AvestaZoroastrianismAccepted ScriptureAvestanShareVendidad Fargard 19Darmesteter and Mills / Sacred Books of the East - EnglishMoreVersion - 1 availableDarmesteter and Mills / Sacred Books of the EastLanguageEnglishEspañol‹Vendidad Fargard 1Vendidad Fargard 2Vendidad Fargard 3Vendidad Fargard 4Vendidad Fargard 5Vendidad Fargard 6Vendidad Fargard 7Vendidad Fargard 8Vendidad Fargard 9Vendidad Fargard 10Vendidad Fargard 11Vendidad Fargard 12Vendidad Fargard 13Vendidad Fargard 14Vendidad Fargard 15Vendidad Fargard 16Vendidad Fargard 17Vendidad Fargard 18Vendidad Fargard 19Vendidad Fargard 20Vendidad Fargard 21Vendidad Fargard 22Sirozah Sirozah 1Yashts KhorshedSirozah Sirozah 2Yashts Ormazd YashtYashts ArdibehioT 1 YashtYashts Khordad YashtYashts Aban YashtYashts Khorshed YashtYashts Mah YashtYashts Tlr YashtYashts G oS YashtYashts Mihir / Mithra YashtYashts Sraosha Yasht HadhoKhtYashts Rashn YashtYashts Bahram YashtYashts Ram YashtYashts Ashi YashtYashts Aytad YashtYashts Zamyad YashtYashts Van Ant YashtYashts Yasht FragmentYashts Vtetasp YashtNyayis Khorshed? NyayiyNyayis Mihir / Mithra NyayiyNyayis Aban NyayiyNyayis Atay NyayisYasna Yasna 28Yasna Yasna 34Yasna Yasna 30Yasna Yasna 31Yasna Yasna 32Yasna Yasna 33Yasna Yasna 43Yasna Yasna 44Yasna Yasna 11Yasna Yasna 45Yasna Yasna 46Yasna Yasna 47Yasna Yasna 48Yasna Yasna 49Yasna Yasna 50Yasna Yasna 51Yasna Yasna 60Yasna Yasna 53Yasna Yasna 1Yasna Yasna 2Yasna Yasna 3Yasna Yasna 4Yasna Yasna 5Yasna Yasna 6Yasna Yasna 7Yasna Yasna 8Yasna Yasna 9Yasna Yasna 10Yasna Yasna 12Yasna Yasna 13Yasna Yasna 22Yasna Yasna 14Yasna Yasna 15Yasna Yasna 16Yasna Yasna 17Yasna Yasna 19Yasna Yasna 18Yasna Yasna 20Yasna Yasna 21Yasna Yasna 29Yasna Yasna 23Yasna Yasna 24Yasna Yasna 25Yasna Yasna 26Yasna Yasna 27Yasna Yasna 35Yasna Yasna 36Yasna Yasna 37Yasna Yasna 38Yasna Yasna 39Yasna Yasna 40Yasna Yasna 41Yasna Yasna 42Yasna Yasna 52Yasna Yasna 54Yasna Yasna 55Yasna Yasna 56Yasna Yasna 57Yasna Yasna 58Yasna Yasna 59Yasna Yasna 61Yasna Yasna 62Yasna Yasna 65Yasna Yasna 66Yasna Yasna 68Yasna Yasna 70Yasna Yasna 71Yasna Yasna 72Visparad Visparad 1Visparad Visparad 2Visparad Visparad 11Visparad Visparad 3Visparad Visparad 4Visparad Visparad 5Visparad Visparad 7Visparad Visparad 8Visparad Visparad 9Visparad Visparad 10Visparad Visparad 12Visparad Visparad 13Visparad Visparad 14Visparad Visparad 15Visparad Visparad 16Visparad Visparad 18Visparad Visparad 19Visparad Visparad 20Visparad Visparad 21Visparad Visparad 23Afrinagan AfrinaganGahs Gah 1Gahs Gah 2Gahs Gah 3Gahs Gah 4Gahs Gah 5Miscellaneous Fragments Fragment 1Miscellaneous Fragments Fragment 2Miscellaneous Fragments Fragment 3Miscellaneous Fragments Fragment 4Miscellaneous Fragments Fragment 5Miscellaneous Fragments Miscellaneous FragmentsMiscellaneous Fragments Fragment 9›Vendidad: Fargard 19Vendidad Fargard 19ListenPlay this chapter in spoken English.Save chapterListen to chapter1Angra Mainyu attempts to kill Zarathmtra, and, when he fails, tempts him. Zarathmtra withstands both assaults with weapons both material and spiritual. II (11-43). Zarathmtra applies to Ahura Mazda for a revelation of the law. He is taught how the fiend may be repelled, how the creation of Mazda is to be worshipped, how uncleanness is to be washed away, and what becomes of the soul after death. III (43-47). Angra Mainyu and his host, driven to despair, and feeling themselves powerless, flee down into hell. This chapter may be entitled ‘ The Revelation,’ and considered as the framework of the Vendidad, the remainder of which should have its place between the first and the third part; as the first part shows the fiend’s struggles to prevent the revelation, and the third shows the effects of it; the second being, as it were, an abstract of the law, an abridged Vendidad. The text and the Pahlavi commentary of this Fargard are translated in