# Yashts — Yasht 11

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

---

> Source: Avesta.org. The Yashts, Yasht 11, translation: L.H. Mills / J. Darmesteter (Sacred Books of the East, 1880-1887), Avesta.org. License: Public domain (translation predates 1928).
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> AVESTA: KHORDA AVESTA (English): SROSH YASHT HADHOKHT
> 
> Avesta -- Zoroastrian Archives
> 
> Contents
> 
> Prev
> 
> Yt11
> 
> Next
> 
> Avestan
> 
> Glossary
> 
> Avesta: Khorda Avesta
> 
> 11. SROSH YASHT HADHOKHT.
> 
> Translated by James Darmesteter (From Sacred Books of the
> East, American Edition, 1898.)
> 
> 0. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced!....
> 
> Ashem Vohu: Holiness is the best of all good....
> 
> I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathushtra,
> one who hates the Daevas and obeys the laws of Ahura;
> 
> For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Havani],
> the holy and master of holiness....
> 
> Unto the holy, strong Sraosha, who is the incarnate Word, a mighty-speared
> and lordly god,
> 
> Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.
> 
> Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness....
> 
> I.
> 
> 1.
> We sacrifice unto the holy, tall-formed, fiend-smiting Sraosha,
> who makes the world increase, the holy and master of holiness.
> 
> Good prayer, excellent prayer to the worlds, O Zarathushtra!
> 
> 2.
> This it is that takes away the friendship of the fiend and
> fiends, of the he-fiend and of the she-fiend; it turns away in
> giddiness their eyes, minds, ears, hands, feet, mouths, and tongues;
> as good prayer, without deceit and without harm, is Manly Courage,
> and turns away the Druj.
> 
> 3.
> The holy Sraosha, the best protector ofthe poor, is fiend-smiting;
> he is the best smiter of the Druj.
> 
> The faithful one who pronounces most words of blessing is the
> most victorious in victory; the Mathra Spenta takes best the unseen
> Druj way. The Ahuna Vairya is the best fiend-smiter among all
> spells; the word of truth is the fighter that is the best of all
> fiend-smiters.
> 
> The Law of the worshippers of Mazda is the truest giver of all
> the good things of all those that are the offspring of the good
> principle; and so is the Law of Zarathushtra.
> 
> 4.
> And he who should pronounce that word, O Zarathushtra! either
> a man or a woman with a mind all intent on holiness, with words
> all intent on holiness, with deeds all intent on holiness, when
> he is in fear either of high waters or of the darkness of a rainy
> night;
> 
> Or at the fords of a river, or at the branching-off of roads;
> 
> Or in the meeting together of the faithful, or the rushing together
> of the worshippers of the Daevas;
> 
> 5.
> Whether on the road or in the law he has to fear, not in that
> day nor in that night shall the tormenting fiend, who wants to
> torment him, prevail to throw upon him the look of his evil eye,
> and the malice of the thief who carries off cattle shall not reach
> him.
> 
> 6.
> Pronounce then that word, O Zarathushtra! that word to be
> spoken, when thou fall upon the idolaters and thieves and Daevas
> rushing together. Then the malice of the wicked worshippers of
> the Daevas, of the Yatus and their followers, of the Pairikas
> and their followers, will be affrighted and rush away. Down are
> the Daevas! Down are the Daeva-worshippers, and they take back
> their mouths from biting.
> 
> 7.
> And therefore we take around us the holy-natured Sraosha,
> the holy, the fiend-smiter, as one does with shepherds' dogs;
> therefore we sacrifice unto the holy-natured Sraosha, the holy,
> the fiend-smiter, with good thoughts, good words, and good deeds.
> 
> 8.
> For his brightness and glory, for his strength and victorious
> power, for his offering sacrifices unto the gods, I will offer
> him a sacrifice worth being heard. I will offer up libations unto
> the holy Sraosha, unto the great Ashi Vanguhi, and unto Nairyo-sangha,
> the tall-formed.
> 
> So may the holy Sraosha, the fiend-smiter, come to us for help!
> 
> 9.
> We worship the holy Sraosha; we worship the great master,
> Ahura Mazda, who is supreme in holiness, who is the foremost to
> do deeds of holiness.
> 
> We worship all the words of Zarathushtra, and all the good deeds,
> those done and those to be done.
> 
> Yenhe hatam: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda....
> 
> II.
> 
> 10.
> We sacrifice unto the holy, tall-formed fiend-smiting Sraosha,
> who makes the world increase, the holy and master of holiness;
> 
> Who strikes the evil-doing man, who strikes the evil-doing woman;
> who smites the fiendish Druj, and is most strong and world-destroying;
> who maintains and looks over all this moving world;
> 
> 11.
> Who, never sleeping, wakefully guards the creation of Mazda;
> who, never sleeping, wakefully maintains the creation of Mazda;
> who protects all the material world with his club uplifted, from
> the hour when the sun is down;
> 
> 12.
> Who never more did enjoy sleep from the time when the two
