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Series:
Theology
Author:
Dina G.
McIntyre
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One of the challenges in
understanding the world of the Gathas is that we have no hard evidence, other
than the Gathas themselves, of either the time or the culture in which
Zarathushtra lived. As early as 450
BC, opinions differed about the date of Zarathushtra. [1] And various
historians and scholars over the centuries have argued for dates between 6,500
BC to 600 BC. [2] We have many opinions, but no direct evidence.
Add to this the fact that no other contemporary works in the Gathic
language have survived, and you begin to appreciate the challenges involved in
reconstructing the world of the Gathas.
In short, except for the
similarities between the Gathic language and Vedic Sanskrit, the Gathas are a
stand-alone work, unconnected by direct evidence, as distinguished from
circumstantial evidence, or speculation, to a specific time, or to any
contemporary works, or to a specific place, other than ancient Iran.
Therefore, while the later Zoroastrian literature, written anywhere from
a few hundred to more than a 1,000 years after Zarathushtra, may be useful
indeed for purposes of corroboration, I believe that a study of the world of the
Gathas, and more importantly, the thought of the Gathas, first must be
determined from the direct evidence of the Gathas themselves.
Turning to the Gathas, we are
confronted by the tasks of translation and interpretation.
In the centuries that followed the invasion of Alexander, when the
ancient texts were destroyed, and large numbers of the learned killed, knowledge
of the Gathic language died out. Luckily
for us, the priests, with extraordinary faithfulness continued to recite these
songs from memory, as part of the ritual of worship, even though as centuries
passed, they did not understand them, and this is how Zarathushtra’s own words
have been preserved down to our time. It
is only over the past 100 or so years that philologists have had some success in
decoding this ancient language. Today,
there is substantial agreement on perhaps 80% of the linguistics, but many
differences still remain both in translation and interpretation.
I hope you won’t let these
differences turn you off. To me, it
has quite the opposite effect. It
sharpens my interest in searching for the truth.
We are lucky to live in an age when for the first time in more than two
thousand years, we are beginning to understand Zarathushtra’s own words.
Somehow it seems fitting that we should have to use our minds to try to
puzzle out the ideas of a prophet whose most basic teaching is the quest for
truth with good thinking.
In short, no one can claim to
have all the answers. Honesty
requires that we recognize the incomplete state of our present knowledge.
So what I give you today, is one perspective.
It is the perspective of a student of the Gathas, and a practitioner.
The subject of love raises
expectations of a talk that is romantic and inspiring.
It would be easy for me to give you my conclusions in a glowing,
heart-delighting way. But if I did that, you would never really know whether these
delightful conclusions were my ideas, or Zarathushtra’s.
So I hope you will forgive me if I take a less romantic approach to this
subject. I will approach it more
like a detective story, showing you the evidence from the Gathas on which my
conclusions are based. In that way,
you can decide for yourself whether these conclusions are valid.
The translation on which I primarily rely (although I like to compare it
with the others that I have) is that of Professor Insler.[3] And all
quotations from, and references to the Gathas in this paper are from his
translation, though he may, or may not, agree with some of the inferences which
I draw from his translation.
The concept of love appears in
the Gathas the way patterns of sunlight appear in a garden – throughout, and
in great variety, each lovely in its own way.
In the Gathas, love is an ingredient in prayer, in how we worship, in
making the right choices, in salvation, in the three cardinal divine
characteristics, and in the relationship between God and man. I’d
like to show you these patterns of sunlight in each of these areas in the garden
of Zarathushtra’s thought.
Prayer.
Let’s start with prayer. “Lovingly”
is the word Zarathushtra chooses to describe how he prays.
He says:
“Thee. Do I lovingly entreat for the best for Frashaoshtra…” (Y28.8).
And he tells us that if a
prayer has two ingredients, God will always answer. These two ingredients are good purpose and love.
He says:
“… For I know that words deriving from good
purpose and from love are not to be left wanting by you.”
(Y28.10).
Worship:
As with prayer, love is also an ingredient in the wider concept of
worship. To understand that, we
need to understand Zarathushtra’s idea of God, and how we worship Him.
