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Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Friday, September 30, 2011
Zoroaster and his teachings
Zarathusra was a prophet from the Spitaman family. He is famous for writing the seventeen great hymns which are commonly referred to as the Gathas. These hymns were emotionally inspired utterances addressed to God. This style of poem recitation was an ancient form derived from the mantic tradition used by the priests as they sought to display their understanding of the divine.
His teachings and prophesies were spread orally before being committed to a written form. The basic language spoken by the locals in Persia was Pahlavi and it is this same dialect used in the original writings.
It is not entirely clear at what historic time Zoroaster fits in, however, the language of the Gathas is very ancient. It is approximated that he lived during the Stone Age which is some time between 1700- 1500 BC. This premise is based upon the primitive nature of the Avestan people, who were actually the people belonging to Zoroaster’s tribe.
It is in the Gathas that Zoroaster makes some self proclamations which come to be accepted as part of the Zoroastic doctrine. He regarded himself as ‘zaotor ‘and ‘manthran’ which means priest and a man able to compose through mantra respectively. He also proclaimed himself to be ‘Vaedemna’, which means one who knows. Indo-Iranians begun to train for priesthood at the tender age of seven and completed their schooling when one attained fifteen years of age- which for the Iranians was the age of maturity. Zoroaster became priest at this age and is said to have increased his learning through the instruction of various teachers. He gained his inspiration and sense of calling as he wandered about in search of the truth. It was during these endeavors that he witnessed disciples of the pagan sect of Daevas oppress peaceful communities. The birth of Zoroaster’s crusade came from the sense of longing for justice and the establishment of the law of Ahuras.
According to one of the Gathas (Y43), he experienced his first vision at the age of 30, referred to as the time of revelation or ripe wisdom. It occurred during a spring festival celebration when he went out to draw water for the occasion. It was then that he saw a brilliant being who proclaimed himself to be Vohu Manah- Good Purpose- and he introduced him to Ahura Mazda and five other equally radiant beings and from this point onwards he begun his prophetic relationship with Ahura Mazda. Based upon this premise he states that ‘While I have power and strength, I shall teach men to seek the right (asha) (Y 28.4).
Ahura Mazda was traditionally regarded as the most superior of the three Ahuras; who were known to be the guardians of asha. However, it was Zoroaster who was the first to declare Ahura Mazda to be God, he was also the first person to be priest and prophet of their own religion.There is a time when Zoroaster had a vision where he perceived Ahura Mazda in conflict with another equally strong being – Angra Mainyu- referred to as the hostile spirit. Their antagonism resulted from their choices i.e. one chose to do good while the other choose to walk the dark path of evil. Ultimately, man is faced with the option of doing good and bad. The exercise of choice brought about the active feud between the two forces and the eventual decision of Ahura to bring about life and death on earth.
The first act performed by Ahura Mazda according to Zoroaster’s visions was the evocation through his ‘spenta mainyu’- Holy Spirit- of six divine beings and together with Ahura Mazda they formed the heptad. The six beings then evoked other divinities which are referred to as beneficent gods. All these lesser beings strive under Ahura Mazda, the Supreme Being and they are collectively referred to as the Yaztas or Holy Immortals in the Zoroastrianism religion. There are other pagan gods called the ‘All the immortals’ who are affiliated to amoral Daevas. Zoroaster vehemently discouraged the worship of Daevas and taught that they had been possessed by the evil spirit and their cause was therefore evil-‘The Daevas chose not rightly, because the deceiver came upon them as they consulted, so that they chose the worst purpose. Then together they betook themselves to Wrath, through whom they afflicted the life of man’ (Y 30.6).The Zoroaster liturgical teachings charged man with some basic obligations. He was to adore the six lesser deities, watch over his own physical and moral well being and to care for his neighbor. This was in accordance with the Zoroastrian code of good thoughts, good words and good deeds which was actually derived from the priestly code of ethics i.e. good intention, right words and correct rituals. Moreover, six holy immortals and man have a common goal which is to fight evil in its entirety.
