VII. Notes on Yasna 29 and on Yasna 43

§ 84. Y asna 29 as an allegory. Some comments, too long to be included in the notes, are necessary to support and explain my translation of Yasnas 29 and 43. My general interpretation of Yasna 29 follows that of Dhalla 1 , who considers it ‘ an attempt to convince the disbelievers and heretics of the true mission of the prophet. The later texts resort to miracles of various sorts to fulfill the same purpose. Those who have not yet come, in Gāthic times, to any definite conclusion as to the choice of their faith, and are still hesitating before embracing the new creed, are shown how preparations were made in heaven for Zarathushtra's mission, and how with divine sanction and direct approval of the godhead, the new prophet comes to them for their good’. As Dhalla points out 2 , the exact significance of g uš tašan- and g uš arvan- has been variously understood. My own view of the former has already been explained 3 . Bharuchā 4 defines g uš urvan- as the whole living world personified as a cow. I would restrict this personification somewhat and take the cow, or herd, as the representative of the pastoral community only. They, in their sufferings at the hands of the nomads, may properly be portrayed as complaining to Ahura, and as imploring his aid. The herd is symbolic of their occupation. Ahura, being appealed to, is represented as debating with himself— in a dialogue between his creative self, g uš tašan-, and his just self, aša– — how to remedy the situation. A protector for the herd, i. e., a leader for the pastoral community, is appointed by Ahura's wisdom. It seems to me that with this symbolic narrative Zarathushtra presented his credentials, as it were, to his neophytes. Stanzas 9 and 10 show that he met, or at any rate expected, some opposition. Moulton 5 recognizes the 'dramatic effectiveness in the method the Prophet takes for acknowledging his own insufficiency for a task demanding strength as well as wisdom;