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The Hymns of Zoroaster: A New Translation of the Most Ancient Sacred Texts of Iran
Zoroaster was one of the greatest and most radical religious reformers in the history of the world. The faith that he founded some 2600 years ago in a remote region of central Asia flourished to become the bedrock of a great empire as well as its official religion. Zoroastrianism is still practiced today in parts of India and Iran and in smaller communities elsewhere, where its adherents are known as Parsis. It has the distinction of being one of the most ancient religions in the only Hinduism can lay claim to greater antiquity. The foundation texts of this venerable system of belief are the founder's own passionate poems, known as the Gathas (""Songs""), and a short ritual composed soon after his death, called the Liturgy in Seven Chapters. These hymns are the authentic utterances of a religious leader whose thought was way ahead of his time, and are among the most precious relics of human civilization. After so many millennia they continue to speak to us of an impressively austere theology and of an inspiring and easily understood moral code. Yet existing translations are few, divergent in their interpretations of the original Avestan language of Zoroaster, and frequently hard to access. M. L. West's new translation, based on the best modern scholarship, and augmented by a substantial introduction and notes, makes these powerfully resonant texts available to a wide audience in clear and accessible form.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1001
About the author
Zoroaster
19 books35 followersFrom Ahura Mazda, the Iranian prophet and founder Zoroaster or Zarathustra received a revelation; the Avesta, traditionally dated to the 6th century BC, describes other events in his life.
Legend identifies Balkh, the birthplace of Zoroaster, the prophet.
People also know Zoroaster as Spitama. This native of uncertain birthplace spoke of Old Avestan in the eastern part of the plateau. People know him mostly through the texts. Modern scholars generally place him in northeast at some time between 1400 BC and 1200 BC. People spoke the language and used it for composing the Yasna Haptanghaiti and the Gathas , probably to the first half of the 2nd millennium BC on archaeological grounds.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroaster
Legend identifies Balkh, the birthplace of Zoroaster, the prophet.
People also know Zoroaster as Spitama. This native of uncertain birthplace spoke of Old Avestan in the eastern part of the plateau. People know him mostly through the texts. Modern scholars generally place him in northeast at some time between 1400 BC and 1200 BC. People spoke the language and used it for composing the Yasna Haptanghaiti and the Gathas , probably to the first half of the 2nd millennium BC on archaeological grounds.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroaster
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 10, 2017
I think this could have used notes which talked at more length about specific concepts, given how old the language is and how many terms in Old Persian are not well defined.
Having said that, the literal notes and the verse were really well done on the Kindle, and allowed for an understanding of both tone and to some extent, literal meaning.
West is clearly an admirer of Zoroaster, but for all his lead-up, it was hard to see the depth of theology that West saw in much of this verse. I was surprised by how much emphasis there was on distinguishing between good people and bad people, and treating them accordingly (as opposed to, say, treating all people in a particular way). Also, like everyone else, on the emphasis on cows (but again, there are translation debates here around cattle and souls and the meaning of particular words). It certainly seems to hint towards a vegetarian society, or one more closely connected to Hindu tradition than I expected.
Really glad I read it, wish I had the language skills to engage with the original.
Having said that, the literal notes and the verse were really well done on the Kindle, and allowed for an understanding of both tone and to some extent, literal meaning.
West is clearly an admirer of Zoroaster, but for all his lead-up, it was hard to see the depth of theology that West saw in much of this verse. I was surprised by how much emphasis there was on distinguishing between good people and bad people, and treating them accordingly (as opposed to, say, treating all people in a particular way). Also, like everyone else, on the emphasis on cows (but again, there are translation debates here around cattle and souls and the meaning of particular words). It certainly seems to hint towards a vegetarian society, or one more closely connected to Hindu tradition than I expected.
Really glad I read it, wish I had the language skills to engage with the original.
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August 16, 2013from Introduction:
“Most people have come across the name of Zoroaster, and there may be many who think of him as some sort of ancient oriental sage or guru, of dubious repute as a fount of secret wisdom or knowledge. This is the image in which he has often been presented in Western literature, from the ancient Greeks to Nietzsche. But if one strips away the legends and falsifications and goes back to the genuine evidence, a different picture emerges. Zoroaster stands out in his true colours as one of the greatest and most radical religious reformers in the history of the world. The noble religion that he founded in Iran over 2,500 years ago is still practised to this day. The number of its adherents is small, perhaps about 130,000, most of them in western India (Gujarat and Mumbai), with some smaller communities in Iran and in other countries around the world. But if Zoroastrianism can no longer count as one of the world’s major faiths, it has the distinction of being one of the most ancient, much older than Christianity or Islam, older than Buddhism, older than anything one can properly call Judaism; only Hinduism can claim a greater antiquity. For more than a thousand years it was the official religion of a great empire.” Kindle location 92
From “The Liturgy in Seven Chapters”, Yasna 35: 2-3, 6, 8
2: We are they who approve of good thoughts, good words, good deeds, here and elsewhere, present and past: we are not revilers of what is good.
