2

Zara h ‘ of the birth of our holy Prophet t us htra , Acco rding to our religious bo o ks this day is great and memorable on acc o u n t of ' it ‘ several other happenings , i n add ition to s being th e birthday a h u s tra of Zar t h . Some of these events are The first human being to be created by Ahura Ma zda on Ga o mard this earth was y , and this being was created on Roje

Khordad of the month Farvardin . According to our books the Ga mar fi o d rst human being , y , was sexless ' that is , the being

was neither male nor female . Ahura Maz da thereafter created a pair or couple of human

Mas h o i Mah i r h beings , known in our books as Mashya and y , or i n ih and Mah r a . The day of their creation was Roje Khordad

of the month Farvardin . From this couple of male and female

the population of the world grew up .

fi G a mar K r o d a o ma s The rst Ki ng of Iran , known as y , or y ,

was born on Roje Khordad of the month Farvardin . Pes h dad an King Hoshang of the y dynasty of Iran , who d iscovered the method of producing fire by rubbing stones or

flin ts . , wa s born on Roje Khordad of the month Farvardin On Roje Khordad of the month Farvard in Kin g Tehmuras Teh mu rs Dev ban d o h reman who is known as , won a victory ver A ,

and rode on him like a horse .

On Roje Khordad of the month Farvardin King Faridun ,

who had defeated Zohak and imprisoned him , d ivided his

Kingdom into three parts and distributed them to his three sons . The day on w hich King Kai -K h us rav of the Kyani dynasty defeated i n battle the Turania n King Afrasiab and killed him was Roje Khordad of the month Farvardin . It was on Roje Khordad of the mon th Farvardin that King Kai -K h us rav abdicated his throne and entrusted the kindom of

h as Lo r . Iran to p, and himself disappeared from the world The day on which the holy Prophet Zarath u s h tra acquired

z from Ahura Ma da knowledge about religion , and on which the

Ames h as an ds Zarath us h tra p accepted as the holy Prophet , was

Roje Khordad of the month Farvardin . On Roje Khordad of the mont h Farvardin King Kai G us h tas p of the Kyani dynasty of Iran accepted the Rel igion of

Zarath u s h tra . The above-mentioned events are some of the memorable happenings in t he past connected with Roje Khordad of the month Farvardin . Some other past even ts are also mentioned in our book s As regards the events which are predicted in our books to u happen i n f ture , we are told that it wil l be on Roje Khordad of o f men t the month Farvardin at the time of the Day J udg or Resur o n P ehlav an N e lav an s rection that P h Sam , of ariman , will kill

Zohak . At the ti me of the Resurrection Zohak wi ll escape from Peh lav a his bonds and w il l raise a rebel l ion . n Sam wil l rise from the dead and wil l kil l Zohak . Hs h edar The future Prophet o wil l be born on Roje Khordad of the month Farvardi n .

' la t ' Pro h et So s h o s The s p y , i n whose time there will be the Re be b surrecti on , wil l orn on Roje Khordad of the month Farvardin . The day on which the Resurrection will take place wil l be Roje

Khordad of the month Farvard in . We thus see from the above -mentioned events that Roje k Khordad of the month Farvard in , according to our boo s , is an n d . auspicious , remarkabl e , a memorable day The holy Prophet Zarath u s h tra was born during the reign -G u s h tas 500 of King Kai p of the Kyan i dynasty of Iran , 0 or B 6000 years before the time of Jesus Christ . efore Kin g Gush tas p there ruled over Ira n the kings of the Pes hdadyan dynasty and the early kings of the Kyani dynasty . The religion or faith which was fol lowed i n Iran before the advent of Zara th u s h tra was Mazda a s n i Po ir o tkes h i B known“as t he y ”or y religi on , oth words a mean Worship of God . Th is f ct shows that the Iranians Zarath us h tra even before the time of bel ieved i n one God , or i n other words t hey w ere strictly monothei stic . It is bel ieved that

v iz As h emVo h u Ya h a a h u V r t a i o our three short prayers , , , y , and

