From the Ahunavaiti Gatha of the Avesta
The Gāthās are the oldest and most sacred texts of the Zoroastrian tradition — seventeen hymns in Old Avestan attributed to the prophet Zarathustra (Zoroaster), composed perhaps as early as 1500–1000 BCE. They form the devotional core of the Yasna, the primary liturgical service of Zoroastrian worship, and are among the most ancient religious compositions to survive in any Indo-European language.
Yasna 28 opens the Ahunavaiti Gatha (Yasna 28–34), the first and longest of the five Gāthā collections. It is a prayer of approach — Zarathustra speaking directly to Ahura Mazdā, the Wise Lord, asking for truth (Asha), good thought (Vohu Manah), and the strength to guide humanity away from falsehood. The hymn's first verse is the most celebrated passage in the Gāthās.
This translation is by Mobed Firouz Azargoshasb, published by the Council of Iranian Mobeds of North America (1988). It renders the Gāthās in clear modern English, making Zarathustra's voice accessible to contemporary readers while preserving the devotional weight of the original. The Avestan source text in romanised transliteration follows the English for reference and study.
Verse 0
Ideal are the thoughts, ideal the words, ideal the deeds of the Righteous Zarathushtra. Let the ever-living promulgators present the Gathas. Homage to the righteous Gathas!
Verse 1
I pray to Thee, O Mazda, with uplifted hands, and to thy Holy Spirit, first of all and hope that through truths and righteousness I would enjoy the light of wisdom and a clean conscience, thus bringing solace to the Soul of Creation.
Verse 2
I shall, verily, approach and succeed in seeing Thee, O Mazda Ahura, through pure mind and enlightened heart. O, Creator, do grant me in both worlds, corporeal as well as spiritual, the recompense which can be achieved only through truthfulness and would make happy the faithful ones.
Verse 3
O, Mazda, O, Asha and Vohuman, I shall now sing songs which have not so far been heard by anyone. I hope that through Asha, Vohuman and ever-lasting Khashathra, the faith and self-sacrifice would increase in our hearts. O, Almighty God, please accept our wishes, come at our call and grant us bliss.
Verse 4
I shall lead my soul towards heaven by pure thought, and being well aware of the blessings which the Almighty, Ahura, shall pour down upon good deeds, I shall teach the people to strive for truth and follow righteousness.
Verse 5
O, Asha, the symbol of truthfulness and purity, when shall I see thee? O, Vohuman, the symbol of good thought, shall I be able to recognize Thee through heavenly knowledge and true wisdom? Would I be able to approach the Wise and Mighty Lord of Life by obeying Sraosha, the voice of Conscience. May I be able to guide those who have gone astray towards the highest path, the path of truth and monotheism, through sacred words and eloquence of speech.
Verse 6
O, Lord, come towards us through Vohuman and Asha according to Thy sacred words and grant us long enduring life. O, wise Ahura, grant Zarathushtra and his friends the spiritual strength and joy, so that they may overcome the hatred of their enemies.
Verse 7
Grant us, O Asha, the blessings which flow from pure thought. Grant, O, Armaiti, Vistaspas every wish and my followers as well. O Mazda, Lord of Wisdom, grant your devoted adherents strength, so that your holy teachings may be taught to the world at large.
Verse 8
O, Lord of Life, of one-accord with Asha and Highest of All, I pray to Thee yearningly to bestow paradise upon Frashaoshtra and my friends and those endowed with pure mind as well, through all eternity.
Verse 9
O, Ahura Mazda, I constantly strive to offer you my sincere songs of praise and shall never provoke Asha and Vohuman, since I know that Asha, Vohuman and mighty Khashathra are worthy of praise.
Verse 10
O, Mazda Ahura, fulfill the desires of those whom you know to be upright and enlightened, because of their purity of mind and truthfulness. I believe that no prayers offered devotedly to Thee by sincere persons with high and noble objectives shall remain unanswered on your part.
Verse 11
Through those prayers may I enjoy their gifts of Asha and Vohuman. Do Thou, O Mazda, Ahura, instruct me Thyself through Thy spirit and knowledge whence did the creation came into being first, so that I may proclaim it to the world.
