Gathas: The Message of Zarathushtra. Comments and Free Translation by Daryoush Jahanian. Published in 2017 by Next Century Publishing, Austin, TX, USA, website: www.NextCenturyPublishing.com Pp: 121. Price: US $ 14.95.
Within the confines of this trim paperback Daryoush Jahanian (pictured) has packed much of Zarathushtra’s 238 Gathic metrical verses, sometimes partially, and four Old Avestic prayers, interspersed with ample comments and "free translation.” The editing 
by R. Scott Nelson assisted in its production, although instances of over-writing are noticed. Typos are occasionally seen: ones which matter remained unattended — they do not distract from Jahanian’s overviews.
Written in a robust, no-nonsense Iranian style, Jahanian’s "free translation” is a recognizable conflation of similar earlier, best unnamed, attempts at tackling these hugely difficult poems. He has successfully reduced Zarathushtra’s intense ethics to sets of assimilable moral values in bulletin form throughout his work. Confusing at first — Jahanian’s ideas merge into textual matter — one gets accustomed to this oddity, concluding after all that it poses no great burden at that level.
What then is the nature of this book? Jahanian tells the reader quite clearly: he has "come up with simpler English free renditions... to facilitate teaching that to the young generation.” Insofar, his purpose is wholly laudable; his book stands up to it. His teaching intention has set the tone of this review. Immediate questions are: what is simple(r)? How much freedom with an Old Avestic text that employs a daunting economy of words to convey some of the noblest universal and timeless truths and the means of their achievement?
The rift between Sraosha and Daena straightaway comes to view: Jahanian thinks them interchangeable. This reviewer feels it necessary to explain his growing disquiet to the readership: while both are suprasensory spiritual conferments, Sraosha, "Hearkening,” is the inner Revelation by Ahura Mazda accorded to Zarathushtra who fully presents it in his Gathas universally at metaphoric and literal levels. The Daena, an individual’s inner vision, religious conception or conscience, guides towards proper thinking, straight speaking, and right working. This distinction is clear from the two introductory verses to the kushti-bastan ritual (Yss.46.7; 44.16 — Kam.na mazda and Ka varathram.ja. There is no mention of the latter by Jahanian).
Far more serious is Jahanian’s free tampering with Zarathushtra’s firmly embedded signposts. On current showing, this freedom has extended to taking needless liberties with the exactly placed Gathic terms and expressions. In his Preface Jahanian is explicit: "It is amazing that how carefully Zarathushtra chooses words and analogy...” For whatever reason, this is frequently not the case here and the coherent socioeconomic structure of Zarathushtra’s message on ethical lines has been replaced by morality drives reminiscent of a revivalist meeting.
At a material level, animal life has largely disappeared from Jahanian’s pages; pastoralists and agriculturists might never have existed! One is instead regaled with quite puzzling substitutes to serve wholly obscure purposes. Examples are noticed far too often — they weaken the proactive unity of the Sage’s forthright teachings. Curiously then, Jahanian commences his "free translation” with Ahunavaiti 2 (Ys. 29), the well recognized "Plaint of the Kine-Soul” with the now fashionable "Mother-Earth” which, in Gathic parlance, has never stood up to serious scrutiny.
This type of mislocation carries over into Jahanian’s rendition of Zarathushtra’s rejection by his family (khvaetu-), clan, tribal confederacy and nation on account of his meagre animal herd and few followers (Ys. 46.2). A theme is taken up metaphorically (Ys. 44.18) where he beseeches Ahura Mazda for 10 mares, a stallion and a camel, which for Jahanian become 10 prominent men, their women and another man, could have benefited further by Jahanian’s explanatory comments.
Just why the aversion to this crucial mainstay of socioeconomic life is never made clear: could it be seen as demeaning the Sage’s exalted status? The animal presence is markedly seen in Vishtaspa, Jamaspa, Haechataspa (the ancestral clan) — horses, and Frashaoshtra and Zarathushtra — camels, as Jahanian has indicated in his comments. The Mother-Earth — Happiness axis need not unduly deter the serious reader from pursuing the enthusiastic author’s conclusions to their logical end.
Seen also to weaken Jahanian’s overall moral argument from the Gathic precepts is his stock adoption of the "Happiness to him who happiness gives” type of slogan to introduce the first Ushtavaiti Gatha (Ys.43). Nowhere in Zarathushtra’s precise choice of words can one discern this superficially alien overlay — it has usurped the beautiful universal benediction by the Sage when introducing Ahura Mazda!
Jahanian’s rendition of Ys.27.14, the Ahuna Vairya, the most significant of the four sanctified prayers, has let slip a functional inversion of the Ahu and Ratu — he calls them "state leader (!)” (of worldly affairs) and "spiritual leader.” It’s the other way round, if anything!
Given and agreed that the Gathas constitute a unified code for moral right-living, it becomes near impossible to reconcile Jahanian’s inclusion of "death” to suggest a post-mortem existence of the individual soul, with his correct view of heaven and hell as earthly mental states.
On a generous reading of Jahanian’s Gathas it becomes evident that the strongly purposed catechetical work is a worthwhile addition to the slender corpus of Gatha translations undertaken by 20th century Zoroastrian scholars and researchers. As a handy and focussed teaching medium for moral guidance towards a balanced good life, Jahanian’s opus should rate successfully among younger generations of novices and serious enquirers, especially in North America and the Six Keshvars thereafter.