Mah Yasht
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| Mah Yasht | |
|---|---|
 First page of the Mah Yasht in Darmesteter's French translation[1] | |
| Information | |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
| Language | Avestan |
| Period | Avestan period |
| Verses | 7 |
The Mah Yasht is the seventh hymn of the Yashts. It is named after and dedicated to Mah, the Avestan term for the Moon.[2]
Mah is the Middle Persian name of the Moon as well as the 12th day of the month.[3] Within the collection of 21 Yashts, the Mah Yasht is the seventh hymn. It does not follow the divisions into kardas, as is common for many yashts,[4] and with only seven stanzas, it one of the shorter hymns in the collection.[5] In addition, its poetic meter is regarded as defective[6] and its overall literary quality as mediocre.[7] Consequently, it is classified as one of the so called Minor Yashts.[8]
Structure and content
Apart from the opening and closing formulas, the Mah Yasht contains seven stanzas. The main part is formed by stanzas 1-5.[9] They mostly describe the phases of the moon.[10] The closing part is formed by stanzas 6 and 7. These stanzas contain material also found in other yashts,[11] but have been revised to insert references to the moon.[12]
