Vendidad 19

Fargard XIX

From the region of the north, from the regions of the north, forth rushed Angra Mainyu, the deadly, the Daêva of the Daêvas. And thus spake the evil-doer Angra Mainyu, the deadly: 'Drug, rush down and kill him,' O holy Zarathustra! The Drug came rushing along, the demon Buiti, who is deceiving, unseen death.

Zarathustra chanted aloud the Ahuna-Vairya': 'The will of the Lord is the law of righteousness. The gifts of Vohu-manô to the deeds done in this world for Mazda. He who relieves the poor makes Ahura king.' He offered the sacrifice to the good waters of the good Dâitya! He recited the profession of the worshippers of Mazda! The Drug dismayed, rushed away, the demon Bûiti, who is deceiving, unseen death.

And the Drug said unto Angra Mainyu: 'Thou, tormenter, Angra Mainyu! I see no way to kill Spitama Zarathustra, so great is the glory of the holy Zarathustra.' Zarathustra saw (all this) within his soul: 'The wicked, the evil-doing Daêvas (thought he) take counsel together for my death.'

Up started Zarathustra, forward went Zarathustra, unabated by Akem-manô, by the hardness of his malignant riddles; he went swinging stones in his hand, stones as big as a house, which he obtained from the Maker, Ahura Mazda, he the holy Zarathustra. 'Whereat on this wide, round earth, whose ends lie afar, whereat dost thou swing (those stones), thou who standest by the upper bank of the river Darega, in the mansion of Pourusaspa?'

Thus Zarathustra answered Angra Mainyu: 'O evil-doer, Angra Mainyu! I will smite the creation of the Daêva; I will smite the Nasu, a creature of the Daêva; I will smite the Pairika Knãthaiti, till the victorious Saoshyant come up to life out of the lake Kãsava, from the region of the dawn, from the regions of the dawn.'

Again to him said the Maker of the evil world, Angra Mainyu: 'Do not destroy my creatures, O holy Zarathustra! Thou art the son of Pourusaspa; by thy mother I was invoked. Renounce the good Religion of the worshippers of Mazda, and thou shalt gain such a boon as Vadhaghna gained, the ruler of the nations.'

Spitama Zarathustra said in answer: 'No! never will I renounce the good Religion of the worshippers of Mazda, either for body or life, though they should tear away the breath!'

Again to him said the Maker of the evil world, Angra Mainyu: 'By whose Word wilt thou strike, by whose Word wilt thou repel, by whose weapon will the good creatures (strike and repel) my creation, who am Angra Mainyu?'

Spitama Zarathustra said in answer: 'The sacred mortar, the sacred cups, the Haoma, the Word taught by Mazda, these are my weapons, my best weapons! By this Word will I strike, by this Word will I repel, by this weapon will the good creatures (strike and repel thee), O evil-doer, Angra Mainyu! The Good Spirit made the creation; he made it in the boundless Time. The Amesha-Spentas made the creation, the good, the wise Sovereigns.'

Zarathustra chanted aloud the Ahuna-Vairya. The holy Zarathustra said aloud: 'This I ask thee teach me the truth, O Lord!...

Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda: 'O Ahura Mazda, most beneficent spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! [he was sitting by the upper bank of the Darega', before Ahura Mazda, before the good Vohu-manô, before Asha Vahista, Khshathra Vairya, and Spenta Årmaiti;]

How shall I free the world from that Drug, from that evil-doer, Angra Mainyu? How shall I drive away direct defilement? How indirect defilement? How shall I drive the Nasu from the house of the worshippers of Mazda? How shall I cleanse the faithful man? How shall I cleanse the faithful woman?'

Ahura Mazda answered: 'Invoke, O Zarathustra the good Religion of Mazda. 'Invoke, O Zarathustra! though thou see them not, the Amesha-Spentas who rule over the seven Karshvares of the earth. 'Invoke, O Zarathustra! the sovereign Heaven, the boundless Time, and Vayu, whose action is most high. 'Invoke, O Zarathustra! the powerful Wind, made by Mazda; and Spenta [Armaiti], the fair daughter of Ahura Mazda.

'Invoke, O Zarathustra! my Fravashi, who am Ahura Mazda, the greatest, the best, the fairest of all beings, the most solid, the most intelligent, the best shapen, the highest in holiness, and whose soul is the holy Word! 'Invoke, O Zarathustra! this creation of mine, who am Ahura Mazda.'

Zarathustra imitated my words from me, (and said): 'I invoke the holy creation of Ahura Mazda. 'I invoke Mithra, the lord of the rolling country-side, a god armed with beautiful weapons, with the most glorious of all weapons, with the most victorious of all weapons. 'I invoke the holy, well-formed Sraosha, who wields a club in his hand, to bear upon the heads of the fiends.

