Zarathustra

Zarathustra, The Persian Prophet

There are many viewpoints on the timeline for Zarathustra's date ofbirth - vary by almost 1,000 years. At best this is all speculative.The truth will remain an enigma, but his teachings and his belief inmonotheism have perpetuated throughout history. Who was this greatteacher and prophet? Many scholars believe he was a priest and aprophet. He was linked to the Magi. His spiritual influences havealways affected human thought and reasoning - his goals, to show humantheir connection a creation and their link to one source.

The name Zarathustra is a Bahuvrihi compound in the Avestan language,of zarata- "feeble, old" and usatra "camel", translating to "having oldcamels, the one who owns old camels". The first part of the name wasformerly commonly translated as "yellow" or "golden", from the Avestan"zaray", giving the meaning "having yellow camels".

A more romantic, but inaccurate, translation of the name in thepast has been Bringer of the Golden Dawn, based on the mistakenassumption that the second part of the name is a variant of the Vedicword "Ushas" meaning "dawn".

This last translation seems to have derived from a desire togive a more fitting meaning to the prophet's name than "owner of feeblecamels."

The later Zoroastrians, perhaps embarrassed by their prophet'sprimitive-sounding name, said that the name meant "Golden Light,"deriving their meaning from the word zara and the word ushas, light ordawn. There is no doubt about Zarathushtra's clan name, which isSpitama - perhaps meaning "white." Zarathushtra's father was namedPouruchaspa (many horses) and his mother was named Dughdova (milkmaid).His birthday is celebrated on March 26, as part of the Iranian New YearFestival.

The later Zoroastrians, perhaps embarrassed by their prophet'sprimitive-sounding name, said that the name meant "Golden Light,"deriving their meaning from the word zara and the word ushas, light ordawn. There is no doubt about Zarathushtra's clan name, which isSpitama - perhaps meaning "white." Zarathushtra's father was namedPouruchaspa (many horses) and his mother was named Dughdova (milkmaid).His birthday is celebrated on March 26, as part of the Iranian New YearFestival.

No one knows where or when the Prophet was born. Some legends place his birth in western Iran, perhaps near Tehran; others, which are somewhat more likely due to the eastern Iranian language of his poetry, place his birthplace in the east. As for the date of his birth, it has been since ancient times a matter of controversy. Greek sources placed him as early as 6000 B.C., a reckoning derived from poorly transmitted Zoroastrian legends; few if any scholars take that date seriously. The traditional Zoroastrian date for Zarathushtra's birth and ministry is around 600 B.C. This is derived from a Greek source that places him "300 years before Alexander" which would give that date; other rationales for the 600 BC date identify the King Vishtaspa of Zarathushtra's Gathas with the father of the Persian King Darius, who lived around that time.

As the linguists of both Europe and India worked on the Gathas, however, it became clear that the language of the Gathas attributed to Zarathushtra was far older than the language spoken in Iran at the time of King Darius' father. Gathic Avestan was very close to the Sanskrit of the Indian Rig-Vedas, which can be dated from the period 1500-1200 BC. This would mean that Zarathushtra lived far earlier than the "traditional" date. Some scholars have said that the 600 BC date is still plausible if Gathic Avestan was actually an artificially preserved sacred language, somewhat like Latin, which continued in literature and rituals thousands of years after it had ceased to be spoken.

Recent work by Martin Schwartz and Almut Hintze tends to discount this theory, as the linguists show that the Gathas are not the work of an academic writing in a dead language; they show all the signs of poetry composed and recited in an oral tradition, similar to the heroic poetry of Homer or the Rig-Vedas. These studies would confirm the earlier date for Zarathushtra.

The problem of Zarathushtra's time will never be solved, unless some improbable archaeological find turns up. Most scholars agree on a time-frame for Zarathushtra which could be as early as 1700 B.C. or as late as 1000 B.C.

Zarathushtra received his prophetic calling in about his thirtieth year, in which he envisioned God through Vohu Manah, or "Good Mind." His prophecies were not foretelling of the future, but prophecy in the sense of the later Hebrew prophets: revolutionary messages of religious purity and social justice, speaking out against corrupt priests and potentates.

