From the Spentamainyu Gatha of the Avesta
Yasna 48 is the second hymn of the Spentamainyu Gatha (Yasna 47–50), the third of the five Gāthā collections attributed to the prophet Zarathustra (Zoroaster). Where Yasna 47 opened the collection with a concentrated six-verse statement on the Holy Spirit, Yasna 48 expands into twelve verses of theological questioning and prophetic yearning. The hymn opens with a vision of truth's ultimate victory over falsehood — the unveiling of deceit in both demons and mortals — then moves through a sustained dialogue with Ahura Mazdā: requests for assurance, praise of divine teaching, the ethics of voluntary choice, an invocation of Armaiti as protector and provider, warnings against hatred and violence, yearnings for divine power, and the question that echoes across the Gāthās — when will the saviors come?
The hymn's twelve verses divide into three movements. The first four verses (1–4) establish the theological framework: truth conquers falsehood, the wise Lord teaches through Asha and Vohu Manah, and each person's destiny follows from voluntary choice — thought, word, and deed in alignment or discord. The middle four verses (5–8) turn to the world: Armaiti, devotion personified as the Earth Mother, is invoked as the source of security, strength, and vegetation; hatred and anger are banished; and the prophet yearns for Khashathra, the divine spiritual power. The final four verses (9–12) are eschatological — when will the saviors arrive, when will the wicked priests be overthrown, when will truth and faith come together? The closing verse answers: the Saoshyants are those whose deeds follow truth and whose purpose is the conquest of hate.
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
Ultimately, on the day when truth conquers untruth, and when devils and their partners are unveiled of deceit and fraud forever, then Thy praise and devotion to Thee, O Ahura, shall increase, resulting in happiness and joy.
Verse 2
Before the struggle in my mind begins, tell me, O Ahura and assure me whether the righteous person shall overcome the follower of untruth? Such is Thy Plan, no doubt, which is the final and great victory in life.
Verse 3
The wise Lord of Life and source of goodness shall teach the wise and the righteous ones the best teachings, of which the mystic lover and teachers of philosophy are aware. Through wisdom and pure thought only, O Mazda, one can become Thy devotee.
Verse 4
One who makes his mind better or worse, O Mazda, his deed, word and conscience shall follow sure. The path selected by one's voluntary choice, his will and faith shall also follow the same and shall be in tune with them. According to Thy wisdom, O Mazda, their destiny shall be distinct from each other.
Verse 5
O Armaiti, do not allow the tyrants and that rulers rule over us, but let the good and just kings, guided by wisdom and good and clear understanding rule over us. Dedication to purity is best for man since his birth. We should toil for the Mother Earth and progress of the world, leading all the creatures on to the Light and the Truth.
Verse 6
She, Armaiti, is indeed our safe refuge. She brings the soul strength and life renewed, the true qualifications of the pure mind. Mazda Ahura has clothed Her, the Mother Earth, with vegetation, and has covered Her with food for people, since the dawn of life. Such is the wisdom of Mazda and the Eternal Law of Asha.
Verse 7
Keep hatred and anger far away from yourselves. Let nothing tempt you to violence. Hold on to love and good mind. Brilliant teachers, who wish to hold fast on to truth, shall lead the followers of truth to paradise, Thy abode, O Ahura, where the righteous people dwell.
Verse 8
My yearnings, O Mazda, is for Khashathra, Thy spiritual power, yet more, I yearn for the blessings from Thee, O Ahura, for my followers and band of devotees. How greatly welcome shall be Thy manifestation to the faithful followers of Asha through truth, enabling them to help the promotion of good deeds through Vohuman.
Verse 9
How shall I know, O Mazda, that Ye rule over all, even over those who menace me. Reveal to me, O Asha the pattern of Vohuman and Thy love. Inform me of the way of enjoying Thy blessings, since a Saoshyants or a prophet should be well aware of the compensation allotted to him.
Verse 10
When shall my friends arrives for spreading the faith, O Mazda? When shall they smite down the rotting mass of lie and greed from the world? The means by which the wicked Karapans (priests) falsely fascinate the people and the tyrant rulers rule over countries with evil intentions.
Verse 11
When, O Mazda, Asha together with love and faith towards God shall come towards us, bringing peace and security with themselves, through self-control? When blood thirsty and wicked tyrants rush, who shall stand firm against them, and to whom shall come the Wisdom of Vohuman?
Verse 12
The Saoshyants and Saviors of the world are indeed wise and follow duty's call guided by Vohuman. There deeds are inspired by Asha and on in tune with Thy teachings, O Mazda. They are, in truth, vanquishers of hate and anger and producers of love and peace.
