For its brightness and glory, I will offer worship to God ....

Xvi.

91 We give thanks to God for the awful kingly Glory, made by the Wise Lord ....

92 When Astvat-ereta shall rise up from Lake Kasava, a friend of God the Wise Lord, a son of Vispataurvairi, knowing the victorious knowledge.

It was that Glory that Thraetaona bore with him when Azhi Dahaka was killed;

93 That Franghrasyan, the Turanian, bore when the demon was killed, when the Bull was killed;

That king Husravah bore when Franghrasyan, the Turanian, was killed;

That king Vishtaspa bore, when he victoriously maintained Holiness against the host of the fiends and took off the Lie from the world of the good principle.

94 He, with the eye of intelligence, shall look down upon all the creatures of the Lie, her of the evil seed: he shall look upon the whole living world with the eye of plenty, and his look shall deliver to immortality the whole of the living creatures.

95 And there shall his friends come forward, the friends of Astvat-ereta, who are fiend-smiting, well-thinking, well-speaking, well-doing, following the good law, and whose tongues have never uttered a word of falsehood.

Before them shall Aeshma of the wounding spear, who has no Glory, bow and flee; he shall smite the most wicked Lie, her of the evil seed, born of darkness.

96 Evil Mind smites, but Good Mind shall smite him; the Word of falsehood smites, but the Word of truth shall smite it. Wholeness and Immortality shall smite both hunger and thirst: Wholeness and Immortality shall smite the evil hunger and the evil thirst. The evil-doing Satan bows and flees, becoming powerless.

For its brightness and glory, I will offer worship to God ....

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

I bless the devotion and prayer, and give thanks to God for the strength and vigour of Mount Ushi-darena, made by the Wise Lord, the seat of holy happiness; of the kingly Glory, made by the Wise Lord; of the Glory that cannot be forcibly seized, made by the Wise Lord.

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

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

Xx. Vanant Yasht

0 May God the Wise Lord be rejoiced! ....

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

I confess myself a worshipper of God the Wise Lord, a follower of the messenger Zarathushtra, one who rejects the evil spirits and obeys the laws of the Lord;

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

For the star Vanant, made by the Wise Lord,

Let there be thanksgiving, with devotion, prayer, thanksgiving, and glorification.

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

1 We give thanks to God for the star Vanant, made by the Wise Lord, the holy and master of holiness.

I will worship God, who created Vanant, the strong, invoked by his own name, the healing, in order to withstand the accursed and most foul vermin of the most abominable Satan.

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

I bless the devotion and prayer, and give thanks to God for the strength and vigour of the star Vanant, made by the Wise Lord.

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

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

Xxi. Yasht Fragment

1 Zarathushtra asked God the Wise Lord: 'O Wise Lord, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

'What is the only word in which is contained the glorification of all good things, of all the things that are the offspring of the good principle?'

2 God the Wise Lord answered: 'It is the praise of Holiness, O Spitama Zarathushtra!

3 'He who recites the praise of Holiness, in the fulness of faith and with a devoted heart, praises Me, the Wise Lord; he praises the waters, he praises the earth, he praises the cattle, he praises the plants, he praises all good things made by the Wise Lord, all the things that are the offspring of the good principle.

4 'For the reciting of that word of truth, O Zarathushtra, the pronouncing of that formula, the Ahuna Vairya, increases strength and victory in one's soul and piety.

5 'For that only recital of the praise of Holiness is worth a hundred thanksgivings to God for His holy creatures when delivered while going to sleep, a thousand when delivered after eating, ten thousand when delivered in the union of husband and wife, or any number when delivered in departing this life.'

6 'What is the one recital of the praise of Holiness that is worth ten others in greatness, goodness, and fairness?'

7 God the Wise Lord answered: 'It is that one, O holy Zarathushtra, that a man delivers when eating and drinking the gifts of God, at the same time professing good thoughts, good words, and good deeds, and rejecting evil thoughts, evil words, and evil deeds.'

