Integrity is our greatest gift.
It is bliss. Blessed is the one
who is righteous because of righteousness itself.
The story of Zoroastrianism begins with the arrival of a migratory stream of Indo-Iranians in the area of the Iranian plateau between 3000 and 1500 BC. Zoroaster, the founder of Zoroastrianism, was likely a descendant of the first wave of Indo-Iranians who came to this region and gradually replaced the nomadic way of life with a settled one.
The religion of these immigrants was a “religion of the mountain peak,” with the sky as the dome of their temple, while they imagined the gods as natural forces surrounding man. There is not much information about this ancient time, but thanks to the similarity of Old Iranian language with the language of the peoples of northern India – probably due to their common Indo-Iranian origin, some data about the religion of ancient Iran before the time of Zoroaster (Zarathustra) have been obtained through comparative approaches. Thus, the Indo-Iranians distinguished between daivas (Avestan daeva, Sanskrit deva, Latin-
deus), which means “heavenly,” and ahure (Sanskrit asure), beings with special powers, with deve gods in Vedic India and asure demons, while in Iran ahure were worshipped as gods and daevas were lowered to the level of demons. There are also many other common religious elements in the Avesta and Vedas, such as the cult of fire, sacrificial drink (soma in India, haoma in Iran), etc. It seems that these nomadic tribes brought with them the developed cult of Ahura Mazda, to whom they showed worship by sacrificing animals.
Zarathustra emerges as a great reformer of the original Indo-Iranian religion, and Zoroastrianism becomes the official religion of the then largest world empire – Persia in the 6th century BC.
The key question that arises when studying Zoroastrianism is which part originates from earlier beliefs, and which part is its original teaching.
Zarathustra is one of the least known founders of religions; biographical data about him are few, and most of them are on the verge of myth. His birth does not appear to It has long been believed that Zoroaster lived in the 6th century BC, or as the Zoroastrian tradition states, that he lived “258 years before Alexander”. Recent research, mainly based on the study of the language he used, suggests that he lived much earlier, perhaps in the 12th or even the 15th century BC. Zoroaster’s hymns, the Gathas, still cannot be placed in a historical context because no mentioned place or person is known from any other source. It can only be said with certainty that Zoroaster lived somewhere in eastern Iran. He is believed to have been born into the Spitama tribe (“the Whites”) in the Median city of Rhages (today’s Rayy, a suburb of Tehran). It is known that his father was named Purushaspa, that he was married, and that he had children.
MYTH AND REALITY
According to Zoroastrian tradition, Ahura Mazda (referred to as Ormuzd in Pahlavi texts), the “Wise God,” conceived the Universe in his mind (Vohu Mana), shaped it in his consciousness (Daena), and manifested it through his powers. With creativity (Spenta Mainyu), he initiated it in accordance with the Eternal Law (Asha) which represents God’s will. Ahura Mazda first created the ideal world, and then the material world for it to develop towards the envisioned perfection. In the material world, there are two forces of spiritual nature. Spenta Mainyu is the force of good, and the force of evil is Angra Mainyu (in Pahlavi texts, Ahriman), the destructive spirit. The conflict between these two forces is interpreted through their relation to Asha. In the material world, good is that which strives towards Asha, i.e. brings the world closer to the state of envisioned perfection, while evil attempts to thwart the realization of Asha. This world is the battleground of these two forces. Their struggle represents the history of the world unfolding through four ages and culminating in the victory of good and restoration. The myth states that Zoroaster came into the world to eradicate evil. Ahriman and the demons tried to kill him even in his mother’s womb, but in vain. Receiving his Hvarenah, the “Light of Glory,” his future mother radiated immense In the light of ikim. Three nights before his birth, the house looked like it was on fire. Thinking it was cursed, Zaratustra’s father banished his mother from the house. Zaratustra came into the world laughing, bathed in light, and Ahriman and the demons were horrified. They immediately tried to kill him, but he drove them away by uttering magical spells. They then possessed his father, through whom they tried to carry out their awful deed. His father tried to kill him four times, but each time in vain. First, he wanted to burn him in the fire, but the wood would not burn. Then he placed him in front of a herd of racing cattle, but a white bull stood above him to protect him. When he placed him in front of racing horses, a white colt protected him. Finally, his father threw him into a wolf den, but the she-wolf accepted him as her own cub.
A wise old man initially teaches young Zaratustra, then withdraws into a cave in the desert. Around the age of thirty, he has his first of many visions. Ahura Mazda He entrusts him with the care of Asha, the Eternal Law, with the mission of transmitting it to the human race. Thus, Zarathustra can be considered the embodiment of Asha in this world.
his teachings come into conflict with the followers of the old religion and he is expelled from his own tribe. His wanderings lead him to the court of King Vishtaspa, where he debates with the king’s priests for three days. Zarathustra’s teachings deeply impress the king himself, however, in order to get rid of him, the priests conspire and throw him into prison on charges of practicing sorcery.
