Living Zoroastrianism

Urban Parsis Speak about their Religion

Philip G. Kreyenbroek

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN:
  9780700713288
• eBook ISBN:
  9781136119705
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Ethnic Studies
• Index: Social Sciences

This text describes the realities of modern Parsi religion through 30 interviews in which urban Parsis belonging to different social milieus and religious schools of thought discuss various aspects of their religious lives.

Zoroastrianism, the faith founded by the Iranian prophet Zarathustra, originated around 1000BCE and is widely regarded as the world's first revealed religion. Although the number of its followers declined dramatically in the centuries after the 7th century Islamic conquest of Iran, Zoroastrians survive in Iran to the present day. The other major Zoroastrian community are the Parsis of India, descendants of Zoroastrians who fled Muslim dominion.

Part One

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The Background

Chapter One

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Classical Zoroastrianism

As with other religions, many people’s thoughts on the subject of Zoroastrianism are inspired or influenced by a mental image of that faith which is largely based on interpretations of the ancient religious texts. Although, as stated in the Preface, relations between this ’classical’ form of Zoroastrianism and modern Parsi religion complex, some knowledge of the former is indispensable for an adequate understanding of the latter. Apart from questions of doctrine (on which see Ch. 3, 10), the ancient tradition continues to determine or affect Parsi religious life in many ways. Priest1y rituals and various other observances continuations of ancient practice; many of the community’s symbolsconcepts and images derive from classical Zoroastrianism, even if some of these are now interpreted in novel ways; furthermore, an awareness of the glories of ancient Zoroastrian empires and civilisations contributes to many Parsis’ sense of pride in their religious and communal identity.

It seems appropriate, therefore, briefly to discuss aspects of the teachings, observances and history of classical Zoroastrianismianism. In doing so, however, some reservations must be made. Specialists in the fieId of ancient Iranian religion disagree many points, and the sources represent a priestly tradition which tells us little about the religious lives of ordinary believers. The account given here is based on interpretations of the sources which seem plausible to the present writer. To what extent the scriptural tradition reflects the realities of early Zoroastrian communities remains a matter for debate and conjecture.

Zarathustra and his reform

The term ’Zoroastrianism’ derives from Zoroastè the Greek version of the Iranian name Zarathushtra which in the West is usually spelled ’Zarathustra’. Zoroastrians regard Zarathustra as the founder of their religion and as a prophet who was in direct contact with God. Since Zarathustra lived in the pre–historic period, i. e. before his people began to use writing, we can only speculate as to his date and place. Many scholars believethat Zarathustra lived at a time when the Iranian peoples were engaged in the great migration which eventually brought them from the Central Asian steppes to their later homelands in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Northem Iraq and parts of Eastem Anatolia. The most likely date seems to be around 1000 BCE.

It can be inferred from the Zoroastrian tradition that the early Iranian tribes already had a well–developed religious tradition, most aspects of whichthey shared with their sister–tribes, the ancestors of the northem Indians. The appearance of Zarathustra, however, seems to have coincided with a partial departure from the established tradition, which warrants the assumption that Zarathustra's activities did indeed trigger developments leading to the rise of a new cult which used his name to identify itself. There is evidence to suggest that Zarathustra was a priest who was well versed in the religious traditions of his people. It seems that his novel understanding of religious truth, based perhaps upon visionary experiences occurring in the course of his priestly duties, caused his followers to regard themselves as distinct from the adherents of the older faith. Although this new religion retained many of the traditional beliefs and practices of its precursor, it was based on a wholly original view of the rationale and purpose of existence. Furthermore, it rejectedthe worship of the daevas group of divine beings who may have represented the ’might–isvright’ ethos popular among a conquering migrant people, in contradistinction to the strictly ’moral’ character of another group of gods, the ahuras, whose worship Zarathustra endorsed. The word daeva which until then meant ’gods’, came to mean ’devils’ in the language of the Zoroastrians.

Good and evil supematural beings

The rejection of the daevas is a central element of Zarathustra's teaching. In fact one of the most prominent new elements of Zarathustra's message was his representation of evil as an autonomous power: not a mere negation of, or departure from, right, but its active and intentional opponent. The forces of evil are headed by Angra Mainyu (’Evil Intention’ later Ahriman) the personified, diabolical opponent of ’Beneficent Intention’ (Av. Spenta Mainyu) and indeed of God, the good Creator whose name is Ahura Mazda (’Lord Wisdom’, later Ohrmazd, Hormazd).