8 'What is the one recital of the praise of Holiness that is worth a hundred others in greatness, goodness, and fairness?'

9 God the Wise Lord answered: 'It is that one, O holy Zarathushtra, that a man delivers while drinking of the Haoma strained for the offering, at the same time professing good thoughts, good words, and good deeds, and rejecting evil thoughts, evil words, and evil deeds.'

10 'What is the one recital of the praise of Holiness that is worth a thousand others in greatness, goodness, and fairness?'

11 God the Wise Lord answered: 'It is that one, O holy Zarathushtra, that a man delivers when starting up from his bed or going to sleep again, at the same time professing good thoughts, good words, and good deeds, and rejecting evil thoughts, evil words, and evil deeds.'

12 'What is the one recital of the praise of Holiness that is worth ten thousand others in greatness, goodness, and fairness?'

13 God the Wise Lord answered: 'It is that one, O holy Zarathushtra, that a man delivers when waking up and rising from sleep, at the same time professing good thoughts, good words, and good deeds, and rejecting evil thoughts, evil words, and evil deeds.'

14 'What is the one recital of the praise of Holiness that is worth this region of ours, Khvaniratha, with its cattle and its chariots, without its men, in greatness, goodness, and fairness?'

15 God the Wise Lord answered: 'It is that one, O holy Zarathushtra, that a man delivers in the last moments of his life, at the same time professing good thoughts, good words, and good deeds, and rejecting evil thoughts, evil words, and evil deeds.'

16 'What is the one recital of the praise of Holiness that is worth all that is between the earth and the heavens, and this earth, and that luminous space, and all the good things made by the Wise Lord, that are the offspring of the good principle, in greatness, goodness, and fairness?'

17 God the Wise Lord answered: 'It is that one, O holy Zarathushtra, that a man delivers to renounce evil thoughts, evil words, and evil deeds.'

Yasht Xxii

I.

1 Zarathushtra asked God the Wise Lord: 'O Wise Lord, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

'When one of the faithful departs this life, where does his soul abide on that night?'

God the Wise Lord answered:

2 'It takes its seat near the head, singing the Ushtavaiti Gatha and proclaiming happiness: "Happy is he, happy the man, whoever he be, to whom God the Wise Lord gives the full accomplishment of his wishes!" On that night his soul tastes as much of pleasure as the whole of the living world can taste.'

3 — 'On the second night where does his soul abide?'

4 God the Wise Lord answered: 'It takes its seat near the head, singing the Ushtavaiti Gatha and proclaiming happiness: "Happy is he, happy the man, whoever he be, to whom God the Wise Lord gives the full accomplishment of his wishes!" On that night his soul tastes as much of pleasure as the whole of the living world can taste.'

5 — 'On the third night where does his soul abide?'

6 God the Wise Lord answered: 'It takes its seat near the head, singing the Ushtavaiti Gatha and proclaiming happiness: "Happy is he, happy the man, whoever he be, to whom God the Wise Lord gives the full accomplishment of his wishes!" On that night his soul tastes as much of pleasure as the whole of the living world can taste.'

7 At the end of the third night, when the dawn appears, it seems to the soul of the faithful one as if it were brought amidst plants and scents: it seems as if a wind were blowing from the region of the south, from the regions of the south, a sweet-scented wind, sweeter-scented than any other wind in the world.

8 And it seems to the soul of the faithful one as if he were inhaling that wind with the nostrils, and he thinks: 'Whence does that wind blow, the sweetest-scented wind I ever inhaled with my nostrils?'

9 And it seems to him as if his own conscience were advancing to him in that wind, in the shape of a maiden fair, bright, white-armed, strong, tall-formed, high-standing, beautiful of body, noble, of a glorious seed, of the size of a maid in her fifteenth year, as fair as the fairest things in the world.

10 And the soul of the faithful one addressed her, asking: 'What maid art thou, who art the fairest maid I have ever seen?'

11 And she, being his own conscience, answers him: 'O thou youth of good thoughts, good words, and good deeds, of good religion, I am thy own conscience!

