From the Ushtavaiti Gatha of the Avesta
Yasna 43 is the first hymn of the Ushtavaiti Gatha (Yasna 43–46), the second of the five Gāthā collections attributed to the prophet Zarathustra (Zoroaster). The collection takes its name from the opening words of this hymn — ushtâ ahmâi, "happiness to him" — and where the Ahunavaiti Gatha ended with a prayer to be taught, the Ushtavaiti opens with a declaration: happiness belongs to those who make others happy.
The hymn contains one of the most extraordinary passages in all scripture. In verse 7, Vohu Manah (the Good Mind) enters Zarathustra and asks him three questions: Who art thou? Whose art thou? Which path would you choose? In verse 8, Zarathustra answers with his own name — the only place in the Gāthās where the prophet identifies himself directly: "I am Zoroaster, the staunch enemy of liars and falsehood." The hymn then unfolds as a series of recognitions. Six times Zarathustra declares "I recognized Thee, O Mazda Ahura, as divine and sacred, when the Good Mind came to me" — each recognition deeper than the last, each accompanied by a new dimension of commitment: to truth, to conscience, to proclamation, to long service, to silent meditation. The hymn moves from blessing (verse 1) through theology (verses 2–6) into dialogue (verses 7–9) and prayer (verses 10–16), ending with Zarathustra's selection of pure wisdom as his guide and a prayer for the faithful.
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
Mazda Ahura, the Absolute Ruler, has specified that good fortune is for him who makes others happy. O, my Lord, to remain steadfast in truth, I want from Thee the strength of body and soul. O, Armaiti, the symbol of faith and love, do grant me that power which is the reward for a life lived with good thought.
Verse 2
In truth, such a person shall enjoy the best gifts of God. The person who desires inner light and tries to achieve it, O, Mazda, do bestow upon him the same, through Thy holy and bright wisdom. Through Asha, the Eternal Law of Truth and Purity, O my Lord, grant us wisdom and knowledge which are the gifts of Vohuman, so that we may enjoy happiness through our lengthy lives.
Verse 3
In truth, the person who shows us the path of truth and happiness in the corporeal world and saves our soul in the spiritual one shall attain the highest good. The said path is that which leads us to the real and true world, where there is Ahura. The lovers of truth and those in love with Thee, O, Mazda, shall ultimately become one with Thee through wisdom and holiness.
Verse 4
I shall recognize Thee, O Mazda, as powerful and divine, when our wishes are fulfilled through Thy strength; and when the followers of truth and the followers of falsehood have both received the specified compensation and punishment. When Thy light shines in my heart and gives me warmth, then my soul shall feel the strength of truth, and when pure thought or Vohuman shall come to me with full power.
Verse 5
As divine and sacred I recognize Thee, O Mazda Ahura, when I realized Thee as the First and eternal when life began; and when Thou ordained rewards for good thoughts, words and deeds; and when Thou specified through Thy wisdom that evil shall be the lot of wicked persons and that good persons shall reap the fruit of their goodness. Thus it will continue up to the end of creation.
Verse 6
O, Mazda, when Thy pure wisdom together with Khashathra and Vohuman come towards us, then the material world shall progress towards truth and righteousness and the angel Armaiti shall brighten the hearts of liberal men and women with the light of love and faith, guiding them towards truth. Then no one shall have the power of deceiving the Almighty God, the symbol of Wisdom and Knowledge.
Verse 7
I recognize Thee, O Mazda Ahura, as pure and holy when good thought entered my mind and asked me, who art Thou; to which family do Thou belong? Which path would you choose when you are in doubt? The path which leads to the benefit of your brothers and relatives, or the one which is to your own benefit.
Verse 8
I replied thus: I am Zoroaster, the staunch enemy of liars and falsehood. I shall fight against liars as long as I have strength and shall uphold truth and righteous people whole heartedly. May I enjoy Thy spiritual and endless strength, O my Lord, and may I be Thy worshipper and devotee for ever, O Mazda.
Verse 9
I recognized Thee, O Mazda Ahura (Lord of Wisdom and Life) as pure and holy, when Vohuman came to me and the light of truth and knowledge entered my heart. Of Him, I asked whom do you wish to be worshipped the most? And thus I replied: "As long as I am able and have power, I shall esteem and praise Thy spiritual flame, O Mazda, and shall abide by Thy Law of Truth (Asha).
