Zoroastrianism


Asho Farohar "Zarthusht" in modern Persian
Asho Farohar, believed to be a depiction of a Farvashi, or Guardian Spirit. "Zarthusht" written in modern Persian.


Terminology

A Parsi or Parsee is a member of the Zoroastrian community in or from the Indian subcontinent, and is a descendant of people who, emigrated to the west coast of India from Persia to escape religious persecution after the Islamic conquest. Followers of the Zoroastrian faith - irrespective of whether they are from India or elsewhere - are not necessarily Parsis. The modern legal definition of "Parsi" explicitly includes only persons who are descended from the original Persian immigrants. Indian census data (2001) records 69,601 Parsis in India, with a concentration in and around the city of Bombay. There are approximately 5,000 Parsis elsewhere on the subcontinent. In Pakistan about 2000-3000 Parsis live in the city of Karachi and about 50 families in Sri Lanka. The number of Parsis worldwide is estimated to be fewer than 100,000.

 Zoroastrianism (IPA:Brit. /zoroˈastriənizˈm/, U.S. /zɒrˈōːasˈtrəniz�ˈəm/) is the name of the religion and philosophy based on the teachings ascribed to the prophet Zoroaster (aka. Zarathushtra, Zartosht). Mazdaism is the name of the religion that acknowledges the supremecy of Ahura Mazda, proclaimed by Zoroaster to be the one uncreated Creator of all (God/Ahura Mazda). In Avestan, the adherence to the teachings of Zoroaster is called Zartoshti-gari (Persian: زرتشتی‌گری).

Zarathushtra Zoroaster1
Zoroaster, in a popular Parsi Zoroastrian depiction. Zoroaster, a famous depiction where the one finger symbolizes that There is only One God.


The Avesta is a collection of the sacred texts of the Zoroastrian religion. Although some of the texts are very old, the term Avesta itself only dates to the second century CE. The term's etymological roots are the middle Persian Abestāg, old Persian Upastāvaka, "Praise [of God]".

The Gathas (Gāθās) are the most sacred of the texts of the Zoroastrian faith, and are traditionally believed to have been composed by Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) himself.
    The Gathas are structurally interrupted by the Yasna Haptanghāiti ("seven-chapter Yasna"), which makes up chapters 35-42 of the Yasna and is almost as old as the Gathas,     consists of prayers and hymns in honour of the Supreme Deity, Ahura Mazda, the Angels, Fire, Water, and Earth. The structure of the Yasna, though handed down in prose,         may once have been metrical.

Dastur - Priest

Atash Behram - Fire Temple, place of worship

Atash Padshah - Sacred Fire

Navjote - Ceremony performed when a child is of age (anywhere from 6-10 years old) to officially join the religion.

Ethnic Origins of the Parsis of India

Although the Parsis of India originally emigrated from Persia, they no longer have social or familial ties to Persians, and do not share language or recent history with them. Over the centuries since the first Zoroastrians arrived in India, the Parsis have integrated themselves into Indian society while simultaneously maintaining their own distinct customs and traditions (and thus ethnic identity). This in turn has given the Parsi community a rather peculiar standing - they are Indians in terms of national affiliation (as the number of notable Parsis in the Indian Independence Movement attests), but non-Indians in terms of ethnicity, creed, traditions and customs.

Principle Beliefs

Ahura Mazda (God) is the beginning and the end, the creator of everything which can and cannot be seen, the Eternal, the Pure and the only Truth. In the Gathas, the most sacred texts of Zoroastrianism and thought to have been composed by Zoroaster himself, the prophet acknowledged devotion to no other divinity besides Ahura Mazda.

