# Vendidad — Chapter 11

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-19 — 1 clipping.*

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> Source: Avesta.org. The Vendidad, Chapter 11, translation: L.H. Mills / J. Darmesteter (Sacred Books of the East, 1880-1887), Avesta.org. License: Public domain (translation predates 1928).
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> 
> AVESTA: VENDIDAD (English): Fargard 11.
> 
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> AVESTA: VENDIDAD (English): Fargard 11. Special formulas for cleansing several objects.
> 
> This digital edition copyright prepared by Joseph H. Peterson; updated Jul 1, 2001.
> 
> Translated by James Darmesteter (From Sacred Books of the East,
> American Edition, 1898.)
> 
> This chapter, like the preceding, is composed of spells intended
> to drive away the Nasu. But they are of a more special character,
> as they refer to the particular objects to he cleansed, such as
> the house, the fire1 the water, the earth, the animals, the plants,
> the man defiled with the dead. Each incantation consists of two
> parts, a line from the Gathas which alludes, or rather is made
> to allude, to the particular object (§§ 4, 5, 6, 7), and a general
> exorcism, in the usual dialect (§§ 8-20), which is the same
> for all the objects.
> 
> FARGARD 11. Special formulas for cleansing several objects
> 
> 1. Zarathushtra asked Ahura Mazda: 'O Ahura Mazda! most beneficent
> spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! How shall
> I cleanse the house? how the fire? how the water? how the earth?
> how the cow? how the tree? how the faithful man and the faithful
> woman : how the stars? how the moon? how the sun? how the boundless
> light? how all good things, made by Mazda, the offspring of the
> holy principle?'
> 
> Notes:
> 
> 2. Ahura Mazda answered: 'Thou shalt chant the cleansing words,
> and the house shall be clean; clean shall be the fire, clean the
> water, clean the earth, clean the cow, clean the tree, clean the
> faithful man and the faithful woman, clean the stars, clean the
> moon, clean the sun, clean the boundless light, clean all good
> things, made by Mazda, the offspring of the holy principle.
> 
> 3. ['So thou shalt say these victorious, most healing words];
> thou shalt chant the Ahuna-Vairya five times: "The will of
> the Lord is the law of righteousness," &c.
> 
> 'The Ahuna-Vairya preserves the person of man:
> 
> '"Yatha ahu vairyo: - The will of the Lord is the law of
> righteousness," &c.
> 
> '"Kem-na mazda: - What protector hast thou given unto me,
> O Mazda! while the hate of the wicked encompasses me?" &c.
> 
> '"Ke verethrem-ja: - Who is the victorious who will protect
> thy teaching?" &c.
> 
> '"Keep us from our hater, O Mazda and Armaiti Spenta!"
> &c.1
> 
> 1. As in Vd8.19, 20.
> 
> 4. 'If thou wantest to cleanse the house, say these words aloud:
> "As long as the sickness lasts my great protector [is he
> who teaches virtue to the perverse]2."
> 
> 'If thou wantest to cleanse the fire, say these words aloud: "Thy
> fire, first of all, do we approach with worship, O Ahura Mazda3!"
> 
> 2. Yasna 49.1. The allusion is not
> quite clear. This line was
> recited by the Genius of the sky at the moment when Ahriman was
> invading the sky (Gr. Bd.) Perhaps the small house of man is
> compared here with that large house, the world.
> 
> 3. Yasna 36.1.
> 
> 5. 'If thou wantest to cleanse the water, say these words aloud:
> " Waters we worship, the Maekainti waters, the Hebvainti
> waters, the Fravazah waters.4"
> 
> 'If thou wantest to cleanse the earth, say these words aloud:
> "This earth we worship, this earth with the women, this earth
> which bears us and those women who are thine, O Ahura5!"
> 
> 4. Yasna 38.3.
> 
> 5. Yasna 38.1.
