Old Iranian Online

Reading and Textual Analysis

This hymn, Yasna 30, provides an excellent statement of Zarathustra's dualism. While he maintained monotheism with Ahura Mazda as sole god, he also posited an opposition that existed from the beginning of the world between two principal spirits, Spenta Mainyu, 'the incremental spirit', and Angra Mainyu, 'the fiendish spirit' as stated in stanza 3. They, in turn, reflect a dualism beween Ashu 'Truth' and Angra 'Falsehood'. Human beings choose between these, as did the Daevas -- god-like beings who chose Falsehood. Their resulting status is in direct opposition to that in Indian religion, in which the devas make up the accepted pantheon. But the one who accepts Ahura Mazda is strengthened by Armaiti, 'Devotion'. The rewards or retribution for one's choice are stated graphically in stanzas eight through twelve.

1 - at tâ vaxshyâ ishentô       yâ mazdâthâ hyat-cît vîdushê

• at -- particle; <at> 'then, but, and, so, thus' -- and
• tâ -- demonstrative pronoun; accusative plural neuter <ha-> '(s)he, this' -- those things
• vaxshyâ -- verb; 1st person singular future indicative active <vak> 'say, speak, declare' -- I shall proclaim
• ishentô -- present participle active; vocative plural masculine <ish> 'strive, desire, arrive' -- o seekers
• yâ -- relative pronoun; accusative plural neuter <ya-> 'who, what, which' -- which
• mazdâthâ -- noun; accusative plural neuter <mazdâdha-> 'thing to be considered' -- to be borne in mind
• hyat-cît -- conjunction; <hyat> 'if, so, when' + indefinite participle; <cît> '...' -- even
• vîdushê -- present participle active; dative singular masculine <vid> 'see, know, obtain' -- for one knowing

staotâ-câ ahurâi       yesnyâ-câ vanghêush mananghô

• staotâ-câ -- noun; nominative plural masculine <staota-> 'hymn, song of praise' + conjunction; <ca> 'and' -- and hymns
• ahurâi -- noun; dative singular masculine <ahura-> 'lord' -- Lord
• yesnyâ-câ -- noun; accusative plural masculine <yesnya-> 'sacrifice, worship' + conjunction; <ca> 'and' -- and praises
• vanghêush -- adjective; genitive singular neuter <vohu-> 'good' -- good
• mananghô -- noun; genitive singular neuter <manah-> 'mind' -- of mind

humãzdrâ ashâ ye-câ       yâ raocêbîs daresatâ urvâzâ

• humãzdrâ -- adjective; vocative plural masculine <humãzdra-> 'careful, good to see' -- attentive ones
• ashâ -- noun; instrumental singular neuter <asha-> 'truth' -- for Truth
• ye-câ -- dative ending; plural masculine <-aya> '...' + conjunction; <ca> 'and' -- and # All known manuscripts separate this dative case ending from the word asha to which it should be attached. It should not, therefore, be read as a separate word.
• yâ -- relative pronoun; accusative plural neuter <ya-> 'who, what, which' -- which
• raocêbîs -- noun; instrumental plural neuter <raocah-> 'light' -- by lights
• daresatâ -- noun; accusative plural neuter <daresata-> 'visible, beautiful to see' -- beautiful to see
• urvâzâ -- noun; accusative plural neuter <urvâza-> 'joy, bliss' -- joys

2 - sraotâ gêush-aish vahishtâ       a-vaênatâ sûcâ mananghâ

• sraotâ -- verb; 2nd person plural aorist imperative active <sru> 'hear, listen' -- Listen
• gêush-aish -- noun; instrumental plural masculine <gêusha-> 'ear' -- with ears
• vahishtâ -- adjective; accusative singular neuter <vohu-> 'good' + superlative suffix; <-ista-> indicates superlative -- to the best things
• a-vaênatâ -- preposition; <â> '(up) to, toward, etc.' + verb; 2nd person plural present imperative active <vaêna-> 'see, observe, look' -- observe
• sûcâ -- adjective; instrumental singular neuter <sûca-> 'light, pure, clear' -- radiant
• mananghâ -- noun; instrumental singular masculine <manah-> 'mind' -- with mind

