From the Ahunavaiti Gatha of the Avesta
Yasna 32 is the fifth hymn of the Ahunavaiti Gatha (Yasna 28–34), the first and longest of the five Gāthā collections attributed to the prophet Zarathustra (Zoroaster). Where Yasna 31 turned inward to question God about the nature of creation and free will, Yasna 32 turns outward in confrontation: Zarathustra addresses the daeva-worshippers directly, denouncing their corruption of truth, their perversion of minds, and their violence against the righteous. It is the most polemical hymn in the Gāthās.
The hymn opens with the faithful worshipping Ahura Mazdā and receiving his blessing of Ārmaiti (Holy Devotion) and Asha (Truth). Then the tone shifts dramatically. From verse 3 onward, Zarathustra rails against the daevās (false gods) and their followers — those who have perverted the minds of the people, separated them from Vohu Manah (Good Mind), and led them astray through wrong teachings. The indictment is sweeping: false teachers distort scripture, denounce the reverence of sun and earth as sinful, destroy vegetation, and take up arms against the righteous.
Two figures are named. Yima (Jamshid), son of Vīvaŋhan, the legendary king of the golden age, is condemned for contempting the Almighty in his desire to please mortals — a rare Gathic criticism of a figure celebrated in later Zoroastrian tradition. Grehma, a historical opponent of Zarathustra, is identified as a greedy wolf who conspires with the Kavis (princes) and Karpans (mumbling priests) to ensnare the prophet and destroy creation. The hymn closes with Zarathustra's defiant vow: truth surpasses all else, and he will restrain the enmity of falsehood's followers toward God's devotees.
This translation is by Mobed Firouz Azargoshasb, published by the Council of Iranian Mobeds of North America (1988). The Avestan source text in romanised transliteration follows the English for reference and study.
Verse 1
Relatives, comrades, and friends are worshipping Thee for the sake of enjoying the best luck. The devil worshippers (i.e. the nature worshippers) are also praising Ahura Mazda, the Lord of Life and Wisdom. It is the desire of all people to be the messenger of Thy message O my Lord, and to keep away those who hate calling Thy name.
Verse 2
Ahura Mazda, the Lord of Life and Wisdom, ruling over the world, through His Wisdom and Knowledge, answered to them as follows: We have chosen for Thee the holy Armaiti which is a good friend to illuminous Asha. Therefore, try to make him your own forever.
Verse 3
O, Ye devils who go astray, ye are all broods of untruth and evil-minded persons. Those who follow Ye and honor ye much are also wicked ones. Out of your self-centered minds, your double dealing and fraudulent deeds have sprung. Therefore, you are hated and have become notorious throughout the world.
Verse 4
O, Ye devil worshippers, ye have perverted the minds of the people, so that they commit the worst actions, separate themselves from Vohuman and Will of Mazda Ahura (Lord of Wisdom and Life). They escape from the path of Asha and are finally regarded as friends and favorites of devils.
Verse 5
O, Ye, devils, just as the False Spirit defrauded thee with his evil thoughts and induced followers of the Untruth to commit evil deeds through his wrong teachings, and false promises of greatness, so also did ye lead astray the people and deprived them of a perfect life and eternal prosperity.
Verse 6
The sinner and deluded man may succeed at first and even attain high renown for his evil deeds, but Ye, O Lord of Life, are well aware of everything and shall judge the deeds of everyone from his or her motives through Thy Wisdom. O Mazda (Lord of Wisdom) at last wherever Thy Rule extends, the Eternal Law of Truth or Asha shall prevail.
Verse 7
Among these sinners, none doth understand anything about the purport of real progress attain through activity and efforts taught by life, and are unaware of the fiery test. Thou, O Ahura Mazda, Lord of Wisdom and Life, art alone well aware of the destiny of sinners and shall judge about them.
Verse 8
Among those sinners, Yima (Jamshid), the Son of Vivanghan is known to fame. Desiring to make happy the mortals and convince his own self, he contempted the Almighty. I shall have full satisfaction with Thy judgement, O Lord of Wisdom, in respect of the sinners on the final day of Judgement.
