We sacrifice unto the bodies of ourselves, the Saoshya;2/s, the two-footed part of the holy creation; We sacrifice unto the bodies of all the beings of the holy world ^ For his brightness and glory, for his strength and victorious power...23. Yatha ahfi vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness...I bless the sacrifice and prayer, the strength and vigour of the holy, strong Sraosha, who is the incarnate Word, a mighty-speared and lordly god.
[Give] unto that man^ brightness and glory,...give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones!
^ Cf. §§ 16-17. ^ Who sacrifices to Sraosha.
XII. RASHN VAST.
Rashnu Razi^ta, 'the truest True,' is the Genius of Truth: he is one of the three judges of the departed, with Mithra and Sraosha: he holds the balance in which the deeds of men are weighed after their death: ' he makes no unjust balance..., neither for the pious nor yet the wicked, neither for lords nor yet rulers; as much as a hair's breadth he will not vary, and he shows no favour V He is an offshoot either of Mithra, the God of Truth and the avenger of lies, or of Ahura Mazda himself, the all-knowing This Yai-t seems to be an appeal made to Rashnu to come and attend the performance of the var nirang or ordeal (see p. 170, note 3), of which Rashnu, as the Genius of Truth, was the natural witness and arbiter (cf. Vend. IV, 54-55 [154-156]). As a god of Truth must know everything and be present everywhere, he is called from whatever part of the world he may actually be in. This brings about an enumeration of all the parts of the world, from this earth (§§ 9-22) to the highest heaven (§ 37), passing through the Alborz (§§ 23-26), the star region (§§ 26-32), the moon region (§ 33), and the sun region (§ 34; cf. p. 73, note^2).
This Ya^t is recited on the days of Rashn, Murdad, Ashtad, and Zemyad (the i8th, 7th, 26th, and 28th of the month).
o. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced!...AshemVohu: Holiness is the best Of all good...I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathujtra, one who hates the Daevas and obeys the laws of Ahura; For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Havani], the holy and master of holiness.
Unto Rashnu Razi^ta; unto Ar^tat, who makes the world grow, who makes the world increase; unto the true-spoken speech, that makes the world grow^; Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.
YathS ahii vairy6: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness...I.
1. The holy (Zarathuj'tra) asked him M ' O holy Ahura Mazda! I ask thee; answer me with words of truth, thou who knowest the truth. Thou art undeceivable, thou hast an undeceivable understanding; thou art undeceivable, as thou knowest everything.
' What of the Holy Word is created true? what is created progress-making? what is fit to discern? what is healthful? what is wise.'* what is happy and more powerful to destroy than all other creatures ^ V 2. Ahura Mazda answered: ' I will declare that unto thee, O pure, holy Spitama!
'The most glorious Holy Word (itself), this is what in the Holy Word is created true, what is created progress making, what is fit to discern, what is healthful, wise, and happy, what is more powerful to destroy than all other creatures.'
3. Ahura Mazda said: ' Bind up a three-twigged baresma against the way of the sun, [Address] unto me, Ahura Mazda, these words: " We invoke, we bless [Ahura]'^; I invoke the friendship [of Ahura] towards this var* prepared, towards the fire and the baresma, towards the full boiling [milk^], towards the var ^ of oil and the sap '^ of the plants."
' The text is apparently corrupt and has Uterally, ' We invoke, we bless me, Ahura Mazda.'
* See following page, note 3.
^ Possibly, waters; cf. Yt. V, 132 and Vend. IV, 46 [128], 54 " Literally, the fat.
4. 'Then I, Ahura Mazda, shall come for help unto thee, towards this var prepared, towards the fire and the baresma, towards the full boiling [milk], towards the var of oil and the sap of the plants; 'Along with the fiend-smiting Wind, along with the cursing thought of the wise \ along with the kingly Glory, along with Saoka -, made by Mazda.
5. ' We invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong; I invoke his friendship towards this var ^ prepared, towards the fire and the baresma, towards the full boiling [milk], towards the var of oil and the sap of the plants.
