Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) himself. The ''Gathas'' are structurally interrupted by the ''
Yasna Haptanghaiti The ''Yasna Haptanghaiti'' (), Avestan for "Worship in Seven Chapters," is a set of seven hymns within the greater ''Yasna'' collection, that is, within the primary liturgical texts of the Zoroastrian Avesta. Chapter and verse pointers are to ''Yasn ...
'' ("seven-chapter ''Yasna''"), which makes up chapters 35–42 of the ''Yasna'' and is almost as old as the ''Gathas'', consists of prayers and hymns in honor of Ahura Mazda, the
Yazatas
Yazata ( ae, 𐬫𐬀𐬰𐬀𐬙𐬀) 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 i ...
, the
Fravashi
Fravashi ( ae, 𐬟𐬭𐬀𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬴𐬌, translit=fravaṣ̌i, ) is the Avestan language term for the Zoroastrian concept of a personal spirit of an individual, whether dead, living, or yet-unborn. The ''fravashi'' of an individual sends o ...
, Fire, Water, and Earth. The younger ''Yasna'', though handed down in prose, may once have been metrical, as the ''Gathas'' still are.
The ''Visperad''
The ''Visperad'' (from ''vîspe ratavo'', "(prayer to) all patrons") is a collection of supplements to the ''Yasna''. The ''Visparad'' is subdivided into 23 or 24 ''kardo'' (sections) that are interleaved into the Yasna during a Visperad service (which is an extended Yasna service).
The ''Visperad'' collection has no unity of its own, and is never recited separately from the Yasna.
The ''Vendidad''
The ''Vendidad'' (or ''Vidēvdāt'', a corruption of Avestan ''Vī-Daēvō-Dāta'', "Given Against the Demons") is an enumeration of various manifestations of evil spirits, and ways to confound them. The ''Vendidad'' includes all of the 19th ''nask'', which is the only ''nask'' that has survived in its entirety. The text consists of 22 ''Fargard''s, fragments arranged as discussions between
Ahura Mazda
Ahura Mazda (; ae, , translit=Ahura Mazdā; ), also known as Oromasdes, Ohrmazd, Ahuramazda, Hoormazd, Hormazd, Hormaz and Hurmuz, is the creator deity in Zoroastrianism. He is the first and most frequently invoked spirit in the ''Yasna''. ...
and Zoroaster. The first ''fargard'' is a dualistic
creation myth
A creation myth (or cosmogonic myth) is a symbolic narrative of how the world began and how people first came to inhabit it., "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the universe and its inhabitants came to be. Creation myths develop ...
, followed by the description of a destructive winter (compare
Fimbulvetr
In Norse mythology, (commonly rendered in English as Fimbulwinter), is the immediate prelude to the events of Ragnarök. It means 'great winter'.
Summary
is the harsh winter that precedes the end of the world and puts an end to all life on E ...
) on the lines of the
Flood myth
A flood myth or a deluge myth is a myth in which a great flood, usually sent by a deity or deities, destroys civilization, often in an act of divine retribution. Parallels are often drawn between the flood waters of these Mythology, myths and the ...
. The second ''fargard'' recounts the legend of ''
Yima Yima may refer to:
* Jamshid in Aryan mythology
* Yima, Henan (), city under administration of Sanmenxia, China
* (), town in Qingcheng County, Gansu, China
* (), town in Panshi
Panshi () is a city of south-central Jilin province of Northeast C ...
''. The remaining ''fargard''s deal primarily with hygiene (care of the dead in particular)
'fargard'' 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 16, 17, 19as well as disease and spells to fight it
, 10, 11, 13, 20, 21, 22 ''Fargard''s 4 and 15 discuss the dignity of wealth and charity, of marriage and of physical effort, and the indignity of unacceptable social behaviour such as assault and
breach of contract
Breach of contract is a legal cause of action and a type of civil wrong, in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party ...
, and specify the penances required to atone for violations thereof. The ''Vendidad'' is an ecclesiastical code, not a liturgical manual, and there is a degree of
moral relativism
Moral relativism or ethical relativism (often reformulated as relativist ethics or relativist morality) is used to describe several philosophical positions concerned with the differences in moral judgments across different peoples and cultures. ...
apparent in the codes of conduct. The ''Vendidad''s different parts vary widely in character and in age. Some parts may be comparatively recent in origin although the greater part is very old.
The Vendidad, unlike the Yasna and the Visparad, is a book of moral laws rather than the record of a liturgical ceremony. However, there is a ceremony called the ''Vendidad'', in which the Yasna is recited with all the chapters of both the Visparad and the Vendidad inserted at appropriate points. This ceremony is only performed at night.
The ''Yasht''s
The ''
Yasht
The Yashts are a collection of twenty-one hymns in the Younger Avestan language. Each of these hymns invokes a specific Zoroastrian divinity or concept. ''Yasht'' chapter and verse pointers are traditionally abbreviated as ''Yt.''
Overview
The wo ...
''s (from ''yešti'', "worship by praise") are a collection of 21 hymns, each dedicated to a particular divinity or divine concept. Three hymns of the Yasna liturgy that "worship by praise" are—in tradition—also nominally called ''yasht''s, but are not counted among the ''Yasht'' collection since the three are a part of the primary liturgy. The ''Yasht''s vary greatly in style, quality and extent. In their present form, they are all in prose but analysis suggests that they may at one time have been in verse.
The ''Siroza''
The ''Siroza'' ("thirty days") is an enumeration and invocation of the 30 divinities presiding over the days of the month. (cf.
Zoroastrian calendar
Adherents of Zoroastrianism use three distinct versions of traditional calendars for liturgical purposes, all derived from medieval Iranian calendars and ultimately based on the Babylonian calendar as used in the Achaemenid empire.
