May God the Wise Lord be glorified! . . .

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

I confess myself a worshipper of God, a follower of the messenger Zarathushtra, one who hates the devils and obeys the laws of God;

For devotion, prayer, thanksgiving, and glorification unto God, the holy and master of holiness. . . .

For Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, and for the powerful Satavaesa, made by God, who pushes waters forward;

Be thanksgiving, with devotion, prayer, thanksgiving, and glorification.

Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness. . . .

I.

1 God the Wise Lord spoke unto Spitama Zarathushtra, saying: "We give thanks for the lordship and mastership that God has given to Tishtrya, whereby he protects the Moon, the dwelling, the food, when My glorious stars come along and impart their gifts to men. I will give thanks to God for the star Tishtrya, that gives the fields their share of waters.

2 "We offer up libations in thanks to God for Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, that gives happy dwelling and good dwelling; the white, shining, seen afar, and piercing; the health-bringing, loud-snorting and high, piercing from afar with its shining, undefiled rays; and for the waters of the wide sea, the Vanguhi of wide renown, and the species of the Bull, made by God, the awful kingly Glory, and we remember the soul of the holy Spitama Zarathushtra.

3 "For the brightness and glory of the star, I will offer unto God a sacrifice worth being heard, in thanks for the star Tishtrya.

"For Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, we offer up the libations, the Haoma-drink and meat, the sacred twigs, the wisdom of the tongue, the holy prayers, the speech, the deeds, the libations, and the rightly-spoken words, to God alone.

"Yenghe hatam: All those beings of whom God the Wise Lord knows the goodness. . . .

II.

4 "We give thanks to God for Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, who is the seed of the waters, powerful, tall, and strong, whose light goes afar; powerful and highly working, through whom the brightness and the seed of the waters come from the high source of the waters.

"For the brightness and glory of the star, I will offer unto God a sacrifice worth being heard. . . .

III.

5 "We give thanks to God for Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star; for whom long flocks and herds and men, looking forward for him and deceived in their hope: 'When shall we see him rise up, the bright and glorious star Tishtrya? When will the springs run with waves as thick as a horse's size and still thicker? Or will they never come?'

"For the brightness and glory of the star, I will offer unto God a sacrifice worth being heard. . . .

IV.

6 "We give thanks to God for Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, who flies towards the sea Vouru-Kasha, as swiftly as the arrow darted through the heavenly space which Erekhsha the swift archer, the Arya amongst the Aryas whose arrow was the swiftest, shot from Mount Khshaotha to Mount Hvanvant.

7 "For God the Wise Lord gave him assistance; so did the waters and the plants; and God the Friend, lord of wide pastures, opened a wide way unto him.

"For the brightness and glory of the star, I will offer unto God a sacrifice worth being heard. . . .

V.

8 "We give thanks to God for Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, that afflicts the witches, that vexes the witches, who, in the shape of worm-stars, fly between the earth and the heavens, in the sea Vouru-Kasha, the powerful sea, the large-sized, deep sea of salt waters. He goes to its lake like a horse, in a holy shape; and down there he makes the waters boil over, and the winds flow above powerfully all around.

9 "Then Satavaesa makes those waters flow down to the seven regions of the earth, and when he has arrived down there, he stands, beautiful, spreading ease and joy on the fertile countries, thinking in himself: 'How shall the countries of the Aryas grow fertile?'

"For the brightness and glory of the star, I will offer unto God a sacrifice worth being heard. . . .

VI.

10 "We give thanks to God for Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, who spoke unto God the Wise Lord, saying: 'O Wise Lord, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, Thou Holy One!

11 "'If men would give thanks to God for me, with a sacrifice in which I were mentioned by my own name, as they mention the other angels with sacrifices in which they are mentioned by their own names, then I should have come to the faithful at the appointed time; I should have come in the appointed time of my

beautiful, immortal life, should it be one night, or two nights, or fifty, or a hundred nights.'

12 "We give thanks to God for Tishtrya;

"We give thanks to God for the rains of Tishtrya;

"We give thanks to God for the first star; we give thanks to God for the rains of the first star.

"I will give thanks to God for the stars Haptoiringa, to oppose the sorcerers and witches.

"We give thanks to God for Vanant, the star made by God; for the well-shapen strength, for Victory, made by God, for the crushing Ascendant, for the destruction of what distresses us, for the destruction of what persecutes us.

