ZARATHUSTRA, FATHER OF ZOROASTRIANISM

Few facts can be known about Zarathustra, or Zoroaster, as the Greeks called him. It is known that he was a real person and that he lived in very ancient times. During his lifetime the peoples of the Iranian Plateau, his homeland, kept no written documents, so there are no eyewitness accounts of his life. It is not even known for certain when he lived. The Greeks, who wrote of him first, knew only that the traditions concerning his life were already centuries old. They estimated that he had lived some 6,000 years earlier than the philosopher Plato (ca. 429–ca.347 b.c.e.). Later historians reckoned that Zarathustra had lived around 600 b.c.e., around the time of the Hebrew prophets. Today’s scholars believe that Zarathustra lived between 1500 and 1000 b.c.e. However even this is a wide range of time.

The earliest versions of Zarathustra’s life were passed down orally (by mouth) for more than a thousand years before they were recorded in writing, so it is hard to know how accurate they are. However, they provide some important clues to the man and his life. Knowledge of Zarathustra comes from his own writings and his influence. One way scholars trace Zarathustra’s life is by looking for clues in the Gathas, the ancient hymns that are believed to have been the work of Zarathustra himself.

ZARATHUSTRAS'S WORDS

Throughout his life Zarathustra composed hymns or psalms to the glory of Ahura Mazda. They are composed in Zarathustra’s language, Gathic Avestan. The Gathas are poems in complex metrical forms that were difficult to master. In Zarathustra’s time such learning was largely confined to the priesthood, and his use of poetic form suggests that he had priestly training. The Gathas are of high literary quality. They show Zarathustra to have been not only a great religious thinker, but also one of Persia’s earliest and finest poets.

ZARATHURSTRA'S PROBABLE ORIGINS

Although many areas of Iran have claimed him, Zarathustra was probably born in what was then northeastern Persia, roughly where the boundaries of modern Iran, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan meet today. Persia—which eventually stretched from the prairieland of Russia and the Caspian Sea westward to the Greek Empire and south toward modern Pakistan—had not yet become an empire.

From the Avesta, the Zoroastrian holy book, the names of Zarathustra’s mother, Dughda, and his father, Pourushasp, of the Spitama clan are known. Tradition has it that Zarathustra was born in their home on the banks of the Daraja River. His followers celebrate his birthday on the sixth day of the first month, Farvardin (March–April) on the Zoroastrian calendar.

The Spitamas were a pastoral people who probably raised and traded horses. Zarathustra himself, however, was apparently drawn to religion from an early age. The Gathas he composed suggest that he knew the religious traditions well and had been trained as a priest.

ZARATHUSTRA'S MIRACULOUS BEGINNINGS

According to the later legendary Zoroastrian tradition, the coming of Zarathustra was foretold long before his birth. The creatures of the earth and the saints of the heavens had spoken of it from the beginnings of the world. The heavenly glory that would pass to Zarathustra came from the sun, moon, and stars into the home of Zarathustra’s mother, Dughda, even before her birth, starting an ever-burning fire on the hearth. When Dughda was born, she glowed with light. Evil powers tried to convince Dughda’s father that the light around her showed she was a sorceress. He sent her away from his home, but in her new home she met Pourushasp, who was to be her husband.

HAOMA - THE SACRED PLANT

As Dughda and Pourushasp were walking Dughda saw and admired a plant. Pourushasp picked it for her and carried it home. It was a haoma, the sacred plant of Zoroastrian ritual. Inside was hidden Zarathustra’s guardian spirit, or fravahi, which would join him at birth. In this way the divine spirit came into their home. Zarathustra was born soon afterward, surrounded by light. As a newborn baby he laughed and he spoke to Ahura Mazda, dedicating his life to the Wise Lord.

PROTECTING ANIMALS

Zoroastrian legend says that evil spirits set out immediately to destroy this child that would conquer them. They persuaded the evil local chieftain that the radiant infant was a demon. The chieftain laid the child on a pile of firewood and tried to light it, but the fire would not burn. Then he put the baby in the path of stampeding oxen, but the first ox stood over the baby and protected him. Zarathustra was put into the den of a wolf whose cubs had been taken away, but instead of harming him the wolf cared for him.

The theme of Zarathustra’s special relationship with animals recurs, underscoring his protection of them from animal sacrifice. Zarathustra survived other trials as a baby and child, always protected by his own essential goodness and righteousness.

THE ZOROASTRIAN TRADITION

The Greeks first learned of Zoroaster and his message around 400 b.c.e. from the Magi, a priestly tribe of western Iran. By then Zoroastrianism had had time to spread from the extreme eastern boundaries of Iran to the west. The Magi adopted Zoroastrian belief and claimed Zarathustra as one of their own. They placed him as having lived some 200 years earlier. The writings written in Pahlavi, the language of Avesta commentary, gave the date of his birth as somewhere between 630 and 618 b.c.e., about a hundred years before the time of the Persian ruler Cyrus the Great.