To Zarathushtra, the essence of
divinity is Wisdom. He calls God Ahura
Mazda, which has variously been translated as “Living Wisdom”[4] or Lord of Life and Wisdom,[5] or Wise Lord.[6]
And he intimates that this
Divine Wisdom, to the extent that we can understand it, consists of seven
characteristics or forces. In the
later literature, some of these were collectively referred to as the amesha spenta – benevolent immortals. In the Gathas, the three cardinal divine forces are:
| A benevolent spirit
|
spenta mainyu[7]
|
| Good thinking, or a good mind
Truth, what’s right, |
vohu mano, and asha. |
The next two are variants of the first
three:
|
|
God’s good rule
(Which in the Gathas is called The rule of truth and good thinking
[8]
|
vohu xshathra
|
And benevolent service or devotion to
God, to all the living, and to these divine values
|
aramaiti[9]
|
And the last two are the end results of achieving the first five:
|
|
Completeness
Immortality (or no-deathness)
|
haurvatat, and
ameretat.
|
Sometimes in his songs,
Zarathushtra refers to these divine characteristics as concepts.
At other times, he personifies them, referring to them sometimes
separately and sometimes collectively with God.
When Zarathushtra refers to Ahura
Mazda as “all of you”, or when he refers to “those of your kind”, he
is referring to God and His immortal characteristics or forces, the amesha
spenta.
You may have noticed that among
the three cardinal forces are both mind and spirit.
Unlike the conventional wisdom of today, where spirit and a rational mind
are regarded as two opposing perspectives, Zarathushtra sees no conflict between
mind and spirit. He teaches that
spirituality is not threatened by an inquiring mind.
It is strengthened by it. And
in turn, it is a good spirit that turns raw intelligence into understanding.
(Y43).
The three cardinal divine
forces – a good spirit, a good mind, and truth/right – are all a part of
wisdom. And how do we attain this
state of wisdom? We attain it by
worshipping God with his own divine forces.
We worship God’s truth by being truthful.
We worship His good thinking with good thinking.
We worship His benevolent and loving spirit by being benevolent and
loving. There are a number of
verses in which Zarathushtra describes this unique form of worship.
For example, he says:
“… I shall always worship all of you,
Wise Lord, with truth and the very best thinking and with their rule.”
(Y50.4).
“I.
Shall serve all of you, Wise Lord, with good thinking …..” (Y28.2).
“I
shall serve all of you. With truth and with the reverence (worthy) of a sincere
person. You, moreover, with the
skillfulness of good thinking.” (Y50.8).
“Praising,
I shall encounter you with such worship, Wise One, and with actions stemming
from good thinking allied with truth…” (Y50.9).
This form of worship, the
worship of God with His own divine values is expressed in the enigmatical Yasna
51.22, where Zarathushtra gives it an unexpected foundation – a foundation of
love. He says:
“I
know in whose worship
there exists for me the best
in accordance with truth.
It is the Wise Lord
As well as those who have existed and (still) exist
[i.e. God’s immortal values or forces]
Them (all) shall I worship
With their own names
[i.e. truth with truth, good thinking with good thinking, etc.]
and I shall serve them with love.” (Y51.22).
This is how Professor Insler
translates and interprets this verse, although opinions differ as to both its
translation and interpretation. Professor
Humbach in his excellent commentary on this verse demonstrates at least seven
possible interpretations. One of
them sees a reflection of this verse, in a later Avestan text (not a part of the
Gathas), that appears in Yasna 70, which says:
“ I will worship those who (are) the Amesha
Spentas and I will approach them with love.” (Y70.1). [10]
Tradition has it that the
Gathas verse we have been discussing, Yasna 51 verse 22, served as the basis of
the Yenghe Haatam prayer which most
people believe says, in essence, that we revere all those men and women whom God
knows to be good. Yet it is
interesting that the earliest commentary on the Yenghe Haatam, which appears in the later Avestan text, Yasna 21,
expresses the opinion that the Yenghe
Haatam is addressed to the amesha
spenta, the Bountiful Immortals, i.e. to God’s divine forces.[11]
Dr. Kersey Antia has expressed the opinion that perhaps Zarathushtra intended in
Yasna 51.22 that we revere both God’s divine forces (the amesha
spenta) and those who have attained them.
Thus reconciling both conflicting interpretations.[12] This
insightful conclusion of Dr. Antia does indeed appear to be hinted at in the
later Avestan Commentary on the Yenghe
Haatam which is delivered in the form of questions and answers, and states
in pertinent part:
“(Question)
To whom is this Yasna addressed?