6. 'Then Rashnu the tall, the strong, will come for help unto thee, towards this var prepared, towards the fire and the baresma, towards the full boiling [milk], towards the var of oil and the sap of the plants: 'Along with the fiend-smiting Wind, along with the cursing thought of the wise, along with the kingly Glory, along with Saoka, made by Mazda.
7. ' O thou, holy Rashnu! O most true Rashnu! most beneficent Rashnu! most knowing Rashnu! most discerning Rashnu! most fore -knowing Rashnu! most far-seeing Rashnu! Rashnu, the ^ Var 6; this seems to be the Var nirang or ordeal which is alluded to in several passages of the Avesta; of. Afrigan I, 9; Yasna XXXI, 3 b (see Pahl. Comm.; of. Coram, ad XXXIV, 4 a); cf. Vend. IV, 46, 55. According to the Dinkart, there were thirtythree kinds of var ordeals (Haug, Arda Viraf, p. 145); the most common was to pour melted copper upon the breast of the man whose truth was to be tested: if he went off uninjured, he was considered to have spoken the truth. Cf Vend. Inirod. Ill, 9.
RASHN VAST. I7I best doer of justiceM Rashnu, the best smiter of thieves; 8. ' The uninjured, the best killer, smiter, destroyer of thieves and bandits! in whatever part of the world thou art watching the doings ^ of men and making the account,...^ II.
9. ' Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art in the Karshvare Arezahi*, we invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared^...in whatever part of the world thou art III.
10. ' Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art in the Karshvare Savahi^ we invoke, we bless Rashnu. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...in whatever part of the world thou art.
IV.
11. 'Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art in the Karshvare Fradadhafshu *, we invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...in whatever part of the world thou art.
V.
12. 'Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art in the ^ ArethamaZ-bairishta: aretha is dina, dadistan (law, justice).
' Keja=kartari (Pahl. Comm. ad Vend. XXI, 3 [14]).
^ I cannot make anything of the rest of the sentence hadhana tanasuj; cf. § 38.
* See Yt. X, 15, note 5. ** The rest as in §§ 5-8.
172 VASTS AND SIROZAHS.
Karshvare Vidadhafshu ^, we invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...in whatever part of the world thou art.
VI.
13. 'Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art in the Karshvare Vouru-barei"ti \ we invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...in whatever part of the world thou art.
VII.
14. 'Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art in the Karshvare Vouru-^are^ti \ we invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...in whatever part of the world thou art.
15. 'Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art in this Karshvare, the bright ^6^aniratha \ we invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...in whatever part of the world thou art.
IX.
16. 'Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art in the sea Vouru-Kasha ^, we invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...in whatever part of the world thou art.
RASIIN VAST. 173 X.
1 7. ' Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art on the tree of the eagle ^, that stands in the middle of the sea Vouru-Kasha, that is called the tree of good remedies, the tree of powerful remedies, the tree of all remedies, and on which rest the seeds of all plants; we invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...XI.
18. 'Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art on the Aodhas ^ of the Rangha, we invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...XII.
19. 'Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art on the Sanaka^ of the Rangha, we invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...
^ The SaSna, in later mythology the Si namril or Simfirgh; his 'resting-place is on the tree which is Ja.d-hesh (opposed to harm) of all seeds; and always when he rises aloft, a thousand twigs will shoot forth from that tree; and when he alights, he will break off the thousand twigs, and he sheds their seed therefrom. And the bird Chanmr6sh for ever sits in that vicinity; and his work is this, that he collects that seed which sheds from the tree of all seeds, which is JatZ-besh, and conveys it there where Tishtar seizes the water, so that Tishtar may seize the water with that seed of all kinds, and may rain it on the world with the rain' (Minokhirad LXII, 37; tr. West).
"^ By the floods (? Vend. I, 26); it has probably a geographical meaning; cf. the following paragraph; perhaps the marshy country at the mouth of the Tigris.
^ Cf.Yt.X,io4; aodhas and sanaka may refer to the southern and northern basin of the Tigris.
20. 'Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art at one of the angles of this earth, we invoke we bless Rashnu. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...XIV.
21. 'Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art at the boundary of this earth, we invoke, we bless Rashnu. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...XV.
22. 'Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art in any place of this earth, we invoke, we bless Rashnu. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...XVI.
