' § I2I=§§ 96, 102.
^ Paitidana, a mande, a tunic (Vend. XIV, 9 [28]). ' See §§8, n.
Aban Vast. 83
a glorious race ^ wearing along her .... ^ a mantle fully embroidered with gold ;
127. * Ever holding the baresma in her hand, ac-
cording to the rules, she wears square golden ear-
rings on her ears bored '\ and a golden necklace
around her beautiful neck, she, the nobly born Ardvi
Sura Anahita ; and she girded her waist tightly, so
that her breasts may be well-shaped, that they may
be tightly pressed *.
128. * Upon her head Ardvi Sura Anahita bound
a golden crown, with a hundred stars ^ with eight
rays, a fine . . . . ^, a well-made crown, in the
shape of a .... '^, with fillets streaming down.
129. 'She is clothed with garments of beaver^,
Ardvi Siira Anahita; with the skin of thirty beavers
of those that bear four young ones, that are the
finest kind of beavers ; for the skin of the beaver
that lives in water is the finest-coloured of all
skins, and when worked at the right time it shines
to the eye with full sheen of silver and gold.
130. 'Here, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Siira
Anahita! I beg of thee this favour: that I, fully
blessed, may conquer large kingdoms, rich in horses^,
with high tributes, with snorting horses, sounding
chariots, flashing swords, rich in aliments, with stores
of food, with well-scented beds^"; that I may have
^ Cf. §§ 64, 78. 2 Zaoja; cf. § 7, note 2.
' Doubtful (sispemna, from sif, ^j:J^). * Doubtful. ^ Gems.
^ ? Anupoithwaitim.
' ? Ratha; the usual meaning of ratha is 'a chariot;' perhaps the round shape of the chest of a chariot is meant.
' Possibly otter, Vend. XIV. » Doubtful.
'' Cf. Yt. XVII, 7.
8'4 YA^TS AND SIROZAHS.
at my wish the fulness of the good things of life and whatever makes a kingdom thrive \
131. ' Here, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Stara
Anahita ! I beg of thee two gallant companions, one
two-legged and one four-legged ^ : one two-legged,
who is swift, quickly rushing, and clever in turning
a chariot round in battle ; and one four-legged, who
can quickly turn towards either wing of the host
with a wide front, towards the right wing or the left,
towards the left wing or the right.
132. 'Through the strength of this sacrifice, of
this invocation, O Ardvi Sura Anahita ! come down
from those stars ^, towards the earth made by Ahura,
towards the sacrificing priest, towards the full
boiling [milk '^J ; come to help him who is offering up
libations, giving gifts, sacrificing, and entreating that
thou wouldst grant him thy favours ; that all those
gallant warriors may be strong, like king Vii-taspa.
' For her brightness and glory, I will offer her a sacrifice .... 133. ' Yatha ahfl vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness ....
' I bless the sacrifice and prayer, and the strength and vigour of the holy water-spring Anahita.
'AshemVohu: 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!'
^ The translation of the last clause is doubtful.
^ A good horse and a good driver.
' Cf. §§ 85, 88. * Aspendiarji ad Vend. XIX, 40 [133].
Khorshed Ya^T. 85
VI. KHORSHfeZ^ YA^^T.
(Ya^t to the Sun.)
This Yajt is recited at any time, but particularly on the days consecrated to the sun and to Khshathra-Vairya (Shahrivar), Mithra (IMihir), Asman (Asman), and Anaghra rao/^a« (Aniran ^) : the last three, Mithra, Asman (the Heaven), Anaghra (the infinite Light), have a natural connection with the sun, but its connection with Khshathra-Vairya is not so clear.
Of this Yart we have a Pahlavi (East India Office, XII), a Persian (ibid. XXIV), and a Sanskrit translation (Fonds Burnouf V; all three edited in lEtudes Iraniennes, II).
0. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced I . . . .
Ashem Vohu: Holiness is the best of all good ....
I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zara- thujtra, 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 undying, shining, swift-horsed Sun^;
Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation,
and glorification.
Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holi- ness ^ . . . .
1. We sacrifice unto the undying, shining, swift- horsed Sun.
When the light of the sun waxes warmer *, when the brightness of the sun waxes warmer, then up
*■' As above, Yt. I, o. » Sirozah I, 11.
That is to say, rises up ' (Phi. tr.).
86 YA^TS AND sIroZAHS.
Stand the heavenly Yazatas, by hundreds and thou-
sands : they gather together its Glory, they make its
Glory pass down, they pour its Glory upon the earth
made by Ahura, for the increase of the world of
holiness, for the increase of the creatures of holi-
ness \ for the increase of the undying, shining, swift-
horsed Sun.
2. And when the sun rises up, then the earth,
made by Ahura, becomes clean 2; the running waters
become clean, the waters of the wells become clean,
the waters of the sea become clean, the standing
waters become clean ; all the holy creatures, the
creatures of the Good Spirit, become clean.
3. Should not the sun rise up, then the Daevas
would destroy all the things that are in the seven
Karshvares, nor would the heavenly Yazatas find
any way of withstanding or repelling them in the
material world.
4. He who offers up a sacrifice unto the undying,
shining, swift-horsed Sun — to withstand darkness, to
withstand the Daevas born of darkness, to withstand
the robbers and bandits, to withstand the Yatus and
Pairikas, to withstand death that creeps in unseen —
offers it up to Ahura Mazda, offers it up to the
Amesha-Spe;/tas, offers it up to his own soul^ He
rejoices all the heavenly and worldly Yazatas, who
offers up a sacrifice unto the undying, shining, swift-
horsed Sun.
