Yasht

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Yasht

The s (s) are a collection of twenty-one hymns in Younger Avestan. Each of these hymns invokes a specific Zoroastrian

Zoroastrianism

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The s (s) are a collection of twenty-one hymns in Younger Avestan. Each of these hymns invokes a specific Zoroastrian

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings ascribed to the prophet Zoroaster, after whom the religion is named. The term Zoroastrianism is in general usage, essentially synonymous with Mazdaism, i.e., the worship of Ahura Mazda, exalted by Zoroaster as the supreme divine authority....
divinity or concept. Yasht chapter and verse pointers are traditionally abbreviated as Yt.

The word yasht derives from Avestan yešti, "worship by praise," and several hymns of the Yasna
Yasna

Yasna is the name of the primary liturgical collection of texts of the Avesta as well as the name of the principal Zoroastrianism act of worship at which those verses are recited....
liturgy that "worship by praise" are—in tradition—also nominally called yashts. These "hidden" Yashts are: the Barsom
Barsom

A barsom is a ritual implement used by Zoroastrianism priests to solemnize certain sacred ceremonies.The word barsom derives from the Avestan language baresman , which is in turn a substantive of barez "to grow high." The later form - barsom - first appears in the 9th-12th century texts of Zoroastrian tradition, but re...
Yasht (Yasna 2), another Hom
Haoma

Haoma is the Avestan language name of a plant and its divinity, both of which play a role in Zoroastrianism doctrine and in later Persian culture and mythology....
Yasht in Yasna 9-11, the Bhagan Yasht of Yasna 19-21, a hymn to Ashi

Ashi

Rav Ashi was a celebrated Jewish religious scholar, a Jews of Babylonia amoraim, who reestablished the academy at Sura and was first editor of the Babylonian Talmud....
in Yasna 52, another Sarosh Yasht in Yasna 57, the praise of the (hypostasis of) "prayer" in Yasna 58, and a hymn to the Ahurani

Ahurani

Ahurani is the Avestan language name of a Zoroastrianism divinity associated with "the waters" . In scripture, the expression ahurani appears both in the singular and in the plural, and may - subject to context - either denote a specific divinity named Ahurani, or a class of divinities that are ahuranis....
in Yasna 68. Since these are a part of the primary litury, they do not count among the twenty-one hymns of the Yasht collection.

All the hymns of the Yasht collection "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."

Most of the yazata
Yazata

Yazata is the Avestan language word for a Zoroastrianism concept. The word has a wide range of meaning but generally signifies a divinity. The term literally means "worthy of worship" or "worthy of veneration."...
s that the individual Yashts are in praise of also have a dedication in the Zoroastrian calendar

Zoroastrian calendar

The Zoroastrian calendar is a religious calendar used by members of the Zoroastrian faith, and it is an approximation of the solar calendar. To this day, Zoroastrianism, irrespective of geographic location, adhere to this calendar for religious purposes....
. The exceptions are Drvaspa

Drvaspa

Drvaspa is the Avestan language name of an "enigmatic" and "strangely discreet" Zoroastrianism divinity, whose name literally means "with solid horses" and which she is then nominally the hypostasis of....
and Vanant

Vanant

Vanant is the Avestan language name of a minor Zoroastrianism divinity. The name literally means "conqueror", but in Zoroastrian tradition Vanant is the hypostasis of the "star of the west", variously identified with Altair, Fomalhaut, Vega, Sargas or Kappa Scorpii....
.

The twenty-one yashts of the collection (notes follow):

