Zarathustra to Ahura-Mazda "O holiest and best of beings, what words
taughtest thou me before the world was, or human life began its
history?" "It was," responded the supreme being, "the Ahuna-Vairya
prayer. Whoever, O Zarathustra, recites this prayer or intones it, or
even whispers it under his breath, I will carry him safely across the
bridge which leads to paradise. But whoever cuts this prayer short by a
half, a third, a fourth, or by any quantity, his soul shall I keep out
of paradise and it shall wander in sorrow for ever."