(Answer)
To the Bountiful Immortals. The state of salvation;
and with this answer, ‘the state of salvation’ he answered every
saint who exists, every one who is coming into existence, and every one who
shall exist in the future.…..”(Yasna XXI, SBE Vol. 31, page 269.
Returning to the Gathas, in the
verses we have been discussing, we see that Zarathushtra’s formula for worship
includes worshipping God with His own divine values, and, every bit as
important, serving them with love:
“…Them
(all) shall I worship
With their own names
[i.e. truth with truth, good thinking with good thinking etc.]
and I shall serve them with love.” (Y51.22).
In short, it is not enough to
simply speak the truth. We worship
truth with truth, and serve it with love. It
is not enough to simply be intelligent. We worship God’s good mind with good thinking and serve it
with love. In the same way, we
worship God’s benevolent spirit by being benevolent and serving it with love
– a reflection of the “good purpose
and love” which are noted as the essential ingredients of prayer in Yasna
28.10.
Salvation:
So far, we have looked at the concept of love in both prayer and worship.
Let us move on to the role it plays in salvation.
In 1993, at the WZO’s Gatha Colloquium, in London, I attempted to
demonstrate, with evidence from the Gathas, that Zarathushtra’s idea of
salvation is a state of being which is achieved when we have attained
completely, God’s divine values. I
will not re-state all that evidence here. I
will simply start with that premise, and take it a step further.
If you look at the verses in which Zarathushtra mentions salvation, you
will see that in many of them he links salvation to “beneficence” and love.
Before we look at these verses,
let us consider what the word “beneficence” means.
The dictionary defines “beneficence” as:
“….. active goodness, kindness, charity;
bounty springing from purity and goodness.”[13]
The Gathas word which Insler
translates as “beneficent” or “blessed”, Humbach translates as
“generous” and “munificent”.[14] Both perspectives add to an
understanding of the idea Zarathushtra is trying to express.
If you think about the ideas behind these labels, you will see that you
cannot be good, you cannot be kind and generous, you cannot have charity in your
heart for others, without being loving. So
the idea of “beneficence” includes within it the notion of love.
There is an old-fashioned word, which captures very well the idea of
“beneficence”. It is “loving
kindness.”
There is universal agreement
that in Zarathushtra’s view, we cannot achieve salvation without first making
the right choices. So it is
significant that the word he chooses to describe those who make the right
choices is “beneficent.”
“Yes,
there are two fundamental spirits, twins which are renowned to be in conflict.
In thought and in word, in action, they are two:
the good and the bad. And
between these two, the beneficent have
correctly chosen, not the maleficent.”
(Y30.3).
In some verses, Zarathushtra
links “beneficence” and “love” directly to the attainment of salvation.
For example, he says:
“Therefore,
let us reverently give an offering to Thee, Lord, and to truth, all of us
creatures under Thy rule whom one has nourished with good thinking.
Indeed, let salvation be granted
to the beneficent man by all those among your kind [i.e. the amesha
spenta], Wise One!” (Y34.3).
Consider also Yasna 31 verses
21 and 22 where Zarathushtra says:
“The Wise Lord, shall give the
permanence of good thinking’s alliance to him, the one who is His ally in spirit and actions.” (Y31.21).
“These
things are clear to the beneficent man
who accepts them along with the effort in harmony with good thinking.
He serves truth, during his rule, with good word and good action.
Such a person shall be Thy most
welcome guest, Wise Lord.” (Y31.22).
In Yasna 44.2 “loving” is
the way Zarathushtra describes the person who is a world healer and God’s ally
in spirit, and he asks God if such a person will be saved.
“…Is
the beginning of the best existence in such a way that the loving man who shall seek after these things is
to be saved? For such a person,
virtuous through truth, watching over the heritage for all, is
a world healer and Thy ally in spirit, Wise One.” (Y44.2).
In these verses, there is an
exquisite interplay between salvation, beneficence, love and God’s cardinal
attributes, truth, good thinking and good spirit. In these verses, the person who is loving (Y44.2) and
beneficent (Y31.22) is God’s ally in spirit (Y31.21-22, Y44.2). He serves truth with good word and good action (Y31.22) and
is virtuous through truth (Y44.2). He
makes the effort in harmony with good thinking (Y31.22), is nourished by good
thinking (Y34.3), and receives the permanence of good thinking’s alliance
(Y31.21). This loving man watches
over the heritage for all (Y44.2), is a world healer (Y44.2), and achieves
salvation or paradise (Y34.3, Y44.2) which is the attainment of God’s divine
attributes. (Y51.20).
