|
> THE 10 PRIMORDIAL MASTERS : 4 - Zarathustra Source: CD-Rom -The 10 Incarnations of the Primordial Master -
Introduction The Zoroastrians of Iran
were members of the Indo-European family known as the Aryans. They called
themselves Zoroastrians because they believed in the teachings of the
first Aryan prophet, Zarathushtra. Zarathushtra was the first
prophet to preach a monotheistic religion, and He was born in Iran about
8000 years BC. He revealed that there was only one God, Ahura Mazda
and that life in the physical world was a battle between good and evil. As per man's actions, he
would either cross the "Chinvato Peretu" or the sword bridge
after death, and reach Heaven, or fall from it and go to the abode of
the evil one. In the final days there would be a battle between good
and evil, evil would be vanquished and the world would be purified by
a bath of molten metal. Mazda would then judge the world, resurrecting
the dead and His Kingdom would be established on earth. Zarathushtra's songs are
called the "Gathas" which linguistically may be older than
the Indian Vedic scriptures. The Gathas are written in an ancient Avestan
dialect. This is a sister language to Sanskrit of India, and Greek and
Latin of the West. The reason is, the common ancestors (common to the
ancient Iranians, Ancient Indians, Greeks, and Europeans) were one and
the same - the Indo-European or Aryan peoples. Surprisingly, many so-called
Christian concepts actually were derived from Zoroastrian Aryan ideas
which thrived in Iran for thousands of years until the Arab invasion
of Iran around 1300 years ago. Concepts such as heaven and
hell, God and the evil adversary ahriman, the coming of the Saviour
or Saoshyant born of a virgin, the end-time purge of the world by Fire
followed by the resurrection of the dead, the making fresh of the world
and the final battle between good and evil leading to the final defeat
of evil. These beliefs filtered down to Judaism during the reign of
King Khushru (Cyrus) of Iran. Zoroastrians also believe
that all races in the world are created by God and are equal - a true
sign of the real ancient Aryan's nobility and tolerance. Cyrus, King
of Iran who was an Aryan rebuilt the temple of the Jews after freeing
the Jews from Babylon - for this, he is still remembered by the Jews
and called the "Anointed of the Lord" in the Bible. The Jews still celebrate
that act of the true Aryans in a festival. Many Jews then stayed in
Iran under Cyrus and his successors such as Darayus, as equal subjects
under the King. Books of the Bible written after this stay have taken
all these Zoroastrian concepts, from there they came to Christianity
and other religions. There are scholars who consider Zoroastrianism
as such to be the mother religion of the present day world's faiths. In fact the edict of Cyrus
proclaiming equality for all his subjects is enshrined in the United
Nations today. The original Aryans were realy multicultural and tolerant
of all races! So, it is probable that the Jews were influenced by the
Zoroastrian faith of Iran in those days - and took on the concepts of
heaven/hell, God's evil adversary, the resurrection and the final purification
of the world - the virgin birth, the Saviour etc., all these concepts
being Zoroastrian. There are other similarities too - certain purificatory
observances such as the impurity of menstruation etc. are found in both
faiths. Indeed, the very idea of the Messiah, and the very concept of
Jesus could be Zoroastrian in origin. Zarathushtra's religion was
the prominent one in Iran until the conquest by the Arabs, around 1300
years ago, who converted Iran to Islam. To preserve the Zoroastrian
faith, this most ancient of faiths, indeed the "mother" faith
of all mankind, a band of the Zarathushtrians sailed by boat to India
about 1300 years ago, and settled in India where they were called the They also revere the elements
of God such as water, earth, wind, and the creations of God such as
the Sun, moon and stars.
The Early
Years There is very little known
about the early days of Zarathushtra. The little that we do know is
mainly because of the legendary stories that have been passed down through
the generations by memorizing the scripture. Therefore, below, you will
simply read different legendary and even mythical stories about Zarathushtra.
If any of it seems too far-fetched to be real, it probably is not. We
hope you enjoy these stories in the spirit that they were created:
Birth Once upon a time, a very long time ago, in a distant land, by the banks of a river, lived a large family named Spitama (meaning Most White). The head of one branch of this family, named Hechadaspa (Stallions), had two sons: Pourushaspa (Many Horses) and Arasti (Tidy & Neat). Pourushaspa had married a
young woman named Dughdova (Milkmaid), who by this time was pregnant.