When Zarathustra was 15, according to the local custom he was considered an adult. He put on the sacred sash of the existing Iranian religion and took up adult duties. However he was restless. Born into violent times, he had seen much human suffering. Even at this young age he had begun to consider the question of righteousness and the conflict between good and evil in the world. At the age of 20, over his parents’ objections, he left home and began a period of wandering inquiring about the nature of righteousness.

ZARATHUSTRA'S EARLY MINISTRY

From the age of 20 to the age of 30 Zarathustra lived in solitude on a mountain, searching for answers. At the age of 30, in order to participate as a member of a priestly family in the spring festival, he went to the famous Daitya River, where one of his priestly duties was to go to the river at dawn to draw water from the deepest and purest part of the stream for the morning ceremony. As he waded back to the riverbank a glorious angel, Vohu Mana, stood before him. The angel asked him who he was and what was the most important thing in his life. Zarathustra replied that he wanted most of all to be righteous and pure and to gain wisdom. With that the angel took Zarathustra into the presence of Ahura Mazda and the archangels.

Zarathustra understood that he had received a special calling. He also understood that the way would be difficult because it meant opposing the old religion and the princes who used it to their own ends. During the next few years he often felt despair and called on Ahura Mazda to help him. He received other visions, seven in all, in which one by one all of the archangels, or Beneficent Immortals, appeared to him. These visions helped him to remain faithful to his work. From the age of 30, when he received his revelation, to the age of 42, when he was accepted as a prophet by Vishtaspa, the king of Bactria, Zarathustra wandered from place to place, from the west to the east of Iran.

ZARATHUSTRA'S MESSAGE

Zarathustra arose as a prophet who strongly denounced the ritual practices of the warrior societies, the groups of young men who wandered the countryside in a state of drunkenness, stealing and slaughtering cattle and terrorizing people. An outspoken reformer, Zarathustra fought against the cruel and bloody practice of animal sacrifice, the use of intoxicating herbs, and the excesses of the old religion that whipped young men into a frenzy and sent them into battle. Never afraid to speak out, he openly scorned the “mumbling” priests and sacrificers. Instead of ritual he demanded that people turn their hearts and minds to Ahura Mazda.

Zarathustra preached the notion of one true god, Ahura Mazda, who had created human life and all things visible and invisible. Along with all the things of the earth, two opposing forces were created. One force, Spenta Mainyu, the holy spirit, represented Truth and Goodness. The other, a destructive spirit that came to be called Angra Mainyu, represented the Lie. Zarathustra saw a world of ethical good in which people worked to maintain life by marrying, bringing up children, raising cattle, and farming. They would think good thoughts and do good deeds, turning away from evil and creating a peaceful, loving society. After death people would be judged according to how they had chosen to live their lives. It was up to humans to choose Truth over The Lie. He also taught that the world would end and that at that time the righteous would be saved and the evildoers would go down into the underworld.

ZARATHUSTRA WINS CONVERTS

For the first 10 years of his mission Zarathustra traveled around preaching in the courts of local rulers. His efforts were unsuccessful. At the age of 40, after 10 years of preaching and teaching, Zarathustra finally made his first convert. It was his cousin Maidyoimanha (also known asor Medyomah), the son of his father’s brother. This was an important milestone but Zarathustra himself wondered whether the struggle was worthwhile—in 10 years he had won only one person to the side of Ahura Mazda.

ZARATHUSTRA FLEES

Meanwhile Zarathustra’s preaching had caused him many problems. He had angered the priests and teachers of the existing order. They denounced him and his message.

Zarathustra fled and took refuge in the court of Kai Vishtaspa, King of the ancient city of Bactra (what is now northern Afghanistan). At first he was not well received; for a time he languished in prison. As the story goes Vishtaspa had a favorite horse that had become paralyzed, its legs drawn up into its body. Zarathustra restored the horse to health and made converts of Vishtaspa, his family, and his court. One who accepted Zarathustra’s preaching from the start was Jamaspa, the kingdom’s prime minister, who was to become Zarathustra’s spiritual successor. By this time Zarathustra was 42 years old.

FIGHTING FOR BELIEFS

The conversion of Vishtaspa proved to be a turning point. With the king’s support and patronage Zarathustra was free to preach and spread his message, but even then things did not go smoothly. Rulers of the surrounding kingdoms attacked Vishtaspa in an attempt to get him to renounce Zarathustra’s way. Fortunately for Zarathustra and for Zoroastrianism, Vishtaspa and his sons were willing to fi ght for what they believed. Vishtaspa was forced to fi ght two wars in defense of Zoroastrianism. Vishtaspa’s army proved to be a formidable fighting force. His son Prince Asfandyar defeated attackers and signed new treaties across Persia. Zarathustra’s message spread.

ZARATHUSTRA'S LATER LIFE

Zarathustra preached that people should live in the real world, working, marrying, and raising families.

The Gathas (13.98, 13.9) describe the wedding of Zarathustra’s youngest daughter, Pouruchista, to Jamaspa, the prime minister of Vishtaspa, as an occasion of much joy. In keeping with his belief that people should choose freely among the options in their lives, Zarathustra speaks to his daughter about Jamaspa’s good qualities but allows her to choose for herself. With the marriage of Pouruchista and Jamaspa a new generation of Zoroastrians
began.