Once you become very familiar
with the Gathas, you will find that the interplay in the way Zarathushtra
expresses his ideas is quite remarkable. On the one hand, he does it with the precise beauty of the
point-counter-point technique that we find in certain kinds of music.
And at the same time, he does it with the abstract loveliness of an
impressionist painting. These two techniques, point-counter-point, and abstract
impressionism, are completely different, yet, like the ideas in his vision,
Zarathushtra somehow harmonizes them into a meaningful whole.
When we were youngsters,
grinding away at algebra, one of the things we learned early on was that:
If a = b, and
If a = c
Then there must be some
equivalence between b and c.
Applying that principle to the ideas we have
been discussing, you well may wonder:
If salvation is the attainment of God’s divine forces, the amesha
spenta, and
If salvation is obtained by being loving or beneficent,
wouldn’t there have to be
some equivalence between love/beneficence and
the amesha spenta?
The question often has been asked: Where
in the amesha spenta does the concept of “love” exist?
Professor Insler sees it, among other things, in God’s benevolent
spirit – spenta mainyu.[15]
Professor Kaikhosrov Irani’s father, the late Dinshaw Irani, a respected
lawyer and Gathas scholar, sees it in spenta
aramaiti. Taraporewala sees it
in vohu mano – a good mind.[16] At the risk of sounding wishy-washy, I think there is evidence
in the Gathas which warrants the conclusion that the concept of goodness, of
lovingkindness, of beneficence, exists in all of the amesha spenta. For our
purposes today, let’s take a look at the three cardinal forces – a good
spirit, a good mind, and truth/what’s right.
The concept of love certainly
exists in spenta mainyu – the spirit
of goodness, of lovingkindness, which finds its highest expression in the
benevolent and loving spirit of God. For
example, Zarathushtra says:
“Now,
I shall speak of the Greatest One of all, praising with truth Him
who is beneficent through His virtuous spirit [spenta
mainyu] to those who exist…..”
(Y45.6).
We already know that
beneficence means active
goodness, kindness, charity, bounty springing from purity and goodness.
So this verse tells us that God expresses His goodness, his
lovingkindness, his generosity, his beneficence, through His virtuous spirit [spenta
mainyu]. This conclusion is
corroborated by the fact[17] that
Zarathushtra frequently uses the words spenta-
(and its related forms) and vohu- (and
its related forms) interchangeably, when describing spenta
mainyu. For example, in the
following two verses, Zarathushtra substitutes a form of vohu, good, in place of spenta
in describing spenta mainyu.
He speaks of:
“… The (correct) thinking stemming from good
spirit…” (Y34.2).
“… The word and deed stemming from good
spirit…” (Y45.8).
So we see that the concept of spenta
mainyu contains within it, beneficence, goodness.
Let’s look at asha.
Asha is translated as
“truth” by Humbach, Ichaporia, and Insler, and as “righteousness” by
Jafarey, Mills, Moulton, T. R. Sethna, and Taraporewala.[18] But
we see added dimensions to the meaning of asha
when we consider how Zarathushtra uses the word.
Confining ourselves to the notion of love, allow me to demonstrate.
We already have seen the
evidence which warrants the conclusion that God’s good spirit, spenta
mainyu is beneficent – i.e. generous, charitable, good, full of
lovingkindness. Now, keeping that
in mind, take a look at the evidence of the next two verses.
In the first verse,
Zarathushtra describes this beneficent
spirit as:
“… The spirit virtuous [spenta]
through truth [asha].
…..”(Y28.1).
In the second, he describes the
loving man in exactly the same words:
“… The
loving man ….. For such a person, virtuous
[spento] through truth, [asha],
watching over the heritage for all, is a world-healer and Thy
ally in spirit, Wise One.” (Y44.2).
Notice the inter-play in these
two verses between the spirit, virtuous through truth, and the loving man,
virtuous through truth, who is God’s ally in spirit.