23. 'Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art on the Hara Berezaiti, the bright mountain around which the many (stars) revolve, where come neither night nor darkness, no cold wind and no hot wind, no deathful sickness, no uncleanness made by the Daevas, and the clouds cannot reach up unto the Haraiti Bareza^; we invoke, we bless Rashnu. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared 24. 'Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art upon the highest Hukairya, of the deep precipices ^ made of gold, wherefrom this river of mine, Ardvi Sura Anahita, leaps from a thousand times the height of a man, we invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...2 Reading vispo-vaemem; cf. Yt.V, 96, note 7.
RASHN YAST. I 75 25. * Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art upon the Taera of the height Haraiti, around which the stars, the moon, and the sun revolve ^ we Invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...XIX.
26. 'Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art in the star Vana??/ ^, made by Mazda, we invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...27. 'Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art in the bright and glorious star Tii'trya ^ we invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards the var prepared...XXI.
28. 'Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art in the group of the Haptoiri/^ga stars ^, we invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...29. 'Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art in those stars that have the seed of the waters in them ^, we 2 Cf. Yt. XX and Yt. VIII, 1 2. ' Cf. Yt. VIII, 12.
* ' The star of water essence is for the increase of water; and the star of earth essence, for the increase of earth; and the star of tree essence, for the increase of trees; and the star of cattle essence, invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship tOAvards this var prepared...30. * Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art in those stars that have the seed of the earth in them \ we invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...
31. 'Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art in those stars that have the seed of the plants in them\ we invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...XXV.
32. 'Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art in the stars that belong to the Good Spirit ^ we invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...33. 'Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art In the moon which has the seed of the Bull in it^ we invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...for the increase of cattle; and the essence of water, and earth, and trees, and cattle is created for the increase of man ' (Minokhirad XLIX, 7, tr. West).
* See preceding note.
^ Excluding the planets which belong to Ahriman (Minokhirad RASHN YAST. 177 34. ' Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art in the swift-horsed sun, we invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...35. 'Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art in the sovereign endless Light, we invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...
36. ' Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art in the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones, we invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...XXX.
Sy. 'Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art in the shining Garo-demana^ we invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...XXXI.
38. 'Whether thou, O holy Rashnu! art...2 we invoke, we bless Rashnu, the strong. I invoke his friendship towards this var prepared...39. ' For his brightness and glory, I will ofler unto him a sacrifice worth being heard...' The highest heaven, the abode of Ormazd. ^?Upa hadhana hadhana tanasui'; cf. § 8, p. 171, note 3.
178 YA^-TS AND stROZAHS.
' Yewhe hatam: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda...40. ' Yatha ahft vairy6: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness...' I bless the sacrifice and prayer, and the strength and vigour of Rashnu Razi^ta; of Ar^-ta/, who makes the world grow, who makes the world increase; and of the true-spoken speech that makes the world grow.
'AshemVohu: 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.'
^ Who shall have worshipped Rashnu.
XIII. farvardIn ya^t.
The Fravashi is the inner power in every being that maintains it and makes it grow and subsist. Originally the Fravashis were the same as the Pitr/s of the Hindus or the Manes of the Latins, that is to say, the everlasting and deified souls of the dead (see §§ 49~52); but in course of time they gained a wider domain, and not only men, but gods and even physical objects, like the sky and the earth, &c. (§§ 85-86), had each a Fravashi (see Ormazd et This Yajt is to be divided into two parts. The former part (§§ 1-84) is a glorification of the powers and attributes of the Fravashis in general; the latter part (§§ 85-158) is an enumeration of the Fravashis of the most celebrated heroes of Mazdeism, from the first man, Gaya Maretan, down to the last, Saoshyaw/.
