IV. Khordâd Ya<I>s</I>t
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The Zend Avesta, Part II (SBE23), James Darmesteter, tr. [1882], at sacred-texts.com
IV. KHORDÂD YAST.
Only the first two sections of this Yast refer to its nominal object, Haurvatât, the Genius of Health and Waters (Vend. Introd. IV, 7, 33). The rest of the Yast refers to the performance of the Bareshnûm ceremony as being the test of the true Zoroastrian. As the Bareshnûm purification was performed by Airyaman to drive away the myriads of diseases created by Angra Mainyu 4, its laudation is not quite unaptly inserted in a Yast devoted to the Genius of Health.
The Khordâd Yast can be recited at any time. It is better to recite it during the Gâh Usahin, on the day Khordâd (Anquetil).
The text is corrupt.
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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 5 . . . . .
Unto Haurvatât, the master; unto the prosperity
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of the seasons and unto the years, the masters of holiness 1,
Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.
Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness . . . .
We sacrifice unto Haurvatât, the Amesha-Spenta; we sacrifice unto the prosperity of the seasons; we sacrifice unto the years, the holy and masters of holiness 2.
1. Ahura Mazda spake unto Spitama Zarathustra, saying: 'I created for the faithful the help, the enjoyments, the comforts, and the pleasures of Haurvatât. We unite them with him who would come up to thee as one of the Amesha-Spentas, as he would come to any of the Amesha-Spentas, Vohu-Manô, Asha-Vahista, Khshathra-Vairya, Spenta-Ârmaiti, Haurvatât, and Ameretât.
2. 'He who against the thousands of thousands of those Daêvas, against their ten thousands of ten thousands, against their numberless myriads would invoke the name of Haurvatât, as one of the Amesha-Spentas, he would smite the Nasu, he would smite Hasi 3, he would smite Basi 3, he would smite Saêni 3, he would smite Bûgi 3.
3 4. 'I proclaim the faithful man as the first [of men]; if I proclaim the faithful man as the first
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[paragraph continues] [of men] 1, then Rashnu Razista 2, then every heavenly Yazata of male nature in company with the Amesha-Spentas will free the faithful man 3
4. 'From the Nasu, from Hasi, from Gasi 4, from Saêni, from Bûgi; from the hordes with the wide front, from the hordes with the many spears uplifted, from the evil man who oppresses, from the wilful sinner 5, from the oppressor of men, from the Yâtu, from the Pairika, from the straying way.
5. 'How does the way of the faithful turn and part from the way of the wicked 6?'
Ahura Mazda answered: 'It is when a man pronouncing my spell, either reading 7 or reciting it by heart, draws the furrows 8 and hides 9 there himself, [saying]:
6. "I will smite thee, O Drug! whomsoever thou art, whomsoever thou art amongst the Druges that come in an open way, whomsoever thou art amongst the Druges that come by hidden ways, whomsoever thou art amongst the Druges that defile by contact; whatsoever Drug thou art, I smite thee away from the Aryan countries; whatsoever Drug thou art, I bind thee; I smite thee down, O Drug! I throw thee down below, O Drug!"
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7. 'He draws [then] three furrows 1: I proclaim him one of the faithful; he draws six furrows 1: I proclaim him one of the faithful; he draws nine furrows 1: I proclaim him one of the faithful.
8. 'The names of those (Amesha-Spentas) smite the men turned to Nasus 2 by the Druges; the seed and kin of the deaf 3 are smitten, the scornful 4 are dead, as the Zaotar Zarathustra blows them away to woe 5, however fierce, at his will and wish, as many as he wishes.
9. 'From the time when the sun is down he smites them with bruising blows; from the time when the sun is no longer up, he deals deadly blows on the Nasu with his club struck down, for the propitiation and glorification of the heavenly gods.
10. 'O Zarathustra! let not that spell be shown to any one, except by the father to his son, or by the brother to his brother from the same womb, or by the Âthravan to his pupil 6 in black hair, devoted to the good law, who, devoted to the good law, holy 7 and brave, stills all the Druges 8.
11. 'For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard, namely, unto Haurvatât, the Amesha-Spenta. Unto Haurvatât, the Amesha-Spenta, we offer up the libations, the Haoma and meat, the baresma, the wisdom of the tongue, the
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holy spells, the speech, the deeds, the libations, and the rightly-spoken words.
12. 'Yathâ ahû vairyô: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness . . . .
'I bless the sacrifice and prayer, and the strength and vigour of Haurvatât, the master; of the prosperity of the seasons and of the years, the masters of holiness.
'Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good. . . . .
'[Give] unto that man 1' brightness and glory, . . . . give him the bright, all happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones.'
Footnotes
48:5 As above, p. 22 and notes.
49:3 Names of Daêvas. According to the Parsi translator of the Dînkart (vol. ii, p. 65), Hasi is 'he who makes sceptical;' Basi is 'he who gives rise to the barking disease;' Saêni is 'he who causes harm;' Bûgi is 'he who preys upon.'
49:4 The translation of this paragraph is quite conjectural.
50:1 If I am one of the faithful.
50:2 The Genius of Truth, Yt. XII.
50:3 Will free me as one of the faithful.
50:5 Starâi; cf. Études Iraniennes, II, 135.
50:6 How is the wicked known from the faithful one?
50:7 Marâo: Phl. ôsmôrît, Sansk. adhyeti; safarûnît, poshayati (pustakayati? Yasna XIX, 6 [9]).
50:8 The furrows for the Bareshnûm purification (Vend. IX).
50:9 Doubtful: gaozaiti; read yaozdâiti (? he cleanses).
51:1 To perform the Bareshnûm; cf. Vend. XXII, 20 [54].
51:2 Reading nasûm kereta; cf. nasu-kereta (Vend. VII, 26 [67]).
51:3 See above, p. 26, note 2.
51:5 Duzavât: both the reading and the meaning are doubtful. Mr. West suggests, 'sends to hell' (reading duzanghvât or duzanghat).
51:7 Reading ashava instead of asô ava.
52:1 Who shall have sacrificed to Haurvatât.
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