"We give thanks to God for Tishtrya, whose eyesight is sound.

13 "For ten nights, O Spitama Zarathushtra, Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, mingles his shape with light, moving in the shape of a man of fifteen years of age, bright, with clear eyes, tall, full of strength, strong, and clever.

14 "He is active as the first man was; he goes on with the strength of the first man; he has the virility of the first man.

15 "Here he calls for people to assemble, here he asks, saying: 'Who now will offer to God the libations with the Haoma-drink and the holy meat, in thanks for the rains? To whom shall I bring, by God's leave, wealth of male children, a troop of male children, and the purification of his own soul? Now it is right that sacrifice and prayer be offered to God in the material world, by the law of excellent holiness.'

16 "The next ten nights, O Spitama Zarathushtra, the bright and glorious Tishtrya mingles his shape with light, moving in the shape of a golden-horned bull.

17 "Here he calls for people to assemble, here he asks, saying: 'Who now will offer to God the libations with the Haoma-drink and the holy meat, in thanks for the rains? To whom shall I bring, by God's leave, wealth of oxen, a herd of oxen, and the purification of his own soul? Now it is right that sacrifice and prayer be offered to God in the material world, by the law of excellent holiness.'

18 "The next ten nights, O Spitama Zarathushtra, the bright and glorious Tishtrya mingles his shape with light, moving in the shape of a white, beautiful horse, with golden ears and a golden caparison.

19 "Here he calls for people to assemble, here he asks, saying: 'Who now will offer to God the libations with the Haoma-drink and the holy meat, in thanks for the rains? To whom shall I bring, by God's leave, wealth of horses, a troop of horses, and the purification of his own soul? Now it is right that sacrifice and prayer be offered to God in the material world, by the law of excellent holiness.'

20 "Then, O Spitama Zarathushtra, the bright and glorious Tishtrya goes down to the sea Vouru-Kasha in the shape of a white, beautiful horse, with golden ears and a golden caparison.

21 "But there rushes down to meet him the devil Apaosha, in the shape of a dark horse, black with black ears, black with a black back, black with a black tail, stamped with brands of terror.

22 "They meet together, hoof against hoof, O Spitama Zarathushtra, the bright and glorious Tishtrya and the devil Apaosha. They fight together, O Spitama Zarathushtra, for three days and three nights. And then the devil Apaosha proves stronger than the bright and glorious Tishtrya, he overcomes him.

23 "And Tishtrya flees from the sea Vouru-Kasha, as far as a Hathra's length. He cries out in woe and distress, the bright and glorious Tishtrya: 'Woe is me, O God the Wise Lord! I am in distress, O Waters and Plants! O Fate, and thou, Law of the worshippers of God! Men do not give thanks to God for me with a sacrifice in which I am mentioned by my own name, as they do for the other blessings of God, with sacrifices in which these are mentioned by their own names.

24 "'If men had given thanks to God for me with a sacrifice in which I had been mentioned by my own name, as they do for the other blessings of God, I should have taken to me, by God's leave, the strength of ten horses, the strength of ten camels, the strength of ten bulls, the strength of ten mountains, the strength of ten rivers.'

25 "Then I, God the Wise Lord, bestow on the bright and glorious Tishtrya, whose name is remembered, the strength of ten horses, the strength of ten camels, the strength of ten bulls, the strength of ten mountains, the strength of ten rivers.

26 "Then, O Spitama Zarathushtra, the bright and glorious Tishtrya goes down to the sea Vouru-Kasha in the shape of a white, beautiful horse, with golden ears and golden caparison.

27 "But there rushes down to meet him the devil Apaosha in the shape of a dark horse, black with black ears, black with a black back, black with a black tail, stamped with brands of terror.

28 "They meet together, hoof against hoof, O Spitama Zarathushtra, the bright and glorious Tishtrya and the devil Apaosha; they fight together, O Zarathushtra, till the time of noon. Then the bright and glorious Tishtrya proves stronger than the devil Apaosha, he overcomes him.

29 "Then he goes from the sea Vouru-Kasha as far as a Hathra's length: 'Hail!' cries the bright and glorious Tishtrya. 'Hail unto me, by the mercy of God the Wise Lord! Hail unto you, O waters and plants! Hail, O Law of the worshippers of God! Hail will it be unto you, O lands! The life of the waters will flow down unrestrained to the big-seeded cornfields, to the small-seeded pasture-fields, and to the whole of the material world!'

