PRAYS TO THE LORD

HYMNE I :
PRAYS TO AGHNIE
1. I Laud Aghni, the chosen Priest, God, minister of sacrifice,
The hotar, lavishest of wealth.
2. Worthy is Agni to be praised by living as by ancient seers.
He shall bring hitherward the Gods.
3. Through Agni man obtaineth wealth, yea, plenty waxing day by day,
Most rich in heroes, glorious.
4. Agni, the perfect sacrifice which thou encompassest about
Verily goeth to the Gods.
5. May Agni, sapient-minded Priest, truthful, most gloriously great,
The God, come hither with the Gods.
6. Whatever blessing, Agni, thou wilt grant unto thy worshipper,
That, Aṅgiras, is indeed thy truth.
7. To thee, dispeller of the night, O Agni, day by day with prayer
Bringing thee reverence, we come
8. Ruler of sacrifices, guard of Law eternal, radiant One,
Increasing in thine own abode.
9. Be to us easy of approach, even as a father to his son:
Agni, be with us for our weal.
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Ahunuvaiti Gatha
Yasna 29
Unto Thee, O Lord, the Soul of Creation cried:
"For whom didst Thou create me, and who so fashioned me?
Feuds and fury, violence and the insolence of might have oppressed me;
None have I to protect me save Thee;
Command for me then the blessings of a settled, peaceful life."
Thereupon, the Creator asked Asha:
"Whom wilt Thou have as saviour for the world,
to be its protector and upholder of order?
Who with his sagacity and zeal may bring prosperity;
Whom wilt Thou have as its lord, who will repel violence,
and dispel the forces of Evil?"
Thus to the Lord doth Asha, the Truth, reply:
"No guide is known who can shelter the world from woe,
None who knows what moves and works Thy lofty plans.
The most powerful Of beings is he to whose help
I shall go on an invocation."
Mazda knows best what works have been wrought
by the perpetrators of Evil and their followers;
And He knows what shall be wrought by them ever hereafter.
The Lord, Ahura is, the sole discerner;
For us, let it be as He ordains.
And thus we two, my soul and the soul of creation,
prayed with hands outstretched to the Lord;
And thus we two urged Mazda with these entreaties:
"Let not destruction overtake the right-living,
Let not the diligent good suffer at the hands of evil."
Then, thus spake Ahura Mazda, the Lord of understanding and wisdom:
"As there is no righteous spiritual lord or secular chief,
So have I, as Creator, made thee (Zarathushtra) the protector and guide,
For the welfare of the world and its diligent people:"
The Wise Lord, with the spirit of Truth and Righteousness,
made these holy hymns,
The Benevolent Providence gave these teachings
for the well-being of the world and its righteous people.
Whom hast Thou, O Mazda, ordained, verily to give forth,
through the Good Mind, these bounties to mortals?
(Thus spake Ahura Mazda):
"The one who alone has hearkened to my precepts
is known as Zarathushtra Spitama;
For his Creator and for Truth he wishes to announce
the Holy Message,
Wherefore shall I bestow on him the gift of eloquent speech."
Thereupon the Soul of Creation cried:
"In my woes I have obtained for help the feeble voice
of an humble man,
When I wished for a mighty over-lord!
Whenever shall I get one to give me help with power
and with force?"
O Ahura Mazda, and O Spirit of Truth and Right!
Do Ye grant me and my followers such authority
and power through Truth,
That with the Good Mind, we may bring the world
peace and happiness,
Of which, Thou, O Lord, art indeed the first possessor.
When shall Truth, the Good Mind, and the Holy Power,
hasten to me in full, my Lord?
Do Thou assign them to me for the great dispensation.
And verily, grant now to us, Thy devoted servants,
Thy gracious help for this Great Cause!

Ahunuvaiti Gatha
Yasna 28
In humble adoration, with hands outstretched
I pray to Thee, O Mazda!
First of all, through Thy Holy spirit vouchsafe to me
All righteousness of action, all wisdom of the Good Mind,
That I may thereby bring joy to the Soul of Creation.
O Wise Lord, by virtue of the Good Mind,
may I reach Thy Presence.
Grant me the blessings in both worlds,
the corporeal and the spiritual,
attainable through Righteousness;
Thy rewards which bring beatific happiness
to the faithful blessed with them.
As never before, I shall weave my songs for Thee,
O Mazda Ahura,
And for Thee, O Spirits of Truth and the Good Mind,
Then, shall Armaity, the Spirit of Benevolence,
make the imperishable Dominion of Heaven flourish.
