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Avesta (Gathas) · 2 of 2 · tr. L.H. Mills

Ahunavaiti Gatha, Yasna XXVIII, Section 1b

(And) do thou, O (Divine) Righteousness, bestow (upon me) that sacred blessing which is constituted by the attainments of the Good Mind (within my soul) 3 ; and do thou also, O Piety! grant unto p. 22 [paragraph continues] Vî s tâspa and to me our wish; (yea) may’st Thou grant (us), O Mazda, ruler 1 (as Thou art! that grace) whereby we may hear 2 (with understanding) Thy benignant words. 9. That best (of gifts therefore) do I beseech (of Thee), O Thou best (of beings) Ahura! who art one in will with (Thy Divine) Righteousness (within us, likewise), the best 3 (of spirits), desiring it (as I now do) for the (heroic) man Frashao s tra, and for me 4 , upon whom also may’st Thou bestow it (not for time alone), but for all the ages of Thy Good Mind (that reign of Thy Benevolence which shall be to us as Heaven 5 )! p. 23 10. And (impressed and moved) by these gifts of strengthening grace 1 (which Thou may’st give in answer to these prayers) may we never anger You, O Ahura Mazda! (nor Thy) Righteousness (within us), nor yet Thy Kindly Mind (toward us), since we have most earnestly made effort (helping to advance Your cause) in the (chanted) 2 offering of Your praisers, for most easy to be invoked (are Ye). (Yours are verily both) the desire for (spiritual) blessings (for us), and the (Divine) Possession (of their power) 3 . 11. And therefore do Thou, O Lord, the Great Creator! fill up and satisfy (my 4 ) desire with these attainments (of the grace) of Thy Good Mind, which Thou dost know to be derived from Righteousness, (and) which (are verily) sublime 5 , for I have known 6 p. 24 [paragraph continues] Thine instructions to be never void 1 of their effect (in the struggles) for our (daily) food 2 , and therefore worthy objects of desire 3 . 12. (Yea, I approach Thee with my prayers, I) who by these (great gifts of grace) will 4 protect ((Thy) Divine Righteousness, and (Thy) Good Mind within us) for ever. And do Thou therefore, O Ahura Mazda! teach me from Thyself, yea, from Thine own mouth of spirit, that I may declare it forth to (these Thy waiting people) by what (powers and according to what laws 5 ) the primeval world arose 6 !
Themes
Ahura Mazda Principlecosmology

The divine ordering principle of truth and light.

The passage repeatedly addresses Ahura Mazda as the supreme ruler, creator, and source of grace.

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Anthropomorphismtheology

Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.

The divine is addressed with human characteristics such as a mouth, will, and the ability to hear.

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Asha Cosmic Ordercosmology

Truth as the fundamental structure of reality.

Divine Righteousness (Asha) is invoked as a fundamental principle residing within the soul and governing reality.

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Cosmogonycosmology

Narratives or doctrines of cosmic origin — how heaven, earth, and the primordial deities first came into being. The Kojiki's deities born alone on the Plain of High Heaven, Voluspo's Ginnungagap, Genesis's tohu wa-bohu, the Timaeus's Demiurge fashioning the Receptacle, the Hesiodic Theogony, the Kalevala's egg-cosmogony, Egyptian Nun-and-Atum. Distinct from emanation_hierarchy (structural-ontological cascade), letters_of_creation (mechanism of creation), and apocatastasis/frashokereti (end-state restoration); cosmogony is temporally-narrative beginning.

The speaker explicitly requests teaching on how the primeval world arose and by what powers.

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Frashokereticosmology

The final restoration/renovation of the cosmos.

The text expresses hope for a reign of benevolence that shall be like Heaven for all ages.

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Good Thought Word Deedethics

The Zoroastrian triad of right thought, right speech, and right action as the foundation of ethical life; truth-in-living.

The passage explicitly references the Good Mind (thought), benignant words (speech), and offerings/effort (action).

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Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

Ahura Mazda is depicted as an active, responsive deity who hears, grants wishes, and teaches.

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Prayerpraxis

Direct address to the divine, whether petitionary, contemplative, or liturgical; speech and silence offered upward.

The entire text is a direct petitionary address to the divine seeking blessings and instruction.

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