Z rath us h ra Ha tam a t . h ah e Yeng , existed even before Similarly there exist ed before Zara th u s h tra the rel igious tenet of putting

on the Sudreh and Kusti . According to Firdausi the practice of putting on the S udreh and Kusti was started during the reign of

es h dad an King Jamshid of the P y dynasty . We learn fromour books that after the reign of King Tehmuras a certain amou n t of de terioration had taken pl ace i n the mi nds of th e Iran ians regarding rel igious bel iefs and O bservances . Day by day peopl e were l osing their fa ith

n in the tr ue spirit of the Maz dayas n i rel igi o . Under the

z i nfluence of outsid e peopl e , who were enemies of the Ma da 4

yasui faith , Iran ians were ignoring the true doctrines and

tenets of their religion , and were leaning towards the worship of demons and idols and the practice of animal sacrifices with a view

t o appeasing the demons . King Jamshid had received from Ahura Ma zda the inspiration to revive the old Mazdayas n i faith

in its original true form , but Jamshid busied himself more in ff e orts for the uplift of the country in arts , science and industry , a nd on that accou n t Jamshid could not devote his energy and attention to a proper and su fficient exten t to attempts to restore

the faith of the people i n the true spirit of their religion . Later

i n life Jamshid became conceited and arrogant , and his life came

to a n end at the hands of Zohak . After Jamshid the Iranians lost more and more their faith in the true tenets an d practices of a i t he Mazday s n religion . Having seen the miserable plight of religion amongst the

Zarath u s h tra Maz a a n d s i Iranians , decided to revive the y faith in

its pristine gl ory , and he made this object the mission of his life . z He sought help from Ahura Ma da , and he tried to understand , fin d — and a solution for , t he problematic events apparen t and — e hidden in this world an d in the next world . At l ngth through Z ra h us h tra B t. e . a ehman , , Good Mind , t acquired all the knowledge

and information he sought . Equipped with this knowledge , he

began to propagate his faith . It always happens that when aperson desires to introduce a

new t hing , or wants to reform a thing which is i n bad shape , there O are many person s to ppose him , and h owsoever noble and bene

ficial the project may be , there are always persons who run it

Zarath u s h tra ffi down . encountered many di culties in his efforts

to propagate his religion , but he continued with h is mission by ffi finding a solution for all the di culties and impediments . Zara ’ Maid o mah a th us h tr s cousin , y , rendered very valuable service and fi help to him in his mission . The rst person i n the court of King

G s tas Z arath u s h tra As fan diar u h p to accept the faith of was , son

G us h tas . H h h tas . uto s of G u s p Thereafter King p and his wife , Za ath s h tra having learnt from r u all the principles , tenets and objects of his new faith and having been convinced about their

Sh ah - a . Nm virt ues , accepted the Zoroastrian religion (In his ah Hu o a a n t Firdausi refers to Q ueen t s h by the name of K bu . Our i n K atab n present name K a tayu is derived from the name u . ) We must remember that Zarath u s htra d id not entirely reject Mazda as ni the old y religion , b ut he removed the evil practices and tenets which had crept i nto it ' an d in doin g so he revived S the old Mazdayas n i faith i n its true pirit . He also introduced

many new doctrines , tenets and practices , a nd gave an entirely

ne w garb to the old faith . He establ ished a new religion by

n retain i g what was good an d introd ucing important new material . He reanimated the primeval faith and made it more compre

iv h en s e and consistent .

o ur a ama Avan ah Mazda av J s s In prayer y g qiy we often

n o h mi azda a n Z a h h i M s Mazda as a s o ar t u tr s h frav a n ra a y , y y h a frav a tas a as tutas c ar y ch .

n i a da n i It mean s ' I am a Mazdayas . As a Mz as Zoroastrian y ” ,

I like to be an admirer and believer of this religion . There is a reference to the Mazdaya s n i faith in th e very - n o K lmo i . e Din a beginning of the , the Declaration of Faith , Nav o te which every child is made to recite at the j ceremony , the

' ceremony for initiation i nto the Zoroastrian relig ion . It says

Raj is h tayao c h is tayao Mazdadh atayo As h ao n yao dainyao

Mazdayas n o is h .

