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TheYenghe hatam (Avestan: 𐬫𐬈𐬣𐬵𐬉⸱𐬵𐬁𐬙𐬅𐬨) is one of the four majormanthras, and one of the most importantprayers inZoroastrianism.[1] It is interpreted as a call to pray specifically to theAmesha Spentas,[2] or generally to all Zoroastriandivinities.[3]
Jointly with theAhuna vairya, theAshem vohu, and theAiryaman ishya; the Yenghe hatam forms the four manthras that enclose theGathas in theYasna and form the linguistically oldest part of theAvesta.[4] It is furthermore found throughout many other parts of the Avesta, where it often marks the transition from one portion of the text to the next.[1]
The Yenghe hatam reads as follows
yeŋ́hē hātąm āat̰ yesnē paitī vaŋhō
mazdå ahurō vaēθā aṣ̌āt̰ hacā
yåŋhąmcā tąscā tåsca yazamaidē
APahlavi andParsiAvestan translation would be:
That one (masculine or neuter singular) of the beings indeed is for worship
who Mazda Ahura knows as better according to righteousness from the female beings also
These ones (masculine) and these ones (feminine) we worship.
Starting with the early exegesis of the Yenghe hatam in theYoung Avestan period, thebeings (hātąm) in the first line are generally interpreted to refer to theAmesha Spentas.[2] However, some scholars have opined that it may refer to living men and women.[5] The latter interpretation has become more influencal in modern interpretations of the manthra.[1]
The Yenghe hatam is generally considered to have been derived from Yasna 51.22, i.e., the 22nd verse of the Vohukhshathra Gatha. It reads as follows:
yehiiā mōi aṣ̌āt̰ hacā vahištəm yesnē paitī
vaēdā mazdā̊ ahurō yōi ā̊ŋharəcā həṇticā
tą yazāi xvāiš nāmə̄nīš pairicā jasāi vaṇtā
The main difference is to whom the worship is addressed. In the Gathic verse, the first line can be translated as "At whose sacrifice Ahura Mazda knows the best for me according to righteousness." In the Yenghe hatam, however, this is changed to "At whose of-the-beings [masc.] and of whom [fern. pl.] therefore Ahura Mazda knows the better for worship according to righteousness."[6]
The Yenghe hatam is placed within a series of texts, which are linguistically distinct from the other parts of theAvesta. These texts are the major manthras, theGathas and theYasna Haptanghaiti. The language in these texts is considered to be more archaic and is therefore referred to as Old Avestan vis-a-vis the Younger Avestan of the other texts.[7] However, among these texts, the language of the Yenghe hatam has been singled out due to a number of differences. One example of this differences in the languange in the Yenghe hatam is the relative pronounyeŋ́hē (whose), which seems closer to the Young Avestan formyeŋ́he than the Old Avestanyehiiā as used in Y. 51.22.[8]
To account for this,Karl Hoffmann has for instance labelled it pseudo-Old-Avestan.[9] It has been argued that the manthra may have originated during the early Young Avestan period but was composed to make it appear more ancient.[10] On the other hand, scholars like Cantera and Redard group the manthra together with a number of other texts, which, they claim form a distinct intermediate stage of Avestan. They call this variant Middle Avestan, and opine that these texts were composed chronologically between the Old and Young Avestan texts, thus representing proper Avestan during this time.[11]
There is no consensus on the authorship of the Yenghe hatam. According toYasna 21, originally being the 3. frargard of theBag nask, Zarathustra is its author.[12] This identification has, e.g., been affirmed by scholars likeGershevitch.[13] On the other hand, scholars likeBoyce have pointed to the linguistic idiosyncracies of the manthra and concluded that it was composed by his early followers, who used the Gathic verse Y 51.22 as a model.[14]
Like the other manthras, the Yenghe hatam can be diffucult to translate due to its brevity, complex grammatical forms and poetic ambiguity.[1] As a result, a number of different translations exist. For examples,Skjaervo translates it as follows:
Thus, he among those that are, as well as the women,
in return for whose sacrifice the better good is to be given,
him (and them) Ahura Mazdā knows
to be according to Order
to those men and those women we sacrifice.[15]
Vazquez's liturgically inclined translation is:
They that are,
Who are of any gender,
Ahura Mazda knows throughAsha of their glorious sacrifices
Thus we offer them worship!.