Selections from Zoroastrianism’s Vendidad: Fargard 19, Part 1 of 2

Today, it is our pleasure to share selections from Fargard 19 of the Vendidad, which details an encounter between Zarathustra and the evil-doer Angra Mainyu, and how Ahura Mazda helps Zarathustra overcome this situation.

“[…] Zarathustra chanted aloud the Ahuna-Vairya: ‘The will of the Lord is the law of holiness; the riches of Vohu-manô shall be given to him who works in this world for Mazda, and wields according to the will of Ahura the power He gave to him to relieve the poor.’ (He added): ‘Offer up prayers to the good waters of the good Dâitya! Profess the law of the worshippers of Mazda! The Drug dismayed, rushed away, the demon Bûiti, the unseen death, the hell-born. And the Drug, the guileful one, said unto Angra Mainyu: ‘O baneful Angra Mainyu! I see no way to kill Him, so great is the glory of the holy Zarathustra.’ Zarathustra saw (all this) from within His soul: ‘The evil-doing Daêvas and Drvants (thought he) take counsel together for my death.’

Up started Zarathustra, forward went Zarathustra, unshaken by the evil spirit, by the hardness of his malignant riddles, swinging stones in His hand, stones as big as a house, which He obtained from the Maker, Ahura Mazda, He the holy Zarathustra. ‘At what on this wide, round Earth, whose ends lie afar, at what do thou swing (those stones), thou who stands by the river Darega, upon the mountains, in the mansion of Pourusaspa?’ Thus Zarathustra answered Angra Mainyu: ‘O evil-doer, Angra Mainyu! I will smite the creation of the Daêva; I will smite the Nasu, a creature of the Daêva; I will smite the Pairika Knãthaiti, till the fiend-smiter Saoshyant come up to life out of the lake Kãsava, from the region of the dawn, from the regions of the dawn.’

Again to Him said the guileful one, the Maker of the evil world, Angra Mainyu: ‘Do not destroy my creatures, O holy Zarathustra! Thou are the son of Pourusaspa, just born of thy mother. Renounce the good law of the worshippers of Mazda, and Thou shall gain such a boon as the murderer gained, the ruler of the nations.’ Thus in answer to him said Spitama Zarathustra: ‘No! never will I renounce the good law of the worshippers of Mazda, though my body, my life, my soul should burst!’ […]”