Verse 10
Guide me towards truth and purity for which I have ever yearned, O, my Lord. By following Armaiti, symbol of faith and love, I hope to achieve perfection. Do thou test us, O my Lord, so that we may prove our faith. Thy testing shall give spiritual strength to humanity, particularly the leaders, who are inspired by Thee, O Mazda, shall guide the people with power and heroism and shall fulfill Thy plan.
Verse 11
As Divine and Sacred have I recognized Thee, O Lord of Life and Wisdom, when Vohuman entered within me and through Thy inspiring words I grew wise and far-sighted. Although I have realized that creating of faith in the hearts of people is very hard, nevertheless I shall accomplish, my Lord, whatever is realized by Thee as the best action, with self-sacrifice and great attempt.
Verse 12
When Thou ordered me to follow the Truth with full wisdom, Thou spoke words which were mine own wish. I shall try to bestir Sraosha, or the voice of conscience, within myself and suffuse my heart with the light divine and realize this truth that righteous and wicked ones shall receive rewards or punishments which are due to them.
Verse 13
As Divine and Sacred have I recognized Thee, O Ahura Mazda, when Vohuman entered within me and light of Truth and knowledge brightened my heart. Do grant me a long life, O my Lord, so that I may achieve my best wishes and desires, the gift which no one else, except Thee, can grant. A life full of service to humanity and activity for the progress of the world which depends upon Thy Khashathra.
Verse 14
Just as a brave and strong man loves his friend and brings solace to him, so also do grant excessive happiness to my followers. Do Thou grant that joy and happiness which are achieved only by truth and is in your power alone to grant. I shall protect, O my Lord, the religion of truth and all who sing the songs sang by Thy Heavenly Messenger.
Verse 15
As divine and sacred have I recognized Thee, O Lord of Life and Wisdom, when Vohuman entered within me and light of Truth and knowledge brightened my heart. Then I realized that silent and deep meditation is the best means of acquiring knowledge and spiritual insight; and that it is not fit for any leader to make peace with the followers of untruth, because they regard righteous and truthful persons as their enemies.
Verse 16
O Ahura Mazda, Zarathushtra has selected for himself pure wisdom as his guide. May truth and righteousness strengthen our material lives. May spiritual power along with faith and love lighten our hearts as shining rays of sun. Do grant reward, O my Lord, to the persons who perform their actions through pure mind and wisdom.
Colophon
Yasna 43 is the first hymn of the Ushtavaiti Gatha (Yasna 43–46), the second of the five Gāthā collections attributed to Zarathustra. The name "Ushtavaiti" derives from the hymn's opening word, ushtâ — "happiness" or "bliss" — and the collection is sometimes called the Gatha of Happiness. Where the Ahunavaiti Gatha (Yasna 28–34) traced an arc from seeking through struggle to dedication, the Ushtavaiti opens with a prophet who has found his ground: Zarathustra knows who he is, declares it by name, and commits himself to the fight against falsehood with the full force of his recognition. The hymn's six-fold refrain — "I recognized Thee as divine and sacred when the Good Mind came to me" — establishes a pattern of progressive revelation that deepens across the collection. With this hymn, the second Gāthā collection begins its journey 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). Minor digitisation errors in the electronic text (transposed characters) have been silently corrected where the intended reading was unambiguous. Translator's footnote markers have been removed from the body text per archive convention; the footnotes are available in the original electronic edition. 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
ushtâ ahmâi ýahmâi ushtâ kahmâicît vasê-xshayãs mazdå dâyât ahurô utayûitî tevîshîm gat tôi vasemî ashem deredyâi tat môi då ârmaitê râyô ashîsh vanghêush gaêm mananghô.
Verse 2
atcâ ahmâi vîspanãm vahishtem hvâthrôyâ nâ hvâthrem daidîtâ thwâ cîcîthwâ spênishtâ mainyû mazdâ ýâ då ashâ vanghêush mâyå mananghô vîspâ ayârê daregôjyâtôish urvâdanghâ.
Verse 3
at hvô vanghêush vahyô nâ aibî-jamyât ýê nå erezûsh savanghô pathô sîshôit ahyâ anghêush astvatô mananghascâ haithyêñg âstîsh ýêñg â-shaêtî ahurô aredrô thwâvãs huzêñtushe speñtô mazdâ.