This latter part is like a Homer's catalogue of Mazdeism. The greatest part of the historical legends of Iran lies here condensed into a register of proper names. This enumeration is divided into seven chapters: The first (XXIV, §§ 85-95) contains the names of several gods, of the first man, Gaya Maretan, the first law-giver, Zarathujtra, and his first disciple, Maidhyo-maungha; The second part (XXV, §§ 96-110) contains the names of the disciples of Zarathujtra, most of them belonging to the epical cyclus of Vii'taspa (Gui'tasp); The third part (XXVI, §§ 111-117) is of uncertain character, and no name contained in it is found in the epical legends; The fourth part (XXVII, §§ 118-128) seems to be devoted to the heroes of the other Karshvares and to mythical beings, born or unborn (cf. §§ 121, 122, 127, 128); The fifth part (XXVIII, § 129) is devoted to Saoshyaw/ alone; The sixth part (XXIX, §§ 130-138) is devoted to the heroes before the time of Zarathujtra; The seventh part (XXX, §§ 139-142) is devoted to the holy women of Mazdeism from Hvovi, Zarathujtra's wife, down to SrutaZ-fedhri, Vanghu-fedhri, and EredaZ-fedhri, the future mothers of his three unborn sons.
The second, third, and fourth enumerations all end with the l8o YA^-TS AND stROZAHS.
name of AstvaZ-ereta (that is to say, Saoshya«/), which shows that they do not refer to successive generations, but to three independent branches, which are each developed apart down to the time of the Saviour.
o. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced!...Ashem Vohu: Holiness is the best of all good...I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathujtra, one who hates the Daevas and obeys the laws of Ahura; For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Havani], the holy and master of holiness.
Unto the awful, overpowering Fravashis of the faithful; unto the Fravashis of the men of the primitive law^; unto the Fravashis of the next-of-kin, Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.
Yatha ahii vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness...I.
1. Ahura Mazda spake unto Spitama Zarathu^tra, saying: ' Do thou proclaim, O pure Zarathui^tra! the vigour and strength, the glory, the help and the joy that are in the Fravashis of the faithful, the awful and overpowering Fravashis; do thou tell how they come to help me, how they bring assistance unto me, the awful Fravashis of the faithful ^.
2. ' Through their brightness and glory, O Zarathu^tra! I maintain that sky, there above, shining and seen afar, and encompassing this earth all around.
3. 'It looks like a palace, that stands built of a * The so-called paoiryo-Zkaesha: the primitive law is what 'is considered as the true Mazdayasnian religion in all ages, both before and after the time of Zaratia^t ' (West, Pahlavi Texts, I, heavenly substance ', firmly established, with ends that lie afar, shining in its body of ruby over the three-thirds (of the earth)-; it is like a garment inlaid with stars, made of a heavenly substance, that Mazda puts on, along with Mithra and Rashnu and Spe;zta-Armaiti, and on no side can the eye perceive the end of it.
4. * Through their brightness and glory, O Zarathui-tra! I maintain Ardvi Siira Anahita, the wideexpanding and health-giving, who hates the Daevas and obeys the laws of Ahura, who is worthy of sacrifice in the material world, worthy of prayer in the material w^orld; the life-increasing and holy, the flocks-increasing and holy, the fold-increasing and holy, the wealth-increasing and holy, the countryincreasing and holy^^; 5 *. ' Who makes the seed of all males pure, who makes the womb of all females pure for bringing forth, who makes all females bring forth in safety, who puts milk in the breasts of all females in the right measure and the right quality; 6. * The large river, known afar, that is as large as the whole of all the waters that run along the earth; that runs powerfully from the height Hukairya down to the sea Vouru-Kasha.
7. ' All the shores of the sea Vouru-Kasha are boiling over, all the middle of it is boiling over, ' Reading mainyu-taj-to; cf. Yt. X, 90, 143, and in this very paragraph vanghanem mainyu-tajtem.
^ A division of the earth different from and older than the division into seven Karshvares; cf. Yasna XI, 7 [21]; this division was derived by analogy from the tripartite division of the universe (earth, atmosphere, and heaven).
when she runs down there, when she streams down there, she, Ardvi Sura Anahita, who has a thousand cells and a thousand channels; the extent of each of those cells, of each of those channels, is as much as a man can ride in forty days, riding on a good horse.
