FARGARD XI.

The Zend Avesta, Part I (SBE04), James Darmesteter, tr. [1880], at sacred-texts.com

This chapter, like the preceding, is composed of spells intended to drive away the Nasu. But they are of a more special character, as they refer to the particular objects to be cleansed, such as the house, the fire, the water, &c. Each incantation consists of two parts, a line from the Gâthas which alludes, or rather is made to allude, to the particular object, and a general exorcism, in the usual dialect, which is the same for all the objects.

1. Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda: 'O Ahura Mazda! most beneficent spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I cleanse the house? how the fire? how the water? how the earth? how the cow? how the tree? how the faithful man and the faithful woman? how the stars? how the moon? how the sun? how the boundless light?

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how all good things, made by Mazda, the offspring of the holy principle?'

2 (4). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘Thou shalt chant the cleansing words, and the house shall be clean; clean shall be the fire, clean the water, clean the earth, clean the cow, clean the tree, clean the faithful man. and the faithful woman, clean the stars, clean the moon, clean the sun, clean the boundless light, clean all good things, made by Mazda, the offspring of the holy principle.

3 (7). ‘So thou shalt say these fiend-smiting and most-healing words; thou shalt chant the Ahuna-Vairya five times: "The will of the Lord is the law of holiness," &c.

‘The Ahuna-Vairya preserves the person of man: "The will of the Lord is the law of holiness," &c.

‘"Whom hast thou placed to protect me, O Mazda! while the hate of the fiend is grasping me?" &c.

‘"Who is he who will smite the fiend in order to maintain thy ordinances?" &c.

‘"Keep us from our hater, O Mazda and Ârmaiti Spenta!" &c. ¹

4 (9). ‘If thou wantest to cleanse the house, say these words aloud: "He is my greatest support as long as lasts this dreary world ²."

‘If thou wantest to cleanse the fire, say these words aloud: "Thy fire, first of all, do we approach with worship, O Ahura Mazda ³!"

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5 (13). ‘If thou wantest to cleanse the water, say these words aloud: "Waters we worship, the waters in the tree, the waters in the stream, the waters in the rain ¹."

‘If thou wantest to cleanse the earth, say these words aloud: "This earth we worship, this earth with the women, this earth which bears us and those women who are thine, O Ahura ²!"

6 (17). ‘If thou wantest to cleanse the cow, say these words aloud: "For the cow we order thee to do these most excellent deeds, that she may have a resting place and fodder ³."

‘If thou wantest to cleanse the trees, say these words aloud: "Out of him ⁴, through his holiness Mazda made the plants grow up ⁵."

7 (21). ‘If thou wantest to cleanse the faithful man or the faithful woman, say these words aloud: "May the beloved Airyaman come hither, for the men and women of Zarathustra to rejoice, for the faithful to rejoice; with the desirable reward that is won by means of the law, and with that boon for holiness that is vouchsafed by Ahura ⁶!"

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8 (25). ‘Then thou shalt say these fiend-smiting and most-healing words. Thou shalt chant the Ahuna-Vairya eight times:--

‘"The will of the Lord is the law of holiness," &c.

‘"Whom hast thou placed to protect me, O Mazda?" &c.

‘"Who is he who will smite the fiend?" &c.

"‘Keep us from our hater, O Mazda!" &c. ¹

9 (26). ‘I drive away Aêshma ², I drive away the Nasu, I drive away direct defilement, I drive away indirect defilement.

[I drive away Khrû, I drive away Khrûighni ³; I drive away Bûidhi, I drive away Bûidhiza ⁴; I drive away Kundi, I drive away Kundiza. ⁵]

'I drive away the yellow Bûshyãsta, I drive away the long-handed Bûshyãsta ⁶; [I drive away Mûidhi ⁷, I drive away Kapasti. ⁸]

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‘I drive away the Pairika ¹ that comes upon the fire, upon the water, upon the earth, upon the cow, upon the tree. I drive away the demon of uncleanness that comes upon the fire, upon the water, upon the earth, upon the cow, upon the tree.

10 (32). ‘I drive thee away, O mischievous Angra Mainyu! from the fire, from the water, from the earth, from the cow, from the tree, from the faithful man and from the faithful woman, from the stars, from the moon, from the sun, from the boundless light, from all good things, made by Mazda, the offspring of the holy principle.

11 (33). ‘Then thou shalt say these fiend-smiting and most-healing -words; thou shalt chant four Ahuna-Vairyas:--

‘"The will of the Lord is the law of holiness," &c.

‘"Whom hast thou placed to protect me?" &c.

‘"Who is he who will smite the fiend?" &c.

‘"Keep us from our hater, O Mazda!" &c. ²

12 (34). ‘Away is Aêshma driven; away is the Nasu driven; away is direct defilement; away is indirect defilement driven.

‘Away is Khrû, away is Khrûighni driven; away is Bûidhi, away is Bûidhiza driven; away is Kundi, away is Kundiza driven.

‘Away is Bûshyãsta driven, the yellow; away is Bûshyãsta driven, the long-handed; away is Mûidhi, away is Kapasti driven.

