurâ (Yas. XXXIX, 4), humâim thwâ... hudaustemâ (Yas. XLI, 3), thwôi staotaraskâ... ahurâ (Yas. XLI, 5). ustâ ahmâi... mananghô (Yas. XLIII, 1), spentâ mainyu... ahurô (Yas. XLVII, 1), vohu khshathrem... vareshânê (Yas. LI, 1), vahistâ istis... skyaothanâkâ (Yas. LIII, 1).

And after thou hast twice said those Bis-âmrutas, thou shalt say aloud these victorious, most healing words:— "I drive away Angra Mainyu' from this house, from this borough, from this town, from this land; from the very body of the man defiled by the dead, from the very body of the woman defiled by the dead; from the master of the house, from the lord of the borough, from the lord of the town, from the lord of the land; from the whole of the world of Righteousness.

"I drive away the Nasu, I drive away direct defilement, I drive away indirect defilement, from this house, from this borough, from this town, from this land; from the very body of the man defiled by the dead, from the very body of the woman defiled by the dead; from the master of the house, from the lord of the borough, from the lord of the town, from the lord of the land; from the whole of the world of Righteousness."

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Which are those words in the Gâthas that are to be said thrice?

Ahura Mazda answered: 'These are the words in the Gâthas that are to be said thrice, and thou shalt thrice say them aloud:- ashem vohů... (Yas. XXVII, 14), ye sevistô... pait! (Yas. XXXIII, 11), hukhshathrôtemâi... vahistâi (Yas. XXXV, 5), duzvarenâis... vahyo (Yas. LIII, 9).

After thou hast thrice said those Thrisâmrutas, thou shalt say aloud these victorious, most healing words:- "I drive away Indra, I drive away Sauru ', I drive away the daêva Naunghaithya', from this house, from this borough, from this town, from this land; from the very body of the man defiled by the dead, from the very body of the woman defiled by the dead; from the master of the house, from the lord of the borough, from the lord of the town, from the lord of the land; from the whole of the world of Righteousness.

"I drive away Tauru, I drive away Zairi, from this house, from this borough, from this town, from this land; from the very body of the man defiled by the dead, from the very body of the woman defiled by the dead; from the master of the house, from the lord of the borough, from the lord of the town, from the lord of the land; from the whole of the holy world." II (19). O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Which are those words in the Gâthas that are to be said four times?

Ahura Mazda answered: 'These are the words in the Gâthas that are to be said four times, and thou shalt four times say them aloud:- yathâ ahû vairyô... (Yas. XXVII, 13), mazda ad môi... dau ahâm' (Yas. XXXIV, I), â airyamâ ishyô... masatâ mazdau (Yas. LIV. 1).

After thou hast said those Kathrusâmrûtas four times, thou shalt say aloud these victorious, most healing words:- ""I drive away Aêshma, the fiend of the murderous spear, I drive away the daêva Akatasha, from this house, from this borough, from this town, from this land; from the very body of the man defiled by the dead, from the very body of the woman defiled by the dead; from the master of the house, from the lord of the borough, from the lord of the town, from the lord of the land; from the whole of the world of Righteousness.

"I drive away the Varenya daêvas, I drive away the wind-daêva, from this house, from this borough, from this town, from this land; from the very body of the man defiled by the dead, from the very body of the woman defiled by the dead; from the master of the house, from the lord of the borough, from the lord of the town, from the lord of the land; from the whole of the world of Righteousness."

'These are the words in the Gâthas that are to be said twice; these are the words in the Gâthas that are to be said thrice; these are the words in the Gâthas that are to be said four times.

These are the words that smite down Angra Mainyu; these are the words that smite down Aêshma, the fiend of the murderous spear; these are the words that smite down the daêvas of Mâzana; these are the words that smite down all the daêvas.

'These are the words that stand against that Drug, against that Nasu, who from the dead rushes upon the living, who from the dead defiles the living.

'Therefore, O Zarathustra! thou shalt dig nine holes in the part of the ground where there is least water and where there are fewest trees; where there is nothing that may be food either for man or beast; "for purity is for man, next to life, the greatest good, that purity, O Zarathustra, that is in the Religion of Mazda for him who cleanses his own self with good thoughts, words, and deeds."

'Make thy own self pure, O righteous man! any one in the world here below can win purity for his own self, namely, when he cleanses his own self with good thoughts, words, and deeds.

"Yatha ahû vairyô:-The will of the Lord is the