By Dr. Darius Homi Umrigar
THE WHOLE AVESTA VIBRATES WITH THE TRUTH THAT HE WAS A YAZAT IN HUMAN FORM. IS MANASHNI - GAVASHNI - KUNASHNI, A "SIMPLE" TEACHING?
To say, as many Parsis of this day do, that our Religion is "very simple" with its "just Manashni Gavashni Kunashni", is a huge escapism and a sign of intellectual laziness. A Religion cannot be just "simple". Its subject matter ranges from a speck of dust to God and therefore covers each and every branch of knowledge, science and art including the art of living. It teaches the rules of life, a human is required to adhere to on this temporary motel, a whimsical globe called earth.
Even Manashni Gavashni Kunashni is not that simple. Definition of "good" is a riddle wrapped in an enigma. Communist good was different from Nazi good, both of which in turn were different from democratic good. Autocratic good, whether from a king or military general, is far away from all these. The riddle becomes further entangled, when we hear the proclamation of all Religions that what is good can be decided only by God and not man. His decisions in that behalf are conveyed to the humans by His Prophets, Avataars, Sages and Saints. The Message is loud and clear in all Avesta, (for instance in Gatha - Yazashney Haa 45-3, 45-5, 30-2, 53-6, Meher Yasht (example Kardas 18, 23, 27) and other Yashtas, Patet Pashemaani - Kardeh No:- 3, yet to add insult to the injury the American Jafri Irani Caucus declares, with great pomp and ceremony that according to their Zoroaster, even the sinners and non-saintly humans can arrive at the good and the truth, by their own thinking!! THAT is the root of the conversion maniacs, inverted thinking; THAT is the accelerating doomsday clock of the Parsis.
The necessary corollary which follows from these poisonous propositions - viz. think out your own truth and do what your mind prompts you to do - is that this nice fellow, Zoroaster, was such a simple man as to give us licence and liberty to believe and do what we want to; it is so amazing that in a pastoral primitive age he came out with such "truths" which "modern" science has arrived in the progressive 19th century. Parsis hardly know that the progressive 19lh century has retrogressed into a bottomless pit in the 20th and 21st centuries and the humanity's doomsday clock goes faster every day. All the theories and thinkings as also progresses and practices of the 19th century are now tolling the bells of the erasure of the humans off the globe. Wake up ye dreamy Jafris, Iranis, Farhangs and their mentally lazy satellites. What Zoroaster has said, according to this cult and Caucus, has proved to be frightfully wrong.
In addition to the riddle of the definition of "GOOD", the words Manashni Gavashni Kunashni are equally puzzling. What is a THOUGHT? Where does it come from into our head?? The brain is loosely described as a house of thought. But what is brain?? It is said that the brain is the darkest continent in the geography of man. It is actually and physically placed in a pitch dark room in our head. And figuratively too, it is in the dark that is does not know much about itself. What do you think about your thinking? Think over this question. Thought and thinking point towards "consciousness" and what is consciousness, is another question which has confused philosophers, physicists, psychologists, psychiatrists, theologians and even yogis since hundreds of years. Not a "simple" affair, this GOOD THOUGHT.
And "word" and "deed" are also not "simple". We won't go in the science, physical as well as an esoteric, of these two words except stating that the holy Avesta has half a dozen different words for tongue and speech; and the deed is another wrapped mystery. Add to it our experience that "word" and "deed" emerge from thought which itself is a great enigma, and the simplicity of this simple Manashni Gavashni Kunashni explodes away with a big bang.
Humans are manifestly spiritual beings, so said the Australian sculptor Peter. Life is not a "simple" occurrences. From Mummy's tummy to the death yard it is a most complicated affair, and as regards.before - birth and after-death, we are completely in the dark. What "simple"?
We are on this globe, in a motel, on our way to God. Therefore "follow the Path of your Dharma", said all Prophets and Saoshyants. That is the real, right and the truth, "Thus Spake Zarathushtra; and not the Nietzche's or Gatha Alone Cultwa las’s or conversion fanatics.
All Avesta proclaims that Zarthushtra was a "Yashtey - Yazdaan" and "Ham Kherpiey Ameshaspandan", that is, "Yazat" who was given a human-form by Ahura to carry out His divine mission of "Daenaao" - Religions. Mazdaa's divine plan of "Daenaao" is set out in Gatha Haa 31-11 and elaborated in 33-13, 34-13, 46-6, 49-9. Yashtey Yazdaan Zarathushtra has been assigned the task of helping Nature in executing that plan. Not a nice simple common-sense man, this Mr. Zoroaster from a pastoral age, who was so verile as to have three wives; (thirty would have been more virilous) and six children (sixty would have been better) . What balderdash from the self appointed ratus and messiahs, who thrive on the Community's ignorance and unawareness, lethargy and laziness.'
WHO IS A YAZAT?