THE DEATH OF ZARATHUSTRA

Zarathustra lived into old age. Zoroastrianism was spreading across the Persian landscape. However the new religion still had its detractors, particularly the priests of the old religion that Zoroastrianism was replacing. At age 77 Zarathustra was preaching in Vishtaspa’s court when the place was attacked and he was killed. Some say that he was assassinated with a ritual dagger by a priest of the old order who could not bear to have Zarathustra’s message spread in the world; others say that he died at the hands of the soldiers. Regardless of how he died, the Zoroastrian fire could not be quenched. By the end of his life Zarathustra’s message had taken root. It was not only to spread throughout Persia, but to have a far-reaching influence on other world religions as well.

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Visionary Image

Gathic Avestan, the language of the Gathas, is a very ancient dialect, one that was spoken only in a small area and for a relatively short time. This dialect provides important clues to Zarathustra’s origins.

Since he lived more than 3,000 years ago, no one knows what Zarathustra looked like. Artistic renderings of him, however, all look alike, even to the pose—a man gazing upward to the right, one hand raised. Until the 18th century there were no portraits of Zarathustra. Then a Zoroastrian artist had a dream in which the Prophet appeared to him. He painted the man he saw and Zoroastrians since that time have accepted his vision as the way Zarathustra looked.

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Zarathustra’s Birth

The miraculous happenings surrounding Zarathustra’s birth tie elements of Zoroastrianism, such as the sacred fire and the haoma plant, to the life of the Prophet. These traditions glorify the life of a man of humble origins whose thought and philosophy were a turning point in religious history.

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The Birth of Zarathustra, from the Denkard portion of the Avesta:

"Further, when he [Zarathustra] was born, there was a light like the blaze of fire, a glare and a twilight irradiating from his house in all directions, high in the air and to a great distance on the earth, as a token of his greatness and exaltation . . ."
(In Denkard, Book 5, Chapter 2, edited by Peshotun Dastoor Behramjee Sanjana.)

The Gift of Preaching

Zarathustra tells of his vision of Ahura Mazda in the Gathas:

Then thus spake Ahura Mazda, the Lord of knowledge and wisdom:

“As there is not a righteous spiritual lord, or secular chief So have I, indeed, the Creator, made thee, Zarathustra, the leader, For the welfare of the world and its diligent people.”
—Ys. 29.6

Scarcely able to believe what he hears, Zarathustra asks whom Ahura Mazda has chosen to carry his divine word and the welfare of the world. Ahura Mazda responds:

And thus spoke Ahura Mazda:

“The one who alone has harkened to my command and is known to me is Zarathustra Spitama. For his creator and for Truth, he wishes to announce the Holy Message, Wherefore shall I bestow on him, the charm of speech.”
—Ys. 29.8

In this way Zarathustra is ordained to be Ahura Mazda’s prophet and receives directly from him the gift of preaching.

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Yatha Ahu Vairyo

One of the greatest Zoroastrian prayers, believed to have been composed by Zarathustra, this prayer is spoken by the priest in confirmation, wedding, and funeral ceremonies.

"Yatha ahu vairyo, atha ratush ashatcit haca, vangheush dazda manangho, shyaothananam angheush mazdai, xshathremca ahurai a, yim drigubyo dadat vastarem."

The gift of the good mind leads to actions dedicated to Ahura Mazda. Ahura Mazda gives authority to the one who protects the dispossessed.

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Revolutionary Ideas

The ideas of one supreme God, the struggle between good and evil in the human soul, and a last judgment after death do not seem very unusual today, but in Zarathustra’s time they were revolutionary. Also revolutionary was his declaration that women, who held little or no place in society, were equal with men in the sight of Ahura Mazda and had the same hope of salvation.

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Finding Solace

After being denounced by priests and teachers of the existing order Zarathustra turned in despair to Ahura Mazda:

"To what land shall I flee? Where bend my steps?
l am thrust out from family and tribe:
I have no favor from the village to which I would belong,
Nor from the wicked rulers of the country".

—Ushtavaiti Gatha, Ys. 46.1

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Continuing the Faith

The promise of Jamaspa, who accepted Zarathustra’s teachings and would become his spiritual successor:

"Jamaspa Hvogva, of wealth and power, and follower of Truth,
Doth choose for himself the wisdom of Thy Faith, O Lord,
And so choosing doth he attain to this great heritage,
The Kingdom of the Good Mind. Grant me, O Lord, that I may so teach people, As ever to look for their shelter and protection in Thee, O Ahura.
—Ys. 51.18

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Marriage Vows

Pouruchista chooses Jamaspa as her husband:

“Verily, I have chosen him,
Faithful to my father and to my husband,
Faithful to the peasants as to the nobles,
Faithful as a righteous woman should be to the righteous,
Mine shall be the glorious heritage—
The light of the Good Mind;
May Ahura Mazda grant me this blessing that endureth for all time.”
—Ys. 51.18


By Paula R. Hartz in "World Religions - Zoroastrianism", Chelsea House Publishers, New York, USA, 2009, excerpts pp.24-37. Digitized, adapted and illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.