Daisy P. Navdar is a teacher by profession and a firm believer in the efficacy of our Manthravani. She is focused on ensuring that the deep significance of our prayers is realized by our youth. She credits her learnings and insights, shared in her articles, to all Zoroastrian priests and scholars whose efforts have contributed towards providing light and wisdom for all Zarthostis.
I invite you to join me as I journey through the wonderful teachings shared in a Khordeh Avesta, which was printed in 1902 – more than a 100 years ago! Authored by Dinbai Sohrabji Engineer, the teachings, stories and notes in this book speak about the various powers of our prayers, while sharing anecdotes of people who have used these prayers and the tremendous achievements that each has accomplished.
“Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle which fits them all.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes
(The following article comprises excerpts from ‘Zoroastrianism – An Ethnic Perspective’, by Khojeste P. Mistree.)
There is a specific mention made of the timeline of the advent of Ahura Mazda and Ahriman into this world. This timeline is for a total number of 12,000 years and they are further divided into periods of 3,000 years. Ahura Mazda was symbolised by light as that energy could not be described in any other manner. And the existence of Ahriman was simply the absence of light, hence he did not even have an identity of his own. For 3,000 years, the world was in a perfect spiritual state as it was in an unthinking, unmoving and intangible state. The world was a mere extension of the brilliance of Ahura Mazda (Hormazd).
Even though Hormazd repeatedly warned Ahriman of his imminent defeat, the vile Ahriman continued to challenge and attack Hormazd. Therefore, the omniscient Hormazd formulated a timeline to fix a period for this battle. In agreement with Ahriman, a period of another 9,000 years was formulated.
At the very beginning, was the period of Gumezishne, wherein Hormazd chanted the Ahunavar prayer (Yatha Ahu Vairyo) which paralysed the evil Ahriman for 3,000 years. It is during this period that Hormazd created the physical world. He created His good creations from the very essence of His own being. He First created a glowing white Fire, which was the astral form for all his creations.
Out of the essence of that light, Hormazd created the ‘Truthful Utterance’, from which arose the ‘Yatha Ahu Vairyo’. This was the channel through which He created the Seven Fundamental Beneficent Immortals – which we commonly know as the Seven Ameshaspands.
Ahriman also formulated creatures out of his own vile existence – he created the darkest of all – The untruthful utterance – The Lie!
Upon the completion of the 3,000 years of paralysis, Ahriman entered the world created by Hormazd. He pierced the skies, polluted the waters and the earth; he poisoned the trees. The environmental damage that we inflict on our planet is indeed the work of Ahriman. He let lose greed, disease, hunger, vice and lethargy onto all creation. He then attacked the Fire, he mingled it with smoke and darkness. This is where he created the evil opposite, where there was light, he created darkness; where there was joy, he brought sorrow; and where there was life, he brought death. Thus, began the strife between all of the creations of Hormazd against all of the vile creatures of Ahriman.
Asho nabi Spitaman Zarathushtra was born 9,000 years after the beginning. He was chosen to save the world from the evil wrought by Ahriman. The path that he was given, was to awaken man and show him the ethical truth of the existence of Hormazd, in order to conquer and vanquish the forces of falsehood.
The ultimate defeat of Ahriman will occur when all the creations of Hormazd come together in the Light of His wisdom. The Good Mind will prevail and Ahriman and his falsehoods will be rejected, they will weaken and cease to exist. It is said that Ahriman entered this world by piercing the sky and that he will exit by the same route, vanquished forever from this realm of Hormazd!
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