Portrait of an Ancient Monotheistic Religion
by Dr. Pallan R. Ichaporia
Chair of the Research and Preservation Committee
of the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America
Zoroastrianism is the first revealed monotheistic religion of
the world. The date of its founding is lost in antiquity, but
general consensus places it between 2000 to 1800 BCE. Its founder,
Zarathushtra or Zoroaster (as called by the Greeks), flourished on
the East Iranian Plateau. Zarathushtra saw the God (Ahura
Mazda — the Wise Lord), felt conscious of His presence,
and heard His words, which are recorded in the five Songs or Poems
he composed. These are called the Gathas. One easily
understands Zarathushtra by seeing the Prophet's zeal in the Gathas
and the visible manifestation of his meeting the God.
Primary Beliefs
Zoroastrians believe in the One Supreme, Omnipotent, Omniscient
God, called Ahura Mazda. He is to be understood through his six
divine attributes: Vohu Mana (Good Mind), Asha
(Truth, Righteousness), Spenta Armaity (Correct Thinking,
Piety), Xsthra Vairya (Divine Domain), Haurvatat
(Perfection, Integrity), and Ameratat (Immortality). His
attributes are also found in each and every human being who must
work as a co-worker of God to defeat evil and bring the world to
perfection. This can be achieved by good thoughts, good words, and
good deeds.
Angels, known as the Yazatas, work endlessly to aid
humans in bringing the world to perfection. All the natural
elements like air, water, and lands are to be kept pure. Their
pollutions are to be prevented at all cost. This makes
Zoroastrianism the first true ecological religion of the world.
After death, the immortal soul of the departed person is judged
according to all the good deeds done by him or her in this world;
the soul then enjoys the pleasures of paradise or undergoes the
tortures of hell.
There is also belief in the appearance of the last savior,
called Sosayant, and of the final day of judgment with the
resurrections of all who have died (these last two are later
beliefs).
Main Sources of Religious Knowledge
The primary source is the Gathas of the Prophet; this
is followed by Hapatan Haiti, the seven chapters written
by the Prophet's disciples. These scriptures are called Old
Avesta as their language differs from the later scrioputres,
called the Younger Avesta. Together they are known as the
Avestan. The Younger Avesta consists of the
Yasna (without the Gathas, containing seventy-two
chapters), Vispered, Vendidad, and the
Yasts. The original Avestan scriptures were
written in twenty-one books called the Nasks, from which
only one complete Nask—Vandidad—has
survived the ravages of time. The Gathas and the rest of
the scriptures survived because they formed part of the long
Yasna liturgical ceremony, which was passed from
generation to generation by oral tradition.
Rituals
The most important ritual which every Zoroastrian has to undergo
is the Navzote or Sudraposhi Ceremony, which is for new initiates
(ages 7 to 15 years) entering the Religion. Generally the rituals
are divided into two classes:
- Those like the Yasna ceremony, to be performed in the
Zoroastrian Fire-Temples; and
- Those to be performed anywhere outside the Zoroastrian
Temples, like Jashan (thanksgiving) ceremony.
The word "fire temple" is a misnomer as the Zoroastrians do not
worship the fire. The fire is kept as a symbol of purity, acting as
the focal point (like the Kebla of the religion of Islam)
for prayers.
A Minority Religion
The Zoroastrians are the smallest minority of all religions,
having undergone the severest persecutions for centuries in Iran at
the hands of its conquerors, after the fall of the last Sassanian
Zoroastrian Empire. At one time the number of the community ran
into millions (650 CE). A small band of the community migrated to
India (between the ninth and tenth centuries CE) to avoid
harassment and persecution; called the Parsees, these now number
fewer than 60,000 in India and 2,500 in Pakistan. Still fewer have
survived in Iran (10,000), and some have settled in the West,
mostly in North America (12,000) and in Europe (7,000); there may
be 3,000 in other parts of the world. With such a small total
number of the community there are no fixed denominations as such,
although the Iranian Zoroastrians and the Parsees have different
cultures and mother tongues, which developed due to long
separation.
|