But even more significant is this: if
the virtue of the beneficent spirit, and the loving man, both derive from asha,
would it be reasonable to conclude that the concept of asha includes within it something of goodness, of beneficence, of
lovingkindness? When this idea
first suggested itself, I thought perhaps I might be jumping to an unwarranted
conclusion. But then I came across
this verse which expresses the idea directly.
In this verse, Zarathushtra describes God as:
“… the Lord, beneficent through truth [asha],
virtuous and knowing…..” (Y48.3).
If beneficence comes through asha
then clearly, the concept of asha must
include within it something of beneficence, of goodness, of lovingkindness.
This conclusion is even more interesting when you compare:
“….. the Lord, beneficent through truth [asha],
virtuous and knowing…..” (Y48.3),
with
“…..Him who is beneficent through His
virtuous spirit [spenta mainyu]…..”
(Y45.6).
Clearly, in Zarathushtra’s
view there is some equivalence between beneficence, goodness, asha,
and spenta mainyu.
This equivalence is also
suggested, though in a slightly different way, in Yasna 30 verses 3 and 5, where
Zarathushtra uses the word “good” and the word “truth” [asha]
interchangeably.[19]
Verse
3: “Yes, there are two fundamental
spirits, twins, which are renowned to be in conflict.
In thought and in word, in action, they are two:
the good and the bad.
And between these two, the beneficent have correctly chosen, not the
maleficent.” (Y30.3).
Verse
5: “Of these two spirits, the deceitful
one chose to bring to realization the worst things. (But) the very
virtuous spirit, who is clothed in the hardest stones, chose the truth [asha], and
(so shall those) who shall satisfy the Wise Lord continuously with true
actions.”(Y30.5).
In
verse 3, what is the object of the right choice?
It is the “good”. In
verse 5, what is the object of the right choice?
It is “truth”. In verse
3 those who make the correct choice are described as “beneficent.”
In verse 5 the correct choice is made by the most virtuous spirit, who we
know from other parts of the Gathas, is beneficent.
Finally, in an unusual turn of the kaleidoscope, in verse 3, “the
good” which is the object of the choice is the spirit of good.
In verse 5, it is this good spirit which brings asha
to life by choosing it. Once again,
in Zarathushtra’s view, there appears to be some equivalence between
beneficence, goodness, asha and spenta
mainyu.
Before we move on, I’d like
to show you, in schematic form, the inter-play between these concepts in the
verses we have just gone through.
|
|
|
[Spenta]
|
|
45.6
|
[God is]
|
beneficent through |
virtuous spirit
|
|
48.3
|
[God is]
|
beneficent
through |
truth
|
34.2
45.8
|
good
|
is interchangeable (with spenta)
in describing |
spirit
|
| 30.4, 5
|
good
|
interchanged with
|
truth
|
|
28.1
|
God’s spirit is virtuous
through
|
through
|
truth
|
|
44.2
|
the
loving man is virtuous [spenta]
|
through |
truth |
|
44.2
|
a man who
is loving
|
is
|
God’s ally in spirit
|
|
45.6
|
God is beneficent
[loving]
|
through
|
His virtuous spirit.
|
A
small glimpse of the many-splendored patterns of sunlight in the garden of
Zarathushtra’s thought.
You
well might ask: Why did
Zarathushtra play games like this? Why
didn’t he just come right out and say what he meant?
Quite apart from the sheer beauty of these techniques, and the
intellectual challenge and excitement of discovery which make them such
effective teaching techniques, I can think of several reasons why, but let me
give you just three.
First, our remote ancestors,
the ancient Iranians, delighted in mental games like chess, riddles, and
brain-teasers, as the Shah Nameh so frequently demonstrates.
So it is not surprising to find this tradition reflected in the word
games, puzzles and brain-teasers of an even more remote set of poems – the
Gathas.
Second, it may have been that
the vocabulary available to Zarathushtra was too limited to express the breadth
of his ideas. And by using these
techniques of interchangeability, parallel references and many others, he was
able to expand the meanings of the words available to him.
Third, Zarathushtra’s
thinking is always multi-dimensional, and his poetic techniques often tie in to
his underlying philosophy. I am
inclined to think that the techniques we have just seen, are Zarathushtra’s
way of demonstrating that there is a unity of identity in these immortal forces,
that they are, in fact, different aspects of the same Whole.
Let us move on to consider
whether the notion of love exists in the third cardinal immortal – vohu
mano. As with spenta mainyu,
and asha, goodness is also an integral
part of vohu mano.