For that perfection, come ye all to my invocations.
I shall take the awakened soul to the exalted abode
with the help of the Good Mind;
Knowing the blissful rewards of the Wise Lord
for righteous deeds;
As long as i have power and am able,
I shall teach all to seek for Truth and Right.
O Asha, equipped with the knowledge of Truth and Righteousness,
When shall I see Thee, and Vohu-Mana too!
And through that Inspiration (Sraosha), when shall I
be in the presence of the Most Beneficent Mazda!
With the proclamation of these sacred words shall we
make the evil ones turn toward Thee O Holy Mazda!
Come, O Eternal Wise Spirit, through the Good Mind,
With the long lasting gift of Righteousness
vouchsafed in Thy sublime words.
Grant unto Zarathushtra, and to us all
Thy gracious help, O Ahura,
Whereby we may overcome the evil of wrong-doers.
Grant me, O Truth, the blessing which is the fruit
of the Good Mind.
Grant me, O Piety, to me and to Vishtaspa,
our desire for effectiveness,
And grant, O Mazda, sovereign Lord,
That reciting Thy holy words of revelation
I may make Thy felicitous message heard.
O Thou, Best One, in accord with the Highest Truth,
The best blessing, I beseech of Thee for
noble Frashaoshtra and for me.
And mayest Thou grant to us, for all time,
the gift of the Good Mind.
And blessed with these bounties, we who have
always offered our songs of praise to Thee,
We shall not displease Thee, O Mazda,
Or Ye, O Truth, and the Best Mind;
Ye, who are the most helpful to promote
the Dominion of Blessedness.
Those whom Thou knowest as full worthy, by reason
of their Righteousness and Good Mind,
For those, do Thou fulfill their desire for attainment,
O Mazda Ahura.
For I well know that the words of these song offerings
to Thee directed to righteous ends
Will have their blissful effect.
And through these divine songs, for evermore shall I preserve
Righteousness and Good Mind for the people.
To enable me to apprise all, teach me O Mazda Ahura,
Through Thine own Spirit and Thine own Words,
the principle of creation of the first existence.

Ahunuvaiti Gatha
Yasna 30
O ye, coming to seek wisdom, now shall I proclaim
to you the message of the Wise Creator,
The hymns unto Ahura, and the offerings of the Good Mind,
The enduring sacred Truth,
And the glorious vision of the Heavenly Lights
attainable through Truth sublime.
Hearken with your ears to these best counsels,
Reflect upon them with illumined judgment.
Let each one choose his creed with that
freedom of choice each must have at great events.
O ye, be awake to these, my announcements.
In the beginning there were two primal spirits,
Twins spontaneously active,
These are the Good and the Evil, in thought,
and in word, and in deed.
Between these two, let the wise choose aright.
Be good, not base!
And when these Twin Spirits came together at first,
They established Life and the Denial of Life;
And so shall it be till the world will last.
The worst existence shall be the lot of the followers of evil,
And the state of Best-Consciousness be the reward of the righteous.
Of these Twin Spirits, the Evil one chooses doing
the worst,
While the most bountiful Holy Spirit of Goodness,
clothing itself in the imperishable heavens,
chooses Truth and Righteousness.
And so will those who would please Ahura Mazda
with righteous deeds, performed with faith in Truth.
Between these two Spirits the Demon-worshipers
could not discern aright.
To them Deception came at the time of decision,
And they chose the Worst Mind.
With violence then they rushed together,
Life, in the world, to destroy.
And to support this life comes Armaity, the spirit of
Benevolence and Right-mindedness.
Together with the Spirit of Holy Power, the Good Mind, and Truth,
That the soul, passing through the test of truth,
shall be with Thee, O Lord.
And when there cometh the ultimate retribution
for the evil ones,
Then, at Thy Ordinance, shall the Good Mind
establish the Kingdom of Heaven, O Ahura!
For those who will deliver Untruth into the hands of Truth.
So may we be like those making the world progress
toward perfection;
May Mazda and the Divine Spirits help us and
guide our efforts through Truth;
For a thinking man is where Wisdom is at home.
Then truly cometh the blow of destruction upon Untruth;
While those of good renown shall be received in
the promised abode,
The blessed abode of the Good Mind, of Truth, and
of the Wise Lord.
