GATHA OF ZARATHUSHTRA

Mentions God only EIGHT times

Fariborz Rahnamoon

Now of these shall I speak to those eager,

That quality of wisdom that all the wise wish

And call creative qualities

And the good creations of the mind

The all-powerful truth (Asha)

Truly and that more & better ways are discovered

Towards perfection

ZARATHUSHTRA – GATHA - YASNA Ha 30.1 (FR)

Every human being who aspires for the
Ultimate Truth and is interested in progress, with peace, justice and
prosperity; towards a heavenly life on this very planet Earth, needs to
understand the GATHAS of Zarathushtra.

Every scholar and every researcher needs
to understand the Gathas so that their research does not create a Frankenstein
like the Atomic Bomb or the present day Global Warming.

Every businessperson needs to understand
the Gathas so that progress and perfection, not wealth, becomes their premier
goal.

Every Politician needs to understand the
Gathas so that they create the environment for their nation to become righteous
and a breeding ground for progress towards perfection.

Every leader, small or big, needs to
understand the Gathas because a good leader makes a big difference in the life
of the followers and the future of the world. The Gathas will help the leader
make a positive difference.

WHAT IS THE
GATHAS

The Gathas are the teachings of
“Zarathushtra”, the sage, the intellect, the greatest teacher the
world has ever known.

The Gathas are in the form of poetry and
reveal the truth, the absolute truth, the truth that is all around us but we
are so disorientated that we do not see, and when shown, we prefer not to
believe out of fear.

The Gathas are the only ancient wisdom that
can solve human problems and elevate human life to a higher level of existence
in a practical way, without sacrifice, without penance, without rituals,
without hoping for supernatural intervention but by knowing oneself
(Khod-a) and having confidence and belief in oneself.

The Gathas teaches us to think,
how to think and why to think.

The Gathas have been preserved as part of
the religious information of the Zarathushties. It is included in the YASNA,
which forms part of what is commonly known as the AVESTA. Avesta also happens
to be the name of the language in which the Gathas were recited. Literally,
“A”-“Vesta” means that which was unknown or in modern
terms “Research Papers”.

Avesta as a language is as old as
Sanskrit, but unlike Sanskrit, it has not been in use for a long time and so
has been forgotten. Around 500 BCE when the Persian kings left inscriptions of
their deeds they wrote them in what scholars call Old Persian. This means that
Avesta language has not been commonly used for at least the last 2500 years.

Is
Gathas a religion?

Religion requires faith, to question the
scriptures is a sin. Religion capitalizes on human ignorance and
for that very reason, promotes ignorance. It talks of the unknown and the unseen, it is
illusionary, it promises a better life after death, its’ heaven was
beyond the clouds and keeps on going further as science explores into space.
Religion is very successful for it does not tax the brain. It shuns progress
and to question is considered sinful and punishable. Adam and Eve were driven
out of Paradise for eating the fruit of
knowledge. Socrates was condemned to death for questioning and not believing in
the gods of the State. So also was Galileo put to death for going against the
belief of the church by saying that the earth was not the centre of the
universe.

Islam goes a step further, it requires its
followers to produce just the necessities of life (food, clothing and shelter),
and spent the rest of their time studying the Koran and spreading its version
of God’s message. It says that God is all-knowing and has planed every
move and to work against the will of God is blasphemy. For this very reason, in
the Islamic countries, progress is minimal, universities are few and art and
architecture limited to mosques. Advanced civilization like Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Ur
and Chaldea after being conquered and coerced
into Islam by the Arabs, lost their ancient knowledge and pride. Their children
were sent to religious schools (Madrasa) and to be knowledgeable was to know
the Koran. In countries like Iran,
which has inherited a system of higher education[1],
Koran has been made the most important part of the curriculum.

The aim of religion is the life beyond;
every step is directed towards achieving a better life after death. Life on
earth is pre-planed and willed by God, doing stem cell research and landing on
the moon is not appreciated. Based on religious beliefs the President of the United States,
George W Bush, in September 2006 vetoed the bill that would have allowed the
research on stem cells.

In
contrast, the Gathas
promotes research and questioning, it shows the way to progress, and it is
against stagnation and prescribes no rituals, for rituals leads to stagnation. It
does not require one to have faith in the unknown and the unseen. It guides us
towards the plain truth, the truth that is all around us and if we choose to,
we can notice it. It does not promise heaven but shows how to create a heaven
on earth. It talks of the evil mind (Ahri-Mana) and not of the devil; it talks
of the good mind (Vohu-Mana) and not the angles. It draws our attention to the
secret of creation and teaches us how to be good creators. It talks about
evolution towards Perfection “HAURVATATA” (Khordad). It does not
hold God responsible for the good or the evil, for happiness or pain. In
fact, the Gathas talk of God “Ahura Mazda” only eight times.

The Gathas promotes and guides research.
It has no do’s and don’ts. Knowledge and wisdom is its main
concern. Its aim is progress towards perfection. It acknowledges and guides the
human power to create. It is concerned with life on earth, and guides on how to
live a full life on earth.

