Ahuna Vairya (

Avestan Avestan ( ) is the liturgical language of Zoroastrianism. It belongs to the Iranian languages, Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family and was First language, originally spoken during the Avestan period, Old ...

: 𐬀𐬵𐬎𐬥𐬀⸱𐬬𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌𐬌𐬀) is the first of

Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religions, Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zoroaster, Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, ...

's four Gathic

formulas In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwe ...

. The text, which appears in ''

Yasna Yasna (;"Yasna"
''

Ashem Vohu The Ashem Vohu (, Avestan: 𐬀𐬴𐬆𐬨⸱𐬬𐬊𐬵𐬏 aṣ̌əm vohū) is the second most important manthra, and one of the most important prayers in Zoroastrianism. It is dedicated to Asha, a Zoroastrian concept denoting truth, order o ...

'' (the second most sacred formula at ''Yasna'' 27.14) are together "very cryptic formulas, of a pronounced magical character." The Ahunavaiti

Gatha ''Gāthā'' is a Sanskrit term for 'song' or 'verse', especially referring to any poetic metre which is used in legends or folklores, and is not part of the Vedas but peculiar to either Epic Sanskrit or to Prakrit. The word is originally derived ...

(chapters 28-34 of the ''Yasna''), is named after the Ahuna Vairya formula.

In relation to the other formulas

Like the other three formulas (''

Ashem vohu The Ashem Vohu (, Avestan: 𐬀𐬴𐬆𐬨⸱𐬬𐬊𐬵𐬏 aṣ̌əm vohū) is the second most important manthra, and one of the most important prayers in Zoroastrianism. It is dedicated to Asha, a Zoroastrian concept denoting truth, order o ...

'', ''

Yenghe hatam The Yenghe hatam (Avestan: 𐬫𐬈𐬣𐬵𐬉⸱𐬵𐬁𐬙𐬅𐬨) is one of the four major Mantra (Zoroastrianism), manthras, and one of the most important Zoroastrian prayer, prayers in Zoroastrianism. It is interpreted as a call to pray spe ...

'', ''

Airyaman ishya The airyaman ishya (; ''airyaman išya'', ''airyə̄mā išyō'') is Zoroastrianism's fourth of the four Gathic Avestan manthras, and one of the most important prayers in Zoroastrianism. It is assumed to be a call toward the community or its h ...

''), the ''Ahuna Vairya'' is part of the Gathic canon, that is, part of the group of texts composed in the more archaic dialect of the Avestan language. Together with the other three formulas, the ''Ahuna Vairya'' is part of the 'envelope' that liturgically encloses the

s, i.e. the hymns attributed to

Zoroaster Zarathushtra Spitama, more commonly known as Zoroaster or Zarathustra, was an Iranian peoples, Iranian religious reformer who challenged the tenets of the contemporary Ancient Iranian religion, becoming the spiritual founder of Zoroastrianism ...

. One of the formulas, the ''Airyaman ishya'' (''Yasna'' 54.1) follows the Gathas, while the other three formulas – ''Ahuna Vairya'', ''Ashem vohu'' and ''Yenghe hatam'' (together at ''Yasna'' 27.13-27.15) – precede them. Unlike the third and fourth formula, the first two formulas—the ''Ahuna Vairya'' and the ''Ashem vohu''—are part of the Kusti prayers. Unlike the third and fourth formula, the first two do not express wishes and are technically purificatory and meditational declarations (''asti'', "it is").

In scripture

The ''Ahuna Vairya'' is already a subject of

theological Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of an ...

exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Ancient Greek, Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation (philosophy), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern us ...

in scripture itself, in particular in ''

Yasna Yasna (;"Yasna"
''

Ahura Mazda Ahura Mazda (; ; or , ),The former is the New Persian rendering of the Avestan form, while the latter derives from Middle Persian. also known as Horomazes (),, is the only creator deity and Sky deity, god of the sky in the ancient Iranian ...

, articulated immediately after the creation of the spiritual world (and before the material world), and that its efficacy in aiding the righteous is due to its primordial nature. As a primordial utterance, the ''Ahura Vairya'' is described to have talismanic virtues: the power to aid mortals in distress, and inversely as a potent weapon against the ''

daeva A daeva (Avestan: 𐬛𐬀𐬉𐬎𐬎𐬀 ''daēuua'') is a Zoroastrian supernatural entity with disagreeable characteristics. In the Gathas, the oldest texts of the Zoroastrian canon, the ''daeva''s are " gods that are (to be) rejected". T ...

''s. Elsewhere in the Avesta, the ''Ahuna Vairya'' is described as the "most victorious" (''

Yasht A Yasht (, ) is a hymn of praise composed in the Young Avestan language and dedicated to specific Zoroastrian divinities. The term commonly applies to the collection of 21 Yashts, although it may also refer to other texts within the wider Avest ...

