Yasht
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TheYashtsare a collection of twenty-one hymns in theYounger Avestanlanguage. Each of these hymns invokes a specificZoroastriandivinity or concept.Yashtchapter and verse pointers are traditionally abbreviated asYt.
Overview
[edit]The wordyashtderives from Middle Persian 𐭩𐭱𐭲 yašt ( “prayer, worship” ) probably fromAvestan𐬫𐬀𐬱𐬙𐬀(yašta, “honored” ), from𐬫𐬀𐬰(yaz, “to worship, honor” ), fromProto-Indo-European*yeh₂ǵ-[1]or*Hyaǵ-,[2]and several hymns of theYasnaliturgy that "venerate by praise" are—in tradition—also nominally calledyashts. These "hidden" Yashts are: theBarsomYasht(Yasna2), anotherHomYashtinYasna9–11, theBhagan YashtofYasna19–21, a hymn toAshiinYasna52, anotherSaroshYashtinYasna57, the praise of the (hypostasis of) "prayer" inYasna58, and a hymn to theAhuraniinYasna68. Since these are a part of the primary liturgy, they do not count among the twenty-one hymns of theYashtcollection.
All the hymns of theYashtcollection "are written in what appears to be prose, but which, for a large part, may originally have been a (basically) eight-syllable verse, oscillating between four and thirteen syllables, and most often between seven and nine."[3]
Most of theyazatas that the individualYashts praise also have a dedication in theZoroastrian calendar.The exceptions areDrvaspaandVanant.
The twenty-oneyashts of the collection (notes follow):
Yasht # | title / nominally invokes[a] | in praise of[b] | extent |
1. | OhrmazdYasht[c] | Ahura Mazda | 33 verses |
2. | HaptAmahraspandYasht[c] | the sevenAmesha Spentas | 15 verses |
3. | ArdawahishtYasht[c] | Asha Vahishtaof "Best Truth" | 19 verses |
4. | HordadYasht[c] | Haurvatatof "Wholeness" and "Perfection" | 11 verses |
5. | AbanYasht[b] | Aredvi Sura Anahitaofthe waters[f][g] | 132 verses |
6. | HwarshedYasht | Hvare-khshaetaof the "Radiant Sun" | 7 verses |
7. | MahYasht | Maonghahof the "Moon" | 7 verses |
8. | TishtarYasht | Tishtrya,the starSirius | 62 verses |
9. | DrvaspYasht | Drvaspa,guardian of horses[d] | 33 verses |
10. | MihrYasht | Mithraof "Covenant" | 145 verses |
11. | SroshYasht | Sraoshaof "Obedience"[e] | 23 verses |
12. | RashnYasht | Rashnuof "Justice"[e] | 47 verses |
13. | FravardinYasht | theFravashis | 158 verses |
14. | WarharanYasht | Verethragna,"Smiter of resistance" | 64 verses |
15. | Ram Yasht[b] | the "good"[i]Vayu | 58 verses |
16. | DenYasht[b] | Chista,"Wisdom" | 20 verses |
17. | ArdYasht | Ashiof "Recompense"[g] | 62 verses |
18. | AshtadYasht[b] | khvarenah,the "(divine) glory" | 9 verses |
19. | ZamYasht | see note[b]below | 97 verses |
20. | HomYasht | Haoma[h] | 3 verses |
21. | VanantYasht | Vanant,the starVega | 2 verses |
Notes
[edit]a.^ | TheYashts did not originally have titles. These were assigned at some time during theCommon Era,and hence reflect theMiddle Persianforms of the divinities' names. |
b.^ | SeveralYashts are—despite their names—hymns to other divinities or concepts.
|
c.^ | Yashts 1–4 are "mediocre, meaningless texts, composed in incoherent language; they probably result from a very late expansion of the Yašt collection."[3] |
d.^ | Yasht9 toDrvaspahas a number of verses that are originally fromYasht5, the hymn to the waters.[4] |
e.^ | Yashts 11 and 12 are respectively hymns toSraoshaandRashnu,but are to some extent also an extension ofYasht10, the hymn toMithra.Sraosha and Rashnu are both attendants of Mithra. |
f.^ | There is also a "hidden"Yashttothe watersatYasna38. |
g.^ | Yasht5 (in praise ofAredvi Sura Anahita) andYasht17 (toAshi) share a number of verses. It is not possible to determine which of the two is the original. |
h.^ | The Avesta has two hymns that were later titledHom Yasht.The original is part of theYasnaliturgy and hence not counted as aYasht.The other,Yasht20, is a duplicate of the three verses ofYasna9–11. |
i.^ | Vayu,divinity of wind and atmosphere, is a dual divinity: part benevolent and part malign. |
References
[edit]- ^Degener, Almuth (June 2007). "Cheung, Johnny: Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb".Indo-Iranian Journal.50(2): 199–201.doi:10.1007/s10783-008-9057-2.ISSN0019-7246.
- ^Ringe, Don (2001). "Review of" Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben "by Helmut Rix, et al".Diachronica.18(1): 184–187.doi:10.1075/dia.18.1.15rin.ISSN0176-4225.
- ^abKellens 1989,p. 38.
- ^Kellens 1989,p. 39.
Bibliography
[edit]- Kellens, Jean (1989), "Avesta",Encyclopaedia Iranica,vol. 3, New York: Routledge and Kegan Paul:35–44.
External links
[edit]- English language translations of theYashtsfromDarmesteter, James (1898), Müller, Friedrich Max (ed.),Sacred Books of the East,vol. 23, New York: OUP