Daēnā () is a Zoroastrian concept representing insight and revelation, hence "conscience" or "religion." Alternately, ''Daena'' is considered to be a divinity, counted among the ''yazata''s.

Nomenclature

Daena is a feminine noun which translates to "that which is seen or observed". In ''Zoroastrianism: An Introduction to an Ancient Faith'', Peter Clark suggests that the term might also be tied to the Avestan root "deh" or "di-" to gain understanding.Clark, Peter (1998), ''Zoroastrianism: An Introduction to an Ancient Faith'', 1, Sussex: Sussex Academic Press: 69-70. The

Avestan Avestan (), or historically Zend, is an umbrella term for two Old Iranian languages: Old Avestan (spoken in the 2nd millennium BCE) and Younger Avestan (spoken in the 1st millennium BCE). They are known only from their conjoined use as the scrip ...

term – trisyllabic ' in Gathic Avestan and bisyllabic ' in Younger Avestan – continues into Middle Persian as ''dēn'' (), which preserves the Avestan meanings. For comparison, it has a Sanskrit cognate ''dhénā'' which means thought, but thought in its higher and spiritual reaches. The word ''Zen'', as used in the name of the religious sect of Zen Buddhism, is derived from the cognate ''dhayanā'' (see also

Dhyāna in Buddhism In the oldest texts of Buddhism, ''dhyāna'' () or ''jhāna'' () is a component of the training of the mind (''bhavana''), commonly translated as meditation, to withdraw the mind from the automatic responses to sense-impressions, "burn up" the ...

). It is thought that the Daena of Zoroastrianism is related to Sanskrit

Dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

, also meaning "the Law".

In Scripture

The concept of Daena is mentioned in the

Gathas The Gathas ()"Gatha"
''

Zoroaster. Daena appears both in the Ahunavaiti Gatha and in the Ushtavaiti Gatha, where it is written that Daena is somehow affiliated with the reward that the faithful will receive in the afterlife. However, references to Daena in the Gathas are brief, leaving much ambiguity on its nature. Later Avestan writings, such as the Vendidad, describe the concept of Daena further. The Vendidad portrays Daena as something of a psychopomp, guiding good and pure souls over the Chinvat Bridge to the House of Song, Zoroastrian paradise, while the wicked are dragged to the House of Lies, a place of punishment. She is described as being finely dressed and accompanied by

dogs The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

. Maneckji Nusserwanji Dhalla writes in ''Zoroastrian Theology'' that on the dawn of the fourth day after death, "there appears then to the soul its own daena, or religious conscience in the shape of a damsel of unsurpassed beauty, the fairest of the fair in the world." Daena is the eternal Law, whose order was revealed to humanity through the ''Mathra Spenta'' "Holy Words". Daena has been used to mean religion, faith, law, even as a translation for the Hindu and Buddhist term Dharma, often interpreted as "duty" or social order, right conduct, or virtue. The metaphor of the 'path' of Daena is represented in Zoroastrianism by the muslin sedreh undershirt, the "Good/Holy Path", and the 72-thread Kushti girdle, the "Pathfinder".

References

{{Reflist Yazatas Ancient Iranian goddesses Psychopomps

Nomenclature

In Scripture

See also

References