YASNA

'Yasna' (Avestan: 'oblation' or 'worship') is the name of the primary liturgical collection of texts of the Avesta as well as the name of the principal Zoroastrian act of worship at which those verses are recited.
A well-trained priest is able to recite the entire ''Yasna'' in about two hours. (Stausberg, 2004:337,n131) With extensions, it takes about an hour longer. ''Yasna'' chapter and verse pointers are traditionally abbreviated with ''Y.''

Contents

The service

The liturgy

Content and organization

Bibliography

Further reading

The service

Main articles: Ab-Zohr

The ''Yasna'' service, that is, the recitation of the Yasna texts, culminates in the ''Ab-Zohr'', the "offering to waters". The ''Yasna'' ceremony may be extended by recitation of the ''Visparad'' and ''Vendidad''.
As the name of the service, the term ''Yasna'' is linguistically (but not functionally) cognate with Vedic ''Yajna''. Unlike Vedic ''Yajna'', Zoroastrian ''Yasna'' has "to do with water rather than fire" (Drower, 1944:78; Boyce, 1975:147-191)

The liturgy

''Yasna'' 28.1, ''Ahunavaiti'' Gatha (Bodleian MS J2) The texts of the ''Yasna'' are organized into 72 chapters, also known as ''had''s or ''ha''s (from Avestan ''ha'iti'', 'cut'). The 72 threads of the Zoroastrian ''Kusti'' - the sacred girdle worn around the waist - represent the 72 chapters of the ''Yasna''. The collection includes the 17 chapters of the Gathas, the oldest and most sacred texts of the Zoroastrian canon.Some sections of the ''Yasna'' occur more than once. For instance, ''Yasna'' 5 is repeated as ''Yasna'' 37, and ''Yasna'' 63 consists of passages from ''Yasna'' 15.2, 66.2 and 38.3. The ability to recite the ''Yasna'' from memory is one of the prerequisites for Zoroastrian priesthood.

Content and organization

★ '''Yasna'' 1' opens with the praise of Ahura Mazda, enumerating his divine titles as the Creator, "radiant, glorious, the greatest, the best, the most beautiful, the most firm, the most wise, of the most perfect form, the highest in righteousness, possessed of great joy, creator, fashioner, nourisher, and the Most Holy Spirit." (Dhalla, 1936:155). ''Yasna'' 1 then enumerates the divinities, inviting them to the service.

★ '''Yasna'' 2', the ''Barsom Yasht'', presents libation and the ''barsom'' (a bundle of 23 twigs bound together, symbolizing sanctity) to the invited divinities. ''Yasna'' 2-4 complement ''Yasna'' 1. Most verses in ''Yasna'' 2-3 begin with the formula ''ayese yeshti …'', "by means of this sacrifice, I call …", followed by the name of the divinity being invoked.

★ '''Yasna'' 3-8' known collectively as the ''Sarosh dron'', presents other offerings (''zaothra''). ''Yasna'' 3 draws the attention of the divinities invoked in ''Yasna'' 1, and in ''Yasna'' 4, the offerings are consecrated to the divinities. ''Yasna'' 5 is repeated in ''Yasna'' 37. ''Yasna'' 6 is almost identical to the first 10 verses of ''Yasna'' 17.

★ '''Yasna'' 9-11' is the ''Hom Yasht'', a collection of eulogies to the Haoma plant and its divinity.

★ '''Yasna'' 12' constitutes the ''Fravarane'', the Zoroastrian creed and declaration of faith. It is in "Artificial" Gathic Avestan, that is, it is stylistically and linguistically aligned with the language of the ''Gathas'', but imperfectly. The last strophe of verse 7 as well as all of verses 8 and 9 are incorporated into the ''Kusti'' ritual.

★ '''Yasna'' 13-18' are comparable to ''Yasna'' 1-8 in that they too are a collection of invocations to the divinities. Chapters 14-18 serve as an introduction to the ''Staota Yesniia'' of ''Yasna'' 19-59. The first 10 verses of ''Yasna'' 17, "to the fires, waters, plants", is almost identical to ''Yasna'' 6.