âvarenå vîcithahyâ       narêm narem x^vahyâi tanuyê

• âvarenå -- noun; accusative dual masculine <âvarena-> 'invitation, choice' -- two alternatives
• vîcithahyâ -- noun; genitive singular neuter <vîcidha-> 'decision, judgement' -- choosing
• narêm -- noun; accusative singular masculine <nar-> 'man' -- each
• narem -- noun; accusative singular masculine <nar-> 'man' -- man
• x^vahyâi -- reflexive pronoun; dative singular feminine <x^va-> 'self' -- ...
• tanuyê -- noun; dative singular masculine <tanu-> 'body' -- for himself

parâ mazê yånghô       ahmâi nê sazdyâi baodantô paiti

• parâ -- preposition; <parâ> 'before, beyond, away' -- before
• mazê -- adjective; genitive singular neuter <maz-> 'large, great' -- great
• yånghô -- noun; genitive singular neuter <yâh-> 'pilgrimage, retribution' -- retribution
• ahmâi -- demonstrative pronoun; dative singular masculine <ayêm-> 'this, that' -- to him
• nê -- enclitic pronoun; 2nd person accusative plural <vaêm-> 'we' -- us
• sazdyâi -- verb; infinitive <sangh> 'announce, proclaim' -- to announce
• baodantô -- present participle active; nominative plural masculine <bud> 'be attentive, aware' -- being careful
• paiti -- postposition; <paiti> 'near, toward, with respect to' -- ...

3 - at tâ mainyû paouruyê       yâ yêmâ x^vafnâ asrvâtem

• at -- particle; <at> 'then, but, and, so, thus' -- and
• tâ -- pronoun; nominative dual masculine <ha-> '(s)he, this' -- there are two
• mainyû -- noun; nominative dual masculine <mainyu-> 'spirit' -- spirits
• paouruyê -- adjective; nominative dual masculine <paouruya-> 'first, original' -- primeval
• yâ -- relative pronoun; nominative dual masculine <ya-> 'who, what, which' -- who
• yêmâ -- noun; nominative dual masculine <yêma-> 'twin' -- twins
• x^vafnâ -- noun; instrumental singular masculine <x^vafna-> 'sleep, dream' -- through dream
• asrvâtem -- verb; 3rd person dual aorist indicative passive <sru> 'hear, listen' -- are revealed

manahi-câ vacahi-câ       shyaothanôi hî vahyô akem-câ

• manahi-câ -- noun; locative singular neuter <manah-> 'mind' + conjunction; <ca> 'and' -- in mind
• vacahi-câ -- noun; locative singular neuter <vacah-> 'speech, word' + conjunction; <ca> 'and' -- and speech
• shyaothanôi -- noun; locative singular neuter <shyaothana-> 'act, deed' -- and deed
• hî -- emphatic particle; <hi> 'indeed' -- even
• vahyô -- adjective; accusative singular neuter <vahya-> 'better' -- better
• akem-câ -- adjective; accusative singular neuter <aka-> 'bad, evil, wicked' + conjunction; <ca> 'and' -- and bad

ås-câ hudånghô       eresh vîshyâtâ nôit duzhdånghô

• ås-câ -- demonstrative pronoun; genitive dual masculine <a-> 'he, this' -- of these two
• hudånghô -- adjective; nominative plural neuter <hudah-> 'of good gifts, beneficent' -- the beneficent
• eresh -- adverb; <eresh-> 'right, correct, true' -- rightly
• vîshyâtâ -- prefix; <vi> 'wide, apart' + verb; 3rd person plural aorist indicative active <ci> 'discriminate, tell apart' -- choose
• nôit -- negative particle; <nôit> 'no, none' -- not
• duzhdånghô -- adjective; nominative plural neuter <duzhdâ-> 'of bad gifts, maleficent' -- the miserly

