Each stanza of this song contains the translation in italics, a brief commentary, and a closing thought to ponder.
Try reading on stanza each day and pondering upon its meaning.
ON GUIDANCE
Contemplate deeply each stanza over the next week.
Song 4.1 (Yasna 31.1)
Keeping the two principles of Yours in mind,
we shall teach the hitherto unheard words
to those who destroy the righteous world
by their wrongful doctrines.
No doubt, the two principles will prove the best for those
who are devoted to the Wise One.
With the two principles of Good and Evil in view, Zarathushtra and his companions embark on teaching an entirely new doctrine, never heard before. The teachings are particularly meant for those who prove destructive to the life based on righteousness. For those who are already on the right track, the two principles should prove highly useful.
The Zarathushtrian Doctrine is novel, it leads to progress by steps, and aims to guide the wrongful toward the Laws of Existence; it reaffirms that the ethical are on the right path.
Song 4.2 (Yasna 31.2)
Since it is not easy for the soul
to find the better course,
I, whom the Wise Lord knows,
come to you all as the leader [proper guide] of the two parties,
so that we may all live
in accordance with righteousness.
Along with the wisdom to choose, one needs direction. Zarathushtra, who has had the Wise Lord revealed to him, and the Principles of Life, offers to lead both the wrongful and the rightful to live a righteous life.
A novice, although wise, may still benefit from sound guidance. Zarathushtra's divine experience provides that advantage to any person who desires to heed his message.
Song 4.3 (Yasna 31.3)
The happiness You grant, has been promised
to the two parties through Your mental fire and righteousness.
It is a matter of principle for the discerning.
Wise One, for our knowledge,
speak with the very words of Your mouth.
It will help me guide all the living to choose aright.
God has granted happiness for all, the rightful and the wrongful. It only comes through mental enlightenment and righteous conduct. It is this enlightenment which Zarathushtra asks God to grant so that he guides humanity to the right course of life.
True happiness is attainable by all, but it is only gained through enlightenment to beneficence.
Song 4.4 (Yasna 31.4)
When righteousness is to be invoked,
may the wise lords
be with reward and serenity.
I seek through my best mind
the powerful dominion for my people,
so that by promoting it, we can overcome wrong.
When one wishes to be righteous, the wise will be at hand to guide him or her to what one wants. It is the reward sought and also the serene satisfaction after obtaining it. And Zarathushtra, always led by his illuminated mind, wants a dominion powerful enough to have its very expansion eliminate wrong.
When one desires the Universal Law, aligning with the wise and seeking enlightenment will pave the way to gain serenity and the strength to eliminate wrongful deeds.
Song 4.5 (Yasna 31.5)
Speak to me so that I can discern
what has been made better with righteousness,
and know and realize through good mind
what has been granted to me as a seer.
Also, Wise Lord, the things
that will and will not happen.
Already enlightened, Zarathushtra continues to seek more divine guidance to fully realize his part as a seer determined to lead the living. He wants enough knowledge and experience to be able to foresee the future—possibilities and impossibilities.
Increased enlightenment is necessary to wisely foresee the potential outcomes of future events and to know what to embark on and what to avoid.
Song 4.6 (Yasna 31.6)
The best shall come to the wise person
who will propagate my true thought-provoking message.
It leads to righteousness
for wholeness and immortality.
Thus the dominion of the Wise One will,
through good mind, increase for him.
Zarathushtra’s thought-provoking teachings lead to perfection and eternity. He blesses the person who embarks on the mission of spreading his divine message. That person, enlightened by good mind, will also enhance his own divine dominion.
Zarathushtra's thought-provoking teachings lead to eternal bliss, so live them and spread the message to receive their rewards.
Song 4.7 (Yasna 31.7)
He is Who thought first
that the lights emanate with bliss.
He is, through His wisdom,
which holds the best mind,
the creator of righteousness.
Wise Lord, stimulate my mind through Your creative mentality,
because so far it has remained the same.