8. ' From this river of mine alone flow all the waters that spread all over the seven Karshvares; this river of mine alone goes on bringing waters, both in summer and in winter. This river of mine purifies the seed in males, the womb in females, the milk in females' breasts ^ 9. ' Through their brightness and glory, O Zarathui'tra! I maintain the wide earth made by Ahura, the large and broad earth, that bears so much that is fine, that bears all the bodily world, the live and the dead, and the high mountains, rich in pastures and waters; 10. * Upon which run the many streams and rivers; upon which the many kinds of plants grow up from the ground, to nourish animals and men, to nourish the Aryan nations, to nourish the five kinds of animals ^, and to help the faithful.
1 1. * Through their brightness and glory, O Zarathui-tra! I maintain in the womb the child that has been conceived, so that it does not die from the ^ There are five classes of animals: those Hving in waters (upapa), those living under the ground (upasma = upa-zema), the flying ones (fraptar^at), the running ones (ravas/^arant), the grazing ones (>^angrangha>('); Visperad I, i seq.; Yt. XIII, 74. The representatives of those several classes are the kar ma hi fish, the ermine, the kar^ipt, the hare, and the ass -goat (Pahl. Comm. ad Visp. 1. 1.).
assaults of Vidotu \ and I develop in it ^ the bones, the hair, the...^, the entrails, the feet, and the sexual organs.
12. ' Had not the awful Fravashis of the faithful given help unto me, those animals and men of mine, of which there are such excellent kinds, would not subsist; strength would belong to the Dru^, the dominion would belong to the Dru^, the material world would belong to the Dru^.
1 3 ' Between the earth and the sky the immaterial creatures would be harassed by the Dru^; between the earth and the sky the immaterial creatures would be smitten by the Dru^; and never afterwards would Angra-Mainyu give way to the blows of Spe;/ta-Mainyu.
14. 'Through their brightness and glory the waters run and flow forward from the never-failing springs; through their brightness and glory the plants grow up from the earth, by the never-failing springs; through their brightness and glory the winds blow, driving down the clouds towards the never-failing springs.
15. 'Through their brightness and glory the females conceive offspring; through their brightness and glory they bring forth in safety; it is through their brightness and glory when they become blessed with children.
16. 'Through their brightness and glory a man is born who is a chief in assemblies and meetings *, who listens well ^ to the (holy) words, whom Wisdom 1 See Vend. IV, 40 [137]. ^ Doubtful.
* Who learns well, who has the gaosho-srGta khratu.
\.
holds dear \ and who returns a victor from discussions with Gaotema, the heretic ^.
' Through their brightness and glory the sun goes his way; through their brightness and glory the moon goes her way; through their brightness and glory the stars go their way.
17. * In fearful battles they are the wisest for help, the Fravashis of the faithful.
'The most powerful amongst the Fravashis of the faithful, O Spitama! are those of the men of the primitive law ^ or those of the Saoshya;^/s ■• not yet born, who are to restore the world. Of the others, the Fravashis of the living faithful are more powerful, O Zarathui^tra! than those of the dead, O Spitama!
18. 'And the man who in life shall treat the Fravashis of the faithful well, will become a ruler of the country with full power, and a chief most strong; so shall any man of you become, who shall treat Mithra well, the lord of wide pastures, and Ari-ta/, who makes the world grow, who makes the world increase.
19. 'Thus do I proclaim unto thee, O pure Spitama! the vigour and strength, the glory, the help, and the joy that are in the Fravashis of the faithful, ^ Or, 'who wishes for wisdom' (lore; khratukata=khratu-^inah).
" Y6 naidhyangho gaotemahe par6 ayau par^toi/ avaiti. This seems to be an allusion to controversies with the Buddhists or Gotama's disciples, whose religion had obtained a footing in the western parts of Iran as early as the second century before Christ. Naidhyangho means a heretic, an Ashemaogha (see Pahl. Comm. ad Yasna XXXIV, 8).
the awful and overpowering Fravashis; and how they come to help me, how they bring assistance unto me, the awful Fravashis of the faithful \' II.
20. Ahura Mazda spake unto Spitama Zarathui-tra, saying: ' If in this material world, O Spitama Zarathui-tra! thou happenest to come upon frightful roads, full of dangers and fears, O Zarathui-tra! and thou fearest for thyself, then do thou recite these words, then proclaim these fiend-smiting words, O Zarathui'tra!