The term vohu mano itself makes
it clear that it is not just intelligence that is valued here, but rather
intelligence committed to goodness.
The best thinking, (which
perhaps is another way of describing Wisdom), is Zarathushtra’s idea of
paradise[20] -- what he
sometimes metaphorically calls the House of Good Thinking.[21] Paradise
is another way of describing salvation. And
we already have seen that beneficence and love are a part of what it takes to
attain salvation.
Good thinking is how we access
God and His divine forces (Y29). For
example, Zarathushtra says:
“…..
through the very best thinking I
shall seek for myself their [referring to God and His divine characteristics]
rule of strength, …..” (Y31.4).
If asha and spenta mainyu
contain within them the notion of beneficence, of lovingkindness, then the
comprehension of these concepts – which is good thinking – would, by
definition, have to include the comprehension of beneficence and love.
So beneficence and love would, of necessity, be a part of good thinking.
Similarly, Zarathushtra
intimates in Yasna 43 that good thinking or understanding, comes from good
spirit. And that idea is expressly
stated in Yasna 34 verse 2 where Zarathushtra speaks of:
“….. the (correct)
thinking stemming from good spirit…..” (Y34.2).
It stands to reason that if
good thinking comes from a beneficent or loving spirit, it must contain within
it something of beneficence and love.
So we see that all of the three
cardinal amesha spenta contain within
them something of goodness, of beneficence, of lovingkindness.[22] And
we begin to appreciate the foundation of love on which Zarathushtra bases the
worship of God with His own divine forces.
“….. Them (all) shall I worship
with their own names
[i.e. truth with truth, good thinking with good thinking etc.]
and I shall serve them with love.” (Y51.22).
God’s Relationship with
Man. Let us move on to considering the notion of love in the
relationship between man and God. There
are many references in the Gathas to God’s love for man. It is expressed in terms of solicitude, mercy or compassion,
support, protection and friendship. For
example, Zarathushtra describes God as:
“…..
Him, the One who offers
solicitude…..” (Y45.7).
In another verse, he speaks of:
“….. the glories of Him who offers solicitude (to us), the Wise Lord…..”
(Y46.17).
In the Vohu Xshathra Gatha, Zarathushtra shows us that God’s good rule
is, among other things, merciful and compassionate. He says:
“Where shall there be protection
instead of injury? Where shall
mercy take place? Where truth
which attains glory? Where virtuous
[aramaiti]? Where the
very best thinking? Where, Wise One, through Thy rule?”
(Y51.4).
God’s love for man is
expressed in the fact that He brings us knowledge of His divine forces as a
means of salvation, a way out of the misery created by violence, oppression,
deceit, and the other products of wrongful choices. In Yasna 30 verses 6 and 7, after referring to the wrongful
choices that have afflicted the world and mankind, Zarathushtra says:
“But
to this world He came with the rule of good thinking and of truth, and our
enduring [aramaiti] gave body and breath (to it). He shall be here for
the protection of these (faithful)…..” (Y30.7).
There are numerous verses in
the Gathas in which God’s love is expressed in terms of protection, support
and help. But what is truly
interesting, is how he supports, protects and helps.
He does it with His divine forces – truth, and good thinking.
For example:
"What help by truth hast Thou
for Zarathushtra who calls? What help
by good thinking has Thou for me…..”(49.12).
“Yes,
throughout my lifetime I have been condemned as the greatest defiler, I who try
to satisfy the poorly protected (creatures) with truth, Wise One. ….. come to
me and give support to me.
Though good thinking find a means of destruction of this.” (Y49.1).[23]
And the beautiful Yasna 34
verse 7.
“Wise
One, where are those sincere ones who, through
their possession of good thinking, make even immoral decrees and painful
legacies disappear? I know none other than you.
Therefore protect us in accord
with truth.” (34.7).
In other words, the protection
and help which God offers is not the comforting certainty of a pacifier.
He does not wrap us in a germ-free bubble – a harm-free environment,
safe and protected. His love in
this respect is a kind of tough love. He
gives us the weapons, the tools, to help ourselves, and each other.
If the enemy is deceit, He gives us truth. If the enemy is ignorance, He gives us good thinking.
If the enemy is evil, He
shows us an alternative – benevolence. In
the later literature, God’s divine forces the amesha
spenta were called angels. We
are used to thinking of angels as fluffy messengers with wings. But Zarathushtra shows us angels in a new light.
