Sraosha ( or ; ), is the

Avestan Avestan ( ) is the liturgical language of Zoroastrianism. It belongs to the Iranian languages, Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family and was First language, originally spoken during the Avestan period, Old ...

name of the

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, Zoroaster ( ). Among the wo ...

yazata Yazata () is the Avestan word for a Zoroastrian concept with a wide range of meanings but generally signifying (or used as an epithet of) a divinity. The term literally means "worthy of worship or veneration",.. and is thus, in this more general ...

'' of "Conscience" and "Observance", which is also the literal meaning of his name. In the

Middle Persian Middle Persian, also known by its endonym Pārsīk or Pārsīg ( Inscriptional Pahlavi script: , Manichaean script: , Avestan script: ) in its later form, is a Western Middle Iranian language which became the literary language of the Sasania ...

commentaries of the 9th-12th centuries, the divinity appears as '', S(a)rosh''. This form appears in many variants in

New Persian New Persian (), also known as Modern Persian () is the current stage of the Persian language spoken since the 8th to 9th centuries until now in Greater Iran and surroundings. It is conventionally divided into three stages: Early New Persian (8th ...

as well, for example , ''Sorūsh''. Unlike many of the other

Yazata Yazata () is the Avestan word for a Zoroastrian concept with a wide range of meanings but generally signifying (or used as an epithet of) a divinity. The term literally means "worthy of worship or veneration",.. and is thus, in this more general ...

s (concepts that are "worthy of adoration"), Soroush is also frequently referred to as the "Angel of Conscience" or "Voice of Conscience", which overlaps with both of his role as the "Teacher of Daena", Daena being the hypostasis of both "Conscience" and "Religion" and Guardian/Companion over the Chinvat Bridge. Soroush is also the Persian name of the angel

Gabriel In the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), Gabriel ( ) is an archangel with the power to announce God's will to mankind, as the messenger of God. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Quran. Many Chris ...

Abrahamic religions The term Abrahamic religions is used to group together monotheistic religions revering the Biblical figure Abraham, namely Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The religions share doctrinal, historical, and geographic overlap that contrasts them wit ...

and the angel Jibril in

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

In scripture

In Zoroaster's revelation

Soroush is already attested in the Gathas, the oldest texts of Zoroastrianism and believed to have been composed by

Zoroaster Zarathushtra Spitama, more commonly known as Zoroaster or Zarathustra, was an Iranian peoples, Iranian religious reformer who challenged the tenets of the contemporary Ancient Iranian religion, becoming the spiritual founder of Zoroastrianism ...

himself. In these earliest texts, Soroush is routinely associated with the

Amesha Spenta In Zoroastrianism, the Amesha Spenta (—literally "Immortal (which is) holy/bounteous/furthering") are a class of seven divine entities emanating from Ahura Mazda, the highest divinity of the religion. Later Middle Persian variations of the ter ...

s, the six "Bounteous Immortals" through which Ahura Mazda realized ("created by His thought") creation. In the Gathas, Soroush's primary function is to propagate conscience and the beauty of life, secondly the religion of Ahura Mazda to humanity, as Soroush himself learned it from Ahura Mazda. This is only obliquely alluded to in these older verses, and is properly developed in later texts (

Yasna Yasna (;"Yasna"
''

Yasht 11.14 etc.). Directly evident in the Gathas is the description as the strongest, the sturdiest, the most active, the swiftest, and the most awe-inspiring of youths (Yasna 57.13), and as the figure that the poor look to for support (57.10). In the ethical goals of Zoroastrianism ("good thoughts, good words, good deeds") as expressed in Yasna 33.14, Soroush is identified with good deeds. This changes in Zoroastrian tradition (

Denkard The ''Dēnkard'' or ''Dēnkart'' (Middle Persian: 𐭣𐭩𐭭𐭪𐭠𐭫𐭲 "Acts of Religion") is a 10th-century compendium of Zoroastrian beliefs and customs during the time. The ''Denkard'' has been called an "Encyclopedia of Mazdaism" an ...

3.13-14), where Soroush is identified with good words. In Yasna 33.5, the poet speaks of Soroush as the greatest of all (decision makers) at the final renovation of the world. In 50.4-5, the poet sees the path of Soroush (an allusion to the Chinvat bridge) as In 43.46, Zoroaster is reminded to hurry with the propagation of Mazda's message before the prophet's death (before he encounters Soroush and Ashi). In 44.16, Soroush and Vohu Manah ("Conscience" and "Good Thought") are said to be brought to all humankind.

