NYÂYIS.
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The Zend Avesta, Part II (SBE23), James Darmesteter, tr. [1882], at sacred-texts.com
p. 346 p. 347 p. 348 p. 349
A Nyâyis is properly a begging prayer, as opposed to Sitâyis, a prayer of praise. It is a term particularly applied to five prayers addressed to the Sun, to Mithra, to the Moon, to Waters, and to Fire. Every layman over eight years old is bound to recite the Nyâyis: he recites it standing and girded with his Kôstî.
The Sun Nyâyis is recited three times a day, at the rising of the sun (Gâh Hâvan), at noon (Gâh Rapitvin), and at three o'clock in the afternoon (Gâh Uzîren). The Mithra Nyâyis is recited with the Sun Nyâyis, as Mithra follows the sun in its course (see Yt. X, 13).
The Moon Nyâyis is recited three times a month: first, at the time when it begins to be seen; second, when it is at the full; third, when it is on the wane.
The Waters Nyâyis and the Fire Nyâyis are recited every day, when one finds oneself in the proximity of those elements. The Fire Nyâyis is recited with the Penôm on (see Vend. p. 168, 7).
The first four Nyâyis must be recited especially on the days over which the Izads invoked preside; that is to say, on the Khôrshêd, Mihir, Mâh, and Âbân days (the eleventh, sixteenth, twelfth, and tenth days of the month) 1.
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I. KHÔRSHÊD NYÂYIS.
1. [Hail unto the Sun, the swift-horsed! May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced 2!]
p. 350
Hail unto thee, O Ahura Mazda, in the threefold way 1! [Hail unto thee] before all other creatures!
Hail unto you, O Amesha-Spentas, who are all of you of one accord with the Sun!
May this prayer come unto Ahura Mazda! May it come unto the Amesha-Spentas! May it come unto the Fravashis of the holy Ones! May it come unto the Sovereign Vayu of the long Period 2!
2. [Hail unto the Sun, the swift-horsed!]
May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced! May Angra Mainyu be destroyed! by those who do truly what is the foremost wish (of God).
I recite the 'Praise of Holiness 3:'
3. I praise well-thought, well-spoken, and well-done thoughts, words, and deeds. I embrace all good thoughts, good words, and good deeds; I reject all evil thoughts, evil words, and evil deeds 4.
4. I give sacrifice and prayer unto you, O Amesha-Spentas! even with the fulness of my thoughts, of my words, of my deeds, and of my heart: I give unto you even my own life.
I recite the 'Praise of Holiness 3:'
'Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good. Well is it for it, well is it for that holiness which is perfection of holiness 4!'
5 5. Hail to Ahura Mazda!
Hail to the Amesha-Spentas!
Hail to Mithra, the lord of wide pastures!
Hail to the Sun, the swift-horsed!
Hail to the two eyes of Ahura Mazda!
Hail to the Bull!
Hail to Gaya 6!
p. 351
Hail to the Fravashi of the holy Spitama Zarathustra!
Hail to the whole of the holy creation that was, is, or will be!
May I grow in health of body through Vohu-Manô, Khshathra, and Asha, and come to that luminous space, to that highest of all high things 1, when the world, O Spenta Mainyu! has come to an end!
Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good . . . .
6. We sacrifice unto the bright, undying, shining, swift-horsed Sun.
We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, who is truth-speaking, a chief in assemblies, with a thousand ears, well-shapen, with ten thousand eyes, high, with full knowledge, strong, sleepless, and ever awake 2.
7. We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of all countries, whom Ahura Mazda made the most glorious of all the gods in the world unseen 3.
So may Mithra and Ahura, the two great gods, come to us for help!
We sacrifice unto the bright, undying, shining, swift-horsed Sun.
8. We sacrifice unto Tistrya, whose sight is sound 4.
We sacrifice unto Tistrya; we sacrifice unto the rains of Tistrya 5.
We sacrifice unto Tistrya, bright and glorious.
We sacrifice unto the star Vanant 6, made by Mazda.
p. 352
We sacrifice unto Tistrya, the bright and glorious star.
We sacrifice unto the sovereign sky.
We sacrifice unto the boundless Time.
We sacrifice unto the sovereign Time of the long Period.
We sacrifice unto the beneficent, well-doing Wind.
We sacrifice unto the most upright Kista 1, made by Mazda and holy.
We sacrifice unto the good Law of the worshippers of Mazda.
We sacrifice unto the way of content 2.
We sacrifice unto the golden instrument 3.
We sacrifice unto Mount Saokanta, made by Mazda 3.
9. We sacrifice unto all the holy gods of the world unseen.
We sacrifice unto all the holy gods of the material world.
We sacrifice unto our own soul.
We sacrifice unto our own Fravashi.
We sacrifice unto the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the holy Ones.
We sacrifice unto the bright, undying, shining, swift-horsed Sun.
10. I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathustra . . . .
p. 353
Unto the bright, undying, shining, swift-horsed Sun;
Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification . . . . 1
Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good . . . .
[We sacrifice] unto the Ahurian waters 2, the waters of Ahura, with excellent libations, with finest libations, with libations piously strained 3.
Ashem Vohû: Holiness is the best of all good . . . .
[Give] unto that man brightness and glory, give him health of body, . . . . give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones.
Footnotes
349:1 Anquetil, Zend-Avesta II, pp. 6, 22, 565-566.
349:2 This clause is wanting in most manuscripts.
350:1 In thought, speech, and deed (Pers. and Sansk. transl.).
350:2 Vayu, as being the same with Fate (Vend. Introd. IV, 17), became identified with Time.
350:4 See p. 22.
350:5 § 5 = Yasna LXVIII (22-23 [LXVII, 58-67]).
350:6 Gaya Maretan, the first man.
351:1 The sun: 'May my soul arrive at the sun-region!' (Pahl. transl.)
351:4 See Yt. VIII, 12, note 7.
351:5 See Yt. VIII, 12, note 2.
352:3 'On Mount Saokanta there is a golden tube coming from the root of the earth; the water that is on the surface of the earth goes up through the hole of that tube to the heavens, and being driven by the wind, spreads everywhere, and thus the dew is produced' (Sansk. transl.).
353:1 The whole of the Khôrshêd Yast is inserted here.
353:2 Rivers considered as Ahura's wives (cf. Ormazd et Ahriman, § 32).
353:3 From Yasna LXVIII, 10 (LXVII, 30); cf. p. 34.
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