Colophon
Yasna 28, the opening hymn of the Ahunavaiti Gatha, is the first prayer in the oldest stratum of Zoroastrian scripture. It is Zarathustra's direct address to Ahura Mazdā — a plea for truth, wisdom, and the strength to turn the world toward righteousness. The Gāthās stand alongside the Rigveda as the oldest surviving Indo-European religious poetry; Old Avestan and Vedic Sanskrit are sibling languages from a common ancestor, and the hymns of Zarathustra and the ṛṣis were composed in the same era, in the same poetic tradition, invoking the same sacred fire.
Translation by Mobed Firouz Azargoshasb, published by the Council of Iranian Mobeds of North America (March 1988). Electronic version authorised by Mobed Mehraban Zarthoshty of Vancouver, Canada (August 1997). Reproduced for scholarly and archival purposes with attribution, per the translator's stated permissions.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Avestan Source Text (Romanised Transliteration)
Old Avestan source text from avesta.org. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
Verse 0
ýânîm manô ýânîm vacô ýânîm shyaothnem ashaonô zarathushtrahe, ferâ ameshâ speñtâ gâthå gêurvâin! nemô vê gâthå ashaonîsh
Verse 1
ahyâ ýâsâ nemanghâ ustânazastô rafedhrahyâ manyêush mazdâ pourvîm speñtahyâ ashâ vîspêñg shyaothanâ vanghêush xratûm mananghô ýâ xshnevîshâ gêushcâ urvânem
Verse 2
ýê vå mazdâ ahurâ pairî-jasâi vohû mananghâ maibyô dâvôi ahvå astvatascâ hyatcâ mananghô âyaptâ ashât hacâ ýâish rapañtô daidît hvâthrê
Verse 3
ýê vå ashâ ufyânî manascâ vohû apaourvîm mazdãmcâ ahurem ýaêibyô xshathremcâ akhzhaonvamnem varedaitî ârmaitish â-môi rafedhrâi zavêñg jasatâ
Verse 4
ýê urvânem mêñ gairê vohû dadê hathrâ mananghâ ashîshcâ shyaothananãm vîdush mazdå ahurahyâ ýavat isâi tavâcâ avat xsâi aêshê ashahyâ
Verse 5
ashâ kat thwâ daresânî manascâ vohû vaêdemnô gâtûmcâ ahurâi sevîshtâi seraoshem mazdâi anâ mãthrâ mazishtem vâurôimaidî xrafstrâ hizvâ
Verse 6
vohû gaidî mananghâ dâidî ashâ- då daregâyû ereshvâish tû uxdhâish mazdâ zarathushtrâi aojôñghvat rafenô ahmaibyâcâ ahurâ ýâ daibishvatô dvaêshå taurvayâmâ
Verse 7
dâidî ashâ tãm ashîm vanghêush âyaptâ mananghô dâidî tû ârmaitê vîshtâspâi îshem maibyâcâ dåstû mazdâ xshayâcâ ýâ vê mãthrâ srevîm ârâdå
Verse 8
vahishtem thwâ vahishtâ ýêm ashâ vahishtâ hazaoshem ahurem ýâsâ vâunush narôi ferashaoshtrâi maibyâcâ ýaêibyascâ ît rânghanghôi vîspâi ýavê vanghêush mananghô
Verse 9
anâish vå nôit ahurâ mazdâ ashemcâ ýânâish zaranaêmâ manascâ hyat vahishtem ýôi vê ýôithemâ dasemê stûtãm, ýûzhêm zevîshtyånghô îshô xshathremcâ savanghãm
Verse 10
at ýêñg ashâatcâ vôistâ vanghêushcâ dâthêñg mananghô erethwêñg mazdâ ahurâ aêibyô perenâ âpanâish kâmem, at vê xshmaibyâ asûnâ vaêdâ hvaraithyâ vaiñtyâ sravå
Verse 11
ýê âish ashem nipånghê manascâ vohû ýavaêtâitê tvêm mazdâ ahurâ frô-mâ sîshâ thwahmât vaocanghê manyêush hacâ thwâ êeånghâ ýâish â anghush pouruyô bavat!
Source Colophon
Avestan text in romanised transliteration from avesta.org, the Joseph H. Peterson Encyclopaedia of Encyclopaedias on Iran. The transliteration follows standard scholarly convention for representing Old Avestan in Latin script. The Gāthās survive in manuscripts no older than the fourteenth century CE, but linguistic analysis places their composition in the second millennium BCE, contemporary with the Rigvedic hymns.
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