# Yashts — Yasht 3

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

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> Source: Avesta.org. The Yashts, Yasht 3, 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: KHORDA AVESTA (English): Ardwahisht Yasht ('Hymn to the Highest Asha')
> 
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> 3. ARDWAHISHT YASHT ("Hymn to the Highest Asha")
> 
> 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 Asha-Vahishta, the fairest; unto the much-desired Airyaman,
> made by Mazda, and unto the good Saoka, with eyes of love, made
> by Mazda and holy;
> 
> Be propitiation, with sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.
> 
> Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness....
> 
> [[1]]
> 
> 1.
> Ahura Mazda spake unto Spitama Zarathushtra, saying: 'That
> thou mayest increase Asha-Vahishta, O Spitama Zarathushtra! with
> hymns of praise, with performance of the office, with invocations,
> holy words, sacrifice, blessings, and adoration - once to abide
> in the shining luminous space, in the beautiful abodes - for the
> sacrifice and invocation of us, the Amesha-Spentas'....
> 2.
> Zarathushtra said: 'Say unto me the right words, such as they
> are, O Ahura Mazda! that I may increase Asha-Vahishta, with hymns
> of praise, with performance of the office, with invocations, holy
> words, sacrifice, blessings, and adoration, - once to abide in
> the shining luminous space, in the beautiful abodes, - for the
> sacrifice and invocation of you, the Amesha-Spentas.
> 3.
> '.... I proclaim Asha-Vahishta: if I proclaim Asha-Vahishta,
> then easy is the way to the abode of the other Amesha-Spentas,
> which Ahura Mazda keeps with Good Thoughts, which Ahura Mazda
> keep with Good Words, which Ahura Mazda keeps with Good Deeds;
> 4.
> '(Easy is the way to the Garo-nmana of Ahura Mazda): the Garo-nmana
> is for the holy souls, and no one of the wicked can enter the
> Garo-nmana and its bright, wide, holy ways; (no one of them can
> go) to Ahura Mazda.
> 
> [[2]]
> 
> 5.
> 'The Airyaman prayer smites down the strength of all the creatures
> of Angra Mainyu, of the Yatus and Pairikas. It is the greatest
> of spells, the best of spells, the very best of all spells; the
> fairest of spells, the very fairest of all spells; the fearful
> one amongst spells, the most fearful of all spells; the firm one
> amongst spells, the firmest of all spells; the victorious one
> amongst spells, the most victorious of all spells; the healing
> one amongst spells, the best-healing of all spells.
> 6.
> 'One may heal with Holiness, one may heal with the Law, one
> may heal with the knife, one may heal with herbs, one may heal
> with the Holy Word: amongst all remedies this one is the healing
> one that heals with the Holy Word; this one it is at will best
> drive away sickness from the body of the faithful: for this one
> is the best-healing of all remedies.
> 7.
> 'Sickness fled away [before it], Death fled away; the Daeva
> fled away, the Daeva's counter-work fled away; the unholy Ashemaogha
> fled away, the oppressor of men fled away.
> 8.
> 'The brood of the Snake fled away; the brood of the Wolf fled
> away; the brood of the Two-legged fled away. Pride fled away;
> Scorn fled away; Hot Fever fled away; Slander fled away; Discord
> fled away; the Evil Eye fled away.
> 9.
> 'The most lying words of falsehood fled away; the Jahi, addicted
> to the Yatu, fled away; the Jahi, who makes one pine, fled away;
> the wind that blows from the North fled away; the wind that blows
> from the North vanished away.
> 10.
> 'He it is who smites me that brood of the Snake, and who might
> smite those Daevas by thousands of thousands, by ten thousands
> of ten thousands; he smites sickness, he smites death, he smites
> the Daevas, he smites the Daeva's counter-work, he smites the
> unholy Ashemaogha, he smites the oppressor of men.
> 11.
> 'He smites the brood of the Snake; he smites the brood of
> the Wolf; he smites the brood of the Two-legged. He smites Pride;
> he smites Scorn; he smites Hot Fever; he smites Slander; he smites
> Discord; he smites the Evil Eye.
