1 Zarathustra asked God: "O Lord, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall I fight against that fiend who from the dead rushes upon the living? How shall I fight against that fiend who from the dead defiles the living?"

2 God answered: "Say aloud those words in the Gathas that are to be said twice; say aloud those words in the Gathas that are to be said thrice; say aloud those words in the Gathas that are to be said four times."

3 O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Which are those words in the Gathas that are to be said twice?

4 God answered: "These are the words in the Gathas that are to be said twice, and thou shalt twice say them aloud: Yasna 28.2, Yasna 35.2, Yasna 35.8, Yasna 39.4, Yasna 41.3, Yasna 41.5, Yasna 41.11 (verse 1), Yasna 47.1, Yasna 51.1, Yasna 53.1.

5 "And after thou hast twice said those words, thou shalt say aloud these fiend-smiting and most-healing words:

"In God's name I drive away Satan from this house, from this borough, from this town, from this land; from the very body of the man defiled by the dead, from the very body of the woman defiled by the dead; from the master of the house, from the lord of the borough, from the lord of the town, from the lord of the land; from the whole of the holy world.

6 "I drive away the Nasu, I drive away direct defilement, I drive away indirect defilement, from this house, from this borough, from this town, from this land; from the very body of the man defiled by the dead, from the very body of the woman defiled by the dead; from the master of the house, from the lord of the borough, from the lord of the town, from the lord of the land; from the whole of the holy world."

7 O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Which are those words in the Gathas that are to be said thrice?

8 God answered: "These are the words in the Gathas that are to be said thrice, and thou shalt thrice say them aloud: Yasna 27.14, Yasna 33.11, Yasna 35.5, Yasna 53.9.

9 "After thou hast thrice said those words, thou shalt say aloud these fiend-smiting and most-healing words:

"I drive away the evil spirits Sauru and Naunghaithya, from this house, from this borough, from this town, from this land; from the very body of the man defiled by the dead, from the very body of the woman defiled by the dead; from the master of the house, from the lord of the borough, from the lord of the town, from the lord of the land; from the whole of the holy world.

10 "I drive away Tauru, I drive away Zairi, from this house, from this borough, from this town, from this land; from the very body of the man defiled by the dead, from the very body of the woman defiled by the dead; from the master of the house, from the lord of the borough, from the lord of the town, from the lord of the land; from the whole of the holy world."

11 O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Which are those words in the Gathas that are to be said four times?

12 God answered: "These are the words in the Gathas that are to be said four times, and thou shalt four times say them aloud: Yasna 27.13, Yasna 34.15, Yasna 54.1.

13 "After thou hast said those words four times, thou shalt say aloud these fiend-smiting and most-healing words:

"I drive away Aeshma, the fiend of the wounding spear, I drive away the evil spirit Akatasha, from this house, from this borough, from this town, from this land; from the very body of the man defiled by the dead, from the very body of the woman defiled by the dead; from the master of the house, from the lord of the borough, from the lord of the town, from the lord of the land; from the whole of the holy world.

14 "I drive away the Varenya devils, I drive away the wind-devil, from this house, from this borough, from this town, from this land; from the very body of the man defiled by the dead, from the very body of the woman defiled by the dead; from the master of the house, from the lord of the borough, from the lord of the town, from the lord of the land; from the whole of the holy world."

15 "These are the words in the Gathas that are to be said twice; these are the words in the Gathas that are to be said thrice; these are the words in the Gathas that are to be said four times.

16 "These are the words that smite down Satan; these are the words that smite down Aeshma, the fiend of the wounding spear; these are the words that smite down the Mazainya devils; these are the words that smite down all the devils.

17 "These are the words that stand against that fiend, against that Nasu, who from the dead rushes upon the living, who from the dead defiles the living.

18 "Therefore, O Zarathustra, thou shalt dig nine holes in the part of the ground where there is least water and where there are fewest trees; where there is nothing that may be food either for man or beast; for purity is for man, next to life, the greatest good; that purity that is procured by the law of God for him who cleanses himself with good thoughts, words, and deeds.

19 "Make thyself pure, O righteous man! Any one in the world here below can win purity for himself, namely, when he cleanses himself with good thoughts, words, and deeds.

20 "The will of the Lord is the law of holiness," and so on.

"Whom hast thou placed to protect me, O Lord, while the hate of the fiend is grasping me?" and so on.

"Who is he who will smite the fiend in order to maintain thy ordinances?" and so on.

"Keep us from our hater, O Lord, and keep us in holy devotion! Perish, O fiendish one! . . . Perish away to the regions of the north, never more to give unto death the living world of the holy spirit!"