Bahman Yasht 05 - Age of Iron and Strife
Zand-i Wahman Yasn (Bahman Yasht), Chapter 5 Translated by E.W. West (Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 5, 1880)
CHAPTER V.
1
Zartosht asked Ohrmazd: “O spiritual and beneficent Ohrmazd! holy Creator of the material existence!” [know that the attributes ‘Ohrmazd’ and ‘holy’ are for invocation, and the other attributes are for praise; there is some one who says ‘holy’ and ‘Creator’ are the attributes.] “O Creator! in that perverse period, will there be holy persons and will there be religious persons who will wear the sacred thread-girdle on their waist, and celebrate the religious rites with the sacred ‘barsom’ twigs? will the Religion of self-sacrifice continue in their families?“
2
He, Ohrmazd, replied to Spitaman Zartosht: “The best of men will be that one, who, in that perverse period, will wear the sacred thread-girdle on the waist, and celebrate the religious rites with the sacred ‘barsom’ twigs, though not just as in the reign of king Vishtasp. (3) He who will recite and will have learnt by heart the ‘Itha-at-yazamaide’ and the ‘Ashem vohu,’ in that perverse period, will be such as though he had celebrated a ‘duwazdah homast’ with the votive offering, in the reign of king Vishtasp. (4) And whoever shall have performed the worship at the initiation and chanted the holy ‘Gasan’ hymns, will be such as though he had been one who had celebrated the ‘vaj’ ritual and chanted the holy ‘Gasan’ hymns, in the reign of king Vishtasp.
Itha-at-yazamaide: The first verse of Yasna 37, which is used as a “baj” before meals. -JHP 5. duwazdah homast: A very elaborate ceremony, a high liturgy consisting of 12 sections, where Vendidad and Yasna is recited. see Modi, RCC, p. 174. -JHP
5
“The best of holy men will be that one, who will remain in the good Religion of Mazda-worship; the Religion of self-sacrifice will continue in his family.”
[115] (6) He Ohrmazd said: “O Spitaman Zartosht! in these nine thousand years which I, Ohrmazd, created, men, in that perverse period, will become the more perverse. (7) For, in the evil reigns of Az-i dahak and the Turanian Frasyaw, men, who were in that perverse period, had better life and longer life, they had less affliction from Ahriman and the devs. (8) For, in their evil reigns, there were not five desolate districts in Airan-sahr such as those which will be, when thy millenium will end, O Spitaman Zartosht! (9) For, all the Iranian villages will be razed with their horses’ hoofs; their banner will reach into Patashkhvar-gar; the tyrannical rule will remove the seat of Religion from thence; their attack will come from that place.
10
“O Spitaman Zartosht! this is what I foretell.”
11
Be who, of existing beings, is thus in the worship, is supremely good; [that is, the worship of him is good who performs much worship for Ohrmazd;] Ohrmazd is cognisant, through the help of holiness, of anything whatsoever; [that is, Ohrmazd, cognisant through holiness, gives the wages and recompense of any duty and good deed whatsoever;] and I worship [those of the congregation] males and females, [the Beneficent Immortals, who are even males and females too; they are good.]