With
these characteristics, does the Gatha compare and qualify as a religion ?

THE
AUTHOR

ZARATHUSHTRA or Zoroaster (as the
Greeks called him) is universally acknowledged as the Author of the Gathas. Where and when Zarathushtra was born is an
ever-changing theory. Every country bordering present day Iran from Azerbaijan
to Afghanistan and up north
into Siberia claims that Zarathushtra was born
in their land. This is a welcome sign. Theories about the year of his birth
range from 600 to 6000 BCE, which again makes no difference. That what is
important is what he has said, and 6000 does not outdate it nor does 600 BCE
reduce the uniqueness of his teachings.

According to tradition, Zarathushtra was
born on the sixth of Farvardin which correspondents to the 26 of March.
According to latest calculations, Zarathushtra was born in the year 1767 BCE.
He left his country of birth and went in search of a ruler who would understand
his teachings and create the atmosphere for its implementation in his kingdom.
Finally, far away from home, it was King Gustasp of Balkh and his wise minister Jamasp who
welcomed him. Ancient Balkh today comprises of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan,
Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, northern Afghanistan
and northeastern Iran.

In 1725 BCE, Zarathushtra lived and
researched at an observatory in Sistan, a province of Balkh.
We know this because on 21st March 1725 BCE, the equinox and sunrise
coincided at Sistan and Zarathushtra had pre-calculated this event and coined
the name “Nou Rouz” the “New Day” to explain and record
this unique natural Phenomenon, which takes centuries to repeat at the same
location.[2]

Zarathushtra also calculated and invented
the concept of the Meridian.
The Meridian
(Zero longitude) of Zarathushtra was along, the present day, 62 degrees
longitude, which happens to pass through Sistan. He called his Meridian “Nim Rouz” which means
“Midday”. Because when it is midday on the Meridian of
Zarathushtra, there is sunshine on the entire hemisphere from Japan to Africa.
In Afghanistan
even today that location is called NimRuz province. This further strengthens
the relation of Zarathushtra to the kingdom
of Balkh. To see this
natural phenomena of Nim Rouz live on the internet check the site below.

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/sunearth.html

It would be good to return to the site
when the sun reaches 62 degrees longitude that is over the border of Iran and Afghanistan
and you will see the sun setting in Japan
and rising in the western parts of Africa.

According to Avesta, the name of
Zarathushtra’s mother was Dughdhova and his father Porushaspa. Like a
normal person, he married beautiful girl by the name of Havovi and had six
children, three girls by the name of Farin, Triti and Pouruchista, and three
boys by the name of Isatvastrar, Urvatatnara and Hvarechithra. He lived for 77
years and the traditional day of his death is the 26 of December.

Zarathushtra was a man without
prejudice; he looked at things in a different way he looked at them as they
are. He did not invent any thing new he simply discovered “The
Truth”. What he discovered was shocking then as it is today. To
understand his teachings you have to
put aside your prejudices, put aside your beliefs, and you have to put aside
your preconceived ideology. You have to look at things as they are.

Was
Zarathushtra a Prophet?

Zarathushtra lived among the Aryans
over 3700 years ago. It was an era of gods and goddess not prophets. The Aryans
had no prophets but instead they believed in numerous gods and goddesses. At
the same period in history, other ancient civilizations like the Sumerians,
Elamians, Babylonians and Egyptians also believed in gods and goddesses, and
not prophets. To this day in India
where the ancient system of gods and goddesses continues, there has been no
prophet. Instead, they have “Avatars”, the presence of God in the
form of man. The living Avatar at present is “Satya Sai Baba” who
has millions of followers from all over the world. He performs magic tricks and
calls them miracles like those evangelists preachers in the USA that cure
the sick.

“Prophet” was a Semitic concept. The Jews,
latter while narrating their history, called their “Leaders”
prophets, but when one in flesh and blood appeared among them, they did not
accept him. Instead, they handed him over to the Romans as an imposter.
Incidentally, the Romans like the rest of the world believed in gods and
goddess, and not prophet, so they crucified him, and centuries latter when they
decided to adopt him, they adopted him as a son of God and not a prophet.

Therefore, at a time and age in
history when the gods made prophecies and prophets were unknown, how could one be
that which is unknown. It is like claiming that 1000 years ago there lived a
President. It makes no sense to make such a claim. At that period in history,
Kings reigned and the office of the President was unknown. The same is true
with Zarathushtra he lived at a time when the concept of Prophet was unknown,
instead there were gods for everything. Zarathushtra did not believe in these
petty gods either and replaced them with a single God. He started a completely
new concept and the world un-ceremoniously recognizes Zarathushtra as the
father of “Monotheism”. Unfortunately, the anthropomorphic God has
hijacked the God of Zarathushtra.

