From the Ahunavaiti Gatha of the Avesta
Yasna 33 is the sixth hymn of the Ahunavaiti Gatha (Yasna 28–34), the first and longest of the five Gāthā collections attributed to the prophet Zarathustra (Zoroaster). It follows immediately after the fierce polemic of Yasna 32, in which the prophet denounced the daeva-worshippers, named his enemies, and vowed that truth surpasses all. Now Zarathustra turns from confrontation to prayer — from the outward battle back to the inward conversation with God.
The hymn opens with an assertion of cosmic law: all must act in accord with Asha (Truth), and the Ratu (spiritual judge) shall weigh every deed with perfect justice. Then the tone shifts to the personal. Zarathustra praises those who fight wickedness, who act with love toward the righteous, who foster the good creation. He prays that faithlessness be kept from his flock. He invokes Sraosha (Divine Obedience), the greatest of helpers, and asks for the long-continued existence that leads to the Domain of Vohu Manah (Good Mind). The hymn builds through a sequence of increasingly intimate petitions — for revelation, for guidance, for the two great powers of righteousness, for strength of soul — until it reaches its culmination: in the final verse, Zarathustra dedicates his own self, his body, and the first fruits of his good thought to Mazdā. It is the most personal hymn in the Ahunavaiti Gatha.
Where Yasna 31 asked God about creation and received the gift of free will, and Yasna 32 confronted those who misused that freedom, Yasna 33 completes the arc: the prophet, having stood against falsehood, now offers himself wholly to truth. The dedication is total — thought, word, deed, and body. The gap between defiance and surrender closes. Both are acts of the same will.
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
In accord with the everlasting Law of Asha or Truth, which forms fundamentals of life, everyone should act, because Ratu or Spiritual Leader shall judge over the followers of truth and untruth with strictest justice conscientiously and shall weigh carefully their broad and evil actions.
Verse 2
One who fights wicked man by thought, word, deeds and his arms to frustrate their evil plan and/or guide them towards the path of truth, he surely fulfills the Lord's own Will out of his love for Mazda Ahura.
Verse 3
One who acts with love and justice, O Ahura, with righteous people whether self-reliant, co-worker or friend, and one who fosters zealously the good creation of God, he shall truly enjoy the realm of Asha and Vohuman, i.e. the paradise.
Verse 4
I pray to Thee, O Lord of Wisdom, and wish that want of faith and evil intention may remain away from Thy flock.
Verse 5
Therefore to reach my final goal, I shall invoke Sraosha, the greatest of the helpers and hope to enjoy the long continued existence and reach the Domain of Vohuman.
Verse 6
As a true worshipper with a firm faith in Asha I shall praise Thy Holy Spirit, and shall ask Thy loving grace to grant me the power of guidance.
Verse 7
Come unto me, O Ye, the best, and Lord of Wisdom, and reveal Thyself to me, so that my words may be heard not only by the Society of Magians.
Verse 8
Show me clearly, O Lord, my final goal and whole purpose, so that I may fulfill through Vohuman and pursue my devotion to Mazda.
Verse 9
These two great powers, O Mazda, which are promoters of righteousness are Thine and can be achieved only through wisdom and divine lights.
Verse 10
All the comforts and enjoyments of life which have been in the past and which may come in future, O Mazda are Thine.
Verse 11
O, Ahura Mazda, The Almighty, listen unto me along with Thy Armaiti, the symbol of faith and self-sacrificing.
Verse 12
Unfold Thyself to me, O Ahura, the Lord of Life, and grant me strength of soul and self-sacrifice.
Verse 13
To enjoy happiness and joy, O, far-seeing Lord, reveal unto me Thy priceless gifts.
Verse 14
To Thee, O Mazda, doth Zarathushtra dedicate his own self together with his loving thought as a worthless gift.
