Song 14.1 (Yasna 49.1)
Now, Wise One, Bendva* always obstructs me the most, I, who wish to satisfy the badly protected through righteousness. Come to me with good reward and support. I am seeking illumination for him through good mind.
After declaring his plan, Zarathushtra turns to an arch enemy, *Bendva (Vedic Bandhu, a composer of the Rig Veda) who is the main obstruction in Zarathushtra’s way. Zarathushtra wants to attend, in a rightful way, to the people who face the dangers of opposition; they must be saved. He is praying for divine guidance and seeking solution through good mind.
The wrongful people in power will always obstruct genuine attempts to help the oppressed, but they can still be shown another way.
Song 14.2 (Yasna 49.2)
Indeed this action of Bendva has made me anxious because the wrongful doctrine certainly prevents one from righteousness. Neither has he ever held the progressive serenity to be his, nor has he ever consulted good mind, Wise One.
Zarathushtra wants to lead Bendva to illumination, but that man does not want it. He continues with his wrongful teachings and his opposition to Zarathushtra as this agitated agitator is never stable and peaceful. He never thinks good—He is out of mind indeed! What should one do with an obstinate opposition? The thought causes Zarathushtra to reflect.
A person mislead into deceit and evil will not care for peace, progress, or the Good Mind.
Song 14.3 (Yasna 49.3)
However, Wise One, this has been put as a choice that righteousness is for the promotion of the doctrine, and wrong is for harming it. Therefore, I long for union with good mind, and disavow all associations with the wrongful.
Zarathushtra’s meditation informs him that Righteousness, the Law of precision, promotes the Divine Doctrine, and wrong actions harm it. Therefore, he decides to continue with utilizing the good mind and avoiding those who persist in their wrong beliefs, thus refusing to change. Instead of wasting his precious time with willfully deaf, Zarathushtra turns to those who have open ears to listen and free will to choose.
It has been set down for us to choose between promoting the righteous laws of existence or working against them.
Song 14.4 (Yasna 49.4)
Those who, through their evil intellect, promote anger and cruelty with their tongues are but drones among productive people. Their evil deeds have not been defeated by good deeds. It is they who created false gods, which forms the religion of the wrongful.
Zarathushtra is describing the people he disavows, those who use their intellect for evil ends, with their teaching promoting violence and war. These false teachers, the priests, are the creators of false deities; they have been successful in promoting their cult and duping and exploiting the laity. They are not productive themselves for they feed on what productive people produce.
The deceitful are driven by the necessities of their evil actions and, as a consequence, create harmful belief systems.
Song 14.5 (Yasna 49.5)
Now, Wise One, every person, who has linked his religion with good mind through devotion and invocation, is a noble person of serenity through righteousness. He lives, with them all, in Your dominion, Lord.
A person who would meditate and contemplate with their good mind and, as such, is firmly confident in what he discerns is, in truth, a noble person. He enjoys peace and stability because of his righteous acts. In fact, such a person lives a divine life in the divine dominion along with all others who share the same belief. They all are co-religionists.
See to it that your religious beliefs are guided by your good mind and based on the Fundamental Laws of Existence.
Song 14.6 (Yasna 49.6)
I urge You, Wise One, and Righteousness to tell us what You have in Your wisdom of mind, so that we rightly choose how to proclaim, Lord, the religion which belongs to a Godlike person.
Zarathushtra is again seeking guidance from Mazda and the Law of Precision (Asha). He wants to use his divine good mind to precisely plan how to proclaim his Divine Message, the Good Religion, which causes one to be godlike.
By listening to Wisdom and Righteousness, one can become like God by actualizing their nature within themself.
Song 14.7 (Yasna 49.7)
And Wise One, let one listen to it through good mind. Let one listen to it through righteousness. You too hear it, Lord. Which friend, which relative abides by laws, and provides a good guidance to the community?
Zarathushtra wants everyone to know the guides he has trained to practice the Primal Principles of Life and to lead members of family and friends, the entire community. He wants to introduce them, he wants all to listen to the Divine Message through good mind and righteousness, and he wants Ahura to be witness to this.
Listening to those who practice what they teach is the right way to learn.
Song 14.8 (Yasna 49.8)
This I beg You, Wise Lord, to grant Ferashaushtra* the best happy union with righteousness. And give it to my people in Your good dominion. We shall be Your messengers forever.
Zarathushtra prays for divine blessings to come to *his trainee Ferashaoshtra and others. He prays for their union with righteousness and in the good divine dominion and declares that he and his companions will continue to be the messengers of the Divine Message forever.
Advocating for wisdom, justice, and truth in the world is being a messenger of the Lord of Wisdom.
Song 14.9 (Yasna 49.9)
Sage Jamaspa*, let the promoter, tailored for promotion, listen to these teachings.
The truth-speaking person shall not consider any association with the wrongful,
because those who have united their consciences in the reward,
are united in righteousness on this Great Event of Choice.
Zarathushtra now addresses *another trainee, Jamaspa, Ferashaoshtra’s younger brother, who is known for his knowledge. The occasion is the “Great Event of Choice”, the Gathic term for “Initiation”, that is, the day one chooses the Good Religion. He wants Jamaspa, who has been trained to teach, to listen to the teachings with greater attention; once the choice is made, then one should not associate with the wrongful. The choice makes one a member of “Maz Maga”, “the Great Magnanimity”, the Universal Fellowship founded by Zarathushtra. [The Great Light Brotherhood?]
The truthful do not [routinely] associate with the deceitful as their focus is on the ultimate good of humanity [,while the deceitful is focused on the good primarily of self].
Song 14.10 (Yasna 49.10)
And Wise One, You guard in Your abode this good mind, the souls of the righteous, and the reverence that comes with serenity and invocation, a fact that makes the great sovereignty everlasting.
Righteous souls with good mind, tranquility, and invocation last forever in the Divine Domain.
In his embrace, Ahura Mazda protects and nourishes the souls of the righteous.
Song 14.11 (Yasna 49.11)
Now, the souls of the evil-ruling, evil-doing, evil speaking,
evil-conceiving, and evil-thinking return back
because of their evil luster because they really dwell
in the house of wrong.
The souls of those who think, speak, conceive, act and rule by evil [harmful] means, have evil luster and fame. They do not progress to perfection, but return to their abode of wrong where they truly belong.
The souls of the evil doers will condemn them at their final moment for all they have done.
Song 14.12 (Yasna 49.12)
What help do You have through righteousness, Wise Lord, what help through good mind for me, Zarathushtra, the invoker, who loves You with praises, and asks for what is best in Your power?
These questions that tell us that Zarathushtra, who invokes Mazda Ahura with love and praises, knows that God will help him through his righteous actions planned with his good mind and that he will be granted him the best of the divine power. He will succeed in removing all the obstacles in his way and in completing his mission.
When you ask Ahura Mazda [Lord of Wisdom] for help, he will provide it in abundance through the fundamental laws of existence.
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We invite your comments on these Gathas so that our insights might teach one another.
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Source: The Gathas - Zarathushtrian Assembly See the index on the left of the page for the Song labeled in the title of this article.
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