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. Yasna 46 begins with a sad verse about this:

"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."
(Jafarey translation)

He and his followers wandered until they found a sympathetic friend in King Vishtaspa, who was not the father of King Darius but an earlier ruler of the same name, who may have lived in eastern Iran or in Bactria, modern Afghanistan. There, Zarathushtra won over the king, and his court, and became the court prophet.

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. Zarathushtra, in the legends, had three wives (in sequence) of whom the last was Hvovi (Good Cattle) the daughter of King Vishtaspa's prime minister. 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.

Again, no one knows how Zarathushtra died. Many legends, and Zoroastrian tradition, say that he was killed, while praying in the sanctuary, by a foreign enemy of the king. But there is no holiday commemorating the martyrdom of the Prophet, as there would be in other religions (Christianity, for instance) and other Zoroastrian traditions, and scholars, say that Zarathushtra died peacefully.

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. This religion already had a well-developed system of priesthood and service. In one verse of the Gathas (Y,33, 6) Zarathushtra calls himself a "zaota" which in later Zoroastrian usage is the word for officiating priest. The word, though, literally means "invoker" and both Taraporewala and Jafarey translate it simply, claiming that Zarathushtra never meant to call himself a priest. It is very possible that Zarathushtra, if not a priest, had priestly training (how else would he know the highly technical spiritual language found in the Gathas, as well as the ability to compose philosophical/religious poetry?). Other Zoroastrians, including more traditionally minded ones, say that Zarathushtra was indeed a priest and the first of the millennia-old tradition of Zoroastrian ritualizing priesthood.

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.

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 Romulus, 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. Other, more modern Zoroastrians, who rely more on the Gathas as a scriptural source, discount the legends as pious fantasies, noting that there are no miracles or supernatural interventions in the Gathas.

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 divine, 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.

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 (though none of those texts had anything to do with the real Zarathushtra) and Zoroaster was thought of as one of the greatest magicians.

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 "Zoroaster."

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 Spake Zarathrustra', though there is no identifiable Zoroastrian teaching in the Nietszche work.

The German composer Richard Strauss, inspired by the Nietzsche work, wrote the tone-poem of the same name, which became famous in the 1960s as the theme for the Stanley Kubrick film 2001 - 'A Space Odyssey.

The example of the Prophet is still good today, and anyone who sees his or her own religion overwhelmed by insensitive, exploitative "orthodoxy" can sympathize with this ancient revolutionary whose message is ever fresh and ever new.

According to the 'Zend Avesta', the sacred book ofZoroastrianism, Zoroaster was born in Azerbaijan, in northern Persia.He is said to have received a vision from Ahura Mazda, the Wise Lord,who appointed him to preach the truth. Life.

A major personality in the history of the religions of the world,Zoroaster has been the object of much attention for two reasons. On theone hand, he became a legendary figure believed to be connected withoccult knowledge and magical practices in the Near Eastern andMediterranean world in the Hellenistic Age (c. 300 BC-c. AD 300).

On the other hand, his monotheistic concept of God hasattracted the attention of modern historians of religion, who havespeculated on the connections between his teaching and Judaism andChristianity. Though extreme claims of pan-Iranianism (i.e., thatZoroastrian or Iranian ideas influenced Greek, Roman, and Jewishthought) may bedisregarded, the pervasive influence of Zoroaster's religious thoughtmust nevertheless be recognized.

The student of Zoroastrianism is confronted by several problemsconcerning the religion's founder. One question is what part ofZoroastrianism derives from Zoroaster's tribal religion and what partwas new as a result of his visions and creative religious genius.Another question is the extent to which the later Zoroastrian religion(Mazdaism) of the Sasanian period (ad 224-651) genuinelyreflected the teachings of Zoroaster.A third question is the extent to which the sources--the Avesta (theZoroastrian scriptures) with the Gathas (older hymns), the MiddlePersian Pahlavi Books, and reports of various Greek authors--offer anauthentic guide to Zoroaster's ideas.

