Zarathustra's message to humanity-1

(This post, and further postings, will be better understood only after reading the three earlier posts "A Brief Introduction to Zoroastrianism and Zarathustra," Parts 1 to 3. These give the background required for a better understanding of this very ancient message and it's relevance in our modern age.)

Zoroastrianism and it's earlier set of beliefs rooted in the Indo-European past, very ancient indeed, one comes to understand that man is seen as a part of a whole cosmos, with a vibrant throbbing life and energy of it's own, and God is just not a Spirit, but His Spirit and energy is within everything.

Unlike the Aryan-Vedic- Hinduism, that also evolved from it's Indo European roots, where  the Ultimate Reality is believed to be within everything, Zarathustra's God, Ahura Mazda, is an individual entity. But, unlike the Christian-Islamic concept that He stands fully apart from His Creation, here, Ahura Mazda, through all His Attributes-Bountiful Beings and the Angelic hierarchy, forms the spiritual content in all things.

Fire, for example, is an element, but it is venerated because it's very inner content is throbbing with a living spiritual vibrancy personified as the Angel Adar Yazad (Yazata-Divine Being.)  Fire is thus seen as a spiritual Being, a part of the whole living cosmos, which include man, and all other creation.

Zoroastrian veneration for all things demands the elements be treated with care; hence, the Avesta enjoins, that water, for example, be drawn away from it's source before use, or, trees are worthy of veneration and cutting them down is a grievous sin, or, cut nails be buried, or, the head be well covered to prevent falling hair polluting things around.

Besides, the faithful are constantly made aware of all God's creation around them, with each day linked to God, with the first day of each of the twelve  Zoroastrian calendar months dedicated to Ahura Mazda-Hormazd Himself, the next six days to His attributes, which with Ahura Mazda make up the great seven Amesha Spentas.   Thus the second day is dedicated to Vohu Manah-Bahman-Pure (Loving) Mind, the third to Asha Vahista-Ardibehesht-Best Righteousness, the fourth to Xshathra-Vairya-Sheheravar-Spiritual Dominion and Strength, then the fifth to Spenta Armaity-Sheherevar Bountiful Devotion, the sixth to Haurvatat-Khordad-Wellbeing, the seventh day to Ameretat-Amardad-Eternity. The rest of the 23 days, of the month, are linked to each of 23 Angels in the Zoroastrian hierarchy. It reminds the faithful each day of  the spiritual core in everything in the whole cosmos-so we have the awareness of a 'spiritual element' within the Sacred Fire-Atad Yazad (angel presiding over Fire, or in the Sun-Khurshed, Moon-Mah, and Holy Waters-Avan, this Earth-Geush, the sky-Asman, the Sirius star-Tir, or the 'spiritual element' within Victory (over Evil)-Bahram, in Obedience-Sarosh, in Justice-Rashna, even in the Holy Word-Mahrespand, and (the Universe's) Endless Light-Aneran, all these Yazatas-angels presiding over each of elements or functions of humans and angels, all these elements and actions are pulsating with Ahura Mazda's spiritual energies!

Ahura Mazda, Lord Wisdom, also recognized as Asa Vahishta- Righteousness, Vohu Manah-Pure Mind, Xshthra Vairya-Supreme Dominion/Omnipotent, Spenta Armaity-Bountiful Devotion, Haurvatat-Well Being and Amrtat-Eternity-seven names/appellations/attributes of the Zoroastrian God.

God in Zoroastrianism is not addressed as "God is Righteous" rather as "God is Righteousness."

This has awesome implications; Ahura Mazda, Lord Wisdom is Wisdom, Righteousness, Pure Mind, Supreme Dominion and Bountiful Devotion, Well Being and Eternity; the Supreme Power, a Bounteous Spirit (Spenta Mainyu), is Wisdom personified!

