Song 11.1 (Yasna 46.1)
To what land should I turn? Where should I turn to go? They hold me back from my folks and friends. Neither the community I follow pleases me, nor do the wrongful rulers of the land. How can I please You, Wise Lord?
The opposition to Zarathushtra’s mission mounts. He is isolated from folks and friends; the community is hostile and so are the rulers of the land. The person who had prayed and asked “for support through progressive mentality [so that] I may perform all my actions, based as they are on the wisdom of good mind, precisely according to the laws of righteousness so that I please You and the soul of the Living World” (Song 1.1), now does not know what to do next. A frustrated Zarathushtra seeks guidance from God as where and how to go.
Those who fight for Truth and justice may find themselves cast away by society, reminding them of the necessity of their actions.
Song 11.2 (Yasna 46.2)
I know, Wise One, that I am powerless. I have a few cattle and also a few men. I appeal to You. Please, Lord, see to it. Lend me the help a friend gives a friend. Grant, through righteousness, the riches of good mind.
Zarathushtra realizes that he does not wield any physical power, that he is not rich, and that he does not have many companions. He appeals to God to help him, a help only a friend gives a friend (the word frya- rendered ‘friend’ means both ‘lover’ and ‘beloved’), but the help Zarathushtra wants is a rich good mind that works with precision—deeper good thoughts through righteousness—two gifts that would give him what he wants to accomplish for his “beloved”—to spread the divine message as to have a lively life, full of love, for all the living.
Ahura Mazda is as a friend to us and wishes only to support us in our endeavors for goodness and wisdom.
Song 11.3 (Yasna 46.3)
When, Wise One, shall those days dawn which will, for the maintenance of the righteous world, motivate the wisdom of the benefactors with advanced teachings. To whom shall this wisdom come with good mind to help? For myself, Lord, I choose Your teachings.
Prayer works; Frustration turns into hope. Zarathushtra is looking forward to the days when, blessed with wisdom through good mind, beneficent persons will teach people how to promote and maintain the world. It is that Divine Teaching which Zarathushtra chooses in order to carry out his mission.
The wise show others how to obtain wisdom and advance the world.
Song 11.4 (Yasna 46.4)
Now, the wrongful prevents those, who support righteousness, from promoting the living world, whether of a district or land. It is hard to challenge him because he is hostile in his actions. However, Wise One, he who opposes him with power and life, leads the people as a leader along the paths of good plan.
Zarathushtra weighs his opponents. They prevent the righteous from promoting our living world, both on the smaller scale of a district or a larger one of the entire country. It is hard to confront them through peaceful means as they are violent in their actions. One therefore has to show powerful resistance, even put their life at stake to promote the cause; such a person then becomes a pioneer in implementing the good plan of spreading the Message.
Those who fight hard against the deceitful, can guide the world towards wisdom and truth.
Song 11.5 (Yasna 46.5)
A powerful person, a noble man, as a rule of a contract, welcomes a new comer. He, as a righteous person, is a man of principle. The other (new comer) is a wrongful man. He should, therefore, decide and share the matter with his family. This will, Wise Lord, save him from any violation.
Zarathushtra then relates an experience of a person of principle, who enjoying enough power, is approached by some one seeking aid. He is received as a guest, and hospitality is extended to him. However, it turns out that the guest is a wrongful person, and, as such, the possibility of violence and harm arises. It is then necessary to share this matter with every family members in order to arrive at a peaceful solution.
Help a person in need, if able, unless you realize they are deceitful, and therefore in opposition to Wisdom.
Song 11.6 (Yasna 46.6)
But, if an able person does not come to help, he shall himself fall into the binding trap of wrong. He indeed is wrongful who is very good to the wrongful, and he is righteous to whom the righteous is dear. These are the foremost rules of conscience established by You.
If someone is in trouble because of a wrongful person, anyone who is able to help should hasten to do so. If not, he too will eventually fall into the trap laid by the wrongful. One cannot turn a blind eye when another righteous is wronged by someone; this is, in fact, helping the wrongful. He who sides with the wrongful, is wrongful himself and he who is a friend and companion of the righteous is righteous too. One cannot have double standards — so simple and so divine.
One cannot follow the paths of righteousness and deceit at the same time.
Song 11.7 (Yasna 46.7)
Who will, O Wise One, give me protection when the wrongful threatens to harm me, other than Your Fire and Mind? It is through the working of these two that, O Lord, righteousness thrives. Do enlighten my inner-self with this doctrine.
When a person is faced with an any adversity, he or she, often in desperation, turns to a favorite divinity, for help. While this is quite natural, it is a desperate move that causes one lose the balance of mind and, in turn, allows adversity to intrude into the mind. So, Zarathushtra gives a thought-provoking advice: Turn to The Divine but remember that divinity has already granted us two acquisitions—Divine Fire which gives light, warmth, and strength to our spirit, and Good Mind which makes us think clearly. One lights the way and the other leads us to safety; the two make us feel cool, calm, conscious, considerate, and confident. One should not only turn to Fire and Faculty at difficult times but instead at all times. Let us understand this doctrine: it is these two favors, two enlightenments, that help us in performing good actions that serve the Divine
and creation.