4 - at-câ hyat tâ hêm mainyû       jasaêtem paourvîm dazdê

• at-câ -- particle; <at> 'then, but, and, so, thus' + conjunction; <ca> 'and' -- and what is more
• hyat -- conjunction; <hyat> 'as, since, because' -- when
• tâ -- pronoun; nominative dual masculine <ha-> '(s)he, this' -- these two
• hêm -- preposition; <hêm> 'together, with' -- together
• mainyû -- noun; nominative dual masculine <mainyu-> 'spirit' -- spirits
• jasaêtem -- verb; 3rd person dual imperfect indicative middle <gam> 'go' -- came
• paourvîm -- adverb; <paouruya-> 'first, original' -- at the beginning (of the world)
• dazdê -- verb; 3rd person dual imperfect indicative middle <dâ-> 'give, put' -- gave

gaêm-câ ajyâitîm-câ       yathâ-câ anghat apêmem anghush

• gaêm-câ -- noun; accusative singular masculine <gaya-> 'life' + conjunction; <ca> 'and' -- both life
• ajyâitîm-câ -- noun; accusative singular masculine <ajyaiti-> 'death' + conjunction; <ca> 'and' -- and death
• yathâ-câ -- adverb; <yatha> 'just as, like' + conjunction; <ca> 'and' -- and likewise
• anghat -- verb; 3rd person singular present subjunctive active <ah-> 'be, become' -- will arise
• apêmem -- adverb; <apêmem> 'last' -- at the end
• anghush -- noun; nominative singular masculine <anghu-> 'existence, life' -- a life

acishtô dregvatãm       at ashâunê vahishtem manô

• acishtô -- adjective; nominative singular masculine <aka-> 'bad, evil, wicked' + superlative suffix; <-ista-> indicates superlative -- most wicked
• dregvatãm -- adjective; genitive plural masculine <dregvant-> 'possessor of the Lie' -- for followers of the Lie
• at -- particle; <at> 'then, but, and, so, thus' -- and
• ashâunê -- noun; dative singular masculine <ashavan-> '(in accordance with) Truth' -- for the followers of Truth
• vahishtem -- adjective; accusative singular neuter <vohu-> 'good' + superlative suffix; <-ista-> indicates superlative -- best
• manô -- noun; accusative singular neuter <manah-> 'mind' -- thought

5 - ayå mainivå varatâ       yê dregvå acishtâ verezyô

• ayå -- demonstrative pronoun; genitive dual masculine <ayêm-> 'this, that' -- these
• mainivå -- noun; genitive dual masculine <mainyu-> 'spirit' -- of two spirits
• varatâ -- verb; 3rd person singular aorist indicative middle <var> 'choose' -- chose
• yê -- relative pronoun; nominative singular <ya-> 'who, what, which' -- the one who
• dregvå -- adjective; nominative dual masculine <dregvant-> 'possessor of the Lie' -- possessed of the Lie
• acishtâ -- adjective; accusative plural masculine <aka-> 'bad, evil, wicked' + superlative suffix; <-ista-> indicates superlative -- the most wicked things
• verezyô -- infinitive; <verez-> 'perform an action' -- to perform

ashem mainyush spênishtô       yê xraozhdishtêng asênô vastê

• ashem -- noun; accusative singular neuter <asha-> 'truth' -- Truth
• mainyush -- noun; nominative singular masculine <mainyu-> 'spirit' -- spirit
• spênishtô -- adjective; nominative singular masculine <spenta-> 'beneficent, holy, sacred' + superlative suffix; <-ista-> indicates superlative -- beneficent
• yê -- relative pronoun; nominative singular <ya-> 'who, what, which' -- which
• xraozhdishtêng -- adjective; accusative plural masculine <xrûzhdra-> 'hard, firm' + superlative suffix; <-ista-> indicates superlative -- hardest
• asênô -- noun; accusative plural masculine <asan-> 'stone, heaven' -- stones
• vastê -- verb; 3rd person singular present indicative middle <vas> 'be clothed, swathed' -- is clothed

yaê-câ xshnaoshen ahurem       haithyâish shyaothanâish fraoret mazdãm

• yaê-câ -- relative pronoun; nominative plural <ya-> 'who, what, which' + conjunction; <ca> 'and' -- and who
• xshnaoshen -- verb; 3rd person plural s-aorist indicative active <xsnu> 'satisfy' -- satisfy
• ahurem -- noun; accusative singular masculine <ahura-> 'lord' -- the Lord
• haithyâish -- adjective; instrumental plural neuter <haithya-> 'true, real' -- true
• shyaothanâish -- noun; instrumental plural neuter <shyaothana-> 'act, deed' -- with actions
• fraoret -- adverb; <fraoret> 'readily' -- readily
• mazdãm -- noun; accusative singular masculine <mazda-> 'wise one' -- Wise One

