10th Book
M I H R Y A S H T
Ahura Mazda spake unto
Spitama Zarathushtra,
saying: 'Verily, when I crea-
ted Mithra, the lord of
wide pastures, O Spitama! I
created him as worthy of
sacrifice, as worthy of
prayer as myself, Ahura
Mazda2
1 1
I
mraot ahurô mazdå spi-
tamâi zarathushtrâi, âat ýat
mithrem ýim vouru-gaoya-
oitîm frâdadhãm azem spi-
tama âat dim dadhãm avåñ-
tem ýesnyata avåñtem vah-
myata ýatha mãmcit ýim
ahurem mazdãm.
 'The ruffian who lies unto
Mithra3 brings death unto
the whole country, injuring
as much the faithful world
as a hundred evil-doers4
could do. Break not the
contract, O Spitama! neit-
her the one that thou hadst
entered into with one of
the unfaithful, nor the one
that thou hadst entered
into with one of the faith-
ful who is one of thy own
faith.5 For Mithra stands
for both the faithful and
the unfaithful.
mereñcaite vîspãm daing-
haom
mairyô mithrô-druxsh spi-
tama,
ýatha satem kayadhanãm
avavat ashava-jacit,
mithrem mâ janyå spitama
mâ ýim drvatat peresånghe
mâ ýim hvâdaênât ashao-
nat,
vayå zî asti mithrô
drvataêca ashaonaêca.

2 2
3 The Mithra-druj: one might also translate 'who breaks the contract,' as mithra, as a
common noun, means 'a contract.'

II
 'Whose eight friends52 sit
as spies for Mithra, on all
the heights, at all the watc-
hing-places, observing the
man who lies unto Mithra,
looking at those, remembe-
ring those who have lied
unto Mithra, but guarding
the ways of those whose life
is sought by men who lie
unto Mithra, and, verily, by
the fiendish killers of faith-
ful men.
ýenghe ashta râtayô
vîspâhu paiti barezâhu
vîspâhu vaêdhayanâhu
spasô ånghâire mithrahe
mithrô-drujem hispôsemna
ave aipi daidhyañtô
ave aipi hishmareñtô
ýôi paurva mithrem druz-
hiñti
avaêshãmca pathô påñtô
ýim iseñti mithrô-drujô
haithîm-ashava-janasca dr-
vañtô

4 5 4 5
52Doubtful. The number eight has probably an astronomical signification, each of
the eight râtis of Mithra occupying one of the eight points of the compass.

III