YASHT

The Yashts (Yašt) 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 word yasht derives from Middle Persian yašt (“prayer, worship”) probably from Avestan (yašta, “honored”), from (yaz, “to worship, honor”), from Proto-Indo-European *yeh2?- or *Hya?-, and several hymns of the Yasna liturgy that "venerate by praise" are—in tradition—also nominally called yashts. These "hidden" 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 Sarosh Yasht in Yasna 57, the praise of the (hypostasis of) "prayer" in Yasna 58, and a hymn to the Ahurani in Yasna 68. Since these are a part of the primary liturgy, 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 yazatas that the individual Yashts praise also have a dedication in the Zoroastrian calendar. The exceptions are Drvaspa and Vanant.

 

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

Yasht
Title / Nominally Invokes
In praise of
Extent
1.
Ohrmazd Yasht
Ahura Mazda
33 verses
2.
Hapt Amahraspand Yasht
the seven Amesha Spentas
15 verses
3.
Ardawahisht Yasht
Asha Vahishta of "Best Truth"
19 verses
4.
Hordad Yasht
Haurvatat of "Wholeness" and   "Perfection"
11 verses
5.
Aban Yasht
Aredvi Sura Anahita of the waters
132 verses
6.
Hwarshed Yasht
Hvare-khshaeta of the "Radiant Sun"
7 verses
7.
Mah Yasht
Maonghah of the "Moon"
7 verses
8.
Tishtar Yasht
Tishtrya, the star Sirius
62 verses
9.
Drvasp Yasht
Drvaspa, guardian of horses
33 verses
10.
Mihr Yasht
Mithra of "Covenant"
145 verses
11.
Srosh Yasht
Sraosha of "Obedience"
23 verses
12.
Rashn Yasht
Rashnu of "Justice"
47 verses
13.
Fravardin Yasht
the Fravashis
158 verses
14.
Warharan Yasht
Verethragna, "Smiter of resistance"
64 verses
15.
Ram Yasht
the "good" Vayu
58 verses
16.
Den Yasht
Chista, "Wisdom"
20 verses
17.
Ard Yasht
Ashi of "Recompense"
62 verses
18.
Ashtad Yasht
khvarenah, the "(divine) glory"
9 verses
19.
Zam Yasht
see note below
97 verses
20.
Hom Yasht
Haoma
3 verses
21.
Vanant Yasht
Vanant, the star Vega
2 verses

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Yasht