Avestan
Avestan (), or historically Zend, is an umbrella term for two Old Iranian languages: Old Avestan (spoken in the 2nd millennium BCE) and Younger Avestan (spoken in the 1st millennium BCE). They are known only from their conjoined use as the scri ...
: 𐬀𐬴𐬀𐬬𐬀𐬥 ''ašavan'') is a
Zoroastrian
Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic ...
theological term. It literally means "possessing/mastering ''
aša
Asha (; also arta ; ae, 𐬀𐬴𐬀, translit=aṣ̌a/arta) is a Zoroastrian concept with a complex and highly nuanced range of meaning. It is commonly summarized in accord with its contextual implications of 'truth' and 'right(eousness)', 'or ...
''" and has been interpreted as "possessing/mastering truth" or "possessing/mastering righteousness", but has further implications:
* It is an epithet of
Ahura Mazda
Ahura Mazda (; ae, , translit=Ahura Mazdā; ), also known as Oromasdes, Ohrmazd, Ahuramazda, Hoormazd, Hormazd, Hormaz and Hurmuz, is the creator deity in Zoroastrianism. He is the first and most frequently invoked spirit in the '' Yasna ...
(''
Yasht
The Yashts are a collection of twenty-one hymns in the Younger Avestan language. Each of these hymns invokes a specific Zoroastrian divinity or concept. ''Yasht'' chapter and verse pointers are traditionally abbreviated as ''Yt.''
Overview
The wo ...
'' 1.12). The term may then be applied to anything within the domain of Ahura Mazda and/or
Aša
Asha (; also arta ; ae, 𐬀𐬴𐬀, translit=aṣ̌a/arta) is a Zoroastrian concept with a complex and highly nuanced range of meaning. It is commonly summarized in accord with its contextual implications of 'truth' and 'right(eousness)', 'or ...
(i.e. all of Creation), and excludes only that which is ''dr''ə''gvant'' "possessing lie" ( YAv: ''drvant'').
* With respect to mortals and in an eschatological and sotereological context, ''ašavan'' is also a quality that can be acquired in life. Then, having acquired the qualities of an ''ašavan'', one becomes an ''ašavan'' (through "blessed union with aša") after death. (See also: ''aša'': in eschatology and sotereology). This sotereological meaning of ''ašavan'' is also evident in Xerxes' ''
daiva
A daeva (Avestan: 𐬛𐬀𐬉𐬎𐬎𐬀 ''daēuua'') is a Zoroastrian supernatural entity with disagreeable characteristics. In the Gathas, the oldest texts of the Zoroastrian canon, the ''daeva''s are "gods that are (to be) rejected". This ...
inscription'', an
Old Persian
Old Persian is one of the two directly attested Old Iranian languages (the other being Avestan) and is the ancestor of Middle Persian (the language of Sasanian Empire). Like other Old Iranian languages, it was known to its native speakers as ( ...
text (XPh, early
5th century BCE
The 5th century BC started the first day of 500 BC and ended the last day of 401 BC.
This century saw the establishment of Pataliputra as a capital of the Magadha Empire. This city would later become the ruling capital of different Indian kingd ...
). This next-world meaning of ''ašavan'' is preserved in Middle Iranian languages as
Pahlavi
Pahlavi may refer to:
Iranian royalty
*Seven Parthian clans, ruling Parthian families during the Sasanian Empire
*Pahlavi dynasty, the ruling house of Imperial State of Persia/Iran from 1925 until 1979
**Reza Shah, Reza Shah Pahlavi (1878–1944 ...
''ahlav''.
* ''Ašavan'' may be used to denote any follower of the "Good Religion." This is the most common use of ''ašavan'', applicable to any who walk the "path of truth" (''
Pahlavi
Pahlavi may refer to:
Iranian royalty
*Seven Parthian clans, ruling Parthian families during the Sasanian Empire
*Pahlavi dynasty, the ruling house of Imperial State of Persia/Iran from 1925 until 1979
**Reza Shah, Reza Shah Pahlavi (1878–1944 ...
''ardav''.
The linguistic cognate of Avestan ''ašavan'' is
Vedic
upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''.
The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...
ऋतावन् ''ṛtā́van'', which, however, has some functional differences vis-à-vis the Zoroastrian term:
* The dichotomy of the ''ašavan'' and the ''dr''ə''gvant'' is not attested in the
Vedas
upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''.
The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute th ...
.
* In Zoroastrianism any mortal may strive to possess ''aša'', but in the Vedas, '' ṛtá'' is hidden from ordinary mortals and only initiated seers are allowed to possess it (become ''ṛtā́van''s).
That the souls of the dead dwell in the radiant quarters of Asha (''Yasna'' 16.7) has a Vedic parallel in which the seat of truth is located in the other world.