I invoke the most glorious Holy Word. 'I invoke the sovereign Heaven, the boundless Time, and Vayu, whose action is most high. 'I invoke the mighty Wind, made by Mazda, and Spenta (Ârmaiti), the fair daughter of Ahura Mazda. 'I invoke the good Religion of Mazda, the fiend-destroying Law of Zarathustra.'

Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda: 'O Maker of the good world, Ahura Mazda! With what manner of sacrifice shall I worship, with what manner of sacrifice shall I make people worship this creation of Ahura Mazda?'

Ahura Mazda answered: 'Go, O Spitama Zarathustra towards the high-growing trees, and before one of them that is beautiful, high-growing, and mighty, say thou these words: "Hail to thee! O good, holy tree, made by Mazda! Ashem vohu!"

[The priest] shall cut off a twig of Baresma, long as an aêsha, thick as a yava. The faithful one, holding it in his left hand, shall keep his eyes upon it without ceasing, whilst he is offering up to Ahura Mazda and to the Amesha-Spentas, the high and beautiful golden Haomas, and Good Thought and the good Râta, made by Mazda, holy and excellent.'

Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda: 'O thou, all-knowing Ahura Mazda! thou art never asleep, never intoxicated, thou Ahura Mazda! Vohu-manô gets directly defiled: Vohu-manô gets indirectly defiled; the Daêvas defile him from the bodies smitten by the Daêvas: let Vohu-manô be made clean.'

Ahura Mazda answered: 'Thou shalt take some gômêz from a bull ungelded and such as the law requires it. Thou shalt take the man who is to be cleansed to the field made by Ahura, and the man that is to cleanse him shall draw the furrows.

He shall recite a hundred Ashem vohu: "Holiness is the best of all good: it is also happiness. Happy the man who is holy with perfect holiness!” 'He shall chant two hundred Ahuna-Vairya: "The will of the Lord is the law of righteousness. The gifts of Vohu-manô to the deeds done in this world for Mazda! He who relieves the poor makes Ahura king." 'He shall wash himself four times with the gômêz from the ox, and twice with the water made by Mazda.

Thus Vohu-manô shall be made clean, and clean shall be the man. The man shall take up Vohu-mand with the left arm and the right, with the right arm and the left: and thou shalt lay down Vohu-manô under the mighty light of the heavens, by the light of the stars made by the gods, until nine nights have passed away.

When nine nights have passed away, thou shalt bring libations unto the fire, thou shalt bring hard wood unto the fire, thou shalt bring incense of Vohû-gaona unto the fire, and thou shalt perfume Vohu-manô therewith.

Thus shall Vohu-manô be made clean, and clean shall be the man. He shall take up Vohu-manô with the right arm and the left, with the left arm and the right, and Vohu-manô shall say aloud: "Glory be to Ahura Mazda! Glory be to the Amesha-Spentas! Glory be to all the other holy beings."

Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda: 'O thou all-knowing Ahura Mazda: Should I urge upon the godly man, should I urge upon the godly woman, should I urge upon the wicked Daêvaworshipper who lives in sin, to give the earth made by Ahura, the water that runs, the corn that grows, and all the rest of their wealth '?' Ahura Mazda answered: 'Thou shouldst, O holy Zarathustra.'

O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Where are the rewards given? Where does the rewarding take place? Where is the rewarding fulfilled? Whereto do men come to take the reward that, during their life in the material world, they have won for their souls?

Ahura Mazda answered: 'When the man is dead, when his time is over, then the wicked, evil-doing Daêvas cut off his eyesight. On the third night, when the dawn appears and brightens up, when Mithra, the god with beautiful weapons, reaches the all-happy mountains, and the sun is rising:

'Then the fiend, named Vizaresha, O Spitama Zarathustra, carries off in bonds the souls of the wicked Daêva-worshippers who live in sin. The soul enters the way made by Time, and open both to the wicked and to the righteous. At the head of the Kinvad bridge, the holy bridge made by Mazda, they ask for their spirits and souls the reward for the worldly goods which they gave away here below.

Then comes the beautiful, well-shapen, strong and well-formed maid, with the dogs at her sides, one who can distinguish, who has many children, happy, and of high understanding. She makes the soul of the righteous one go up above the Hara-berezaiti; above the Kinvad bridge she places it in the presence of the heavenly gods themselves.

'Up rises Vohu-manô' from his golden seat; Vohu-manô exclaims: How hast thou come to us, thou Holy One, from that decaying world into this undecaying one?