3: This we have chosen, Mindful Lord [the supreme deity], with Right [his companion deity] the comely, to think and speak and do those things that may be the best actions in the world, for both existences [the material and spiritual].
6: As anyone, man or woman, knows a truth, so, it being good, let him then both put it into effect for himself and communicate it to those who will put it into effect just as it is.
8: It is in union with Right, in the community of Right, that I declare the best aspiration to lie for anyone in the world, for both existences.
Kindle location 2097
“Most people have come across the name of Zoroaster, and there may be many who think of him as some sort of ancient oriental sage or guru, of dubious repute as a fount of secret wisdom or knowledge. This is the image in which he has often been presented in Western literature, from the ancient Greeks to Nietzsche. But if one strips away the legends and falsifications and goes back to the genuine evidence, a different picture emerges. Zoroaster stands out in his true colours as one of the greatest and most radical religious reformers in the history of the world. The noble religion that he founded in Iran over 2,500 years ago is still practised to this day. The number of its adherents is small, perhaps about 130,000, most of them in western India (Gujarat and Mumbai), with some smaller communities in Iran and in other countries around the world. But if Zoroastrianism can no longer count as one of the world’s major faiths, it has the distinction of being one of the most ancient, much older than Christianity or Islam, older than Buddhism, older than anything one can properly call Judaism; only Hinduism can claim a greater antiquity. For more than a thousand years it was the official religion of a great empire.” Kindle location 92
From “The Liturgy in Seven Chapters”, Yasna 35: 2-3, 6, 8
2: We are they who approve of good thoughts, good words, good deeds, here and elsewhere, present and past: we are not revilers of what is good.
3: This we have chosen, Mindful Lord [the supreme deity], with Right [his companion deity] the comely, to think and speak and do those things that may be the best actions in the world, for both existences [the material and spiritual].
6: As anyone, man or woman, knows a truth, so, it being good, let him then both put it into effect for himself and communicate it to those who will put it into effect just as it is.
8: It is in union with Right, in the community of Right, that I declare the best aspiration to lie for anyone in the world, for both existences.
Kindle location 2097
March 22, 2026
The 2 star rating is for the translation and not for the contents. The translation is really horrible.
A far better source is to go to http://www.zoroastrian.org.uk/scriptu... and read the word by word translation by Prof Ervad Maneck Furdoonji Kanga.
The Gathas emerged from the Indo-Iranian cultural world of the Eurasian steppes. Their linguistic and archaeological roots lie in the Sintashta culture (c. 2200–1900 BCE) of the southern Urals and its successor, the Andronovo culture (c. 1800–900 BCE). These societies pioneered early fire-centered rituals that later appear in both Vedic and Avestan traditions. Zarathushtra most likely lived and preached in eastern Iran or adjacent Central Asian regions toward the end of the second millennium BCE, reforming the ancestral Indo-Iranian religion amid pastoralist clans facing social and spiritual upheaval.
Most likely, Zarathushtra was living in an agricultural society and was pestered by raiders. The "Devas" of Rig Veda are the villains here because they raid cattles and indulge in animal sacrifices.
At the heart of the Gathas lies Ahura Mazda, which simply translates to "Wise Lord". The "Wise Lord" is helped by his beneficent spirit (Spenta Mainyu). Existence is framed by a profound ethical dualism: two primordial mentalities or “twin spirits” that humans encounter and must choose between. The righteous path consists of Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds (humata, hūxta, hvarshta), guided by the Amesha Spentas—abstract yet personal principles such as Asha (Truth/Order), Vohu Manah (Good Mind), and Ārmaiti (Devotion). Humans possess free will. After death comes a judgment: the righteous cross to paradise, while the wicked face retribution.
What sets the Gathas apart from almost every other ancient religious text is their autobiographical intimacy. Zarathushtra speaks in the first person, voicing doubt, vulnerability, and frustration in ways that feel very modern (and not a 1000 BCE text). He laments opposition from his own kinsmen, traditional priests (karapans), and rulers; he questions where to turn when “I am one of few men with no authority and no backing”. In the final Vahishtoisht Gatha (Yasna 53), Zarathushtra officiates at the wedding of his youngest daughter, Pourucista, to his disciple and future successor Jamaspa. He addresses her directly, urging her to choose her husband through the counsel of Vohu Manah and Asha; she replies affirmatively, pledging a life of righteousness. The prophet then offers universal advice to all newlyweds: “Surpass each other in righteousness.” These verses humanize Zarathushtra—showing him as a father, a concerned patriarch, and a teacher who treats his daughter as a fully autonomous moral agent.
