4. HORDAD YASHT.

Translated by James Darmesteter (From Sacred Books of the East, American Edition, 1898.)

0.

May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced! ....

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

I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathushtra, one who hates the Daevas and obeys the laws of Ahura;

For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Hawan], the holy and master of holiness ....

Unto Haurvatat, the master; unto the prosperity of the seasons and unto the years, the masters of holiness,

Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.

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

We sacrifice unto Haurvatat, the Amesha-Spenta; we sacrifice unto the prosperity of the seasons; we sacrifice unto the years, the holy and masters of holiness.

1.

Ahura Mazda spake unto Spitama Zarathushtra, saying: 'I created for the faithful the help, the enjoyments, the comforts, and the pleasures of Haurvatat. We unite them with him who would come up to thee as one of the Amesha-Spentas, as he would come to any of the Amesha-Spentas, Vohu-Mano, Asha-Vahishta, Khshathra-Vairya, Spenta-Armaiti, Haurvatat, and Ameretat.

2.

'He who against the thousands of thousands of those Daevas, against their ten thousands of ten thousands, against their numberless myriads would invoke the name of Haurvatat, as one of the Amesha-Spentas, he would smite the Nasu, he would smite Hashi, he would smite Bashi, he would smite Saeni, he would smite Buji.

3.

'I proclaim the faithful man as the first [of men]; if I proclaim the faithful man as the first [of men], then Rashnu Razishta, then every heavenly Yazata of male nature in company with the Amesha-Spentas will free the faithful man

4.

'From the Nasu, from Hashi, from Gashi, from Saeni, from Buji; from the hordes with the wide front, from the hordes with the many spears uplifted, from the evil man who oppresses, from the willful sinner, from the oppressor of men, from the Yatu, from the Pairika, from the straying way.

5.

'How does the way of the faithful turn and part from the way of the wicked?'

Ahura Mazda answered: 'It is when a man pronouncing my spell, either reading or reciting it by heart, draws the furrows and hides there himself, [saying]:

6.

'"I will smite thee, O Druj! whomsoever thou art, whomsoever thou art amongst the Drujes that come in an open way, whomsoever thou art amongst the Drujes that come by hidden way, whomsoever thou art amongst the Drujes that defile by contact; whatsoever Druj thou art, I smite thee away from the Aryan countries; whatsoever Druj thou art, I bind thee; I smite thee down, O Druj! I throw thee down below, O Druj!"

7.

'He draws [then] three furrows: I proclaim him one of the faithful; he draws six furrow: I proclaim him one of the faithful; he draws nine furrows: I proclaim him one of the faithful.

8.

'The names of those (Amesha-Spentas) smite the men turned to Nasus by the Drujes: the seed and kin of the deaf are smitten, the scornful are dead, as the Zaotar Zarathushtra blows them away to woe, however fierce, at his will and wish, as many as he wishes.

9.

'From the time when the sun is down he smites them with bruising blows; from the time when the sun is no longer up, he deals deadly blows on the Nasu with his club struck down, for the propitiation and glorification of the heavenly gods.

10.

'O Zarathushtra! let not that spell be shown to any one, except by the father to his son, or by the brother to his brother from the same womb, or by the Athravan to his pupil in black hair, devoted to the good law, who, devoted to the good law, holy and brave, stills all the Drujes.

11.

'For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard, namely, unto Haurvatat, the Amesha-Spenta. Unto Haurvatat, the Amesha-Spenta, we offer up the libations, the Haoma and meat, the baresma, the wisdom of the tongue, the holy spells, the speech, the deeds, the libations, and the rightly-spoken words.

12.

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

'I bless the sacrifice and prayer, and the strength and vigour of Haurvatat, the master; of the prosperity of the seasons and of the years, the masters of holiness.

'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.'

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