Zarathushtra was an intellect, a
sage. He believed
in wisdom and so named his only God “Creator of Wisdom” -
“Ahura Mazda”. He was also a mathematician an astronomer a
scientist a researcher an inventor a thinker. The tradition continued among the
Persians and so in the Torah and the Bible the Persians are recognized as wise
men, even when their act is reported as prophetic in nature. Like the wise men
who predicted the birth of baby Jesus.

On the other hand, a
prophet is a messenger he need not be wise or knowledgeable, or even literate. Moreover, a wise man
cannot be a good messenger for he has the tendency to question any irrational
or unwise message.

HISTORY OF THE GATHAS

To believe that a person of the stature of
Zarathushtra would only compose 241 stanzas is hard to digest. However, that is
all that we have inherited from this great man. Fortunately, the little that
has survived the tyranny of man and the ravages of time is enough to guide
humans out of its modern day dilemma and lead them to a brighter future.

Up to the reign of the Hakhamaneshenians
(Achamenians), the Persian Empire 500 to 320
BCE, the teachings of Zarathushtra had still survived and were understood and
followed in its original form. The fact that the Persians used their wisdom,
made wise decisions, and instead of building temples built highways and
underground waterways. They mapped the depth of the waters from the Ganges to
the Red Sea to make transportation by sea
safe. They connected the Nile to the Red Sea a
forerunner to the Suez Cannel. They introduced a postal system the description
of which has become the motto of the United States postal system in the
21st century, all this and more is proof enough to vouch the
influence of the Gathas during that period.

The rest of the world before they encountered the
followers of the teachings of Zarathushtra, were believers in supernatural
beings called gods. To use their mind and question, was considered trespassing
into the realm of the gods and their days were cut short by the gods. This
tradition continues in the Torah, the Bible and the Koran, where Adam and Eve
are driven out of Paradise for eating from the
tree of knowledge.

When the Persian Empire
grew and became influential so did its systems and beliefs. The Greeks and the
Romans on coming into contact with the Persians became philosophers for the
first time. Before that time, (550 BCE) we do not know of any philosopher among
the Greeks. Socrates who was born in 469 BCE became one of the initial
philosophers. Ironically, the Roman system condemned him to death because what
he said was alien to their culture. Socrates was charged for being very curious,
asking questions and searching into things and questioning the legitimacy of
heaven and things under the earth. Most of the Greek philosophers were born
within the Persian Empire and then moved to Athens. Philosophy became a mode after the
peace treaty of 449 BCE between Rome and Persia.

This era influenced by the Gathas ended with the
advent of Alexander of Macedonia. Aristotle who was a tutor to Alexander
advised him by saying; “If you destroy the Persians you shall have
destroyed one of the pillars of civilization”. So Alexander made sure he
did that. He did not destroy the political structure of Persia but he
aimed at the cultural infrastructure. He preserved and used Susa
the political capital but destroyed Persepolis
- Takht e Jamshid - the cultural capital. He burnt the royal library, destroyed
many books, though some were salvaged and taken to Rome, it is believed to have included one of
the two original copies of the Avesta.

He further killed the learned and abducted thirty
thousand Persian youth to Rome,
trained them in Roman culture and sent them back to spread it among the
Persians. He rebuilt the abandoned temples of Babylonia
and revived the gods. He promoted the revival of the ancient sun god Mithra
among the northwestern Iranians. Although Alexander died young this era lasted
for 400 years; Mithraism became a world religion, the Roman soldiers and
merchants became attracted to Mithraism and spread their new found religion in
Europe where it became known as the religion of the soldiers and traders. So
strong was the influence of Mithraism that it found its way into Christianity
and Zoroastrianism when they became the official religions of the two Empires.

The winter solstice, the birth of the sun god Mithra,
became Christmas the birth of Christ. The inner circle of the temple of Mithra
and their hierarchy became the secret conclave of the Vatican. The
rituals of Mithraism continued among the priest of both Christianity and the
Zoroastrianism of the Sassanian.

The temple of
Mithra in Europe
became churches and we can still see the story of Mithra in their architect.
The Dar e Mehr or the gate to Mithra became the Fire Temples of Zoroastrianism.
Fire the son of god Mithra became son of Ahura Mazda. The Gathas lost their
significance and became a yearly prayer
in the Avesta edition commissioned by the Sassanian. The last five days of the
year were named after the Gathas and the Mobeds (priests) recited the Gathas as
prayers during those days.

While the Sassanian were collecting bits and pieces
from all over the Empire and trying to revive Zoroastrianism they were
influenced by the beliefs of Zurvanism, and the person of Mani and Mazdak who
lived during that period and had proclaimed themselves as Prophets and were
influential. The dualism preached and developed by these three were
incorporated into the Avesta as part of Zoroastrianism. The Roman version of
Christianity was growing and a major threat to the work of the Zoroastrian
Mobeds. In comparison with Christianity when the Mobeds did not find any
reference to after life, they commissioned a young priest Arda Viraf to write
about it and he did a good job, which has been preserved in a book called the
“Arda Viraf Nameh”. The heaven and hell of the Gathas were taken
from earth and put high up in the skies beyond the clouds by Arda Viraf. His
book latter inspired Dante to write his famous “Divine Comedy”.

