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Their origin:
Their homeland is Persia. Hence the name is derived from the province
'Fars'. They left it over 1,200 years ago to save their religion, from
being islamized by the invading Arabians. The epoch of Persian history
which is of significance for the formation of the feeling of group identity
today. It begins in the 6th century BC and ends with the conquest of
Persia by the Muslims in the 7th century AD. The two personalities that
were to become determining factors in the Persian political as well
as religious development were Cyrus I and Zoroaster. Persian policy
originated in western Iran under the Achaemenidian Cyrus. The teachings
of Zoroaster were conceived in the East in confrontation with the nomadic
culture. While western Iranists date Zoroaster's existence mainly in
the 5th and 6th centuries BC. Greek historians and present day parsees
opinion believe that, Zoroaster lived and taught between 4000and 6000
B.C The ancient Iranian culture reached its Zenith under the Achaemenides
(550-330 A.D) The empire was presumably stretched from Greece to northern
India and from Central Asia to Egypt.
Zoroaster's battle for the transcendence of the one God against the
demons that do not exist,and false deities. The achaemenides had followed
the teachings of Zoroaster since Darius I (521-486) but the emperors
were not prepared to accept Zoroaster as the prophet and founder of
their religion as the mediator between human being and Ahura Mazda.
Tolerance practiced by the Achaemenidian rulers toward other religions
present at that time did not grant Zoroaster's religion any kind of
a privileged position. With the Sassanians (226-651 A.D) a nation and
cultural renaissance began. Under the Sessanians, Zoroaster's teachings
became a state religion for the first time in history. Under the newly
established Zoroastrian state religion, Christians and Manichaenans
had to suffer. This Iranian Zoroastrian Empire came to a sudden and
violent end with the conquest of Iran by the Islamic Arabians in the
7th century. The exodus of the Parsees is a direct result of the forced
Islamization of Iran.
Foundation:
The
religion founded by Zoroaster is in its original form monotheism.
In contrast to the innumerable gods and demons of his time he proclaimed
the sole, absolute, omnipotent, eternal God Ahura Mazda (wise lord)
Ahura Mazda is the creator as well as the judge on the day of the
last judgement.
Philosophy:
Zoroaster
has a dichotomic view of the world and human existence. He differentiates
between the present world and eternity as well as between material
and spiritual existence. Ahura Mazda rules in this world as the unlimited
supreme lord of eternity over the good spirits, created by Him. The
evil spirits opposes these good spirits in this world. The antagonism
between the two antipodes makes this world a battlefield between good
and evil. The good will prove its supremacy at the end of time by
the complete mobilization of all of the powers of this world. Every
individual is called upon in this dispute to stand up of his own free
will for the good and to defend it actively. Should he fail to side
with the good, he will have to share the fate of the evil.
The ethics in Parsism are corresponding to this call to battle for
the good optimistic and active. Moral demands on the individual meet
in the formula ''good deeds, good words, good thoughts. They also
explicitly include truthfulness, righteousness, faithfulness, purity,
diligence, peace ableness and charity. Earthly renunciation and asceticism
are condemned by Zoroaster because they indirectly support the evil
in its battle. Thus at this point it differs from Hinduism and Buddhism.
In contrast to the clear monotheism in the older Avesta, Parsism becomes
a dualism in the later Avesta as Ahura Mazda combines with good spirits
to become Ohrmazd. The antipode to Ahriman, the personified evil spirit.
Zurvanism arose during the time of the Arsacid dynasty it was a monism
in which infinite time (Zrvan Akarana) takes over the role of the
absolute ruler. The God Aurvan being of both sexes gave birth to the
opposing spirits Ohrmazd and Ahriman as his sons. After man's death,
his body decays while the fate of his soul is decided upon in the
last judgement under the supervision of Ahura Mazda in front of the
bridge Chinvat.
In this last judgement, man's deeds in life are weighed, reward and
punishment are distributed as earned and the Zoroastrian sense of
justice is rigorous but it does not purport floomy feeling of frightened
dependence on incomprehensible supernatural powers. Eternal existence
near the wise lord is waiting for the good and wicked and impious
are threatened with non-existence in the evil spirit's sphere of influence.
For Zoroaster the universe does not develop from eternity to eternity
or in cycle. The world passes through a 12,000 year long history of
salvation, which is divided, into four epochs of 3,000 years each.
In the first epoch spiritual life is created in the second the material
world is created. Good and evil are still separated during this time.
Ahriman the personification of evil enters the sphere of the good
creation where upon the battle between the two powers breads out.
In fourth epoch, Zoroaster appears, to strengthen the good decisively
through the preaching of his teachings. Ohrmazd then wins the final
battle. The defeat of the evil powers in the year 12,000 makes possible
the definitive salvation of the world.
Religious
text:
The
Avesta plays a central role as the Parsees' holy book. It is attributed
to Zoroaster himself originally supposed to have contained 21 books
but today it consists of only four books viz.
a)
Yasna Book of sacrifices is a collection of texts consisting of 17
gathas which extremely important for the ritual.
b)
Yasts, sacrificial songs and hymn like praise.
c) Videvdad, a priestly book of law and code of purification.
d)
Visperad, a small collection of Prayers. As a source of religious
history through Sassanian era to the Islamic centuries, Pahlavi text
is also needs a special mention.
Rites:
Rites
in Parsism are less important than ethical dimensions; Man can only
attain salvation through his behavior, not so much through prayers
and rites of atonement. The majority and the most important of the
Zoroastrians' rites are purification ceremonies. They are asked to
take the greatest care in keeping the body and the natural elements
earth, fire and water pure from defilement. This explains the function
of tower of silence (Dakhmas) upon which the deceased Zoroastrians
are thrown to the vultures because otherwise earth, fire of water
according to the method of burial be defiled by them Fire stands at
the center of the cult; no ceremony can take place without fire being
present. But the fire is only the symbol for Ahura Mazda, the light
and the truth. Parsism knows no god like Agni in Hinduism. It is thus
incorrect to speak of the Zoroastrians as fire worshippers.
Occupational
structure:
According
to Yasna, the early Iranian society was similar to that of India's
Vedic society, divided into four socio-economic classes. Clergy Athravans,
guardians of the fire, corresponding to the Brahmins among the Hindus
Warriors: Rathaeshtars, He who is standing on a war-chariot, corresponding
to the Kshatriyas Peasants: Vactrya, He who cultivates the land, corresponding
to the vaisyas Artisans: Huiti, someone who produces objects, corresponding
to shudras .The division to the Avesta society did not lead to the
formation of a caste-system. Though caste consciousness and caste
structures have partially been maintained or accepted by Indian Muslims
and Christians, the social structure of the Indian Parsee community
has remained relatively unaffected by influences from its caste-hindu
environment in the course of its 1200 years of association.
©
2001 vandemataram.com All rights reserved.
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