The legend further states that it was during this time that the king’s favorite horse fell ill – its legs had disappeared into its body. All attempts to heal it were in vain until Zarathustra himself offered to save it, but under four conditions. The first was that the king accept the Good religion, the second was that the warlike prince Isfendiyar become its advocate, the third was that the queen also accept it, and the fourth was that the conspirators against him be exposed. As the king fulfilled one condition after another One condition, and so, one by one, the horse’s legs returned to full recovery. The entire royal court was transformed, and Zarathustra’s teachings became the state religion.
Zarathustra continued to live at the court until his death at the age of 77.
ZARATHUSTRA’S TEACHINGS AND REFORM
Asha occupies a central place in Zarathustra’s teachings, being the cosmic law that governs the world. This Zoroastrian concept is equivalent to the Vedic Rta and the Old Persian Arti. Traditionally, it is attributed the meanings of “truth” and “righteousness,” but there are multiple meanings associated with Asha. The first meaning is a fundamental philosophical concept – truth. The second is a cosmological meaning – order (Rta in the Vedas is translated as the “order” that underlies the Universe). The third meaning belongs to the moral dimension – goodness as the fundamental expression of moral correctness, and finally, justice as the moral principle of the social system.
This unchanging cosmic law also governs the relationship between a person’s actions and The mentioned passage discusses the concept of karma and the ethical implications of free will in Zoroastrianism. It emphasizes that every action has consequences and that individuals are responsible for their own choices. The concept of Asha, the divine order and justice, ensures that good deeds lead to positive outcomes. It also highlights the eschatological aspect of Zoroastrian belief, suggesting that one’s actions in life are connected to their fate after death. The passage also mentions the belief in the soul’s journey after death, crossing the Bridge of Judgment, where individuals face the consequences of their actions and the potential for either heaven or hell. The religion of the nomadic inhabitants of Iran included numerous deities, as each class had their own gods (ahuras) and conducted rituals involving animal sacrifices, accompanied by orgiastic consumption of an intoxicating drink (haoma). Zoroaster introduced his reform by advocating the worship of only one ahura, Ahura Mazda, the “Wise God”. He prohibited orgiastic rituals but preserved the ancient cult of fire, as Ahura Mazda represents the Sun in the visible world of the sky and is embodied on earth in fire. That is why Zoroastrianism is often referred to as the religion of fire.
Avesta is the sacred book of Zoroastrianism, containing ancient Indo-Iranian cosmogony, laws, liturgy, and the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster. The existing Avesta took its final form during the reign of the Sasanian kings in the 3rd century and is composed of surviving manuscripts, as a large number of records were destroyed when Alexander the Great conquered Persia.
Avesta consists of five parts. Its most important part is the Ga. The Yasna canon consists of a collection of poems and hymns, which are largely considered the words of Zoroaster himself. They form the central part of the main liturgical section of the canon, Yasna, which contains the ritual of preparation and sacrifice of haoma. Visprat is associated with the worship of spiritual teachers; Vendidad or Videvdat is the main source of knowledge of the ceremonial and civil Zoroastrian law; Yasht contains twenty-one mythologically colored hymns, in which many yazatas (angels) and ancient heroes are encountered. The Bundahishni (“Original Creation”) speaks of the creation, history, and duration of the world, the nature of the universe, the origin of man, and the first man Yima. This text dates back to the 9th century, although it is based on ancient scriptures and has a pre-Zoroastrian character. Khurda Avesta (or Mala Avesta) is a group of smaller texts, hymns, and prayers for special occasions.
Zend-Avesta literally means “interpretation of Avesta”. Originally, it referred to the widely used translation of Avesta into the Pahlavi language, but today this term is usually used for translations in the West. After the death of Zaratustra, his religion spread southwards, through the territory of present-day Afghanistan, and westwards to the region of Media and Persia. This probably happened during the time of the Achaemenid dynasty (559 – 330 BC).
Four centuries after Alexander’s conquest (330 BC), Iran was more or less Hellenized, and the original religion was neglected. Its revival occurred in 224 AD with the emergence of the new Persian dynasty, the Sassanids, when Zoroastrianism once again became the official religion, and the Avesta was compiled with translations and commentary in the spoken Pahlavi language.
After the arrival of Islam in this region, during the period from the 8th to the 13th century, when the Abbasid dynasty ruled Persia, Zoroastrianism almost completely disappeared as a living religious form. The majority of the population converted to the new religion, and a significant number of remaining Zoroastrians emigrated from Iran to India around Mumbai, where they were called Parsis.
In the 19th century, the Parsis underwent a revival. They maintained their contacts with the remaining followers of Zoroaster in Iran, known as the Gabars. These two groups, as well as their emigrants in other countries, are the only remaining worshippers of Zoroaster, and their total number does not exceed two hundred thousand.
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Zoroaster taught that the distinction between good and evil is not immediately evident to humans, but is the result of wise knowledge (understanding) that is attained through the effort of a properly directed spirit. The Greeks therefore considered him not only an astrologer, magician, and mathematician, but also a philosopher. His teachings aimed at the spiritual and moral renewal of the world, and the essence of this teaching is contained in a triad:
Hence another common name for Zoroastrianism: the Good Religion.