'Everybody did love thee for that greatness, goodness, fairness, sweet-scentedness, victorious strength and freedom from sorrow, in which thou dost appear to me;

12 'And so thou, O youth of good thoughts, good words, and good deeds, of good religion, didst love me for that greatness, goodness, fairness, sweet-scentedness, victorious strength, and freedom from sorrow, in which I appear to thee.

13 'When thou wouldst see a man making derision and deeds of idolatry, or rejecting (the poor) and shutting his door, then thou wouldst sit singing the Gathas and giving thanks to God for the good waters and for the fire, His sign, and rejoicing the faithful that would come from near or from afar.

14 'I was lovely and thou madest me still lovelier; I was fair and thou madest me still fairer; I was desirable and thou madest me still more desirable; I was sitting in a forward place and thou madest me sit in the foremost place, through this good thought, through this good speech, through this good deed of thine; and so henceforth men honour me for my having long worshipped and conversed with God the Wise Lord.

15 'The first step that the soul of the faithful man made, placed him in the Garden of Good Thought;

'The second step that the soul of the faithful man made, placed him in the Garden of Good Word;

'The third step that the soul of the faithful man made, placed him in the Garden of Good Deed;

'The fourth step that the soul of the faithful man made, placed him in the Endless Light.

16 Then one of the faithful, who had departed before him, asked him, saying: 'How didst thou depart this life, thou holy man? How didst thou come, thou holy man, from the abodes full of cattle and full of the wishes and enjoyments of love? From the material world into the world of the spirit? From the decaying world into the undecaying one? How long did thy felicity last?'

17 And God the Wise Lord answered: 'Ask him not what thou askest him, who has just gone the dreary way, full of fear and distress, where the body and the soul part from one another,

18 '[Let him eat] of the food brought to him, of the oil of Zaremaya: this is the food for the youth of good thoughts, of good words, of good deeds, of good religion, after he has departed this life; this is the food for the holy woman, rich in good thoughts, good words, and good deeds, well-principled and obedient to her husband, after she has departed this life.'

Ii.

19 Zarathushtra asked God the Wise Lord: 'O Wise Lord, most beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!

'When one of the wicked perishes, where does his soul abide on that night?'

20 God the Wise Lord answered: 'It rushes and sits near the skull, singing the Kam-nemoi Gatha, O holy Zarathushtra!

'"To what land shall I turn, O Lord? To whom shall I go with praying?"

'On that night his soul tastes as much of suffering as the whole of the living world can taste.'

21 — 'On the second night, where does his soul abide?'

22 God the Wise Lord answered: 'It rushes and sits near the skull, singing the Kam-nemoi Gatha, O holy Zarathushtra! "To what land shall I turn, O Lord? To whom shall I go with praying?"

'On that night his soul tastes as much of suffering as the whole of the living world can taste.'

23 — 'On the third night, where does his soul abide?'

24 God the Wise Lord answered: 'It rushes and sits near the skull, singing the Kam-nemoi Gatha, O holy Zarathushtra! "To what land shall I turn, O Lord? To whom shall I go with praying?"

'On that night his soul tastes as much of suffering as the whole of the living world can taste.'

25 At the end of the third night, O holy Zarathushtra, when the dawn appears, it seems to the soul of the wicked one as if it were brought amidst snow and stench, and as if a wind were blowing from the region of the north, from the regions of the north, a foul-scented wind, the foulest-scented of all the winds in the world.

26-32. And it seems to the soul of the wicked man as if he were inhaling that wind with the nostrils, and he thinks: 'Whence does that wind blow, the foulest-scented wind that I ever inhaled with my nostrils?'

And his own conscience comes to him in that wind, in the shape of a foul and hideous woman, and he asks her who she is; and she answers: 'I am thy own evil deeds, O youth of evil thoughts, of evil words, of evil deeds, of evil religion! It is on account of thy will and actions that I am hideous and vile, and foul-smelling, as appears to thee. When thou sawest one who prayed and praised God and preserved water and fire, cattle and trees, and the other good creations, thou didst the will of Satan; and when thou sawest one who gave hospitality and gifts in charity to the worthy who came from far or near, thou wast avaricious and shuttedst up thy door.'