Gladly pass the souls of the righteous to the golden seat of Ahura Mazda, to the golden seat of the Amesha-Spentas, to the Garô-nmânem, the abode of Ahura Mazda, the abode of the Amesha-Spentas, the abode of all the other holy beings.

'As to the godly man that has been cleansed, the wicked evil-doing Daêvas tremble at the perfume of his soul after death, as doth a sheep on which a wolf is pouncing.

The souls of the righteous are gathered together there: Nairyô-sangha is with them; a messenger of Ahura Mazda is Nairyô-sangha. 'Invoke, O Zarathustra! this very creation of Ahura Mazda.'

Zarathustra imitated those words of mine 'I invoke the holy world, made by Ahura Mazda. 'I invoke the earth made by Ahura, the water made by Mazda, the holy trees. 'I invoke the sea Vouru-kasha. 'I invoke the beautiful Heaven. 'I invoke the endless and sovereign Light.'

I invoke the bright, blissful Paradise of the Holy Ones. 'I invoke the Garô-nmânem, the abode of Ahura Mazda, the abode of the Amesha-Spentas, the abode of all the other holy beings. 'I invoke the sovereign Place of Eternal Weal, and the Kinvad bridge made by Mazda.

I invoke the good Saoka, who has the good eye. 'I invoke the whole creation of weal. 'I invoke the mighty Fravashis of the righteous. 'I invoke Verethraghna, made by Ahura, who wears the Glory made by Mazda. 'I invoke Tistrya, the bright and glorious star, in the shape of a golden-horned bull.

I invoke the holy, beneficent Gâthas, who rule over the Ratus': 'I invoke the Ahunavaiti Gâtha; 'I invoke the Ustavaiti Gâtha; 'I invoke the Spenta-mainyu Gâtha; 'I invoke the Vohu-khshathra Gâtha; 'I invoke the Vahistôisti Gâtha.

I invoke the Karshvares of Arzahê and Savahê; 'I invoke the Karshvares of Fradadhafshu and Vidadhafshu; 'I invoke the Karshvares of Vourubaresti and Vouruzaresti; 'I invoke the bright Hvaniratha; 'I invoke the bright, glorious Haêtumant; 'I invoke the good Ashi'; ['I invoke the good Kisti;] 'I invoke the most pure Kista '; I invoke the Glory of the Aryan regions; 'I invoke the Glory of the bright Yima, the good shepherd.

Let him be worshipped with sacrifice, let him be gladdened, gratified, and satisfied, the holy Sraosha, the well-formed, victorious, holy Sraosha. ‘Bring libations unto the Fire, bring hard wood unto the Fire, bring incense of Vohû-gaona unto the Fire. 'Offer up the sacrifice to the Vâzista fire, which smites the fiend Spengaghra: bring unto it the cooked meat and full overflowing libations.

Offer up the sacrifice to the holy Sraosha, that the holy Sraosha may smite down the fiend Kunda, who is drunken without drinking, and throws down into the Hell of the Drug the wicked Daêva-worshippers, who live in sin. [42 10. 'I invoke the Kara fish ", who lives beneath waters in the bottom of the deep lakes. For this note see next page. 'I invoke the ancient and sovereign Merezu, the most warlike of the creatures of the two Spirits. ' I invoke the seven bright Sru

They cried about, their minds wavered to and fro, Angra Mainyu the deadly, the Daêva of the Daêvas; Indra the Daêva, Sâuru the Daêva, Naunghaithya the Daêva, Taurvi and Zairi; Aêshma of the murderous spear; Akatasha the Daêva; Winter, made by the Daêvas; the deceiving, unseen Death; Zaurva, baneful to the fathers; Bûiti the Daêva; Driwi the Daêva; Daiwi the Daêva; Kasvi the Daêva; Paitisha the most Daêva-like amongst the Daêvas.]

'And the evil-doing Daêva, Angra Mainyu, the deadly, said: "What! let the wicked, evil-doing Daêvas gather together at the head of Arezûra!"

They rush away shouting, the wicked, evil-doing Daêvas; they run away shouting, the wicked, evil-doing Daêvas; they run away casting the Evil Eye, the wicked, evil-doing Daêvas: "Let us gather together at the head of Arezûra!

"For he is just born the holy Zarathustra, in the house of Pourusaspa. How can we procure his death? He is the weapon that fells the fiends he is a counter-fiend to the fiends; he is a Drug to the Drug. Vanished are the Daêva-worshippers, the Nasu made by the Daêva, the false-speaking Lie!"

They rush away shouting, the wicked, evil-doing Daêvas, into the depths of the dark, raging world of hell. 'Ashem voht: Holiness is the best of all good.'