Yashts — Yasht 3
Exported from Holy-Writings.com on 2026-07-05 - 1 clipping

Source: Avesta.org. The Yashts, Yasht 3, translation: L.H. Mills / J. Darmesteter (Sacred Books of the East, 1880-1887), Avesta.org. License: Public domain (translation predates 1928).
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

AVESTA: KHORDA AVESTA (English): Ardwahisht Yasht ('Hymn to the Highest Asha')

Avesta -- Zoroastrian Archives

Contents

Prev

Yt3

Next

Avestan

Glossary

Avesta: Khorda Avesta

3. ARDWAHISHT YASHT ("Hymn to the Highest Asha")

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 [Havani],
the holy and master of holiness....

Unto Asha-Vahishta, the fairest; unto the much-desired Airyaman,
made by Mazda, and unto the good Saoka, with eyes of love, made
by Mazda and holy;

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

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

[[1]]

1.
Ahura Mazda spake unto Spitama Zarathushtra, saying: 'That
thou mayest increase Asha-Vahishta, O Spitama Zarathushtra! with
hymns of praise, with performance of the office, with invocations,
holy words, sacrifice, blessings, and adoration - once to abide
in the shining luminous space, in the beautiful abodes - for the
sacrifice and invocation of us, the Amesha-Spentas'....
2.
Zarathushtra said: 'Say unto me the right words, such as they
are, O Ahura Mazda! that I may increase Asha-Vahishta, with hymns
of praise, with performance of the office, with invocations, holy
words, sacrifice, blessings, and adoration, - once to abide in
the shining luminous space, in the beautiful abodes, - for the
sacrifice and invocation of you, the Amesha-Spentas.
3.
'.... I proclaim Asha-Vahishta: if I proclaim Asha-Vahishta,
then easy is the way to the abode of the other Amesha-Spentas,
which Ahura Mazda keeps with Good Thoughts, which Ahura Mazda
keep with Good Words, which Ahura Mazda keeps with Good Deeds;
4.
'(Easy is the way to the Garo-nmana of Ahura Mazda): the Garo-nmana
is for the holy souls, and no one of the wicked can enter the
Garo-nmana and its bright, wide, holy ways; (no one of them can
go) to Ahura Mazda.

[[2]]

5.
'The Airyaman prayer smites down the strength of all the creatures
of Angra Mainyu, of the Yatus and Pairikas. It is the greatest
of spells, the best of spells, the very best of all spells; the
fairest of spells, the very fairest of all spells; the fearful
one amongst spells, the most fearful of all spells; the firm one
amongst spells, the firmest of all spells; the victorious one
amongst spells, the most victorious of all spells; the healing
one amongst spells, the best-healing of all spells.
6.
'One may heal with Holiness, one may heal with the Law, one
may heal with the knife, one may heal with herbs, one may heal
with the Holy Word: amongst all remedies this one is the healing
one that heals with the Holy Word; this one it is at will best
drive away sickness from the body of the faithful: for this one
is the best-healing of all remedies.
7.
'Sickness fled away [before it], Death fled away; the Daeva
fled away, the Daeva's counter-work fled away; the unholy Ashemaogha
fled away, the oppressor of men fled away.
8.
'The brood of the Snake fled away; the brood of the Wolf fled
away; the brood of the Two-legged fled away. Pride fled away;
Scorn fled away; Hot Fever fled away; Slander fled away; Discord
fled away; the Evil Eye fled away.
9.
'The most lying words of falsehood fled away; the Jahi, addicted
to the Yatu, fled away; the Jahi, who makes one pine, fled away;
the wind that blows from the North fled away; the wind that blows
from the North vanished away.
10.
'He it is who smites me that brood of the Snake, and who might
smite those Daevas by thousands of thousands, by ten thousands
of ten thousands; he smites sickness, he smites death, he smites
the Daevas, he smites the Daeva's counter-work, he smites the
unholy Ashemaogha, he smites the oppressor of men.
11.
'He smites the brood of the Snake; he smites the brood of
the Wolf; he smites the brood of the Two-legged. He smites Pride;
he smites Scorn; he smites Hot Fever; he smites Slander; he smites
Discord; he smites the Evil Eye.
12.
'He smites the most lying words of falsehood; he smites the
Jahi, addicted to the Yatu; he smites the Jahi, who makes one
pine. He smites the wind that blows from the North; the wind that
blows from the North vanished away.
13.
'He it is who smites me that brood of the Two-legged, and
who might smite those Daevas, by thousands of thousands, by ten
thousands of ten thousands. Angra Mainyu, who is all death, the
worst-lying of all Daevas, rushed from before him:
14.
'He exclaimed, did Angra Mainyu: "Woe is me! Here is
the god Asha-Vahishta, who will smite the sickliest of all sicknesses,
who will afflict the sickliest of all sicknesses;

'"He will smite the deadliest of all deaths, he will afflict
the deadliest of all deaths;

'"He will smite the most fiendish of all fiends, he will
afflict the most fiendish of all fiends;

'"He will smite the most counter-working of all counter-works,
he will afflict the most counter-working of all counter-works;

'"He will smite the unholy Ashemaogha, he will afflict the
unholy Ashemaogha;

'"He will smite the most oppressive of the oppressors of
men, he will afflict most oppressive of the oppressors of men.
15.
'"He will smite the snakiest of the Snake's brood, he
will afflict the snakiest of the Snake's brood;

'"He will smite the most wolfish of the Wolf's brood, he
will afflict the most wolfish of the Wolf's brood;

'"He will smite the worst of the two-legged brood, he will
afflict the worst of the two-legged brood;

'"He will smite Pride, he will afflict Pride;

'"He will smite Scorn, he will afflict Scorn;

'"He will smite the hottest of hot fevers, he will afflict
the hottest of hot fevers;

'"He will smite the most slanderous of slanders, he will
afflict the most slanderous of slanders;

'"He will smite the most discordant of discords, he will
afflict the most discordant of discords;

'"He will smite the worst of the Evil Eye, he will afflict
the worst of the Evil Eye.
16.
'"He will smite the most lying words of falsehood, he
will afflict the most lying words of falsehood;

'"He will smite the Jahi, addicted to the Yatu, he will afflict
the Jahi, addicted to the Yatu;

'"He will smite the Jahi, who makes one pine, he will afflict
the Jahi, who makes one pine;

'"He will smite the wind that blows from the North, he will
afflict the wind that blows from the North."
17.
'The Druj will perish away, the Druj will perish; the Druj
will rush, the Druj will vanish. Thou perishest away to the regions
of the North, never more to give unto death the living world of
the holy spirit.
18.
'For his brightness and glory I will offer unto him a sacrifice
worth being heard, namely, unto Asha-Vahishta, the fairest - the
Amesha-Spenta. Unto Asha-Vahishta, the fairest, 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.

'Yenhe hatam: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda knows the goodness....
19.
'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 Asha-Vahishta, the fairest; of the much-desired Airyaman, made
by Mazda; and of the good Saoka, with eyes of love, made by Mazda
and holy.

'Ashem Vohu: 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.'

Go to [Avesta -- Zoroastrian Archives
| Khorda Avesta: Contents
| Prev
| Ardwahisht Yasht
| Next
| Avestan]
-- Yashts — Yasht 3 — L.H. Mills / James Darmesteter (1880-1887) (Public domain (Sacred Books of the East, 1880-1887))