21. ' " I praise, I invoke, I meditate upon, and we sacrifice unto the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful. We worship the Fravashis of the masters of the houses, those of the lords of the boroughs, those of the lords of the towns, those of the lords of the countries, those of the Zarathui'trotemas ^; the Fravashis of those that are, the Fravashis of those that have been, the Fravashis of those that will be; all the Fravashis of all nations ^, and most friendly the Fravashis of the friendly nations; 22. '"Who maintain the sky, who maintain the waters, who maintain the earth, who maintain the cattle, Avho maintain in the womb the child that has been conceived, so that it does not die from the assaults of Vidotu, and develop in it the bones, the hair, the..., the entrails, the feet, and the sexual organs *; 23. '"Who are much -bringing, who move with awfulness, well-moving, swiftly moving, quickly moving, who move when invoked; who are to be invoked in the conquest of good, who are to be invoked in fights against foes, who are to be invoked in battles; 24. ' " Who give victory to their invoker, who give boons to their lover, who give health to the sick man, who give good Glory to the faithful man that brines libations and invokes them with a sacrifice and words of propitiation ^; 25. '"Who turn to that side where are faithful men, most devoted to holiness, and where is the greatest piety ^ where the faithful man is rejoiced ^ and where the faithful man is not ill-treated ^" ' III.
26. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, who are the mightiest of drivers, the lightest of those driving forwards, the slowest of the retiring ^ the safest ^ of all bridges, the leasterring^ of all weapons and armsS and who never turn their backs \ 27. At once, wherever they come, we worship them, the good ones, the excellent ones, the good, the strong, the beneficent Fravashis of the faithful. They are to be invoked when the bundles of baresma are tied; they are to be invoked in fights against foes, in battles », and there where gallant men strive to conquer foes.
5 Doubtful. * Defensive arms.
FARVARDfN YAST. 187 28. Mazda invoked them for help, when he fixed the sky and the waters and the earth and the plants; when Spe;^ta-Mainyu fixed the sky, when he fixed the waters, when the earth, when the cattle, when the plants, when the child conceived in the womb, so that it should not die from the assaults of Vidotu, and developed in it the bones, the hair, the..., the entrails, the feet, and the sexual organs \ 29. Spe;^ta-Mainyu maintained the sky, and they sustained it from below, they, the strong Fravashis, who sit in silence, gazing with sharp looks; whose eyes and ears are powerful, who bring long joy, high and high-girded; well-moving and moving afar, loudsnorting 2, possessing riches and a high renown.
IV.
30. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful; whose friendship is good, and who know how to benefit; whose friendship lasts long; who like to stay in the abode where they are not harmed by its dwellers; who are good, beautiful afar ^, health-giving, of high renown, conquering in battle, and who never do harm first.
V.
31. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful; whose will is dreadful unto those who vex them; powerfully working and most beneficent; who in battle break the dread arms of their foes and haters.
"^ They arc compared to horses; cf. Yt. VIII, 2. ^ Their beauty is seen afar. One manuscript has ' known afar; ' another, ' whose eyesight reaches far.'
A VI.
32. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful; Hberal, vaHant, and full of strength, not to be seized by thought, welfaregiving, kind, and health-giving, following with Ashi's remedies, as far as the earth extends, as the rivers stretch, as the sun rises ^ VII.
33. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, who gallantly and bravely fight, causing havoc, wounding^, breaking to pieces all the malice of the malicious, Daevas and men, and smiting powerfully in battle, at their wish and will.
34. You kindly deliver the Victory made by Ahura, and the crushing Ascendant, most beneficently, to those countries where you, the good ones, unharmed and rejoiced, unoppressed and unoffended, have been held worthy of sacrifice and prayer, and proceed the way of your wish.
35. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, of high renown, smiting in battle, most strong, shield-bearing and harmless to those who are true, whom both the pursuing and the fleeing invoke for help: the pursuer invokes ^ All the beneficent powers hidden in the earth, in the waters, and in the sun, and which Ashi Vanguhi (Yt. XVII) imparts to man.
^ Doubtful: urvaSnaitiJ".