O ye mortals, mark these commandments,
The commandments the Wise Lord has given for
happiness and for pain:
Long suffering for the doer of Evil, and bliss
for the follower of Truth,
The illumination of salvation for the Righteous ever after.

Ahunuvaiti Gatha
Yasna 31
O ye, mindful to learn, I proclaim to you this message,
Unheard as yet by those who are destroying the
civilization of the Righteous,
with evil ways of the Spirit of Untruth,
The message, most welcome to Thy followers
dedicated to Thee, O Mazda!
As you realize not the eternal truths,
and recognize not the better life,
I come to you all to guide you in the right selection
between the two sides
That we may thence live in accordance with Truth and Right.
Tell me, O Mazda -
That which Thou shalt bestow by Thy Spirit and Fire,
The blessing Thou shalt assign through Truth for
those acting with discernment,
The Holy Law for their enlightenment.
Give it in Thy own inspired word
That I may thereby bring its realization to all.
As you hear our prayer, O Lord,
Give us the Truth,
Give us the help of the Divine Spirits,
Give us the blessing of Armaity,
the Spirit of Benevolence,
And through the work of the Best Mind,
give us the mighty Dominion,
That we may overcome, thereby,
the Evil Spirit of Untruth.
Declare to me, what Thou hast, through Right,
appointed for me as the better portion;
Teach me, with the help of the Good Mind,
to know and realize my state,
And apprise me, O Mazda Ahura, of all things that
are to be and not to be.
His is indeed the Best State who declares truly
the message of holy wisdom:
The message of the perfection of being and rightful immortality,
Of Mazda's Kingdom which ever flourishes through the Good Mind.
He who in the First Beginning thus thought:
Let the glorious heavens be clothed in light;
He by His supreme understanding created the
principles of Truth and Light;
Enabling mortals thereby to maintain the Good Mind.
O Wise Lord, O ever-the-same Ahura, by Thy Holy Spirit
make these realms flourish.
Not only did I conceive of Thee, O Mazda
As the very First and the Last,
As the Father of the Good Mind,
As the veritable Creator of Truth and Right.
As the Lord Judge of our actions in life,
I beheld these with my very eyes!
Thine was Armaity, the Spirit of Benevolence,
Thine was the Wisdom which created Life,
Thine was the Divine Spirit which established choice
Between the diligent protector of creation, and
the not diligent.
Of these two, did Creation choose the diligent
cattle-tending protector.
As a righteous master and one possessing the Good Mind.
The deceiving idler, the non-protector, has no share
in the Holy Message.
By Thy perfect Intelligence, O Mazda
Thou didst first create us having bodies and
spiritual consciences,
And by Thy Thought gave our selves the power of
thought, word, and deed.
Thus leaving us free to choose our faith at our own will.
He lifts up his voice, be he the speaker of truth or
the speaker of falsehood,
He who knows and he who knows not,
Each according to his heart and mind,
May Armaity appeal to the spirits wavering in doubt.
Doctrines and deeds, clearly manifest or dimly recognized,
Those which impose great penance for a trifling offense;
These all, through Thy Truth, do not escape Thy perceptive vision.
This I ask Thee, Ahura!
Of the events happening, and the events to happen,
What requitals, in accord with their deeds, are
appointed for the truthful righteous, and
what for the lying sinners?
This I ask Thee, Ahura!
What is the penance ordained for one who seeks to
achieve sovereignty for the Liar;
For one of evil deeds who seeks not his living
without harm to the flock of the shepherd;
And of the good who listen not to the voice of Untruth?
And this I ask Thee, O Mazda Ahura!
The truthful righteous striving to establish the dominion
That will further the well-being of his house,
his province, and his country,
How shall his spirit be like unto Thee?
When shall he be worthy of Thee?
What actions of his shall be most acceptable to Thee?
Let him that knows, tell him that would know,
which of the creeds is better,
The belief of the righteous or of the liar?
Let not the unenlightened deceive any more!
Be Thou to us, O Mazda Ahura, the bestower of Good Thought.
Then let none give ear to the words of the evil liar,
The liar bringing woe and destruction to house and
clan, to the province and the land.
Resist him, then, with force.
Listen unto the teller of Truth, a healer of existence,
Listen unto him who thinks of Righteousness,
Listen unto him the enlightened and the knowing,
Who, standing before Thy holy Fire,
with his powerful words and flowing tongue,
Reveals the truth to the contending sides.
