Mah Adar, Roj Ardibehesht and the Airyaman Ishyo Prayer

by Mrs. Pervin Mistry


The prayer of Airyaman Isho is actually Yasna 54. It is very efficacious and potent if prayed just before the chanting of Ardibehest Yasht. Airyaman Yazad is a co-worker of Ardibehesht Ameshaspand and therefore, it is very beneficent to recite this yasna manthra before the Ardibehesht Yasht as both are complimentary to each other. Yasna 54.1 is recited 4 times. It has the power to drive out diseases, physical, mental as well as spiritual. Part of it is composed in the Gathic dialect and it is stated that this specific Yasna 54 will be recited at the time of the future restoration of the world.

I attach an earlier article regarding the Ardibehesht Yasht for those who have recently joined TZML. Our manthra, if uttered with dedication and faith, can and do bring about definite desired effects. The power of prayers is a fact that even science acknowledges today. Sound is an energy that creates as well destroys and that diseases (mental, moral, physical) are cured by 'sound' (recitation of manthra) is also a scientific fact.

I hope readers will recite this Yasna 54 before praying Ardibehesht Yasht.

Ardibehesht Yasht:

"O Asha, unto thee shall I weave Hymns and unto Vohu Man' as ne'er before, And unto Mazda Ahura as well…" (Yasna 23.8).

The Avestan name for Ardibehesht (Pahlavi) is Asha Vahishta who presides over the creation of Atash/Fire. Yasna 17.11 mentions Atash not only in its visible forms, but also in its invisible forms. The Invisible or Spiritual Fire is Cosmic Energy and connotes Asha Vahishta. As an Amasaspand, Asha is "hamem" or One with Ahura Mazda; therefore, Asha is truly the Divine Essence/Energy of Ahura Mazda pervading every atom of the Universe, transmuting matter to spirit, ultimately realizing the Goal of Frasho-Kereti.

While Atash Niyayesh reveals the divine and spiritual status of Atash and contains portions of yasna 33, 34 (Ahunavad Gatha embedded in the Staot Yasht Nask), as well as yasna 62, Ardibehesht Yasht forms a portion of the Bagan Nask which is also one of the 21 Nasks revealed by Ahura Mazda to Asho Zarathushtra. These 21 Nasks are based on the 21 "staot" (Cosmic Resonances) of the sacred Ahunavar Manthra; hence, Ardibehesht Yasht is part of one of the resonances created by Ahunavar, as revealed in the Bagan Nask. Bagan contains 16 of the extant Yashts (including Ardibehesht) which are preserved in the Avesta. Although the language of Gathas may differ from the language of Yashts, it is important to note that both the Gathas and Yashts form segments of the original 21 Nasks; therefore, their source is the same.

Ardibehesht Yasht begins by expressly referring to "Airyaman Ishyo" and "Saok" in its "kshnooman" or dedicatory introduction. Karda 5 emphasizes that the manthra recited in praise of Airyaman "is the best for healing and is the most healing of the Holy Manthras". Airyaman Yazad bestows Spiritual Wisdom and Divine Harmony through "staot" by driving away deceit and ignorance from the mind, inevitably bound by the two opposing principles, created essentially by the interaction of spirit and matter. "Saok" denotes activity of the mind, that is, brilliance of wisdom. Both Airyaman and Saok represent Spiritual Illumination, quality possessed by Atash, as also specified in Atash Niyayesh. Atash is intimately connected with "fluent tongue" ("khshviwrem hizvam urune ushi", Atash Niyayesh .4), indicating Atash to be synonymous with wisdom as well as speech. Considering the fact that Atash is physical as well as spiritual, thought and speech, on the physical level, are directly correspondent to spirituality and "Manthra Spenta". This is revealed in detail in the Ardibehesht Yasht wherein healing of body, mind, soul is attributed to piety, spirituality and the utterance of "manthra". That healing must begin from within, is an old Avestic teaching; that plants also heal "urvaro baeshazo" is also mentioned.

Further, Ardibehesht Yasht reveals that the manthra contained in Airyamana prayer is one of the greatest of the Holy Spells; and, who worships Asha Vahishta and recites the efficacious manthras, defeats Angre Mainyu! Ardibehesht Yasht adds that "the daeva of deceit, Angre Mainyu, full of death, ran away from Asha Vahishta and, howled out that the sacred verse of ASHEM VOHU has the Divine Power to smite and vanquish me, Angre Mainyu"! Ashem Vohu (dedicated to Vohu Mano), and Asha Vahishta are like the two sides of a coin; Ashem Vohu is total purity, and Asha Vahishta/Atash is the purifier of all things. Yasna 20 is a commentary on Ashem Vohu prayer; it specifies that Ashem Vohu is called "bagha Ashahe Vahishtahe" and the manthra contained in this prayer adds to the power of Asha Vahishta.

The question arises as to why Ardibehesht/Asha Vahishta, or Fire, is so intimately related to manthra or sound? That light and sound are the functions of waves of energy manifesting at different frequencies is a scientific fact known to our ancestors, thousands of years ago, is proof of their wisdom and spirituality! This, they have taught in the Avesta, through our scriptures, one such instance is contained in the revelation of Ardibehesht Yasht! They knew the correspondence between light, manifesting as Atash, and sound. Sound is also spiritual/occult; it relates to frequencies, numbers and spectrum. Manthra is composed of sound, not mundane words; it embodies celestial harmony, or cosmic resonances. "Sound" is the key to the most potent and effectual power in Nature because it transcends space-time continuum and opens the door of communion between mortals and the Divine World. The two: light and sound, are inseparable, is proven by scientists who "hear" stars, that is, they transform the light coming from a particular luminary object into sound. Conversely, Ultra-Sound Xrays and MRI Xrays show images through the medium of sound. Avesta emphasizes this interrelationship of light and sound by stating that sound is at the root of all manifestation. The Holy Avesta teaches that the Universe became manifest through the resonance of "Ahunavar" which was conceived in Ahura Mazda's Wisest Mind as a result of His First Thought (Light)! Word or sound is but the vocalization of thought. This proves that Asha Vahishta/Atash, as Divine Energy/Light, is irrefutably connected to Manthra or Spiritual Sound.