Verse 9
The evil thinking teacher distorts the religious scripture and leads astray the mankind from his actual goal in life through his wrong teachings.
He removes us from our valuable heritage of truth, righteousness and purity of mind. With such an expression of my inner spirit, I appeal to Thee, O Lord of Wisdom and O, Asha, for protection.
Verse 10
The above-mentioned persons denounce as most sinful gazing at the sun and the earth with respect, since they distort the religious teachings. They convert the pure minded into the followers of untruth, destroy vegetation and use arms against the righteous people.
Verse 11
They regard the false ones as great persons, because of their dignity and worldly grandeur, O Lord of Wisdom. They hold back the respectable men and women from attaining their wishes and enjoying God's gifts. They distract the minds of righteous and truthful people and destroy their lives.
Verse 12
They, through their wrong teachings, try to stop mortals from performing good and proper deeds and lead them astray with alluring words, destroying their lives. Owing to their evil thoughts, they prefer ferocious wolves, like Grehma and Karpans to righteous and pure persons and wish lordship for the followers of false. However, Mazda has specified severe punishment for them.
Verse 13
The powers won by these voracious wolves (like Grehma) through wickedness and evil thoughts shall ultimately cause misfortune and destruction of their own lives. These greedy wolves, then, shall ask yearningly the holy message of Thy Chanters of hymns, the messenger who shall protect the righteous and virtues people against the threatening of enemies.
Verse 14
It is a very long time that the greedy Grehma with the help of Kavis have directed their minds and power to ensnare Thy Messenger. They have approached the followers of untruth and their blinded dupes for help. They wish death and destruction for the world of creation in the hope that the invincible shall help them.
Verse 15
The Kavis and Karpans shall ultimately be defeated and destroyed by those who have lost their freedom and those who are devoid of freedom shall enjoy the abode of good thought or paradise, through Lord's two gifts of perfection and eternity.
Verse 16
The true and wise teachings of the righteous is, indeed, better than anything else, O, Lord of Wisdom and Life, Thou art able to stop the manifold plans of those who threaten me. I shall try to restrain the hate and enmity of the followers of untruth towards Thy devotees.
Colophon
Yasna 32, the fifth hymn of the Ahunavaiti Gatha, is Zarathustra's most direct confrontation with the forces of falsehood. Where the preceding hymns established the cosmic framework — the Two Spirits (Yasna 30), the divine gift of free will (Yasna 31) — Yasna 32 names the consequences of choosing wrongly. The daeva-worshippers have perverted minds, distorted scripture, destroyed vegetation, and taken up arms against the righteous. The prophet names his enemies: Yima, the legendary king who contempted God in his desire to please mortals; Grehma, the greedy wolf who conspires with the Kavis (princes) and Karpans (mumbling priests) to ensnare Zarathustra himself. Yet the hymn ends not in despair but in defiance: truth surpasses all, and the prophet vows to restrain the enmity of falsehood's followers. The Ahunavaiti Gatha now stands five hymns deep — Yasna 28 through 32 — with two remaining (Yasna 33 and 34) to complete the first and longest of the five Gāthā collections.
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, based on the edition of Karl Friedrich Geldner (Avesta: The Sacred Books of the Parsis, Stuttgart, 1896). Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
Verse 1
ah'yâcâ hvaêtush ýâsat ahyâ verezênem mat airyamnâ ahyâ daêvâ mahmî manôi ahurahyâ urvâzemâ mazdå, thwôi dûtånghô ånghâmâ têñg dârayô ýôi vå daibisheñtî.
Verse 2
aêibyô mazdå ahurô sâremnô vohû mananghâ xshathrât hacâ paitî-mraot ashâ hush-haxâ hvênvâtâ, speñtãm vê ârmaitîm vanguhîm varemaidî hâ-nê anghat.
Verse 3
at ýûsh daêvâ vîspånghô akât mananghô stâ cithrem ýascâ vå mash ýazaitê drûjascâ pairimatôishcâ shyaomãm aipî daibitânâ ýâish asrûdûm bûmyå haptaithê.