Haug’s Essays, p. 253 seq., p. 333 seq., and p. 379 seq. 1From the region of the north, from the regions of the north l, forth rushed Angra Mainyu, the deadly, the Daeva of the Daevas2 *. And thus spake the guileful one, he the evil-doer Angra Mainyu, the deadly: ‘ Dru^-, rush down upon him! destroy the holy Zarathustra! ’ The Dru g came rushing along, the demon Buiti s, the unseen death, the hell-born. 2Zarathustra chanted aloud the Ahuna- Vairya 4 *: ‘ The will of the Lord is the law of holiness; the riches of Vohu-man6 shall be given to him who works in this world for Mazda, and wields according to the will of Ahura the power he gave to him to relieve the poor.’ (He added): ‘Offer up prayers to the good waters of the good Dditya 6! ‘ Profess the law of the worshippers of Mazda!’ The Dru£" dismayed, rushed away, the demon Bftiti, the unseen death, the hell-born. 3And the Dru^", the guileful one, said unto Angra Mainyu: ‘O baneful Angra Mainyu! I see no way to kill him, so great is the glory of the holy Zarathustra.’ Zarathustra saw (all this) from within his soul: ‘ The evil-doing Daevas and Drva^ts1 (thought he) take counsel together for my death.’ 4(11). Up started Zarathustra, forward went Zarathustra, unshaken by the evil spirit, by the hardness of his malignant riddles 2, swinging stones in his hand, stones as big as a house 3, which he obtained from the Maker, Ahura Mazda, he the holy Zarathustra. ‘At what on this wide, round earth, whose ends lie afar, at what dost thou swing (those stones), thou who standest by the river Dare^a4, upon the mountains, in the mansion of Pourui'aspa 5? ’ 5Thus Zarathustra answered Angra Mainyu: ‘ O evil-doer, Angra Mainyu! I will smite the crea¬ tion of the Daeva; I will smite the Nasu, a creature of the Dadva; I will smite the Pairika Knathaiti 6, till the fiend-smiter Saoshyawt come up to life out B The father of Zarathustra. of the lake Kasava, from the region of the dawn, from the regions of the dawn V 6Again to him said the guileful one, the Maker of the evil world, Angra Mainyu: ‘ Do not destroy my creatures, O holy Zarathiutra! Thou art the son of Pourusaspa1 2, just born of thy mother3. Renounce the good law of the worshippers of Mazda, and thou shalt gain such a boon as the murderer4 gained, the ruler of the nations.’ 7Thus in answer to him said Spitama Zarathustra: ‘No! never will I renounce the good law of the worshippers of Mazda, though my body, my life, my soul should burst! ’ 8Again to him said the guileful one, the Maker of the evil world, Angra Mainyu: ‘ By whose Word wilt thou strike, by whose Word wilt thou repel, by whose weapon will the good creatures (strike and repel) my creation who am Angra Mainyu? ’ 9Thus in answer to him said Spitama Zarathu-stra: ‘ The sacred mortar, the sacred cup, the Haoma, the Words taught by Mazda, these are my weapons, my best weapons! By this Word will I strike, by this Word will I repel, by this weapon the good, creatures (will strike and repel thee), O evil-doer, Angra Mainyu! To me Spe»ta Mainyu gave it, he gave it to me in the boundless Time5 6; The Commentary has, ‘ Some explain thus: Thy forefathers wor¬ shipped me: worship me also.’ to me the Amesha Spe;ztas, the all-ruling, the allbeneficent, gave it.’ 10Zarathmtra chanted aloud the Ahuna- Vairya. The holy Zarathmtra said aloud: ‘ This I ask thee: teach me the truth, O Lord 1!...’ 11(37). Zarathmtra asked Ahura Mazda: ‘O Ahura Mazda, most beneficent spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! [he was sitting by the Dare^a, on the mountain2, praying to Ahura Mazda, to the good Vohu-man6, to Asha Vahbta, Khshathra Vairya, and Spe#ta Armaiti;] 13(42). Ahura Mazda answered: ‘Invoke, O Zarathmtra! the good law of Mazda. ‘ Invoke, O Zarathmtra! the Amesha Spe»tas who rule over the seven Karshvares of the earth 3. ‘ Invoke, O Zarathmtra! the sovereign Heaven, the boundless Time4, and Vayu8, whose action is most high. the creation of the world (Yasna XIX), and consequently in the boundless Time. ‘ Invoke, O Zarathustra! the powerful Wind, made by Mazda, and Spe^ta [Armaiti]1, the fair daughter of Ahura Mazda. 