30 "Then the bright and glorious Tishtrya goes back down to the sea Vouru-Kasha, in the shape of a white, beautiful horse, with golden ears and a golden caparison.

31 "He makes the sea boil up and down; he makes the sea stream this and that way; he makes the sea flow this and that way: all the shores of the sea Vouru-Kasha are boiling over, all the middle of it is boiling over.

32 "And the bright and glorious Tishtrya rises up from the sea Vouru-Kasha, O Spitama Zarathushtra; the bright and glorious Satavaesa rises up from the sea Vouru-Kasha; and vapours rise up above Mount Ushindu, that stands in the middle of the sea Vouru-Kasha.

33 "Then the vapours push forward, in the regular shape of clouds; they go following the wind, along the ways which the Haoma-plant traverses, the increaser of the world. Behind him travels the mighty wind, made by God, and the rain, and the cloud, and the sleet, down to the several places, down to the fields, down to the seven regions of the earth.

34 "The high Lord of the waters, O Spitama Zarathushtra, divides the waters amongst the countries in the material world, in company with the mighty wind, the Glory, made by the waters, and the souls of the faithful.

"For the brightness and glory of the star, I will offer unto God a sacrifice worth being heard. . . .

VII.

35 "We give thanks to God for Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, who from the shining east, moves along his long winding course, along the path made by God, along the way appointed for him, the watery way, at the will of God the Wise Lord, at the will of His holy angels.

"For the brightness and glory of the star, I will offer unto God a sacrifice worth being heard. . . .

VIII.

36 "We give thanks to God for Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, whose rising is watched by men who live on the fruits of the year, by the chiefs of deep understanding; by the wild beasts in the mountains, by the tame beasts that run in the plains; they watch him, as he comes up to the country for a bad year, or for a good year, thinking in themselves: 'How shall the Aryan countries be fertile?'

"For the brightness and glory of the star, I will offer unto God a sacrifice worth being heard. . . .

IX.

37 "We give thanks to God for Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, swift-flying and swift-moving, who flies towards the sea Vouru-Kasha, as swiftly as the arrow darted through the heavenly space, which Erekhsha, the swift archer, the Arya amongst the Aryas whose arrow was the swiftest, shot from Mount Khshaotha to Mount Hvanvant.

38 "God the Wise Lord gave him assistance, and His holy angels, and God the Friend, lord of wide pastures, pointed him the way: behind him went the tall Reward, and Plenty on her light chariot; always till, in his course, he reached Mount Hvanvant on the shining waters.

"For the brightness and glory of the star, I will offer unto God a sacrifice worth being heard. . . .

X.

39 "We give thanks to God for Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, who afflicts the witches, who destroys the witches, that Satan flung to stop all the stars that have in them the seed of the waters.

40 "Tishtrya afflicts them, he blows them away from the sea Vouru-Kasha; then the wind blows the clouds forward, bearing the waters of fertility, so that the friendly showers spread wide over, they spread helpingly and friendly over the seven regions.

"For the brightness and glory of the star, I will offer unto God a sacrifice worth being heard. . . .

XI.

41 "We give thanks to God for Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, for whom long the standing waters, and the running spring-waters, the stream-waters, and the rain-waters;

42 "'When will the bright and glorious Tishtrya rise up for us? When will the springs with a flow and overflow of waters, thick as a horse's shoulder, run to the beautiful places and fields, and to the pastures, even to the roots of the plants, that they may grow with a powerful growth?'

"For the brightness and glory of the star, I will offer unto God a sacrifice worth being heard. . . .

XII.

43 "We give thanks to God for Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, who washes away all things of fear, who stunts the growth of all that is evil, and brings health to all these creations, being most beneficent, when thanks have been offered to God for him with a sacrifice, and God's good pleasure has been sought.

"For the brightness and glory of the star, I will offer unto God a sacrifice worth being heard. . . .

XIII.

44 "I will give thanks to God for Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, whom God the Wise Lord has appointed as a lord and overseer above all stars, in the same way as He has appointed Zarathushtra as messenger above men; whom neither Satan, nor the sorcerers and the witches, nor the sorcerer-men can deliver unto death, nor can all the devils together prevail for his death.