The date of Zoroaster's life cannot be ascertained with anydegree of certainty. According to Zoroastrian tradition, he flourished"258years before Alexander." Alexander the Great conquered Persepolis, thecapital of the Achaemenids, a dynasty that ruled Persia from 559 to 330BC, in 330 BC.Following this dating, Zoroaster converted Vishtaspa, most likely aking of Chorasmia (an area south of the Aral Sea in Central Asia),in 588 BC. According to tradition, he was 40 years old when this eventoccurred, thus indicating that his birth date was 628 BC.

Zoroaster apparently was opposed in his teachings by the civil andreligious authorities in the area in which he preached. It is notclearwhether these authorities were from his native region or fromChorasmia prior to the conversion of Vishtaspa.

Confident in the truth revealed to him by Ahura Mazda, Zoroasterapparently did not try to overthrow belief in the olderIranianreligion, which was polytheistic; he did, however, place AhuraMazda at the center of a kingdom of justice that promisedimmortalityand bliss. Though he attempted to reform ancient Iranianreligion on the basis of the existing social and economic values,Zoroaster'steachings at first aroused opposition from those whom he called thefollowers of the Lie (dregvant).

Zoroaster's teachings, as noted above, centered on Ahura Mazda, who isthe highest god and alone is worthy of worship. He is, according to theGathas, the creator of heaven and earth; i.e., of the material and thespiritual world. He is the source of the alternation of light anddarkness, the sovereign lawgiver, and the very center of nature, aswell as the originator of the moral order and judge of the entireworld. The kind of polytheism found in the Indian Vedas (Hinduscriptures having the same religious backgroundas the Gathas) is totally absent; the Gathas, for example, mention nofemale deity sharing Ahura Mazda's rule.

He is surrounded by six or seven beings, or entities, whichthe later Avesta calls amesha spentas, "beneficent immortals." Thenames of the amesha spentas frequently recur throughout the Gathas andmay be said to characterize Zoroaster's thought and his concept of god.In the words of the Gathas, Ahura Mazda is the father of Spenta Mainyu(Holy Spirit), of Asha Vahishta (Justice, Truth), ofVohu Manah (Righteous Thinking), and of Armaiti (Spenta Armaiti,Devotion).

The other three beings (entities) of this group are said to personifyqualities attributed to Ahura Mazda: they are Khshathra Vairya(Desirable Dominion), Haurvatat (Wholeness), and Ameretat(Immortality). This does not exclude the possibility that they, too,are creatures of Ahura Mazda. The good qualities represented by thesebeings are also to be earned and possessed by Ahura Mazda's followers.

This means that the gods and mankind are both bound toobserve the same ethical principles. If the amesha spentas show theworking of the deity, while at the same time constituting the orderbinding the adherents of the Wise Lord, then the world of Ahura Mazdaand the world of his followers (the ashavan) come close to each other.The very significant eschatological aspect of Zoroastrianism is welldemonstrated by the concept of Khshathra (Dominion), which isrepeatedly accompanied by the adjective Desirable; it is a kingdom yetto come.

The conspicuousmonotheism of Zoroaster's teaching is apparently disturbed by apronounced dualism: the Wise Lord has an opponent, Ahriman, whoembodies the principle of evil, and whose followers, having freelychosen him, also are evil. This ethical dualism is rooted in theZoroastrian cosmology. He taught that in the beginning there was ameeting of the two spirits, who were free to choose--in the words ofthe Gathas--"life or not life." This original choice gave birth to agood and an evil principle.

Corresponding to the former is a Kingdom of Justice andTruth; to the latter, the Kingdom of the Lie (Druj), populated by thedaevas, the evil spirits (originally prominent old Indo-Iranian gods).Monotheism, however, prevails over the cosmogonic and ethical dualismbecause Ahura Mazda is father of both spirits, who were divided intothe two opposed principles only through their choice and decision.The Wise Lord, together with the amesha spentas, will at last vanquishthe spirit of evil: this message, implying the end of the cosmic andethical dualism, seems to constitute Zoroaster's main religious reform.