The follower of the righteous shall attain the Abode of Light;
But he who deceived the good and the righteous,
For him shall the future be long life of misery and
darkness, woe and despair,
O ye of evil lives! Your own deeds will lead you to
this dark existence.
To him, who is Thy true friend in spirit and in
action, O Mazda Ahura!
To him shalt Thou give the perfection of integrity
and immortality;
To him shalt Thou give perpetual communion with
Truth and the Holy Dominion,
And to him shalt Thou give the sustaining power of
the Good Mind.
Clear is this all, to the man of wisdom,
as to one who thinks with care:
He who upholds Truth with all the might of his power,
He who upholds Truth the utmost in his word and deed,
He, indeed, is Thy most valued helper, O Mazda Ahura!

Ahunuvaiti Gatha
Yasna 32
The followers of the counsel of Untruth in the
community and the clan
Prayed for supreme bliss, even as we do.
May we be thy messengers
May we repel the evil of Thy lying opponents!
The Lord Mazda inspiring with the Good Mind,
The Lord Ahura ruling in his Divine Sovereignty,
The Lord Most High, protector of Truth and Right,
Thus did reply:
"For your flourishing, We have chosen to
accept your good devotion"
O ye, evil ones,
You are products of the Evil Mind
And of arrogance and perversity;
And so are those who honor you!
Your evil deeds have long been known in the
seven regions of the earth.
For, ye liars confound the human mind,
and make men act their worst,
Make men speak as lovers of Evil,
Separated from the Good Mind,
Far removed from the will of Ahura Mazda,
Departing from the path of Truth and Right.
And thus the liars defrauded humanity of a life of
happiness and immortal bliss;
For the Evil One preaches with Evil Mind and Evil Word
Evil actions to the lying soul promising supremacy,
But bringing it to ruin.
These evil-doers, attaining notoriety by their aggression
Shall surely receive their due, before Thee, O Ahura,
Lord of the Best Understanding, ever mindful of man's deserts.
For the reign of Right shall be honored when Truth
prevails in Thy realms, O Mazda!
These sinners, none of them, know the end in store for them.
None of them know of the destruction of evil with
the flood of glowing metal.
The final end is indeed known to Thee, O Most Wise Lord!
And one of such sinners was Yima, the son of Vivahvant,
Who to gratify men sanctioned the flesh of the Cow.
From among these, let me stand apart
In Thy discriminating judgment, O Mazda.
The teacher of evil destroys the Understanding,
He destroys the design of life,
Snatches away the blessed realization of the Good Mind.
With these deeply felt words proceeding from my spirit,
I cry to Thee, O Mazda, and the Spirit of Truth!
He who abhors and shuns the light of the Sun,
He who refuses to behold with respect the
living creation of God,
He who leads the good to wickedness,
He who makes the meadows waterless and the pastures desolate,
He who lets fly his weapon against the innocent,
An enemy of my faith, a destroyer of Thy
principles is he, O Lord!
The fabric of my life work they destroy,
The evil doers, extolled as masters and mistresses,
Who dispossess persons of their rightful heritage
And those who will retard the good and truthful
from the realm of the Good Mind, O Mazda.
To those who deter men from the best action,
To those who destroy with a callous heart,
To those who place the evil and the wicked above
Truth and Right,
To those who yearn for the rule of the Lie,
Doth Mazda declare: "Evil are you all."
These evil-doers,
Who shall dwell in the abode of the Worst Mind,
Who yearn for ill-gotten gain, and seethe from discontent,
Who wantonly destroy life;
Away from Thy Prophet's message,
They shall not behold the Vision of Truth.
The evil Grehma and the tribal chiefs
For long have designed to promote the Lie,
To sacrifice the Cow and desolate the good living creation,
Kindling the fire of drink in their aid.
Thy message shall undo the work of the evil-doers,
No more shall the wicked Kavis, and the Karpans,
rule over the lives of the righteous.
But the good shall be escorted through Perfection
and Immortality
To the Realm of the Best Mental Existence!
Following the enlightening doctrine is for us indeed
the state of excellence,
Even when the vengeful harm of the wicked threaten us.
The power of Thy teaching, O Mazda Ahura, shall
avert that harm from befalling on Thy devotees.

Ahunuvaiti Gatha
Yasna 33
In accordance with the Primeval Laws of this existence,
The Ratu (Judge) shall deal perfect justice to all;
To the good who chose the Truth,
To the evil who chose Falsehood,
And to those in whom good and evil are mixed.