'' 11.13), as the "veracious word" (''

Yasna Yasna (;"Yasna"
''

Vendidad The Vendidad /ˈvendi'dæd/, also known as Videvdat, Videvdad or Juddēvdād, is a collection of texts within the greater compendium of the Avesta. However, unlike the other texts of the Avesta, the ''Vendidad'' is an ecclesiastical code, not a ...

'' 11.3, in addition to being "most healing", frequent recitation of the ''Ahura Vairya'' is prescribed as an act of hygiene to "protect the body". In ''Yasna'' 9.14,

is given credit as the first mortal to recite it.

In tradition

The hymn's supremacy among sacred Zoroastrian formulae is well developed in the 9th-11th century texts of Zoroastrian tradition. In the ''

Denkard The ''Dēnkard'' or ''Dēnkart'' (Middle Persian: 𐭣𐭩𐭭𐭪𐭠𐭫𐭲 "Acts of Religion") is a 10th-century compendium of Zoroastrian beliefs and customs during the time. The ''Denkard'' has been called an "Encyclopedia of Mazdaism" an ...

'' ('Acts of Religion', 9th century), four of the twenty-one ''nask''s are described to have expounded on the efficacy of the

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

(8.44.1), and each volume of the ''nask''s is said to have been initially assigned its title from a word in the ''Ahuna Vairya'' prayer (''Denkard'' intro, 6, 8, 17, 18, 9.1.4). The formula's potency to smite daevas and protect life and property are described at length (4.38-45, 8.43.81, 9.1.4), and the formula's primordial nature is seen as the root and summation of the belief in Ahura Mazda, "the seed of seeds of the reckoning of the religion." (8.45.1) The ''

Bundahishn The ''Bundahishn'' (Middle Persian: , "Primal Creation") is an encyclopedic collection of beliefs about Zoroastrian cosmology written in the Book Pahlavi script. The original name of the work is not known. It is one of the most important extant ...

'', an 11th/12th century narrative of Zoroastrian cosmological myths, continues and embellishes the Avesta's description of the ''Ahuna Vairya'' as a primordial utterance. In that tradition, ''Ahuna Vairya'' is not only an utterance of Mazda following the creation of the spiritual world. Additionally, in ''Bundahishn'' 12.13-14, the spirit of the ''yatha ahu vairyo'' is the first manifestation of the luminaries that Ahura Mazda created, i.e. the spirit of the formula is the first of the material creations, and is at the same time the "fire form" force from which the material world is created. Moreover, in articulating the formula, Ahura Mazda made his ultimate triumph evident to "the evil spirit" (

Angra Mainyu Angra Mainyu (; ) is the Avestan name of Zoroastrianism's hypostasis of the "destructive/evil spirit" and the main adversary in Zoroastrianism either of the Spenta Mainyu, the "holy/creative spirits/mentality", or directly of Ahura Mazda, th ...

), who then fell back "confounded and impotent as to the harm he caused the creatures of Ahuramazd" (1.29-30). The ''Vendidads prescription of recitation of the formula as an act of hygiene is reiterated in the ''Sayast ne Sayast'', which prescribes recitation when sneezing or coughing (12.32), and recommends invocation when pouring potable liquids (10.7). The ''Sayast ne Sayast'' additionally notes that a mumbling of the prayer is particularly offensive. (10.25) The ''Denkard'' additionally suggests the formula be uttered when entering a house (9.18.5). While the Avesta's ''Yasna'' 19 sees the subject of the Ahuna Vairya formula as referring to Zoroaster, and possibly to his successors, later tradition (''Denkard'' 9.24.1, also ''Zatspram'' 1.13.19) infers no such connection, and applies it evenly to all followers of Zoroaster's teaching.

Text, translation and interpretation

Like all Gathic Avestan verses, the prayer is altogether ambiguous and translations vary significantly. Even though several translations and interpretations exist, the overall meaning of the prayer remains obscure. The terseness of the prose, elaborate arrangement and poetical techniques make a translation from the

Old Avestan Avestan ( ) is the liturgical language of Zoroastrianism. It belongs to the Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family and was originally spoken during the Old Iranian period ( – 400 BCE) by the Iranians living in the eastern po ...

difficult (See also: difficulties in translating the

Gathas The Gathas () are 17 hymns in the Avestan language from the Zoroastrian oral tradition of the Avesta. The oldest surviving text fragment dates from 1323 CE, but they are believed by scholars to have been composed before 1000 BCE and passed dow ...