6 - ayå nôit eresh vîshyâtâ       daêvâ-cinâ hyat îsh â-debaomâ

• ayå -- demonstrative pronoun; genitive dual masculine <ayêm-> 'this, that' -- (between) these two
• nôit -- negative particle; <nôit> 'no, none' -- not
• eresh -- adverb; <eresh-> 'right, correct, true' -- correctly
• vîshyâtâ -- verb; 3rd person plural aorist indicative active <vi> 'wide, apart' + <ci> 'discriminate, tell apart' -- did choose
• daêvâ-cinâ -- noun; nominative plural masculine <daêva-> 'divine being' + indefinite particle; <cinâ> '...' -- the Daevas... whatsoever
• hyat -- conjunction; <hyat> 'as, since, because' -- since
• îsh -- enclitic demonstrative pronoun; accusative plural <ayêm-> 'this, that' -- them
• â-debaomâ -- preposition; <â> '(up) to, toward, etc.' + noun; nominative singular masculine <debaoman-> 'beguilement, deception' -- Deception

peresmaneng upâ-jasat       hyat verenâtâ acishtem manô

• peresmaneng -- present participle middle; accusative plural masculine <peres-> 'ask' -- deliberating
• upâ-jasat -- verbal prefix; <upa> 'near, up on/to, etc.' + verb; 3rd person singular imperfect indicative active <gam> 'go' -- approached
• hyat -- conjunction; <hyat> 'as, since, because' -- ...
• verenâtâ -- verb; 3rd person plural present injunctive middle <veren-> 'choose' -- they chose
• acishtem -- adjective; accusative singular neuter <aka-> 'bad, evil, wicked' + superlative suffix; <-ista-> indicates superlative -- worst
• manô -- noun; accusative singular neuter <manah-> 'mind' -- thought

at aêshemem hêndvârentâ       yâ bãnayen ahûm maretânô

• at -- particle; <at> 'then, but, and, so, thus' -- thereby
• aêshemem -- noun; accusative singular masculine <aêshema-> 'anger, fury, wrath' -- wrath
• hêndvârentâ -- verb; 3rd person plural imperfect indicative middle <hem> '...' + <dvar> 'rush together' -- rushed headlong
• yâ -- relative pronoun; instrumental singular masculine <ya-> 'who, what, which' -- by which
• bãnayen -- verb; 3rd person plural present injunctive active <banaya-> 'poison, make ill' -- poison
• ahûm -- noun; accusative singular masculine <anghu-> 'existence, life' -- life
• maretânô -- noun; genitive singular masculine <mareta-> 'mortal' -- moral men

7 - ahmâi-câ xshathrâ jasat       mananghâ vohû ashâ-câ

• ahmâi-câ -- demonstrative pronoun; dative singular masculine <ayêm-> 'this, that' + conjunction; <ca> 'and' -- yet... unto him
• xshathrâ -- noun; instrumental singular neuter <xshathra-> 'power' -- with power
• jasat -- verb; 3rd person singular imperfect indicative active <gam> 'go' -- he goes
• mananghâ -- noun; instrumental singular neuter <manah-> 'mind' -- with mind
• vohû -- adjective; instrumental singular neuter <vohu-> 'good' -- good
• ashâ-câ -- adjective; instrumental singular neuter <asha-> 'truth' + conjunction; <ca> 'and' -- and with Truth

at kehrpêm utayûitish       dadât ârmaitish ãnmâ

• at -- particle; <at> 'then, but, and, so, thus' -- and
• kehrpêm -- noun; accusative singular feminine <kehrp-> 'form, body, outward appearance' -- body
• utayûitish -- adjective; nominative singular feminine <utayûiti-> 'fresh, lasting, enduring' -- youthful
• dadât -- verb; 3rd person singular imperfect indicative active <dâ-> 'give, put' -- gives
• ârmaitish -- noun; nominative singular feminine <ârmaiti-> 'devotion, piety' -- Armaiti
• ãnmâ -- noun; accusative singular neuter <ãnman-> 'spirit, breath' -- breath