> Spirits made the world, namely, the good Spirit and the evil One;
> who every day, every night, fights with the Mazainya Daevas.
> 
> 13.
> He bows not for fear and fright before the Daevas: before
> him all the Daevas bow for fear and fright reluctantly, and rush
> away to darkness.
> 
> For his brightness and glory, for his strength and victorious
> power....
> 
> III.
> 
> 14.
> Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness....
> 
> We sacrifice unto the holy, tall-formed, fiend-smiting Sraosha,
> who makes the world increase, the holy and master of holiness;
> 
> Who with peace and friendship watches the Druj and the most beneficent
> Spirit: so that the Amesha-Spentas may go along the seven Karshvares
> of the earth; who is the teacher of the Law: he himself was taught
> it by Ahura Mazda, the holy One.
> 
> For his brightness and glory, for his strength and victorious
> power....
> 
> IV.
> 
> 15.
> Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness....
> 
> We sacrifice unto the holy, tall-formed, fiend-smiting Sraosha,
> who makes the world increase, the holy and master of holiness;
> 
> Whom the holy Ahura Mazda has created to withstand Aeshma, the
> fiend of the wounding spear; we sacrifice unto Peace, whose breath
> is friendly, and unto the two withstanders of sin and guilt,
> 
> 16.
> The friends of the holy Sraosha;
> 
> The friends of Rashnu Razista;
> 
> The friends of the good Law of the worshippers of Mazda;
> 
> The friends of Arstat, who makes the world grow, who makes the
> world increase, who makes the world prosper;
> 
> The friends of Ashi Vanguhi;
> 
> The friends of the good Chisti;
> 
> The friends of the most right Chista;
> 
> 17. The friends of all gods;
> 
> The friends of the Mathra Spenta;
> 
> The friends of the fiend-destroying Law;
> 
> The friends of the long-traditional teaching;
> 
> The friends of the Amesha-Spentas;
> 
> The friends of ourselves, the Saoshyants1, the two-footed part
> of the holy creation;
> 
> The friends of all the beings of the holy world.
> 
> For his brightness and glory, for his strength and victorious
> power....
> 
> 1. The faithful, as helping through their good deeds in the work
> of final restoration, to be performed by Saoshyant (cf. Yt13.17).
> 
> V.
> 
> 18.
> Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of tbe Lord is the law of holiness....
> 
> We sacrifice unto the holy, tall-formed, fiend-smiting Sraosha,
> who makes the world increase, the holy and master of holiness;
> 
> The first [Sraosha], the next, the middle, and the highest; with
> the first sacrifice, with the next, with the middle, and with
> the highest. We sacrifice unto all [the moments] of the holy and
> strong Sraosha, who is the incarnate Word;
> 
> 19.
> The strong Sraosha, of the manly courage, the warrior of the
> strong arms, who breaks the skulls of the Daevas; who smites with
> heavy blows and is strong to smite; the holy Sraosha, who smites
> with heavy blows; we sacrifice unto the crushing Ascendant of
> both the holy Sraosha and Arshti.
> 
> 20.
> We sacrifice for all the houses protected by Sraosha, where
> the holy Sraosha is dear and friendly treated and satisfied, as
> well as the faithful man, rich in good thoughts, rich in good
> words, rich in good deeds.
> 
> 21.
> We sacrifice unto the body of the holy Sraosha;
> 
> We sacrifice unto the body of Rashnu Razishta;
> 
> We sacrifice unto the body of Mithra, the lord of wide pastures;
> 
> We sacrifice unto the body of the holy wind;
> 
> We sacrifice unto the body of the good Law of the worshippers
> of Mazda;
> 
> We sacrifice unto the body of Arshtat, who makes the world grow,
> who makes the world increase, who makes the world prosper;
> 
> We sacrifice unto the body of Ashi Vanguhi;
> 
> We sacrifice unto the body of the good Chisti;
> 
> We sacrifice unto the body of the most right Chista;
> 
> We sacrifice unto the bodies of all the gods;
> 
> 22.
> We sacrifice unto the body of the Mathra Spenta;
> 
> We sacrifice unto the body of the fiend-destroying Law;
> 
> We sacrifice unto the body of the long-traditional teaching;
> 
> We sacrifice unto the bodies of the Amesha-Spentas;
> 
> We sacrifice unto the bodies of ourselves, the Saoshyants, the
> two-footed part of the holy creation;
> 
> We sacrifice unto the bodies of all the beings of the holy world.
> 
> For his brightness and glory, for his strength and victorious
> power....
> 
> 23.
> Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness....
> 
> I bless the sacrifice and prayer, the strength and vigour of the
> holy, strong Sraosha, who is the incarnate Word, a mighty-speared
> and lordly god
> 
> [Give] unto that man brightness and glory, ... give him the bright,
> all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones!
> 
> Avesta -- Zoroastrian Archives
> 
> Contents
> 
> Prev
> 
> Yt11
> 
> Next
> 
> Avestan
> 
> Glossary
>
> — *Yashts — Yasht 11 — L.H. Mills / James Darmesteter (1880-1887) (Public domain (Sacred Books of the East, 1880-1887))*