God created the universe, blended with light and bliss, with wisdom. He is the creator of the Universal Law based on the best wisdom, the progressive mentality. Zarathushtra wants the divine mentality to stimulate his mind, a mind which had remained inactive.
One’s mind should never stagnate. The mind must be continually provoked to progress, to innovate, and to create.
Song 4.8 (Yasna 31.8)
Wise One, I realized You
as the first and the latest,
and the patron of good mind,
when I grasped You in my vision
as the true creator of righteousness
and the Lord of life's actions.
Zarathushtra realizes, by his searching sight, that God is the first and the latest—above time and age. He created both Good Mind and the Universal Law of Precision—two principles that wisely regulate the universe. He also watches over actions in one’s life.
A keen sense of observation and deep contemplation is necessary to truly realize Lord Wisdom, the universe, and the principles that govern it.
Song 4.9 (Yasna 31.9)
I also realized, Wise Lord,
that serenity is Yours,
and O Creator of the Living World,
that wisdom of mind is Yours,
which has given the world the choice
to go either to a settled person, or to the one who is not.
Zarathushtra further realizes that Mazda created our living world. He also created serenity and good mind, two principles that enable the world to make a wise decision to choose between the people who are usefully settled and those who wander in vain.
A state of freedom, a serene atmosphere, and wisdom help one to make the right choices.
Song 4.10 (Yasna 31.10)
Of the two, it has chosen
the prospering settler
and the promoter of good mind
as its righteous lord.
Wise One, the deceitful nomad
has not shared in this good tradition.
The living world prefers people who are settled and are prospering. They are wise and therefore can lead. Wandering hordes do not grasp the advantage of a settled life and resort to cheating.
A prosperous settled lifestyle is more conducive to righteous behavior and is worthy of leadership, whereas an unsettled life breeds deceit.
Song 4.11 (Yasna 31.11)
O Wise One, at the beginning,
You, through Your mind,
fashioned for us the living world,
conceptions and intellects,
put life in the physical frame,
and gave deeds and words,
so that one makes his choice through free will.
At the beginning, the Wise One made, through his mental faculty, our world, He granted us conception and intellect as He put life into our bodies. He also gave us the ability to talk and act—all to grant freedom of choice to us.
Life, body, mind, speech, and action are gifts from Lord Wisdom We are also granted the freedom of choice to put these gifts into right use.
Song 4.12 (Yasna 31.12)
Therefore, whether one speaks truth or not,
whether one is wise or otherwise,
one expresses in words
what is in one's heart and mind.
Accordingly, one enjoying serenity, may ask himself:
Where will the two mentalities lead?
All—truthful, liar, wise, and stupid—express themselves in words of what their minds guide or their emotions dictate. It is then that one, cool and calm, may well understand where the good or the retarding mentality would lead to.
Whether wise or ignorant, righteous or wrongful, we each express the true nature of our hearts and minds in the ultimate outcomes of our decisions.
Song 4.13 (Yasna 31.13)
Wise One, whether inquiries are madein open or in secret,or a person of small offensesuffers a very grave consequence,You watch all these with Your sharp eyes through righteousness.
God is, through the Universal Law of Precision, precisely watching all—problems faced in open or secret and great harm suffered by men of small offense.
Every crime and transgression, and each question too, is closely monitored by Ahura Mazda.
Song 4.14 (Yasna 31.14)
Lord, I ask You this:
What is happening and what will happen?
What holds in future as compensation for the righteous,
and Wise One, what for the wrongful?
How do they stand
when their performance is complete?
Zarathushtra wants to be clear on present conditions and future happenings. What does future hold for the righteous and what for the wrongful? What when all is done and complete? The questions are self-answering. Eternal good for the righteous, corrective justice for the wrongful, and happy eternity for all.
There are consequences for our actions, and we are personally responsible for all of them.