Imagine Ahura to be a sphere of divine Light, emanating and spreading numerous RAYS of Light all around His Creation. Each of these Rays is a divine conscious living entity, who is assigned a certain specified task. They are called the Yazats. They carry out the task assigned to them in a holistic fashion. This means, each is aware of the other Yazat's assignments and help them, so as to work in unision for the final aim of taking the whole Creation back to Ahura. This is described in Farvadin Yashta, Kardeh 23, by the words “Hameym Mano, Hameyam Vacho, Hameyam Shyothnem”.
There is a main assemblage of 33 Yazats (set out in Sirojaa Yashta), 5 Gathas and the 6th Zarathushtra Gatha. Of these 39 Yazats, 7 are specially named as “Ameshaaspands -- Ahura Mazda to Amardaad, on our calendar". These seven are the members of Ahura's chief cabinet. The others are their co-workers. There are then numerous sub-channels emanating from each Yazat and each sub-channel itself is a Yazata.
Each Yazat manifests itself into three divisions of the Creation. They are:-
1. The Divine called Hasti, composed of the Rays of pure Yazatic Light.
2. The Ultra-physical, called Nisti, which is constituted of ultra-material Energies and Forces.
3. The material world constituted of physical energies and physical matter, a part of which can enter into our conscious experience.
What ever things and objects we, the normal humans can see, observe and experience through our five senses are the physical or material manifestations of the Yazat's divine Light. For instance, when we see a tree, we are looking at the materialization of the Yazatic Light of Amardad Ameshaspand; a mountain, of Zamyad Yazat, water of Avan Yazad, Sun - Khurshed Yazata, Moon - Mah Yazat, wind - Govaad Yazad, and so on..
The first assemblage of 29 yazats is collectively called "Ahuraaonghho" (the word occurs in Gatha Haa 30-9, 31-4) Gathas are also Yazatic Channels. (Yazashney Haa 55, Gatha Ha 28-0).
Zarathushtra gatha is one of the yazats and the prophet zarathushtra in the human form is a channel from that gatha.
These mystical truths are spread out all throughout in the Avesta, and elaborated by Ilm-e-Khshnoom. The subject is treated at various places in the Khshnoom writings. For instance in Frarnraoze Chiniwalla's "Khshnoom Nileeh-e-vehdin" Volume I, Gatha 28, Yazashney,
In Khordaad Yashta, Zarathushtra is referred to as of the rank of Ameshaspend. One who reaches Zarathushtra, reaches the seven Ameshaspends, the very first passage declares.
Farvadin Yashta & Kardeh 24 (92) says:-
"Ameshaspenta's accepted him, with unflincing faith and devotion, as the ahu (the lord) and ratu (the leader), who can lead the earth and everything on it to immortal existence.
In Tir Yashta, Kardeh 13 (44), proclaims that:
As the divine star tishtra is the lord of all stars, asho zarathushtra, the divine human has been appointed by .ahura as the lord of man. Angramino (the master of evil) cannot kill asho zarathushtra, so also, neither any evil spirit or fairy or any worshiper of evil beings or any man can kill him. Similar pronouncement is made in Vendided Pargarad 19 (3), to the effect:-
THAT NOBODY CAN KILL ASHO ZARATHUSHTRA.
(Then what about that Toor-baraa-toor who is reported to have killed Him? That is another fascinating narrative. A short version is given in Ed. K N Dastoor's "Zarathushtra, the Yazata" - Zarthoshti Dini Sahitya Mandal, 2001 0 Chapter No :- 13 )
The most effective piece of Scriptural evidence for the Truth that Asho Zarathushtra was Yazat in human form, is (as pointed out by Khurshedji Cama) that a KHSNOOMAN is assigned to Him in the Holy Avesta. In Yazashney Haa 3-2, 21; 4-23; 7-21, the following words occur:-
KHSHNOOMAINEY ZARATHUSHTRA SPITAMANAHEY ASHANAO FRAVASHAHEY AAOKHTAO NAMANO YAZATAH.
Meaning:-
EXULTATION (JOY, DELIGHT) TO THE FRAVASHI OF ASHO SPITAMAN ZARATHUSHTRA, THE YAZAT OF THE RENOWNED NAME.
The word Khshnooman is a technical term used in Avesta Prayers and Kriyaa-Kaam as a Manthric formula for invocation of and attunement with a Yazat. This subject calls for a separate treatment and we have already read / seen and learned above (few pages back).
ASHO ZARATHUSHTRA'S "GAAS", THE TRANSMITTING STATION OF YAZATIC BLESSINGS (MYSTICISM IN THE GATHA )
The following Truths are presented below:-
- Ahura is the source of the Light Divine. He emanates from Him the Rays of His Light. These rays or beams or channels of Ahura's Light are collectively called:-"AHURAONGHA-HO" . They are divided into six categories viz:-Ameshaspand, Yazat, Daey, Mino, farrokh, Gatha - as we prefix or suffix their names in the passage "Roj Nek Naam...." occurring in every Niyaish and every Yasht. The term Yazat is also used for all the six categories collectively in place of Ahurangha-ho. In what follows, we shall use the word Yazat or Yazatic in that collective sense.