The Fire ever-present in existence and the Mind of Divinity sustain the fundamental laws of existence and promote its fulfillment.
Song 11.8 (Yasna 46.8)
The person who undertakes to harm my people shall not have his fiery actions reach me. In fact, they shall recoil with his hatred to him, and shall keep him far from a good way of life. Wise One, hatred does not save one from a bad way of life.
With the Divine Fire which gives light, warmth, and strength to our spirit, and the Good Mind which makes us think clearly, one can be sure that those who come to harm the righteous will fail in their attempts… Their hatred recoils and they suffer from it. Those filled with hatred simply cannot enjoy a good life.
Those who have deceived themselves into harming others live a life of lies and destruction; their own hatred will drive them to extinction.
Song 11.9 (Yasna 46.9)
Who is that devotee who shall first teach me to regard You as the most worthy of invocation, as the progressive, righteous Lord of actions? People want to know the things that are Yours through righteousness, things You, the Creator of the world has told righteousness, things which are Yours through good mind.
With the antagonists now at bay, Zarathushtra wants to know the result of his teaching. He wants a devotee who would come forward to retell what they have learned, to relate how to regard Lord Wisdom, the one worthiest of invocation and how Wisdom is progressive, righteous and a master of actions. All this is to spread the word because people are now paying attention. They want to know how everything is regulated by the Universal Law of righteousness, and how the Creator, has created this very law and good mind which help one to stay close to Divinity.
Listen to the wise person who would educate you on the good things in life, divine in nature.
Song 11.10 (Yasna 46.10)
Wise Lord, whoever, man or woman, shall give me what You know to be the best in life, rewards for righteousness, power through good mind, I shall accompany him and her in glorifying such as You are, and shall, with all of them, cross over the sorting bridge.
Praying to Lord Wisdom with increasing confidence, Zarathushtra watches as men and women come over to him and offer the very best of their life, a help which strengthens the mission in its righteous plans and good consultation. It is with such companions that Zarathushtra wants to truly glorify God and cross over the “sorting bridge” that separates the righteous from the wrongful.
Men and women are equally capable of holding power and equally are responsible to use that power for the betterment of the world.
Song 11.11 (Yasna 46.11)
Priests and princes yoke people under duress to destroy life with their evil actions. But their souls and their consciences shall upbraid them when they approach the sorting bridge, because they have been all the time dwelling in the house of wrong.
Priests and princes, in their greed for wealth and power, often expoit and oppress people, an evil act that destroys life. When these exploiters come to the “sorting bridge” of the righteous and the wrongful, they will be rebuked by their own conscience. It shall recount their evil deeds, deeds they have been committing all through their life, a life lived in wrong and with wrong.
The deceitful can pretend to be righteous to others but can never lie to their own conscience.
Song 11.12 (Yasna 46.12)
Since through righteousness, the powerful children and grandchildren of the Turanian Fryana* have risen to promote their world through serenity with zeal, the Wise Lord has united them with good mind, in order to teach them what concerns their help.
Zarathushtra has his first major breakthrough. * The Turanian tribe of Frayana join the Zarathushtrian Fellowship. This tribe of warriors transformed into ardent followers of promoting the world through peace and stability. Using their good minds, they learn how to help the mission.
Out from righteous parents can a whole family arise that is passionate and steadfast in advancing existence.
Song 11.13 (Yasna 46.13)
Whoever among men pleases me, Zarathushtra Spitama with care, becomes worthy of fame as an earnest person. The Wise Lord shall grant him life, and promote his world through good mind. We shall regard him as a good associate of Your righteousness.
Zarathushtra blesses the people who have made him happy by joining the Fellowship. Each becomes noted for his or her earnest character. The Lord of Wisdom grants each a new life that promotes their world through their good mind—good thoughts that translate into good words and deeds. He or she thus becomes a good associate of righteousness, a good ally of what is proper and right. This is the recognition which Zarathushtra and all Zarathushtrians accord to such a worthy person.
Aid those in your life seeking to teach others new, more truthful ways of thinking.
Song 11.14 (Yasna 46.14)
Who is my, Zarathushtra's, righteous companion? Who wishes fame for the Great Fellowship? He, on this great event of initiation, is Kavi Vishtaspa*. I shall invoke, with words of good mind, those whom You, Wise Lord, have established in Your abode.
After two years of deliberation, King Vishtaspa decides to convert to the Good Religion, with Zarathushtra officiating at his initiation. In his opening words, Zarathushtra calls Vishtaspa his righteous companion, a person who wishes the Religion to be known and spread far and wide. Zarathushtra blesses all those who join the Fellowship, the Divine Abode, where good mind guides.