He who opposes Evil by his thought or word,
Or by the work of his own two hands,
He who instructs people to their good,
Makes a worthy offering of faith to Thy Purpose,
O Ahura Mazda!
He who is most good to the righteous,
Be he a noble, or a peasant, or a dependent,
He who zealously makes the good living creation flourish,
He shall come to dwell with Truth in the realm of
the Good Mind.
I am he who by devotion and prayer shall
Keep disobedience and the Evil Mind far from Thee, O Mazda,
Keep insolent heresy away from the nobles,
The distrust spread by slanderers, from the community,
And the evil of destruction from the pastures of cattle.
I invoke Thy Sraosha (Inspiration) as the greatest of
all aids at the Consummation,
To attain Life Eternal in Thy Kingdom of the Good Mind,
To attain the straight path of Truth wherein Thou
dwelleth, O Mazda Ahura!
I, who as Thy steadfast priest, have learned the
straight path of Asha (Truth and Righteousness),
And would learn from the Best Mind how best to
do what should be done,
Therefore I ask of Thee, My Lord,
Bless me with Thy Vision and grant me a
consultation with Thee!
Come hither to me, in Thine own self, O Mazda!
Come unmistakably, O Thou Best One, with
The Spirit of Truth and The Good Mind!
Let my message be heard beyond the limits of
the community of adherents.
Let the brilliant offerings of reverential prayers
be manifest to all.
Do Thou make known to me, the Ultimate Good,
the final end,
That I may bring it about with the help of the Good Mind.
Accept, O Mazda, the homage of Thy faithful worshipper,
Accept, O Truth, my hymn of praise for Thee,
Grant to us, O Spirits of Deathless Weal and Immortality,
your own two blessings.
And with the blessings of these comrade Spirits of
Perfection and Immortality,
Let all advance to Thee, O Mazda!
Let all promote the cause of Truth!
Let all advance to the most exalted Abode of
Wisdom with a mind best fitted for it!
Sure is the support of these Twain, whose spirits work together.
All the felicities of life, which have been,
which are, and which shall be,
Come to us through Thy Divine Grace, O Mazda;
Through Thy Holy Power, let our persons advance to the
wished-for beatitude,
With the help of the Good Mind, with the help of Truth !
Hearken unto me, O Most Benevolent Ahura Mazda!
O ye Spirits of Piety and Truth that bless our existence!
O ye Good Mind, and the Dominion of Heaven!
Be gracious unto us as we receive our recompense!
Arise for me, O Ahura!
Through my devotion give me steadfastness of purpose,
Through Thy Most Bounteous Spirit make me pure in goodness,
Through the Spirit of Righteousness grant me the
courage of spiritual might,
And through the Good Mind give me the trust of the people.
With Thy divine grace, O Lord.
Make wide the vision of my mind;
Make manifest Thy everlasting attributes;
Make known the blessings of Thy Kingdom of
Heaven, and the joyous recompense of
the Good Mind,
O Holy Armaity, inspire our consciousness with
the Ultimate Truth.
To the Lord Mazda, as an offering,
Zarathushtra dedicates the works of his life,
even his very self.
The noblest essence of his Good Thought.
To Truth, he consecrates obedience to its principles
In word and deed, and all the might of his
spiritual authority.

Ahunuvaiti Gatha
Yasna 34
The deeds, the words, the worship,
For which Thou hast established
Immortality, Righteous existence and the Kingdom of Perfection;
All these deeds and words and worship
I dedicate first of all to Thee, O Lord Mazda!
Inspired by the Good Mind, these deeds come from
the good spirit of the virtuous person,
Whose soul follows the path of Truth,
Approaching Thy Presence, O Mazda, singing
hymns of Thy praise.
To Thee, and to Truth we tender our offerings of
reverential adoration.
In Thy Kingdom may all the living achieve their
destiny of perfection through the Good Mind.
For, indeed, the advancement to Thy exalted presence is
forever secure among the right thinking, O Mazda!
Thy sacred fire, O Ahura, mighty through Truth,
most swift and powerful,
May its helpful radiance be a bringer of joy to the good;
But for the malicious wicked, may its power their evil disclose!
What is Thy power? What is thy domain, O Mazda,
How can one's actions justify Thy protection, O Mazda?
Indeed, thus:
Through Righteousness, and through the Benevolent Mind,
and by protecting Thy poor.
We will declare Thy exaltation to all -- even to the powers
of evil and the wicked destroyers among men.