In the beginning, referred to as the genesis, Ahura Mazda created things in a spiritual immaterial form- menog. He then gave the immaterial form existence-getig- also known as the sentient form and this set the stage for the battle with evil, since unlike the menog, the getig was liable to attack. Angra Mainyu destroyed all the works of creation but the Holy Immortals repaired his destruction. The story of the universe is split into three times. Creation was the first time, the second time is referred to as the Mixture- the world is no longer entirely good but constitutes good and evil elements. During this period, Angra Mainyu oppresses the world with his evil disciples and only those who bury themselves in fervent worship and solemn prayer to Ahura Mazda are able to withstand these trying times. The renovation is the third time in the history of the universe and it is during this occasion that the world as we know it becomes entirely desolate – the apocalypse-in order to pave way for a new world order. This period is also known as the separation since it is characterized by the destruction of evil hence separating it from good. The separation period is an eternal moment which sees man dwelling in peace and harmony with Ahura Mazda and all the Yaztas.
Death is a time when man leaves his material form (getig) and returns to his original spiritual state (menog). As each man transcends to the spirit form, they are judged by Mithra, the senior judge. He bears the scales of justice upon which a man’s thoughts, words and deeds are weighed. If the good outweigh the bad, the soul is judged worthy of paradise but if the bad is heavier one is thrown to hell, “ the dwelling place of worst purpose” (Y 32.13), where the wicked endure a ‘long age of misery, of darkness, ill food and the crying of woe’ (Y 31.20). However, the souls in paradise do not experience perfect bliss until the period of renovation when they shall be resurrected. Zoroaster was the first to preach the gospel of spiritual concepts such as the individual judgment, heaven and hell, the future resurrection of the body, the last judgment and eternal life. These doctrines were further adopted by various religious orders such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Therefore, these religions are deemed credible by virtue of Zoroastrianism faith which is emphasizes on righteousness through good works.
Bibliography
T H E YASHTS
The only complete English translation remains that of .T. Darmesteter, The
Zend-Avesta, part H, The Sirozahs, Yashts and Nyayesh, SBE, vol...
XXIII, Oxford 1 8 8 3, repr. Delhi 1965. This gives a general idea of their
Content, but is out-of-date in many respects . A complete English translation
of the Mihr Yasht (Yt IO) is provided by 1. Gershevitch, The Avestan
Hymn to Mithra, Cambridge 1 9 5 9 , repr. 1 967.
T H E YASNA
The only complete English translation remains that of L. H. Mills, The
Zend-Avesta, part HI, The Yasna, Visparad, Afrznagan, Gahs and ..
Miscellaneous Fragments, SBE, vol. XXXI, Oxford I 887, repr. Delhi 1965
T H E GATHAS
There is no standard translation in any language. The German one by C.
Bartholomae, published in 1 90 5 , was rendered into English, with small
modifications, by J. H. Moulton, Early Zoroastrianism, London 19 I 3,
repr. 1972, pp. 343-90. This may be compared with that of Mills in his
Yasna translation (see above) . Maria W. Smith published a translation, also
based on Bartholomae's but modified by her own syntactical ideas, in
Studies in the Syntax of the Cathas of Zarathushtra, Linguistic Society of
America, Philadelphia 1929, repr. 1966. A French translation by J .
Duchesne-Guillemin was put into English by Maria Henning, The Hymns
Of Zarathushtra, Wisdom of the East Series, London 1 9 5 2 . In the same year
there appeared, also in London, The Songs of Zarathushtra, The Cathas,
by F. A . Bode and Piloo N anavutty, Ethical and Religious Classics of East
and West. This has no claims to scholarly originality. In 195 1 lrach J . S .