So also, when the compliers did not find the story of
the origin of life to compare with that of the Adam and Eve, they wrote their own
version and called it Mashya and Mashyaneh. However, with a difference, for
their ancient culture still played a role and they were comparatively more
rational; particularly that they created the male and the female as equals.

Thus, the modern day Zoroastrianism was developed
during the reign of the Sassanian comparable to the newly adopted religion of
their enemy the Romans.

Just like in Christianity
where in the New Testament the main principles of the Gathas were repeated by
Jesus Christ, but not understood or followed by his followers, so also the
Gathas took a back seat in the Sassanian version of Zoroastrianism.[3]

In 637 CE, the Arabs invaded Iran. They
believed that God in the Koran has given all the knowledge that humankind will ever
need. So when Abu Waqas the commander of the invading army asked Omar the
Khalifa (ruler) if he should distribute the books captured at the royal Persian
library as booty among his soldiers. Omar said; “Allah has in the Koran
given us all the knowledge that is good, and what he has not, is bad and he
does not want us to know, so destroy all the books.”[4]
Therefore, the Arabs burnt most of the books and threw the rest in the river.

In the centuries that followed the Arab conquerors
demanded books as ransom from the Iranians and burnt them. They cut the fingers
of scholars to disable them from writing. They burnt scholars in the pyre of
their books. They even accepted books in lieu of tax and destroyed them. Four
hundred years latter Ferdowsi the great Persian poet tells us how he had to
collect bits and pieces of information preserved in various parts of the nation
by the Mobeds and the knowledgeable.

Today Avesta contains all the information that was
salvaged after the onslaught of the Arabs. It contains history geography
medicine astronomy mythology and of course the Gathas. Avesta was hand written
and hidden out of fear of the Arabs, available only to the Mobeds. That the
Avesta survived such an onslaught shows the dedication of the Iranians to it. The
Zarathushties who had taken refuge in India
replenished their information by traveling to Iran and bringing back copies of
the Avesta and other books, the history of which is well documented.

The Gathas itself being in Avesta language and in the
form of poetry have remained intact but not recognized until rediscovered by
Western scholars in the 1700’s. It is embedded in the Yasna and the last
compilers of the Avesta who still recognized the Gathas had used numerology to
number them, [5]
so the first Gatha is Yasna 28, which is 2+8=10 = 1+0 = 1. This continues until
Yasna 34 and then jumps to Yasna 43 both of which is equal to 7 and it
continues with a missing link in 52 and for some reason Yasna 29 does not (to
me) seem to go with the theme of things for it introduces a Semitic concept of
a weak and confused anthropomorphic God.

The western scholars who discovered the Gathas
translated them with the help of Sanskrit and by studying the rituals and
customs of Zarathushties with whom they were in contact, and whom they
evaluated as from a primitive culture, who followed complicated rituals, prayed
to the fire and left their dead to be eaten by birds of prey.  In addition to these, the scholars had
their own beliefs, which influenced their thoughts and showed up in their work.
The work of these scholars became reference for future translations. Thus,
today we have more than fifty different translations but none depicts the
original thoughts of Zarathushtra. Again, each of the translations is slightly
different in philosophy from the other, but fortunately, all of the
translations are good and positive, so great is the original work that it breaths purity
into all kinds of thoughts. Unfortunately
so great is the influence of the Roman philosophy and belief on modern humans
that it will take some more time, even for people who believe in the Gathas, to
understand and realize the truth in the Gathas. This problem will, hopefully be
solved by exposing the Gathas to a larger audience on a global scale.

UNDERSTANDING THE GATHAS

Astronomers and Mathematicians believe only in what
they can see or prove. Zarathushtra who was both a mathematician and astronomer
could be no different. In his Gathas, he talks of only that what can be done
and its results seen. He talks of reality.

Zarathushtra in his Gathas does not
want to propound a belief. He does not give a list of do’s and
don’ts. His approach is very different, he does not teach us what to see
but he teaches us HOW TO SEE and HOW TO SEE CLEARLY. He wants us to be able to see the
TRUTH for ourselves; he does not give us a list of ready-made truth for easy
reference.

What he says is contrary to all our
present day beliefs and to all our so-called religious convictions. To
understand him one has to have a clear mind free of preconceived philosophy,
preconceived theology, and preconceived ideology. One has to transcend oneself,
acquire the innocence of a child and only then can one be comfortable and
fearlessly understand the teachings of this Great Teacher.

Therefore, it is very important that we
try to understand what he has said without trying to find parallels and without
looking for answers to questions based on myths and matters that are
ideological and have no proof of existence. In order to be able to understand
the real meaning of the Gathas we need to take help of the history of its early
followers before foreign cultures influenced them.