As Thou art truly thus, O Mazda,
The very Being of Truth and the Good Mind,
Then give me a sign during this existence of mine,
That I may approach with confident joy, in veneration,
singing of Thy glory.
Where are those, O Mazda, with authentic
enlightenment of the Good Mind,
Who even in times of woe
Would by Thy treasured doctrines spread the light?
None do I know other than Thee;
Protect us, then, through Truth.
For the evil foes by their hostile actions
have spread fear;
Misery and ruin have they brought on many.
Unmindful of Thy commands, the powerful
oppress the weak, O Mazda!
They think not, alas, of Truth and Right,
From the Good Mind they always remain afar.
Those who spurn the bountiful Spirit of Piety
Knowing how precious it is to thine initiate,
Wicked are they by their ignorance and neglect of
the Good Mind;
From them Truth turns away, as from us flee the
beasts of prey.
The man of understanding will call for the
deeds of the Good Mind,
A fruitful result of a faithful life;
He who knows the zeal of Armaity is a creative
follower of Truth and Right,
Which are indeed the mighty-influences of Thy
Kingdom of Heaven, O Mazda.
Thy twin Spirits of Perfection and immortality
sustain our aspiration.
The zealous Armaity with Truth, shall assure the
permanence of Thy Kingdom of the Good Mind.
By these divine forces, O Mazda, dost Thou bless
the foes of Thy foes.
What are Thy commandments, and what dost Thou
desire, O Mazda?
What of invocation, what of worship?
Speak forth, my Lord, that I may hear Thee!
That I may know what will bestow on us Thy blessed rewards.
Teach me through the Good Mind, the noble path of
Truth and Right.
It is the Path of the Good Mind which Thou hast
manifested to me, O Ahura!
Whereby the well-doers, in accordance with the teaching
of the Spiritual Guides, acting in harmony
with Truth alone,
Shall pass onward to the assigned reward of which
Thou art the bestower, O Mazda!
This precious reward of Thine, O Mazda,
Thou givest by way of the Good Mind,
Thou givest to vigorous bodily life of him who
works for and tends to Thy Creation,
Who furthers Thy beneficent plan by the power of
his understanding,
Guided by Thy Spirit of Truth.
Make known to me, O Mazda, the best teachings and actions,
Actuated by the Good Mind, and inspired by Truth,
As I express my aspiration in my songs of veneration for Thee.
By Thy Sovereign Authority do Thou regenerate this
existence, through Thy gracious Will, O Ahura!
=============================================================
Vohu-Khshathra Gatha
Yasna 51
A righteous government is of all the most to be wished for,
Bearing of blessing and good fortune in the highest.
Guided by the law of Truth, supported by
dedication and zeal,
It blossoms into the Best of Order, a Kingdom of Heaven!
To effect this I shall work now and ever more.
Grant Thou to me, O Mazda, Thy Rule of Righteousness
Which from the beginning has been Thine.
And Thou, O spirit of Rightmindedness, grant me
the power of will,
And vouchsafe Thy blessings on him who realizes
Thee in ever serving with the Good Mind.
All these, indeed, gather unto Thee, O Mazda,
They who have done Thy work,
Whose actions accord with the Truth,
Whose words proceed from the Good Mind,
Whose Inspirer art Thou from the very beginning!
Where shall we find security from threat of harm?
Where, compassion for our precarious state?
When shall Truth come into its own?
Where is the power of Holy Benevolence?
Where is the illumination of the Good Mind?
And whither, O Mazda, is Thy Dominion?
All these questions do we ask,
That receiving guidance from Truth, we may work
for the welfare of creation,
Ever wise in dedication,
Ever upright in action,
Acknowledging the Teacher of Truth appointed for
the just well-being of the people.
At the last turning of life,
To the faithful making the right choice according to
His norm,
Doth Ahura Mazda, the Lord judge, in His sovereign Power,
Bestow an end better than good.
But to him who shall not serve the cause of good
He giveth an end worse than bad.
At the last turning of life.
O Fashioner of the World! O Creator of the waters and plants!
Grant Thou to me Thy blessings of Perfection and Immortality!
O Most Bountiful Spirit, grant me the strength
enduring to bring to realization Thy
announced purpose,
With the help of the Good Mind.
On Thy behalf then shall I speak forth, O Mazda,
As one that knows to those who would know:
"Evil is the portion of the wicked,
But bliss for the one who stands by Righteousness,"
Let this message be announced with joy to the wise!