Daena (din in modern Persian) is the eternal Law, whose order was revealed to humanity through the Mathra-Spenta "Holy Words". Daena has been used to mean religion, faith, law, even as a translation for the Hindu and Buddhist term Dharma: it is the correct order of the universe, which humanity naturally must follow through the "Sudra"- "Good/Holy Path" and the "Kusti" - the Pathfinder"

Central to Zoroastrianism is the emphasis on moral choice, of life as a battle-ground between moral and immoral forces. According to the Gathas, humans are free and responsible beings. Predestination is rejected in Zoroastrian teaching. Humans bear responsibility for all situations they are in, and in the way they act to one another. Reward, punishment, happiness and grief all depend on how individuals live their life. Good transpires for those who do righteous deeds. Those who do evil have themselves to blame for their ruin. Zoroastrian morality is summed up in the simple phrase, "Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds" (Humata, Hukhta, Hvarshta in Avestan and Pendar-e Nik, Goftar-e Nik, Kerdar-e Nik in modern Persian).

In present-day Zoroastrianism, the moral and immoral forces are represented by Spenta Mainyu and its satanic antithesis Angra Mainyu, the 'good spirit' and 'evil spirit' emanations of Ahura Mazda respectively. This opposition is a modern development of the Gathic allusion of the Truth (asha) being opposed to by the Lie (druj), a moral duality that may have emerged from the proto-Indo-Iranian distinction between two categories of spiritual beings, ahuras and daevas, which by Zoroaster's time were popularly identified as the 'right' divinities who uphold moral law being opposed by the class of 'wrong' divinities, those portrayed as demonic and destructive. In Zoroaster's revelation, Ahura Mazda will ultimately triumph (Yasna 48.1), but cannot (or will not) control the forces of "the Lie" in the here and now.

Achaemenid era Zoroastrianism developed the abstract concepts of heaven, hell, personal and final judgement, all of which are only alluded to in the Gathas. In Yasna 19, which has only survived as a Sassanid era commentary ("Zend") on the Ahuna Vairya invocation, Zoroastrianism prescribes a Path to Judgement known as the Chinvat Peretum or Chinvat Bridge (cf: Al-Sirat in Islam), which all souls had to cross, and judgement (over thoughts, words, deeds performed during a lifetime) was passed as they were doing so. However, the Zoroastrian personal judgement is not final. At the end of time, when evil is finally defeated, all souls will be ultimately reunited with their Fravashi. Thus, Zoroastrianism can be said to be a Universalist religion with respect to salvation.

Some Zoroastrians believe in the future coming of a Messiah like figure known as The Peshotan.


Zoroastrian Precepts

Some major Zoroastrian precepts:

History of Parsis in India

Early Years: Around the 8th century AD, after the fall of the Sassanian empire, large numbers of Persians fled by ship to the western coast of the Indian subcontinent (now Gujarat) to maintain their Zoroastrian religious tradition. According to an old Parsi legend, the Raja of Sanjan had given them a cup full to the rim of milk, symbolically stating that the kingdom was already full of people and could not take any refugees. The asylum seekers sweetened the milk with sugar and gave it back to the king, symbolically stating that they would mix into the culture of India, making it "sweeter". The Raja allowed them to stay, on condition that they remained endogamous and adopted the local culture, in addition to preserving their religion, as well as forbidding them from proselytizing. This was probably in conformance with caste laws of the time. To this day, the Parsis have kept their promise and remain generally endogamous and do not accept converts. The next record of Parsis in India show that when the kingdom was under the attack of the Muslims, many Parsi soldiers died to defend the kingdom. The survivors fled to a cave, taking the sacred fire with them.


Other Distinguishing Characteristics


Relation to other religions/cultures



Some Prayer Translations

Translation of parts of the KEM NA MAZDA Prayer:

First Stanza

"When any wicked man glares at me for taking revenge, (or for injuring me),
what man, O Mazda, shall grant protection unto me and my followers? (Who
other than Thee shall grant protection) to the Fire and the Mind (ie.
Household happiness and Peace of Mind?) Through the action of which two, O
Hormuzd! righteousness increases? Do Thou declare that knowledge of the
religion to me (O Hormuzd)." This is Gatha Ushtavaiti Ys. 46.7. The 'wicked
man' called 'dregvao' could either be an external evil or one of our own
internal passions like selfishness, envy, wrath, pride, lust, greed, hatred,
grudge or deceit. In this stanza we are asking Ahura Mazda to save us and
protect us from these evils.