It is said that when she was 5 months pregnant, she had a dream in which
she saw the world was being destroyed, and she was very frightened.
But then an angel came to her in her dream, and told her that she was
bearing a great prophet who would be able to change the impending destruction. Legend has it that on the 26th of March; the pregnant Dughdova gave birth to a young and healthy baby boy. However, this was a peculiar
baby, since unlike other babies, he did not cry. Instead, when this
baby boy was born, he had a broad smile on his face, and his face was
shining with a divine glow. His parents decided to name him Zarathushtra,
(which according to one translation means Golden Light or Golden Star,
and according to another means Owner of yellow or old Camels.) Arasti’s
family also had a son named Maidhyoimangha or
The Debate Zarathushtra was growing
up as a very intelligent and energetic young boy. He was very observant
and had a sharp mind. He had the ability to see through the surface
of things and penetrate to the depth of their cause and meaning. Because
of his inquisitiveness and natural curiosity, he always had lots of
questions to ask the priests and teachers of his time; however, he was
rarely satisfied with the explanations that he was receiving. When he
was nine years old, some of his friends arranged that he would have
a meeting with the head priest of his town, and discuss the questions
that he had. Zarathushtra was very much looking forward to this debate. The story goes that on the
day of the debate, Zarathushtra and the head priests spend a number
of hours discussing the questions that he had. However, neither side
managed to convince or satisfy the other. The depth of some of his questions
had troubled the head priest, and he left the place in deep thought.
Although when the head priest left, he was in good health, legend has
it that on his way home, he suffered a massive heart attack and died.
There are many other stories of how he had to face all sorts of magical
evil powers, and how he escaped them.
Youth Zarathushtra spent much of
his youth in the surrounding pastures of his town, contemplating nature
for many hours. It was during these meditations that many of the questions
that the priests could not answer, would unravel themselves in ways
that their answers would be revealed to him. There is another story that says when Zarathushtra was fifteen, his four brothers approached him to divide their father’s wealth among themselves. Zarathushtra only took one item, symbolizing the spiritual life, and left the entire wealth of his father to his four brothers. When Zarathushtra was only
twenty years old, he left home for about ten years, travelling here
and there, in search of Truth. And it was one early morning at the end
of this time that he was illumined. It is also said that he married
a woman named Hvovi, before his illumination, although it is not known
where and when. He spent years in the wilderness
communing with God before his first vision, in which Vohu Manah came
to him in the form of a huge Angel. All the heavenly entities, the Amesha
Spentas, instructed Zarathushtra in heaven, and he received perfect
knowledge of past, present, and future. Zarathushtra's preaching to
King Vishtaspa was enhanced by miracles, especially the healing of a
paralyzed horse that convinced the king to accept the new religion. Most of these motifs are
familiar from the lives of other culture heroes such as Moses, and Jesus.
Whether any of this literally happened is a matter for belief, not scholarship.
Tradition-minded Zoroastrians do accept these legends as truth about
Zarathushtra. Unlike Mohammed's recitation
of the Koran, the Gathas of Zarathushtra are not "channeled"
- that is, the Gathas are regarded as the inspired composition of a
poet-prophet rather than a text dictated by a heavenly being. Zarathushtra
was inspired by God, through the Bounteous Immortals of Vohu Manah,
Asha, and the others - but he was not a passive recipient of the divine
wisdom. In accordance with Zoroastrian philosophy, he reached God through
his own effort simultaneously with God's communication to him. Zarathushtra was never regarded
as divine by his followers, not even in the most extravagant legends.
He remained a man like all others, though divinely gifted with inspiration
and closeness to Ahura Mazda. His life is an inspiration for Zoroastrians
of all persuasions, traditionalist and modern - in his innovation, loving
relationship with God, and spiritual courage he is a model for all his
followers. After his death. Zarathushtra's great soul
attains almost the level of a Bounteous Immortal, but still is not merged
in the divinity.
Illumination When he was thirty years
old, one early morning, he went to fetch some water from the river.
