Yashts 1

Ormazd Yast

Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda: 'O Ahura Mazda, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! 'What of the Holy Word is the strongest? What is the most victorious? What is the most glorious? What is the most effective?

What is the most fiend-smiting? What is the best-healing? What destroyeth best the malice of Daêvas and Men? What maketh the material world best come to the fulfilment of its wishes? What freeth the material world best from the anxieties of the heart?

Ahura Mazda answered: 'Our Name, O Spitama Zarathustra! who are the Amesha-Spentas, that is the strongest part of the Holy Word; that is the most victorious; that is the most glorious; that is the most effective;

'That is the most fiend-smiting; that is the best-healing; that destroyeth best the malice of Daêvas and Men; that maketh the material world best come to the fulfilment of its wishes; that freeth the material world best from the anxieties of the heart.'

Then Zarathustra said: 'Reveal unto me that name of thine, O Ahura Mazda! that is the greatest, the best, the fairest, the most effective, the most fiend-smiting, the best-healing, that destroyeth best the malice of Daêvas and Men;

'That I may afflict all Daêvas and Men; that I may afflict all Yâtus and Pairikas; that neither Daêvas nor Men may be able to afflict me; neither Yâtus nor Pairikas.'

Ahura Mazda replied unto him: 'My name is the One of whom questions are asked, O holy Zarathustra! 'My second name is the Herd-giver. My third name is the Strong One. 'My fourth name is Perfect Holiness. 'My fifth name is All good things created by Mazda, the offspring of the holy principle. 'My sixth name is Understanding; 'My seventh name is the One with understanding. 'My eighth name is Knowledge; 'My ninth name is the One with Knowledge.

My tenth name is Weal; 'My eleventh name is He who produces weal. My twelfth name is AHURA (the Lord). 'My thirteenth name is the most Beneficent. 'My fourteenth name is He in whom there is no harm. 'My fifteenth name is the unconquerable One. 'My sixteenth name is He who makes the true account. 'My seventeenth name is the All-seeing One. 'My eighteenth name is the healing One. 'My nineteenth name is the Creator. 'My twentieth name is MAZDA (the All-knowing One).

'Worship me, O Zarathustra, by day and by night, with offerings of libations well accepted. I will come unto thee for help and joy, I, Ahura Mazda; the good, holy Sraosha will come unto thee for help and joy; the waters, the plants, and the Fravashis of the holy ones will come unto thee for help and joy.

'If thou wantest, O Zarathustra, to destroy the malice of Daêvas and Men, of the Yâtus and Pairikas, of the oppressors, of the blind and of the deaf, of the two-legged ruffians, of the two-legged Ashemaoghas, of the four-legged wolves;

'And of the hordes with the wide front, with the many spears, with the straight spears, with the spears uplifted, bearing the spear of havock; then, recite thou these my names every day and every night.

'I am the Keeper; I am the Creator and the Maintainer; I am the Discerner%;B I am the most beneficent Spirit. My name is the bestower of health; my name is the best bestower of health. 'My name is the Athravan; my name is the most Athravan-like of all Athravans. My name is Ahura (the Lord). 'My name is Mazdau (the all-knowing). 'My name is the Holy; my name is the most Holy. 'My name is the Glorious; my name is the most Glorious. 'My name is the Full-seeing; my name is the Fullest-seeing. 'My name is the Far-seeing; my name is the Farthest-seeing.

'My name is the Protector; my name is the Well-wisher; my name is the Creator; my name is the Keeper; my name is the Maintainer. 'My name is the Discerner; my name is the Best Discerner. 'My name is the Prosperity-producer; my name is the Word of Prosperity. 'My name is the King who rules at his will; my name is the King who rules most at his will. 'My name is the liberal King; my name is the most liberal King.

My name is He who does not deceive; my name is He who is not deceived. 'My name is the good Keeper; my name is He who destroys malice; my name is He who conquers at once; my name is He who conquers everything; my name is He who has shaped everything. My name is All weal; my name is Full weal; my name is the Master of weal.

My name is He who can benefit at his wish; my name is He who can best benefit at his wish. 'My name is the Beneficent One; my name is the Energetic One; my name is the most Beneficent. 'My name is Holiness; my name is the Great One; my name is the good Sovereign; my name is the Best of Sovereigns. 'My name is the Wise One; my name is the Wisest of the Wise; my name is He who does good for a long time.

'These are my names. 'And he who in this material world, O Spitama Zarathustra! shall recite and pronounce those names of mine either by day or by night;

He who shall pronounce them, when he rises up or when he lays him down; when he lays him down or when he rises up; when he binds on the sacred girdle or when he unbinds the sacred girdle; when he goes out of his dwelling-place, or when he goes out of his town, or when he goes out of his country and comes into another country;

'That man, neither in that day nor in that night, shall be wounded by the weapons of the foe who rushes Aêshma-like and is Drug-minded; not the knife, not the cross-bow, not the arrow, not the sword, not the club, not the sling-stone shall reach and wound him.

