Yasna (/ˈjʌsnə/;[1]Avestan:𐬫𐬀𐬯𐬥𐬀) is theAvestan name ofZoroastrianism's principal act of worship. It is also the name of the primary liturgical collection ofAvesta texts, recited during thatyasna ceremony.[2]
The function of theyasna ceremony is, very roughly described, to strengthen the orderly spiritual and material creations ofAhura Mazda against the assault of the destructive forces ofAngra Mainyu. Theyasna service, that is, the recitation of the Yasna texts, culminates in theapæ zaothra, the "offering to the waters." The ceremony may also be extended by recitation of theVisperad andVendidad texts. A normalyasna ceremony, without extensions, takes about two hours when it is recited by an experienced priest.
TheYasna texts constitute 72 chapters altogether, composed at different times and by different authors.[2] The middle chapters include the (linguistically) oldest texts of the Zoroastrian canon. These very ancient texts, in the very archaic and linguistically difficultOld Avestan language, include the four most sacred Zoroastrian prayers, and also 17 chapters consisting of the fiveGathas, hymns that are considered to have been composed byZoroaster himself. Several sections of theYasna includeexegetical comments.Yasna chapter and verse pointers are traditionally abbreviated withY.
The Avestan language wordyasna literally means 'oblation' or 'worship'. The word is linguistically and functionally related toVedic Sanskrityajna.
The theological function of theyasna ceremony, and the proper performance of it, is to furtherasha, that is, the ceremony aims to strengthen that which is right/true (one meaning ofasha) in the existence/creation (another meaning ofasha) of divine order (yet another meaning ofasha). TheEncyclopedia Iranica summarizes the aim of theyasna ceremony as "the maintenance of the cosmic integrity of the good creation ofAhura Mazdā."[3] Zoroastrianism's cosmological/eschatological perception of the purpose of humankind is to strengthen the orderly spiritual and material creations of Mazda against the assault of the destructive forces ofAngra Mainyu. In that conflict, theologically speaking, mankind's primary weapon is theyasna ceremony, which is understood to have a direct, immediate effect: "[f]ar from being a symbolic act, the proper performance of the yasna is what prevents the cosmos from falling into chaos."[3] The culminating act of theyasna ceremony is theAb-Zohr, the "strengthening of the waters".
TheYasna service, that is, the recitation of the Yasna texts, culminates in theAb-Zohr, the "offering to waters". TheYasna ceremony may be extended by recitation of theVisperad andVendidad.
A well-trained priest is able to recite the entireYasna in about two hours.[4] With extensions, it takes about an hour longer. In its normal form, theYasna ceremony is only to be performed in the morning.
The texts of theYasna are organized into 72 chapters, known ashads orhas (from Avestanha'iti, 'cut'). The 72 threads of the ZoroastrianKusti – the sacred girdle worn around the waist – represent the 72 chapters of theYasna.
From a literary point of view, the 72 chapters consist of two nested inner cores, and an outer envelope. The outer chapters/sections (the "envelope") are in theYounger Avestan language. The middle 27 chapters include the (linguistically) oldest texts of the Zoroastrian canon. The inner chapters/sections (excepting chapters 42.1–4,52.5–8) are in the more archaicOld Avestan language, with the four sacred formulae bracketing the innermost core. This innermost core includes the 17 chapters of theGathas, the oldest and most sacred texts of the Zoroastrian canon.
Chapter 60–69: The culmination of the Yasna (the "Ab-Zohr"), accompanied by intense ritual activity.
Chapter 70–72: Conclusion and thanks to the divinities for attending
Some sections of theYasna occur more than once. For instance,Yasna 5 is repeated asYasna 37, andYasna 63 consists of passages fromYasna 15.2, 66.2 and 38.3. The ability to recite theYasna from memory is one of the prerequisites for Zoroastrian priesthood.
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, theBarsomYasht, presents libation and thebarsom (a bundle of 23 twigs bound together, symbolizing sanctity) to the invited divinities.Yasna 2–4 complementYasna 1. Most verses inYasna 2–3 begin with the formulaayese yeshti ..., "by means of this sacrifice, I call …", followed by the name of the divinity being invoked.