He tells us that God’s messengers, God’s angels, are His thoughts.[24]
His angels are His divine forces.
And perhaps those who bring these forces to life with their thoughts,
words and actions. So, in addition
to His solicitude and generosity, this is how He helps. This is how He protects.
Finally, the concept of love
between God and man appears in the way Zarathushtra characterizes the
relationship. Unlike the
conventional wisdom on the subject, it is interesting that no place in the
Gathas is the relationship between God and man described as that of a Father to
a child.[25] God is described as the Father of truth (Y44.3, Y47.2),
the Father of good thinking (Y31.8, Y45.4), the Father of good spirit
(Y47.3), and the Father of aramaiti (Y45.4), but
never as the Father of man. In
the same way, no place in the Gathas is the relationship between God and man
described as that of a Master to a servant.
God is described as the master of good thinking (Y30.1), and as the
master of completeness (haurvatat)
(Y34.1), but never as the Master of man.[26] In other words, the relationship between man and God is
neither patriarchal, nor authoritarian. Rather,
Zarathushtra describes this relationship as that of a friend to a friend, or a
beloved to a beloved. Here are two
examples:
“This
I ask Thee. Tell me truly, Lord.
Someone like Thee, Wise One, should declare
to me, his friend, how reverence for your kind is to be from the reverent
person, and how friendly associations
with truth are to be established by us, in order that it shall come to us
together with good thinking.” (Y44.1).
“…..
I lament to Thee. Take notice of
it, Lord, offering the support which a
friend should grant to a friend. …..” (Y46.2).
Humbach, Insler, Jafarey and
Sethna translate the applicable Gathas word as “friend”.
Taraporewala translates it as “beloved”.
Bode and Nanavutty translate it sometimes as “friend” and sometimes
as “beloved.”
Once again, if you think about
the idea behind the label “friend” you will see that it includes within it
the concept of love. As William
Bennett says in his Book of Virtues:
“Friendship is a deep
thing. It is, indeed, a form of
love. And while it may be, as C. S.
Lewis said, the least biological form of love, it is also one of the most
important.” p.269.
“Friendship
…..speaks the language of the heart.” p.284.
We have considered the notion
of love in the relationship between God and man.
What of the notion of love in our relationships with each other, and with
other living things? This is a vast
subject. I couldn’t do it justice
in the time that I have, so I will simply say that on this subject, as in so
many others, Zarathushtra’s ideas are unique and beautiful.
For the moment, I’ll leave it at that.
To summarize the analysis we
have gone through, the concept of love in Zarathushtra’s message, is expressed
variously through the words love, solicitude, mercy, beneficence, goodness and
friendship. And we have seen,
through Zarathushtra’s own words, that he considers love in its various
manifestations to be an essential ingredient in prayer, in how we worship, in
making the right choices, in salvation, in the three cardinal divine
characteristics, and in the relationship between God and man.
It is small wonder then, that
in the sixth book of the Dinkard, written more than 1,000 years after
Zarathushtra, but which is said to be a collection of the sayings of ancient
Zoroastrian sages, it is written, not once, but in two separate places that the
law of Ohrmazd is love of mankind.[27]
These words are also found in
the Zoroastrian Wedding Ceremony. In
a part of this ceremony, the priest gives the bride and groom advice on how to
live their lives in accordance with the teachings of the religion.[28] Among other things, the priest says (as translated by Shahin
Bekhradnia):
“…..worship God by doing charitable
works. …..”
“….. The law of the Wise
Lord, the Omnipotent, ….. is the law of loving mankind.
So do not harm people neither in thought nor word nor deed.
When a stranger arrives, give him food and shelter.
Protect good people from hunger and thirst, from cold and heat.
Be kindly to those under you or younger than you.
Respect your elders, ….. so that the Wise Lord will delight in you.”
In
conclusion, lovingkindness, in its various manifestations, permeates each aspect
of Zarathushtra’s teaching, the way sunlight fills a garden, giving life and
beauty to whatever it touches, making everything worthwhile.
And so it is when we bring that teaching to life with our thoughts, words
and actions. For as Zarathushtra
reminds us, it is the beneficent person who makes the right choices (Y30.3).
It is the loving person who is a world healer, and God’s ally in spirit
(Y44.2).
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