Barsom

A barsom is a ritual implement used by Zoroastrian priests to solemnize certain sacred ceremonies.

The word "barsom" derives from the Avestan language "baresman" (trisyllabic, " _ae. bar'əs'man"), which is in turn a substantive of "barez" "to grow high."harvnb|Kanga|1989|p=825.] The later form - "barsom" - first appears in the 9th-12th century texts of Zoroastrian tradition, but remains in use to the present day.

The "baresman" is not related to the "baresnum", which is a purification ceremony. The "baresman" should also not be confused with the "mace", the "varza" (Avestan, MP "gurz"). The "varza" is a metal rod, about one centimer in thickness, often crowned with a bull's head.

It has been suggested that the "baresman" may have a Zagrosian origin.harvnb|Boyce|1982|pp=38-39.] ref_label|Zagrosian|a|none

Physical characteristics

Material

In present-day use, the "barsom" is a bundle of short metal wires or rods, each about 20cm in lengthharvnb|Boyce|1982|p=38.] and made of brass or silver.

The use of metal wires or rods is a relatively recent development: Until at least the 16th century, the "barsom" was made of twigs or stems, and there was an elaborate ritual surrounding their collection. There is no indication in scripture or older tradition as to which plant was to be used, and "Yasna" 25.3 eulogizes the plant without being specific.

One indication of which plant was used comes from the 16th century, where the authors of the "Rivayat" epistles reprimand their Indian co-religionists for not using twigs of the tamarisk ("R." 329harvnb|Dhabhar|1932|p=327.] ). The twigs of the pomegranate tree also figure in other late sources. Strabo (XV.3.14) speaks of "a bundle of slender myrtle rods."

Dimensions

Both scripture and tradition are precise with respect to the dimensions of the twigs required. "Yasna" 57.5 mandates that each twig shall not exceed "the height of the knee," and "Vendidad" 19.19 (supported by the "Nirangistan") requires each rod to be at most the length of an "aesha" and the thickness of the width of a "yava". Darmesteter translates "aesha" as "ploughshare" and "yava" as barley-corn. A twig/rod was thus at most about 7mm thick. The "Nirangstan" further adds that the thickness may not be less than that of a human hair.

The "barsom" that appears in Achaemenid and Sassanid art "was of impressive size, about 45 cm (1½ ft) long, made up apparently of stiff straight rods."harvnb|Boyce|1982|p=38.]

Number

The number of twigs/rods depends on the ritual being performed, and the "Shayast-na Shayast" (14.2) unambiguously states that this number must be adhered to. A recitation of the "Yasna" liturgy is accompanied by a bundle of 21 twigs, with two others being placed by the side of another ritual implement. The "Vendidad" requires 33 twigs in the bundle with two other placed as for the "Yasna". A recitation of the "Visperad" requires 35 twigs, with none left over. The number similarly varies for other rituals, all of these however only requiring between 3 and 15 twigs.

Binding

In present-day use, and with only one exception, the rods remain unbound. The one exception is the "baj" ceremony for the dead, towards the end of which the baresman bundle is bound with a strip of a leaf of a Date Palm.

Use in ritual

In ritual, the "barsom" bundle is either held in the left hand, or placed across a pair of metallic stands about 20cm in height, with one stand at each end of the bundle. These stands have a crescent-shaped brace at the top, so (also) preventing the rods from rolling off. The crescent shape gives them their name, "mah-rui", literally "moon-faced." "Dadestan-i Denig" 48.17harvnb|West|1882|p=165.] states the stands must be of metal.

A "barsom" has no immediate practical purpose. At Zoroastrian ritual it represents plant creation, accompanying the other symbolic tokens that represent other facets of creation, and each of which then also represent the presence of an Amesha Spenta at the ritual. In the case of the "barsom", it is Ameretat "immortality." The crescent-shaped brace of the "barsom" stand is likewise identified with vegetation: "mah", the moon, is in Zoroastrian scripture and tradition the cosmogonical protector of plants and encourages their growth. "The object of holding the barsom and repeating prayers is to praise the Creator for the support accorded by nature and for the gift of the produce of the earth, which supplies the means of existence to the human and the animal world. The object of selecting the "barsom" from the twigs of a tree is to take it as a representative of the whole vegetable kingdom, for which benedictions and thanks to the Creator are offered, and there is further proof to show that the performance of the "barsom" ritual is intended to express gratitude to the Creator for His boundless gifts."harvnb|Kanga|1989|p=826.]

The "barsom" is also held by a priest during the abbreviated "Yasna" recitation before meals. An episode of the Shahnameh recalls that when Yazdegerd III (the last Sassanid emperor, but like his forefathers, also a priest) was in hiding, his request for a "barsom" gave him away to the enemy.harvnb|Modi|1922|p=280.]

In Zoroastrian tradition, the second chapter of the "Yasna" liturgy is named the "Barsom Yasht".harvnb|Skjærvø|1989|p=827.] As a part of the liturgy, it is not however part of the "Yasht" collection. In the Avesta categorization of Kellens,harvnb|Kellens|1989|p=37.] "Yasna" 2 - the "Barsom Yasht" - complements the other 7 of the first 8 "Yasna" chapters, the purpose of the 8-chapter set being an invitation of the divinities to the ceremony. After "Yasna" 1's initial invitation of Ahura Mazda, the Amesha Spentas and the remaining "yazata"s, the "baresman" and libation are presented to them in "Yasna" 2.

References

;Notes

;References

;Works cited
*
*
*
*
*
*
*