Avesta (Gathas) · 1 of 2 · tr. L.H. Mills
Spenta Mainyu Gatha, Yasna XLVIII, Section 1a
1.
If through his action 1 in the offering of gifts in accordance with the Righteous Order, (Thy saint 2 ) shall smite the Demon-of-the-Lie (the inspiring spirit of our foes), when that in very truth shall come 3 , which has been (and is still yet) proclaimed as a deceit 4 , (when it shall come) in the Immortal life, regarding (as it does both) men (to bless), and Daêvas 5 (to afflict them), then shall (Thy faithful worshipper) increase thereby the celebration of Thy praise, O Lord!
and with it blessings 6 (for Thy folk).
2.
Tell me then, Lord?
(the end), for Thou dost p.
154 know it.
(Tell me to grant me strength and courage) before those conflicts come which shall encounter me 1 (as leader of Thy tribes); shall the champion of Thy holy Order, O Ahura!
smite (at last) the evil heretic, and when?
(I ask Thee this); for this if it be gained (is known) to be the (one) good consummation 2 of (our) life.
3.
(Yea, tell me then this), for to the enlightened 3 man is that the best of teachings which the beneficent Ahura doth proclaim, and through (the revelations of) His holy Order, bounteous as he and wise with His intelligence, as well as they 4 who declare to us (still other) secret sayings (in His name).
The one like Thee (their chieftain 5 ) is, O Mazda!
endowed with Thy Good Mind's understanding thoughts.
p.
155 4.
(Yea, tell me the secret of the future struggle 1 ; for that enlightened man) must 2 follow close 3 the holy Faith (for which that struggle had its toil and effort).
Yea, O Mazda!
he who would bend his mind (till it attains to) that which is the better and more holy, must pursue the Daêna close in word and action.
His will and wish must be consistent with his chosen creed and fealty, and in Thine Understanding (which discerneth all) shall he in many ways 4 be (versed) at last!
_________________________ 5.
(But while I as yet know not the issue, I can yet hope and pray.) Let the good kings obtain the rule.
Let not the evil monarchs govern us 6 , (but let the righteous gain the day and rule us), with deeds done in a good discernment, O thou pious wisdom, Âramaiti!
sanctifying to men's minds the best of blessings for (their) offspring 7 .
Yea, for the Kine, (O Âramaiti 5 !) p.
156 let (Thy) toil be given 1 , and may’st Thou cause her to prosper for our life.
6.
For she will grant us pleasing homes 2 , and, (while we live) in this Thy Good Mind's longing 3 prayer (to gain her welfare), she grants us likewise lasting strength (for every deed which that Thy Good Mind moves us to perform), and therefore hath Mazda caused the plants 4 to flourish for her (nurture), He, Ahura, in the generation of primeval life.
_________________________ 7.
(Then in our coming strife 5 let both her mortal foes be slain.) Let the Wrath-demon of rapine be cast down.
Smite ye against the envy (which would plot against our Throne 6 ), O ye who, abiding by the Good Mind, and in accordance with our holy Order, desire to hold that refuge 7 fast, to whose sacred bond the bounteous man belongs.
And therefore, p.
§ Ask Guru about this passage →Themes
Ahura Mazda Principlecosmology
The divine ordering principle of truth and light.
The passage directly addresses Ahura Mazda as Lord and source of the Good Mind, making him the central divine figure.
All passages →Angra Mainyu Principlecosmology
The principle of cosmic disorder and falsity.
The text explicitly identifies the Demon-of-the-Lie and evil heretics as adversaries to be smitten in a cosmic conflict.
All passages →Asha Cosmic Ordercosmology
Truth as the fundamental structure of reality.
The 'Righteous Order' and 'holy Order' are repeatedly invoked as the fundamental structure governing action and reality.
All passages →Cosmic Dualismtheology
Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.
The passage establishes an ontological opposition between Truth/Righteousness and Lie/Demons affecting men and Daêvas.
All passages →Divine Providencetheology
Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.
Mazda is credited with causing plants to flourish for nurture in the generation of primeval life.
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 text anticipates a future struggle where good kings rule and evil monarchs are cast down in a final verdict.
All passages →Frashokereticosmology
The final restoration/renovation of the cosmos.
References to 'Immortal life' and the 'good consummation of (our) life' point toward a final restoration of the cosmos.
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 emphasizes that will and wish must be consistent with creed, word, and action in accordance with the holy Order.
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 knows the future, hears petitions, and causes plants to flourish.
All passages →Prayerpraxis
Direct address to the divine, whether petitionary, contemplative, or liturgical; speech and silence offered upward.
The speaker repeatedly petitions the Lord for knowledge, strength, and blessings in a direct address.
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