His monotheistic solution resolves the old strict dualism.The dualist principle, however, reappears in an acute form in a laterperiod, after Zoroaster. It is achieved only at the expense of AhuraMazda, by then called Ohrmazd, who is brought down to the level of hisopponent, Ahriman.

At the beginning of time, the world was divided into thedominion of the good and of the evil. Between these, each man is boundto decide. He is free and must choose either the Wise Lord and his ruleor Ahriman, the Lie. The same is true of the spiritual beings, who aregood or bad according to their choices. From man's freedom of decisionit follows that he is finally responsible for his fate. Through hisgood deeds, the righteous person (ashavan) earns an everlasting reward,namely integrity and immortality. He who opts for the lie is condemnedby his own conscience as well as by the judgment of the Wise Lord andmust expect to continue in the most miserable form of existence, onemore or less corresponding to the Christian concept of hell. Accordingto Avestan belief, there is no reversal and no deviation possible oncea man has made his decision. Thus, the world is divided into twohostile blocks, whose members represent two warring dominions. On theside of the Wise Lord are the settled herdsmen or farmers, caring fortheir cattle and living in a definite social order. The follower of theLie (Druj) is a thieving nomad, an enemy of orderly agriculture andanimal husbandry.

The Gathas, the early hymns, many of which may have been written byZoroaster, are permeated by eschatological thinking. Almost everypassage contains some reference to the fate awaiting men in theafterlife. Each act, speech, and thought is viewed as being related toan existence after death. The earthly state is connected with a statebeyond, in which the Wise Lord will reward the good act, speech, andthought and punish the bad. This motive for doing good seems to be thestrongest available to Zoroaster in his message.

After death, the soul of man must pass over the Bridge of theRequiter (Cinvat), which everyone looks upon with fear and anxiety.After judgment is passed by Ahura Mazda, the good enter the kingdom ofeverlasting joy and light, and the bad are consigned to the regions ofhorror and darkness. Zoroaster, however, goes beyond this, announcingan end phase for the visible world, "the last turn ofcreation." In this last phase, Ahriman will be destroyed, and the worldwill be wonderfully renewed and be inhabited by the good, who will livein paradisiacal joy.

Later forms of Zoroastrianism teach a resurrection of thedead, a teaching for which some basis may be found in the Gathas.Through the resurrection of the dead, the renewal of the world bestowsa last fulfillment on the followers of the Wise Lord.

Zoroaster forbade all sacrifices in honor of Ahriman or of hisadherents, the daevas, who from pre-Zoroastrian times had degeneratedinto hostile deities. In the prevailing religious tradition, Zoroasterprobably found that the practice of sacrificing cattle, combined withthe consumption of intoxicating drinks (haoma), led to orgiasticexcess.

In his reform, Zoroaster did not, as some scholars wouldhave it, abolish all animal sacrifice but simply the orgiastic andintoxicating rites that accompanied it. The haoma sacrifice, too, wasto be thought of as a symbolic offering; it may have consisted ofunfermented drink or an intoxicating beverage or plant. Zoroasterretained the ancient cult of fire. This cult and its various rites werelater extended and given a definite order by the priestly class of theMagi. Its center, the eternal flame in the Temple of Fire, wasconstantly linked with the priestly service and with the haomasacrifice.

After the conversion of Vishtaspa to such teachings, Zoroasterremained at the court of the king. Other officials were converted, anda daughter of Zoroaster apparently married Jamasp, a minister of theking.

Reference: Encyclopedia Britannica

Zoroastrianism is the name of the religion and philosophy based on theteachings ascribed to the prophet Zoroaster (Zarathushtra, Zartosht).Mazdaism is the name of the religion that acknowledges the divineauthority of Ahura Mazda, proclaimed by Zoroaster to be the oneuncreated Creator of all (God). As demonstrated by Zoroastrian creedand articles of faith, the two terms are effectively synonymous. Littleis known of early Zoroastrianism, and what is known is mostly from theaccounts of ancient Greek philosophers and historians.

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