> 'Who are thine,' that is, 'who are thy wives?
> 
> 6. 'If thou wantest to cleanse the cow, say these words aloud:
> "The best of all works we will fulfil while we order both
> the learned and the unlearned, both masters and servants to secure
> for the cattle a good resting-place and fodder6."
> 
> 'If thou wantest to cleanse the trees, say these words aloud:
> "For him7, as a reward, Mazda made the plants
> grow up8."
> 
> 6. Yasna 35.4.
> 'Let those excellent deeds be done for the behoof
> of cattle, that is to say, let stables be made, and water and
> fodder he given' (Comm.)
> 
> 7. 'For him,' that is to say, to feed him; also 'out of him;'
> for it was from the body of the first-horn bull that, after his
> death, grew up all kinds of plants (Bund. 4).
> 
> 8. Yasna 48.6.
> See Vd17.5.
> 
> 7. 'If thou wantest to cleanse the faithful man or the faithful
> woman, say these words aloud: "May the vow-fulfilling Airyaman
> come hither, for the men and women of Zarathushtra to rejoice,
> for Vohu-mano to rejoice; with the desirable reward that Religion
> deserves. I solicit for holiness that boon that is vouchsafed
> by Ahura9!"
> 
> 9. Yasna 54.1.
> See Vd20.11. There is no special spell for
> the cleansing of the sun, the moon, the stars, and the boundless
> light (see §§ 1, 2), because they are not defiled by
> the unclean one, they are only pained by seeing him
> (Vd9.41); as soon as he is clean,
> they are freed from the pain.
> 
> 8. 'Then thou shalt say these victorious, most healing words.
> Thou shalt chant the Ahuna-Vairya eight times:-
> 
> '"Yatha ahu vairya:- The will of the Lord is the law of righteousness,"
> &c.
> 
> '"Kem-na mazda:- Whom hast thou placed to protect me, O Mazda?"
> &c.
> 
> '"Ke verethrem-ga:- What protector hast thou given unto me?"
> &c.
> 
> '"Who is the victorious?" &c.
> 
> '"Keep us from our hater, O Mazda!" &c.10
> 
> 10. As in Vd8.19, 20.
> 
> 9. 'I drive away Aeshma11, I drive away the Nasu, I drive away
> direct defilement, I drive away indirect defilement.
> 
> ['I drive away Khru, I drive away Khruighni12.
> 
> 'I drive away Buidhi, I drive away the offspring of Buidhi13.
> 
> 'I drive away Kundi, I drive away tle offspring of Kundi14.]
> 
> 'I drive away the gaunt Bushyasta, I drive away the long-handed
> Bushyasta15; [I drive away Muidhi16,
> I drive away Kapasti17.]
> 
> 'I drive away the Pairika18 that comes upon the fire, upon the
> water, upon the earth, upon the cow, upon the tree. I drive away
> the uncleanness that comes upon the fire, upon the water, upon
> the earth, upon the cow, upon the tree.
> 
> 11. See Vd10.13.
> 
> 12. Khrû and Khrûighni are not met with elsewhere; their names mean,
> apparently, 'wound' and 'the wounding one.' They may
> have been mere names or epithets of Aeshma khruidru, 'Aeshma of
> the murderous spear.'
> 
> 13. Bûidhi may be another pronunciation of Bûiti
> (see Vd19.1).
> 
> 14. Kuñdi is very likely the same as Kuñda
> (Vd19.41) who is the
> riding-stock of the sorcerers (Bd. 28.42).
> 
> 15. See Vd18.16.
> 
> 16. A demon unknown. Perhaps Intoxication.
> 
> 17. Unknown. Perhaps Colocynth, the type of the bitter plants.
> 
> 18. A female demon, the modern Parî [fairy -JHP], often associated with Yatu,
> 'the wizard.'
