Ancient Wisdom : Zoroaster

by Negeen Sai Zinovieff

The Theosophical Society in England
Insight magazine Winter 2006 vol. 47 # 4

Negeen Sai Zinovieff is a freelance journalist, writing primarily for spiritual magazines. She has been a member of the Theosophical Society in England since 1982.

further information on Zoroaster is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroaster

The least remembered of God's messengers is Zoroaster Spitama, the prophet of Iran who lived around 1200 bc. (although some authorities place him as late as 600 b.c.). His teachings which were orally transmitted and written down by 200 ad., during the Sassanid period and known as the Pahlavi  texts, are relevant today because they teach the religion of  Truth. He equated a Unique God with Light (Ahura Mazda) and  with truth. In the Gathas, the 17 hymns which have come down to us through the Pahlavi texts, he is always appealing to Ahura and the Good Mind (his divine spirit) to instruct him in the way of truth and enlightenment.

He lived in what was a primitive society where paganism, tribal feuds,  war-bands and violence and much injustice for all prevailed. He was trained for priesthood from an early age and is the only priest-prophet known in our history. He was assiduous in learning the then dogmas and was known to be able to speak with a healing power and win over opponents through reason and logic. His religion became the official religion of Iran until the 7th century ad., when Moslems invaded Iran and persecuted and drove away the Zoroastrians or the Mazdeans. Little is known about him until his 30th year, although legends and myths abound about a miraculous birth, and that being destined for prophet-hood, the magicians of the day always tried to abduct or assassinate him. His ministry began in a spectacular way when he was 30 - at a time when according to Pahlavi literature, black art and magic practices, occult science and necromancy were the order of the day.

E V. Jackson writes in a well known book called Zoroaster; the Prophet of Iran, that Zoroaster was united to the Supreme God whence he received his prophet-hood. One day, when Zoroaster was wading in the banks of the Daiti river  in Azardbaijan “after bringing up the holy hom-water, Zoroaster beholds a  glorified image of the archangel Vohuman (Good Mind) coming towards him  from the south and bearing in his hand a glossy staff, a spiritual twig of the  religion. … Vohuman opens his lips and begins to question the enrapt seer - this situation is alluded to in the Avestan Gathas - and after bidding him to lay aside his garment (or the vesture of his material body), the seraphic messenger leads away his soul in ecstatic trance into the glorious and dazzling presence of Ahuramazda and the Amshapands (the seven shiny angels) who instruct him in the truth." (P35)

It is apparent from the Gathas that Zoroaster did not see God as Love but as Light and Truth and the seven angels are said to have instructed him throughout his life with many visions and lessons. It is also revealed that Zoroaster received one of the seven angels as his permanent soul whom he calls upon repeatedly as the Good Mind. Similarly his love and sanctification of fire was taught by one of these seven angels. There is a conference at the Tojan water "this is held with the archangel Artavahisht (Asha) who enjoins upon Zoroaster the care of the Fire and the guardianship of all fires, sacred and secular. (Jackson p.40). Zoroaster’s teachings are known to many as the struggle of man between good and evil; Ahura Mazda and Ahriman. But contrary to some beliefs he did not consider Ahriman an uncreated spirit of evil co-existing with God. Mary Boyce of London University who has extensively written about Zoroaster believes Zoroaster thought that Ahriman was an uncreated spirit. On the contrary the Gathas show  that Zoroaster considered Ahura Mazda as the unique Creator who loves his creation and watches over it with his hierarchy of angels and archangels and who  rejoices when human beings choose good (the truth) over evil (the lie). Zoroaster was unique in insisting that each individual choose between these tendencies, truth or lie, good or evil and so be fully responsible for his actions. He says;

Listen to the noblest teachings
With an attentive ear
With your penetrating mind discriminate
Between these twin mentalities
Man by man, each one for his own self.
Awake to proclaim this Truth
Before the fmal judgement overtakes you

Life becomes a battleground between the Ashavans, the seekers after truth and  the Dregvants, worshippers of falsehood, the Druj, the Lie. "As a preacher his first doctrine is that there is only One Supreme Being: Ahura Mazda - the embodiment of life and wisdom, all-powerful and benevolent - who governs man and the universe through His powers. This was shocking and utterly unacceptable to his audience who indulged in bloody sacrifices to please those who inflicted drought, disease and death (The Gathas of Zarathustra, p56). 

