Arda Wiraz Namag

The Arda Wiraz Namag is a Zoroastrian eschatological text written in the Pahlavi language. The core of the narration dates back to Sasanian times, but its final version likely dates to the ninth to tenth centuries ce . The text follows Wiraz, chosen for his piety, on an otherworldly journey to verify the effectiveness of Zoroastrian rituals. Guided by the deities Srosh and Adur, Wiraz visits Heaven, Hell, and an intermediate otherworldly space called Hammistagan. The narrative of the Arda Wiraz Namag serves the purpose of encouraging adherence to the Zoroastrian religion, mainly by emphasizing the afterlife consequences of earthly behavior. While the fate of the soul after death is a significant theme in Zoroastrian literature, the Arda Wiraz Namag is unique in the richness of details in its descriptions of the afterlife spaces. Otherworldly journeys are described in other Zoroastrian sources and beyond, including Christian and Islamic texts. The analysis of the Arda Wiraz Namag suggests that it has an oral origin, and that it is a compilation of different versions of the story of Wiraz's journey. Alternative versions of this story, in Pahlavi, might have existed at the time of its composition, and might have survived for centuries afterward. One such version is possibly preserved. Pazand, Sanskrit, Gujarati, and New Persian translations of the Arda Wiraz Namag exist, through which this text has served the purpose of encouraging Zoroastrians to adhere to their religion.