The Gathas’ most profound innovation is their insistence that good and evil originate in the human mind. The “twin spirits” are not external cosmic powers locked in eternal war but mentalities—progressive versus retarding, that every individual chooses moment by moment. By opting for the good mentality, one strengthens Asha and advances the world’s perfection; by choosing the retarding path, one empowers falsehood and chaos.
These ideas proved extraordinarily influential. During the Achaemenid Persian Empire, Jewish exiles in Babylon and later under Persian rule encountered Zoroastrian concepts of cosmic struggle, angels, a personal devil figure, resurrection, final judgment, and paradise. Post-exilic Judaism absorbed and adapted these elements; they passed into Christianity and Islam, shaping Western monotheism’s understanding of good versus evil, personal accountability, and eschatology.
In an age of ritual and myth, the Gathas placed very modern concept of moral choice at the center of religion, and for that foresight, it stands apart.
A far better source is to go to http://www.zoroastrian.org.uk/scriptu... and read the word by word translation by Prof Ervad Maneck Furdoonji Kanga.
The Gathas emerged from the Indo-Iranian cultural world of the Eurasian steppes. Their linguistic and archaeological roots lie in the Sintashta culture (c. 2200–1900 BCE) of the southern Urals and its successor, the Andronovo culture (c. 1800–900 BCE). These societies pioneered early fire-centered rituals that later appear in both Vedic and Avestan traditions. Zarathushtra most likely lived and preached in eastern Iran or adjacent Central Asian regions toward the end of the second millennium BCE, reforming the ancestral Indo-Iranian religion amid pastoralist clans facing social and spiritual upheaval.
Most likely, Zarathushtra was living in an agricultural society and was pestered by raiders. The "Devas" of Rig Veda are the villains here because they raid cattles and indulge in animal sacrifices.
At the heart of the Gathas lies Ahura Mazda, which simply translates to "Wise Lord". The "Wise Lord" is helped by his beneficent spirit (Spenta Mainyu). Existence is framed by a profound ethical dualism: two primordial mentalities or “twin spirits” that humans encounter and must choose between. The righteous path consists of Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds (humata, hūxta, hvarshta), guided by the Amesha Spentas—abstract yet personal principles such as Asha (Truth/Order), Vohu Manah (Good Mind), and Ārmaiti (Devotion). Humans possess free will. After death comes a judgment: the righteous cross to paradise, while the wicked face retribution.
What sets the Gathas apart from almost every other ancient religious text is their autobiographical intimacy. Zarathushtra speaks in the first person, voicing doubt, vulnerability, and frustration in ways that feel very modern (and not a 1000 BCE text). He laments opposition from his own kinsmen, traditional priests (karapans), and rulers; he questions where to turn when “I am one of few men with no authority and no backing”. In the final Vahishtoisht Gatha (Yasna 53), Zarathushtra officiates at the wedding of his youngest daughter, Pourucista, to his disciple and future successor Jamaspa. He addresses her directly, urging her to choose her husband through the counsel of Vohu Manah and Asha; she replies affirmatively, pledging a life of righteousness. The prophet then offers universal advice to all newlyweds: “Surpass each other in righteousness.” These verses humanize Zarathushtra—showing him as a father, a concerned patriarch, and a teacher who treats his daughter as a fully autonomous moral agent.
The Gathas’ most profound innovation is their insistence that good and evil originate in the human mind. The “twin spirits” are not external cosmic powers locked in eternal war but mentalities—progressive versus retarding, that every individual chooses moment by moment. By opting for the good mentality, one strengthens Asha and advances the world’s perfection; by choosing the retarding path, one empowers falsehood and chaos.
These ideas proved extraordinarily influential. During the Achaemenid Persian Empire, Jewish exiles in Babylon and later under Persian rule encountered Zoroastrian concepts of cosmic struggle, angels, a personal devil figure, resurrection, final judgment, and paradise. Post-exilic Judaism absorbed and adapted these elements; they passed into Christianity and Islam, shaping Western monotheism’s understanding of good versus evil, personal accountability, and eschatology.
In an age of ritual and myth, the Gathas placed very modern concept of moral choice at the center of religion, and for that foresight, it stands apart.
June 7, 2024
Moral of the Story: Don't mess with a man's cows
October 27, 2025
Interesting in the history of religion and to learn about a fairly untaught religion.
March 21, 2016
Interesting look into perhaps the oldest monotheistic religion. I knew some basics of Zoroastrianism before reading this, but didn't know how it evolved over time, or how Zarathustra's movement began (and I had no idea at all how much he venerated cows). On the whole the Gathas are interesting, but for someone as ignorant as I am, they felt very repetitive. The small hints of history that begin to seep in during praise were tantalizing, and made me want to know more about his culture and local history. I'll try to revisit these once I have better context.
November 19, 2015
I must confess that I had a different expectations about the Gathas. I supposed that would be more like The Songs of Kabir. I value those who liked, but I didn't.
February 3, 2017
One has to admit, the man loves his cows. But seriously, this is a tough one but impressive considering its age
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews