The art of writing was not known during the epoch of Zoroaster. The prophet and his immediate disciples communicated their teachings by sermons they preached and are preserved in the Gathas which are the only scripture composed in Avestan. What became part of later scriptures (outside of the Gathas) were written by the clergy much after Zarathustra's era. The source of all the later writings that became part of scripture was the teachings of the Prophet and his very early disciples. (1) Over many centuries, what became scripture was nothing more than explanations of the Avestan verses. These explanations or commentaries are called Zend. The commentaries are written in Pahlavi. The compendium of the Gathas and later compositions are what we know as the Zend-Avesta. The later scriptural material was not all put together by one group of priests at any one particular time in history. Rastamji Edulji Dastoor Peshotan Sanjana informs that there are points of difference between the Avestan and Zend commentaries. The Avestan works comprise "revealed truths, dogmas, doctrines and precepts." The Zend is the commentaries on these truths and doctrines. Dastoor Sanjana goes on to say: "The Zend book is a collection of traditions, arranged, recorded and handed down through many generations by different writers all of whom have not been definitely identified."(2) All these writings vary in authorship, date, place and language, in dialect and in style. Moreover, the Zend commentaries present a large collection of heterogeneous writings ranging over many centuries. They present historical records, biographies, accounts of spiritual and social experiences, exhortations, warnings, predictions, dialogues, catalogs of the names of holy saints and sages...(3) It is undeniable that the traditions and doctrines handed down by later priests are an amalgam of non-Zoroastrian beliefs and superstitions. Dastoor Sanjana affirms that "there are always some people who make or unmake, modify or tamper with the original truths of their religion according to their own weird fancies and caprices." The Zoroastrian community is not bereft of such people. (4) Therefore, the traditions that are observed are not necessarily a reliable source of answers to questions about the Zoroastrian religion. (5) "A system of theology has thus been erected ostensibly on the foundation which Zoroaster laid but which bears little resemblance to the true theology as is embodied in the oldest portions of our Scriptures, the Gathas." (6) The Gathas, thus, are the true source of Ahura Mazda's principles that Zarathustra introduced to humankind. "They were the first to reveal to men fully and perfectly the natural as well as spiritual laws and phenomena." (7) The Gathas articulate the importance of virtue and the ill consequences of vice. They offer: a salve for humans to overcome the adversities in life; a clear concept of God; the value in uplifting fellow human beings; and striving for perfection of oneself and fellow human beings among many other righteous actions. The Gathas "deal with the most important facts of nature and experience, with the true fundamental principles of science, philosophy and religion...[they] contain vital truths and incontrovertible facts derived from the vast and deep spiritual knowledge and experience of Zoroaster." (8) The Gathas are devoid of occult or mystical beliefs and practices. "The pretension to knowledge and practice of the so-called occult arts is sinful." (9) Finally, "there is no mysticism or Sufism" in the Zoroastrian creed. Dastoor Sanjana adds, "...yet there are some [of] our coreligionists who try to ferret out mysticism and suffism [sic] from our Scriptural passages that are anything but mystical and suffistic and to draw symbolism out of sentences that are far from being symbolical." (9) The Zoroastrian religion is very rational, full of wisdom and intelligent. The Gathas express that in no uncertain terms. 1. Sanjana, Rastamji Edulji Dastoor Peshotan; The Parsi Book of Books: The Zend Avesta; Published by Rastamji Edulji Dastoor Peshotan Sanjana; Pg. 111 2. Ibid; Pg. 113 3. Ibid; Pg. 112 4. Ibid; Pg. 118 5. Ibid; Pg. 119 6. Ibid; Pg. 120 7. Ibid; Pg. 121 8. Ibid; Pg. 124 9. Ibid; Pg. 131 |
Happiness unto the one who makes others happy (Ha 43.1)