The earliest followers with such
qualification, who have left behind archaeological evidence for us to be able
to study, are the Persians. Their statements carved on stone and clay tells us
that they believed in the God of Zarathushtra, “Ahura Mazda”
“Creator of Wisdom”. They have left behind signs of there advanced
technologically, like the underground tunnels in the deserts called
“Kanats” or “Qanats”, to carry water from the source,
to the place of consumption scores of miles away. Their benevolence can be seen
in the drafting of the first “Charter of Human Rights”. The Torah
and the Bible have stories of their good deeds and thoughts and even their
enemies the Romans have good things to say about them and their way of life.

During those two centuries with the
benevolent influence of the Persian as a super power, there were great changes
in the path of civilizations, which an unbiased student of history cannot miss.
As mentioned earlier philosophy and wisdom flourished, science and knowledge
increased and the world was put on a path of progress. This was because of the
belief of the Persians in “Wisdom” “Mazda” and “Hurvatata”
“Perfection”.

On the other hand, what was significantly
missing among the Persian is a temple or the evidence of any kind of worship.
The many bas-reliefs left behind on the great walls of their cultural capital
Takht-e-Jamshid is evidence of this fact. Herodotus confirms this when he says,
“The erection of statutes, temples and altars is not an accepted practice
among the Persians, and any one who does such a thing is considered a fool,
because presumably, the Persian religion is not anthropomorphic like the
Greeks.” However, when reading modern translation of the Gathas we see a
different story.

THE PROBLEMS WITH THE MODERN TRANSLATIONS OF THE GATHAS.

It will suffice to highlight only two of
the main problems here.

AHURA MAZDA

To translate the Gathas with Greek
standards of an anthropomorphic God is surely going to be misleading. I think
the single most evident proof of a good translation is the number to times the
translation mentions the name of God. In the Gathas, Zarathushtra mentions “Ahura
Mazda” the God, only eight times.

Those that claim to have made the most
literal translation mentions God at least 222 times. The reason is that they
translate the words Ahura and Mazda in whatever form and syntax as
“God”. The translators claim that Zarathushtra the poet played with
the two parts of the name of his God by switching it around or omitting one
part of it, or mentioning the two parts in different sentences in a stanza,
just to rhyme his poem. Consequently, apart from translating “Ahura Mazda”
as God, they also translate Mazda Ahura as God, Mazda by it self as God, and
also Ahura by itself as God.

Now the numbers of times these words are
mentioned in the 241 stanzas of the Gathas are as under:

MAZDA                        164
times

AHURA                        131
times

MAZDA AHURA             50 times

AHURA MAZDA             08 times

Total   353 times

When all of these words are given the
meaning “God”, every stanza evolves around God. Therefore, the next
step for the translator is to juggle with the rest of the words in the stanza,
under the pretext of rhyme and rhythm, and grammar, to form a meaningful idea
around the word God. For the same reason the translator chooses an appropriate
synonym for other words in the stanza to give sense to the stanza. The result
is the various translations that we have in the market although all are morally
and philosophically good they are not exactly what Zarathushtra propounds.

The other fact that we need to remember is
that Zarathushtra was speaking to a people who had hundreds of gods; he was
telling them that they were wrong and that there was only one God. Now would he
confuse them by giving his only God four forms of names.

It is more logical that Zarathushtra who
has named his only God the “Creator of Wisdom” (“Ahura
Mazda”) would talk more about the creation of his God, namely
“Wisdom” “Mazda”. This we can see in the number of
times the word Mazda has been used, which is 164 times. No other concept has
been discussed as many times as Mazda, in the Gathas.

Now if we imagine that the poet was so
weak that he had to mutilate the name of his only God to rhyme his poem. That
rhyming was more important than the concept he wants to propound, and that,
although each word has a literal meaning he does not consider it, and decides to
add to the confusion by calling all of them God; then there is no need for
further discussion.

However, if we stop imagining and instead
give each of those words their literal meaning we will see a different Gatha.
First and foremost the need to juggle the words around to make a meaningful
sentence will be eliminated, next we will see clear and simple truth rather
than confusion, personification and prayers. As a result we will see that
Gatha, which had lead the Persian 2500 year ago, to do what they did.

So let us give each of the key words its
literal meaning and see the results. The literal meaning of the key words is:

MAZDA                        Wisdom

AHURA                        Creator
/ Creation

MAZDA AHURA             Wisdom
in Creation

AHURA MAZDA           Creator
of Wisdom (God)

URVANEM - SOUL

The other problem is the paradigm of the
soul. Take the concept of the soul out of any religion and its world collapses.
The Protestant religion came into being when Luther protested against the
Catholic churches’ scam of selling heaven to its followers, but even the
Protestant version of religion could not do away with the soul or the human
aspiration for residing in heaven after death. A religion flourishes on how
well it can guarantee the journey of the soul to heaven. Prayers penance and
confessions are some of the means of guarantying in the catholic religion.
While in Islam, the soul has been used to serve its imperialistic expansionist
program. It gives the actual key to heaven to a person who kills in the name of
Islam or dies in the act.