14(46). ‘Invoke, O Zarathortra! myFravashi2, who am Ahura Mazda, the greatest, the best, the fairest of all beings, the most solid 3, the most intel¬ ligent, the best shapen, the highest in holiness, and whose soul is the holy Word 4! ‘ Invoke, O Zarathustra! this creation of mine, who am Ahura Mazda.’ 15Zarathustra took those words from me, (and said): ‘ I invoke the holy creation of Ahura Mazda. ‘ I invoke Mithra 5, the lord of wide pastures, a god armed with beautiful weapons, with the most glorious of all weapons, with the most fiend-smiting of all weapons. ‘ I invoke the holy, tail-formed Sraosha 6, who wields a club in his hand, to bear upon the heads of the fiends. 16‘I invoke the most glorious holy Word. ‘ I invoke the sovereign Heaven, the boundless Time, and Vayu, whose action is most high. ‘ I invoke the mighty Wind, made by Mazda, and Spe«ta (Armaiti), the fair daughter of Ahura Mazda. ‘ I invoke the good law of Mazda, the fienddestroying law of Zarathustra.’ 17(58). Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda: ‘O Maker of the good world, Ahura Mazda! With what manner of sacrifice shall I worship, with what manner of sacrifice shall I worship and forward this creation of Ahura Mazda? ’ 18Ahura Mazda answered: ‘Go, O Spitama Zarathu-rtra! towards that tree 1 that is beautiful, high-growing, and mighty amongst the high-growing trees, and say thou these words: “ Hail to thee! O good, holy tree, made by Mazda! Ashem vohu2!” 20(67). Zarathostra asked Ahura Mazda: ‘O thou, all-knowing Ahura Mazda! thou art never asleep, never intoxicated, thou Ahura Mazda! Vohu-man68 gets directly defiled: Vohu-man6 gets indirectly deduring the sacrifice: ‘ A man is offering the Damn, he has said all the required Avesta, but he has not looked at the baresma: what is the rule? It would have been better if he had looked at it: however he may proceed to the meal’ (Old Rav. 97 b). filed; the Daevas defile him from the bodies smitten by the Da&vas 1: let Vohu-mand be made clean.’ 21Ahura Mazda answered: ‘Thou shalt take some gdmez from a bull ungelded and such as the law requires it 2; thou shalt take the man who is to be cleansed 3 to the field made by Ahura 4, and the man that is to cleanse him shall draw the furrows 5. 22‘He shall recite a hundred Ashem vohu: “Holiness is the best of all good. Happy, happy the man who is holy with perfect holiness! ” ‘He shall chant two hundred Ahuna-Vairya: “ The will of the Lord is the law of holiness; the riches of Vohu-mand shall be given to him who works in this world for Mazda, and wields according to the will of Ahura the power he gave to him to relieve the poor.” ‘ He shall wash Vohu-mand four times with the gomez from the ox, and twice with the water made by Mazda6. to it in the second part of § 25; but in the first part of the same clause it is translated ‘clothes,’ a meaning which is not unlikely in itself, as Vohu-mand, being the Amshaspand of cattle, may designate, and in fact did designate, the skins of cattle and leather (Comm, ad Farg. XVIII, 2). On the whole the description in the text applies to the cleansing both of the man and of the clothes, and Vohu-mand sometimes means the one, and sometimes the other. 24‘ When nine nights have passed away, thou shalt bring libations unto the fire, thou shalt bring hard wood unto the fire, thou shalt bring incense of Vohu-gaona unto the fire, and thou shalt perfume Vohu-man6 therewith. 