Through Zarathustra's own words, his Gathas (holy sacred words), the following principal beliefs have evolved:

The Zoroastrian credo is: Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds- Hu mata, Hu kata, Hu varashta!

The Zoroastrain is enjoined to practise Good thinking, Good speaking and Good action:
Manashni, Gavashni, Kunashni!

1.Zoroastrianism values knowledge, spiritual knowledge, that good deeds done for God (and, by conjecture, not for selfish motive) bring a pure mind within us, and God's kingdom is achieved only by uplifting the poor!

Thus the principal prayer states:

Just as the (Supreme) Lord is all powerful, so the Teacher, on account of his store of righteousness;
the gifts of a Pure Mind are received by good deeds done for the Lord;
the Kingdom of God is upon him who clothes the poor!

2.The other equally relevant verse, only righteousness leads to illumination, is:

Righteousness is good, best it is, it is the illumination,
illumination comes to him who is righteous for the sake of the best righteousness.
(by conjecture-be righteous, not for any reward, but for it's own sake!)

3.A Zoroastrian universality is subtly declared by the following:

Of those that are, of whom in every act of worship,
Ahura Mazda recognizes (them) of higher worth,
by reason of their righteousness,
likewise the women whom He so knoweth;
all such, both these men and women, do we revere!

4.The prophet hood of Zarathustra and the supremacy of the Gathas, his own compositions (the four prayers above are his authorship too), is announced thus:

Ideal is the thought, ideal the word, ideal the deed
of Holy Zarathustra.
May the Bountiful Immortals (the seven names of God) accept these Gathas,
Salutations unto Ye, O Holy Gathas!

Within the Zoroastrian scriptures, collectively called Avesta, the Repository of Knowledge, the Gathas are placed within a section of ritual called the Yasna. The latter contain texts which are invocations to all ancient Zoroastrian divinities derived from the more ancient Aryan Mazdayasni religion; but the Gatha verses clearly stand out, as some sample verses below show.

The Yasna comprise of 72 sections called Yasnas, and the Gathas within are the following:

The Ahunavaity Gatha: (The Sacred Word Gatha) from yasna 28 to yasna 34.
The Ustavaity Gatha: (the Illumination Gatha) from yasna 43 to yasna 46.
The Spentomenid Gatha: (the Bounteous Spirit Gatha) from yasna 47 to 50.
The Vohu Xshthra Gatha: (the Best Dominion Gatha) yasna 51.
The Vahishta Isti Gatha: (the Best Beloved Gatha) yasna 53

Most probably, Zarathustra 'composed' these Gathas in a heightened state of consciousness, attuned to the Divine. The gathic dialect is from an age when his people had no knowledge of writing, hence his followers, listening with rapt attention and awe, began to memorize these verses and thus, so memorized, the verses were passed on from father to son, untill in the 3rd century AD, a script was 'invented' for compiling the Avesta, the Gathas too were committed to writing.

The Ahunavaity Gatha:

In its opening verse Zarathustra prays, to Ahura Mazda, for perfect bliss, and earnestly desires he bring solace to the whole world, thus he declares:

With hands outstretched in humble adoration,
to Him, for perfect bliss-
(I pray) to Thy Holy Spirit, Oh Mazda, first of all,
through deeds, inspired by Righteousness,
and for the wisdom gained from Pure Mind,
do I pray-to bring solace to the soul of the world!

Heaven, in Zoroaster's view, the Abode of Light(!), has necessarily to be gained by:

I would reach unto You, Oh Ahura Mazda, through the Pure Mind,
that to me be granted, in both the worlds,
both this corporeal and spiritual world,
blessings through Righteousness,
whereby the faithful be led into the Abode of Light!

Zarathustra declares he will weave hymns thus:

I shall verily unto Thee, Oh Righteousness, weave my hymns,
and to Pure Mind (also), as never before,
so that by the grace of Your Kingdom,
shall Devotion grow within us;
come Ye all and grant us perfect bliss!