It means ' May glory be to the good Mazdayas n i fai th an d

the righteous and pure knowledge , which is the gift of Ahura Ma zda We have now with us only the fiv e Gath as out of the books Z a ath u t a e written by r s h r . When A lexander t he Great of Gr ece

conquered Iran and overran the whole country , he destroyed the

great and valuable library and the museum at Persepoli s . The

store of knowledge and culture of Iran wa s thus destroyed . It was revived t o some extent in the time of the Sassa n ian kings by h a priests and scholars , who from generat ion to generation d remembered by heart the contents of the old books . Wh en the

an d r Arabs conquered Iran , they destroyed our scriptures eligious books , with the resul t that our ol d an d valuable treasureWof know ledge and culture in its enti rety i s n o t with us n ow . hat has

survived destruction is only a very smal l part of our old collect ion . The main point i n the founda t ion of the Zoroastrian“religio”n i m As h o i is As h o which ean s Righteousness . Asha or 6 is a very po“werful ”weapon against al l evil forces . Without the help of As h o i one cannot carry out the noble do ctri Manas h n i G a as h n i K na n i ma v u s h Hu ta B nes of , , , or , ukhta , — Hares h ta t. e . uv Good Thoughts , Good Words , and Good Deeds As hemVo h u The meaning of our old , small , but nob le prayer s '—As h o i— — i Righteousness is the best gift and happiness . Happiness is unto h”im who is righteous in the matter of the best Righteousness . Man s n i Ga as h ni K un as h n i — h v The doctrine of a , , , Good — Thoughts , Good Words , Good Deeds , is the very essence or foundation of all Zoroastrian teaching and all Zoroastrian phi o h lo s p y . The doctrines , tenets and principles of the Zoroastria n religion have their foundation i n Truth , Purity , Hygiene , Sanita tion , and Cleanliness . They are quite simple , practical , and tolerant enough to be universally acceptable . The code of ethics prescribed i n our religious books , which regulates our conduct and our observance of laws , rules and regulations , is i quite consistent with common sense and practicabil ty . This code is such that it can be easily u nderstood and put into practice ffi t without di culty . Modern science lends suppor to the rules ‘ B and regulations and practices . In short , Purity of ody an d

Mind i s the motto of the Zoroastrian religion . — Moderation in all things eating , drinking , and all functions — of life is the chief rule of the Zoroastrian rel igion . To go to O ur the extreme in anyt hing is not desirable . religion teaches us that we should lead a simple , moderate , pure , clean and useful life on this earth .

Asceticism has no place in our religion ' on the contrary ,

Zoroastrian ism run s down asceticism . Our religion does n ot

' teach us that w e s h o uld quit this mundan e life and pass al l our time in solitude i n constant prayer and meditation on God .

Zoroastrianism fosters no faddism . According to our religion the true worship of God consists in living our normal life in this Ri h teo un es s — As h o i— world , following the path of g a nd serving humanity . To live in this world , but to abstain from the evils — of this world there lies our mission ' and we can dedicate our fi L life to Ahura Ma zda only by ful lling this mission . ong fast - - ing , self molestation , sel f castigation , sackcloth and ashes have ’ no function in a Zoroastrian s life . Such practices are dis co uraged and run down in our religion . In the Zoroastrian a clas s religion there does not exist such as monks , nun s , asce tics and hermit s . Such a class of people is hated in our religion , because they live a life which is not useful in any way to the

people of the world and they are mere parasites on society . It ' is the duty of man to fulfil in moderation all the functions

of life ordained by the Almighty for mankind . Zoroastrianism stands for controlling and regulating bodily desires , but not for suppressing and killing them . Some religions forbid t heir priests —Mo beds u s — Das t r to marry , but Zoroastrian priests and do not ff su er from such a ban , and they are free to marry a nd enjoy

1 ' r family ife . Ou religion teaches us to enjoy moderately and temperately all the good things that Ahura Mazda has been ’ pleased to create for man s enjoyment , and render thanks unto

z Ahura Ma da for His gift of good things . It is our duty to use for a good purpose the feelings an d i nstincts which Ahura Ma zda f has created in us , and to live a good , pure li e which is useful to L others . There is a maxim i n t he atin language which says , Mens sana in corpore sano which means A sound mind in a sound body This maxim aptly states i n short the Zo ro as

trian doctrine of living this earthly life . Zoroastrianism does not accept the t heory of reincarnation

or rebirth . The Zoroastrian belief i s that man has to live only

an d one life on this earth . Christianity , Judaism , Islam also hold

t he same belief. It is said that the early Aryans , before they

v iz . separated into two groups , , the Iranians and the Hindus , V believed in the theory of one life . This iew began to change i n the later part of the Vedic period i n the minds of the people who