). Given its

syntactic In linguistics, syntax ( ) is the study of how words and morphemes combine to form larger units such as phrases and sentences. Central concerns of syntax include word order, grammatical relations, hierarchical sentence structure (constituency ...

density, scholarly agreement on a definitive translation, or even close approximation of its meaning, remains unlikely. Translations based on

Middle Persian Middle Persian, also known by its endonym Pārsīk or Pārsīg ( Inscriptional Pahlavi script: , Manichaean script: , Avestan script: ) in its later form, is a Western Middle Iranian language which became the literary language of the Sasania ...

interpretations (and commentaries) of the hymn also exist and can differ greatly from those based on the Avestan original. The version found in the Avesta edition of Geldner reads: :''yaθā ahū vairyō aθā ratuš aṣ̌āt̰cīt̰ hacā'' :''vaŋhə̄uš dazdā manaŋhō š́yaoθananąm aŋhə̄uš mazdāi'' :''xṣ̌aθrəmcā ahurāi ā yim drigubyō dadat̰ vāstārəm'' There are transliterations available with differences concerning certain words. Transliteration of Helmut Humbach: :''yaθā ahū vairyō, aθā ratuš aṣ̌āt̰cīt̰ hacā'' :''vaŋhə̄uš dazdā manaŋhō, š́yaoθənanąm¹ aŋhə̄uš mazdāi'' :''xšaθrəmcā ahurāi ā, yim² drigubyō dadat̰ vāstārəm'' :''¹ other version is "š́yaoθananąm" (Geldner)'' :''² this is the younger avestan form, old avestan is "yə̄m"'' Dastur Dhalla also notes that a corrupt form of the prayer is commonly used: :''athāu veryo thāre tose sāde chide chāvanghoise dezdā manengho sotthenanām'' :''anghyos Mazdāe khosetharamchāe orāe āiyem daregobyo daredar vāstārem : Translation by Boyce essentially derived from that of S. Insler: :As the master, so is the judge to be chosen in accord with truth. :Establish the power of acts arising from a life lived with good purpose, :for Mazda and for the Lord whom they made pastor for the poor. A simple translation from the

Zoroastrian Middle Persian Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, Zoroaster ( ). Among the wor ...

by Darmesteter: :the will of the Lord is the law of righteousness. :the gifts of the Good Mind to the deeds done in this world for Mazda. :he who relieves the poor makes Ahura king. A translation from the Avestan by Windfuhr: :Whereas he shall be chosen by the world, so, according to Truth, :the judgement of deeds done by the world in Good Faith (Mind) is yielded to Mazda, :and the Power of the Ahura whom they shall assign as pastor to the poor. Vazquez's liturgically inclined translation is: :Worthy and chosen through

Asha ''Asha'' () or ''arta'' (; ) is a Zoroastrian concept with a complex and highly nuanced range of meaning. It is commonly summarized in accord with its contextual implications of 'truth' and 'right' (or 'righteousness'), 'order' and 'right wor ...

are they, :The Ratus throughout the world, :Who bring enlightenment to the world, :Through deeds done on behalf of Ahura Mazda, :Who has become the advocate of the impoverished. Humbach, Elfenbein and Skjærvø translate it as: :As judgment is to be chosen by the world, :so the judgment (which is) in accord with the truth, :(which is to be passed) on the actions of good throughout the world, :is assigned to the Wise (Lord) (''Mazdāi''), :and the power (is assigned) to the (Wise) Lord (''ahurāi'') :whom they established as shepherd to the needy. The Zoroastrian Assembly translates it as:

Both the lord and the leader are to be chosen because of their righteousness. These two appointments are made with good mind so that acts of life are done for the Wise One, and the dominion of God is well established, in which the chosen person becomes the rehabilitator of the rightful who are oppressed.

A metrically preserved, theologically precise poetic translation ensuring accuracy in both meaning and cadence:

As rules the ''Ahu'', so must one guide, Through ''Asha'' alone, by wisdom’s side. With ''Vohu Manah'', let wisdom take lead, Through truth-bound hands and selfless deed. To ''Mazda’s'' realm, the rule must go, To shield the weak from pain and woe. Ahu – A title meaning "lord" or "ruler," referring to both spiritual and worldly leadership. Unlike later interpretations that limit Ahu to a religious figure, it originally applied to any authority governing under Asha’s law. Asha – The cosmic law of truth and righteousness, governing not just ethics but the very structure of existence. Leadership must be aligned with Asha to be legitimate. Vohu Manah – Literally "Good Mind," representing divine wisdom, moral clarity, and rational thought. A just ruler must lead not by force, but by intellect and virtue. Mazda – The supreme principle of divine insight, creation, and justice. In Zoroastrian thought, Mazda is the embodiment of wisdom itself.

Other interpretations are listed in the

further reading Further or furthur, alternatively farther, may refer to: * ''Furthur'' (bus), the Merry Pranksters' psychedelic bus *Further (band), a 1990s American indie rock band *Furthur (band) Furthur was an American rock band founded in 2009 by former G ...

section below.

References

;Citations ;Works cited * . * . * * * * . * . * .

In relation to the other formulas

In scripture

In tradition

Text, translation and interpretation

References

Further reading