FARVARDIN YAST, 189 them for a swift race, and for a swift race does the fleer invoke them; 36. Who turn to that side where are faithful men, most devoted to hoHness, and where is the greatest piety, where the faithful man is rejoiced, and where the faithful man is not ill-treated \ IX.
37. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, who form many battalions, girded with weapons ^, lifting up spears, and full of sheen; who in fearful battles come rushing along where the gallant heroes^ go and assail the Danus^.
38. There you destroy the victorious strength of the Turanian Danus; there you destroy the malice of the Turanian Danus; through you the chiefs^ are of high intellect ^ and most successful; they, the gallant heroes ^ the gallant Saoshya?^/s^ the gallant conquerors of the offspring of the Danus chiefs of myriads, who wound with stones ^ X.
X.
39. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, who rout the two wings of an army standing in battle array, who make the centre swerve, and swiftly pursue onwards, to help the faithful and to distress the doers of evil deeds.
XI.
40. We worship the good, strong, beneficent * Hvira; see iStudes Iraniennes, II, 183.
I90 YA^TS AND SIROZAHS.
Fravashis of the faithful; awful, overpowering, and victorious, smiting in battle, sorely wounding, blowing away (the foes), moving along to and fro, of good renown, fair of body, godly of soul, and holy; who give victory to their invoker, who give boons to their lover, who give health to the sick man ^; 41. Who give good glory to him who worships them with a sacrifice, as that man did worship them, the holy Zarathui'tra, the chief of the material world, the head of the two-footed race, in whatever struggle he had to enter, in whatever distress he did fear; 42. Who, when well invoked, enjoy bliss in the heavens; who, when well invoked, come forward from the heavens, who are the heads ^ of that sky above, possessing the well-shapen Strength, the Victory made by Ahura, the crushing Ascendant, and Welfare ^, the wealth-bringing, boon-bringing, holy, well fed, worthy of sacrifice and prayer in the perfection of holiness.
43. They shed Satavaesa* between the earth and the sky, him to whom the waters belong ^ who listens to appeals and makes the waters flow and the plants grow up, to nourish animals and men, to nourish the Aryan nations, to nourish the five kinds of animals", and to help the faithful '^.
44. Satavaesa comes down and flows between the earth and the sky, he to whom the waters belong, who listens to appeals and makes the waters and the plants grow up, fair, radiant, and full of ^ 'The chief creatures;' cf. Gah II, 8, * Saoka; cf. Sirozah I, 3, note.
A FARVARDIN YA^T. I9I light, to nourish animals and men, to nourish the Aryan nations, to nourish the five kinds of animals, and to help the faithful.
XII.
45. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful; with helms of brass, with weapons of brass, with armour ^ of brass; who struggle in the fights for victory in garments of light, arraying the battles and bringing them forwards, to kill thousands of Daevas.
When the wind blows from behind them ^ and brings their breath unto men, 46. Then men know where blows the breath of victory: and they pay pious homage unto the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, with their hearts prepared and their arms uplifted.
47. Whichever side they have been first worshipped in the fulness of faith of a devoted heart ^ to that side turn the awful Fravashis of the faithful, along with Mithra and Rashnu and the awful cursing thought ^ of the wise and the victorious wind.
48. And those nations are smitten at one stroke 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, against which turn the awful Fravashis of the faithful, along with Mithra and Rashnu, and the awful cursing thought of the wise and the victorious wind.
^ Doubtful. 2 Literally, blows- them within.
192 YA^'TS AND SIROZAHS.
49. We worship the good, strong, beneficent Fravashis of the faithful, who come and go through the borough at the time of the Hamaspathmaedha^; they go along there for ten nights, asking thus ^: 50. ' Who will praise us? Who will offer us a sacrifice? Who will meditate upon us? Who will bless us^? Who will receive us with meat and clothes in his hand * and with a prayer worthy of bliss ^? Of which of us will the name be taken for invocation*'? Of which of you will the soul be worshipped by you with a sacrifice"^? To whom will this gift of ours be given, that he may have neverfailinof food for ever and ever?'
51. And the man who offers them up a sacrifice,