# Vendidad — Chapter 20

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-18 — 1 clipping.*

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> Source: Avesta.org. The Vendidad, Chapter 20, 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 20. Thrita and the origins of medicine
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> AVESTA: VENDIDAD (English): Fargard 20.
> 
> This digital edition prepared by Joseph H. Peterson, 1995; updated Apr 15, 2023.
> 
> Translated by James Darmesteter (From Sacred Books of the East,
> American Edition, 1898.)
> 
> It has already been seen (Farg. VII, 44)
> that there are three kinds of medicine one that heals with the knife, one that heals
> with herbs, and one that heals with sacred spells. The present
> Fargard deals with the origin of medicine, particularly the herbs-medicine.
> Its inventor was Thrita, of the Sâma family, to whom Ahura Mazda
> brought down from heaven ten thousand healing
> 
> plants that had been growing up around the tree of eternal life,
> the white Hom or Gaokerena (§ 4).
> 
> Notes:
> 
> This Thrita is mentioned only once again in the Avesta,
> in Yasna 9.7,
> where he appears to have been one of the first priests
> of Haoma. This accounts for his medical skill; as Haoma is the
> plant of eternal life, it is but natural that one of his first
> priests should have been the first healer.
> 
> This Fargard has only an allusion to the origin of the knife-medicine [surgery],
> which was, as it seems, revealed by Khshathra Vairya (§ 3). The
> last paragraphs (§§ 5-12) deal with the spell-medicine.
> 
> The functions ascribed here to Thrita were sometimes conferred
> on his semi-namesake Thraetaona [Faridoon] (see Westergaard Fragments, II).
> Hamza makes Thraetaona the inventor of medicine (Ed Gottwaldt, p. 23;
> cf. Mirkhond, Early Kings of Persia, tr. by Shea, p. 152);
> the Tavîds (formulas of exorcism) against sickness are inscribed
> with his name, and we find in the Avesta itself his Fravashi invoked
> 'against itch, hot fever, humours, cold fever (Vd7.58),
> incontinence, against the plagues created by the serpent
> (Yt13.131).'
> We see from the last words of this passage that disease was understood as coming
> from the serpent; in other words, that it was considered a sort
> of poisoning1, and this is the reason why the killer of the serpent
> (Azi-Dahaka) [Zohak] was invoked to act against it.
> 
> 1. This theory, which modern science would not utterly reject, accounts
> for the great part which the serpent plays in the worship of Asclepius;
> as sickness comes from him, from him too must or
> may come the healing.
> 
> FARGARD 20. Thrita, the first healer.
> 
> 1. Zarathushtra asked Ahura Mazda: 'Ahura Mazda, most
> beneficent Spirit, Maker of the material world, thou Holy One!
> Who was he who first of the healers2, of the wise, the happy, the
> wealthy, the glorious, the strong, the Paradhatas3, drove back
> sickness to sickness, drove back death to death4; and first
> turned away the point of the sword and the fire of fever from the
> bodies of mortals?'
> 
> 2. Those who knew how to take care or their own bodies,
> like Isfandyar: some say that no sword could wound him' (Comm.)
> 
> 3. The Paradhata or Peshdad, the kings of the first Iranian dynasty.
> 
> 4. That is to say, who kept sickness in bonds, who kept death in
> bonds' (Comm.)
> 
> 2. Ahura Mazda answered: 'Thrita it was who first of the
> healers, of the wise, the happy, the wealthy, the glorious, the
> strong, the Paradhatas, drove back sickness to sickness, drove
> back death to death, and first turned away the point of the sword
> and the fire of fever from the bodies of mortals.
> 
> 3. 'He asked for a source of remedies; he obtained it from
> Khshathra-Vairya5, to withstand sickness and to withstand death;
> to withstand pain and to withstand fever; to withstand Sarana and
> to withstand Sarastya6; to withstand Azana and to withstand
> Azahva; to withstand Kurugha and. to withstand Azivaka; to
> withstand Duruka and to 'withstand Astairya; to withstand the
> evil eye, rottenness, and infection which Angra Mainyu had
> created against the bodies of mortals.
> 
> 5. As Khshathra-Vairya presides over metals, it was a knife he received,
> 'of which the point and the base were set in gold.' He was therefore
> the first who healed with the knife, as well as the first who
> healed with herbs. As for the healing with the holy word, see §
> 5 and seq.
> 
> 6. Headache and cold fever.
> 
> 4. 'And I Ahura Mazda brought down the healing plants that, by
> many hundreds, by many thousands, by many myriads, grow up all
> around the one Gaokerena7.