In the younger Avesta

Soroush has two yashts dedicated to him. One of these is

Yasna Yasna (;"Yasna"
''

Yasht 11, which is a direct invocation of Soroush and bears his name in the title. Yasht 11 - like the other direct Yashts also - is not part of the liturgy of the

Avesta The Avesta (, Book Pahlavi: (), Persian language, Persian: ()) is the text corpus of Zoroastrian literature, religious literature of Zoroastrianism. All its texts are composed in the Avestan language and written in the Avestan alphabet. Mod ...

proper. Yasht 11 has survived in a fragment of the Hadhokht Nask, which is today part of the Khordeh Avesta, the "little Avesta." In Yasna 56–57, Soroush is variously described as mighty, the incarnate word of reason, whose body is the holy spell (57.1). Soroush "possesses Truth" ('' ashavanem'') and is "stately" (57.2, 57.5, 57.7, 57.9, 57.11, 57.15 etc.). He is said to have been the first in all of creation to adore Ahura Mazda and the Amesha Spentas. (57.2 and 57.6). He recited five holy verses in order to favor the great sextet (57.8), and the

Ahuna Vairya Ahuna Vairya (Avestan: 𐬀𐬵𐬎𐬥𐬀⸱𐬬𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌𐬌𐬀) is the first of Zoroastrianism's four Gathic Avestan formulas. The text, which appears in ''Yasna'' 27.13, is also known after its opening words yatha ahu vairyo. In Zoro ...

invocation and other sacred formulae are Soroush's weapons (57.22). He returned victorious from his battles with evil (57.12), which allowed the various aspects of creation to populate the world (57.23). Soroush wanders about the world teaching the religion of Mazda (57.24). Soroush is frequently described as the "lord of ritual" (57.2, 57.5, 57.7, 57.9, 57.11 etc.) and he propitiates

haoma (; Avestan: ) is a divine plant in Zoroastrianism and in later Persian culture and Persian mythology, mythology. has its origins in Indo-Iranian religion and is the cognate of Vedas, Vedic . Etymology Both Avestan and Sanskrit derived from Pr ...

with sacrifice (57.19). In Yasht 11, mankind lives under Soroush's constant guardianship (11.7). He is not interrupted by sleep in his constant vigil (11.14) in which he wields his weapons against the druj (11.0). Soroush teaches the word of Ahura Mazda to mankind (11.14). The poor look to him for support (11.3) and he is welcome in all homes that he protects (11.20). In yet other texts Soroush is again protector of ritual, but here the celebrant priest receives the epithet ''Soroushvarez'' (Yasht 24.15; Vendidad 5.25, 7.17 et al.). In Vendidad 18.22, Soroush is called for help against the demon-serpent Azi Dahaka who threatens to extinguish the hearth fire (cf.

Atar Atar, Ahtra, Atash, Azar () or ''Dāštāɣni'',, s.v. ''agni-.'' is the Zoroastrian concept of holy fire, sometimes described in abstract terms as "burning and unburning fire" or "visible and invisible fire" (Mirza, 1987:389). It is conside ...

). Soroush is the chief adversary of Aeshma, the

daeva A daeva (Avestan: 𐬛𐬀𐬉𐬎𐬎𐬀 ''daēuua'') is a Zoroastrian supernatural entity with disagreeable characteristics. In the Gathas, the oldest texts of the Zoroastrian canon, the ''daeva''s are " gods that are (to be) rejected". T ...

of wrath, for Aeshma distracts from proper worship, distorting "the intention and meaning of sacrifice through brutality against cattle and violence in war and drunkenness." While Aeshma's standard epithet is ''xrvi.dru-'' "of the bloody mace," Soroush's standard epithet is ''darshi.dru-'' "of the strong ( Ahuric) mace." Soroush will overthrow Aeshma at the renovation of the world (Yasht 19.95).

In Zoroastrian tradition

In Zoroastrian tradition, Soroush is one of the three guardians of the Chinvat bridge, the "bridge of judgement" that all souls of the dead must cross. Although Soroush is only one of the three divinities that pass judgement (the other two being

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. Rashnu's standard appellation is "the very ...

and

Mithra Mithra ( ; ) is an ancient Iranian deity ('' yazata'') of covenants, light, oaths, justice, the Sun, contracts, and friendship. In addition to being the divinity of contracts, Mithra is also a judicial figure, an all-seeing protector of Truth ( ...

), Soroush alone accompanies the soul on their journey across the bridge. As also the other two guardians of the bridge, Soroush is closely identified with Ashi, "Recompense". In Yasht 17.15 and 17.17, Soroush is called Ashi's "brother." One of Soroush's stock epithets is ''ashya'', which may either mean "companion of recompense" or simply "companion of Ashi". In the day-name dedications of the

Zoroastrian calendar Adherents of Zoroastrianism use three distinct versions of traditional calendars for Zoroastrian festivals, liturgical purposes. Those all derive from Middle Ages, medieval Iranian calendars and ultimately are based on the Babylonian calendar a ...

, the seventeenth day of the month is dedicated to Soroush.

References

Sources

* . * , p. 182. * * {{Authority control Yazatas