''Qadimi'' ...
). The ''Siroza'' exists in two forms, the shorter ("little ''Siroza''") is a brief enumeration of the divinities with their epithets in the genitive. The longer ("great ''Siroza''") has complete sentences and sections, with the ''yazata''s being addressed in the accusative.
The Siroza is never recited as a whole, but is a source for individual sentences devoted to particular divinities, to be inserted at appropriate points in the liturgy depending on the day and the month.
The ''Nyayesh''es
The five ''Nyayesh''es, abbreviated ''Ny.'', are prayers for regular recitation by both priests and laity. They are addressed to the
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...
and
Mithra
Mithra ( ae, ''Miθra'', peo, 𐎷𐎰𐎼 ''Miça'') commonly known as Mehr, is the Iranian deity of covenant, light, oath, justice and the sun. In addition to being the divinity of contracts, Mithra is also a judicial figure, an all-seeing ...
(recited together thrice a day), to the
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
(recited thrice a month), and to
the Waters
''The Waters'' (stylized as ''The Water ') is the fourth mixtape by American rapper Mick Jenkins. It was released on August 12, 2014, by Cinematic Music Group.
Background
''The Waters'' is a concept mixtape. Jenkins' lyrics are immersed in the s ...
and to
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products.
At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...
. The ''Nyayesh''es are composite texts containing selections from the Gathas and the Yashts, as well as later material.
The ''Gah''s
The five ''gāh''s are invocations to the five divinities that watch over the five divisions (''
gāh
Gāh ( fa, گاه) is a period of time which is dedicated to a Yazata in Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster ...
''s) of the
day
A day is the time period of a full rotation of the Earth with respect to the Sun. On average, this is 24 hours, 1440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds. In everyday life, the word "day" often refers to a solar day, which is the length between two so ...
. ''Gāh''s are similar in structure and content to the five ''Nyayesh''es.
The ''Afrinagan''s
The ''Afrinagan''s are four "blessing" texts recited on a particular occasion: the first in honor of the dead, the second on the five epagomenal days that end the year, the third is recited at the six seasonal feasts, and the fourth at the beginning and end of summer.
Fragments
All material in the ''Avesta'' that is not already present in one of the other categories is placed in a "fragments" category, which – as the name suggests – includes incomplete texts. There are altogether more than 20 fragment collections, many of which have no name (and are then named after their owner/collator) or only a Middle Persian name. The more important of the fragment collections are the ''Nirangistan'' fragments (18 of which constitute the ''Ehrbadistan''); the ''Pursishniha'' "questions," also known as "Fragments
Tahmuras
Tahmuras or Tahmures ( fa, تهمورث ,طهمورث, ; from Avestan ''Taxma Urupi'', meaning ''strong fox'') was the third Shah of the Pishdadian dynasty of Iran (Persia) according to Ferdowsi's epic poem, the ''Shahnameh''. He is considered th ...
"; and the ''Hadokht Nask'' "volume of the scriptures" with two fragments of eschatological significance.
Other Zoroastrian religious texts
Only texts preserved in the Avestan language count as scripture and are part of the Avesta. Several other secondary works are nonetheless crucial to Zoroastrian theology and scholarship.
The most notable among the Middle Persian texts are the ''Dēnkard'' ("Acts of Religion"), dating from the ninth century; the ''
Bundahishn
''Bundahishn'' (Avestan: , "Primal Creation") is the name traditionally given to an encyclopedic collection of Zoroastrian cosmogony and cosmology written in Book Pahlavi. The original name of the work is not known.
Although the ''Bundahishn'' d ...
'' ("Primordial Creation"), finished in the eleventh or twelfth century, but containing older material; the ''Mainog-i-Khirad'' ("Spirit of Wisdom"), a religious conference on questions of faith; and the ''
Book of Arda Viraf
The ''Book of Arda Viraf'' (Middle Persian: ''Ardā Wirāz nāmag'', lit. 'Book of the Righteous Wirāz') is a Zoroastrian text written in Middle Persian. It contains about 8,800 words. It describes the dream-journey of a devout Zoroastrian (the W ...
'', which is especially important for its views on death, salvation and life in the hereafter. Of the post-14th century works (all in New Persian), only the ''
Sad-dar
The ''Sad-dar'' or ''Saddar'', literally "Hundred Doors", is a Persian book about Zoroastrianism. The hundred chapters are guidelines that Zoroastrian
Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, b ...
'' ("Hundred Doors, or Chapters"), and ''
Revayats
The ''Revayats'' (also spelled as ''Rivayats'') are a series of exchanges between the Zoroastrian community in India and their co-religionists in early modern Iran. They have been ascribed the same importance of the Talmud to Judaism by Jivanji ...
'' (traditional treatises) are of doctrinal importance. Other texts such as ''Zartushtnamah'' ("Book of Zoroaster") are only notable for their preservation of legend and folklore. The ''Aogemadaeca'' "we accept," a treatise on death is based on quotations from the Avesta.
References
Notes
Citations
Works cited
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* .
* .
* .
* .
* .
* .
External links
avesta.org translation by
James Darmesteter
James Darmesteter (28 March 184919 October 1894) was a French author, orientalist, and antiquarian.
Biography
He was born of Jewish parents at Château-Salins, in Lorraine. The family name had originated in their earlier home of Darmstadt. He was ...
and
L. H. Mills forms part of the
Sacred Books of the East
The ''Sacred Books of the East'' is a monumental 50-volume set of English translations of Asian religious texts, edited by Max Müller and published by the Oxford University Press between 1879 and 1910. It incorporates the essential sacred texts ...
series, but is now regarded as obsolete.
*
The British Library: Discovering Sacred Texts - Zoroastrianism
{{Authority control
Sources of ancient Iranian religion
Zoroastrian texts