had settled i n India . The Zoroastrian religion does n ot subscri be

to the theory of Karma or rebirth , which lays down that the ideal

of life cannot be real ised within the limits of one life , and that many l ives are required upon earth to enable the soul to gai n fi emancipation through puri cation in a cycle of rebirths . Accord i ng to this theory of Karma freedom from the chain of births is

the goal of the soul , and this chain is elongated or shortened by ’

one s own actions . Our religiou s books d o not preach this theory ,

but tell us that there is only one life on earth , which , after death ,

attains completion in the n ext world . The earthly life is in the

nature of a test , and the harvest of good or evil deeds i n this

world is to be reaped here as well as in the next world . It i s

therefore incumbent on us to l ive a good , moral , and righteous 8

I t l ife on thi s earth . is said in our religious books that i n t he ti me of the last Proph et So s h yo s there wil l be the Resurrection or

f u men d t o J . Day g The souls of al l men and women , from the primeval being to the last person , will again come to l ife and wil l be given back their respective bod ies . Final Judgment w il l be meted out in the form of reward or retribution . This world will be destroyed , and a new world wil l spring up .

Evil will totally disappear , and the entire creation in the new world will become virtuous and immortal ' bu t there will be no Z ro as further begetting of children . This is the belief of the o

reincar trian religion . Some other rel igions preach the theory of ’ nation or rebirth accordin g to one s deed s in the previous birth . Thus there is a significan t difference between the Zoroas trian belief and the belief of some other religion s on this question of life after death . The question has been discussed for hundreds of years , but a convincing answer to the question is yet to be found . The problem of the existence of evil i n this world has baffled all attempts of the sages , philosophers and religionists of all time V to fin d a satisfactory sol ution . arious theories have been advanced as to how and why evi l exists in the world . The

Zoroastrian religion tell s us that there are two Spirits or Forces , v Main u — iz . , Spenta y meaning the Holy or Good Spirit or — Force and Angra Main yu meaning the Evi l or Ba d Spirit or

Force . The belief i n the existence of these two Spirits or Forces has led non -Zoroastrians to level against Zoroastrianism the

i e . charge of belief in what they term dualism , . , the belief i n the doctrine of two creators . Some Western scholars th ink that

Main u z i Ma n u emn Ah r a Spenta y is Ahura Ma da , and Angra y is , t B t and that they are i n conflic with each other . u the fact is not

so . Zoroastrianism i s strictly an d absolutely monotheistic , and z Ahura Ma da is the supreme Godhea d . Accord ing t o the z Himl s e f h as d octrine of our religion , Ahura Ma da created the — Main u two Forces , Spenta y , Goodness , or the Force of Develop Main u ment or Growth , and Angra My , Ev il , or the Force of ain Decl ine or Destruction . Spenta yu represents t he creative

u Main u or constructiv e attrib te of God , and Angra y represents the destructive powers of God . They are indispensable and necessary to each other in the creation and conduct of the universe . The con stant conflict between the two forces may be 9

said to be the test of mankind . Man is judged according to his good or bad deeds i n this world , which are the result of his success or failu reu es pectiv ely to resist the evil influence exercised ain Main u by Angra M yu . Spenta y may be compared with the Ma n i u soul of man , an d Angra y may be compared with the

man passions arising in the earthly body of . The test of man consists in his eff orts to fight against the evil passions created by Mai firm A ngra n yu and to stand by t he side of Spenta Mainyu or his own soul . The fundamental duty or mission of man in t his fi th e life i s to resist and ght against evi l , an d sa lvat ion of the a fi N soul can be att ined by success i n thi s ght . either the Prophet Zarath u s h tra nor anyone else is going to take upon himself the consequences of our deeds , good or bad . We ourselves have to enjoy or suffer the fruits of our action s and our soul can obtain salvation or peace as a return for our actions on this earth .

Purity of body and mind , and service of the people of the world ,

— in and good deeds , other words , the true path of Righteous — h ness , therein lies the duty and mission of t is worldly life , an d i t r Main d s co mfiu e u t herein lies the of Angra y . In short , we may say that he lives hi s life best upon earth who lives in Right eo us nes s Zarath u s h tra and for Righteousness . tell s us in the Ah un avad Ga tha

0 fi A men , know and learn the principles xed by hura

z ff — Ma da regarding happiness and su erin g , and these prin ciples are that wicked and sinful persons will have ff to su er pain for a l ong time , and righteous persons will reap the benefits which wil l bestow happiness Upon

them .

