Zarathustra's era and place of birth are unknown to history. Many have tried to pin-point these two unknowns with no substantive evidence. The one time High Priest of Bombay, Rastamji Edulji Dastoor Peshotan Sanjana, rightly states that "too much discussion on minor and contentious controversies about Zoroaster's birth-place and age has done us, in a way, a disservice, because it has distracted the attention of scholars from such important questions as the character and life-work of Zoroaster."(1) Zoroaster was not divine; he was not God nor was there anything supernatural about his birth.(2) For that matter, neither was any other founder of any other religion. These appellations are conjured up by credulous followers to elevate the founders of religions to exaggerated heights. The Zoroastrian scriptures show that "the beginning and end of everything in the natural world occurs according to the known laws of Nature."(3) To imply miracles to natural phenomena is to suggest that "Ahura Mazda, the establisher of the laws and order, is a Being of deficient intelligence and limited power."(4) Zarathustra and his early disciples had too high a reverence for Ahura Mazda to suggest for a moment that His original plan was so imperfect that it became necessary to supplement it by miracles.(5) During Zarathustra's early years, he spent his time contemplating on Nature and Nature's Creator. He studied natural and spiritual phenomena of the world.(6) "It should be observed that the Religion of our Holy Prophet Zarathushtra, is based on the observations and facts of nature."(7) Zarathustra advocated through his teachings that natural laws (the laws of Ahura Mazda) are the guiding principles for human morality, fate and purpose. Zarathustra was the first to espouse the link between spirituality and the laws of Nature and taught those laws through the insightful verses he composed—the Gathas. He did not claim any exclusivity as teacher of those profound lessons in those verses, but encouraged human beings to teach the ethics underlying his compositions to other human beings (Gatha Ha 50.6.) Zarathustra dedicated his life to dispel evil and practices inimical to one's well-being. Belief in and practice of occultism was anathema to the Prophet. He discouraged his followers from any ideas that any phenomena arose from communication with invisible mysterious spirits. Zarathustra was categorical that the truths he expounded was not through the medium of miracles. (8) Zarathustra encountered adversaries and untold adversities in his quest to rid the world of evil and its influence. He overcame all this by his extraordinary wisdom, rational thought and intellect—characteristics of Ahura Mazda's manifestation of a Good Mind (Vohu Manah.) Zarathustra had disciples committed to his cause of imparting the importance of righteousness to humankind to move the world towards perfection. These disciples spread the Prophet's doctrines to all of Iran and then to the Greek and Roman empires, Asia Minor, Arabia, India and China with a view to convert the people of the world to the Zoroastrian faith. (9) Zarathustra's teachings are timeless. They have influenced not only other religions, but also philosophical thought through the ages. These points are expressed in the book Zarathustra: The Man And The Message. Note to reader: The references made here are from Rastamji Edulji Dastoor Peshotan Sanjana's book The Parsi Book of Books: The Zend Avesta. Dastoor Sanjana was a very conservative priest. He embodies true conservatism in much of his writings, showing that a true conservative does not alter the founding principles of Zarathustra's religious principles to satisfy personal whims and biases. A true conservative uses wisdom and rational thought supporting Zarathustra's teachings which are based on irrefutable evidence. 1. Sanjana, Rastamji Edulji Dastoor Peshotan; The Parsi Book of Books: The Zend Avesta; Published by Rastamji Edulji Dastoor Peshotan Sanjana; Pg. 73. 2. Ibid; Pg. 74 3. Ibid; Pg.76-77 4. Ibid; Pg. 77 5. Ibid; Pg. 77 6. Ibid; Pg. 80 7. Ibid; Pg. 81 8. Ibid; Pg. 90 9. Ibid; Pg. 106 |
The code of morality enjoined by the Zoroastrian religion is as pure as its theory is perfect--Samuel Laing in "A Modern Zoroastrian."