The final line translates as follows: "Homage (be) unto right thought and
prosperity."


Translation of parts of the Hormuzd Kohday Prayer:

Second Stanza

"O Lord Hormuzd, I am in renunciation of, and desist from all sins; wicked thoughts which in (this) world I have thought, wicked words which I have spoken, wicked deeds which I have committed, (and) which have occured through me and which have originated by me. All these sins mentioned above relating to thought, relating to word and relating to deed, pertaining to (my own) body, pertaining to (my own) soul, pertaining to this world, pertaining to the world beyond, from all these
sins, O Hormuzd, I am in renunciation and keep myself away, and with the
three words, (Manashni, Gavashni, Kunashni) I repent." In this stanza, the
devotee acknowledges that he is a sinner and humbly repents for his
misdeeds. Since the evil one attacks all men, (with the nine evils mentioned
above), God knows that man will fall into sin. But God does not condemn us.
If we sincerely repent, God will forgive us, just as a loving father
forgives his erring child. Repentance should be followed by a determination
not to repeat the sins. For example, if a person constantly uses foul
language as a habit, he has to make a sincere effort not to use this
language. Otherwise, the so called 'repentance' has no meaning.
Last stanza:

"(May there be) propitation of Ahura Mazda!
May there be contempt of anghre mainyu, the evil spirit! Whatever is the
wish of the doers of righteous deeds, is superior (to all other wishes.) I
praise righteousness." This is a stanza in praise of Ahura Mazda and
righteousness. It reminds us to do only righteous deeds. Here again, there
is no sense in babbling this prayer and leading an unrighteous life. The
prayer has to be put in action from our side.

This prayer is taken from the holy Yasna and the Hormuzd Yasht. Part of it is as follows:

I praise the true conceived thought, I praise the true spoken word, I praise the well done deed. I praise the excellent religion of Mazda worship (which is) quarrel
removing, weapon lowering, self-dedicating and holy, which of those that are
and of those that shall be (hereafter) (is) the greatest, the best, and the
most excellent, which is the religion of Ahura revealed by Zarathushtra. I
acknowledge all good (things) (which are) from hormuzd. Such is the praise
of the Religion of Mazda worship."



The most common and basic prayers:

Ashem Vohû  

Avestan

ashem vohû vahishtem astî
ushtâ astî ushtâ ahmâi
hyat ashâi vahishtâi ashem.

Click Here for Audio*


A More Literal Translation

Righteousness is the best good
(and it) is happiness.
Happiness (is) to him, who is righteous
for the sake of the best righteousness

Other Translation

Holiness (Asha) is the best of all good:
it is also happiness.
Happy the man who is holy with perfect holiness!

ýathâ ahû vairyô



Avestan

ýathâ ahû vairyô
athâ ratush ashâtcît hacâ
vanghêush dazdâ mananghô
shyaothananãm anghêush mazdâi
xshathremcâ ahurâi â
ýim drigubyô dadat vâstârem!!


Click Here for Audio*


A More Formal Translation


As the ruler-aspect of God (Ahu) is powerful through His will,
so is also the teacher-aspect (Ratu) co-equal through righteousness.
Those who dedicate their good deeds in this world to God deserve the benefit of Benevolent Mind(Vohu-manu).
Those who offer shelter to the poor in this world would achieve authority in the Kingdom of God.

Translation with a more communal aspect

Just as God is powerful, so is Asho Zartosht,
because of His power of Asha (righteousness/truth).

The gift of Vohuman (the good mind)
is for the person who serves Ahura Mazda (God).

Any person who helps the needy
shall receive help from Ahura Mazda (God).








image  
   Lohrasp was one of those great Iranian Kings of Kayani Dynasty who were not merely the rulers of a geographical kingdom but also the attainers of great spiritual heights.  