Verse 4
at thwâ mêñghâi taxmemcâ speñtem mazdâ hyat tâ zastâ ýâ-tû hafshî avå ýå då ashîsh dregvâitê ashâunaêcâ thwahyâ garemâ âthrô ashâ-aojanghô hyat môi vanghêush hazê jimat mananghô!
Verse 5
speñtem at thwâ mazdâ mêñghî ahurâ hyat thwâ anghêush zãthôi daresem paourvîm hyat då shyaothanâ mîzhdavãn ýâcâ uxdhâ akêm akâi vanguhîm ashîm vanghaovê thwâ hunarâ dâmôish urvaêsê apêmê.
Verse 6
ýahmî speñtâ thwâ mainyû urvaêsê jasô mazdâ xshathrâ ahmî vohû mananghâ ýehyâ shyaothanâish gaêthå ashâ frâdeñtê aêibyô ratûsh sêñghaitî ârmaitish thwahyâ xratêush ýêm naêcish dâbayeitî!
Verse 7
speñtem at thwâ mazdâ mêñghî ahurâ hyat mâ vohû pairî-jasat mananghâ peresatcâ mâ cish ahî kahyâ ahî kathâ ayârê daxshârâ ferasayâi dîshâ aibî thwâhû gaêthâhû tanushicâ.
Verse 8
at hôi aojî zarathushtrô paourvîm haithyô dvaêshå hyat isôyâ dregvâitê at ashâunê rafenô h'yêm aojôñghvat hyat âbûshtîsh vasase xshathrahyâ dyâ ýavat â thwâ mazdâ stâumî ufyâcâ!
Verse 9
speñtem at thwâ mazdâ mêñghî ahurâ hyat mâ vohû pairî-jasat mananghâ ahyâ ferasêm kahmâi vîvîduyê vashî at â thwahmâi âthrê râtãm nemanghô ashahyâ-mâ ýavat isâi manyâi.
Verse 10
at tû môi dâish ashem hyat mâ zaozaomî ârmaitî hacimnô ît ârem peresâcâ nå ýâ tôi êhmâ parshtâ parshtêm zî thwâ ýathanâ tat êmavatãm hyat thwâ xshayãsh aêshem dyât êmavañtem!
Verse 11
speñtem at thwâ mazdâ mêñghî ahurâ hyat mâ vohû pairî-jasat mananghâ hyat xshmâ uxdhâish dîdainghê paourvîm sâdrâ-môi sãs mashyaêshû zarazdâitish tat verezyeidyâi hyat môi mraotâ vahishtem.
Verse 12
hyatcâ môi mraosh ashem jasô frâxshnenê at tû-môi nôit asrushtâ pairyaokhzhâ uzeredyâi parâ hyat môi â-jimat seraoshô ashî mãzâ-rayâ hacimnô ýâ vî ashîsh rânôibyô savôi vîdâyât!
Verse 13
speñtem at thwâ mazdâ mêñghî ahurâ hyat mâ vohû pairî-jasat mananghâ arethâ vôizdyâi kâmahyâ têm môi dâtâ daregahyâ ýâush ýêm vå naêcîsh dâresht itê vairyå stôish ýâ thwahmî xshathrôi vâcî.
Verse 14
hyat nâ fryâi vaêdamnô isvâ daidît maibyô mazdâ tavâ rafenô frâxshnenem hyat thwâ xshathrâ ashât hacâ frãshtâ uzereidyâi azêm saredanå sêñghahyâ mat tâish vîspâish ýôi-tôi mãthrå mareñtî!
Verse 15
speñtem at thwâ mazdâ mêñghî ahurâ hyat mâ vohû pairî-jasat mananghâ daxshat ushyâi tushnâ maitish vahishtâ nôit nâ pourûsh dregvatô h'yât cixshnushô at tôi vîspêñg añgrêñg ashâunô âdarê.
Verse 16
at ahurâ hvô mainyûm zarathushtrô vereñtê mazdâ ýastê cishcâ spênishtô astvat ashem h'yât ushtânâ aojôñghvat hvêñg daresôi xshathrôi h'yât ârmaitish ashîm shyaothanâish vohû daidît mananghâ!
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 34 source texts in this archive. Liturgical performance directions (zôt u râspî) and repetition markers have been omitted for clarity, following the convention established for the Ahunavaiti Gatha 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 43, the Ushtavaiti Gatha — the second Gāthā collection — begins its journey in the archive.
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