The following is the eulogy in honor of King Vishtaspa, the only one in honor of a Zoroastrian celebrity besides Zarathushtra, who has two:
“We venerate the Choice of Religion by Kavi Vishtaspa, the righteous, The hero, thought-provocation personified, The sharp-sighted, divine, Who sought, for the first time, glory for Righteousness, Who gave, for the first time, glory to Righteousness, Who was the arm and protection Of the Divine and Zarathushtrian Religion, Which had stood stagnant until then. He freed it and helped it progress, Made it central and ruling high; The resolute, righteous Religion, Which rejoices with life and prosperity, Which delights in life and prosperity.”
Acceptance of the Divine Message is a choice founded on the Good mind, Good deeds and desire to pursue righteousness.
Song 11.15 (Yasna 46.15)
I shall tell you, descendants of Haechataspa Spitama*, how to distinguish between the just and the unjust. By such actions, you shall earn righteousness for yourselves, actions which correspond with the Primal Laws of Lord.
Zarathushtra is now addressing *his own family members, the Haechataspa Spitamas. He teaches them how to distinguish between those who are just and those who are not. He says, once one knows how to draw a line between the two, one knows how to act according to the Divine Primal Principles to lead a righteous life. Note: This is the only stanza in the Gathas missing a line. This missing line goes back to our earliest manuscripts in the 13th Century AD if not earlier.
When distinguishing between justice and injustice, look to the laws the Creator has embedded in existence.
Song 11.16 (Yasna 46.16)
Ferashaoshtra Hvagva, go with your companions there where, as we both wish, radiant happiness pervades, where serenity accompanies righteousness, where the rule of good mind prevails, where the Wise Lord dwells in progress.
In a masterpiece of poetry, Zarathushtra speaks to Ferashaoshtra, a prominent companion and a great teacher, to usher the companions in the world that the Good Religion presents. A place where radiant happiness makes all happy and healthy, where serenity and tranquility provide a righteous life and only good mind that guides, and where one feels the presence of The Divine, who is the most advanced. It is the ideal world created by the thought-provoking Message of Zarathushtra through well-thought, well-said, and well-done thoughts, words and deeds.
In the advancement which Lord Wisdom has given to mortals there is radiant happiness, peace, prosperity, and mental fulfillment.
Song 11.17 (Yasna 46.17)
Here, Sage Jamaspa Hvogva*, I teach you my message in a poetic and not in an unpoetic language, so that it shall always stay with you as prayers of glorification with the divine inspiration. Whoever distinguishes between the just and the unjust, Wise Lord, is, through righteousness, a wonderful counselor.
Zarathushtra now instructs *his prime pupil—Jamaspa Hvogva, a sage of youth, younger brother of Ferashaoshtra. He is being taught the Gathas—the Divine Message in poetry so that it stays unadulterated. It is prose pieces that are paraphrased every time they are repeated. The Gathas have, because of the insight and foresight of the Master Poet, the Divine Thought-provoker, has remained untouched—fresh to sing, glorify God, and be inspired to think, understand, practice, and preach. The Gathas guide people to distinguish between the just and the unjust, and whoever succeeds would become a wonderful counselor, a genius adviser, and a leading guide.
Wisdom can be found in every aspect of life, always with a pattern or rhythm to it.
Song 11.18 (Yasna 46.18)
Whoever is united with me, I promise him the best through good mind, my only riches. But I oppose him who places himself in opposition to us. Wise One, I want to please You, because this is the discernment of my intellect and mind.
Joining Zarathushtra in the Fellowship brings one the best in life by being guided by one’s enlightened good mind. This is the only reward he can promise mankind. But those who oppose the Fellowship, are opposed by Zarathushtra. No compromise. It only encourages the wrongful. Zarathushtra wants to please Wisdom, that is what his wisdom leads him to, and pleasing Lord Wisdom, as stated in the first stanza of the Gathas (Song 1.1) is to please and promote the living world.
Treat the good people in your life with abundant joy but do not hesitate to oppose those who wish you harm.
Song 11.19 (Yasna 46.19)
Whoever truly accomplishes through righteousness the complete renovation of life for me, Zarathushtra, as is the will of the Lord, deserves the desired future-life in a fruitful living world as a reward. This is what You, the most-knowing Wise One, have taught me.
The mission, earlier endangered by priests and princes, is satisfactorily successful. The number of Zarathushtra’s companions is swelling. He wants them to undergo a complete change, leave superstitions, leave prescriptive bonds that check progress, renovate life, and to keep righteously modern. That is what The Divine, the most-knowing Being, wishes them to accomplish. It means the ideal life one desires. It is a reward in a world which is laden with the fruit of good deeds. It is this God-willing renovation that Zarathushtra has learned through his divine inspiration.
Aid in the renovation of existence; your actions to this end will accumulate your rewards.
We invite your comments on these Gathas so that our insights might teach one another.
Next Installment (WHEN PUBLISHED): The Gathas – Song 12
Previous Installment: The Gathas – Song 10
Source: The Gathas - Zarathushtrian Assembly See the index on the left of the page for the Song labeled in the title of this article.
