Song 16.1 (Yasna 51.1)
The good dominion is to be chosen. It is the best dividend. In fact, it is devotion for the dedicated, who, Wise One, moves best within righteousness by his deeds. It is for this dominion that I am working for all of us now.
A good government must be an elected one; this is one of the best gains one can have in this life. To serve a chosen government means to serve it best with devotion based on righteous deeds. It is for such a dominion, a governmental system, that Zarathushtra determined was best for us, mankind; as such, he founded the foremost democracy—mental and physical, spiritual and material.
Song 16.2 (Yasna 51.2)
I dedicate these deeds, Wise Lord, first of all to You, then to Righteousness, and then to you, Serenity. Show me the desired dominion. Grant me, through Your good mind, the strength to glorify.
Zarathushtra dedicates his deeds to Mazda, Righteousness, and Serenity so as to established the ideal government. He then prays for strength acquired through the good mind to glorify God in such a desired dominion.
Deeds done wisely, properly, and with a serene mindset help to establish the ideal order of existence.
Song 16.3 (Yasna 51.3)
Let those, who have joined You in action, assemble to hear You, because You are the Lord of true speech with words of good mind. Of these words, Wise One, You are the foremost promulgator.
The Divine Dominion belongs to God [Most High], as Zarathushtra says in his opening stanza of “Yatha Ahu”. Here he repeats this idea; he calls upon all those who have dedicated themselves, since this mission started, to come together to listen to the Divine Message, the message based on truth and the good mind, promulgated by God [Most High] and realized by Zarathushtra.
The Wise Lord speaks forth true words– words which, when heard, advance each living creature.
Song 16.4 (Yasna 51.4)
Where does felicity flow?
Where does favor take place?
Where is righteousness attained?
Where is the progressive serenity?
Where is the best mind? Where?
Through Your dominion, Wise One.
True happiness, divine favor, righteousness, progressive tranquility, and best thinking, all are enjoyed in the Divine Dominion.
The Good Mind, the Righteous Order of Existence, and Progressive Serenity are found in totality within the dominion of Wisdom.
Song 16.5 (Yasna 51.5)
I ask these to know how does a settler, by his proper actions, strengthen the world with righteousness? He is a humble intellectual who is a true leader of the lawful and is recognized as the ruler of the rewarded.
As against a wandering parasite, a settled humble intellectual promotes the world through his righteous actions. In turn, such a person is recognized by the prosperous law-abiding as their true leader.
A truthful leader prioritizes the advancement of society by an intellectual understanding of the laws of existence.
Song 16.6 (Yasna 51.6)
The Wise Lord gives, through his sovereignty, much good to him who succeeds for the sake of his conviction. But he who does not strengthen it, shall get much bad at the turning point of his life.
He who is firm in his belief and acts accordingly, gains much good, but he who does not promote the Divine Dominion ends in a great loss.
Those who strive to create a better world are rewarded dearly, but those who oppose this as a result of selfish desire lose dearly.
Song 16.7 (Yasna 51.7)
You, Wise One, Who have fashioned the world, the waters, and the plants by Your most progressive mentality, grant me, in accordance with good mind’s doctrine, immortality, wholeness, steadfast strength, and endurance.
To serve the living world, the waters, and the plants better, Zarathushtra says a short prayer addressing Wisdom who has created these very things through his creative faculty, the most progressive mentality. He prays that he, guided by his good mind, may enjoy endurance, lasting energy, perfection, and eternity.
Wisdom created existence through the iterative impulse to progress towards goodness, which would ultimately bring us perfection and immortality – Closer to the Divine.
Song 16.8 (Yasna 51.8)
Now, I shall speak, Wise One, for You. Let one tell the wise that evil is for the wrongful and radiant happiness is for him who upholds righteousness. Truly, he who tells this thought-provoking message to the wise, will thereby become happy.
Zarathushtra’s Divine Message is for the wise because they can better comprehend it. He wants the wise to know that evil has evil as its consequence, radiant happiness is for the righteous, and radiant happiness enlightens its surrounding. A happy wise person who spreads the message to others, spreads radiates happiness by sharing his wisdom, and, as a result, people become wiser and wiser. Not necessarily immediately as if by magic, but as in "progressive mind" – learning through growing into it.