aêshãm tôi â anghat       yathâ ayanghâ âdânâish paouruyô

• aêshãm -- demonstrative pronoun; genitive plural <ayêm-> 'this, that' -- of these things
• tôi -- personal pronoun; dative singular <tvêm-> 'you' -- for you
• â -- preposition; <â> '(up) to, toward, etc.' -- ...
• anghat -- verb; 3rd person singular present subjunctive active <ah-> 'be, become' -- will arise
• yathâ -- adverb; <yatha> 'just as, like' -- just as
• ayanghâ -- noun; instrumental singular neuter <ayah-> 'metal, iron' -- by molten iron
• âdânâish -- noun; instrumental plural neuter <âdâna-> 'portion, forging together, retaliation' -- through retribution
• paouruyô -- adjective; nominative singular masculine <paouruya-> 'first, original' -- the previous

8 - at-câ yadâ aêshãm       kaênâ jamaitî aênanghãm

• at-câ -- particle; <at> 'then, but, and, so, thus' + conjunction; <ca> 'and' -- and then
• yadâ -- relative adverb; <yadâ> 'when' -- when
• aêshãm -- demonstrative pronoun; genitive plural <ayêm-> 'this, that' -- of these
• kaênâ -- noun; nominative singular feminine <kaênâ-> 'atonement, punishment' -- punishment
• jamaitî -- verb; 3rd person singular aorist subjunctive active <gam> 'go' -- will arrive
• aênanghãm -- noun; genitive plural neuter <aênah-> 'sin' -- of sins

at mazdâ taibyô xshathrem       vohû mananghâ vôi-vîdaitî

• at -- particle; <at> 'then, but, and, so, thus' -- then
• mazdâ -- noun; vocative singular masculine <mazda-> 'wise one' -- O Wise One
• taibyô -- demonstrative pronoun; dative singular <tvêm-> 'you' -- for you
• xshathrem -- noun; accusative singular neuter <xshathra-> 'power' -- sovereign rule
• vohû -- adjective; instrumental singular neuter <vohu-> 'good' -- good
• mananghâ -- noun; instrumental singular neuter <manah-> 'mind' -- through mind
• vôi-vîdaitî -- verb; 3rd person singular aorist subjunctive active intensive <vid> 'see, know, obtain' -- will finally obtain

aêibyô sastê ahurâ       yôi ashâi daden zastayô drujim

• aêibyô -- demonstrative pronoun; dative plural <ayêm-> 'this, that' -- to those
• sastê -- infinitive; <sangh> 'announce, proclaim' -- to proclaim
• ahurâ -- noun; vocative singular masculine <ahura-> 'lord' -- Lord
• yôi -- relative pronoun; nominative plural masculine <ya-> 'who, what, which' -- who
• ashâi -- noun; dative singular neuter <asha-> 'truth' -- over to the Truth
• daden -- verb; 3rd person plural present subjunctive active <dâ-> 'give, put' -- will give
• zastayô -- noun; locative dual masculine <zasta-> 'hand' -- in both hands
• drujim -- noun; accusative singular masculine <druj-> 'deceit' -- Deceit

9 - at-câ tôi vaêm hyâmâ       yôi îm ferashêm kerenaon ahûm

• at-câ -- particle; <at> 'then, but, and, so, thus' + conjunction; <ca> 'and' -- and therefore
• tôi -- pronoun; nominative plural masculine <ha-> '(s)he, this' -- the ones
• vaêm -- personal pronoun; nominative singular <azem-> 'I' -- we
• hyâmâ -- verb; 3rd person plural present optative middle <ah-> 'be, become' -- may be
• yôi -- relative pronoun; nominative plural masculine <ya-> 'who, what, which' -- who
• îm -- enclitic demonstrative pronoun; accusative singular masculine <ayêm-> 'this, that' -- this
• ferashêm -- adjective; accusative singular masculine <ferasha-> 'shining' -- vibrant
• kerenaon -- verb; 3rd person plural present subjunctive active <kar> 'do, make' -- would make
• ahûm -- noun; accusative singular neuter <ahu-> 'existence, life, breath' -- existence

