III. Ardibehi<I>s</I>t Ya<I>s</I>t

The Zend Avesta, Part II (SBE23), James Darmesteter, tr. [1882], at sacred-texts.com

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III. ARDIBEHIST ¹ YAST.

This Yast is for a great part devoted to the praise of the Airyaman prayer, which is described as driving away all the diseases and plagues that have been brought upon the world by Angra Mainyu; and when the writer passes from the glorification of Airyaman to that of Asha-Vahista, which is put into the mouth of Angra Mainyu himself (§§ 13 seq.), he makes him speak of Asha-Vahista just in the same way, and ascribe him just the same powers, as he himself has done with regard to Airyaman. This is owing to the fact of Airyaman being invoked in company with Asha-Vahista in the second formula of the Sîrôzah ².

The powers ascribed to Asha-Vahista have their origin in the twofold nature of that Amesha-Spenta, who being, in his abstract character, the impersonation of the highest element in Mazdeism, Divine Order and Holiness ³, and in his concrete character, the genius who presides over the mightiest of physical elements, Fire ⁴, is one of the most powerful and dreaded opponents of Angra Mainyu ⁵. On the other hand, Airyaman is the genius to whom Ahura Mazda applied to heal the nine, and ninety, and nine hundred and nine thousand diseases created by Angra Mainyu ⁶.

This Yast is recited every day at the Gâhs Hâvan, Rapithwin, and Aiwisrûthrem (Anquetil).

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0. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced! . . . .

Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good . . . .

I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathustra, one who hates the Daêvas and obeys the laws of Ahura; For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Hâvani], the holy and master of holiness ⁷ . . . .

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Unto Asha-Vahista, the fairest; unto the much-desired Airyaman, made by Mazda, and unto the good Saoka, with eyes of love, made by Mazda and holy ¹;

Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.

Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness ². . . .

I.

1. Ahura Mazda spake unto Spitama Zarathustra, saying: 'That thou mayest increase Asha-Vahista, O Spitama Zarathustra! with hymns of praise, with performance of the office, with invocations, holy words, sacrifice, blessings, and adoration—once to abide in the shining luminous space, in the beautiful abodes ³—for the sacrifice and invocation of us, the Amesha-Spentas ⁴' . . . .

2. Zarathustra said: 'Say unto me the right words, such as they are, O Ahura Mazda! that I may increase Asha-Vahista, with hymns of praise,

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with performance of the office, with invocations, holy words, sacrifice, blessings, and adoration,—once to abide in the shining luminous space, in the beautiful abodes,—for the sacrifice and invocation of you, the Amesha-Spentas.

3 ¹. '. . . . I proclaim Asha-Vahista: if I proclaim Asha-Vahista, then easy is the way to the abode of the other Amesha-Spentas ², which Ahura Mazda keeps with Good Thoughts, which Ahura Mazda keeps with Good Words, which Ahura Mazda keeps with Good Deeds ³;

4. '(Easy is the way to the Garô-nmâna of Ahura Mazda): the Garô-nmâna is for the holy souls, and no one of the wicked can enter the Garô-nmâna and its bright, wide, holy ways; (no one of them can go) to Ahura Mazda.

II.

5. 'The Airyaman prayer ⁴ smites down the strength of all the creatures of Angra Mainyu, of the Yâtus and Pairikas ⁵. It is the greatest of spells, the best of spells, the very best of all spells; the

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fairest of spells, the very fairest of all spells; the fearful one amongst spells, the most fearful of all spells; the firm one amongst spells, the firmest of all spells; the victorious one amongst spells, the most victorious of all spells; the healing one amongst spells, the best-healing of all spells.

6. 'One may heal with Holiness, one may heal with the Law, one may heal with the knife, one may heal with herbs, one may heal with the Holy Word: amongst all remedies this one is the healing one that heals with the Holy Word; this one it is that will best drive away sickness from the body of the faithful: for this one is the best-healing of all remedies ¹.

7. 'Sickness fled away [before it], Death fled away; the Daêva fled away, the Daêva's counter-work ² fled away; the unholy Ashemaogha ³ fled away, the oppressor of men fled away.