The Zarathushtrian religion does not thrive on simple people’s blind faith; it instead demands attention, comprehension, discretion, conviction, and action [and patience, and persistence.]
Those who reveal truth to the wise will find radiant happiness.
Song 16.9 (Yasna 51.9)
You grant happiness to both factions through Your bright Fire, Wise One, as well as through the purifying test. This is the established principle of existence: Sufferings for the wrongful, and blessings for the righteous.
The Divine Fire—light, warmth and energy—would lead both the righteous and the wrongful to happiness. Since the righteous are on the right path, it is easier for them to reach the goal; however, the wrongful suffer the consequences of their actions, the purifying process, to reach the same place.
As one put it: We learn through experience. We may learn from our own experiences, or we may learn from other peoples experiences: what he coined as non-experience experiences.
By the fire embued in all existence will Wisdom deliver onto truthfulness and deceitfulness their ultimate compensations.
Song 16.10 (Yasna 51.10)
Now, Wise One, the person who wants to destroy us, is indifferent to this doctrine. He himself is the child of a wrong world, and is one of the malefactors. I invoke righteousness for mine, so that it comes along with good reward.
Although assured of his mission’s success, Zarathushtra and companions have their enemies who are alien to his Divine Message. They are the products of a wrong world; as such, they are harmful. However, adhering fast and firm to the Universal Law of Righteousness, Zarathushtra knows that in spite of some difficulties, the final success would be his.
In the face of the oppression of deceitful and evil people, call upon the righteous order of existence to be empowered to resist them.
Song 16.11 (Yasna 51.11)
Wise One, which person is a friend of mine, Zarathushtra Spitama? Who, indeed, consults righteousness? With whom is the progressive serenity? Who, indeed, considers himself rightful to belong to good mind and to the Fellowship?
These questions point to the type of person Zarathushtra considers a companion, a person who consults righteousness, lives a life of progressive tranquility, uses his good mind, is a member of the Zarathushtrian Fellowship, and considers himself a rightful person.
Seek friends who provide righteousness and truthfulness to your friendship.
Song 16.12 (Yasna 51.12)
The sagacious prince did not satisfy me, Zarathushtra Spitama, on this wide earth when he obstructed me in my gain there, because I have been quick and conveying in my walks and talks.
Besides his companions, Zarathushtra had a number of antagonists, one of them an unnamed learned prince. Wherever Zarathushtra went, he was working against him because he was bothered that Zarathushtra had great success in his teachings, debates, and conversations.
Deceitful people in power will always seek to obstruct the wise who spread the truth of their evil deeds.
Song 16.13 (Yasna 51.13)
Thus the conscience of the wrongful tramples the truth on the straight line. His soul openly upbraids him in front of the sorting bridge, because it is his deeds and words that make him lose the path of righteousness.
The conscience of the wrongful tramples truth as they blunder forward ignorantly in life. When they eventually reach the “sorting bridge”, where the righteous are distinguished from the wrongful, their perplexed soul chastise them over their words and deeds which made them go astray, and now they must face the consequences.
In the end, the soul of the wrongful will condemn them for how they have corrupted their conscience.
[Your Higher Self will remind you about your harmful practices]
Song 16.14 (Yasna 51.14)
The mumbling priests are not friends. They are sufficiently far from laws and from the settlement. They take delight in injuring the world with their deeds and teachings, a doctrine that ultimately places them in the house of wrong.
The priests who mumble and perform rituals with no knowledge or care are not friends and well-wishers. They do not honor laws and are not productive members of the human society. Instead, they harm the world by their actions and by their religiosity; their wrong doctrine keeps them in a state of wrong.
Manipulative teachers of religion and ideology take pleasure in injuring [devaluing] the living world [to elevate themselves], but their teachings will ultimately place them in the house of deceit.
Song 16.15 (Yasna 51.15)
The prize, I, Zarathushtra have promised my fellows in the future is the House of Song, in which the Wise One came first. I have promised it to you through gains of good mind and righteousness.
Should one adhere to the guidance reached through one’s good mind and then proceed according to the Universal Law of Righteousness, they will surely reach the goal of perfection and immortality, a divine state foremost attained by Wisdom. It is this serene state that Zarathushtra promises his companions.
Those who follow the Good Mind and righteousness are rewarded with blissful peace and happiness.