Every religion claims its Prophet was in
direct contact with God but in spite of that, each of their concepts and the
means of achieving an abode in heaven are different, so also is the description
of the privileges bestowed in heaven different. The soul has created more
problems than it has solved.

Zarathushtra had his heaven on earth.
Zarathushtra’s Heaven can be created by using the good mind[6] to understand
the laws of nature[7] and then use
that knowledge to make good rules[8] thereby making
the society righteous[9].  In a righteous society the people progress
towards perfection[10] and by
loosing the fear of death achieve immortality[11]. Such a
society is a heavenly society where peace tranquillity prosperity and justice
prevail. On a smaller scale, the heaven can be in your home and on a larger
scale; society, nations and ultimately the earth can be converted into a
heavenly place, where everyone lives hand in hand with nature, in peace
tranquillity and prosperity. Here the soul looses its traditional role since
Heaven is achieved when the person is still alive.

In spite of this, because the translators
of the Gathas have the traditional concept of the soul engraved in their very
existence, they mistranslate the Gathas to make room for the traditional soul.

Just as the Tooth Fairies and the Santa
Claus gives false hope to the world of a child so does the concept of the soul
give similar hope to the now grown up child.

WHAT DOES THE
GATHAS TEACH[1]

The Gathas reveals the Truth, analysis it, and shows
the way to progress towards a better life, the best life, “Be-hest”
a heavenly life.

The Gatha requires its followers to be wise, to become
learned, to explore, to discover, to invent, to progress and not be bogged in traditions.
Its theme is the human mind, which it analyses and guides.

The Gatha starts by seeking perfect-ness of the mind,
Wisdom, Mazda. The goal is, to harmonize the human sprit with the universe.

This I seek with reverence

With uplifted hands

The perfect-ness of the mind, Wisdom (Mazda)

The first good rule to Asha* is

All should aspire to make

Good use of the wisdom in the mind

To create harmony between the universe

And the inner-self**.

Zarathushtra – Gatha – Yasna 28.1 (FR)

*ASHA
– The law of nature, the law of the Universe. The Truth.

**(Urvanem)
(Human spirit) (Spiritual force of the mind)

The next step is (to make use of the wisdom) to
acquire the knowledge of the “Wisdom in Creation” and gain control over
the physical and the mental forces and become enlightened.

Certainly, I shall acquire

The Wisdom in Creation

Through Good use of the Mind

I shall master the dual forces

Physical and Mental

Through Knowledge

Whereby desiring, and achieving enlightenment.

Zarathushtra – Gatha – Yasna 28.2 (FR)

Having achieved enlightenment, with the use of the
good mind, understand “Asha” the truth, the laws of nature, the
laws of the universe. Then make good rules, give good guidance, making sure
they are in tune with Asha, the laws of nature. Such rules will never wane and
will increase righteousness and lead us towards perfection.

Truly, the Asha (Truth) derived

By the good mind

Never before known

Among the wise and in the universe

With it, make good rules, never waning

Increasing righteousness

Leading us towards Perfection

Zarathushtra – Gatha -Yasna Ha 28.3 (FR)

The human mind, the mental force, has a spiritual
part, the “urvamem” the inner-self. This spiritual part of the mind
derives satisfaction when there is harmony between the thoughts and the laws of
nature, the Wisdom in Creation. The result is good deeds, good products, and
good creation. This is an ongoing process and as long as each one of us has the
strength, we should strive for the truth, and also teach others to strive
for the truth.

Truly, the spiritual result is high (when)

Goodness leads to harmony in thoughts

Which result in good deeds

In tune with the Wisdom in Creation

As long as I have strength

So long will I teach to strive for Truth

Zarathushtra – Gatha –Yasna Ha 28.4 (FR)

It
is also the duty of every person who derives the truth, to pass on the
knowledge to those who do not know, and thereby keep the process of progress
continuous. An important point is that the information is not to be forced upon
others but be passed on by speaking. Persuasion and not persecution is the
mode of passing on the message and showing the path of progress.

Asha when you gain

With minds good use

Having realized wisdom

The path to creation (righteousness)

The ultimate message of Wisdom

Through words excellent

We shall turn (convert)

Those who do not know

With tongue (By speaking)

Zarathushtra – Gatha -Yasna Ha 28.5 (FR)

For those who believe, that there is no conversion
in Zarathushtism this verse clearly shows that they are wrong, and that
Zarathushtra wants everyone to reap the benefit and does not limit the fruits
of wisdom for a chosen or limited group.

It is common belief among people that natural
calamities are the work of God. Even insurance companies will not pay claims by
calling floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and the like, an act of God. The Gatha
makes it clear that God is not to be blamed for them.

It says; the laws of Nature - Asha - can also bring
about disaster, Ahura Mazda is not to be blamed for them. It is nature taking
its’ natural course that causes disaster. We do not have to give up, and
accept the disaster as the wish of God. Instead, we should use our mind and
find a way to stay out of harms way, while nature takes its course. He further
says that, the best mind is the one that gives good guidance to survive such
situations in future. Like the Japanese, who have acknowledged that their land
is earthquake prone and so are designing their lives in such a way that they
can withstand the earthquakes without loss of life and property. The Japanese
are worthy of praise as per the Gathas.