> 
> 7. There are two Haomas: one is the yellow or golden Haoma,
> which is the earthly Haoma, and which, when prepared for the sacrifice,
> is the king of healing plants; the other is the white Haoma or
> Gaokerena, which grows up in the middle of the sea Vouru-Kasha,
> where it is surrounded by the ten thousand healing
> plants, created by Ohrmazd in order to oppose so many diseases
> that had been created by Ahriman
> (Bundahishn 9;
> see Vd22.2). A frog goes swimming
> around the Gaokerena to gnaw it down: but two Kar Mahi
> (Vd19.42) keep watch and circle around
> the tree, so that the head of one of them is continually towards
> the frog (Bund. 18).
> 
> 5. 'All this do we achieve; all this do we order; all these
> prayers do we utter, for the benefit of the bodies of mortals8;
> 
> 8. We do all that is necessary for healing; we give, as Dastobar
> (Dastur), the necessary prescriptions; we recite the needed prayers.
> -- This section is a transition to the spell-medicine.
> 
> 6. 'To withstand sickness and to withstand death; to withstand
> pain and to withstand fever; to withstand Sarana and to withstand
> Sarastya; to withstand Azana and to withstand Azahva; to
> withstand Kurugha and to withstand Azivaka; to withstand Duruka
> and to withstand Astairya; to withstand the evil eye, rottenness,
> and infection which Angra Mainyu has created against the bodies
> of mortals.
> 
> 7. 'To thee, O Sickness, I say avaunt! to thee, O Death, I say
> avaunt! to thee, O Pain, I say avaunt! to thee, O Fever, I say
> avaunt! to thee, O Evil Eye, I say avaunt! to thee, O Sarana, I
> say avaunt! and to thee, O Sarastya, I say avaunt! to thee, O
> Azana, I say avaunt! and to thee, O Azahva, I say avaunt! to
> thee, O Kurugha, I say avaunt! and to thee, O Azivaka, I say
> avaunt! to thee, O Duruka, I say avaunt! and to thee, O Astairya,
> I say avaunt!
> 
> 8. 'Give us, O Ahura, that powerful sovereignty, by the
> strength of which we may smite down the Druj! By its might may
> we smite the Druj9!
> 
> 9. This clause is borrowed, with some alteration, from
> Yasna 31.4;
> the original text is, 'May that strong power come to
> me, by the might of which we may smite down the Druj!'
> 
> 9. 'I drive away Ishire and I drive away Aghuire; I drive away
> Aghra and I drive away Ughra; I drive away sickness and I drive
> away death; I drive away pain and I drive away fever; I drive
> away Sarana and I drive away Sarastya; I drive away Azana and I
> drive away Azahva; I drive away Kurugha and I drive away Azivaka;
> I drive away Duruka and I drive away Astairya; I drive away the
> evil eye, rottenness, and infection which Angra Mainyu has
> created against the bodies of mortals.
> 
> 10. 'I drive away all manner of sickness and death, all the
> Yatus and Pairikas10, and all the wicked Jainis11.
> 
> 10. See Vd11.9.
> 
> 11. [i.e. genie, jinn, djinn -JHP] 'Jai' (Comm.), that is Jahi;
> cf. Vd18.62, and
> Vd22.2, note.
> -- Clause 10 is imitated from clause 12.
> 
> 11. 'A Airyema ishyo.
> May the vow-fulfilling Airyaman12 come
> here, 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
> Ahura!
> 
> 12. On Airyaman, see Vd22. Clauses 15-12 are borrowed from
> Yasna 54.1, and form
> the prayer known as Airyema ishyo.
> 
> 12. 'May the vow-fulfilling Airyaman smite all manner of
> sickness and death, all the Yatus and Pairikas, and all the
> wicked Jainis.'
> 
> [13. Yatha ahu vairyo:- The will of the Lord is the law of
> righteousness.
> The gifts of Vohu-mano to the deeds done in this world for
> Mazda. He who relieves the poor makes Ahura king.
> 
> Kem-na mazda:- What protector hast thou given unto me, O
> Mazda! while the hate of the wicked encompasses me? Whom but thy
> Atar and Vohu-mano, through whose work I keep on the world of
> Righteousness? Reveal therefore to me thy Religion as thy rule!
> 
> Ke verethrem-ja:- Who is the victorious who will protect thy
> teaching? Make it clear that I am the guide for both worlds.
> May Sraosha come with Vohu-mano and help whomsoever thou
> pleasest, O Mazda!
> 
> 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! Perish away to the regions of
> the north, never more to give unto death the living world of
> Righteousness13!]
> 
> 13. See Vd8.19-20.
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> — *Vendidad — Chapter 20 — L.H. Mills / James Darmesteter (1880-1887) (Public domain (Sacred Books of the East, 1880-1887))*