It was around dawn. The sky had just turned color and the sun was about
to rise. As he had gone into the waters of the river, Vohu Mana (the
angel of the Good Mind) appears to him, and opens the portal to the
Divine Light of Ahura Mazda. This was the first moment of Illumination
and the first Revelations of Zarathushtra. In his vision, he perceived
Ahura Mazda as the Wise Lord of Creation, and the six emanations of
Ahura Mazda, the Amesha Spentas as the guardians and artisans of this
physical world. He perceived the laws upon which the universe operated,
and understood the inter-relationship between Ahura Mazda, the Amesha
Spentas, and the Creation. Perhaps we try to personify
these images and abstract notions, and try to think of them as angels,
but in truth, Zarathushtra understood them as the abstract notions that
they were.
Propagation After his illumination, Zarathushtra
wanted to share his acquired wisdom with the world, yet he did not know
where to start. He made a decision to invite all his family and relatives
to listen to his teachings. And then in a family gathering, he explained
his understandings to them. When he finished explaining,
his cousin, Maedyoimaha, decided to join him, and became the first follower
of his teachings. And his wife Hvovi also embraced his teachings becoming
his second follower. His children, one by one, decided to accept his
philosophy as their way of life. (According to another record, it took
his cousin ten years before he accepted to follow Zarathushtra’s
teachings and become his first convert.)
Challenges Zarathushtra then decided
to share his teachings with his fellow citizens. When he started teaching
others in the street of the city, he met with a deeply rooted resistance
from the priests, who had based their entire life and livelihood on
the old religions. Zarathushtra tried many different
techniques, and every time he met with renewed opposition and greater
resistance. In fact, over the next twelve years, he only managed to
win 22 people over to his philosophy, including his wife and children,
and his first disciple, his cousin. Having met such frustration,
and such vehement opposition from the rulers and priests of his own
land, he decided to leave his homeland for other countries. He then
mobilized his followers, and the group of23 people started their migration. To whichever land they came, and in whatever city that stayed, he tried to teach others about his philosophy, yet in every place they met with predictable opposition, partly due to the self-interested preemptive strikes of the rulers and priests, and partly because of the ignorance of the people, and their unwillingness to change. Finally, they had heard that
a of the King of a nearby country, King Vishtaspa, was a wise and just
man and if there was one person in the whole world who might be open
to listen to new teachings, it would be him. And they set off in that
direction.
Breakthrough
- King Vishtaspa Zarathushtra was 42 when
he and his followers finally reached the court of King Vishtaspa. The
wise King had granted Zarathushtra an audience, but he had also invited
all the priests and wise men of his court to attend and listen to Zarathushtra
and question him about his philosophy. The King had wisely set the scene
for a debate, if it need be. At the debate in the court
of King Vishtaspa, Zarathushtra eloquently spoke and convincingly responded
to all challenges and questions. The King saw the wisdom of this man,
and his teachings and embraced the religion. At the same time, the King
invited his subjects to also listen carefully and choose wisely to follow
the Zoroastrian religion. This was a major breakthrough for Zarathushtra. However, the story goes on
to say that Zarathushtra’s enemies then plotted against Zarathushtra
and planted various objects of black magic in his quarters, and finally
by accusing him of such evil acts, prompted the King to search his room.