These, you, not Ahura Mazda

Asha also brings fury

Mind also is the best

That which strives' to give good guidance

For you to be worthy

Mighty, satisfied, also worthy of praise

Zarathushtra - Gatha - Yasna HA 28.9 (FR)

About creation, the Gathas draws our attention to the
fact that everything that is created was first a thought. Therefore, we should
keep our thoughts good and in tune with the wisdom in creation. Then again, the
fact is that, we may have many thoughts but only those that we discuss and talk
about with others that become reality. Therefore, we need to declare only our
good thoughts through good words, so that we end up doing good deeds and
creating good products. While theologians are still looking for the secret of
creation, the Gathas has not only revealed it but also given guidelines to
avoid creating a Frankenstein.

The Wright brothers though of flying, they studied
nature discussed it, designed, and created a flying machine in the shape of a
bird. Then somebody had bad thoughts, it was not in tune with nature, but they
discussed it and loaded the planes with bombs. That is why there is the maxim
GOOD THOUGHTS, GOOD WORDS, GOOD DEEDS. Avoid converting your bad thoughts into
words.

Truly with these facts

We shall keep our thoughts
good forever

In tune with the Wisdom in
Creation

I instruct that

You all declare your mind's
findings

Through the word of mouth

Whereby creation first
comes into being

Zarathushtra - Gatha - Yasna
28.11 (FR)

This is just the beginning of the Gatha simple but
full of Wisdom.

The Gatha has passed the practicality test
in history, but has failed against the dark force in human nature that desire
and conquer the human imagination and enslave the human sprit, by making it
believe in supernatural forces and not see the plain truth. The Gathas require
the use of “Wisdom” “Mazda” but it is easier not to use
it. Religion offers the opportunity; it banishes those that use their wisdom.

Zarathushtra makes it clear in the Gathas
itself as to what to expect from the Gathas. He says he is going to speak of
the high quality of wisdom that is desired by the wise, about the creative
qualities of the mind, and its good creations, about Asha and its powers. The
aim of all these is to help everyone progress towards perfection. Perfection is
the foremost aim of Zarathushtra in his Gathas; Perfection is an on going
process each generation improving on the previous.

Now of these shall I speak to those eager,

That quality of wisdom that all the wise wish

And call creative qualities

And the good creations of the mind

The all-powerful truth (Asha)

Truly and that more & better ways are discovered

Towards perfection

Zarathushtra - Gatha - Yasna
30.01 (FR)

The
road to perfection is varied; every person has to choose his own path. To do
that one has to listen to the best with an open mind and from among the
hundreds of paths choose one most suitable for oneself. Every human being has a
natural ability and liking for something, provided it is honorable, good and
beneficial one has to choose the best course and progress on that path to
perfection. Like, an artist can achieve perfection in his art and so can a
doctor, an engineer, or a farmer achieve perfection in what they do.

There
are a few point of interest to be noted here; first that the choice is between
the best, second that one has to have an open mind, third that each person
should chose the path of their liking, which usually is that which one has a
natural ability for. People who like and enjoy what they do are those that are
more successful.

Listen with your ears to the best

Consider with open mind

Among the paths before deciding

Person by person for his own self

Before greatness of this message

Is truly spread understand each one

Zarathushtra - Gatha - Yasna
30.02 (FR)

This verse is often mistranslated and is the one that
is frequently quoted with pride, with regard to freedom of choice. The
mistranslated version says there are “two paths” meaning the good
and the bad path, and you can choose one. In other words, you have the freedom
to choose the bad path. First of all, the word “path” is in the
plural form only and the word “two” is not mentioned in the Avesta
text the translators presume it. More importantly, the first line talks of
listening to the “Best” now how is the “bad” included
in the “best”? This is an example of the wrong influence of the
dualism of Mani and Mazdak, which has crept into the Pahlavi commentaries and
used by the modern day translators of the Gathas, thereby changing the whole
concept of the Gathas.

Once again, Zarathushtra shifts the blame away from
God. He says we humans bring about happiness and pain on our selves by our
thoughts and deeds. The God of Zarathushtra is above such blames. Those who
practice evil harm progress and also the followers of the righteous path. If
this fact is understood, there will be enlightenment among the human kind.

That these laws you understand

That wisdom has given humans

Happiness and pain

And that practice of evil harms

Progress and followers of truth

And as a result of these shall come illumination

Zarathushtra - Gatha - Yasna
30.11 (FR)

How true, when we look at all the suffering and pain
that exist in the world today all have a human cause. From the terrorist
activities to wars, from global warming to Aids, from family feud to national
disputes and the list can go on. Above all, the suffering that religion has
caused for centuries, by believing in one God with different ideologies and
each one thinking that God has ordained their ideology.