‘ Vah ts h o is t Ga h a Further . i“n the t t we are told 0 you men and women ' Openly discard the path of S falsehood an d the pread of falsehood . Remove from

your bodies the connection with falsehood . Greatness coupled with disrespect and disgrace is disastrous to Y o u mankind . bring harm to your life in the spiritual world by you”r association with wicked persons who destroy truth .

Ames h as an ds We , Zoroastrians , pay homage to p and 10

Y azads Bu , and remember them with reverence and honour . t we do not coNnsider them to be deities or gods . There are the Elements of ature , such as the Sun , Moon , Water , Fire , Wind , me h a n d a A s s a Y az d etc . , and we consider that each p or represents Y az and rules over one particular element . Some ads represen t

some particular creation of Ahura Ma zda . We pay homage to Ames h as pan ds and Y azads as the elements or Attributes of z e Ahura Ma da , and we do not wmorship them as s veral deities or gods . We pay reverential ho age to Fire and hol d it as

sacred , but we d o n ot worship Fi re as a god or as an idol . We revere Fire and pay our respectful homage to it only as an L Element or Attribute of God , or as a Symbol of ight , which

is a n Element of God . Some people believe that since we hold

Fire as sacred , we Zoroastrians worship Fire as a god , but this

S h ah- a ah . Nm belief is incorrect Firdausi , the author of the ,

must have heard of such a belief, and that is why he says i n one place in his famous epic

Mapen dar ke Atash parastan budan d n Y b dan Paras ta deye Pak a zdan u d .

i . e Do not think that they (Zoroastrians) were worshippers of Y z Fire they were worshippers of Pak a dan (the Holy God) . Zarat s h tra Further , we do not worship h u as a Divine Iucar

nation . We honour him and pay our reverential homage to hi m

only as a Prophet , as the holy man who brought to us the

az Message from Ahura M da . It is now 7000 or 8000 years since the Prophet Zarath u s h tra In S propagated his religion . pite of its antiquity , there are stil l

persons who profess the Zoroastrian faith , and who strictly follow

Za t h ra h u s t . the doctrines , principles and practices preached by ra

This fact amply proves that although it is noble an d sublime , the

Zoroastrian religion is simple , practical and ra tional . Its doet

rines , principles , rules and regulations are eternally true , simple

and practicable even in the present age of science .

From early times down to the present day , scholars and philosophers of different rel igions and different races and com mun ities have written innumerable books and articles on the Zarath h tra subject of the Prophet u s and his teachi ngs . Amongst

the very early writers , Herodotus , Pliny , Strabo and Plutarch are 11

well known . Greek , Roman , Hebrew , Christian , Indian , Arab , and Chi nese writers have studied and ful ly discussed the doctrines and tenets of Zoroastrianism . The Zoroastrian religion exercised a co n s iderable i nfluence on the Hebrew religion of the Prophet a Moses . Amongst the v rious articles of faith which the Hebrews accepted from Zoroastrian ism there are three outstanding ones , viz 2 . ( l ) the principle of monotheism , ( ) the belief in the theory 3 of one l ife on this earth , and ( ) t he belief in the Resurrection or B fin Day of Judgment . In the Old Testament of the ible we d ' several references t o Iranian kings , especially Cyrus , erxes , and

Darius of the Achaemenian dynasty . At a later date Christianity

and Islam adopted these three beliefs as articles of faith . Greek and Roman philosophy and culture are based to some extent on the principles of Zoroastrianism . Other religions and commun i . ties have adopted as t heir own the Zoroastrian tenet of offering homage to Nthe Sun , Moon , Fire , Water , Wind , etc . , as Elements of ature or Attribut es of God . D uring the last two centuries scholars and religionists of

E urO e An u etil du p and America , such as Thomas Hyde , q Perron , mes teter u B ar h l mae Dar t o o , Martin Ha g , Geiger , , Max Muller ,

Dr . West , Dr . Mills , Prof. Jackson and others have studied and

w ritten a large number of books on the Zoroastrian relig ion , and they have expressed nothin g but immen se praise and appreciation of the tenets and doctrines of Zoroastrian ism

' Gro to fen d L European scholars and orientalists , like , assen and

Henry Rawlinson , succeeded in deciphering the cuneiform inscriptions on the h ills and palaces of ancient Iran of the

Achaemenian period , which had remained undeciphered until n the n inetee th century . The cuneiform writings have brought to the kn owledge of the world the glorious period and the wonder ' ful achievements of the mighty kings Cyrus , erxes and Darius '

and the art , science an d culture of Iran of that era have become

known to the world to a much greater extent tha n before .

