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Yasht

Collection of Zoroastrian hymns

Field	Value
religion	Zoroastrianism
image	Geldner Yasht page 1.png
language	Avestan
period	Avestan period
caption	First page of the Yasht collections in Geldner's edition
chapters	21
background	#990955

A Yasht (, pal) is a hymn of worship composed in the Young Avestan language and dedicated to specific Zoroastrian divinities. The term commonly applies to the collection of 21 Yashts, although it may also refer to other texts within the wider Avesta collection.

Name

The English word yasht is derived from Middle Persian 𐭩𐭱𐭲 (pal, "prayer, worship"). In the Pahlavi literature, the word is used interchangeably with yasn. Yasht probably originated from Avestan 𐬫𐬀𐬱𐬙𐬀‎ (ae, "honored") from 𐬫𐬀𐬰‎ (ae, "to worship, honor"). It may ultimately go back to Proto-Indo-European *yeh₂ǵ- or **Hyaǵ-*.

Avestan 𐬫𐬀𐬱𐬙𐬀‎ is also the origin of two other terms. First, Avestan 𐬫𐬀𐬯𐬥𐬀 (ae, act of worship), which is a general Zoroastrian term for an act of worship or specifically the Yasna ritual, and, second, Avestan 𐬫𐬀𐬰𐬀𐬙𐬀 (ae, (being) worthy of worship), which is a general Zoroastrian term for divinity.

The 21 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 yazatas that the individual Yashts praise also have a dedication in the Zoroastrian calendar. The exceptions are Drvaspa and Vanant.

No	Name	Yazata	Verses	Type
Ohrmazd Yasht	Ahura Mazda	33	minor	1,8,15,23
Haft Amahraspand Yasht	Amesha Spentas	15	minor	2,4,5,7
Ardwahisht Yasht	Asha Vahishta	19	minor	3
Hordad Yasht	Haurvatat	11	minor	6
Aban Yasht	Anahita	132	legendary	10
Xwarshed Yasht	Hvare-khshaeta	7	minor	11
Mah Yasht	Maonghah	7	minor	12
Tishtar Yasht	Tishtrya	62	hymnic	13
Gosh Yasht	Drvaspa	33	legendary	14
Mihr Yasht	Mithra	145	hymnic	16
Srosh Yasht Hadoxt	Sraosha	23	hymnic	17
Rashn Yasht	Rashnu	47	hymnic	18
Frawardin Yasht	Fravashis	158	hymnic	19
Bahram Yasht	Verethragna	64	hymnic	20
Ram Yasht	Vayu	58	legendary	21, 22
Den Yasht	Chista	20	legendary	24
Ard Yasht	Ashi	62	legendary	25
Ashtad Yasht	Khvarenah	9	minor	26
Zamyad Yasht	see note below	97	legendary	28
Hom Yasht	Haoma	3	minor	29
Vanand Yasht	Vanant	2	minor	30

The 21 yashts are used today in a wide range of liturgical practices. The can be recited by priests as well as lay people and in a diverse range of settings, like fire temples as well as in private or public spaces. They are typically addressed to one specific divinity. Their liturgical use is, therefore, different from the high liturgies, like the Yasna, Vendidad or Visperad, which are always performed by several priests, typically in a fire temple, and are dedicated to all Zoroastrian divinities.

Yashts in the wider Avesta

In addition to the hymns in the Yasht collection, the term Yasht is also used in Zoroastrian tradition for other texts. This includes several hymns of the Yasna liturgy that "venerate by praise". These Yashts are: the Barsom Yasht (Yasna 2), another Hom Yasht in Yasna 9–11, the Bhagan Yasht of Yasna 19–21, a hymn to Ashi in Yasna 52, another Srosh Yasht in Yasna 57, the praise of the (hypostasis of) "prayer" in Yasna 58, and a hymn to the Ahurani in Yasna 68.

References

Notes

i.	Vayu, divinity of wind and atmosphere, is a dual divinity: part benevolent and part malign.

Citations

Bibliography

Info: Wikipedia Source

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