25‘ Thus shall Vohu-man6 become clean, thus shall the man be clean3: he shall take up Vohu-mano with the right arm and the left, with the left arm and the right, and Vohu-man6 4 shall say aloud: “ Glory be to Ahura Mazda! Glory be to the Amesha-Spe/rtas! Glory be to all the other holy beings.” ’ 26Zarathustra asked Ahura Mazda: ‘ O thou all-knowing Ahura Mazda: Should I urge upon the godly man, should I urge upon the godly woman, should I urge upon the wicked Daevaworshipper who lives in sin, that they have once to leave behind them the earth made by Ahura, ought to be washed six times with gomez and three times with water (see Farg. VIII, 37 seq.; IX, 28 seq.) that they have to leave the water that runs, the corn that grows, and all the rest of their wealth 1?’ Ahura Mazda answered: ‘ Thou shouldst, O holy ZarathoJtra/ 27O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Where are the rewards given? Where does the rewarding take place? Where is the rewarding fulfilled? Whereto do men come to take the reward that, in their life in the material world, they have won for their souls? 28Ahura Mazda answered: ‘ When the man is dead, when his time is over, then the hellish, evil-doing Daevas assail him; and when the third night is gone, when the dawn appears and brightens up, and makes Mithra, the god with beautiful weapons, reach the all-happy mountains, and the sun is rising: Uxor, nec harum, quas colis arborum.... ’ The translation is doubtful in its details; yet there is little doubt that the sentence refers to future life (cf. § 27). Aspendiarji trans¬ lates, ‘ Shall the godly man... arise (from the dead)...? ’ which seems to be the meaning of the Pahlavi Commentary too. reward for the worldly goods which they gave away here below1. 30‘ Then comes the well-shapen, strong and tail-formed maid 2, with the dogs at her sides 3, one who can distinguish 4, who is graceful 5, who does what she wants, and is of high understanding. ‘ She makes the soul of the righteous one go up above the Hara-berezaiti 6; above the /finvatf bridge she places it in the presence of the heavenly gods themselves. 31‘Up rises Vohu-man67 from his golden seat; Vohu-mand exclaims: “ How hast thou come to us, thou holy one, from that decaying world into this undecaying one 8? ” for the souls of the wicked it narrows to a thread, and they fall down into hell (cf. Arrfa Viraf V, 1). This bridge is known in many mythologies; it is the Sirath bridge of the Musulmans; not long ago they sang in Yorkshire of ‘ the Brig o’ Dread, na brader than a thread’ (Thoms, Anecdotes, 89), and even nowadays the peasant in Nievre tells of a little board — ‘Pas pu longue, pas pu large Qu’un ch’veu de la Sainte Viarge,’ which was put by Saint Jean d’Archange between the earth and paradise: ‘Ceux qu’saront la raison (=l’oraison?) d’Dieu Par dessus passeront. Ceux qu’la sauront pas Au bout mourront.’ (Melusine, p. 70.) 32‘ Gladly pass the souls of the righteous to the golden seat of Ahura Mazda, to the golden seat of the Amesha-Spe#tas, to the Garo-nmanem \ the abode of Ahura Mazda, the abode of the Amesha-Spe^tas, the abode of all the other holy beings. 33‘As to the godly man that has been cleansed1 2, the wicked evil-doing Daevas tremble at the perfume of his soul after death, as a sheep does on which a wolf is falling 3. 34‘ The souls of the righteous are gathered together there: Nairyb-sangha4 is with them; a friend of Ahura Mazda is Nairyo-sangha. ‘ Do thou thyself invoke, O Zarathustra! this world of Ahura Mazda.’ 35Zarathustra took those words from Ahura Mazda: ‘ I invoke the holy world, made by Ahura Mazda. ‘ I invoke the earth made by Ahura, the water made by Mazda, the holy trees. ‘ I invoke the sea Vouru-kasha5. ‘ I invoke the shining sky. ‘ I invoke the eternal and sovereign luminous space 6. 36‘ I invoke the bright, all glorious, bliss¬ ful abode of the holy ones. ‘ I invoke the Garo-nmanem, the abode of Ahura Mazda, the abode of the Amesha-Spe/ztas, the abode of all the other holy beings. ‘ I invoke the sovereign place of eternal weal \ and the Kinvad bridge made by Mazda. 