Yasna i Rapithwin

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Yasna i Rapithwin is a shorter Avestan text and the ceremony that uses it in Zoroastrian worship. It is a simplified version of the standard Yasna and is part of the Long Liturgies, which mix an old Avestan core with newer passages in Young Avestan.

The ceremony is a vispe yazata rite, honoring all Yazatas, but it focuses specifically on Rapithwin, the noontime Gāh. Because of this focus, it is not a vispe ratu ceremony, which would honor all ratus. The text dedicates twelve Ahuna Vairya prayers to Rapithwin—more than to Ahura Mazda or any other Yazata—showing Rapithwin’s importance in the liturgy.

Historically, its use is described in Nerangestan and by Porro; modern practice is described by Boyce. The Yasna i Rapithwin is largely the same as the regular Yasna, but any verses celebrating other Gāhs or ratus are shortened so they celebrate Rapithwin instead. It appears in only a small number of manuscripts from Iran and India, with Hintze providing a full list. Because it is a simplified variant, it has been edited rarely; one edition was produced by Anklesaria in 1888, with ritual instructions in Gujarati.