Gosh Yasht
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| Gosh Yasht | |
|---|---|
 First page of the Gosh Yasht in Darmesteter's French translation[1] | |
| Information | |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
| Language | Avestan |
| Period | Avestan period |
| Chapters | 7 kardes |
| Verses | 32 |
The Gosh Yasht also known as Drwasp Yasht is the ninth hymn of the 21 Yashts. It is named after the 14th day of the month in the Zoroastrian calendar, but its content is dedicated to the praise of Drvaspa,[2] a Zoroastrian divinity associated with horses.[3]
Within the collection of 21 Yashts, the Gosh Yasht is the ninth hymn. It consists of 7 kardas, i.e., chapters, and 32 stanzas. It is classified as a Legendary Yasht because of the lengthy description of legendary figures worshipping Drvaspa.[4] The yasht is celebrated on the 14th day of the month in the Zoroastrian calendar.[5]
The written history of the Gosh Yasht probably began jointly with several other yashts by being part of the Bagan yasht, one of the volumes of the lost Sasanian Avesta. Descriptions in later works indicate that it may have formed its sixth chapter.[6] The oldest manuscript containing the text of the Gosh Yasht is the F1 manuscript (ms. 6550) written in 1591 by Asdin Kaka Dhanpal Laxmidar of the Homajiar Ramyar family in Navsari.[7] In this manuscript, it is already part of the 21 Yasht collection. Its text has been made avaiblable to modern scholarship by the editions of Westergaard[8] and Geldner,[9] whereas translations have been provided, e.g., by Darmesteter[10][11] and Lommel.[12]
Name
In the extant manuscripts, the name of the yasht is used inconsistently.[13] In some it appears under the Middle Persian name Gosh, i.e., the 14th day of the month in the Zoroastrian calendar.[14] This day, on which the yasht is celebrated, is dedicated to Geush Uruuan, the soul of the primordial cow,[15] as well as Geush Tashan, a divine Zoroastrian figure who created the cow.[16] However, neither Geush Uruuan nor Geush Tashan appear in the yasht, which is instead dedicated to Drvaspa, a Zoroastrian divinity whose name means with solid horses.[17] As a result, some of the manuscripts as well as some modern editions use the Middle Persian name Drwasp Yasht.[18]
The reason for this inconsistent naming of the yasht remains unclear. Darmesteter has for example speculated that Drvaspa was an epithept of Geush Uruuan, i.e., it is the soul of the cow that watches over and protects horses.[19] On the other hand, Malandra opines that the connection of the text with Geush Uruuan happened relatively late and was motivated by the content of the celebrations related to the 14th day in the calendar.[20]