Upon finding such artifacts, Zarathushtra was imprisoned and denied
to eat or drink. Yet the story has a favorable
turning, as such stories inevitably do. It is said that the King’s
favorite dark horse is struck with an incurable deforming disease. None
of the physicians in the kingdom can offer any cure. When Zarathushtra,
who was now in prison, hears about this, he offers the King to try to
cure his favorite horse. The King reluctantly lets
Zarathushtra attempt his healing techniques, which he duly does. The
King then realizes the error of his judgment about Zarathushtra, and
embraces his religion. The King also punishes the priests who conspired
against Zarathushtra, and starts to promote the religion. Now, these stories may seem somewhat difficult to believe. What we do know however, is that once the King embraced the religion of Zarathushtra, it was a breakthrough and a turning point in the fortunes of the Zoroastrian Religion. From that time on, Zarathushtra had the backing and support of a powerful and wise King. He freely went about propagating
his teachings throughout that land, and very soon his message crossed
the borders of the country to neighboring countries. In a way, if Zarathushtra’s
illumination was the conception, this was the birth of the Zoroastrian
Religion, as we know it today. Two of the earliest converts,
after King Vishtaspa embraced the religion were two brothers named Frashaoshtra
and Jamaspa, of the Hvogva family. These two are mentioned in the Gathas,
and they continued to be among Zarathushtra’s disciples until the
end. There is yet another legendary
story about a tree that Zarathushtra allegedly planted. It is also mentioned
in the Shahnameh that when Zarathushtra visited Kashmar, he planted
a Sarv (Cyprus tree). This tree which became
Zarathushtra’s
Character While there is much lacking
in reconstructing the events of Zarathushtra’s life, there is ample
evidence of Zarathushtra’s character, all be it from his very short
Divine Songs, the Gathas. From the content of the Gathas it is abundantly
clear that Zarathushtra was a natural man. He was an exceptionally wise
and righteous person. He was an Ashu – one
who has reached the apex of self-realization, perfection, and thenceforth
immortality. There is very little biographical
material in the Gathas. What is there indicates that Zarathushtra was
cast out of his original home, wherever that was, and forced to wander,
along with his followers and their animals. "To what land should
I turn? Where should I turn to go? They hold me back from folk and friends.
Neither the community I follow pleases me, nor do the wrongful rulers
of the land... I know... that I am powerless. I have a few cattle and
also a few men." Zarathushtra is said to have
had six children, three boys and three girls. This is not exact information,
since the number and gender equals that of the six Amesha Spentas and
may be only symbolic. But the last Gatha is composed for the marriage
of Zarathushtra's daughter Pouruchista (Full of Wisdom) so he is known
to have had at least one child. Thus Zarathushtra married into the king's
court; Pouruchista, in turn, married the prime minister. There is no exact or provable
information about Zarathushtra's life at court, though it may be assumed
that it was here that he composed the Gathas, and the names of king
and court appear in the poetry as if, in oral recitation, they were
there listening to him. The prophet may have spent
almost three decades there, before his death at age 77. One of the controversies
about Zarathushtra concerns whether he was a priest. He did not live
in a religious vacuum, but was born into a society that practiced the
polytheistic rites of ancient Indo-Iranian religion. In the later Avesta,
Zarathushtra is used as a character in dialogue with Ahura Mazda; he
is featured in ritual texts and in law-texts, and great amounts of ritual
and doctrine are thus attributed to him, whether he was their originator
or not. In much later Zoroastrian
traditions, some of which were not recorded until centuries after the
Arab conquest, the life of the Prophet abounds with miracles and divine
interventions. His mother glowed with the
divine Glory usually reserved for kings; the soul of the prophet was
placed by God in the sacred Haoma plant (which Z. condemned in the Gathas)
and the prophet was conceived through the essence of Haoma in milk (though
the birth is not a virgin birth, but the natural product of two special,
but earthly parents). The child laughed at his birth instead of crying,
and he glowed so brightly that the villagers around him were frightened
and tried to destroy him. All attempts to destroy young Zarathushtra
failed; fire would not burn him nor would animals crush him in stampedes;
he was cared for by a mother wolf in the wilderness.
Links with
the Modern World Ever since ancient Greek
times the name of Zoroaster has stood for mysterious Eastern wisdom.
In Hellenistic times many esoteric and magical texts were written using
his name and Zoroaster was thought of as one of the greatest magi, or
mystics. Once the Avesta had been
brought to the West in the 18th century, his name again became famous
in the West - this time not for magic, but for the humanistic, monotheistic,
moral philosophy found in the Gathas. Enlightenment philosophers
such as Kant and Diderot mentioned him as a model; the playwright Voltaire
wrote a play called "Zoroastre." Here was a philosopher from
"pagan" antiquity who was monotheistic and moral without any
help from the Christian Church. The French composer Rameau wrote an
opera called "Zoroastre" and the free-thinking Mozart used
a variant of the name for his character Sarastro in "The Magic
Flute;" Sarastro is the priest of the Sun and Light who defeats
the Queen of the Night. In the 20th century Nietszche
was inspired by Zarathushtra's example when expounding his philosophy
in THUS SPOKE ZARATHUSHTRA, though there is no identifiable Zoroastrian
teaching in the Nietszche work. The German composer Richard Strauss,
inspired by the Nietzsche work.