Taraporewala published in Bombay The Divine Songs of Zarathushtra, in
which he gave a close English translation of Bartholomae's German
rendering, and then his own free interpretation. The most recent version is
by S. Insler, The Cathas of Zarathushtra, Acta Iranica, third series, vo!. I,
Leiden 1 97 5 .
His teachings and prophesies were spread orally before being committed to a written form. The basic language spoken by the locals in Persia was Pahlavi and it is this same dialect used in the original writings.
It is not entirely clear at what historic time Zoroaster fits in, however, the language of the Gathas is very ancient. It is approximated that he lived during the Stone Age which is some time between 1700- 1500 BC. This premise is based upon the primitive nature of the Avestan people, who were actually the people belonging to Zoroaster’s tribe.
It is in the Gathas that Zoroaster makes some self proclamations which come to be accepted as part of the Zoroastic doctrine. He regarded himself as ‘zaotor ‘and ‘manthran’ which means priest and a man able to compose through mantra respectively. He also proclaimed himself to be ‘Vaedemna’, which means one who knows. Indo-Iranians begun to train for priesthood at the tender age of seven and completed their schooling when one attained fifteen years of age- which for the Iranians was the age of maturity. Zoroaster became priest at this age and is said to have increased his learning through the instruction of various teachers. He gained his inspiration and sense of calling as he wandered about in search of the truth. It was during these endeavors that he witnessed disciples of the pagan sect of Daevas oppress peaceful communities. The birth of Zoroaster’s crusade came from the sense of longing for justice and the establishment of the law of Ahuras.
According to one of the Gathas (Y43), he experienced his first vision at the age of 30, referred to as the time of revelation or ripe wisdom. It occurred during a spring festival celebration when he went out to draw water for the occasion. It was then that he saw a brilliant being who proclaimed himself to be Vohu Manah- Good Purpose- and he introduced him to Ahura Mazda and five other equally radiant beings and from this point onwards he begun his prophetic relationship with Ahura Mazda. Based upon this premise he states that ‘While I have power and strength, I shall teach men to seek the right (asha) (Y 28.4).
Ahura Mazda was traditionally regarded as the most superior of the three Ahuras; who were known to be the guardians of asha. However, it was Zoroaster who was the first to declare Ahura Mazda to be God, he was also the first person to be priest and prophet of their own religion.There is a time when Zoroaster had a vision where he perceived Ahura Mazda in conflict with another equally strong being – Angra Mainyu- referred to as the hostile spirit. Their antagonism resulted from their choices i.e. one chose to do good while the other choose to walk the dark path of evil. Ultimately, man is faced with the option of doing good and bad. The exercise of choice brought about the active feud between the two forces and the eventual decision of Ahura to bring about life and death on earth.
The first act performed by Ahura Mazda according to Zoroaster’s visions was the evocation through his ‘spenta mainyu’- Holy Spirit- of six divine beings and together with Ahura Mazda they formed the heptad. The six beings then evoked other divinities which are referred to as beneficent gods. All these lesser beings strive under Ahura Mazda, the Supreme Being and they are collectively referred to as the Yaztas or Holy Immortals in the Zoroastrianism religion. There are other pagan gods called the ‘All the immortals’ who are affiliated to amoral Daevas. Zoroaster vehemently discouraged the worship of Daevas and taught that they had been possessed by the evil spirit and their cause was therefore evil-‘The Daevas chose not rightly, because the deceiver came upon them as they consulted, so that they chose the worst purpose. Then together they betook themselves to Wrath, through whom they afflicted the life of man’ (Y 30.6).The Zoroaster liturgical teachings charged man with some basic obligations. He was to adore the six lesser deities, watch over his own physical and moral well being and to care for his neighbor. This was in accordance with the Zoroastrian code of good thoughts, good words and good deeds which was actually derived from the priestly code of ethics i.e. good intention, right words and correct rituals. Moreover, six holy immortals and man have a common goal which is to fight evil in its entirety.