In later Zoroastrianism Spenta Mainyu was identified with Ahura Mazda himself, ¹ but earlier he was seen as a separate Being, who formed part of the group of Ahura Mazda's immediate helpers, the seven Amesha Spentas (’Beneficent Immortals’).The Amesha Spentas are powerful divine beings but, as is shown in the following diagram, each also represents a mental quality or concept which man can cultivate or prepare for in his own life; furthermore each Amesha Spenta has a special connection with one of the seven ’creations’ the essential elements of the good material world.

Avestan Name	Parsi Name	‘Creation’	English meaning of the name
Ahura Mazda	Hormazd^3	Man	Lord Wisdom
(Spenta Mainyu)^2	(Spenta Mainyu)		(Beneficent Intention)
Asha Vahishta	Ardibehesht	Fire	Best Righteousness
Vohu Manah	Bahman	Cattle	Good Thought
Khshathra Vairya	Shehrevar	Metal, Sky	The Power that must be chosen
Spenta Armaiti	Aspandad	Earth	Beneficent
	Aspandarmad		Devotion
Haurvatat	Khordad	Water	Wholeness
Ameretat	Amardad	Plants	Immortality

Besides Ahura Mazda and the Amesha Spentas, the Zoroastrian tradition recognises a number of other divine beings (Av. Yazata Phl. Yazad). Each good divinity is held to have an evil opponent.

The Cosmic Battle and the role of Man

Classical Zoroastrianism sees the world as an arena, limited in time and place, in which the forces of good and evil can do battle until evil will have been defeated for ever. All parts of creation belong either to Ahura Mazda or to Angra Mainyu, which means that most ’ creations’ cannot help being either good or bad. The exception is Man, a good ’creation’ who is nevertheless uniquely capable of moral choice. Man, therefore, must choose between good and evil, and his choice will determine the cosmic battle.⁴ Humans are therefore expected to strengthen the forces of good by joining them, and by leading a life of Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds.

At some later stage fatalist ideas entered the tradition, which in a sense cut across Zarathustra’s ’moral’ world–view based on individual choice,⁵ and some attempts were made to achieve a synthesis between the two. It seems probable, however, that beliefs and attitudes based on a dualist world–view continued to play an important role in pre-modern Zoroastrianism.

The fate of the soul after death and the End of Time

The right or wrong choice, and in fact every good or wicked thought, word or act, will have consequences after death. Zarathustra may have been the first prophet to teach that recompense will come after this life, with the righteous rejoicing in heaven while the wicked repent in hell. The fate of the soul is determined on the fourth morning after death, when it must cross the ’Chinvad Bridge’ to the hereafter. At the Bridge a judgement takes place: some accounts speak of a trial by three divine beings, while others say that the soul will be met by its alter ego, a beautiful young girl if the person has been good, and an unpleasant hag if it has not. Depending on the outcome of the Judgement, the soul goes to heaven or hell, or to purgatory in case of an even balance between good and bad.

Another concept which may have originated with Zarathustra is that of the End of Time. Limited, dynamic time is said to have been created by Ahura Mazda so that evil could be defeated, which would have been impossible had the universe remained in a static, timeless condition. It fo11ows that, once this has been achieved, time as we know it no longer serves a purpose and will come to an end. The process will be set in motion by the appearance of a Saviour (Saoshyant), who will be miraculously bom of virgin mother who bathes in a lake where eserved. There will be a physical resurrection of the dead, whose last unexpiated sins will be cleansed by a stream of molten metal. This will be fo11owed by a final batt1e between the opposing forces, and the defeat of Evil. After this, time will end and a11 humans will exist forever in blissful harmony.

The sacred and religious texts of Zoroastrianism

The corpus of the ancient sacr...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Full Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface
• The Informants
• Abbreviations
• PART 1: THE BACKGROUND
• PART 2: THE INTERVIEWS
• PART 3: CONCLUSIONS
• APPENDICES
• Bibliography
• lndex