Teachings of Zoroaster - Introduction 15-17

[Anne Terri]

p. 15
THE
TEACHINGS OF ZOROASTER,
AND
THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE PARSI RELIGION

INTRODUCTION

Zoroaster preaching Mazdeism


"I WILL now tell you who are assembled here the wise sayings of Mazda, * the praises of Ahura, † and the hymns of the Good Spirit, the sublime truth which I see rising out of these flames. You shall therefore hearken to the Soul of Nature. Contemplate the beams of fire with a most pious mind! Every one, both men and women, ought today to choose his Dread. Ye offspring of renowned ancestors, awake to agree with us." So preached Zoroaster, the prophet of the Parsis, in one of his earliest sermons nearly 3,500 years ago.

Imbued from his infancy with deep philosophical ...


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Meditation on the Mount—Conversion of King Gushtasp—Manifestations of the Deity Page


and religious thoughts for the welfare and well-being of mankind, this ancient prophet of Bactria derived his holy inspiration after thirty years of divine meditation on a secluded and inaccessible mountain-top of "Ushidarena." Thus fortified in communion with Ahura-Mazda, "Spitama Zarathustra" proceeded to the city of Balkh, at the time the capital of the King of Iran, Kava Vishtaçpa. *

Clothed in pure white flowing vestments, bearing with him the sacred fire, † "Adar Burzin Mehr," and a staff or sceptre made of a cypress tree, this sage of antiquity appeared before the court of Kava Vishtaçpa. By persuasion and argument he unfolded his religious mission; and proclaimed the mandate of Ahura, in order to elevate the ancient faith of the Aryas to its lofty and intellectual purity of monotheism.

Somewhere in the region washed by the eastern shires of the Caspian Sea, on the fertile soil of Atropatene, the primeval Aryas toiled and laboured in peaceful pastoral pursuit. In the early days of Zoroaster homage was paid and prayers were offered to the Supreme Being, usually through the recognized symbols of the Deity. The heavenly firmament, tinted with cerulean hue—one limitless vault of refulgence and indescribable splendour—the resplendent orb of the rising sun, the ethereal gentleness of the ...

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Zoroaster's Crusade against Idol-Worshippers—Monotheists (Mazdayasnians) v. Polytheists (Daêvayasnians—Migration of Daêvayasnians and Hindooism


beaming moon, with her coruscating companions, the planets and the stars, the verdant earth, the swift-flowing river, murmuring in sweet cadence of eternity and bliss, the roaring sea of life and death, and the glorious fire of Empyrean,—all these, in the days of the primitive Aryan religion, were believed to be so many manifestations of the Almighty God, and were accordingly symbolized. Things, which were originally manifestations of God's good work, became in course of time personified; assumed shapes of deities in the frail imagination of the devotees; and finally came to be adored in lieu of the Great Architect of the world. Thus, a religious system, in itself philosophically sublime, degenerated into a system of polytheism, having for its object adoration of idols and visible forms of good and evil spirits, reflective of human imagination. This was the great evil, the crime of ignoring the Creator for the created, which our prophet Zarathustra laboured to remedy; and to restore the then ancient faith to its pristine purity of Ahura worship was his chief object.

This led to a schism amongst the Indo-Eranians. One branch of the ancient Aryas, powerfully supported by the State, became Mazdayasnians (Monotheists), and the other of the same stock remained staunch to the worship of material gods, and were known as Daêvayasnians (Polytheists). Inevitable war of creed and faith resulted

Footnotes

15:* All-Knowing.

15:† The Lord.

16:* King Gushtasp.

16:† Symbol of Life.

The Teachings of Zoroaster by author S. A. Kapadia - 1905GOD'S LIVING BIBLE - THE THIRD TESTAMENT - RESEARCH LIBRARY :: THE HISTORY OF RELIGION :: The Lost - Coptic Gospels :: The Teachings of Zoroaster

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