In the beginning, referred to as the genesis, Ahura Mazda created things in a spiritual immaterial form- menog. He then gave the immaterial form existence-getig- also known as the sentient form and this set the stage for the battle with evil, since unlike the menog, the getig was liable to attack. Angra Mainyu destroyed all the works of creation but the Holy Immortals repaired his destruction. The story of the universe is split into three times. Creation was the first time, the second time is referred to as the Mixture- the world is no longer entirely good but constitutes good and evil elements. During this period, Angra Mainyu oppresses the world with his evil disciples and only those who bury themselves in fervent worship and solemn prayer to Ahura Mazda are able to withstand these trying times. The renovation is the third time in the history of the universe and it is during this occasion that the world as we know it becomes entirely desolate – the apocalypse-in order to pave way for a new world order. This period is also known as the separation since it is characterized by the destruction of evil hence separating it from good. The separation period is an eternal moment which sees man dwelling in peace and harmony with Ahura Mazda and all the Yaztas.
Death is a time when man leaves his material form (getig) and returns to his original spiritual state (menog). As each man transcends to the spirit form, they are judged by Mithra, the senior judge. He bears the scales of justice upon which a man’s thoughts, words and deeds are weighed. If the good outweigh the bad, the soul is judged worthy of paradise but if the bad is heavier one is thrown to hell, “ the dwelling place of worst purpose” (Y 32.13), where the wicked endure a ‘long age of misery, of darkness, ill food and the crying of woe’ (Y 31.20). However, the souls in paradise do not experience perfect bliss until the period of renovation when they shall be resurrected. Zoroaster was the first to preach the gospel of spiritual concepts such as the individual judgment, heaven and hell, the future resurrection of the body, the last judgment and eternal life. These doctrines were further adopted by various religious orders such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Therefore, these religions are deemed credible by virtue of Zoroastrianism faith which is emphasizes on righteousness through good works.
Bibliography
T H E YASHTS
The only complete English translation remains that of .T. Darmesteter, The
Zend-Avesta, part H, The Sirozahs, Yashts and Nyayesh, SBE, vol...
XXIII, Oxford 1 8 8 3, repr. Delhi 1965. This gives a general idea of their
Content, but is out-of-date in many respects . A complete English translation
of the Mihr Yasht (Yt IO) is provided by 1. Gershevitch, The Avestan
Hymn to Mithra, Cambridge 1 9 5 9 , repr. 1 967.
T H E YASNA
The only complete English translation remains that of L. H. Mills, The
Zend-Avesta, part HI, The Yasna, Visparad, Afrznagan, Gahs and ..
Miscellaneous Fragments, SBE, vol. XXXI, Oxford I 887, repr. Delhi 1965
T H E GATHAS
There is no standard translation in any language. The German one by C.
Bartholomae, published in 1 90 5 , was rendered into English, with small
modifications, by J. H. Moulton, Early Zoroastrianism, London 19 I 3,
repr. 1972, pp. 343-90. This may be compared with that of Mills in his
Yasna translation (see above) . Maria W. Smith published a translation, also
based on Bartholomae's but modified by her own syntactical ideas, in
Studies in the Syntax of the Cathas of Zarathushtra, Linguistic Society of
America, Philadelphia 1929, repr. 1966. A French translation by J .
Duchesne-Guillemin was put into English by Maria Henning, The Hymns
Of Zarathushtra, Wisdom of the East Series, London 1 9 5 2 . In the same year
there appeared, also in London, The Songs of Zarathushtra, The Cathas,
by F. A . Bode and Piloo N anavutty, Ethical and Religious Classics of East
and West. This has no claims to scholarly originality. In 195 1 lrach J . S .
Taraporewala published in Bombay The Divine Songs of Zarathushtra, in
which he gave a close English translation of Bartholomae's German
rendering, and then his own free interpretation. The most recent version is
by S. Insler, The Cathas of Zarathushtra, Acta Iranica, third series, vo!. I,
Leiden 1 97 5 .
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