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ZARATHUSHTRA



Zarathushtra is the name of the prophet of the Parsis as it appears in the Avesta, their oldest scriptural text. In later writings the name appears as 'Zartusht, Zardosht'. In the ancient Greek writings the name appears in various forms, but the most common form is "Zoroaster", which is generally used in English and other European languages.

Zarathushtra lived and preached his religion in antiquity, in pre-historic times. His life-history, therefore, is not adequately known. But tradition has preserved the prophet's life-story as recorded in the late writings of the 9th century. These writings are evidently based on older sources. The life-story of the prophet given in this booklet is taken from the said traditional account.

The religion preached by Zarathushtra is based on the principle of Avesta arta -- which signifies 'truth, law, divine cosmic law'. It is explained and expounded in simple language : Humata, Hukhta, Hvareshta' -- 'good thoughts', 'good words', 'good deeds'. The principle of divine justice is : BAD UNTO THE DOERS OF BAD, GOOD BLESSINGS UNTO DOERS OF GOOD.

The Zoroastrians once numbered millions, during the time of their empires (about 6th century B.C. to 7th century A.D.). After the downfall of the empire of the Sasanians about the middle of the 7th century, their numbers dwindled in Iran. Then some of them left Iran and migrated to India. At present the world population of the Parsis may be estimated at 130,000 souls -- about 101,000 in India, about 18,000 in Iran, about 6,000 in Pakistan and about 5,000 in Europe, America and other places in the world.

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LIFE OF ZARTHUSHTRA



Those were evil times in ancient Persia. People prayed to Ahura Mazda ( God ) to send them a saviour and to let the past glory to the earth. At that time, in the city of Rae, lived Frahimurva and his daughter Dughdhow. A radiance covered her (shiny golden aura) which the wise men of the land thought was an evil omen and told her father to send his daughter away as she portended evil. Her father listened to the wise men and sent his daughter away to his very good friend Paitarasp They bid a tearful farewell and her father prayed to Ahura Mazda to look after her. Paitarasp welcomed Dughdhow and as per her father's wish she married Paitarasp's son Pourushasp. A few months later Dughdhow became pregnant and one night she had a terrible nightmare and was very frightened. Pourushasp sought the help of the wise men and asked for the meaning of the nightmare. They told him to rejoice as his son would be a great man. They said he will be a messenger of God and will teach the world a religion of love and justice. But they also said that he will suffer. Jealous men will try to destroy him and his religion. At last when Zarathushtra was born his mother remarked that it was strange indeed that her son smiled instead of crying when he was born, like other children.

The head priest Durasrob, who was actually a sorcerer, knew Zarathushtra to be a threat to all the forces of evil. So one day he stole the baby and placed him in the path of a herd of stampeding cows. But to his amazement one cow covered the child and stood over protecting him. The evil man however would not accept defeat so easily, so he took the child to a forest and left his there to be eaten by wolves and wild animals. But the





animals took one look at the child and slunk away. Durasrob seethed with rage and tossed him in a fire to burn him to death. But the fire turned into a bed of fragrant roses. A worried Dughdhow found him and wondered how he was in the forest. One year later Zarathushtra fell ill and Pourushasp called Durasrob for medical advice. He said he would send a special remedy in the evening and sent his poison But when Dughdhow went to give it to her child he pushed and the cup fell from Dughdhow's hand and she scolded the child saying he was naughty, but to her surprise when she touched the baby she found that the fever was no more.

Zarathushtra soon grew up to be a sturdy, clever and handsome boy. His father told the learned Burzin Kurus to teach him. Burzin Kurus found him to be the most intelligent pupil he ever had and was indeed proud of him. One day the aging Pourushasp asked him which of his possessions he would like to have. Zarathushtra asked for his girdle. His father was taken aback and asked him why. He replied that he felt confident of winning God's battle against the forces of evil.

Zarathushtra lived a simple life and spent his days helping the poor, the sick and the needy. He was specially kind to animals. He prayed to God everyday for strength to fight evil. One day Pourushasp invited the evil Durasrob and equally evil Bratrokesh to his house. Zarathushtra asked his father why he had invited sorcerers to his home. He said that to practice sorcery, was evil. This enraged the evil men and they soon left after warning Zarathushtra.