The contribution of Zoroastrianism towards the culture ,

arts , civilisation and l iterature of several countries of the world ’ is not small . A coun try s morals , philosophy , laws , social

c ustoms and literature chiefly depend upon its religion , because it is religious thought which influences these spheres of l ife a nd imparts to them the important bend or turn which characterises

them . From ancient times till the conquest of Iran by the 12

Arabs the cou n try had wide contacts and connections with ff various countries and di erent races , and on that account the religious philosophy , culture , arts and literature of Iran could not but exert a salutary and beneficial influence on the peopl e

of these countries and races . It is said t hat when Alexander the Great conquered Iran , there existed two copies of al l our

books and scriptures . One copy of t he collecti on , which was destroyed by Alexander , “was i n Persepolis , and it was called z -i-Ni is h t Da h p , meani ng Fort of Documents The other copy had been deposited in another place , and ”it was cal led - - h a i an T e la e i S . h tt r Ganj p g , meaning Roya l Treasure House copy is said to have been sent to G reece by Al exander , and it was translated into the Greek language . Thus the G reeks became acquainted with the writings of Iran ' and from Greece

. N the knowledge spread to other countries of Europe either the original Avesta writings nor the Greek translations exist now . The noble and subl ime fai th of Zarath u s h tra has weathered the heaviest of storms and passed through the cruci ble of the most crushing persecutions . During the long period of 7000 or 8000 years the Zoroastrian religi on has experienced various vicissitudes , but it has come out triumphant from each ordeal

No Z arath u s h tra doubt there are only a few followers of now in

India and Iran . They are now a microscopic minority as com

‘ pared with the followers of other great religion s of the world . Y e t the very fact that the religion established by Zarath us h tra thousands of years ago still flourishes an d t hat there are sti l l o f staunch followers the faith goes to prove that the pri nciples , doctrines and tenets of the faith and the mode of good , mora l Man as h ni G av as h n i K u n as h n i living based on , , are eternally true an d ever enduring .

In spite of the very small population , even now the name

Parsi Zoroastrian is well known in the world . We have attained t a great reputation through o ur qua li ties of head an d heart . Af er the Parsis settled down i n India , they earned a name and reputa tion for themselves in trad e , commerce , industry , arts , politics , i o f etc . The Parsi commun ty can justly be proud its ach”ieve me nts in every wal k of l ife . Charity , thy name is Parsi has - ma . beco e well known saying In spite of their smal l number , Parsis have donated large sums of money for cosmopolitan 13 charities for the benefit of all commun ities without d istinc tion No of caste or creed . other community in India , in spite of its

‘ n mber can t . u s , rank equal with the Parsis i n this respec Parsis have rendered noble service to the people of the country of their adoption by their charity and their advancement in every field of life ' and in doing so they have fol lowed and acted upon the Zarath us h tra noble and subl ime principles taught by . With their strong faith in the no ble and subli me traditions of Zoroastrianism Parsi -Zoroastrians wil l ever remai n rea dy and prepared to with stand firmly and overcome any difficulties which may confront them i n future an d will keep the ban ner of the rel igion of a Zarath us h tr ever flying . No w I shal l conclude my lecture with the Avesta words from

v h a Mazda J as ama A an ha y g y

a h ai ina h a b s h ia n t namc a a r h a h Y t mc u i i ms t c a y h j v ah is h s ra es h tach a Ah u iris h Z rath t is h tacha , y ya a u s h r .

li i us i . re o e . , Amongst al l the g which exist at present and which will come to life i n future , the religion which is the greatest , the best and the n”oblest of them all is the Zoroastria n religion of z Ahura Ma da .

— t H P rin ed a t h e o s ali Pres s B an alo re n dia t , g i fl )