Den Yasht
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| Den Yasht | |
|---|---|
 First page of the Den Yasht in Darmesteter's French translation[1] | |
| Information | |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
| Language | Avestan |
| Period | Avestan period |
| Chapters | 7 kardes |
| Verses | 20 |
The Den Yasht is the sixteenth hymn of the 21 Yashts. It is named after Daena, the Zoroastrian representation of conscience or religion, but is actually dedicated to the veneration of Chista, the Zoroastrian divinity representing wisdom and insight.[2]
The Den Yasht is named after Daena, a complex Zoroastrian concept, variably translated as vision, conscience and religion.[3] Its content, however, makes it clear that it is dedicated to Chista.[4] It has been speculated that the similarity between the two concepts lead to a partial fusion of both, which may explain the apparent inconsistency.[5]
Structure and content
The Den Yasht follows the structure established for other yashts, such that the respective divinity is addressed by prominent people, known from the Zoroastrian tradition.[6] There are however, also strong differences. In most yashts, it is the legendary heroes from Iran's mythical history, which praise the gods in hope for boons related to success in war.[7] But in the Den Yasht it is Zarathustra, his late wife Huuōuuī as well as other unnamed dignitaries which offer praise to Chista in order to ask for peace and insight.[8]
Overall, the Den Yasht is a comparably short yasht consisting of only 20 stanzas, which are additionally divided into 7 sections called kardes. These stanzas can be thematicall divided into three parts.[9] The first part is formed by stanzas 1-4. It contains the only original material, i.e., these verses are not found in other yashts.[10] The second part is formed by stanzas 5-13.[11] These verses are also found in the Bahram Yasht dedicated to Verethragna and have been adapted to accord with the praise of Chista.[12] The last part is formed by stanzas 14-20, describing how, in addition to Zarathustra, Chista is also worshipped by his late wife Huuōuuī, by the Athravans, i.e., the priests, as well as by the (unnamed) ruler of the land.[13]