37‘I invoke the good Saoka1 2, whose looks go far and wide. ‘ I invoke the mighty Fravashis3 of the righteous. ‘ I invoke the whole creation of weal. ‘I invoke Verethraghna 4, made by Ahura, who wears the glory made by Mazda 5. ‘ I invoke Tistrya 6, the bright and glorious star, in the shape of a golden-horned bull. 38‘I invoke the holy, beneficent Gathas7, who rule over the rat us8: ‘ I invoke the Ahunavaiti Gatha; ‘ I invoke the U.?tavaiti Gatha; ‘ I invoke the Spewta-mainyu Gatha; ‘ I invoke the Vohu-khshathra Gatha; 2l6 ‘ I invoke the Vahi.st6i.sti G&tha. 39(129). ‘I invoke the Karshvares of Arzahe and Savah6; ‘ I invoke the Karshvares of Fradadhafshu and Vidadhafshu; ‘ I invoke the Karshvares of Vourubare-sti and V ouruzarerti; ‘ I invoke the bright Hv aniratha 1; ‘ I invoke the bright, glorious Haetuma/zt2; ‘ I invoke the good Ashi 3; [‘ I invoke the good A'isti 4;] ‘ I invoke the most right Aista 5; ‘ I invoke the glory of the Aryan regions 6; ‘ I invoke the glory of the bright Yima, the great shepherd 7. 40(133). ‘Let him be worshipped with sacrifice, let him be gladdened, gratified, and satisfied, the holy Sraosha, the tail-formed, fiend-smiting, holy Sraosha 8. ‘ Bring libations unto the Fire,, bring hard wood unto the Fire, bring incense of Vohu-gaona unto the Fire. ‘ Offer up the sacrifice to the Vazista fire, which dtd&d Sadah. smites the fiend Spengaghra 1: bring unto it the cooked meat and the offerings of boiling milk 2. 41‘Offer up the sacrifice to the holy Sraosha, that the holy Sraosha may smite down the fiend Kimda 3, who is drunken without drink¬ ing. He will fall upon the men of the Drug-, the slothful ones 4 *, the wicked Daeva-worshippers, who live in sin. [42®. ‘I invoke the Kara fish6, who lives beneath waters in the bottom of the deep lakes. ‘ I invoke the ancient and sovereign Merezu 7 8, the greatest seat of battle in the creation of the two spirits &. ‘ I invoke the seven bright Sravah 9 with their sons and their flocks. 43‘ They run about to and fro, their minds waver to and fro10, Angra Mainyu the deadly, the placed: ‘ When he has been cleansed in the next inhabited place, he may then sow and till the pasture fields, as food for the sheep and as food for the ox.’ 2l8 Daeva of the Daevas; I«dra the Daeva, Sauru the Daeva, Nazmghaithya the Daeva, Taurvi and Zairi1, Aeshma of the wounding spear 2, Akatasha the Daeva 3, Zaurva 4, baneful to the fathers, Buiti the Dabva 5, Driwi ■* the Daeva, Daiwi 7 the Da£va, Kasvi8 the Daeva, Paitisha 9 the most Daeva-like amongst the Daevas.] 44‘And he said, the guileful, the evildoing Daeva, Angra Mainyu the deadly: “ What! let the wicked, evil-doing Daevas gather together at the head of Arezftra 10.” 45‘ They rush, they run away, the wicked, evil-doing Daevas; they run away with shouts, the wicked, evil-doing Daevas; they run away casting the evil eye, the wicked, evil-doing Daevas: “ Let us gather together at the head of Arezura! 46‘ “ For he is just born the holy Zarathustra, in the house of Pourushaspa. How can we procure his death? He is the stroke that fells the fiends: he is a counter-fiend to the fiends; he is a Dru^ to the Dru^. Down are the Daeva-worshippers, the Nasu made by the Daeva, the false¬ speaking Lie! ” 47‘They run away, they rush away, the wicked, evil-doing Daevas, into the depths of the dark, horrid world of hell. ‘ Ashem vohu: Holiness is the best of all good.’ ‹Previous chapterVendidad Fargard 18Next chapterVendidad Fargard 20›Similar passagesBy tradition and source labelFind similarCompare selectedCompare with similarAsk Deep ThoughtSelect passages to search for parallels.Tap any verse to select it, then compare selected passages or ask Deep Thought. Public-domain 1880/1883/1887 English translation