Zarathushtra left home in search of truth. On the way he had to cross the River Abahi, where there was neither bridge nor a boat but he easily walked on the water and reached the other side. He wandered through the land, studying the mysteries of nature. Then he came to another river -- The Daiti. He began to cross it. The water reached his knees, then his chest and then his neck, but no higher. When he reached the other side, he stepped out, glowing with a new light. This miraculous episode indicated that the new religion he was going to found, would spread through the world in four stages. On the other side of the river the angel of good mind, Vohu Mano stood before him. He asked Zarathushtra what he was looking for. He answered for the Will of God. Vohu Mano asked him to close his eyes for a minute, then told him to open them. Zarathushtra heard the words :"I am Ahura Mazda. The righteous man is the one who is truthful, just and charitable. He looks after all my creations, respects them and protects them. He is the man I shall bless forever. Go forth Zarathushtra and spread my message ". Zarathushtra asked Ahura Mazda to give him a symbol. Ahura Mazda answered that every shining object is the symbol of God. Fire burns away all evil and it can never be made impure. Then Zarathushtra went back to his people and taught them the importance of Humata (good thoughts) Hukhta (good words) Hvareshta (good deeds). He told them to decide whether they wanted to tread the path of the good. He told them to destroy Angra Mainyu, the evil within you with Spenta, the beneficent part of you; good will always be rewarded. Evil can never escape punishment. He said to banish evil from their hearts and mind and make room for God. God does not sit in heaven on a golden throne, he lives in your heart.

Zarathushtra's cousin Mediyomah became his disciple and asked to be taught the religion of Ahura Mazda. Many years later, in the kingdom of Balkh in Persia, King Gushtasp had a dream. He saw Zarathushtra come through the roof on a golden throne, holding a ball of fire, the sacred book Avesta and a plant. In his dream he planted the tree which spoke to him saying there is only one God. He has taught Zarathushtra the true religion and told him to follow it. Then Zarathushtra handed the ball of fire to Gushtasp, and to his surprise he found that it did not burn him, nor could be put out by water or earth. Then Zarathushtra gave him the holy book. When the king woke up the next morning, his servant said that a man wanted to speak with him. The king asked for his name. The servant replied that it was Zarathushtra. The king was dumbfounded and asked his servant to bring him at once. The king said he would believe in his God if Zarathushtra answered the questions of his wise men. Zarathushtra agreed. He answered the most difficult questions, and the wise men realized that no ordinary man could have such knowledge and answer these questions about God, Heaven and Earth unless they have been given to them by God himself. The king asked Zarathushtra to stay with him in his palace and asked him if he could show him a miracle. Zarathushtra answered him saying the holy book Avesta was his only miracle. The king asked his forgiveness and asked to be taught the truths of the holy book.

The courtiers were jealous of Zarathushtra's special position as the king had given him a house in the palace grounds and listened to everything he said. They connived to get rid of him. So they put some bones, skulls, finger-nails, hair in his house when Zarathushtra had gone out. The next day they told the king that Zarathushtra was a sorcerer and wanted to destroy his kingdom. The king did not believe them and to prove them wrong sent someone to search Zarathushtra's house. The guard came back with the things the evil men had planted in his house. The king then asked the keeper of the house if he had seen anyone entering Zarathushtra's house. He said that he had not seen anyone entering his house. The king was angry and asked for an explanation. Zaratrhushtra said he was innocent, but the king threw Zarathushtra in jail. A week later the king's horse Asp-I-Siyah was sick for the last three days. He had his legs embedded in his stomach. No one could cure him. The king was very sad. That evening the guard outside Zarathushtra's cell told the king that Zarathushtra said he could cure his horse. The king summoned Zarathushtra and told him that this was his last chance to prove his greatness. Zarathushtra told the king that his horse could be cured by complete faith in him and that he had to fulfill 4 conditions. The king agreed. The horse was brought before him. Zarathushtra told the king that he had to believe that he was the true messenger of God. As the king agreed, the first leg of the horse was free. Then he asked for the king's son Aspandiar to come, and told him that as he was noted throughout the kingdom for his bravery, he would use his strength in the battle for the true religion and spread God's message to the people. Aspandiar agreed, and the second leg of the horse was free. Then he asked the king's permission to meet the queen. Zarathushtra told the queen that since she was blessed with a wise husband and a brave son, she should acknowledge her debt to God and follow his path. The queen agreed and the horse's third leg was free. Then he asked the keeper of his house to be summoned and told the king to ask him again if he had seen anyone enter his house when he was not there. The keeper blurted out the truth that the bones etc. were put by the evil courtiers. The king banished the evil ones from his kingdom, and the horse's fourth leg was free and he stood up, well again. The king asked Zarathushtra to forgive him which he did.