★ '''Yasna'' 19-21', the Bhagan ''Yasht'', are commentaries on the three 'high prayers' of ''Yasna'' 28-53.

★ '''Yasna'' 22-26' is another set of invocations to the divinities.

★ '''Yasna'' 27' has the prayers referred to by ''Yasna'' 19-21. These are:

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★ The ''Ahuna Vairya'' invocation (also known as the ''Yatha Ahu Vairyo''), the most sacred of all Zoroastrian prayers.

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★ The ''Ashem vohu''

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★ The ''Yenghe hatam''

★ '''Yasna'' 28-53' include the (linguistically) oldest texts of the Zoroastrian canon. 17 of the 26 chapters make up the Gathas, the most sacred hymns of Zoroastrianism and thought to have been composed by Zoroaster himself. The Gathas are in verse. These are structurally interrupted by a) the ''Yasna Haptanghaiti'' ("seven-chapter ''Yasna''", #35-41), which is as old as the Gathas but in prose, b) two short chapters (#42 and #52) that are not as old as the Gathas and ''Yasna Haptanghaiti''.

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★ '''Yasna'' 28-34': ''Ahunavaiti'' Gatha

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★ '''Yasna'' 35-41': ''Yasna Haptanghaiti'', the "seven-chapter ''Yasna''", also in Gathic Avestan but in prose.

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★ '''Yasna'' 42': a 4 verse chapter invoking the elements.

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★ '''Yasna'' 43-46': ''Ushtavait'' Gatha

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★ '''Yasna'' 47-50': ''Spenta Mainyu'' Gatha

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★ '''Yasna'' 51': ''Vohu Khshathra'' Gatha

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★ '''Yasna'' 52': an 8 verse hymn to Ashi. Verses 52.5 - 52.8, in Younger Avestan, are a duplicate of ''Yasna'' 8.5 - 8.8.

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★ '''Yasna'' 53': ''Vahishto Ishti'' Gatha

★ '''Yasna'' 54' has the text of the ''a airiiema ishiio'', a prayer referred to in ''Yasna'' 27.

★ '''Yasna'' 55' is a praise to the ''Gathas'' and the ''Staota Yesniia''.

★ '''Yasna'' 56' is again an invocation to the divinities, appealing for their attention.

★ '''Yasna'' 57' is the ''Sarosh Yasht'', the hymn to the divinity of religious discipline. It is closely related to, and appears to have sections borrowed from ''Yasht'' 10, the hymn to Mithra.

★ '''Yasna'' 58' is again a "hidden" ''Yasht'', here to the genius of prayer (''cf.'' Dahman).

★ '''Yasna'' 59' is a repetition of the sections from ''Yasna'' 17 and 26.

★ '''Yasna'' 60' is blessing upon the house of the ''ashavan'' ('just' or 'true' man). ''Yasna'' 60.2-7 constitute the Dahma Afriti invocation, also known as the ''Afrinagan Dahman''.

★ '''Yasna'' 61' praises the anti-demonic powers imbued in the ''Afrinagan Dahman'', ''Yenghe hatam'' and the three principal prayers of ''Yasna'' 27.

★ '''Yasna'' 62' constitutes the ''Ataksh Nyashes'', prayers to fire and its divinity.

★ '''Yasna'' 63-69' constitute the prayers that accompany the ''Ab-Zohr'', "offering to water".

★ '''Yasna'' 70-72' are again a set of invocations to the divinities.

Bibliography

★ History of Zoroastrianism, Vol. I, , Mary, Boyce, Brill, 1975, ISBN 90-04-10474-7

★ History of Zoroastrianism, , Maneckji Nusservanji, Dhalla, OUP, 1938,

★ The Role of Fire in Parsi Ritual, , Elizabeth Stephens, Drower, The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, 1944

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★ Avesta: Yasna, , Lawrence Heyworth, Mills, , 1887, In Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 31, , Max (ed.), Müller, , 1898,

★ Die Religion Zarathushtras (Band 3), , Michael, Stausberg, Kohlhammer, 2004, ISBN 3-17-017120-8

Further reading

★ Translations of the ''Yasna'' liturgy now in the public domain:

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★ at avesta.org (organized by chapter).

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★ at sacred-texts.com (plain text).