Behram Yasht Kardo 2

6) Paragraph 1 of Kardo 1 repeated: See http://www.mumbaiblogg.com/zoroastrian-zen/avesta-translations/behram-yasht-translation/

7) For him, a second time, Behram giver of wisdom, speeds into the body of a bull; pleasant, pleasing yellow ears and golden horns*. On these horns, sits the beautifully/diligently shaped, beautiful Rose, Um (energy of courage).

Thus Behram, giver of wisdom reaches good vibrations/enlightenment (khorehno), containing the brilliance of saints, the aura, cures /remedies for the body, and courage.

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Thus Behram, giver of wisdom reaches good vibrations/enlightenment (khorehno), containing the brilliance of saints, the aura, cures /remedies for the body, and courage.

8) Then, therein is the greatest might/power of triumphant aggression amongst strengths/powers of triumphant aggression (irresistible aggressive force);

Amongst those who smite resistance (**Verethre), the most successful/ victorious to smite resistance;

Amongst those having khoreh, the holder of the strongest khoreh;

Amongst the donors/dispensers of gifts, I am the greatest donor/dispenser/receptacle of gifts;

Amongst benefits/profits/welfare/advantage, I am the most beneficial/advantageous;

Amongst the remedies /cures I am the most efficacious remedy/ cure;

9) Thus, all ills will be vanquished; all that causes pain/harm, of the demigods/demons (div), of mortals (mashyanamcha), of wizards (yaathvaam), of fairies, of despots/ tyrant (saathraam), of those who refuse to see the truth despite having good eyes (kaoyam), those who refuse to hear the truth despite having good ears ((karafanamcha).

10) For his brilliant light and majesty, thus I worship him with praise/reverence which brings him eminence. With

the ritual Baresman***, Behram, emanated from Hormazd, we venerate/propitiate/worship in accordance with the first Laws of Ahura Mazda.

(Pray ‘Yange Hatem’)

* Yellow Ears and Golden Horns: the description of the various animals in this Yasht has intrigued me. The colours of yellow and gold are often repeated (a white, beautiful horse, with yellow ears and a golden caparison).

These descriptions are to my mind idioms/lexes and not mere physical imageries. The words must connote more than the surface that we skim, what we can understand today. Idioms are society specific and what precisely the colours yellow and gold indicated in the days the Yasht was written, is perhaps lost in time and it would be quite unfair to arrogate a translation in terms of what these words mean to us in the present day understanding of the words.

Despite hours of meticulous research, I am unable to find the exact meaning of these ‘golden’ idioms. It seems to me that these golden idioms obviously indicate some acuity beyond the spectrum discernible by the human senses; some extrasensory perception; some ‘spiritual’ ability, some evolved ability to sense vibrations beyond the physical.

I became more convinced of this my view, when in the ‘Sagdid’ (rites by which the druj is expelled), ‘… a white one (dog) with yellow ears’ is brought to the corpse ‘to expel the fiend of death’. Darmesteter explains the reason for the ‘Sagdid’ as “the Parsi tradition that the yellow-eared dog watches at the head of the Khinvat**, which leads from this to the next world, and with his barking drives away the fiend from the souls of the holy ones, lest it should drag them to hell …” ‘Yellow Ears’, does he hear the vibrations of the druj or its approach?

**KHINVAT: I deliberately do not add the word ‘Bridge’ after the word ‘Khinvat’ as, to me, the word itself spells ‘the road over the chasm’. Khin= chasm; Vat=road both words existing and commonly used in many of the Indo-Germanic Languages.

***Barsam: The Baresman or Barsam, is the sacred bundle of twigs we see in frescoes and pictures of religious worship. The barsam is considered “a conduit for the archetypal principles and powers to manifest their presence and receive the offerings.” it is a ritual necessity to solemnize religious ceremonies.

The bundle of Myrtle or Pomegranate twigs symbolizes all flora. The twigs are ritualistically cut by a Barsachim (special knife) to the recitation of prayers; then cut, washed and bundled together by a strand from a palm leaf.

‘Kemna Mazda’ is the first prayer when doing the Kusti. Kemna Mazda asks for true knowledge, for belief and conviction that, we as manifested creatures can do naught without the aid of the ‘Supreme Wisdom’, Ahura Mazda. Wisdom answers the question raise in the Kemna Mazda; what man, what kind of person can help in times of trouble? A wise man , of course.

Kemna Mazda (what sort of person, O Wisdom), can protect me? A wise man, of course; the man described in the Kemna Mazda prayer. So, if I am such a person, Mazda (Wisdom) gives me the ability to conquer my ills.

