Language Studies

Examining the position and function of the daēnā- in Avesta and its connection with cistā-

Document Type : Research original ,Regular Article

Authors

Fahimeh Shafiei Mohamadabadi 1
Zohreh Zarshenas 2
Farzaneh Goshtasb 3

1 Ph.D. Candidate of Ancient Culture and Languages, Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies,Tehran, Iran

2 Professor of Ancient Culture and Languages, Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran

3 Associate Professor of Ancient Culture and Languages, Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.30465/ls.2024.47321.2163
Abstract
Abstract:
The Avestan word daēnā- literally means “perception, vision, view, insight, self, conscience and even religion.” Yašt 16, Dēn yašt is named after daēnā māzdaiiasnī-, although in its content it is dedicated to cistā. cistā is a goddess of path. The epithets ascribed to her in the first verse of the Yašt 16 indicate her function as a guide. One of the functions of daēnā, both in Gāhān and New Avesta is her role as guide and spiritual leader. In the Sirōzag, cistā is worshipped in the day named in honor of daēnā. Yašt 10.126 makes cistā- the upamana- of the daēnā, that is to say something like her “alter ego”. Some researchers have translated upamana- as “alter ego” or “double”, therefore considered cistā as “alter ego” of daēnā. In this research, these two words will be examined from the etymological point of view. Then, through Avestan texts, each of them will be discussed in order to understand their similarities and resemblances. According to the available evidence, it does not seem that cistā is daēnā-'s “alter ego”. One should assume that the two deities overlap in functions.
Keywords: daēnā-, cistā-, Dēn yašt, Gāhān, New Avesta.

Introduction
daēnā- is a theological and philosophical term with a variety of meanings: “perception, vision, view, insight, self, conscience and even religion.” daēnā- is the existence of one's moral qualities. daēnā- with the function and capacity to distinguish between good and bad actions, it is the embodiment of moral conscience, which was given to humans as an offering by Ahura Mazda. In the Old Avesta, this capacity is more perceived in a perceptual way, rather than having a real divine form. In the New Avesta, this capacity for moral purification appears in the form of a young and beautiful maiden before the soul of a pious person after his death. One of her characteristics in Avesta is her connection with the “path”, which is in line with her function in guiding the soul “uruuan-” to the transcendental world. This function makes her similar to the goddess cistā-, who is clearly the goddess of “path and travel” according toher Yašt, dēn yašt. This issue leads to the formation of a hypothesis that can we find other similarities and resemblance between daēnā- and cistā- in Avestan texts? Is it possible to go as far as to consider cistā- as the “other self” or an “alter ego” of daēnā-? This question will be answered in this article.

Materials and Methods
The method used in this article is descriptive-analytical, based on collecting information from library sources.

Discussion & Result
In Old Avesta, daēnā- appears three times with “path”. Since one of the duties of daēnā- in New Avesta is to show the way and guide the soul “uruuan” to the transcendental world, it seems that the combination of “path” and daēnā- in Old Avesta also refers to this function. In Gāhān cistā- is used only in the compound noun pouru.cistā-. The last Gāhān, seems to be the wedding hymn of pouru.cistā-, Zoroaster's youngest daughter. Some scholars think that pouru.cistā- is the same as daēnā- in this Yasn. In New Avesta, Yašt 16th, emphasizes the role of the goddess cistā- in guidance and that is why she is called the goddess of “path and journey”. In the final part of the first stanza of Dēn Yašt, daēnā- māzdaiiasni- is described as equal and similar to cistā-. Based on this, many Avestan scholars have considered these two to be the same goddesses. In addition, Yašt 10.126 makes cistā- the upamana- of the daēnā, that is to say something like her “alter ego”. Some researchers have translated upamana- as “alter ego” or “double”, therefore considered cistā as “alter ego” of daēnā. In New Avesta, both daēnā- and cistā- are associated with dawn light, therefore are closely related to the Vedic dawn goddess uṣắs-. Both are related to the verb of seeing, daēnā- sees, is seen and causes to be seen, like cistā-, whose name means “to be noticed and seen”. Due to these similarities, many scholars consider cistā- and daēnā- to be the same goddess.

Conclusion
According to the Avestan texts, there are similarities between daēnā- and cistā-, but it is not possible to go as far as to consider cistā- as the "other self" or as the “alter ego” of daēnā-, one should assume that the two deities overlap in functions. Unlike cistā-, daēnā- in both Gāhān and New Avesta is associated with death and the guidance of the soul in the world after death. Since daēnā- is formed based on one's choices in life, so if he chooses evil, his daēnā- will also “lose the truth and the right path.” (Y.51/13) or in Hadoxt Nask 3 daēnā- the evil person becomes an ugly old woman who leads him to the “dangerous world”. But nowhere in the Avesta is cistā- a guide towards evils and ugliness. All that has been said emphasizes the close connection of daēnā- with cistā-. But the proofs and clues are not enough to think of them as “alter ego or other selves”. Interference and intermingling of functions and characteristics in some Avestan texts has caused them to be identified as the same.

Keywords

daēnā-
cistā-
Dēn ya&‌‌scaron
t
Gāhān
New Avesta
Subjects
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Language Studies
Volume 17, Issue 2
February 2027
Pages 61-89

  • Receive Date 05 November 2023
  • Revise Date 11 April 2024
  • Accept Date 02 May 2024

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