5. I will sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide
' Literally ' of the body of holiness,' that is to say, of the bodily creatures that incorporate holiness.
"^ ' From the uncleanness that the Daevas mix with the earth during the night ' (Phi. tr.).
^ As he benefits them and himself thereby.
Khorshez) Vast. 87
pastures, who has a thousand ears, ten thousand eyes.
I will sacrifice unto the club of Mithra, the lord of
wide pastures, well struck down ^ upon the skulls
of the Daevas.
I will sacrifice unto that friendship, the best of all
friendships, that reigns between the moon and the
sun ^.
6. For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard, namely, unto the undying, shining, swift- horsed Sun. Unto the undying, shining, swift-horsed Sun 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 ^.
Yewhe hatam : All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda ....
7. Yatha ahu vairyo : The will of the Lord is the law of holi- ness ....
I bless the sacrifice and the invocation, and the
strength and vigour of the undying, shining, swift-
horsed Sun.
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.
^ Hunivikhtem: suniyuktam (Sansk. tr.) ; s^il^j ljj.* (Pers.tr.). ^ As they succeed one another in regular order. 3 CfYt. Ill, 18.
88 Yas-Ts and Sirozahs
VII. MAH YA^r.
This Yajt to the Moon is recited on the day of the Moon, and on those of Bahman, Gos, and Ram^ (Anquetil, II, 185). Bah- man and Gos are so far connected with the Moon that all three are gao/^ithra: ' Bahman ^ the Moon, and Gds\ all three, are having in them the seed of the bull ; Bahman can neither be seen nor seized with the hand; the Moon proceeded from Bahman * and can be seen, but cannot be seized with the hand ; G6s proceeded from the Moon ^ and can both be seen and seized with the hand ^' Ram is referred to here as being ;^z;astra, ' lord of good pastures V
Of this Yajt we have translations in Pahlavi, Persian, and San- skrit (edited in Etudes Iraniennes, II).
o. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced ! . . . .
Ashem Vohii : Holiness is the best of all good ....
I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zara- thu^tra, 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 Moon that keeps in it the seed of the
2 The Amshaspand Bahman is entrusted with the care of cattle (Vend, XIX, 20, note 8).
^ The Genius of Cattle ; see Yt. IX.
* Bahman is 'good thought, good mind,' Vohu-Mano; in the Vedas the moon is said to have been made out of the mind (man as) of Puruja. For an explanation of that old mystical myth, see Ormazd et Ahriman, p. 74, note 3.
^ See Vend. XXI, 9 [51], note 4.
« Pahlavi commentary to this Ya^t, I.
^ Vend. Introd. IV, 16, and tindes Iraniennes, II, 187 seq.
Mah Va5t. 89
Bull; unto the only-created Bull and unto the Bull^ of many species;
Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and crlorification.
Yatha ahii vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holi- ness ....
1. Hail to Ahura Mazda! Hail to the Amesha-
Spe;^tas ! Hail to the Moon that keeps in it the
seed of the BulP! Hail to thee when we look at
thee ! Hail to thee when thou lookest at us ^!
2, How does the moon wax ? How does the moon wane ?
For fifteen days does the moon wax*; for fifteen
days does the moon wane. As long as her waxing,
so long is the waning^; as long as her waning, so
long is the waxing.
* Who is there but thee ^ who makes the moon wax and wane '?'
^ Sirozah I, 12. ^ See Vend. XXI, i, text and note.
* When the moon allows itself to be perceived.
* The Pahlavi translation has the following interesting details : ' For fifteen days they take good deeds from the earthly creatures and the rewards for virtue from the heavens ; for fifteen days they make the rewards pass to the earth and the good deeds pass to the heavens.' The moon is thus a sort of moral clearing-house between earth and heaven,
^ According to the Parsis this waning does not refer to the moon, but to the constellations that help it in the struggle against the planets, which are supposed to belong to the Ahrimanian world (see Ormazd et Ahriman, §§ 223-226): 'while it waxes — namely, the moon — they wane, — namely, those that are opposed to the planets, to the bad stars ; for instance, Haftoiring, Va.na.nd, Tijtar, Satves ; . . . . while it wanes — namely, the moon — they wax, that is to say, they are strong for doing good.' Thus the moon and the stars relieve each other in the batde against Ahriman.
« Ahura.
' Quoted from Yasna XLIV [XLIII], 3.
90 YA^TS AND SIROZAHS.
3. We sacrifice unto the Moon that keeps in it
the seed of the Bull, the holy and master of
holiness.
Here I look at the moon, here I perceive the
moon ; here I look at the light of the moon, here
I perceive the light of the moon. The Amesha-
Spe;^tas stand up \ holding its glory ; the Amesha-
Spe;^tas stand up, pouring its glory upon the earth,
made by Mazda ^.
4. And when the light of the moon waxes
warmer, golden-hued plants grow on^ from the
earth during the spring ^
We sacrifice unto the new moons, the full moons, and the Vtshaptathas^.
We sacrifice unto the new moon, the holy and master of holiness ;
We sacrifice unto the full moon, the holy and master of holiness ;
We sacrifice unto the Vishaptatha, the holy and master of holiness.
^ As soon as the moon appears. ^ Cf. Yt. VI, 2.
' Mijti, meaning sada, &..t . » fe ; cf. mi-^a/^i.
* Zaremaem, meaning vasantamase,^lp. ^J^p. ; it has the same meaning in Vend. XVIII, 9 [23] ; cf. Yt. XXII, 18.