Colophon
Yasna 33, the sixth hymn of the Ahunavaiti Gatha, is the prophet's prayer after the storm. Having confronted the daeva-worshippers in Yasna 32 — naming Yima, Grehma, and the Kavis and Karpans as agents of falsehood — Zarathustra here turns from denunciation to devotion. The hymn moves through concentric circles of petition: first the universal law of truth and justice, then praise for those who fight wickedness with love, then personal invocations of Sraosha and the Amesha Spentas, and finally the most intimate act in the Gāthās — the prophet's dedication of his own self, his body, and the first fruits of his good thought to Ahura Mazdā. The culmination is total surrender, not as defeat but as the completion of will. With this hymn archived, the Ahunavaiti Gatha now stands six hymns deep — Yasna 28 through 33 — with only Yasna 34 remaining to complete the first 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
ýathâish ithâ vareshaitê ýâ dâtâ anghêush paouruyehyâ ratûsh shyaothanâ razishtâ dregvataêcâ hyatcâ ashâunê ýeh'yâcâ hêmemyâsaitê mithahyâ ýâcâ hôi ârezvâ
Verse 2
at ýê akem dregvâitê vacanghâ vâ at vâ mananghâ zastôibyâ vâ vareshaitî vanghâu vâ côithaitê astîm tôi vârâi râdeñtî ahurahyâ zaoshê mazdå
Verse 3
ýê ashâunê vahishtô hvaêtû vâ at vâ verezênyô airyamnâ vâ ahurâ vîdãs vâ thwaxshanghâ gavôi at hvô ashahyâ anghat vanghêushcâ vâstrê mananghô
Verse 4
ýê thwat mazdâ asrushtîm akemcâ manô ýazâi apâ hvaêtêushcâ tarêmaitîm verezênah'yâcâ nazdishtãm drujem airyamanascâ nadeñtô gêushcâ vâstrât acishtem mañtûm
Verse 5
ýastê vîspê-mazishtem seraoshem zbayâ avanghânê apânô daregô-jyâitîm â-xshathrem vanghêush mananghô ashât â erezûsh pathô ýaêshû mazdå ahurô shaêtî
Verse 6
ýê zaotâ ashâ erezûsh hvô manyêush â vahishtât kayâ ahmât avâ mananghâ ýâ verezyeidyâi mañtâ vâstryâ dà tâ-tôi izyâi ahurâ mazdâ darshtôishcâ hêm-parshtôishcâ
Verse 7
â-mâ âidûm vahishtâ â-hvaithyâcâ mazdâ dareshatcâ ashâ vohû mananghâ ýâ sruyê parê magâunô, âvish-nå añtare hêñtû nemahvaitîsh cithrå râtayô
Verse 8
frô-môi fravôizdûm arethâ tâ ýâ vohû shyavâi mananghâ ýasnem mazdâ xshmâvatô at vâ ashâ staomyâ vacå dâtâ vê ameretåscâ utayûitî haurvatâs draonô
Verse 9
at tôi mazdâ têm mainyûm ashaoxshayañtå saredyayå hvâthrâ maêthâ mayâ vahishtâ baretû mananghâ ayå arôi hâkurenem ýayå haciñtê urvãnô
Verse 10
vîspå-stôi hujîtayô ýå-zî ångharê ýåscâ heñtî ýåscâ mazdâ bavaiñtî thwahmî hîsh zaoshê âbaxshôhvâ vohû uxshyâ mananghâ xshathrâ ashâcâ ushtâ tanûm
Verse 11
ýê sevishtô ahurô mazdåscâ ârmaitishcâ ashemcâ frâdat-gaêthem manascâ vohû xshathremcâ sraotâ-môi merezhdâtâ-môi âdâi kahyâicît paitî
Verse 12
us-môi uzâreshvâ ahurâ ârmaitî tevîshîm dasvâ spênishtâ mainyû mazdâ vanghuyâ zavô âdâ ashâ hazô êmavat vohû mananghâ feseratûm
Verse 13
rafedhrâi vourucashânê dôishî-môi ýâ-vê abifrâ tâ xshathrahyâ ahurâ ýâ vanghêush ashish mananghô frô speñtâ ârmaitê ashâ daênå fradaxshayâ
Verse 14
at râtãm zarathushtrô tanvascît hvah'yå ushtanem dadâitî paurvatâtem mananghascâ vanghêush mazdâi shyaothanahyâ ashâi ýâcâ uxdhah'yâcâ seraoshem xshathremcâ
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 through Yasna 32 source texts in this archive. The liturgical response (verse 15) 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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