"For the brightness and glory of the star, I will offer unto God a sacrifice worth being heard. . . .

XIV.

45 "We give thanks to God for Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, to whom God the Wise Lord has given a thousand senses, and who is the most beneficent amongst the stars that have in them the seed of the waters:

46 "Who moves in light with the stars that have in them the seed of the waters: he, from the sea Vouru-Kasha, the powerful sea, the large-sized, deep, and salt of waters, goes to all the lakes, and to all the beautiful caves, and to all the beautiful channels, in the shape of a white, beautiful horse, with golden ears and a golden caparison.

47 "Then, O Spitama Zarathushtra, the waters flow down from the sea Vouru-Kasha, mother-like, friendly, and healing; he divides them amongst these countries, being most beneficent, when thanks have been offered to God for him with a sacrifice, and God's good pleasure has been sought.

"For the brightness and glory of the star, I will offer unto God a sacrifice worth being heard. . . .

XV.

48 "We give thanks to God for Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, for whom long all the creatures of the Holy Spirit, those that live under the ground, and those that live above the ground; those that live in the waters, and those that live on dry land; those that fly, and those that run in the plains; and all those that live within this boundless and endless world of the holy Spirit.

"For the brightness and glory of the star, I will offer unto God a sacrifice worth being heard. . . .

XVI.

49 "We give thanks to God for Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, the healthful, wise, happy, and powerful, who is the lord of a thousand boons, and by God's leave grants many boons to that man who has pleased him, whether begging or not begging for them.

50 "I, O Spitama Zarathushtra, have created that star Tishtrya as a sign and a servant, worthy of remembrance and of thanks to Me, God the Wise Lord,

51 "In order to withstand, to break asunder, to afflict, to drive back the malice of that witch Duzyairya, whom evil-speaking people call Huyairya.

52 "Had I not created that star Tishtrya as My sign and servant, worthy of remembrance and of thanks to Me, God the Wise Lord,

53 "In order to withstand, to break asunder, to afflict, to drive back the malice of that witch Duzyairya, whom evil-speaking people call Huyairya;

54 "Then all day long, all night long, that witch Duzyairya would wage war against this material world of Mine, wanting to extinguish its life, and she goes on, rushing upon and around it.

55 "But the bright and glorious Tishtrya keeps that witch in bonds, with twofold bonds, with threefold bonds, that cannot be overcome, with bonds all over the body: it is as if there were a thousand men keeping one man in bonds, a thousand men of those who are the strongest in strength.

56 "If the Aryan countries, O Spitama Zarathushtra, would perform in thanks to God for the bright and glorious Tishtrya the due sacrifice and invocation, just as that sacrifice and invocation ought to be performed in the perfection of holiness; never should a hostile horde enter these Aryan countries, nor any plague, nor leprosy, nor venomous plants, nor the chariot of a foe, nor the uplifted spear of a foe."

57 Zarathushtra asked: "What is then, O God the Wise Lord, the sacrifice and invocation in thanks for the bright and glorious Tishtrya, as it ought to be performed in the perfection of holiness?"

58 God the Wise Lord answered: "Let the Aryan nations bring libations to God in thanks for him; let the Aryan nations tie bundles of sacred twigs; let the Aryan nations cook a head of cattle, either white, or black, or of any other colour, but all of one and the same colour, to be given for God's sake.

59 "Let not a murderer take of these offerings, nor a fornicator, nor a hypocrite who does not sing the Gathas, who spreads death in the world and withstands the law of God, the law of Zarathushtra.

60 "If a murderer take of these offerings, or a fornicator, or a hypocrite who does not sing the Gathas, who spreads death in the world and withstands the law of God, the law of Zarathushtra, then the blessing of the star, with its healing virtues, is taken back by God.

61 "Plagues will ever pour upon the Aryan nations; hostile hordes will ever fall upon the Aryan nations; the Aryans will be smitten, by their fifties and their hundreds, by their hundreds and their thousands, by their thousands and their tens of thousands, by their tens of thousands and their myriads of myriads."

62 Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness. . . .

I bless the devotion and prayer to God, and I give thanks for the strength and vigour of Tishtrya, the bright and glorious star, and of the powerful Satavaesa, made by God, who pushes waters forward.

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

O God, give unto that man brightness and glory, . . . give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy ones.