Daena, conscience escorts the soul to the world of the dead

Daena, the moral and religious conscience of man accompanies the soul, after his bodily death, to the next world. It leads the soul to the abode of weal or woe, according to the righteous or wicked life led by the soul upon earth.

On the dawn of the fourth day after death, the soul of the righteous person makes its triumphal ascent to heaven. A sweet-scented wind, sweeter by far than any which the soul ever inhaled on earth, gently flaps its wings in its face and wafts perfume all around.

There appears then to the soul its own daena, in the shape of a damsel of unsurpassed beauty, the fairest of the fair in the world, the like of which the soul had neither seen nor heard tell of in the material world. It is the impersonation of the soul's own good thoughts, good words, and good deeds in life, the true reflex of its character. Thus does the soul of the righteous person advance to the realms of beatitude.

On the dreadful and dreary path, on the other hand, marches the soul of the wicked one, led by its daena. The soul, during life, was refractory to the wise counsels of its conscience and the conscience now denounces it to the Divine Judge. The torment of its life upon earth was sufficient expiation of its wrong. But that is not the-end of its suffering. Eating at its heart, daena made its earthly life unbearable and it still pursues the wicked soul as its terrible avenger.

Through the bitter and biting and foul-scented wind blowing from the northern regions, the unfortunate soul now passes. As the personification of its evil thoughts, evil words, and evil deeds its daena now appears before it in the shape of an ugly old woman. Mercilessly it taunts the soul for its wicked life and delivers it to the world Of darkness.

Give me wisdom, O God, to sec that I am undone, if I follow not the dictates of my daena and break away from it. Let me dutifully refer the guidance of the actions of my life to my daena. Let me always hear its still, sound voice and faithfully follow its lead, that my guardian and guide on earth, my daena may willingly escort me at last to thee in heaven Ahura Mazda.

This page was last updated on Tuesday, August 01, 2000.