From the Ahunavaiti Gatha of the Avesta
Yasna 34 is the seventh and final hymn of the Ahunavaiti Gatha (Yasna 28–34), the first and longest of the five Gāthā collections attributed to the prophet Zarathustra (Zoroaster). With this hymn, the collection that began with Zarathustra's prayer for illumination in Yasna 28 reaches its close — a single arc from the prophet's first petition to his last.
The hymn opens where Yasna 33 ended: with dedication. The prophet offers good deeds, words, and meditation to Ahura Mazdā. But where Yasna 33 offered the self as a gift, Yasna 34 expands outward — toward the community, the fire, the poor and needy, and finally toward the Saoshyants, the future saviors whose path the prophet now walks. The hymn moves through devotion (verses 1–3), yearning for the divine fire and light (verse 4), the desire to serve humanity (verse 5), and a prayer for guidance through all changes of earthly life (verse 6). It then turns to the darker reality: the faithful who will not abandon God in distress (verse 7), the liars who threaten with death and oppression (verse 8), those who scorn holy devotion (verse 9). The sages teach even the wicked (verse 10). The twin gifts of perfection and eternity lead to inner light (verse 11). Then the most intimate question: "What is Thy rule for progress? How should we praise Thee?" (verse 12). The answer comes: the path of Vohu Manah, the teaching of the Saoshyants, the duty performed honestly (verse 13). The promise: those who act through knowledge and pure thought shall enjoy the precious reward (verse 14). And the final verse is a prayer distilled to its essence — teach me the best words and noblest deeds, so that through truth I may enjoy a new life (verse 15).
The Ahunavaiti Gatha is now complete. Seven hymns — from the first prayer for illumination through the confrontation with evil, the questions to God, the denunciation of the false teachers, the prayer of dedication, and now the final offering. The arc of the first collection moves from seeking to knowing to fighting to surrendering to serving. Yasna 34 closes the circle: the prophet who began by asking for light now asks to be taught — not because he has learned nothing, but because the learning never ends.
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
Through good deeds and words and deep meditation O, Mazda, whereby the people will attain eternal life, righteousness, spiritual strength and perfection, I will dedicate them all to Thee, O Ahura, as a gift.
Verse 2
The pure-minded and righteous man, O Lord, whose soul is in accord with truth, thinks of Thee alone and dedicates his good actions to Thee. May we approach Thee, O Ahura Mazda, praising Thee and singing Thy songs.
Verse 3
Whatever is due, O Lord of Life, to Thee and to Asha, the symbol of truth and righteousness, we will pay with humble adoration. May all that live in Thy serene domain enjoy perfection through pure mind.
Verse 4
We yearn for Thy mighty light which is shining through truth, O Lord of Life. The shining blaze which is eternal and powerful. The light which guides the followers of truth clearly and helps them.
Verse 5
How great is Thy power O Lord, deeply do I yearn to serve the humanity, O Mazda, with good deeds. I wish to be one with Thee through truth, pure mind, helping the poor and needy.
Verse 6
Since in truth Thou art above all, O Mazda and Asha, I hope you would give me your helping hands through all changes of my earthly life, so that I may pray to Thee with sincere heart.
Verse 7
Where are Thy faithful devotees, O Mazda, who being aware of Thy worthy teachings, through Vohuman, will not leave Thee when faced with trouble and distress, but will use those teachings with intellect.
Verse 8
In truth, the liars would threaten us with their evil actions, since they would bring with themselves death and destruction upon people. The strong ones will always bring oppression upon the meeker ones.
Verse 9
Those who through doing evil and being unaware of Vohuman scorn Spenta Armaiti, O Mazda, which is highly esteemed by the sages and wise men; the truth shall obviously remain far from them.
Verse 10
The sages, being aware that love and faith towards God are actual sources of truth, shall teach those who have gone astray and evil persons the way to train their minds with good thoughts.
Verse 11
The two gifts of perfection and eternity, O my Lord, shall lead the people to spiritual and inner light. Through will power, pure thought, love and faith towards God, the standing life and spiritual strength shall increase.
Verse 12
What is Thy rule for progress and what is Thy Will? How should we praise and worship Thee? Declare them to me clearly, O Mazda, so that by following Thy instructions we may enjoy the rewards promised.
Verse 13
The path, O Ahura, which Thou hast shown me is the path of Vohuman, the path based on the teachings of Saoshyants, the saviors. The teaching which recommends that the work performed with the view of performing one's duty honestly shall bring forth happiness.
Verse 14
Those persons would enjoy that precious reward which has been promised. O Mazda, who perform actions through knowledge and pure thought; who attempt for the progress and development of the world; fulfill the God's desire.
Verse 15
Teach me, O Mazda, the best words and noblest deeds, so that through this teaching I may worship Thee with a clear mind and a pure heart. Through your power, O Ahura, make it such that I may enjoy a new life full of truth.