The Life
of the Spirit The word spirituality is
derived from the term "spirit". "Spirit" has no
size, form or weight and therefore, it cannot be described physically. Ahura Mazda, the Divine Fravashis
and the Yazatas are Divine "Spirits" having no physical existence.
Their spiritual essence is present in material manifestation but the
"Spirit" itself is beyond the physical. Consequently, spirituality
is the experience, the direct communion between two Divine Entities:
the "Spirit" and the Soul. Anyone who has had a spiritual
experience knows that such an experience cannot be described with mere
words and that spiritual experiences are much more profound relative
to the psychic ones. Different prophets have revealed
different spiritual disciplines to their followers to attain spirituality.
To put us in communion with Ahura Mazda, the Divine, Zarathushtra has
given us the sacred "manthra spenta" which are much more than
holy words and efficacious sounds written and recited in an archaic
"Avestan" language, as some believe. It is the Soul of "Ahura
Mazda" it is the embodiment of Cosmic Energy originating from Ahura
Mazda Who is the Source of Endless Light ("raevat-khvarnvat").
Mantras as Divine Energy Mantras are rooted in "staot yasna"
which means the Primordial Sound (vibrations) created by the First Ray
of Light which burst forth at the beginning of Creation, and is diffused
throughout Nature. Being at the very root of Nature, "staot"
brings into The utterance of the Primordial
sound, transcend the space-time continuum in order to find the reciprocal
resonance in the spiritual world of light. Being rooted in the natural
laws of light and sound, the holy "mantra " are not subjected
to the man-made rules of grammar or language; therefore, it is improper
and inappropriate to explain or understand such holy words through the
medium of philology alone. Communion between the Spirit,
being of the nature of Light, and the Soul is by the Primordial Sound
or vibrations, its counter-part, is best achieved through the language
of light and sound which is the specifically states that "mantras"
are best for spirituality which will be attained by "yasna"
or Union with the Divine. The utterance of "mantra"
is best for the purity of the Soul in order to attain spirituality. Spirituality is also enhanced
through prayers. During prayers, the Soul becomes the receptacle of
higher spiritual consciousness and attunes itself in direct communion
with the Divine through sound, motion and devotional thought vibrations
which constitute the Divine Light, waves of energy. Sound and light, both being
functions of waves of energy, the Divine sounds of uttered physically
are absorbed
Fire Besides the holy "mantra
", Zarathushtra has promoted Fire through which spirituality is
achieved. Fire is both spiritual as well as physical. Being spiritual,
Fire, is a Divinity; It is equated with Ahura Mazda's Own Inner Light
and Life or Energy. As energy, Fire transmutes
the physical (matter) into the spiritual. It is the source of all Creation.
No Zarathushti ritual is complete without the presence of Fire. In the
Gathas, Zarathushtra Himself expressly seeks a vision and a communion
with Ahura Mazda or the Divien through Fire, which is worshipped as
the "Spirit Holiest". Fire and the Primordial Sound
are both Divine Energies which attune a Zarathushti to All Mighty. In
all Zarthushti The hearth fire are the physical
manifestations of the Divine Light which permeates through time and
space. Ahura Mazda, being Spirit, resides in the spiritual world while
He sends His Son, Fire, to adorn the Earth and propel the entire Creation
towards Frasho-Kereti. In addition to the utterance of "mantra
", performance of prayers and rituals, and the preservation of
Fire, Zarathushtra has also given us the spiritual munition of purity
rules also known as or the anti-pollution rules, and preservation of
spiritual heritage.