With what understanding shalt Thou, O Mazda,
give judgment to the two contending sides,
Through Thy fire, a token of the final molten test?
Let there be a sign of the separation:
The destruction of the evil, from the blessedness of
the righteous,
He who strives to destroy me, O Mazda,
Without cause and without justice,
An offspring of evil is he, maleficent to all that live.
Here I invoke the spirit of Truth
To come to me with Thy noble reward, O Mazda!
Where is the man, O Mazda
Who shall come as friend of Spitama Zarathushtra,
Who shall take counsel with Truth,
Who endowed with the zeal of Bounteous Armaity,
Who inspired by the Good Mind,
Shall be fit for the spread of the Great Cause?
On this bridge of transient earthly life
No followers of the wicked lords have pleased
Zarathushtra Spitama;
Thy servant aspiring for lofty attainment
Will seek with sincerity to repel their efforts.
The Wrong of the wicked shall perish before the
Right of the truthful.
Standing at the Bridge of Judgment,
The evil soul beholds the path of the righteous,
But the evil of his actions, the words of his evil
tongue, prove to be his fetters,
In fear, he finds that he fails.
The evil Karpans do not preach the laws of settled
and peaceful life.
They cause suffering to the earth and its creatures,
Their deeds and their doctrines shall consign them at
last to the House of the Lie.
The Abode of Songs where Ahura Mazda was the
first presence,
Is the Blessed Reward, designated by me,
Zarathushtra,
For the supporters of the Great Cause!
It shall be bestowed upon you
If you accept the enlightenment of the Good Mind,
If you tread the path of Truth.
The King Vishtaspa, through righteous power,
has attained the grasp of the Great Cause.
The inspired Wisdom of the doctrine has reached him,
The Wisdom of the Good Faith which Holy Ahura
Mazda devised through the Universal Law
of Truth.
Let thus, the hail of salvation be proclaimed.
To me, has Frashaoshtra Hvogva manifested the
dedication of himself to the Cause.
May Mazda Ahura bestow on him the profoundest
truths of the good Faith,
May Mazda grant him the Will to promulgate the
Cause of Truths.
Jamaspa Hvogva aspiring to enlightened power
through Truth,
Has chosen for himself the Wisdom of Thy Faith;
And so choosing, does he attain the Kingdom of
the Good Mind.
Grant O Lord, that we may so teach people
As ever to seek their protection in Thee.
O Maidyomaha of the Spitama family, even as you,
The man who with wisdom, achieving insight into the Faith,
Shall dedicate his life through fruitful deeds to a better
existence for all,
And instruct them in the Laws of Truth and Right,
rdained by Mazda;
That man has indeed served the Great Cause!
O ye all, working with one will,
Let Truth, Good Thought and Rightmindedness,
Through which you progress to perfection,
Bring to you the wished-for happiness!
O Mazda, awaiting this Bliss from Thee,
Our reverent homage we offer unto Thee!
The man of devotion is beneficent to all.
He is beneficent because of his wisdom,
Because of his realization of truth,
Because of the goodness in his thoughts, in his
words, in his acts.
Unto him Ahura Mazda shall grant the Kingdom of
the Good Mind,
And verily, this blessing I too long for!
The good persons of righteous worship,
Those who have been before and those who exist now,
Whom Ahura Mazda knowest well,
I invoke them in my prayers by their names,
And shall approach them with deep reverence.
Vahishto-Ishti Gatha
Yasna 53
The highest aspirations of Zarathushtra Spitama
attain fruition, O Mazda,
When thou dost grant him for his righteousness
Blissful existence enduring for all times;
When all, at last, turn to him
To accept and practice the principles of the Good Religion!
Let them advance in thought, word, and deed
Toward the satisfaction of Mazda with reverential worship,
King Vishtaspa, Frashaoshtra, and the successors of
Zarathushtra Spitama.
May they teach all to keep to the established straight path,
Announced by the spiritual preceptors, and ordained by Ahura,
To Pouruchista, scion of the clans of Haechataspa and Spitama,
Youngest of the daughters of Zarathushtra,
Grant the constant aid of the Good Mind,
The strong support of Thy Truth,
That she may take counsel with enlightened understanding,
And with devotion act well as wisdom may direct!
(Pouruchista:)
Verily have I, as a righteous one, chosen him,
And shall honor father and husband,
And be righteous to nobles and peasants.