Song 16.16 (Yasna 51.16)
Kavi Vishtaspa* has attained this through the power of the Fellowship and the songs of good mind. It is the wisdom the progressive Wise Lord has thought through righteousness to teach us radiant happiness.
Successful in his divine mission, Zarathushtra speaks of his best companions. First is *Kavi Vishtaspa, a king who was once proud of the physical power which had won him such a large territory. Now that he has converted to the Good Religion and contemplated the Gathas with meditation and the good mind, he has realized that true power lies in a Fellowship established on the Primal Principles of Life, not brute force ruling people. These principles are based on the divine wisdom and, when translated into life, they teach us how to radiate happiness to others by serving the Fellowship.
Listen to the wise Creator through the righteous laws of existence to receive radiant happiness.
Song 16.17 (Yasna 51.17)
Ferashaoshtra Hvogva* has shown me a precious plan for the Good Conscience. May the Sovereign Wise Lord grant him power to attain the possession of righteousness.
Ferashaoshtra*, another prominent companion, presents a valuable plan for the promotion of the Good Religion. Zarathushtra prays for the power for him to progress in his righteous mission.
If you show others your unique viewpoint on how to best understand existence, you will help in attaining the Righteous Order of Existence for all life.
Song 16.18 (Yasna 51.18)
Sage Jamaspa Hvogva* has, in his desire for illumination, chosen that sovereignty, the acquisition of good mind, through righteousness. He says: "Wise Lord, grant me the support which is Yours."
Possession of the good mind through righteousness makes one sovereign and self-reliant. This is how *Jamaspa Hvogova, another prominent companion of Zarathushtra, wants to enlighten himself. He prays for The Lord of Wisdom’s support.
In the search for enlightenment, seek the empowering sovereignty of the Wise Lord.
Song 16.19 (Yasna 51.19)
Maidyoi-mâha Spitama,*
that person dedicates himself
in comprehending it by his religion,
and in desiring it for life
who says that the laws of the Lord
are better for living than through deeds alone.
*Maidhyoi-mâha, Zarathushtra’s older cousin, was the first person to have chosen the Good Religion. Zarathushtra says Maidhyoi-mâha understands the Divine Doctrine and desires to implement it in his practical life; he furthers states this is because Maidhyoi-mâha says that the Divine Principles of Life are better only if one does not stop at thinking and speaking about them but also puts them in practice.
In order to achieve desired results, one’s belief in thoughts and words must be followed by their actions.
Song 16.20 (Yasna 51.20)
Here, all of you, who are of one will with us in giving goodness: Righteousness is through good mind and through words which stem from serenity. While humbly worshiping, ask for the help of the Wise One.
Mentioning four of his closest companions, Zarathushtra turns to all those who have chosen his Divine Doctrine. He states that the proper conduct of precision and righteousness can only be achieved through the good mind and being in a serene and tranquil state. He advises us to humbly pray to Wisdom and ask for help and guidance.
Good mind and serenity, accompanied by earnest prayers, leads to righteousness.
Song 16.21 (Yasna 51.21)
The person who belongs to progressive serenity, promotes righteousness with his intellect, words, deeds, and conscience. The Wise Lord grants him dominion through good mind. I too shall pray for such a good reward.
In order to emphasize the point of the preceding stanza, Zarathushtra paraphrases his statement: A person who enjoys progressive serenity and increasing tranquility promotes precision and righteousness with his thoughts, words, deeds, and, above all, with his conscience; he acquires sovereignty and self-reliance through his good mind. It is for such a noble cause that Zarathushtra offers his prayers.
Enjoy peace and possession of sound mind and body, and promote the living world with good thoughts, good words, and good deeds.
Song 16.22 (Yasna 51.22)
The Wise Lord knows best any person of mine for his or her veneration done in accordance with righteousness. I shall, on my part, venerate such persons, passed away or living, by their names, and shall lovingly encircle them.
Finally, Zarathushtra is paying tribute to the people promoting righteousness. He says that Mazda Ahura knows best the good acts of veneration and service done according to precision and righteousness. Zarathushtra, on his part, venerates all such persons, dead or alive, by mentioning their names and by lovingly embracing them. What a touching scene to see a Master mentioning each of his followers, those who have passed away and those who are with him, by name, and then loving and encircling them! The teacher venerating the pupils.
The Lord of Wisdom knows every righteous person who has existed and will exist, and He will accept them with love.
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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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