Wisdom reigns supreme in the Zoroastrian doctrine and assists in the adherence to Mannashni, Gavashnni, Kunashni and in the observance of all the tenets of Zarathustra’s religion. Kemna Mazda brings us to the realization that all our ills and pains in this manifest world can only be resolved by true wisdom in thought, word and deed. It is only when the good thought co-ordinates to produce good words and good words in turn, produce good deeds does, such a man conquers the troubles he faces in this manifested world. Equate ‘Good’ with ‘Balanced’.

So, ‘Kem Na Mazda’?(literally, ‘How, O Wisdom’)? Answer, as described in the Kemna Mazda  prayer.

1. Read the TRANSLITERATION below to understand further.

From “Kemna Mazda” to “ya ahmai vashi aahmai chit”

O Hormazd, when a bad man looks at me for revenge or  to harm me, who, but you, will protect me and mine, the aatash and my mind?

O Hormazd! For the sake of THE religion, reveal to me that, which by the act of both, leads me further on the Path.

When in difficulty, who is he who will vanquish the foe by dint of the verses on your Avesta; which verses are those that bring purity. O Hormazd, show me the leader who can guide me through both lives (here and hereafter). O Hormazd! For He who you love may His life proceed with a good mind and with Sraosh* (yazad).

From “Yatano tabishyant” to “#Armaitish ijaich”

O Hormazd and Aspendamard, save us from the jealous/envious!

Go away /leave us! Oh Evil of the demigod;

Leave us Devidruj^ (falsity of idols);

O the brave! Discard the thoughts of demigods;

Leave us Oh the seeds sown by demigods;

Leave us Oh the follower of the way of Evil demigods (which way has succeeded so far)

Disappear! Oh Evil (druj^);

Oh Evil run away from here;

Oh Evil be vanquished, go to the North, the realms of purity (ashoi) are not to be harmed, let good thoughts and prosperity prevail.

Further explanation :

When the evil minded come to harm me and mine, who is there to protect us? O Hormazd! There is none other than You who can give us our earthly happiness and mental peace. When the mind and body are healthy purity (ashoi) there is progress. There is no other but you who can preserve us (pasbani).  Such thoughts, O Hormazd, introduce into my mind so that I have the courage to act as needed.

*‘SRAOSH , the literal meaning of the name is ‘listening’; from the root word, ‘Sru’– meaning to obey and hence, obedience to the will of God. Sraosh is treated as an Angel of the Lord who brings us inspiration and who is the guardian of our souls. Sraosh coming with good mind means that men should listen to the inner inspiration of the voice within and then by willing obedience to the divine will his mind be filled with love and must be purified.

^‘DRUJ’ literally means the enemy in ancient Iran the word was used for untruth, the greatest of our foes. In this passage it generally means Evil. North, in ancient Iran was the direction Evil the Abode of the Demons.

 Asha is also taken to signify divine law

# ‘ARMAITI’ the spirit of the earth is the fourth of the 6 Ameshaspends. She represents piety and faith. Faith, as devotion personified on the Abstract side and as the genius of Earth on the concrete side. Spenta Armaiti Aspendamard ‘Holy devotion’ retains her dual nature in the younger Avesta. She is the first of the mother Trinity of the Holy Immortals she represents firm unswerving faith in and loyalty towards God and his commands she watches over religion and inspires the Faithful she works with Asha she rules over Earth and in places she represents Mother Earth and is our mother both physical and spiritual. When a Zoroastrian dies he is left in her care after the body is placed inside the Tower of silence and its destruction has begun. The people outside the Tower recite the unfinished portion of Sarosh Baj which they will have commenced by chanting from the last line of Kemna Mazda.

Translation by Framroze:

“What being, O Mazda shall grant protection unto a mortal like myself, when the evil minded threaten to overpower me?

Who can it be other than Thy fire and Thy good mind, through whose activities is furthered thy righteous law O Ahura!

This knowledge vouchsafe unto me that I may spread Thy faith.

With the help of thy words which are a shield Who shall smite our foes? do thou reveal unto me a soul healing leader for course of life, both physical and spiritual; then unto him let  Sraosha approach with good mind,– unto him O Mazda whom thou dost love protect us from all our tormentors.

Ye both, o Mazda and Spenta Armaiti!

Perish thou devilish Druj!

Perish thou o devil’s spawn,

Perish thou devil’s fashioned,

Perish thou follower of Devil’s l a w s.

Utterly perish oh Druj!

Utterly vanish Oh Druj!

Do thou utterly and entirely disappear, Oh Druj!

Vanish thou utterly in the north so that thou mayst not ever destroy the corporeal creation of divine law. Homage unto Holy devotion and humility.