Aevo panto yoashahe,
"There is only one path andthat is the path of Truth."
Fragment of theAvesta.
In the sixth century B.C., KingCyrus (Emperor Khusro) of Persia freed 40,000 Jews from captivity inBabylonia, returned to them their treasure looted from the temple inJerusalem, and helped them rebuild the temple of Solomon. (See EzraI. 1-4.) He was tolerant to the Babylonians also, and aided theEgyptian priests in reviving their own religion and rituals.His wise rule put anend to the Assyrian and Babylonian practice of deporting conqueredpeoples and destroying their national identity.
To what generous religion didhe himself belong? That religion is widely known as Zoroastrianism,founded in ancient Iran by the legendary figure Zoroaster, sometimescalled Zarathushtra (nothing to do withNietzsche!). It is well known to the students of comparative religionthat Zoroastrian thought has influenced Judaism andChristianity.
It has been widely surmised that the magi who cameto pay respects to the Christ child were Zoroastrian priests; eventheir names are mentioned in some apocryphal Christiandocuments.
Zoroaster, according to the tradition of hisfollowers, was born in 6,348 B.C.E., but according to modern dating,628 B.C.E. It is said that when the nurse assisting at his birth heldhis head, her hand shot away from it because of the heat emanatingfrom his head. Ten years of his life was spent in a cave doingspiritual practices.
In Zoroastrianism, the highestgod is AhuraMazda, the'Great SacredLordof Light andFire.' He is surroundedby six shaktis, the Amesha Spentas,'BeneficentImmortals': SpentaMainyu (HolySpirit), Asha Vahishta(Justice andTruth based on the lawsof the universe), Vohu Mano(RighteousThinking, equivalent toVedic saumanasya, Universal Beautiful Mind); Kshathra Vairya(DesirableDominion); Haurvatat(Wholeness)and Ameretat(Immortality,Sanskrit amrita). In the Avesta they are referred to asmantra-tanu, they whosebodies aremantras.
The sacred book ofZoroastrianism is called theAvesta.(The language in which it is composed, very closely related to VedicSanskrit, is Avestan.)The core of the sacredbook is a collection of sacred songs, known asgathas, (from the rootgai 'sing'), which areconsidered to be the words ofZoroasterhimself.
The Vendidad, another of thefive parts of the Avesta, contains this interestingstatement:
'There are three kinds ofcures; surgery, herbs and mantras. Mantra is the medicine ofmedicines.'
All followers of Zoroaster mustbe initiated at the age of seven in India, ten in Iran. At that timethey receive the short-sleeved shirt and sacred thread that they willwear for the rest of their lives. Putting on the shirt reminds thedevotee that he must perform only virtuous actions.The thread is longenough to be wound round the waist three times, the three circlesstanding for good thought, good word and gooddeed. The chiefceremony is the Yasna (Sanskrit yajna) performed before the sacredfire, with offerings of bread and milk and recitations of theAvesta.
Fleeing Muslim persecutionsometime between the 8th and 10th centuries A.D., many Zoroastrianssailed to India as refugees, where they are known as Parsis,Persians. For 800 years they lived in theGujrat State of India. When complete religious tolerance was declaredin Bombay, soon after it came under the control of the East IndiaCompany in 1688, the Zoroastrians began to settle there, where theythrived and became well known for their philanthropy.They are among the leadingindustrialists of India, as well as scientists, political and socialleaders, in spite of their very small numbers. Pockets ofZoroastrians still exist in Iran.Here are two examples ofthe Avestan wisdom translated by Sorabjee Pestonjee Kanga in hiscollection entitled:'The Metrical Versionof the Gathas inEnglish',Bombay, 1934.
By strength of his goodthought, good word, good deed,
He holds up high the flag offaith unfurled,
He spares no pains in preachingMazda's creed,
Of peaceful brotherhood he sowsthe seed.
Spiritual truth, the source ofevery bliss,
Leads him onward, and he mustneeds succeed,
Let all right-thinking menremember this
No chance of doing good theyever miss.
Avesta, Gatha Vohukhshathra v.20
Now offer up to Him your solemnsongs
To the Omnipotent Lord, Wholoveth all,
To Whom alone the universebelongs.
Good thought, good word, gooddeed, these words recall,
Their potent charm will thriveyou here below;
Hereafter give you joys thatnever pall.
To gain His grace divine do notbe slow,
Adhere to truth, the rest Hewill bestow.
Avesta, Gatha Ushtavaitiv.8.
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"Retreat and Symposium on the Spiritual Philosophy of Zoroastianism" will be held at the Rishikesh Ashram, in the serene environ at the foothills of the Himalayas at the banks of the Ganges. |
This has been initiated partlybecause
(1) The spirituality of thisdwindling tradition is so little known and will enrich allparticipants, and partly because
(2) a sizable number of'Parsis' from Mumbai (Bombay) area have been seeking initiation intothe Himalayan Tradition as a result of the work of Mr. SushilNayadoo, their teacher**. The Himalayan Tradition believes instrengthening the faith of each according his own belief system,infusing a fresh spiritual experience into the same.
Spiritually significant stanzasof the Avesta will be read (in translation) and will be studied in ameditative context
Meditative worship and offeringof the self into the inner fire will be taught in thecourse.
Of course, the regular teachingof yoga and meditation will be part of the daily study and practiceguided by the teachers of the tradition.
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Other eminent teachers from the Zoroastrian tradition are being invited to help guide the studies.
All are welcome to participate in this experience of the para-Vedic spirituality, whose teachings so well resonate the traditions of yoga, the Path of Fire and Light, as the Zoroastrian (more correctly: Mazdayasnian) religion has been described.
For registration, please contact:
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MYLAST DREAM FOR THIS LIFE, by Swami Veda
SWAMIRAMA INSTITUTE OF MEDITATION
Copyright 2003 West-Art, Prometheus89/2003