8. 'The brood of the Snake fled away; the brood of the Wolf fled away; the brood of the Two-legged ⁴ fled away. Pride fled away; Scorn fled away; Hot Fever fled away; Slander fled away; Discord fled away; the Evil Eye fled away.

9. 'The most lying words of falsehood fled away; the Gahi ⁵, addicted to the Yâtu, fled away; the

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[paragraph continues] Gahi, who makes one pine ¹, fled away; the wind that blows from the North ² fled away; the wind that blows from the North vanished away.

10. 'He it is who smites me that brood of the Snake, and who might smite those Daêvas by thousands of thousands, by ten thousands of ten thousands; he smites sickness, he smites death, he smites the Daêvas, he smites the Daêva's counter-work, he smites the unholy Ashemaogha, he smites the oppressor of men.

11. 'He smites the brood of the Snake; he smites the brood of the Wolf; he smites the brood of the Two-legged. He smites Pride; he smites Scorn; he smites Hot Fever; he smites Slander; he smites Discord; he smites the Evil Eye.

12. 'He smites the most lying words of falsehood; he smites the Gahi, addicted to the Yâtu; he smites the Gahi, who makes one pine. He smites the wind that blows from the North; the wind that blows from the North vanished away.

13. 'He it is who smites me that brood of the Two-legged, and who might smite those Daêvas, by thousands of thousands, by ten thousands of ten thousands. Angra Mainyu, who is all death, the worst-lying of all Daêvas, rushed from before him

14. 'He exclaimed, did Angra Mainyu: "Woe is me! Here is the god Asha-Vahista, who will smite the sickliest of all sicknesses, who will afflict the sickliest of all sicknesses;

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' "He will smite the deadliest of all deaths, he will afflict the deadliest of all deaths;

' "He will smite the most fiendish of all fiends, he will afflict the most fiendish of all fiends;

' "He will smite the most counter-working of all counter-works, he will afflict the most counter-working of all counter-works;

' "He will smite the unholy Ashemaogha, he will afflict the unholy Ashemaogha;

' "He will smite the most oppressive of the oppressors of men, he will afflict the most oppressive of the oppressors of men.

15. ' "He will smite the snakiest of the Snake's brood, he will afflict the snakiest of the Snake's brood;

' "He will smite the most wolfish of the Wolf's brood, he will afflict the most wolfish of the Wolf's brood;

' "He will smite the worst of the two-legged brood, he will afflict the worst of the two-legged brood;

' "He will smite Pride, he will afflict Pride;

' "He will smite Scorn, he will afflict Scorn;

' "He will smite the hottest of hot fevers, he will afflict the hottest of hot fevers;

' "He will smite the most slanderous of slanders, he will afflict the most slanderous of slanders;

' "He will smite the most discordant of discords, he will afflict the most discordant of discords;

' "He will smite the worst of the Evil Eye, he will afflict the worst of the Evil Eye.

16. ' "He will smite the most lying words of falsehood, he will afflict the most lying words of falsehood;

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' "He will smite the Gahi, addicted to the Yâtu, he will afflict the Gahi, addicted to the Yâtu;

' "He will smite the Gahi, who makes one pine, he will afflict the Gahi, who makes one pine;

' "He will smite the wind that blows from the North, he will afflict the wind that blows from the North."

17 ¹. 'The Drug will perish away, the Drug will perish; the Drug will rush, the Drug will vanish. Thou perishest away to the regions of the North, never more to give unto death the living world of the holy spirit ².

18. 'For his brightness and glory I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard ³, namely, unto Asha-Vahista, the fairest, the Amesha-Spenta. Unto Asha-Vahista, the fairest, the Amesha-Spenta, we offer up the libations, the Haoma and meat ⁴, the baresma ⁵, the wisdom of the tongue ⁶, the holy spells ⁷, the speech, the deeds ⁸, the libations, and the rightly-spoken words.

'Yênhê hâtãm: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda knows the goodness ⁹ . . . .

19. 'Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness . . . .

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'I bless the sacrifice and prayer and the strength and vigour of Asha-Vahista, the fairest; of the much-desired Airyaman, made by Mazda; and of the good Saoka, with eyes of love, made by Mazda and holy ¹.

'Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good ² . . . .

'[Give] unto that man ³ brightness and glory, give him health of body; . . . . give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones.'

Footnotes

41:1 Ard-î-behist is the Parsi form for Asha vahista, ard being derived from arta, the Persian form corresponding to the Zend asha.

41:2 See Sîrôzah I, 3, and below the introductory formula.

41:3 See Vend. Introd. IV, 30.

41:4 Ibid. 33.

41:5 See Yt. XVII, 18.

41:6 Fargard XXII and Introd.

41:7 As above, Yt. I, 0.

42:1 Sîrôzah I, 3.

42:2 Several manuscripts add here the full invocation of the greater Sîrôzah:

'We sacrifice unto Asha-Vahista, the fairest, the Amesha-Spenta;
We sacrifice unto the much-desired Airyaman;
We sacrifice unto the instrument, made by Mazda;
We sacrifice unto the good Saoka, with eyes of love, made by Mazda and holy.'

42:3 The Garô-nmânem or Paradise; see Yasna XVI, 7 [XVII, 42], Phl. tr.

42:4 The principal clause appears to be wanting, unless Zarathustra is supposed to interrupt Ahura. One might also understand the sentence in an optative sense: 'Mayest thou increase . . .'

43:1 Here again it seems as if a paragraph had been lost: 'Ahura Mazda answered: Proclaim thou Asha-Vahista; if thou proclaimest Asha-Vahista . . . .—Then Zarathustra replied: I proclaim Asha-Vahista . . .'

43:2 The Garôthmân.

43:3 An allusion to the three Paradises of Humat, Hûkht, Hvarst, through which the souls of the blessed pass to Garôthmân (Yt. XXII, 15).

43:4 The prayer known as Airyama-ishyô; see Vendîdâd XXI, 11-12.

43:5 See Vend. Introd. IV, 20-21.

44:1 Cf. Vendîdâd VII, 44 (118). That Airyaman made use of the Holy Word (of spells) to cure diseases appears from Vend. XXII, 6 seq.

44:2 Paityâra: every work of Ahura was opposed and spoiled by a counter-work of Angra Mainyu. Cf. Bundahis I, 23 seq.; III, 23 seq.; Vend. I; see Ormazd et Ahriman, §§ 195 seq.

44:3 See Yt. I, 10 and note 4.

44:4 The Ahrimanian creatures belonging to mankind, the Mairyas and Ashemaoghas (Yt. I, 10).

44:5 The courtezan; cf. Vend. XXI, 27 (35), and Introd. IV, 25.

45:1 The Zend is Kahvaredhaini, a synonym of which, Kahvaredha, Yasna LXI, 2 [LX, 7], is translated impairer of Glory, which means very likely: he who makes one 'dwindle, peak, and pine' (cf. Vend. XVIII, 62-64).

45:2 From the country of hell; cf. Vend. VII, 2; XIX, 1; Yt. XXII, 25.

47:1 One set of manuscripts insert: 'He will smite the wind that blows against the North, he will afflict the wind that blows against the North; the wind that blows against the North [will perish].' This is most likely an interpolation, as the wind that blows against the North (if this is the right meaning of aparô apâkhtara, as opposed to pourvô apâkhtara) blows against Angra Mainyu.

47:2 Cf. Vendîdâd VIII, 21.

47:3 That is to say, worth being accepted: cf. Yt. X, 32; the Parsis translate, 'a sacrifice heard [from the lips of the Dastûrs]' ( ; East India Office, XXV, 42).

47:4 The Haoma and Myazda.

47:5 See Vend. III, 1, note 2.

47:6 Hizvô danghah: huzvân dânâkîh (Phl. tr.) means 'the right formulas.'

47:7 'The Avesta' (Phl. tr.).

47:8 The several operations of the sacrifice.

47:9 As above, Yt. I, 22.

48:1 Cf. Sîrôzah I, 2.

48:2 As above, p. 22.

48:3 Who shall offer a sacrifice to Asha-Vahista; cf. Yt. I, 33 and notes.