His mission to rout out evil falsehood, paganism and bring precepts which ensured happiness in both worlds took him to many regions. He was often met with derision and driven out. So he cried out to God: 

How shall I expel untruth from amongst us
Those who are full of disobedience
Neither shine in the pursuit of Truth
Nor delight in the Teachings of the Good Mind (Yasna 44 verse 13)

It was not until he had converted the ruler of the land, King Vishtasapa that Zoroaster’s fortunes turned. His entrance to the court went smoothly at first but the local priests conspired against him and threw him into prison. Meanwhile King Vishtasapa's favourite horse became lame and he became distraught. Zoroaster said he would cure the horse on condition that the royal family became converts to his new religion and that the culprits who had conspired against him be punished. It was accepted. Zoroaster healed the lame horse and won royal converts. King Vishtasapa proved a faithful and fervent follower of the new faith and instructed that Zoroaster's religion become the official faith of the country and propagated his teachings. Not unlike Jesus, Zoroaster taught that truth can be developed through "devotional and noble deeds" and always prayed to God for perfection and immortality. In Yasna 44 verse 17 he says

Answer me faithfully that which I ask you O Ahura
How shall I
Working in harmony with You
Create a close fellowship devoted to your Will?
Let my speech grow in power
To reach up to Perfection and Immortality
Through that sacred word, the Manthra
Which emanates from Truth.

In Yasna 47 verse 1 Zoroaster asks for perfection and immortality to him  "whose words and deeds are in harmony with Truth". In Yasna 48 verse 3 he  preaches:

The initiate receives the best of doctrines
Which Ahura, the river of good
Teaches through Truth

He often alludes to the Good Mind which is his divine soul through whom wisdom and goodness emanate and repeatedly asks for his help. He preached care for the animal kingdom and the plant kingdom as well and is known to have greatly loved both animals and plants. He prophesized the coming of great teachers of mankind, believed to be Confucius in China and Buddha in India.

In deed they will be the Saviours of the lands
Working through the Good Mind
And performing deeds in harmony with Truth (Yasna 48 verse 12)

He calls himself in Yasna 50 verse 6:

This Manthra-reciter Zarathustra
Who raises his voice in reverence, is an ally of Truth

In verse 11 he says

So I will call myself a singer of your praise
O Mazda
And be one as long as I work through Truth

In Yasna 51 he asks for "destruction upon the followers of the lie; salvation to the followers of the Truth."

Zoroaster deplored the local priests, the karapans, just as Jesus was to decry the Pharisees. Jesus too was intent on driving away the Ahriman, demons among those he encountered. In Luke 9 verse 18 Jesus says to his disciples: "I saw Satan fall like Lightning from Heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy, nothing will harm you." Again Zoroaster, like Jesus, poured contempt on those who did not welcome him and he tells his disciples: "But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say 'even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you'. Yet be sure of this - the kingdom of God is near. I tell you it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town."  (Luke 9). Zoroaster similarly is said to have despised and complained about those who turned him down. But whereas Jesus taught love of one's enemies -also, humility and voluntary poverty -Zoroaster was much harsher upon his enemies and the followers of the lie or Ahriman and invariably asks God for their annihilation.

Zoroaster married several times so it seems. He had 6 children and was assured of a materially comfortable life through the protection of the king  Vishtasapa. There were 17 years of peace in the then Iran and the new faith spread far and wide. Zoroaster is believed to have passed away at 77. According to the famous Iranian poet Ferdowsi, there was an invasion of Iran by Turanians who killed Zoroaster in the temple Nush Adar. The followers of the faith, sometimes known as Mazdeans, lived peacefully in Iran practising their religion until the invasion of the Moslem Arabs in 7th century a.d. Islam, intolerant of Iran's own religion, virtually wiped it out. Many Mazdeans fled to new lands - including India where it remains a stronghold of the faith to this day.

The Theosophical Society 2007
reproduced from 'Insight' Winter 2006, The Journal of The Theosophical Society in England