Monday

GATHA AHUNAVAITI - YASNA 32

The baneful Bendva with his unholy band
His relations, co-workers and his friends
His followers who wait on his command
Always tries to gain his wicked ends
To hinder Zarthost ..... all his forces he sends
But to his work the Prophet boldly sticks
To their mean wiles or threats no ear he lends
Subverts their plans, confounds their devilish tricks
Exhorts all men in God their faith to fix.


O, God, he prays, stand staunchly by my side
I wish to serve Thee with my utmost might.
In virtue's path be constantly my guide
All evil in the world I plan to fight
To chase the wrong away and help the right
I know your sacred tongue has long declared
That he's the honest servant in your sight......
Who is in serving you for death prepared 
To preach the truth has always dared.


Be gone ! you deceiver ! you offspring of sin,
Only misguided souls can be your prey.
No lasting victory can you ever win
And be driven away from every place.
In a God governed world - you cannot stay
I'll warn all men to beware your deceit,
Your worst will cannot lead them astray.....
You can no longer cheat with tempting falsehoods
Your wrongful designs will end in sure defeat.

You cunningly perturb the minds of men
And lead them astray from virtue's path.
You disturb all peace ... law and order
And brutal violence enjoys full play
Deceit, fraud are rampant night and day
Infirm and corrupt brains you capture
And on them you exercise unchallenged sway
Employing all arts to tempt them to a fall
And view with fiendish joy their final wreck.

With sinful words do you misrepresent
Where true earthly happiness exists
On strife and mischief you are bent
Disallowing immortality to exist.
Nothing exists but confusion when
You wrongly preach of fight and plunder
Gathering wealth with a clenched fist -
And Truth gives way......
Nothing is gained by force or stealth
Nor lust and luxury improve your health.

These wrongful teachings I shall resist
For they emanate from Ahriman's hell
I'll shut the mouths of wicked counsellors
And propagate the laws of Mazda.
Shall fully express his heavenly orders
And demand unflinchingly to follow Truth.
Inculcate in self an honest peaceful life
No lie, no guile, no cruelty can exist -
For He will suppress them with his mightly hand.

These unlucky persons know not what risks they run
And the punishment that awaits them in the end.
They cannot avoid the perpetual gloom and grief
If Almighty Mazda's laws they offend.
All deceivers to lasting hell he'll surely send
They'll stand aghast .... their eyes will open then
With deep repentance they'll humbly bend
And for past actions seek forgiveness
But their pains and tortures will for ages last.

Proud Jamshed was one such blinded man
A misguided son of Vingham ... who proclaimed
Himself as God in accents bold and loud
Inflamed by arrogance and vain conceit
Aimed for power in heaven and earth.
He met at once the punishment he deserved
Forlorn he fell, disgraced, abashed, ashamed,
Unnerved and weak from place to place he wandered
A stern reprimand he was rightly served.

Some teachers true religious truth distort
They misguide the world with their evasive words.
They resort to every mean device ..
To hide Truth and propagate a lie.
But in my mission pure God is my guide
I trust in Him and righteous Truth alone
And his supreme commands I'll obey
Before his throne.... I'll stand duty bound
And make his wishes known to all mankind.

Some heartless fiends complete destruction preach
So as to spread ruin everywhere
They teach grim warfare, plunder and bloodshed
And scare the peaceful tillers of the earth...
Uproot their orchards, burn their crops
Sowing seeds of strife wherever they go
They strike the honest and the wicked spare
Ravaging and disrupting all settled life
Severing son and sire and husband wife.

Evil persons think the sinners are great
They honour those who practise deceit and stealth
Living in state with unlawful gains.
Robbing the poor and cheating their masters
Luring simple folk with falsehoods sweet....
These tempters interfere with my grand task
At length they meet with stark defeat. 
I shall do my work with faith and cheer
For with Mazda's help ..... I have no fear.

Negative counsel cannot prevail for long
As the gates of Truth can never be barred.
At the end - bad doctrines must always fail
So dishonesty and vice ...can go no further....
For God's fair creations no one can ever mar.
Fair Mazda's potent arm I invoke
And accept him as my guiding star.
The deceivers shall be killed with one almighty stroke
As none dare revoke his sovereign will and word.

It is his commands that I spread
His will that men from evil thoughts should fly -
Be deaf to what the wicked say
Their aim and object is to cheat and lie....
And to kill and die their occupation.
They devastate the towns and ruin fields
The more they get....the more to filch they try
In search of crowns and sceptres they roam the world...
Perpetual frowns their hideous faces wear.

Those who blindly follow cunning atheists
Who have for long the simple minded lured
And dragged them into their fold by slow degrees
And in chains of vice and violence tied
To live lives of forced plunder and undesirable habits
They sacrifice a cow for their sins
And consider themselves safe from death's shafts!
These wicked deceivers swear - there is no God
So before His throne - they will not bow.

The gates of paradise are always closed
Against the faithless and deceitful 
Against all those who are not well disposed
Towards my teachings pure and only increase
Obstructions in my way just as they please
No one who hampers me can hope to reach
That blest above. Let their vain efforts cease
Let them in time attend to what I preach
It's God's own holy word I truly teach.

Do weigh my words with care - let wisdom guide you all
For I speak what God commands!
If you hear his message that I bring - you'll never fall
To Truth and virtue stick with conscience ckear
Live industriously to discard all care and fear
No liar or deceiver can ever do you harm
If with the light of faith you live your life
Rely alone on Mazda's omnipotent strength -
There is nothing in this world to equal that.







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