Adil J. Govadia
As explained earlier, Spenta and Angra are the two impersonal and universally opposing primeval spirits or Minos (Shaktis), while man’s endeavour is to convert his Angra-tainted Urvan (soul) into the Spenta-enlightened spiritual light of Wisdom. Thus, over several rebirths, man learns from experience and wisdom to practice Humata (good thoughts), Hukhta (good words) and Hvarshta (good deeds), which then guides the soul onto the path of Asha.
Cosmically speaking, Asha means ‘Righteous Order and Balance’ throughout the Cosmos. In relation to worldly behaviour, Asha means Purity, Truth and Piety practiced with sincerity. While animals instinctively follow the immutable laws of Nature, human beings, because of their dual mentalities of Spenta and Angra, are endowed with ‘free-will’ to make moral choices, which either help or mar the advancement of a human soul.
Besides Asha, there are six other religious bases that could be followed by Zoroastrians, namely Atash (consecrated holy Fire), Boonak Pasbani (preservation of the ‘seed’ or racial purity), Dokhmenishini (disposal of the dead through exposure to sunlight), Kriya-Kaam (spiritual therapy of rituals and ceremonials), Manthravani (sacred vibratory prayers) and Sudreh-Kusti (talismanic spiritual implements).
Thus, Spenta and Angra, with their opposing and contrasting polarity, work against each other for the common cause of human evolution, where mass gets converted to energy, leading to unfoldment. As a result, Angra, though a negative force, works with Spenta for a positive cause in moving the entire creation towards Frasho-kereiti (Liberation or Moksha).
Needless to mention, thoughts, words and actions greatly affect the Khoreh (aura) of individuals. It is thus advisable to follow scriptural tarikats (edicts) as prescribed by Prophet Zarathushtra and to walk the path of ASHA, for one to gain the wisdom necessary to facilitate the Divine Light (Spenta) to penetrate the dark blockages of Ignorance (Angra), thus unshackling and enabling the soul to soar higher through the spiritual realms of the universe.
In the present times, the Parsi-Zoroastrian community is at cross-roads, torn between those born with a blind belief to repose faith in the great philosophic declarations of the ancient Avestan scriptures, and those who are seekers of modern knowledge, who tend to test everything on the touchstone of science, logic and common sense. Maybe therein lies the secret of a community’s despair with religion in general – the inability or unwillingness in understanding the great seers and true spiritual content.
Every revealed religion represents a spectrum of God’s truth as revealed by respective Prophets. Can one deny the truth of say, a lotus or the lily, in order to accept the truth of a rose? Forbiddance of mixed marriages in Zoroastrianism is not because of assumed superiority of Zoroastrian religion, but because of religious stipulation and spiritual necessity needed to survive in those times and onwards.
Though expressly designed as a means to facilitate Urvan’s evolution on the path of Asha, there is much misinterpretation and resultant misunderstanding surrounding the Vendidad today. Many believe that in order to progress and keep pace with modernity, they need to unshackle themselves from the traditional past. But that’s akin to chopping the roots of the old oak tree in order to bear an assortment of new fruits! Truth is, the deeper the roots, the more vibrant the fruit. Hence, one cannot hope to achieve ‘growth’ by abandoning the religious and traditional past of a community.
Renowned nuclear scientist, Er. Dr. Minocher Karkhanawalla, shared in his essay, ‘Survival Of The Community – A Strategy For The Present And The Future’, “…the uniqueness of every individual is a result of hereditary characteristics funneled into him from total genetic content spanning about nine generations on both sides of each parent. In this respect, an individual can be compared to the neck portion of a large hourglass, with a vast reservoir of genetic material from an ever-increasing network of generations above contributing to what the individual is in the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual make-up, and that individual, in his own turn, contributing in a complex way to a vast and ever-spreading network of generations to follow.”
Thus, following the fundamental laws of Nature and pursuing the seven bases of religion with dedication can lead to the unfoldment of spirit from matter.
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