Some years later four men on horse-back came to the gates of the kingdom. The guard said he was nearly blinded by their dazzling garments. The king wondered who they could be and asked that they be brought to him.. The first horseman said, "I am Vohu Mano, the good mind". The second said, "I am Haurvatat, that is perfection." The third said, "I am Asha Vahishta, righteous, law and order." The fourth said, "I am Adar Gushasp, the sacred fire." They said they were Ahura Mazda's angels and that Zarathushtra was his messenger and to listen carefully to his wisdom, accept his religion completely and protect him from all harm. They left after giving this message to the king.

King Gushtasp and Zarathushtra established temples dedicated to the Sacred Fire, the symbol of Ahura Mazda. When Zarathushtra was 77 years old, a Turanian ruffian murdered him when he was praying his beads. But before he died he threw the beads at the murderer and the evil man too fell dead.

Zarathushtra died, but the great religion he preached 8,000 years ago still lives in the hearts of thousands of Zoroastrians who practice it to this day.



The Achaemenian dynasty lasted over 200 years till it was destroyed by Alexander along with the holy Zoroastrian scriptures at Percipolis. In spite of his evil design and the 500 years of religious barrenness that followed due to the Greek and Parthian rule of Iran, this great religion once again emerged with the rise of the Sassanians in A.D. 226. The religious fervour in its revival was amazing. The ardour of the Irani kings and the zeal of the high priests, set about putting together the Zoroastrian religion from scraps of parchment collected from all over the country.

When the Arabs came and defeated the Sassanians, the Zoroastrian religion collapsed. Even when the Arab influence diminished and the Iranis came to power again, there was no resurgence of the Zoroastrian faith. The Arabs converted many to the Islamic faith at the point of the sword and many must have perished by resisting. Those who wanted to follow the Zoroastrian religion did flee to the mountains where they led a miserable existence for a century or so. They suffered great hardship and persecution . Then they made their way to the port of Hormuz and after another 15 years set sail for India with their sacred fire. On the way there was a great storm and it seemed that everything would be lost. They prayed to Ahura Mazda and finally landed safely in India.

So the Parsis of Pars (a place in old Persia) came to Sanjan, a town on the west coast of India. the Raja (King) of Sanjan , named Jadi Rana was approached by a Parsi priest to ask for permission to settle on his land. “Why should I” asked Jadi Rana. The high priest of the Zoroastrians Noriosang Dhaval requested the King to call for a large bowl of milk and a hand full of sugar. When the milk and sugar were brought the priest asked the king to sip the milk and say how it tasted. The king said that the milk was sweet. The priest took the hand full of sugar and added it to the milk. He then asked the king to taste the milk again. The king said that the milk tasted sweeter. The priest told the king that his hand full of people would mix (like sugar) with his own people and make his country more prosperous. Jadi Rana imposed some conditions to which the Parsis agreed. They were told not carry weapons, speak their language (Gujarati) , the ladies had to wear saris and the Zoroastrian religion to be explained to the Raja.

And so the Parsis stayed in India mixing with the people (like sugar mixed in a bowl of milk) and following some of their customs but at the same time keeping to their religion, the Great Zoroastiran Religion, the oldest and simplest – Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds.



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PRAYER



God looks not at the oratory of our prayers - how eloquent they are,

Nor looks at their logic - how methodical they are,

Nor at their arithmetic - how many they are,

BUT He looks at their sincerity - how spiritual they are.

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DEVINE SEEDS OF WISDOM



1. Aham Brahmasmi (I Am That )

2. Tatvam Asi (Thou Art That )



THOUGHTS

1. Watch your thoughts - as they come about or as you think. Both have to be watched, i.e. involuntary thinking or willful thinking.

2. Do not compare yourself with others- as it is this comparison that is the root of sorrow.

3. Do not judge- as this establishes authority, power, pride and position.

4. Nobody belongs to you and you belong to nobody - as this breeds attachment, which is the source of sorrow. As all relationships in the process of experiencing is only means to an end and not the end.

5. Live from moment to moment - for then only you can live in the present, which is the reality as thinking in the past is a fruitless repetitive activity and thinking in future is a shot in the air fired without target.

6. Change can be brought about only in us - not in others and situations that appear as problems are only resolved when change is brought in you.



Life is a process of interaction which can only be fulfilled when one lives for the other.

Therefore, true living is fulfilled when one commits oneself to live for others and hence two qualities - SERVICE AND SACRIFICE.

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