Colophon
Yasna 48 is the second hymn of the Spentamainyu Gatha (Yasna 47–50), the third of the five Gāthā collections attributed to Zarathustra. Its twelve verses move from theological statement through ethical teaching to eschatological yearning — the longest and most structurally varied hymn in the Spentamainyu collection. The opening verse proclaims truth's ultimate victory over falsehood; the central verses invoke Armaiti as the Earth Mother who shelters, nourishes, and renews; the closing verses ask when the Saoshyants — the saviors — will come, and answer that they are those whose deeds follow truth and whose purpose is the conquest of hate. The hymn contains the Gāthās' most sustained portrait of Armaiti as both cosmic principle and maternal presence, and its call to banish hatred and anger (verse 7) is among the most direct ethical imperatives in Zoroastrian scripture.
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.
🌲
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
ýezî adâish ashâ drujem vêñnghaitî hyat ãsashutâ ýâ daibitânâ fraoxtâ ameretâitî daêvâishcâ mashyâishcâ at tôi savâish vahmem vaxshat ahurâ.
Verse 2
vaocâ-môi ýâ tvêm vîdvå ahurâ parâ hyat mâ ýâ mêñg perethâ jimaitî kat ashavâ mazdâ vêñghat dregvañtem hâ-zî anghêush vanguhî vistâ âkeretish.
Verse 3
at vaêdemnâi vahishtâ sâsnanãm ýãm hudå sâstî ashâ ahurô speñtô vîdvå ýaêcît gûzrâ sêñghånghô thwâvãs mazdâ vanghêush xrathwâ mananghô.
Verse 4
ýê dât manô vahyô mazdâ ashyascâ hvô daênãm shyaothanâcâ vacanghâcâ ahyâ zaoshêñg ushtish varenêñg hacaitê thwahmî xratå apêmem nanâ anghat.
Verse 5
huxshathrâ xshêñtãm mâ-nê dushe-xshathrâ xshêñtâ vanghuyå cistôish shyaothanâish ârmaitê ýaozhdå mashyâi aipî zãthem vahishtâ gavôi verezyâtãm tãm nê hvarethâi fshuyô.
Verse 6
hâ-zî-nê hushôithemâ hâ-nê utayûitîm dât tevîshîm vanghêush mananghô berexdhê at ah'yâi ashâ mazdå urvarå vaxshat ahurô anghêush zãthôi paouruyehyâ.
Verse 7
nî aêshemô nî dyâtãm paitî remem paitî syôzdûm ýôi â vanghêush mananghô dîdrakhzhôduyê ashâ vyãm ýehyâ hithâush nâ speñtô at hôi dâmãm thwahmî â-dãm ahurâ.
Verse 8
kâ-tôi vanghêush mazdâ xshathrahyâ îshtish kâ-tôi ashôish thwah'yå maibyô ahurâ kâ-thwôi ashâ âkå aredrêñg ishyâ vanghêush manyêush shyaothananãm javarô.
Verse 9
kadâ vaêdâ ýezî cahyâ xshayathâ mazdâ ashâ ýehyâ-mâ âithish dvaêthâ eresh-môi erezhûcãm vanghêush vafush mananghô vîdyât saoshyãs ýathâ hôi ashish anghat.
Verse 10
kadâ mazdâ mãnarôish narô vîseñtê kadâ ajên mûthrem ahyâ magahyâ ýâ añgrayâ karapanô urûpayeiñtî ýâcâ xratû dushe-xshathrâ dah'yunãm.
Verse 11
kadâ mazdâ ashâ mat ârmaitish jimat xshathrâ husheitish vâstravaitî kôi dregvôdebîsh xrûrâish râmãm dåñtê kêñg â vanghêush jimat mananghô cistish.
Verse 12
at tôi anghen saoshyañtô dah'yunãm ýôi xshnûm vohû mananghâ hacåñtê shyaothanâish ashâ thwahyâ mazdâ sêñghahyâ tôi-zî dâtâ hamaêstârô aêshem mahyâ!
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 47 source texts in this archive. Liturgical performance directions (zôt u râspî), repetition markers, and the closing liturgical formula have been omitted for clarity, following the convention established for the earlier Gāthā source texts in this archive. Two stray digital artifacts ("dà") have been removed — one from verse 3 and one from verse 11 — consistent with the same artifact found and removed from Yasna 46 (verse 9) and Yasna 47 (verse 2) by previous archivists in this lineage. 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.
🌲