← Home
Avesta (Gathas) · 1 of 2 · tr. L.H. Mills

Ushtavaiti Gatha, Yasna XLV, Section 1a

1. Yea, I will speak forth; hear ye; now listen, ye who from near, and ye who from afar have come seeking 1 (the knowledge). Now ponder 2 ye clearly all 3 (that concerns) him 4 . Not for a second time shall the false teacher slay our life (of the mind, or the body). The wicked is hemmed in with his faith and his tongue! 5 2. Yea, I will declare the world's two first 6 spirits, of whom the more bountiful thus spake to the harmful 7 : Neither our thoughts, nor commands, nor our p. 126 understandings, nor our beliefs, nor our deeds, nor our consciences, nor our souls, are at one 1 . 3. Thus I will declare this world's first 2 (teaching), that which the all-wise Mazda Ahura hath told me. And they among you who will not so fulfil and obey this Mãthra, as I now shall conceive and declare it, to these shall the end of life (issue) in woe. 4. Thus I will declare forth this world's best (being). From (the insight of His) Righteousness Mazda, who hath appointed these (things) 3 , hath known (what He utters to be true; yea, I will declare) Him the father of the toiling Good Mind (within us). So is His p. 127 daughter through good deeds (our) Piety. Not to be deceived is the all-viewing 1 Lord. 5. Yea, thus I will declare that which the most bountiful One told me, that word which is the best to be heeded by mortals. They who therein grant me obedient 2 attention, upon them cometh Weal to bless, and the Immortal being, and in the deeds of His Good Mind cometh the Lord. 6. Aye, thus I will declare forth Him who is 3 of all the greatest, praising through my Righteousness, I who do aright, those who (dispose of all as well aright). Let Ahura Mazda hear with His bounteous spirit, in whose homage (what I asked) was asked 4 with the Good Mind. Aye, let Him exhort me through His wisdom (which is ever) the best. 7. (Yea, I will declare Him) whose blessings the offerers will seek for, those who are living now, as well as those who have lived (aforetime), as will they p. 128 also who are coming 1 (hereafter. Yea, even) the soul(s) of the righteous (will desire) them in the eternal 2 Immortality. (Those things they will desire which are blessings to the righteous) but woes to the wicked. And these hath Ahura Mazda (established) through His kingdom, He, the creator (of all). 8. Him in our hymns of homage and of praise would I faithfully serve, for now with (mine) eye, I see Him clearly, Lord of the good spirit 3 , of word, and action, I knowing through my Righteousness Him who is Ahura Mazda. And to Him (not here alone, but) in His home of song 4 , His praise we 5 shall bear. 9. Yea, Him with our better Mind we seek to honour, who desiring (good), shall come to us (to bless) in weal and sorrow 6 . May He, Ahura Mazda, make us 7 vigorous through Khshathra's royal power, p. 129 our flocks and men in thrift to further, from the good support and bearing 1 of His Good Mind, (itself born in us) by His Righteousness. 10.
Themes
Ahura Mazda Principlecosmology

The divine ordering principle of truth and light.

The passage centers on declaring the teaching and nature of Ahura Mazda as the all-wise creator and source of truth.

All passages →
Angra Mainyu Principlecosmology

The principle of cosmic disorder and falsity.

The 'harmful' spirit is contrasted with the bountiful one as a primary cosmic principle.

All passages →
Asha Cosmic Ordercosmology

Truth as the fundamental structure of reality.

Righteousness (Asha) is presented as the fundamental lens through which truth is known and reality is ordered.

All passages →
Cosmic Dualismtheology

Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.

The text explicitly declares the existence of two primal spirits, one bountiful and one harmful, as the foundation of the world.

All passages →
Eschatological Judgmentsoteriology

Final, collective cosmic judgment as an event in which the wicked are sentenced and the cosmos restored; distinct from psychopomp_journey (individual passage at death) and emphasising verdict where Zoroastrian frashokereti emphasises restoration.

The passage distinguishes clearly between the fate of the obedient (Weal/Immortality) and the disobedient (Woe).

All passages →
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 text lists thoughts, commands, understandings, beliefs, deeds, and consciences as the arena of moral choice.

All passages →
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 deity who appoints, hears, exorts, and blesses.

All passages →
Prayerpraxis

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

The speaker expresses intent to serve through hymns of homage and praise.

All passages →
Related passages · 1 parallel
jewish_mysticism|The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation)|Chapter XCIV
XCIV. 1-5. Admonitions to the Righteous . CHAPTER XCIV. 1. And now I say unto you, my sons, love righteousness and walk therein; For the paths of righteousness are worthy of acceptation, But the paths of unrighteousness shall suddenly be de…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of righteousness and the consequences of wickedness. They share a moral and ethical framework, urging followers to choose righteous paths and warning against unrighteousness, though they come from different mystical traditions.