Gathas

The Gathas form the oldest part of Avesta, the holy scripture of the Zoroastrian religion, traditionally believed to have been composed by Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) himself.

Related Topics:
Avesta - Zoroastrian - Zarathushtra (Zoroaster)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The verses are composed in the metrical forms of ancient Indo-Iranian religious poetry. It is in a very condensed style of versification, in which standard grammatical construction is more absent than present. In extent the Gathas constitute a small book containing about 6000 words, in about 1300 lines set in 238 verses which are collected in 17 chapters, each called a Haiti, or in the more usual later term, HA. The 17 Ha's of the Gathas were, some time later, incorporated into a long prayer, or liturgy, recited at a ceremony. The Yasna recitation has 72 chapters. The Ha's are identified by their numberings as chapters of the Yasna. There are five major sections of the 17 Ha's of the Gathas listed here:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They form part of the Yasna collection of hymns, accounting for 17 out of 72:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• 28–34 Ahunavaiti Gatha
• 43–46 Ushtavaiti Gatha
• 47–50 Spentamainyush Gatha
• 51 Vohukhshathra Gatha
• 53 Vahishtoishti Gatha
 
Gathas: The Language of the Gathas ►