mazdås-câ ahurånghô       â-môyastrâ-baranâ ashâ-câ

• mazdås-câ -- noun; vocative plural masculine <mazda-> 'wise one' + conjunction; <ca> 'and' -- Wise (Lord) and
• ahurånghô -- noun; vocative plural masculine <ahura-> 'lord' -- Lords
• â-môyastrâ-baranâ -- preposition; <â> '(up) to, toward, etc.' + enclitic pronoun; dative singular <azem-> 'I' + privative prefix; <a> 'no, none' + adjective; <stra-> 'spread-out' (?) + noun; instrumental singular masculine <barana-> 'carriage, support' -- by means of the unbroken support to me
• ashâ-câ -- noun; nominative singular masculine <asha-> 'truth' + conjunction; <ca> 'and' -- and the Truth

hyat hathrâ manå bavat       yathrâ cistish anghat maêthâ

• hyat -- conjunction; <hyat> 'as, since, because' -- so that
• hathrâ -- preposition; <hathra> 'together, at the same place/time' -- unified
• manå -- noun; nominative plural neuter <manah-> 'mind' -- minds
• bavat -- verb; 3rd person singular aorist subjunctive active <bu> 'be, become' -- may be
• yathrâ -- adverb; <yathra> 'where, in order to' -- whenever
• cistish -- noun; nominative singular feminine <cisti-> 'knowledge, thought' -- judgement
• anghat -- verb; 3rd person singular present subjunctive active <ah-> 'be, become' -- would be
• maêthâ -- adjective; nominative singular feminine <maêdha-> 'changing, false' -- in doubt

10 - adâ zî avâ drûjô       avô-bavaitî skendô spayathrahyâ

• adâ -- adverb; <adâ> 'then, thereupon, thus' -- then
• zî -- emphatic particle; <zi> 'for, indeed' -- for
• avâ -- verbal prefix; <ava> 'away, down' -- ...
• drûjô -- noun; ablative singular feminine <druj-> 'deceit' -- of deceit
• avô-bavaitî -- verbal prefix; <ava> 'away, down' + verb; 3rd person singular aorist subjunctive active <bu> 'be, become' -- will descend
• skendô -- noun; nominative singular masculine <skenda-> 'destruction' -- destruction
• spayathrahyâ -- noun; genitive singular neuter <spayathra-> 'atonement, prosperity' -- prosperity

at asishtâ yaojantê       â hushitôish vanghêush mananghô

• at -- particle; <at> 'then, but, and, so, thus' -- and
• asishtâ -- adjective; nominative plural masculine <asishta-> 'fastest' -- the swiftest
• yaojantê -- verb; 3rd person plural aorist subjunctive middle <yuj> 'join, unite, yoke' -- will be yoked
• â -- preposition; <â> '(up) to, toward, etc.' -- to
• hushitôish -- noun; genitive singular feminine <hushiti-> 'good dwelling, comfort, safety' -- dwelling place
• vanghêush -- adjective; genitive singular neuter <vohu-> 'good' -- good
• mananghô -- noun; genitive singular neuter <manah-> 'mind' -- of mind

mazdå ashahyâ-câ       yôi zazentî vanghâu sravahî

• mazdå -- noun; genitive singular masculine <mazda-> 'wise one' -- of the Wise One
• ashahyâ-câ -- noun; genitive singular masculine <asha-> 'truth' + conjunction; <ca> 'and' -- and of Truth
• yôi -- relative pronoun; nominative plural masculine <ya-> 'who, what, which' -- which
• zazentî -- verb; 3rd person plural present subjunctive active <zâ> 'conquer, win, come in first' -- will race ahead
• vanghâu -- adjective; locative singular neuter <vohu-> 'good' -- unto good
• sravahî -- noun; locative singular neuter <sravas-> 'fame' -- fame