'But those names shall come in to keep him from behind and to keep him in front, from the Drug unseen, from the female Varenya fiend, from the evil-doer bent on mischief, and from that fiend who is all death, Angra Mainyu. It will be as if there were a thousand men watching over one man. "Who is he who will smite the fiend in order to maintain thy ordinances? Teach me clearly thy rules for this world and for the next, that Sraosha may come with Vohu-Manô and help whomsoever thou pleasest."

'Hail to the Glory of the Kavis! Hail to the Airyanem Vaêgah! Hail to the Saoka, made by Mazda! Hail to the waters of the Dâitya! Hail to Ardvi, the undefiled well! Hail to the whole world of the holy Spirit! 'Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord....7 'Ashem Voht: Holiness is the best of all good.... 8

'We worship the Ahuna Vairya. We worship Asha-Vahista, most fair, undying, and beneficent. We worship Strength and Prosperity and Might and Victory and Glory and Vigour. We worship Ahura Mazda, bright and glorious. 'Yênghê hâtãm: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda knows the goodness for a sacrifice [performed] in holiness, all those beings, males and females, do we worship.

'Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness.... 'I bless the sacrifice and the prayer unto Ahura Mazda, bright and glorious, and his strength and vigour.' (Bahman Yast.)

O Zarathustra! keep thou for ever that man who is friendly [to me] from the foe unfriendly [to me]! Do not give up that friend unto the stroke (of the foe), unto vexations to be borne; wish no harm unto that man who would offer me a sacrifice, be it ever so great or ever so small, if it has reached unto us, the Amesha-Spentas.

Here is Vohu-Manô, my creature, O Zarathustra here is Asha-Vahista, my creature, O Zarathustra here is Khsathra-Vairya, my creature, O Zarathustra here is Spenta-Ârmaiti, my creature, O Zarathustra! here are Haurvatât and Ameretât, who are the reward of the holy ones, when freed from their bodies, my creatures, O Zarathustra!

'Thou knowest this, and how it is, O holy Zarathustra! from my understanding and from my knowledge; namely, how the world first began, and how it will end. 'A thousand remedies, ten thousand remedies '! 'A thousand remedies, ten thousand remedies! 'A thousand remedies, ten thousand remedies!

[We worship] the well-shapen, tall-formed Strength; Verethraghna, made by Ahura; the crushing Ascendant, and Spenta-Ârmaiti.

And with the help of Spenta-Ârmaiti, break ye asunder their malice, turn their minds astray, bind their hands, make their knees quake against one another, bind their tongues. When, O Mazda! shall the faithful smite the wicked? When shall the faithful smite the Drug? When shall the faithful smite the wicked?'

Then Zarathustra said: 'I threw you back into the earth, and by the eyes of Spenta-Ârmaiti the ruffian was made powerless.

'We worship the powerful Gaokerena, made by Mazda; the powerful Gaokerena, made by Mazda.

'We worship the memory of Ahura Mazda, to keep the Holy Word. 'We worship the understanding of Ahura Mazda, to study the Holy Word. We worship the tongue of Ahura Mazda, to speak forth the Holy Word. 'We worship the mountain that gives understanding, that preserves understanding; [we worship it] by day and by night, with offerings of libations well-accepted.

'We worship that creation [of Ahura's], Spenta-Ârmaiti; and the holy creations of that creature and of Asha [Vahista], that are foremost in holiness. 'Here I take as lord and master the greatest of all, Ahura Mazda; to smite the fiend Angra Mainyu; to smite Aêsma of the wounding spear; to smite the Mâzainya fiends; to smite all the Daêvas and the Varenya fiends; to increase Ahura Mazda, bright and glorious; to increase the Amesha-Spentas; to increase the star Tistrya, the bright and glorious; to increase the faithful men; to increase all the holy creatures of the Beneficent Spirit. 'Ashem Vohů: Holiness is the best of all good....

[Give] unto that man brightness and glory, give him health of body, give him sturdiness of body, give him victorious strength of body, give him full welfare of wealth, give him a virtuous offspring, give him long, long life, give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones. May it come according to my blessing! 'A thousand remedies, ten thousand remedies! (three times.) 'Come to me for help, O Mazda! 'We worship the well-shapen, tall-formed Strength, and Verethraghna, made by Mazda, and the crushing Ascendant. 'We worship Râma Hvâstra, and Vayu who works highly and is more powerful to destroy than all other creatures. That part of thee do we worship, O Vayu, that belongs to Spenta Mainyu. We worship the sovereign Sky, the boundless Time, and the sovereign Time of the long Period. 'Ashem Vohů: Holiness is the best of all good....