> 12.
> 'He smites the most lying words of falsehood; he smites the
> Jahi, addicted to the Yatu; he smites the Jahi, who makes one
> pine. He smites the wind that blows from the North; the wind that
> blows from the North vanished away.
> 13.
> 'He it is who smites me that brood of the Two-legged, and
> who might smite those Daevas, by thousands of thousands, by ten
> thousands of ten thousands. Angra Mainyu, who is all death, the
> worst-lying of all Daevas, rushed from before him:
> 14.
> 'He exclaimed, did Angra Mainyu: "Woe is me! Here is
> the god Asha-Vahishta, who will smite the sickliest of all sicknesses,
> who will afflict the sickliest of all sicknesses;
> 
> '"He will smite the deadliest of all deaths, he will afflict
> the deadliest of all deaths;
> 
> '"He will smite the most fiendish of all fiends, he will
> afflict the most fiendish of all fiends;
> 
> '"He will smite the most counter-working of all counter-works,
> he will afflict the most counter-working of all counter-works;
> 
> '"He will smite the unholy Ashemaogha, he will afflict the
> unholy Ashemaogha;
> 
> '"He will smite the most oppressive of the oppressors of
> men, he will afflict most oppressive of the oppressors of men.
> 15.
> '"He will smite the snakiest of the Snake's brood, he
> will afflict the snakiest of the Snake's brood;
> 
> '"He will smite the most wolfish of the Wolf's brood, he
> will afflict the most wolfish of the Wolf's brood;
> 
> '"He will smite the worst of the two-legged brood, he will
> afflict the worst of the two-legged brood;
> 
> '"He will smite Pride, he will afflict Pride;
> 
> '"He will smite Scorn, he will afflict Scorn;
> 
> '"He will smite the hottest of hot fevers, he will afflict
> the hottest of hot fevers;
> 
> '"He will smite the most slanderous of slanders, he will
> afflict the most slanderous of slanders;
> 
> '"He will smite the most discordant of discords, he will
> afflict the most discordant of discords;
> 
> '"He will smite the worst of the Evil Eye, he will afflict
> the worst of the Evil Eye.
> 16.
> '"He will smite the most lying words of falsehood, he
> will afflict the most lying words of falsehood;
> 
> '"He will smite the Jahi, addicted to the Yatu, he will afflict
> the Jahi, addicted to the Yatu;
> 
> '"He will smite the Jahi, who makes one pine, he will afflict
> the Jahi, who makes one pine;
> 
> '"He will smite the wind that blows from the North, he will
> afflict the wind that blows from the North."
> 17.
> 'The Druj will perish away, the Druj will perish; the Druj
> will rush, the Druj will vanish. Thou perishest away to the regions
> of the North, never more to give unto death the living world of
> the holy spirit.
> 18.
> 'For his brightness and glory I will offer unto him a sacrifice
> worth being heard, namely, unto Asha-Vahishta, the fairest - the
> Amesha-Spenta. Unto Asha-Vahishta, the fairest, the Amesha-Spenta,
> we offer up the libations, the Haoma and meat, the baresma, the
> wisdom of the tongue, the holy spells, the speech, the deeds,
> the libations, and the rightly-spoken words.
> 
> 'Yenhe hatam: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda knows the goodness....
> 19.
> 'Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness....
> 
> 'I bless the sacrifice and prayer and the strength and vigour
> of Asha-Vahishta, the fairest; of the much-desired Airyaman, made
> by Mazda; and of the good Saoka, with eyes of love, made by Mazda
> and holy.
> 
> 'Ashem Vohu: Holiness is the best of all good....
> 
> '[Give] unto that man brightness and glory, give him health of
> body; .... give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the
> holy Ones.'
> 
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> — *Yashts — Yasht 3 — L.H. Mills / James Darmesteter (1880-1887) (Public domain (Sacred Books of the East, 1880-1887))*