11 - hyat tâ urvâtâ sashathâ       yâ mazdå dadât mashyånghô

• hyat -- conjunction; <hyat> 'if, so, when' -- when
• tâ -- demonstrative pronoun; accusative plural neuter <ha-> '(s)he, this' -- those
• urvâtâ -- noun; accusative plural neuter <urvâta-> 'rule, order, commandment' -- rules
• sashathâ -- verb; 2nd person plural present indicative active <sac> 'learn, understand' -- you all learn
• yâ -- relative pronoun; nominative plural neuter <ya-> 'who, what, which' -- which
• mazdå -- noun; nominative singular masculine <mazda-> 'wise one' -- the Wise One
• dadât -- verb; 3rd person singular aorist indicative active <dâ-> 'give, put' -- has given
• mashyånghô -- noun; vocative plural masculine <mashya-> 'human being' -- o mortals

x^vîti-câ êneitî       hyat-câ daregêm dregvô-debyô rashô

• x^vîti-câ -- noun; accusative dual feminine <x^viti-> 'well-being, freedom of movement' + conjunction; <ca> 'and' -- freedom and
• êneitî -- noun; accusative dual feminine <êneiti-> 'ill-being, lack of freedom' -- constraint
• hyat-câ -- conjunction; <hyat> 'if, so, when' + conjunction; <ca> 'and' -- and when
• daregêm -- adjective; accusative singular neuter <darega-> 'long' -- long-lasting
• dregvô-debyô -- adjective; dative plural masculine <dregvant-> 'possessor of the Lie' -- for the Possessors of the Lie
• rashô -- noun; accusative singular neuter <rashah-> 'harm, damage' -- destruction

sava-câ ashavabyô       at aipî tâish anghaitî ushtâ

• sava-câ -- noun; accusative plural neuter <sava-> 'benefit, salvation' + conjunction; <ca> 'and' -- but blessings
• ashavabyô -- noun; dative plural masculine <ashavant-> 'follower of the Truth' -- for the Truthful
• at -- particle; <at> 'then, but, and, so, thus' -- then
• aipî -- preposition; <aipi> 'toward, approaching' -- ...
• tâish -- demonstrative pronoun; instrumental plural masculine <ha-> '(s)he, this' -- through these
• anghaitî -- verb; 3rd person singular present subjunctive active <ah-> 'be, become' -- will arise
• ushtâ -- past participle passive; accusative plural masculine <vas> 'desire, wish' -- the things you desire

Lesson Text

¹ at tâ vaxshyâ ishentô       yâ mazdâthâ hyat-cît vîdushê
staotâ-câ ahurâi       yesnyâ-câ vanghêush mananghô
humãzdrâ ashâ ye-câ       yâ raocêbîs daresatâ urvâzâ

² sraotâ gêush-aish vahishtâ       a-vaênatâ sûcâ mananghâ
âvarenå vîcithahyâ       narêm narem x^vahyâi tanuyê
parâ mazê yånghô       ahmâi nê sazdyâi baodantô paiti

³ at tâ mainyû paouruyê       yâ yêmâ x^vafnâ asrvâtem
manahi-câ vacahi-câ       shyaothanôi hî vahyô akem-câ
ås-câ hudånghô       eresh vîshyâtâ nôit duzhdånghô

⁴ at-câ hyat tâ hêm mainyû       jasaêtem paourvîm dazdê
gaêm-câ ajyâitîm-câ       yathâ-câ anghat apêmem anghush
acishtô dregvatãm       at ashâunê vahishtem manô

⁵ ayå mainivå varatâ       yê dregvå acishtâ verezyô
ashem mainyush spênishtô       yê xraozhdishtêng asênô vastê
yaê-câ xshnaoshen ahurem       haithyâish shyaothanâish fraoret mazdãm

⁶ ayå nôit eresh vîshyâtâ       daêvâ-cinâ hyat îsh â-debaomâ
peresmaneng upâ-jasat       hyat verenâtâ acishtem manô
at aêshemem hêndvârentâ       yâ bãnayen ahûm maretânô

⁷ ahmâi-câ xshathrâ jasat       mananghâ vohû ashâ-câ
at kehrpêm utayûitish       dadât ârmaitish ãnmâ
aêshãm tôi â anghat       yathâ ayanghâ âdânâish paouruyô