Song 4.15 (Yasna 31.15)
Lord, I ask You this:
What is the punishment for him
who promotes the rule of the wrongful with evil actions,
and for him who has no other work in life
than to commit crime
against the cattle and the men of a harmless settler?
The questions are as to what happens to one who, with his evil actions, helps to support a wrongful person and what happens to one whose only object is to harm and hurt peaceful people and their cattle. The answer, provoked by the questions, is: evil consequences.
Helping a harmful cause is no different than actually committing the harmful act.
Song 4.16 (Yasna 31.16)
I ask this:
How does a munificent person,
who strives for promoting
the power of house, district, or land
with righteousness,
becomes, Wise Lord, like You,
promoting and by what deeds?
Who but the person who promotes house, district or land—uniting units of human society—with his and her righteous acts, grows into a godlike being? Again an answering question!
Promotion of human society makes one divine.
Song 4.17 (Yasna 31.17)
Which of the two courses is greater,
the one the righteous person chooses for himself,
or the one the wrongful takes?
Let the wise one tell the knowing,
so that the ignorant does not continue his work with deception.
Wise Lord, be the revealer of good mind to us.
The course which a righteous person chooses is better than the one taken by a wrongful person. This point should be made clear by the wise who teach seekers of truth. It would consequently stop the ignorant leader from deceiving people.
The ethical and the unethical make their own choices. Seek Lord Wisdom, so that you may have the good mind to acquire knowledge rather than ignorance.
Song 4.18 (Yasna 31.18)
Therefore, let none of you listen
to the messages and teachings of the wrongful,
because he brings danger and destruction
to the house, settlement,
district, and land.
Correct him with weapons.
The wrongful deceives and therefore one should not listen to his misguiding words. It is his teachings which bring destruction to various units of society—from house to country. Such a person must be corrected even if one has to use force.
Be wary of the deceitful who cause great violence. If necessary, act firmly to prevent them from harming you or others.
Song 4.19 (Yasna 31.19)
Lord, one who listens and realizes the truth,
becomes a life-healing wise person.
He controls his tongue
to express the right words when he wills.
He, O Wise One, through Your radiant light,
proves good to both parties.
A person who listens to good teachings and understands truth becomes wise and can heal social ills. He becomes a master wise who knows what to say and when to say. It is this enlightened person who promotes the righteous and corrects the wrongful. (Zarathushtra is such a person. He first listened to the best, realized God, understood the ills that plagued humanity, rose to heal the society with his thoughtful, thought-provoking message.)
Seek to understand the laws that govern the universe, as they will help you heal reality, speak true words, and bring good to everyone around you!
Song 4.20 (Yasna 31.20)
Whoever goes over to the righteous,
enjoys a bright future.
But the wrongful lives a long life of darkness,
evil splendor and woeful words,
because it is on account of his deeds,
that his conscience leads him to it.
A bright future awaits the person who chooses righteousness. A long period of suffering with dark thoughts and hard words meets the wrongful. His awakening conscience tells that this is because of his evil deeds.
If you choose to be righteous, a bright future awaits you, but if you choose to be deceitful, then misery is your reward.
Song 4.21 (Yasna 31.21)
The Wise Lord grants wholeness, immortality,
abundance of righteousness,
independence in dominion,
and a lasting good mind to him,
who is His friend in mind and action.
God gives perfection, eternity, much righteousness, independence, and an ever-guiding good mind to the person who lovingly follows God in thoughts, words and deeds.
Befriend God by acting godlike and enjoy divine blessings.
Song 4.22 (Yasna 31.22)
These principles are clear to the beneficent person,
who works for the realization
of good mind and dominion,
and serves righteousness with his words and actions.
Such a man, Wise Lord,
is the most helpful person.
The principles of good life are clear to one who wants to prove helpfully gracious to others by promulgating the message, promoting righteousness, acquiring good mind, and cultivating good dominion. He or she is the most efficient helping hand.
Help others understand the divine message and promote good life.
We invite your comments on these Gathas so that our insights might teach one another.
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