‘Away is the Pairika driven that comes upon the fire, upon the water, upon the earth, upon the cow, upon the tree. Away is the demon of uncleanness driven that comes upon the fire, upon the water, upon the earth, upon the cow, upon the tree.

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13 (40). ‘Away art thou driven, O mischievous Angra Mainyu! from the fire, from the water, from the earth, from the cow, from the tree, from the faithful man and from the faithful woman, from the stars, from the moon, from the sun, from the boundless light, from all good things, made by Mazda, the offspring of the holy principle.

14 (41). ‘Then thou shalt say these fiend-smiting and most-healing words; thou shalt chant "Mazdâ ad môi" four times: "O Mazda! teach me excellent words and excellent works, that through the good thought and the holiness of him who offers thee due praise, thou mayest, O Lord! make the world thrive for ever and ever, at thy will, under thy sovereign rule ¹."

15. 'I drive away Aêshma, I drive away the Nasu,' &c. ²

16. 'I drive thee away, O mischievous Angra Mainyu! from the fire, from the water,' &c. ³

17. 'Then thou shalt say these fiend-smiting and most-healing words; thou shalt chant the Airyama-ishyô four times: "May the beloved Airyaman come hither!" &c. ⁴

18. 'Away is Aêshma driven; away is the Nasu driven,' &c. ⁵

19. 'Away art thou driven, O mischievous Angra Mainyu! from the fire, from the water,' &c. ⁶

20. ‘Then thou shalt say these fiend-smiting and most-healing words; thou shalt chant five Ahuna-Vairyas:--

‘"The will of the Lord is the law of holiness," &c.

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‘"Whom hast thou placed to protect me?" &c.

‘"Who is he who will smite the fiend?" &c. ¹

‘"Keep us from our hater, O Mazda and Ârmaiti Spenta! Perish, O fiendish Drug! Perish, O brood of the fiend! Perish, O world of the fiend! Perish away, O Drug! Rush away, O Drug! Perish away, O Drug! Perish away to the regions of the north, never more to give unto death the living world of the holy spirit!"'

Footnotes

139:1 As in Farg. VIII, 19, 20.

139:2 Yasna XLIX, 1. The allusion is not quite clear, but there seems to be a comparison between the small house of man and that great house the world.

139:3 Yasna, XXXVI, 1.

140:1 Yasna XXXVIII, 3.

140:2 Yasna XXXVIII, 1. 'Who are thine,' that is, 'who are thy wives;' these women are, or rather were, the rivers in heaven, which were considered as the wives of the heaven-god; the rain waters are called 'Ahura's spouses,' Ahurânîs (Yasna LXVIII); cf. Orm. Ahr. § 32 and Introd. IV. Tradition wrongly recognises in these women the Faroers of godly men.

140:3 Yasna XXXV, 4. 'Let those excellent deeds be done for the behoof of cattle, that is to say, let stables be made, and water and fodder be given' (Comm.)

140:4 The first-born bull from whose body, after his death, grew up all kinds of plants (Bund. IV; cf. Orm. Ahr. § 129 seq.)

140:5 Yasna XLVIII, 6. Cf. Farg. XVII, 5.

140:6 Yasna LIV, 1. Cf. Farg. XX, 11. There is no special spell for the cleansing of the sun, the moon, the stars, and the boundless p. 141 light (see §§ 1, 2), because they are not defiled by the unclean one, they are only pained by seeing him (Farg. IX, 41); as soon as he is clean, they are freed from the pain.

141:1 As in Farg. VIII, 19, 20.

141:2 See Introd. IV, 22.

141:3 'Khrû and Khrûighni are not met with elsewhere; their names mean, apparently, 'wound' and 'the wounding one;' whether they belonged to concrete mythology, or were mere abstractions, is difficult to decide. They may have been mere names or epithets of Aêshma khrûidru, 'Aêshma of the wounding spear.'

141:4 Bûidhiza is 'the offspring of Bûidhi,' but the meaning of Bûidhi is unknown.

141:5 Kundiza is 'the offspring of Kundi;' Kundi is contracted from Kavandi or Kavanda; the Indian homonym kavandha means literally 'a tub,' and by a mythical metaphor 'a raining cloud' (Rig-veda V, 85, 3; IX, 74, 7); he becomes then the demon in the cloud (Farg, XIX, 41). He is known in Greek mythology under the name of Κάανθος; (Kuhn, Herabkunft des Feuers, p. 134).

141:6 See Introd. IV, 24; cf. Farg. XVIII, 16.

141:7 A demon unknown. Aspendiârji translates it by 'Destruction.'

141:8 Unknown. Aspendiârji calls it 'Revenge.'

142:1 See Introd, IV, 21.

142:2 As in Farg. VIII, 19, 20.

143:1 Yasna XXXIV, 15.

143:2 The rest as in § 9.

143:3 The rest as in § 10.

143:4 As in § 7.

143:5 As in § 12.

143:6 As in § 13.

144:1 See Farg. VIII, 19, 20.