⁸ at-câ yadâ aêshãm       kaênâ jamaitî aênanghãm
at mazdâ taibyô xshathrem       vohû mananghâ vôi-vîdaitî
aêibyô sastê ahurâ       yôi ashâi daden zastayô drujim

⁹ at-câ tôi vaêm hyâmâ       yôi îm ferashêm kerenaon ahûm
mazdås-câ ahurånghô       â-môyastrâ-baranâ ashâ-câ
hyat hathrâ manå bavat       yathrâ cistish anghat maêthâ

¹⁰ adâ zî avâ drûjô       avô-bavaitî skendô spayathrahyâ
at asishtâ yaojantê       â hushitôish vanghêush mananghô
mazdå ashahyâ-câ       yôi zazentî vanghâu sravahî

¹¹ hyat tâ urvâtâ sashathâ       yâ mazdå dadât mashyånghô
x^vîti-câ êneitî       hyat-câ daregêm dregvô-debyô rashô
sava-câ ashavabyô       at aipî tâish anghaitî ushtâ

Translation

Grammar

16. Noun Stems in Sibilants and Stops

16.1. n-stem Nouns

Avestan has n-stem nouns in an, man, and van, whose declensions vary only by the strength of the stem. Stems in an generally show ablaut, extending to ân in cases that take a strong stem. This is not, however, consistent: some words follow this pattern while others do not, perhaps on analogy with man- and van-stems for which ablaut is unattested.

The paradigms given here include the ablaut.

16.2. r/n-stem Nouns

Avestan includes a few stems that end in r or n, depending on the case in which they appear.

17. Relative and Interrogative Pronouns

The relative and interrogative pronouns, ya- and ka-, respectively, decline similarly in Avestan. The interrogative also has a stem ci- that appears only in the nominative singular form cish. The relative paradigm is given here.

The neuter differs from the masculine in only the nominative and accusative cases:

18. The Perfect Tense

In addition to the present and aorist stems encountered in previous lessons, Avestan also has a perfect stem which is formed by the reduplication of the root. Generally, this reduplication is created by adding the vowel of the underlying root and any consonant immediately preceding that vowel to the front of the root. Exceptions to this rule are as follows:

• Diphthongs ending in i or u reduplicate in i or u, respectively.
• The initial consonant c changes to k in the root syllable, e.g. cit 'think', cikait-.
• Initial k reduplicates as c, e.g. kan 'desire, cakan.
• Consonant clusters omit all but the initial consonant, e.g. vraz 'be joyful', vavraz-.
• The root vid 'see, know' is not reduplicated.

The root takes full grade in the singular present indicative active and all forms of the subjunctive; zero grade, elsewhere.

In these lessons, the perfect has been translated with past sense, e.g. tatashâ 'has fashioned'.

Perfect Paradigm

Since no root forms more than one perfect conjugation, the convention of using a single root per paradigm is not followed here.

19. The Perfect Active Participle

The perfect tense also has active and middle participles. The active form is built by adding the suffix vas, weak grade ush, to the reduplicated stem. Feminines add î and decline accordingly. Masculines decline thus:

The present middle participle is formed by adding the ending ana to the perfect stem, which declines according to the a/â-paradigms in Section 3.

Perfect participles are translated with the verb 'having', as in vidvå 'having known', nominative singular masculine.

20. Relative-Correlative Syntax

Native English speakers sometimes find the Indo-Iranian relative clause difficult because it is not usually embedded within the main clause, as it is in English, but rather precedes the main clause, which 'picks up' the relative pronoun with a corresponding demonstrative, or correlative, pronoun. The relative pronoun may be placed anywhere within its own clause, though it is often found at the beginning. The correlative must begin the main clause. The antecedent, or the word that the relative pronoun represents in the relative clause, also (somewhat counter-intuitively) appears in the relative clause, usually immediately after the relative pronoun.

The relative clause aêibyô sastê yôi ashai daden drujem, taken from stanza 8 above, provides an illustration:

This is translated into English as "to proclaim to those who will give Deceit over to the Truth."

Footnotes