Notes:

a.	The Yashts did not originally have titles. These were assigned at some time during the Common Era Common Era Common Era, abbreviated as CE, is a designation for the calendar system most commonly used in the Western world, and also internationally, for numbering the year part of the calendar date.... , and hence reflect the Middle Persian Middle Persian Middle Persian is the Iranian languages language/ethnolect of Southwestern Iran that during Sassanid times became a prestige dialect and so came to be spoken in other regions as well.... forms of the divinities' names.
b.	Several Yashts are—despite their names—hymns to other divinities or concepts. Yasht 5 is nominally to the waters Aban Apas is the Avestan language term for "the waters", which—in its innumerable aggregate states—is represented by the Apas, the hypostases of the waters.... but primarily addresses Aredvi Sura Anahita, who is (also) a divinity of the waters. Yasht 15 is nominally to Raman Raman Raman may refer toChandrasekhara Venkata Raman, Indian physicist and Nobel laureate, discoverer of Raman scattering. See also Raman spectroscopy... (Rama Kshathra) but praises the "good" Vayu Yasht* 16 is nominally to Daena Daena Daena is a Zoroastrianism concept representing insight and revelation, hence "conscience" or "religion." Alternately, Daena is considered to be a divinity, counted among the yazata.... "insight, revelation" but actually invokes Chista "Wisdom". Chista and Daena are very closely associated with one another. Yasht 18, nominally to Arshtat Arshtat Arshtat is the Avestan language name of a Zoroastrianism principle and signifies either "justice" or "honesty." As a substantive, arshtat designates the divinity Arshtat, the hypostasis of "Rectitude" and "Justice".... , is actually an ode to khvarenah Khvarenah *' or* ' is an Avestan language word for a Zoroastrianism concept literally denoting "glory" or "splendour" but understood as a divine mystical force or power projected upon and aiding the appointed.... , the "(divine) glory". Yasht 19, nominally to Zam ZAM ZAM may refer to:* ZAM Australian Melbourne-based Artist and Designer, also known for his early spray-can art career in the 1980s* Zambia* Zamboanga International Airport in Zamboanga City, the Philippines... , the "Earth", has very little to do with the earth. See Zam ZAM ZAM may refer to:* ZAM Australian Melbourne-based Artist and Designer, also known for his early spray-can art career in the 1980s* Zambia* Zamboanga International Airport in Zamboanga City, the Philippines... for details.
c.	Yashts 1–4 are "mediocre, meaningless texts, composed in incoherent language; they probably result from a very late expansion of the Yašt collection."
d.	Yasht 9 to Drvaspa Drvaspa Drvaspa is the Avestan language name of an "enigmatic" and "strangely discreet" Zoroastrianism divinity, whose name literally means "with solid horses" and which she is then nominally the hypostasis of.... has a number of verses that are originally from Yasht 5, the hymn to the waters.
e.	Yashts 11 and 12 are respectively hymns to Sraosha Sraosha Sraosha is the Avestan language name of the Zoroastrianism divinity of "Obedience" or "Observance", which is also the literal meaning of his name.... and Rashnu Rashnu Rashnu is the Avestan language name of the Zoroastrian yazata of justice. Together with Mithra and Sraosha, Rashnu is one of the three judges who pass judgment on the souls of people after death.... , but are to some extent also an extension of Yasht 10, the hymn to Mithra Mithra Mithra is an important deity or divine concept in Zoroastrianism and later Iranian history and culture.Mithra is descended, together with the Historical Vedic religion deity Mitra , from a common proto-Indo-Iranian entity *mitra "treaty, bond".... . Sraosha and Rashnu are both attendants of Mithra.
f.	There is also a "hidden" Yasht to the waters Aban Apas is the Avestan language term for "the waters", which—in its innumerable aggregate states—is represented by the Apas, the hypostases of the waters.... at Yasna 38.
g.	Yasht 5 (in praise of Aredvi Sura Anahita) and Yasht 17 (to Ashi Ashi Rav Ashi was a celebrated Jewish religious scholar, a Jews of Babylonia amoraim, who reestablished the academy at Sura and was first editor of the Babylonian Talmud.... ) 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 titled Hom Yasht. The original is part of the Yasna Yasna Yasna is the name of the primary liturgical collection of texts of the Avesta as well as the name of the principal Zoroastrianism act of worship at which those verses are recited.... liturgy and hence not counted as a Yasht. The other, Yasht 20, is a duplicate of the three verses of Yasna 9-11.
h.	Vayu, divinity of wind and atmosphere, is a dual divinity: part benevolent and part malign.

Bibliography

35-44.

Yasht

Bibliography

Further reading