   Description of the Picture: It shows King Lohrasp praying before a fire. The first striking feature is the circle of white light around his head. That is the external reflection of his Kayan Khoreh and indicates the inherent divine light vibrating in him.
His eyes are full of devotion and radiate a glow which fills the atmosphere with love towards Ahura.
His long hair and beard show his Yogic strength. His full white attire indicates that he is on the side of the white light of Ahura and not the darkness of `Ahriman', the lord of the evil (Satan-like).
The bow in his left hand depicts him as the Valiant-for-Truth. In the mystic science of symbolism, a bow indicates the power of Truth and Justice, the divine quality of `Meher' and the King who holds the bow is depicted as having attained certain high stage of `Ashoi' - holiness.

  The fire opposite to Shah Lohrasp is enthroned on a stand. The shape of the stand and the rectangle on its front wall, show that it is a consecrated Fire, purified to receive and emanate divine currents of Asha Vahishta (a Channel of Ahura). The lines of the rectangle indicate `Karsh' i.e. orbits. The fire has direct connection with the Divine Channels vibrating in creation.


   Above his head there appears a white shape of his own face, as if suspended in the clouds. This is the `Keherp' or a mystical formation which has taken shape out of the Manthra prayers he is chanting and his own thoughts of Love and Devotion accompanying the prayers.

(Such Keherp formations are seen in several carvings and pictures relating to ancient Iranian Civilization. When the sage or saint chanting Manthra is highly advanced, such Keherp formations are formed and can even be seen by ordinary people like us. Sometimes such figures appear on the walls of places where Manthra prayers are continuously chanted by the Priests, and common Parsis, for a long time. One such figure has appeared on the inner wall of the Atash Beheram (Fire Temple) at Navsari, opposite to the Sacred Atash
Padshah (Sacred Fire)).

  On the upper right hand corner of Lohrasp Shah's picture, a sun-like circle of light and the emanating rays are seen. This is an indication that Kai-Lohrasp has attuned himself with the Great Divine Power and Energy of the Sun and the source of that power, ``Khurshid Yazad.'' (The Sun)

(Sun is not a mere thermo-nuclear reactor. Besides the physical spectrum, its light contains a divine and spiritual spectrum, the source of which lies in the unseen worlds. This is a chapter from the Zarathustrian and Hindu mystic sciences).


   In the background of the picture, we see some clouds as also something like a stream of water with light falling on it. This shows that the Shah's prayers have surcharged the whole atmosphere with Love and Devotion and are bringing down a stream of divine light on the earth.

Why are we asked to keep a picture of Lohrasp with us? Has he any connection with us? Has he any part to play in our lives?
Kai-Lohrasp is described as ``Saheb-e-Mithra.'' It means the Lord of Thought.

   Our religion has taught us that Lohrasp can be a thought guide for each of us. Whenever our thoughts go astray, whenever we are inherently invaded by bad thoughts of falsehood or carnal passion, or anger or jealousy or greed or pride, we can bring Lohrasp's picture before our mental eye and the bad thoughts will vanish. That is his power which works even today. Many have experienced it.

   Lord Zarathustra taught us to dip our mind in good thoughts. Shah Lohrasp is the remedy for driving away the bad thoughts. It is said that he is the greatest Reader of Thoughts. He can read thoughts not only of humans but also of animals, and vegetations, etc. Think of him and be sure that he has caught your thought.

   If you call him whenever there is an invasion of bad thoughts on your mind, he will respond. The response will be slow at first, but as you do it often, you will feel his presence. At times he will be felt even before a bad thought arrives in your conscious mind.
Friends, this is our Zarathustrian Faith and this is the radiant light of our Religion!!

-KN Dastur



Prominent Parsis:

Noteable Parsis~

~For a more in-depth list, click here.
















*Audio is provided by www.avesta.org, and the prayers are spoken by a priest.




References:
Many sites, emails, and other various sources were used to combine this information.
I do not take credit for creating the information, just consolidating it into one page.