Zoroastrian News – اخبار زرتشتیان

“Only one Ahura Mazda there is. He is Lord of life and knowledge…He is Supreme and is, epitome of ultimate peace. He is one and only one. Consciousness, Truth, Justice, Reality, Love and Compassion emerge only as per His being. Man should worship Him and may peace be unto man.”

The Propounder of Zoroastrianism–Spitama Zoroaster’s above mentioned dictum accords unity of humanity and thereby puts a human being as a bead in rosary: the rosary can be compared to world peace. As we are already in the knowledge of single God theory of total faith in such a Divine system, this philosophy enunciates whole humanity to be part of God. All being his part happen to be equal. No one should be termed big or small. All must worship Him and should try to be His achiever: this only is the state of peace.

Spitama Zoroaster, who was born two thousand B.C. in Aryan Clan in Southern Iran, in his early age experienced social and religious condition of his time, which were full of utter complexities and in which man was under darkness of sanctimoniousness by involving himself in sacrificing animals in names of gods and in other forms. There existed an evil of Black Magic and every human being was sad owing to that.

Pondering over this grief at the tender age of fifteen years only he gave up worldly pleasures which actually happened to be the cause of grief and turmoil and began to pursue peace. He became twenty after five years and now after denunciating home, he began to think deeply of taking abode in a cave. He continued to think in this manner for ten years and ultimately he gained knowledge at the age of thirty. Subsequently, he began to tread path of peace and as a Prophet imparted message for the peace of world.

What is the message? How can we get real pleasure after getting rid of grief and can be able to establish peace in the world? Towards this, Zoroaster put the most significant fact of oneness of human beings before us. He prescribed that we all are offspring of single God. No one can be our master except God. As such, human beings must learn to be united with love and cooperation. In other words, he took human unity to be supreme and stated single God purview to be the basis of this. This is really a very important and handsome step in the direction of establishment of world peace. In addition to that, other significant messages in Zoroastrian philosophy for this purpose are:

True Actions: Zoroaster mentioned about two types of actions: True; and False. Every human being happens to be in the midst of true and false both. This can be compared to a bridge in the midst of two banks. A bridge separates two banks as well as it unites them. In the same way, man can separate true and false actions and can also bring them together. In case a man aspires for prosperity and state of peace, he must indeed tend towards true actions. This remains to be full of goodness and attributes of welfare. In his very words: “Pleasure, peace, disaster…all results from good [truthful] or bad [false] deeds of man.”

He also gave a message that one can be near to God by true actions only. This also indicates existence of humanity. It clearly means that man’s existence depends upon true actions. As such, a man will have to perform true actions if he aspires for peace. False action is at the root of grief.

Liberality and Fraternity: Zoroaster emphasized liberality and fraternity along with human unity. His highly remarkable and real message was: “In case a man adopts fraternity in real sense and keeps a pace with liberal policy along with that, he gives himself unto that spirit of equality which is liked by his God and which imparts peace to him.”

He not only gave this message but applied it in his practices and, as such, presented very good examples before human world. In Zoroastrian treatises, there is a good episode in this context and it can be cited as an example here. According to it, there had been a very severe famine on earth in the age of Zoroaster. All were under its attack. Grief of already grief-stricken became unbound. Many of them died. His parents were wealthy and so he urged them to distribute all amongst poor and depressed. His parents did so. Everything was distributed. Now, the family of Zoroaster became equally poor. This was a unique example of liberality, fraternity and equality. He continued to impart this very message throughout his life; it was not an act limited to message giving alone-he treated this path practically in life.

Liberty: A man in chains can never prosper in any field of life. Not only can that, a dependent one, cannot develop him spiritually. It is on this count that Zoroastrian philosophy highly applauded human liberty. Topics related to human liberty have been there more than once in Avesta and in all of them he has been accorded right to this. To quote one of them: “Man is free in this world to know darkness and light, good and bad; justice and injustice and truth and non-truth. He is at liberty to understand and adopt good or bad. God Himself granted this freedom to man. But as we get a handsomely good fruit in future if we sow a handsomely good plant at present, in the same way-the actions carried out with the spirit of fairness, justice and truth accord us prosperity and peace. It is the duty of man to know this and act accordingly. This is the way of enlightenment.”

Human liberty has really been given foremost position in Zoroastrian philosophy. Liberty has been preferred not only in worldly practices but also in sphere of summon bonoum that is ultimately good sphere. It has been described: “Almighty want His offspring to be near Him…but with self-will and affectionately.”
Mercy and Friendliness: Man should have the spirit of mercy not only towards man but unto every living being and this mercy must imbibe itself with the spirit of friendliness-Zoroaster called upon this humanity in his message. Mercy and friendliness together constitute compassion. Compassion occupies important place in eternal human values. It was on this account that Zoroaster declared as inhuman the customs of sacrifice and violence prevalent in his times and also declared them to be symbolic of non-peace. He declared: Mercy and friendliness are indicative of humanity. Man cannot be perfect in the absence of them.
In this way, Zoroaster called upon man to imitate the way to peace while imparting into him knowledge of eternal human values like liberty, mercy, friendliness, fraternity, truthfulness and equality. Who can deny that these eternal values shall not bring all-sided development to man and will not promise position of peace unto him? It is, of course, imperative that behaviour should be conducted in accordance with these values.

Good, that is-sacred thought, good words and talks and good actions of sacred nature are necessary to achieve this ambition.

This is the purpose-cum-meaning of the main principles in Zoroastrian philosophy: Humata, Hukta, Huvarashta or Manashmi, Gavashmi and Kunashmi.
Zoroastrianism incorporates active goodness as the most important point. This philosophy aims at making all-sided development of man who can be termed well as per above mentioned main values and Godly grace. A man, so all-sided developed, can only be considered prosperous and peaceful.