Sanskrit Ashirwad from MasaniBy Ervad Soli P. Dastur.

After our ancestors received the gracious asylum by King Jadi Rana and his court, and after establishing our Pak Iranshah Atash Behram on the land granted to us by King Jadi Rana, our learned Dasturjis, at the request of the King Jadi Rana, explained the basics of our religion and social customs to the King and his court. One of our most sacred social custom of marriage was explained to them with our Pazand Ashirwad. And in their honor, our Dasturjis translated this Pazand Ashirwad in Sanskrit and presented it to the King and His court with a solemn oath that in their honor, during our most sacred marriage ceremony, we will perform our Pazand Ashirwad followed by this Sanskrit Ashirwad, followed by Afrin Buzorgaan and Doa Tandoorasti.

Over the centuries, unfortunately, many Mobed families dropped this Sanskrit Ashirwad from the marriage ceremony. However, to this day, some of the nine Sanjana families in charge of Iranshah still continue this old tradition and I am very proud to say that our immediate Dastoor family still has kept this old custom going and my brother Ervad Palanji Dastoor and me have performed a few Ashirwads of our immediate families with both Pazand and Sanskrit Ashirwads.

Hope we continue this practice in the future.

Ahunavar (Yathaa Ahū Vairyō) Yathaa Ahū Vairyō athaa ratush ashaat chīt hachaa,Vanghēush dazdaa mananghō shyaothananaam anghēush Mazdaai, Khshathremchaa Ahuraai aa yim dregubyō dadat vaastaarem. (Repeat it twice).

Ashem VohuAshem Vohū Vahishtem astī,Ushtaa astī, Ushtaa ahmaai,Hyat ashaai Vahishtaai ashem.

1. Deyaat wo daataa, Sarva gnyaani swaamee prabhutaam;Putra santatim, vipoolaam vibhuteem;Maanaseem preetim, tano rupa pravrattim;Deerghaamcha jeevita stheetim

2. Sanvvatsaresoo nava dasha sateshu;Sanvvat be hajaar paansadh varshe,Baaras deevase, ashaadh maase,Saint Augustine nagare;Praakrat eeyazdagarde shehereeaad,Arwaag waaghbhee, aashirwaardaa bheerabhee

Wishantee shat zar neeshaavoori saonvarnee kaashyaan;Poorvaachaare asya ateetaan vo prabraveebhee,Oottamaanaam hanjamane sampraapte;Upari aina-nyaa-yen yat maazdai-asnyaa,Deenyaa pareeneet-kalatratayaa kanyaadaanam:Eeyam kumaari Sashaa naamnee;

3. (Lead Mobed faces the Bridegroom’s witness and asks:)Yushmaabhee neerjaanvaye samaalochen,Ek matyen satyen manasaa?

(Bridegroom witness answers:) Satyen manasaa!

(Lead Mobed faces the Bride’s witness and asks:)Teesra bheervaanibhee aatmanah punyavrdhdhaye, Yat Perry aajanmaseeman pradattaa?

(Bride witness answers:)Pradattaa!

4. (Lead Mobed faces both the Bride and Bridegroom together and asks:)Yushmaabheeshwa aajanmaseeman satyen manasaa prateekrattaa?

(Both Bride and Bridegrrom answers:) Prateekrattaamta!

(Lead Mobed repeats Paras 1-4 3 times.)

5. Ubhyorapee kalyaan vradhdheerbhooyaat!Naamnaa saahaayyem Hormazdasya;Sadaeva shreemaan bhava!Sidhdheemaan bhava! Vradhdheemaan bhava!Veejayavaan bhava! Punya-sheekshaa-shrotaa bhava!Uttam stuttee yogya bhava!

6. Manasaa sumantam manyasva! vachasaa sutkam vada!Karmanaacha sukratam kuroo!Samastam durmatam neejeegna!Samastam durutkam dalayah!Samastam dooshkratam daha!Stuhee punyam! Ninda daityaan!Broohee mazdaee-asneem!

7. Sampoorna manasaa kaaryeshu prachara!Sadaa-chaaren lakshmeen arjaya!Anta swaaminaam satyawaak aadeshkaro bhava!Anta saahaayyaanaa veeneetatnoor madhurashwa!Sulochano bhava!

8. Maa peshunyam kuroo! Maa krodham vaha!Maa lajjayyaa paapam kuroo! Maa lobham vaha!Maa chintaam vaha! Maa eershyaam vaha!Maa garvam vaha! Maa maanam vaha!Maa kaamam vaha!Maa hakaat kebhya-shreet lakshmim hara!

