Vohukhshathra Gatha
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| Vohukhshathra Gatha | |
|---|---|
 First page of the Vohukhshathra Gatha in Geldner's edition of the Avesta | |
| Information | |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
| Author | Zarathustra |
| Language | Old Avestan |
| Chapters | 1 |
| Verses | 66 |
The Vohukhshathra Gatha is the fourth of the five Gathas, the most important texts of Zoroastrianism. It consists of only one hymn with 22 stanzas and 66 verses, which makes it is the second shortest poem in the collection.[1]
The name of the Vohukhshathra Gatha,[2] also rendered as Vohuxšaθrā Gāθā,[1] Gāθā vohu.xšaθra[3] or Vohu.xšaθrā Gāθā,[4] is drawn from the first words of the poem vohû xshathrem. It refers to Kshatra Vairya, one of the Zoroastrian Amesha Spenta representing authority and rule.[5]
Structure
The Vohukhshathra Gatha covers chapter 51 in the Yasna.[6] It consists of a single hymn with 22 stanzas, each having 3 verse lines. The meter of each of these three verses consits of fourteen syllables with a caesura resulting in two seven-syllable feet.[7] The first stanza reads as follows:
Transliteration
vohû xshathrem vairîm // bâgem aibî-bairishtem
vîdîshemnâish îzhâcît // ashâ añtare-caraitî
shyaothanâish mazdâ vahishtem // tat nê nûcît vareshânê
Meter:
x x x x ᴗ ᴗ x // x x x x ᴗ ᴗ x
x x x x ᴗ ᴗ x // x x x x ᴗ ᴗ x
x x x x ᴗ ᴗ x // x x x x ᴗ ᴗ x
Translation:
That good rule must be chosen which brings good fortune
to the man serving it with milk. In alliance with truth, it shall encompass the best (for us)
through its actions, Wise One. This very rule shall I now bring to realization for us.
— Yasna 51.1 (translated by Stanley Insler[8])
Like all the Gathic meters, the meter of the Vohukhshathra Gatha has been analyzed in comparison with the Vedic metre found in the Vedas. It shares the eleven-syllable verse count as well as the caesura after the fourth syllable. On the other hand, the Gathic verses lack any qualitative structure, i.e., there is no recognicable pattern of stressed vs. unstressed syllables.[9]
Content
The main theme of the Vohukhshathra Gatha is Kshatra Vairya, the desirable good power, after which the poem is also named. Another central theme is praise of Zarathustra's important allies, namely kavi Vishtaspa his followers Frashaoshtra and Jamaspa as well as Maidyoimangha.[10] The poem closes with the hope for the advent of good power in exchange for proper worship of The Wise One.[11]
