Praises to the Sun, the Moon, and the Goddess of Water: Selections from Zoroastrianism’s Yasts, Part 1 of 2

The Yasts are hymns praising the deities of the Zoroastrian pantheon. This forms part of the Avesta, the collection of sacred religious texts of Zoroastrianism. Today, it is an honor to present excerpts from the “Âbân Yast,” which praises the Goddess of Water, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita.

ÂBÂN YAST. Yast of the Waters

“Ahura Mazda spoke unto Spitama Zarathustra, saying: ‘Offer up a sacrifice, O Spitama Zarathustra! unto this spring of mine, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita [the Goddess of Water, the guardian of the Heavenly spring from which all waters on Earth flow from], the wide-expanding and health-giving, who hates the Daêvas and obeys the laws of Ahura, who is worthy of sacrifice in the material world, worthy of prayer in the material world; the life-increasing […] holy, the wealth-increasing and holy, the country-increasing and holy […]. The large river, known afar, that is as large as the whole of the waters that run along the Earth; that runs powerfully from the height Hukairya down to the sea Vouru-Kasha. All the shores of the sea Vouru-Kasha are boiling over, all the middle of it is boiling over, when she runs down there, when she streams down there, she, Ardvi Sûra Anâhita, who has a thousand cells and a thousand channels […]. From this river of mine alone flow all the waters that spread all over the seven Karshvares; this river of mine alone goes on bringing waters, both in summer and in winter. […]”

Next, we are pleased to present selections from the “Khôrshêd Yast,” a hymn honoring the Sun.

KHÔRSHÊD YAST. Yast to the Sun.

“[…] We sacrifice unto the undying, shining, swift-horsed Sun. When the light of the Sun waxes warmer, when the brightness of the Sun waxes warmer, then up stand the heavenly Yazatas, by hundreds and thousands: they gather together its Glory, they make its Glory pass down, they pour its Glory upon the Earth made by Ahura, for the increase of the world of holiness, for the increase of the creatures of holiness, for the increase of the undying, shining, swift-horsed Sun. And when the Sun rises up, then the Earth, made by Ahura, becomes clean; the waters of the wells become clean, the waters of the sea become clean, the standing waters become clean; all the holy creatures, the creatures of the Good Spirit, become clean.”