9. (Mobeds face the bridegroom and say:)Maa naaree anyaeshaam kaamaya!Shudhdha vyavasaayat sweeyaat bhakhshaya!Uttame bhyashra vibhaagam kuroo!

10. Samam matsareenaa spardhaam maa kuroo!Saman lobheenaa sambhaagee maa bhava!Saman peeshunen sansargee maa bhava!Saman kukeerteenaa vansh vrudhdhee maa kuroo!Saman dushta-prabodhen sankaaryee maa bhava!Saman shatrubheer-nyaayen yudhyasva!Saman meetre preeteekrataye mitraanaam prachara!Saman wiklen prateewaadam maa kuroo!

11. Pooro hanja-manasya shudhdha kathano bhava!Pooro raagnayaam pramaan-waak bhava!Piturnaam keerteeko bhava!Maataram maa baadhasva!Sweeyam vapu! Satyen shudhdham dhara!

12. Kaekhushrawa eeva vajrakaayo bhava!Kahos eeva gnyaanwaan bhava!Surya eeva prabhaavaan bhava!Chadra eeva vibhaktaa bhava!Zarathushtra eeva su-keerteemaan bhava!Rustam eeva balvaan bhava!Bhumeer eeva falprado bhava!Tanoor eeva, aatmaa eeva,Saman-meetre-bhraatru kalatra-jaatakaeSu-snehavaan bhava!

13. Sadaeva deenee-sheelo bhava!Hormuzdam swaamenam manyaswa!Zarathushtram cha guru grahaan!Aaharemanam cha daetyaan neerdala cha!

14. Deyaad daatratwam daataa Hormuzda!Mana sucheentaam Bahman!Su-vaktratwam Ardeebehasta!Su-katatwam Sheherevar!Sampoorna-man Spandaarmard!Golyum chopum Aweerdaad!Falwantaam cha Ameerdaad!Daatratwam daataa Hormuzda!Tejo wrudhdheem Aadarshwa!Sucheetwam Ardueesuraa!Prabhaavonnateem Khurshed!Maaho jeeva-dhan-wrudhdheem!Teero dakshanaa pravratteem!Gosha shrutee-neeyam-traanam!Daatratwam daataa Hormuzda!

Meethro nyaayam samam neetyam!Srosh aadesh rakshaam cha!Rashna satya-pravratteem!Balodayan Fraoo-ardeem!Baheeraamo jayodayam!Raam shaashwantam aanandam!Gwaad sheegraam gateem!Daatratwam daataa Hormuzda!

Deenee gnyaanam samoonnateem!Shreemantaam Arsheeshwanghaa!Aastaado goon sanghra-heetwam!Aasmaano vyavasaayam cha!Jameeaad stheeraam stheeteem!Maarespand shubhaam drashteem!Shareer kaanteem Aneraan!

15. “Vanghahu toote vanghahot vaghaho booyaat!Hawaawoya yat jaothre hanesha!”

Uttam te uttam tayaa uttam taram bhooyaat!Swakeeyam yasya he jyotee yogyo jaato-see!

“Too-toom-tat meezdem yat zyot hanayamano aaonghaha!Fraayo humato, fraayo hukhto, fraayo hvarshto,Jamyaat wo vanghahot vaghaho!Maa wo jamyaat akaat asho!Maa me jamyaat akaat asho!

16 – 17. (Sanskrit Missing)

18. Shudhdha yashra shree-yashra!Tano peevarataa; tano rupa pravratteetaa;Tano veejayeetaa!Lakshmi Sampurna shubhaa keel sadaachaaratOopaarjeetaa sahaj sheelvaan putra;Kul deepako manano ya; Kathayatee gnyaanam jaanaatee cha;Deergham deerghataram jeeveetam;Muktaatmaanaam sadodayotam samasta-shubham;Evam vo bhooyaat!

Just as an Elected Leader acts according to his will, So also the religious leader due to his righteousness and other virtues associated with it. The gift of Vohu-manah (Good mind) is for those working for Ahura Mazda in this world; He who constitutes himself to be the protector and nourisher of the poor, accepts the sovereign rule of Ahura Mazda for the entire world.

Righteousness is the best good and it is happiness. Happiness is to him/her who is righteous for the sake of the best righteousness.

There is no translation of Sanskrit Ashirwad available but it is almost the same as that of the Pazand Ashirwad.