Zarathushtra sees the human mind as the cause of all
the evil and happiness; he further pins the blame on the leaders. It is the
leaders who do the most harm for they chose the evil thoughts and pass it on to
their followers. These evil thoughts combined with anger bring about death and
destruction.

From these thoughts

The evil thinkers

Do not choose the good ones

Even those who follow them

Questioning revealed

That they teach worst thoughts and anger,

This together goes towards

That which destroys life mortal

Zarathushtra - Gatha - Yasna
30.6 (FR)

The Gathas has the solution to this problem of the human
mind. It says that giving good guidance and awakening the person to realize the
truth will help that person progress and achieve righteousness. This will also
benefit those who are close to such a persona and are the followers of such a
person. Unfortunately, some modern religions being aware of this fact have
forbidden their followers to listen to logic by claiming that God is all
knowing and everything has been ordained before hand.

The
Gathas does not want the knowledgeable people to give up in their effort to
guide the mislead, for it says good knowledge will achieve righteousness
without fail and this method has been tested successfully before.

This message and good guidance shall bring

On the mind good knowledge

And such person will progress

Will achieve righteousness without fail

So shall those near them

This has been tested successfully before

Zarathushtra - Gatha - Yasna
30.7 (FR)

Now that brought upon them

To change, collectively, their mistakes

Now wisdom brings upon them good rule

Good use of the mind shall show them

To
learn of creation

So by giving knowledge

Conquer the false one

Zarathushtra - Gatha - Yasna
30.8 (FR)

The Gatha gives importance to good knowledge and its
power to win the unrighteous ones over to follow the right path.

The Gathas is not something that has to be hidden it
is something that has to be spread.

CONCLUSION

Zarathushtra changed the paradigm of human belief. He
raised humans to a higher level of existence. He pulled them out of slavery to
petty gods and made them realize that they were creators themselves, that it
was their creations that made them different from animals and not that they
were walking upright. He revealed the secret of creation and showed how they
could be good creators.

He made them realize how important a gift it was to be
able to think, provided the gift is properly used. He explained the thinking
process and the results of good thoughts, the importance of leadership and its
influence on its followers, the importance of nature and the harmony of human
thoughts with nature. He oiled the human mind and put it into motion.

Slowly but steadily progress was being attained when
unfortunately for us humans, the evil thinkers took control; the very
philosopher whom the Persians had trained turned against them and advised
Alexander to destroy this benevolent pillar of civilization.

Systematically the followers of the teachings of
Zarathushtra were disoriented, by killing the experienced and training the
youth. In the scuffle that followed Organized Religion became the mode of the
day. They used the weakness of the human mind to their advantage; very soon,
the evil part of the human mind took over under disguise of benevolence. This
time everyone became slave to a single God, to the advantage of the inner
enclave, the keepers of the house of God.

In their effort to reorganize, the Persians in their
weakness, fell into the trap of their enemies, and fashioned their religion on
that of their enemies. Mashya and Mashyaneh were introduced to counter Adam and
Eve, Arda Viraf was commissioned to describe heaven and hell and a bridge was
built for the dead to cross over to it. Gathas, the teachings of Zarathushtra became prayers
in this reorganized religion.

Today many of the learned among the humans have
realized the futility of their way of life and are staying away from organized
religion. It is time to revive the Gathas, but not the Gatha that has been
translated to walk the path of organized religion. The original Gatha, the
Gatha that mentions God only EIGHT times.

***

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[1] Please note that the translations of the
Gathas given below are word-by-word translation without having consideration
for the English grammar.

[1] The Jond e Shapour University in Iran is more than 1756 years old.

[2] Looking back at
history and the data on sunrise and sunset available with Nasa it seems to
repeat at about the same location every 1330 to 1340 years. There are many
variables, which can affect the timing of the actual event, like the simple
passing of a comet close to earth or an earthquake. For more information see
“Nou Rouz & Nim Rouz” at http://www.ancientiran.com

[3] See “Influence on other religions” at http://www.ancientiran.com

[4] Muqadama by Ibn Kaldum

[5] The Gathas were embedded in the Avesta and each
chapter had been numbered using numerology. The chapters are numbered as under:

28
=
2+8  =  10
=  1+0                 =  1

29
=
2+9  =  11
=  1+1                 =  2

30
=
3+0                                       =  3

31
=
3+1                                       =  4

32
=
3+2                                       =  5

33
=
3+3                                       =  6

34
=
3+4                                       =  7

43
=
4+3                                       =  7

44
=
4+4                                       =  8

45
=
4+5                                       =  9

46
=
4+6                                       =  10 = 1

47
=
4+7                                       =  11 = 2

48
=
4+8                                       =  12 = 3

49
=
4+9                                       =  13 = 4

50
=
5+0                                       =    5

51
=
5+1                                       =    6

?   ??

53    =
5+3                                       =    8

54    =
5+4                                       =    9

[6] Vohumana

[7] Asha Vahista

[8] Khash atra
vairya

[9] Spenta armaity

[10] Haurvatata

[11] Ameretat