Verse 4
ýât ýûshtâ framîmathâ ýâ mashyâ acishtâ dañtô vaxsheñtê daêvô-zushtâ vanghêush sîzhdyamnâ mananghô mazdå ahurahyâ xratêush nasyañtô ashâatcâ.
Verse 5
tâ debenaotâ mashîm hujyâtôish ameretâtascâ hyat vå akâ mananghâ ýêñg daêvêñg akascâ mainyush akâ shyaothanem vacanghâ ýâ fracinas dregvañtem xshayô.
Verse 6
pourû-aênå ênâxshtâ ýâish srâvahyeitî ýezî tâish athâ dà vôistâ hâtâ-marânê vahishtâ mananghâ ahurâ thwahmî vê mazdâ xshathrôi ashâicâ sêñghô vîdãm.
Verse 7
aêshãm aênanghãm naêcît vîdvå aojôi hâdrôyâ ýâ jôyâ sêñghaitê ýâish srâvî hvaênâ ayanghâ ýaêshãm tû ahurâ irixtem mazdâ vaêdishtô ahî.
Verse 8
aêshãm aênanghãm vîvanghushô srâvî ýimascît ýê mashyêñg cixshnushô ahmâkêñg gâush bagâ hvâremnô aêshãmcît â ahmî thwahmî mazdâ vîcithôi aipî.
Verse 9
dush-sastish sravå môreñdat hvô jyâtêush sêñghanâish xratûm apô mâ îshtîm apayañtâ berexdhãm hâitîm vanghêush mananghô tâ uxdhâ manyêush mahyâ mazdâ ashâicâ ýûshmaibyâ gerezê.
Verse 10
hvô mâ-nâ sravå môreñdat ýê acishtem vaênanghê aogedâ gãm ashibyâ hvarecâ ýascâ dâthêñg dregvatô dadât ýascâ vâstrâ vîvâpat ýascâ vadarê vôizhdat ashâunê.
Verse 11
taêcît mâ môreñden jyôtûm ýôi dregvatô mazibîsh cikôiteresh anguhîshcâ anghvascâ apayeitî raêxenanghô vaêdem ýôi vahishtât ashâunô mazdâ râreshyãn mananghô.
Verse 12
ýâ rånghayen sravanghâ vahishtât shyaothanât maretânô aêibyô mazdå akâ mraot ýôi gêush môreñden urvâxsh-uxtî jyôtûm ýâish gerêhmâ ashât varatâ karapâ xshathremcâ îshanãm drujem.
Verse 13
ýâ xshathrâ gerêhmô hîshasat acishtahyâ demânê mananghô anghêush maraxtârô ahyâ ýaêcâ mazdâ jîgerezat kâmê thwahyâ mãthrânô dûtîm ýê-îsh pât daresât ashahyâ.
Verse 14
ahyâ gerêhmô â-hôithôi nî kâvayascît xratûsh nî dadat varecå hîcâ fraidivâ hyat vîsêñtâ dregvañtem avô hyatcâ gâush jaidyâi mraoî ýê dûraoshem saocayat avô.
Verse 15
anâish â vî-nênâsâ ýâ karapôtåscâ kevîtåscâ dà avâish aibî ýêñg daiñtî nôit jyâtêush xshayamnêñg vasô tôi âbyâ bairyåñtê vanghêush â-demânê mananghô.
Verse 16
hamêm tat vahishtâcît ýê ushuruyê syascît dahmahyâ xshayãs mazdâ ahurâ ýehyâ-mâ aithîshcît dvaêthâ hyat aênanghê dregvatô êeânû ishyêñg anghayâ!
Source Colophon
Avestan text in romanised transliteration from avesta.org, the Joseph H. Peterson Encyclopaedia on Iran, based on the critical edition by Karl Friedrich Geldner (Avesta: The Sacred Books of the Parsis, 3 vols., Stuttgart, 1886–1896). The transliteration follows the avesta.org convention, consistent with the Yasna 28, Yasna 29, Yasna 30, and Yasna 31 source texts in this archive. The liturgical response (verse 17) is omitted as it is a ritual recitation formula rather than a Gāthā verse proper. 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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