Colophon
Yasna 34 is the seventh and final hymn of the Ahunavaiti Gatha (Yasna 28–34), completing the first of the five Gāthā collections attributed to Zarathustra. The hymn recapitulates and resolves the themes of the entire collection: dedication of thought, word, and deed to Ahura Mazdā; yearning for the divine fire and light of truth; compassion for the poor and needy; acknowledgment that the liars and oppressors persist; and trust that the path of Vohu Manah — the Good Mind — leads through honest duty to a new life full of truth. The appearance of the Saoshyants (the "saviors" or "future benefactors") in verse 13 points forward from the Gāthās toward Zoroastrian eschatology: the belief that righteous teachers will arise in every age to lead humanity toward the Frashokereti, the final renovation of the world. With this hymn archived, the Ahunavaiti Gatha is complete — all seven hymns (Yasna 28 through 34) now stand in the library.
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
ýâ shyaothanâ ýâ vacanghâ ýâ ýasnâ ameretatâtem ashemcâ taêibyô dånghâ mazdâ xshathremcâ haurvatâtô aêshãm tôi ahurâ êhmâ pourutemâish dastê.
Verse 2
atcâ î-tôi mananghâ mainyushcâ vanghush vîspâ dâtâ speñtah'yâcâ neresh shyaothanâ ýehyâ urvâ ashâ hacaitê pairigaêthê xshmâvatô vahmê mazdâ garôbîsh stûtãm.
Verse 3
at tôi myazdem ahurâ nemanghâ ashâicâ dâmâ gaêthå vîspå â-xshathrôi ýå vohû thraoshtâ mananghâ ârôi-zî hudånghô vîspâish mazdâ xshmâvasû savô.
Verse 4
at tôi âtrêm ahurâ aojônghvañtem ashâ usêmahî asîshtîm êmavañtem stôi rapañtê cithrâ-avanghem at mazdâ daibishyañtê zastâishtâish dereshtâ-aênanghem.
Verse 5
kat vê xshathrem kâ îshtîsh shyaothanâi mazdâ ýathâ vâ hahmî ashâ vohû mananghâ thrâyôidyâi drigûm ýûshmâkem parê-vå vîspâish parê vaoxemâ daêvâishcâ xrafstrâish mashyâishcâ.
Verse 6
ýezî athâ stâ haithîm mazdâ ashâ vohû mananghâ at tat môi daxshtem dâtâ ahyâ anghêush vîspâ maêthâ ýathâ vå ýazemnascâ urvâidyå stavas ayenî paitî.
Verse 7
kuthrâ tôi aredrâ mazdâ ýôi vanghêush vaêdenâ mananghô sêñghûsh raêxenå aspêñcît sâdrâcît caxrayô usheurû naêcîm têm anyêm ýûshmat vaêdâ ashâ athâ-nå thrâzdûm.
Verse 8
tâish zî-nå shyaothanâish byeñtê ýaêshû as pairî pourubyô ithyejô hyat as aojyå nâidyânghem thwahyâ mazdâ ãstâ urvâtahyâ dà ýôi nôit ashem mainyañtâ aêibyô dûirê vohû as manô.
Verse 9
ýôi speñtãm ârmaitîm thwahyâ mazdâ berexdhãm vîdushô dush-shyaothanâ avazazat vanghêush evistî mananghô aêibyô mash ashâ syazdat ýavat ahmat aurunâ xrafstrâ.
Verse 10
ahyâ vanghêush mananghô shyaothanâ vaocat gerebãm huxratush speñtãmcâ ârmaitîm dãmîm vîdvå hithãm ashahyâ tâcâ vîspâ ahurâ thwahmî mazdâ xshathrôi â vôyathrâ.
Verse 11
at tôi ubê haurvåscâ hvarethâi â ameretatåscâ vanghêush xshathrâ mananghô ashâ mat ârmaitish vaxsht utayûitî tevîshî tâish â mazdâ vîdvaêshãm thwôi ahî.
Verse 12
kat tôi râzarê kat vashî kat vâ stûtô kat vâ ýasnahyâ srûidyâi mazdâ frâvaocâ vâ vîdâyât ashîsh râshnãm sîshâ-nå ashâ pathô vanghêush hvaêtêñg mananghô.
Verse 13
têm advânem ahurâ ýêm môi mraosh vanghêush mananghô daênå saoshyañtãm ýâ hû-karetâ ashâcît urvâxshat hyat civishtâ hudâbyô mîzhdem mazdâ ýehyâ tû dathrem.
Verse 14
tat zî mazdâ vairîm astvaitê ushtânâi dâtâ vanghêush shyaothanâ mananghô ýôi zî gêush verezênê azyå xshmâkãm hucistîm ahurâ xratêush ashâ frâdô verezênâ.
Verse 15
mazdâ at môi vahishtâ sravåscâ shyaothanâcâ vaocâ tâ-tû vohû mananghâ ashâcâ ishudem stûtô xshmâkâ xshathrâ ahurâ ferashêm vasnâ haithyêm då ahûm.
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 33 source texts in this archive. 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. With Yasna 34, the Ahunavaiti Gatha — the first and longest Gāthā collection — is complete in the archive.
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