Yasna 3–8 known collectively as theSarosh dron, presents other offerings (zaothra).Yasna 3 draws the attention of the divinities invoked inYasna 1, and inYasna 4, the offerings are consecrated to the divinities.Yasna 5 is repeated inYasna 37.Yasna 6 is almost identical to the first 10 verses ofYasna 17.
Yasna 9–11 is theHomYasht, a collection of accolades to theHaoma plant and its divinity.
Yasna 12 constitutes theFravarane, 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 theGathas, but imperfectly. The last strophe of verse 7 as well as all of verses 8 and 9 are incorporated into theKusti ritual.
Yasna 13–18 are comparable toYasna 1–8 in that they too are a collection of invocations to the divinities. Chapters 14–18 serve as an introduction to theStaota Yesniia ofYasna 19–59. The first 10 verses ofYasna 17, "to the fires, waters, plants", is almost identical toYasna 6.
Yasna 19–21, the BhaganYasht, are commentaries on the three 'high prayers' ofYasna 28–53.
Yasna 22–26 is another set of invocations to the divinities.
Yasna 27 has the prayers referred to byYasna 19–21. These are:
Yasna 28.1,Ahunavaiti Gatha (Bodleian MS J2)Yasna 28–53 include the (linguistically) oldest texts of the Zoroastrian canon. 17 of the 26 chapters make up theGathas, the most sacred hymns of Zoroastrianism and thought to have been composed byZoroaster himself. The Gathas are in verse. These are structurally interrupted by a) theYasna Haptanghaiti ("seven-chapterYasna", #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 andYasna Haptanghaiti.
Yasna 54 has the text of thea airiiema ishiio, a prayer referred to inYasna 27.
Yasna 55 is a praise to theGathas and theStaota Yesniia.
Yasna 56 is again an invocation to the divinities, appealing for their attention.
Yasna 57 is theSarosh Yasht, the hymn to the divinity of religious discipline. It is closely related to, and appears to have sections borrowed fromYasht 10, the hymn toMithra.
Yasna 58 is again a "hidden"Yasht, here to the genius of prayer (cf.Dahman).
Yasna 59 is a repetition of the sections fromYasna 17 and 26.
Yasna 60 is blessing upon the house of theashavan ('just' or 'true' man).Yasna 60.2–7 constitute theDahma Afriti invocation, also known as theAfrinagan Dahman.
Yasna 61 praises the anti-demonic powers imbued in theAfrinagan Dahman,Yenghe hatam and the three principal prayers ofYasna 27.
Yasna 62 constitutes theAtaksh Nyashes, prayers to fire and its divinity.
Yasna 63–69 constitute the prayers that accompany theAb-Zohr, "offering to water".
Yasna 70–72 are again a set of invocations to the divinities.
Translations of theYasna liturgy now in the public domain:
Mills, Lawrence Heyworth (1887),Avesta: Yasna,Sacred Books of the East, vol. 31, Oxford University Press. atavesta.org (organized by chapter).
Mills, American Edition, 1898, with select passages adopted from Dhalla, Maneckji Nusservanji (1908),The Nyaishes Or Zoroastrian Litanies, Columbia University Press. atsacred-texts.com (plain text).
Drower, Elizabeth Stephens (1944), "The Role of Fire in Parsi Ritual",Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute,74 (1/2):75–89,doi:10.2307/2844296,JSTOR2844296
Kellens, Jean (1989), "Avesta",Encyclopaedia Iranica, vol. 3, Costa Mesa: Mazda Pub, pp. 35–44.
Kotwal, Firoze M.; Boyd, James W. (1991),The Yasna: A Zoroastrian High Liturgy, Cahiers de Studia Iranica, vol. 8, Leuven: Peeters.
Malandra, William (2006),"Yasna",Encyclopaedia Iranica, vol. online edition, New York: iranicaonline.org.
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