From the Spentamainyu Gatha of the Avesta
Yasna 50 is the fourth and final hymn of the Spentamainyu Gatha (Yasna 47–50), concluding the third of the five Gāthā collections attributed to the prophet Zarathustra (Zoroaster). Where Yasna 47 declared the Holy Spirit, Yasna 48 envisioned truth's cosmic victory, and Yasna 49 named enemies and allies in the human world, Yasna 50 turns inward — the prophet alone before God, praying.
The hymn opens with one of the most striking questions in the Gāthās: who will help my soul after death? The answer comes immediately — none but Asha and Vohu Manah, Truth and Good Mind. From this opening the hymn unfolds as a sustained prayer of devotion. The middle verses (4–8) are the heart: Zarathustra pledges to worship through praise and chanting, asks for blessings upon himself as singer and prophet, speaks of himself in the third person as one who carries the sacred word (mãthrâ) with reverence, and approaches God with uplifted hands and prayers that well up from the inmost heart. The closing verses (9–11) intensify the personal commitment — the prophet will return to God through holy hymns performed in deed, asks that all his works past and future seem worthy in God's sight, and vows to be Mazdā's praiser as long as he possesses will and strength. It is the most devotional hymn in the Gāthās — not theology but prayer, not proclamation but surrender.
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
From whom, would my soul enjoy any help, after my death? Who shall protect me and my friends and followers when in distress? O Lord of life and Wisdom, none but Thine Asha and Vohuman, symbols of Truth and pure thought, would solve my difficulty, when invoked sincerely.
Verse 2
One who always thinks of his own safety and profit, how can he love the joy-bringing Mother Earth? The righteous man that follows Asha's Law shall dwell in regions radiant with Thy Sun, the abode where wise ones dwell.
Verse 3
O Mazda, one whose guide in life is the spiritual strength of Khashathra and Vohuman shall surely reach Asha, the Source of Truth. Also, one who helps the progress and uplift of this world dominated by false ones shall receive the blessings of Asha, through the Lord's gifts.
Verse 4
O Ahura, by chanting praises, I would worship Thee together with Asha, Vohuman and Khashathra as well. I aspirant, will stand upon the path of Truth and catch the nodes which Thy lovers sing from Thy Abode on high.
Verse 5
O, Lord of Life and Wisdom, and O Asha, pour down blessings upon Thy Singer and Prophet in the shade of help and love, enabling him to guide us upwards to Thy Light and Eternal happiness.
Verse 6
O, Great Ahura, Zarathushtra, the lover of Asha, praise Thee loudly and anticipates that the Lord may always grant him eloquence of speech guided by wisdom. May the Creator teach and inspire me with the guiding principles of love through Vohuman.
Verse 7
O, the Guardian of freedom and worthy of praise, O Lord of Life and Wisdom, I shall gain entrance to Thy Abode with praise and shall join Thee through Truth and Pure Thought. Do guide me, O my Lord, and held me in my tasks.
Verse 8
O, Mazda Ahura, with chance that well up from my inmost heart, and with hands uplifted, I beseech Thee, O Mazda, and wish to approach Thee, as a faithful and humble friend, through truth and purity and wonder working wisdom of Vohuman.
Verse 9
O, Lord of Wisdom and Lord of Truth, I shall return to Thee, chanting these holy hymns by deeds performed through wisdom and pure mind. Being well aware of my destiny I eagerly yearn to attain Thy Wisdom which is ancient and supreme.
Verse 10
The deeds which I have performed during the days gone by and those that would be performed in future, may they all seem worthy in Thy sight. The shining of the sun and shimmering dawn of the days all reflect Thy Glory in accord with Asha, O Mazda Ahura.
Verse 11
I would consider myself to be your praiser, O Mazda, and as long as I possess the will and strength I shall tread the path of truth and shall be the praiser of Thee. May the Creator of the world fulfill the best wishes of the righteous people which is progress and reform of the world.
Colophon
Yasna 50 is the fourth and final hymn of the Spentamainyu Gatha (Yasna 47–50), the third of the five Gāthā collections attributed to Zarathustra. Its eleven verses form the most sustained prayer in the Gāthās — the prophet turns from the named enemies and allies of Yasna 49 to stand alone before God. The opening question — who will help my soul after death? — gives way to a hymn of pure devotion: praise, supplication, self-offering, and a closing vow to serve as long as will endures. Among the Gāthās, Yasna 50 is the hymn where the prophet is most visibly a worshipper — not legislating, not confronting falsehood, but praying. The final verse's pledge — "as long as I possess the will and strength" — is the last word of the Spentamainyu Gatha, and one of the most personal utterances in ancient Iranian 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.
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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
kat môi urvâ isê cahyâ avanghô kê-môi pasêush kê-mê-nâ-thrâtâ vistô anyô ashât thwatcâ mazdâ ahurâ azdâ zûtâ vahishtâatcâ mananghô.
Verse 2
kathâ mazdâ rânyô-skeretîm gãm ishasôit ýê-hîm ahmâi vâstravaitîm stôi usyât erezhejîsh ashâ pourushû hvarê pishyasû âkâstêñg mâ nishãsyâ dâthêm dâhvâ.
Verse 3
atcît ahmâi mazdâ ashâ anghaitî ýãm hôi xshathrâ vohucâ côisht mananghâ ýê-nâ ashôish aojanghâ varedayaêtâ ýãm nazdishtãm gaêthãm dregvå baxshaitî.
Verse 4
at vå ýazâi stavas mazdâ ahurâ hadâ ashâ vahishtâcâ mananghâ xshathrâcâ ýâ îshô stånghat â-paithî âkå aredrêñg demânê garô seraoshânê.
Verse 5
ârôi-zî xshmâ mazdâ ashâ ahurâ hyat ýûshmâkâi mãthrânê vaorâzathâ aibî-dereshtâ âvîshyâ avanghâ zastâishtâ ýâ-nå hvâthrê dâyât.
Verse 6
ýê mãthrâ vâcem mazdâ baraitî urvathô ashâ nemanghâ zarathushtrô dâtâ xratêush hizvô raithîm stôi mahyâ râzêñg vohû sâhît mananghâ.
Verse 7
at vê ýaojâ zevîshtyêñg aurvatô jayâish perethûsh vahmahyâ ýûshmâkahyâ mazdâ ashâ ugrêñg vohû mananghâ ýâish azâthâ mahmâi h'yâtâ avanghê.
Verse 8
mat vå padâish ýâ frasrûtâ îzhayå pairijasâi mazdâ ustânazastô at vå ashâ aredrah'yâcâ nemanghâ at vå vanghêush mananghô hunaretâtâ.
Verse 9
tâish vå ýasnâish paitî stavas ayenî mazdâ ashâ vanghêush shyaothanâish mananghô ýadâ ashôish mah'yå vasê xshayâ at hudânâush ishayãs gerezdâ h'yêm.
Verse 10
at ýâ vareshâ ýâcâ pairî âish shyaothanâ ýâcâ vohû cashmãm arejat mananghâ raocå hvêñg asnãm uxshâ aêurush xshmâkâi ashâ vahmâi mazdâ ahurâ.
Verse 11
at vê staotâ aojâi mazdâ anghâcâ ýavat ashâ tavâcâ isâicâ dâtâ anghêush aredat vohû mananghâ haithyâvareshtãm hyat vasnâ ferashôtemem!
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 49 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 from verses 1 and 10, consistent with the same artifact found and removed from Yasna 46 (verse 9), Yasna 47 (verse 2), Yasna 48 (verses 3 and 11), and Yasna 49 (verse 6) 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.
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