 History:
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.
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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