33 The first step that the soul of the wicked man made laid him in the Hell of Evil Thought;

The second step that the soul of the wicked man made laid him in the Hell of Evil Word;

The third step that the soul of the wicked man made laid him in the Hell of Evil Deed;

The fourth step that the soul of the wicked man made laid him in the Endless Darkness.

34 Then one of the wicked who departed before him addressed him, saying: 'How didst thou perish, O wicked man? How didst thou come, O fiend, from the abodes full of cattle and full of the wishes and enjoyments of love? From the material world into the world of the Spirit? From the decaying world into the undecaying one? How long did thy suffering last?'

35 Satan, the lying one, said: 'Ask him not what thou askest him, who has just gone the dreary way, full of fear and distress, where the body and the soul part from one another.

36 'Let him eat of the food brought unto him, of poison and poisonous stench; this is the food, after he has perished, for the youth of evil thoughts, evil words, evil deeds, evil religion, after he has perished; this is the food for the fiendish woman, rich in evil thoughts, evil words, and evil deeds, evil religion, ill-principled, and disobedient to her husband.

37 'We honour the memory of the holy man whose name is Asmo-hvanvant; then I will remember the other holy ones who were strong of faith.

38 'We praise God for the memory He gave, to keep the Holy Word.

'We praise God for the understanding He gave, to study the Holy Word.

'We praise God for the tongue He gave, to speak forth the Holy Word.

'We give thanks to God for the mountain that gives understanding, that preserves understanding; by day and by night, with offerings well-accepted.

39 'O Maker! how do the souls of the dead, the souls of the holy ones, manifest themselves?'

40 God the Wise Lord answered: 'They manifest themselves from goodness of spirit and excellence of mind.'

41 Then towards the dawning of the dawn, that bird Parodarsh, that bird Karshipta, hears the voice of the Fire.

42 Here the fiendish Bushyasta, the long-handed, rushes from the region of the north, from the regions of the north, speaking thus, lying thus: 'Sleep on, O men! Sleep on, O sinners! Sleep on and live in sin.'

Xxiii. The Blessing Of The Messenger Zarathushtra

1 'I am a pious man, who speaks words of blessing.'

— 'Thou appearest unto me full of Glory.'

And Zarathushtra spake unto king Vishtaspa, saying: 'I bless thee, O man! O lord of the country! with the living of a good life, of an exalted life, of a long life. May thy men live long! May thy women live long! May sons be born unto thee of thy own body!

2 'Mayest thou have a son like Jamaspa, and may he bless thee as Jamaspa blessed Vishtaspa, the lord of the country!

'Mayest thou be most beneficent to the creatures of God!

'Mayest thou be fiend-smiting, like Thraetaona!

'Mayest thou be strong, like Jamaspa!

'Mayest thou be well-armed, like Takhma Urupa!

3 'Mayest thou be glorious, like Yima Khshaeta, the good shepherd!

'Mayest thou be instructed with a thousand senses!

'Mayest thou be awful and most strong, like Keresaspa!

'Mayest thou be a wise chief of assemblies, like Urvakhshaya!

'Mayest thou be beautiful of body and without fault, like Syavarshana!

4 'Mayest thou be rich in cattle, like an Athwyanide!

'Mayest thou be rich in horses, like Pourushaspa!

'Mayest thou be holy, like Zarathushtra Spitama!

'Mayest thou be able to reach the Rangha, whose shores lie afar, as Vafra Navaza was!

'Mayest thou be beloved by the angels and honoured by men!

5 'May ten sons be born of you! In three of them mayest thou be a man of devotion and learning! In three of them mayest thou be a warrior! In three of them mayest thou be a tiller of the ground! And may one be like thyself, O Vishtaspa!