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

Spenta Mainyu Gatha, Yasna XLVII, Section 1

11. And to this 1 (man, His chosen saint), Ahura Mazda will give 2 both the two (greatest gifts, His) p. 148 [paragraph continues] Universal Weal and Immortality, by means of His bountiful Spirit, and with His Best Mind, from (the desire to maintain His) Righteous moral Order in word and deed, and by the (strength and wisdom) of His Sovereign Power, (established) in Piety (among His folk). 2. Aye, (that blessedness, which is the) best 1 (creation) of this most bounteous spirit, Ahura Mazda will bring forth in action with words from the mouth and tongue of His Good Mind (within His seers), and by the two hands 2 of Âramaiti (His Piety as she lives within the soul). And by such 3 wise (beneficence is) He the father of the righteous Order (within our worship and our lives). 3. And Thou art therein, O Ahura Mazda! the bountiful One who appertains to, and who possesses, that (most bounteous) spirit in that Thou art He who for this 4 (man, in whom this spirit works) hath made the joy-creating Kine. (And as to her), for her, as p. 149 joyful meadows 1 of her peace, wilt Thou bestow (Thine) Âramaiti (who is our Piety as earth considered), since he 2 (for her) hath taken counsel with Thy Good Mind, Lord! 4. (But this Thy bounteous spirit doth not alone bestow rewards and blessings on the good.) The wicked (foemen of the Faith) are harmed, and from (the motives which move) that bounteous spirit (of Thine own), O Mazda 3 ! but not thus the saints. (And yet the ruler's pride would ever slight the righteous.) The feeble man alone stands free to give in kindly obligation 4 to Thy saint, but having wealth and ruling power, the evil (man) is (at the service) of the wicked, and for much 5 . p. 150 5. But Thou wilt give these gifts, and through Thy (most blessed and most) bounteous spirit, O Ahura Mazda! to this 1 Thy holy saint, for they are whatsoever is the best; but far 2 from Thy love the wicked has his portion, abiding in the actions of the Evil Mind. 6. Aye, these things wilt Thou give (to him), O Thou Ahura Mazda! and through Thy bounteous spirit, (and) by Thy Fire as in a good bestowal to p. 151 the two striving 1 (throngs) through the prosperous increase of our Piety, and of the Righteous ritual and moral Truth; for that (Piety of ours instructing) doth teach 2 the many coming ones who seek her (face)!
Themes
Ahura Mazda Principlecosmology

The divine ordering principle of truth and light.

The passage centers on Ahura Mazda as the supreme divine agent bestowing gifts and maintaining order.

All passages →
Angra Mainyu Principlecosmology

The principle of cosmic disorder and falsity.

The Evil Mind and wicked foemen are presented as the active opposing force to the Bounteous Spirit.

All passages →
Anthropomorphismtheology

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

Divine attributes are described using human imagery such as 'two hands', 'mouth and tongue'.

All passages →
Asha Cosmic Ordercosmology

Truth as the fundamental structure of reality.

Righteous moral Order (Asha) is explicitly cited as the foundation for divine gifts and human conduct.

All passages →
Cosmic Dualismtheology

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

The text establishes a fundamental opposition between the Good Mind/Righteous and the Evil Mind/Wicked.

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 passage explicitly references Righteous moral Order in word and deed alongside the Good Mind.

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, personal deity who speaks, gives, and intervenes in human affairs.

All passages →
Prayerpraxis

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

The text contains direct address to the divine ('O Ahura Mazda!') as a form of petition or invocation.

All passages →
Ritual Firepraxis

Fire as medium of divine presence.

Fire is explicitly mentioned as a medium through which Ahura Mazda bestows gifts.

All passages →