THE LIGHT

I Ahura Mazda  spoke to Zarathustra, saying :

“Verily, when I created Mithra, the Ahura of Light, o, Zarathustra ! I created Him as worthy of sacrifice, as worthy of prayer as  Myself :  Ahura Mazda.

II The Man who lies to Mithra brings death to the whole country,  injuring the Faithful World as much as a hundred evil-doers could do !

III Do not break the contract, o Zarathustra ! neither the one that  you had entered into with one of the unfaithful, nor the one that you had entered into with one of the' Faithful who is of your own Faith. For Mithra stands for both the Faithful and the unfaithful ! IV Fire, the Son of Ahura Mazda,  gives the straightest way to those who do not lie to Mithra. V The good, strong, and beneficent Fravashis of the Faithful give a virtuous Offspring to those who do not lie to Mithra.”

 [And Zarathustra said :]

VI “ You shall invoke Him for His brightness and glory, may He come to us with Help ! may He come to us with Ease ! may He come to us with Joy ! may He come to us with Mercy ! may He come to us with Health ! may He come to us with Victory ! may He come to us with good Conscience ! may He come to us with Bliss !VII He, who is so awful and over-powering ! worthy of sacrifice and of Prayer, not to be deceived anywhere in the whole of the material World !  Mithra, the Lord of Light !

VIII I will offer up a sacrifice which is worth being heard of to Mithra, the Ahura of Light ; with the Haoma, with Wisdom of the Tongue, with Holy Spells : with Speech, with Deeds, and with rightly-spoken Words.

IX We sacrifice unto Mithra, the Ahura of Light, who is Truth-speaking, with a thousand Ears, with ten thousand Eyes, with full knowledge,  strong and ever awake, X unto whom none must lie, neither the Master of a house, nor the lord of a borough, nor the lord of a town, nor the lord of a province. 

XI If the Master of a house  lies to Him, or the lord of a borough, or, the lord of a town, or, the lord of a province, then Mithra comes,  angry and offended, and he breaks asunder the house , the borough, the province, and the Masters of the house, the lords of the boroughs, the lords of the towns, the lords of the provinces, and the foremost men of the provinces.

XII Those who lie to Mithra, however swiftly they may be running,  cannot outrun their fate ; even   riding, they cannot ; and driving, they cannot. 

XIII We invoke Mithra, the Ahura of Light, who is Ever-awake,  who takes out of distress the man who has not lied to him ;  he saves him from death.

 XIV You bring down terror onto the bodies of men who lie to You ; You take away the strength from their arms, for You are all-powerful ! You take away the swiftness from their feet, the eye-sight from their eyes, the hearing from their ears.

 XV We invoke Mithra, the Lord of Light, who is Ever-awake , who upholds the columns of the lofty house and makes solid its pillars. He gives herds of oxen, and children to that house in which  he has been satisfied ;  He breaks to pieces,  those in which he has been offended.

XVI You, o Mithra ! are both bad and good to the nations ; You, o Mithra ! are both bad and good to men. XVII You, o Mithra ! keep in Your hands both Peace and trouble for the nations.

XVIII Do grant us these boons which we do beg of You,  in accordance with the words of revelation, namely :  riches, strength, and victory, good conscience and bliss, good fame and good soul,  wisdom and the knowledge that gives happiness ; that victorious strength,  given by Ahura, the Ascendant of  ASHA and conversation with Mazda on the Holy Word.

XIX Grant that we, in a good spirit and a high spirit, exalted in joy, may smite all the malice of Devas and men.”

XX And thus spoke Mithra, the Ahura of Light : 

“If I were invoked by my name, then I would come to the Faithful at the appointed time ; then I would come in the appointed time, with My beautiful, immortal Life.”

 [And Zarathustra said:]

XXI “ Grant us, o powerful god ; in accordance with the revealed Word : riches, strength and victory, good conscience and bliss, good fame and a good soul ;  wisdom and the knowledge that gives happiness : the victorious strength given by the Ahuras, the Ascendant of  ASHA, and conversation with  Mazda, on the Holy Word.

XXII We invoke  Mithra, the Ahura of Light, who is Ever-awake ! He takes possession of the beautiful, wide-expanding Law, greatly and powerfully, and His Face overlooks all the seven Kingdoms of the Earth ; He is swift amongst the swift,  bountiful amongst the bounteous, strong amongst the bounteous, a Chief of Assembly amongst the chiefs of Assemblies ; the Giver of Increase, the Giver of Sovereignty, the Giver of Sons, the Giver of Cheerfulness and the Giver of Bliss.