Revelations Zarathushtra was sent by
Ahura Mazda to reaffirm the ancient faith. He was also given the "AGUSTO-VACHO"
ie revelations unheard before. He was thus the first prophet, to be
followed by three Saviours. When the final Saviour comes, the world
will be purged by fire and evil destroyed in a final great battle. Zarathushtra asked Ahura
Mazda: "O Ahura Mazda, righteous Creator of the corporeal world, who was the first person to whom You taught these teachings? Then spoke Ahura Mazda: "YIMA the splendid who
watched over his subjects, O righteous Zarathushtra. I first did teach
the Aryan religion to the Creator, prior to you. "Yima spoke to me, and
said he would like to spread the religion among mankind by teaching
others. It was then that I replied: "O Yima you are not
created for this task by Me. You are not learned enough to increase
the religion among mankind - you are not the Messenger of the religion. "Yima the righteous
told me then: "O Ahura, if I am not
created for the task of increasing the good religion, then I would like
to advance the world, to increase it and be a righteous king and protector.
I ask You this, that in my kingdom there be neither cold wind nor hot
wind (neither extreme winter or summer), there be no sickness nor death.
That my subjects be undying and unwanting, and gloriously happy under
my reign. "I Who am Ahura Mazda,
was pleased with this. I brought Yima a weapon - a Golden plough which
was dagger shaped with golden forks, to signify that his authority was
divine, sanctioned by Me. He became the mightiest King (KSHAETA) the
Aryans had ever known, the most righteous and most splendid Aryan man. "When Yima's rule extended
to 300 years, then the Aryan land had prospered so much that the land
became full of cattle, men, dogs, birds and red flaming fire (the fires
kept burning in the house of every Aryan). Place could no longer be
found for cattle or men. "I made this known to
Yima, and he proceeded towards the south, towards the path of the high
sun (west), increasing the land with his golden plough (conquering and
cultivating the lands). The boundaries of the Aryan kingdom were thus
extended in breadth, one third greater than before. The king stood as
an Aryan on the mother earth, praising the country with words fit for
prayer. "When Yima's rule extended
to 600 years, the state of abundance reoccurred. This led to Yima proceeding
again towards the south and the west, extending the boundaries of the
Aryan kingdom two thirds greater than before. Thus happened the second
great migration of the Aryans. "When Yima's rule extended
to 900 years, abundance again led to Yima increasing the land with his
golden plough, towards the south and west. This third great migration
made the Aryan kingdom three times larger than before. "In the first 1000 years of his rule, Yima the splendid enjoined righteous order on his Aryan subjects. He controlled invisible time itself, making it so much large in size so as to praise and spread the righteous law. " That glorious age of the
Aryans did not last for ever, O Zarathushtra! It was time for the evil
one's attack. I Who am Ahura Mazda spoke then to Yima Kshaeta: "O splendid Yima, towards
the sacred Aryan land will rush evil as a severe fatal winter; evil
will rush as thick snow flakes falling in increased depth. From the
three directions will wild and ferocious animals attack, arriving from
the most dreadful sites. "Before this winter,
any snow that fell would melt and convey the water away. Now the snow
will not melt (but will form the Polar ice cap). In this place, O Yima
the corporeal world will be DAMAGED. Before in this seedland the grass
was so soft the footprint of even a small animal could be observed.
Now, there will be no footprints discernible at all on the packed sheets
of hard ice that will form. "So, Yima; make a mighty VARA, an enclosure as long as a riding ground, with equal four sides. Here bring the families of Aryan men and women, cattle, dogs, birds and the red flaming fire. "Inside the Vara, make
water flow in a canal, one Hathra long. Keep earth inside the Vara,
to grow green vegetables as food. Make cattle pens, to house the cattle
of the Aryan people. "Let love blossom unfailing
in the enclosure, among the young couples therein - make for them a
residence, with rooms, pillars, long extended walls and an enclosing
wall."
Passing There are a number of versions
of how Zarathushtra died, all of them legendary. Many different accounts of
this martyrdom follow, including some in which supernatural forces intervene
to kill the murderer of Zarathushtra. There is another version that
claims Zarathushtra ascended to the skies (much like the resurrection
of Jesus). Another story claims that in his seventy seventh year, one night Zarathushtra bid his family members farewell, and after his evening prayer retired to bed. He passed away calmly and quietly in his sleep. In the morning, when his family members noticed that he had not awaken, they went to his bed side to find his body lying there in a peaceful state.
|