For righteousness let our heritage be the radiance of
the Good Mind,
May Mazda Ahura grant the blessing of the Good
Faith for all time!
(Zarathushtra:)
These words do I address to you maidens who are
being married,
These counsels do I give to you, bridegrooms,
Heed them in your minds and lay them to heart.
Let each cherish the other with Righteousness.
Then surely the reward of a happy life shall be yours.
This, indeed is the case, O ye men and women!
No happiness can be yours if the spirit of
Falsehood directs your lives.
Cast off from your selves the bonds that chain you
to Untruth.
Satisfaction linked with dishonor or with harm to
others is a prison for the seeker;
The faithless-evil bring sorrow to others and
destroy their own spiritual lives hereafter.
O ye, men and women!
When faithful zeal inspires your life,
When tainted thoughts and intentions are rooted out,
When the evil within you is destroyed for ever,
Then shall the Blessed Reward be yours for the
Good Work.
And if you fail, "Alas, Alas" shall be your final words!
Let the evil-doers stand foiled in their wish,
Let them be abandoned to confusion and ruin!
Let those of virtuous principles frustrate them,
prevent their harm,
And make way for the advent of happiness and
peace on our humble dwellings!
Let the Great Upholder of virtue bring the evil
to naught.
And let it be quick!
The men of evil creed torment Thy followers, O Lord!
They set themselves to condemn the worthy, to
despise the good.
Where is the righteous lordship that will smite them
and deprive them of their freedom?
O Mazda, Thine is the sovereign Power
Whereby Thou shalt give the right-living and needy
their ultimate better portion!
==============================================================
About Zarathushtra
The Life & Times
Introduction

It is a well-known fact that very little documentary evidence about the times and life of Zarathushtra has reached our times. In fact the major piece of documentary evidence that has reached us is the text of his Divine Songs, the Gathas.
Historians have tried to reconstruct Zarathushtra’s life mainly with this one piece. However, they face a very challenging task, since this is not meant to be a biographical account, nor even a historical account of his times, but poetry describing Zarathushtra’s spiritual philosophy and worldview. Trying to reconstruct his life from this text is like trying to discover about Shakespeare through his works; not his entire works, but only one of his plays.
Nevertheless, there are sufficient indications to be able to piece together some basic background information. However, this has left ample room for various mythologies to evolve around his life. This text will discuss both documentary aspects of his life, as well as mythical stories.
Summary overview:
Birth
Place: North Eastern ancient Iran
Date: 2nd millennium BCE, probably around 17th Century BCE
Father: Pourushaspa
Mother: Dughdova
Grandfather: Haechadaspa of the Spitama family.
Personal details
Wife: Hvovi
Children: 3 sons and 3 daughters in the following order:
Son: Daughter: Daughter: Son: Son: Daughter: Isat Vastar, Freni Thriti Urvatat-Nara Hvare chithra Pouruchista
Teens and youth:
Not much is known about his youth except that he was very curious and wanted to find out about things. He spend a long time outdoors, contemplating nature and the questions of life.
Illumination:
Age: 30
First converts (in order of acceptance of his philosophy):
His cousin, Maidhyoimangha His wife, Hvovi His 6 children And 14 others over the next few years.
Challenges:
Zarathushtra encountered many difficulties and challenges imposed on him through the opposition of the established priests and local ruling princes. He tries to promulgate his teachings, but every time, the established traditions, what people were used to, manage to stop him. Eventually he and his followers leave their homeland for other lands. Still anywhere they go, they meet similar opposition from both rulers and priests.
Breakthrough:
Finally, in the land of King (Kavi) Vishtaspa, he manages to get an audience with the king. During this encounter, many of the leading priests and wise men were present, to quiz Zarathushtra and test his new philosophy.
Zarathushtra manages to answer all questions to the satisfaction of the King, who after a few days of pondering the situation, embraces this new religion and urges his subjects to do the same. This was the major breakthrough in Zarathushtra’s propagation of his message.
Two of the noted disciples of Zarathushtra, as mentioned in the Gathas, are Frashaoshtra and Jamaspa of the Hvogva family.
Later on, Zarathushtra’s daughter, Pouruchista gets married. In the Gathas, Zarathushtra advises his daughter as well as all brides and grooms-to-be, but does not name the bridegroom. However, later tradition says that she marries Jamaspa.
Death:
Zarathushtra lived a healthy life to old age. According to later tradition, Zarathushtra passes away at the age of 77, of natural causes.