Since "man" is an integral part of the Universe, Divine Consciousness (Vohu Mano) and Divine Essence (Asha Vahishta) are innately within us, functioning through the 3 spiritual principles (fravashi, baodh, and urvan). These spiritual principles are linked to the physical through "mind" which becomes the vehicle of either Angre Mainyu or Spenta Mainyu. Subsequently, the words we utter are the product of our thought, and it is thought or "mind" wherein "seeds" of good or evil come to fruition. Ardibehesht Yasht draws our attention to the 3 most destructive "seeds" which hinder spirituality. They are: "azi-chithra", "vehrko-chithra", and "bizangro-chithra". "Azi- chithra", means "seeds of snakes"; "vehrko-chithra" means "seeds of wolves"; and, as food for thought, "bizangro-chithra" means "seeds or tendencies of evil/wicked biped"! The fact that "man" (biped) is placed beside snakes and wolves indicates that humans are considered a part of the "animal kingdom" because we share the same life-atoms, and the disposition of man can be as destructive. Snakes and wolves are synonymous to being vicious, selfish and cunning, as is man when he so chooses. The only distinction between man and animals is that man alone is endowed with speech. When a man utters an evil word, the effect created in Nature, by the ensuing sound, through the vibes of molecular particles is irreversible. Man alone has the ability to vocalize manthra. Man alone is responsible for his thoughts, words and actions, and when man chooses to be wicked, he is the most dangerous animal. Ardibehesht Yasht, therefore, emphasizes that the utterance of efficacious manthra promote spirituality because during such passage of time while manthra are recited, the door of the soul opens to commune with the Divine. This helps the mind to drive away dormant or active "seeds" of destruction germinating in the dual principles of human mentality! In addition, manthra promote spirituality by fructifying and nurturing spiritually beneficent "seeds" in the warmth of spiritual light generated by potent "staot" through sublime thoughts of devotion.

The three evil "seeds" and the consequential outcome on the disposition of humans who harbour and nurture them are dealt with in detail in the Ardibehesht Yasht. This awareness regarding the gravity of promoting these "seeds" to fruit is mentioned in this Yasht because as a purifier, it is Atash/Asha Vahishta who alchemizes every "seed" originating from "Angre Mainyu" to ultimately become purified. Empirical science acknowledges that sound/vibes produced by soothing; relaxing music productively affects plant growth. Our ancestors were not so "unscientific" when they maintained that sound produced by holy, sacred manthra has the ability to destroy "druj" in its innumerable forms! By uttering the manthra of this Yasht, by knowing why and what we are praying, we become aware of existing "druj" in various forms and thereafter try to consciously drive away false notions from our mind. The cure for ailment (mental and physical) is also given; and the first step to permanently cure ailments is through the recitation of manthra whose spiritual sound enables the soul to dispense holistic cure from within.

Ardibehesht Yasht emphatically states that one who heals by means of reciting the manthra is best among all healers because the cure is effected from within, from the soul itself. The "seeds" of righteousness also come to fruition within us if we listen to our inner voice of consciousness, the voice of Sarosh Yazad. He dwells in the silent chamber of our heart (soul) and is called "takhmahe tanu manthrahe" (manthra incarnate). This indicates that spiritual manthra are inherently present within us; embedded within the silent chamber of our soul; we merely have to connect our spiritual soul to the Soul of Ahura Mazda (Manthra Spenta), through the prescribed utterances of manthric prayers. The Path of Righteousness, the Path to Asha is an inward Path, attained through the inner voice of Sarosh Yazad (soul-consciousness). The most potent weapon against Angre Mainyu is Divine Sound/Manthra. The profound message of this Yasht is that just as a doctor fills out prescriptions for patients, prayers/manthra are our spiritual medication which will heal us from within our inner self so we may become spiritually perfected.

Genuine prayer is the calling or invoking into oneself of a portion of Divine Consciousness because in prayer, through manthra, one opens the inner door (soul) to the reception of the Divine Guest one communes with. Yasna 30.1 specifies that eficacious manthra is best for spirituality, which is attained by "yasna", through "staotacha ahurai" (Ahura Mazda's Own Spiritual Language of "staot"). On the other hand, if an individual prays five times a day but fails to live by the prescribed tenets, such prayers are not "heard" or acepted by the Divine since "mithra" and "manthra" in such instances become divergent. Consequently, such weak "staot" are ineffectual to create productive reciprocal vibes in the Spiritual World. The Avesta mentions several instances wherein such prayers have not been answered. The Avesta is our most sacred, priceless legacy; please, let us not desecrate it, or alter it, because we do not understand it. Let us preserve it with faith and dedication.

"Bi bandegi, zindegi sharmindgist", without prayers, life is insignificant!

Pervin J. Mistry


Zoroastrian Matrimonial Page

Traditional Zoroastrianism Home Page

Saga of the Aryans Home Page