> 
> 10. 'I drive thee away, O mischievous Angra Mainyu! from the fire,
> from the water, from the earth, from the cow, from the tree, from
> the faithful man and from the faithful woman, from the stars,
> from the moon, from the sun, from the boundless light, from all
> good things, made by Mazda, the offspring of the holy principle.
> 
> 11. 'Then thou shalt say these victorious, most healing words;
> thou shalt chant four Ahuna-Vairyas:-
> 
> '"Yatha aha vairyo:- The will of the Lord is the law of righteousness,"
> &c.
> 
> '"Kem-na mazda:- What protector
> hast thou given unto me?" &c.
> 
> '"Ke verethrem-ja:- Who is the victorious?" &c.
> 
> '"Keep us from our hater, O Mazda!" &c.19
> 
> 19. As in Vd8.19, 20.
> 
> 12. 'Aeshma is driven away; away the Nasu; away direct defilement,
> away indirect defilement.
> 
> ['Khru is driven away, away Khruighni; away Buidhi, away the offspring
> of Buidhi; away Kundi, away the offspring of Kundi.]
> 
> 'The gaunt Bushyasta is driven away; away Bushyasta, the long-handed;
> [away Muidhi, away Kapasti.]
> 
> 'The Pairika is driven away that comes upon the fire, upon the
> water, upon the earth, upon the cow, upon the tree. The uncleanness
> is driven away that comes upon the fire, upon the water, upon
> the earth, upon the cow, upon the tree.
> 13.
> 'Thou art driven away, O mischievous Angra Mainyu! from the
> fire, from the water, from the earth, from the cow, from the tree,
> from the faithful man and from the faithful woman, from the stars,
> from the moon, from the sun, from the boundless light, from all
> good things, made by Mazda, the offspring of the holy principle.
> 
> 14. 'Then thou shalt say these victorious, most healing words;
> thou shalt chant "Mazda ad moi" four times: "O
> Mazda! say unto me the excellent words and the excellent works,
> that through the good thought and the holiness of him who offers
> thee the due meed of praise, thou mayest, O Lord! make the world
> of Resurrection appear, at thy will, under thy sovereign rule20."
> 
> 20. Yasna 34.15.
> 
> 15. 'I drive away Aeshma, I drive away the Nasu,' &c.21
> 
> 21. The rest as in § 9.
> 
> 16. 'I drive thee away, O mischievous Angra Mainyu! from the fire,
> from the water,' &c.22
> 
> 22. The rest as in § 10.
> 
> 17. 'Then thou shalt say these victorious, most healing words;
> thou shalt chant the Airyama Ishyo four times: "May the vow-fulfilling
> Airyaman come hither!"'&c.23
> 
> 23. As in § 7.
> 
> 18. 'Aeshma is driven away; away the Nasu,' &c.24
> 
> 24. As in § 12.
> 
> 19. 'Thou art driven away, O mischievous Angra Mainyu! from the
> fire, from the water,' &c.25
> 
> 25. As in § 13.
> 
> 20. 'Then thou shalt say these victorious, most healing words;
> thou shalt chant five Ahuna-Vairyas:-
> 
> '"Yatha ahu vairyo:- The will of the Lord is the law of righteousness,"
> &c.
> 
> '"Kem-na mazda:- Whom hast thou placed to protect me?"
> &c.
> 
> '"Ke verethrem-ja:- Who is he who will smite the fiend?"
> &c.26
> 
> '"Keep us from our hater, O Mazda and Armaiti Spenta! Perish,
> O fiendish Druj! Perish, O brood of the fiend! Perish, O world
> of the fiend! Perish away, O Druj! Rush away, O Druj! Perish away,
> O Druj! Perish away to the regions of the north, never more to
> give unto death the living world of Righteousness!"'
> 
> 26. See Vd8.19, 20.
> 
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> — *Vendidad — Chapter 11 — L.H. Mills / James Darmesteter (1880-1887) (Public domain (Sacred Books of the East, 1880-1887))*