What come to mind when we speak the name Zarathustra? Any more or less humanitarian-savvy person will name Nietzsche, and if he thinks about it, add Hitler. Is this true? Partially yes. It is to Zarathustra that we owe the actualization of the mysterious nation of the Aryans, or Aryans (here memory will helpfully screw something from the life of Stirlitz: "A true Aryan, a Nordic character"). Aryans really were. And even historically recorded somewhere in Central Asia, within Iran - the place is completely southern, eastern. Nothing nordic was ever found here. But how did Zarathustra captivate the restless Nietzsche with his idea of a superman? Great question!
The birth of the prophet Zarathustra
The birth of Zarathustra was predetermined even before the beginning of the creation of the material world. As the legend says, being in eternity, the god of good Ahura Mazda (Ormuzd) and the god of evil Angro Mainyu (Ahriman) for some time did not assume the existence of each other. But Ahura Mazda (literal meaning: Lord the Wise) was the first to know about the opposing force. In order to defeat evil, it, like good, had to be materialized and thereby limit their collision in time.
Therefore, Ahura Mazda created the entire visible world. Everything was predetermined: both the appearance of any creature, and the birth of a person - everyone appeared in this world for a reason, but to fulfill a great mission, which, however, no one imposed on him. The world was facing a great chess game, and everyone was free to take a place on the other side of the board that would be to his heart.
So Zarathustra had to appear in the world at a certain hour to tell about all this, and also about many other things. The sacred texts of Zoroastrianism are collected in the Avesta, the oldest book that has partially survived to us. It is vague and incomprehensible to the modern reader, it is not for nothing that its first translator Anquetil-Duperron, who in 1771 puzzled Europe with the French version of the holy book, won neither fame nor understanding.
In later texts, where the teachings of Zarathustra and the vicissitudes of his fate are brought together, the prophet is already completely mythologized and it is about his spiritual essence.
And yet, many scientists recognize the legendary prophet as a real person, although no one can say for sure exactly when the prophet lived. It can only be argued with a greater or lesser degree of certainty that this happened long before the rise of Buddhism and the appearance of most of the biblical prophecies, somewhere in Eastern Iran or Central Asia.
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Golden Sirius
In different languages, his name sounds different: Zarathushtra (ancient Iranian), Zoroaster (Greek). For a long time there have been debates about what it means. Some saw in him the sublime - "Golden Sirius", others prosaic - "possessing an old camel."
The ancient Aryans worshiped Sirius - the star, which, according to their beliefs, was responsible for the water cycle in nature. It may be added that the teachings of Zarathustra are the basis of the foundations. Without water, all living things are threatened with physical death, and without the word of the prophet, spiritual death.
The common folk interpretation of the name of Zarathustra is also not devoid of meaning: deliberately nondescript, it was a talisman for the prophet. That was the subtle Aryan calculation: by the unattractive name of the children, the intrigues of hostile forces were diverted.
Light of Resurrection Power …
For three days and three nights before the birth of Zarathustra, an unprecedented heavenly glow blazed over his settlement. People lived in anticipation of a miracle, not knowing what was about to happen. No one paid attention to the suffering woman in childbirth Dukdaub these days.
Only her husband Purushaspa was worried. She gave birth to the third child, and none of the older ones gave the mother such torment. Her life hung in the balance. According to Aryan beliefs, a woman who gave birth to a dead child was considered defiled, because death itself came out of her womb.
The unfortunate one had to die alone, imprisoned in a cramped crypt. But Dukdaub was safely relieved of the burden. A boy was born. However, the midwives and the happy father never heard the baby's cry. Instead of crying, he laughed. And a moment later he spoke, and in poetry. None of the dumbfounded listeners understood that he was hearing "Akhuna Vairya", the main prayer of the Zoroastrian religion. Even before the creation of the world, Ahura Mazda created this great hymn, and then put it in the mouth of a baby whose name is Zarathustra.
Purushaspa wondered for a long time why his child was so different from others. Having decided to consult with the sorcerer Durashrab, who lived next door, the father brought his son to him. He wanted to destroy the baby, but could not even touch him. Then he instilled fear of the boy in Purushaspa and ordered him to be killed. The father obeyed the will of the sorcerer, or rather, tried …
Zarathustra was put on the fire, but the fire barely smoldered, warming the baby.
He was taken to dangerous paths, along which bulls and horses went to drink. But every time the animals turned off the road, bypassing the place where the child lay. Even the she-wolf, into whose lair Zarathustra was thrown, did not tear him to pieces. She did not touch the sheep, who came to give the prophet their milk to drink.
One day the unfortunate father unwittingly overheard the conversation of the sorcerers who had gathered at Durashraab. Only then did he realize that his son was patronized by Ahura Mazda himself.
The path of the prophet Zarathustra
At the age of seven, the precocious boy was sent to study with the clergy. It consisted not only of memorizing famous hymns - a kind of prayers to various deities - but also improvisation. Each student had to compose poetry himself. It was not difficult for Zarathustra, because he spoke in verse from his birth.
Having completed the prescribed teaching, at the age of fifteen, Zarathustra set off to wander. For many years, the young man wandered around his native lands in search of truth. He asked the old people and priests: what deity do they believe in, what prayers do they offer, what do they consider good and what is evil? These reflections were a kind of preparation for the most important event in the life of Zarathustra. When he was 30 years old, Ahura Mazda himself appeared to him.
The Creator revealed to the inquisitive wanderer all his names, told that there are no many gods and gods, but there is only one and people must make their choice - whether to serve them the truth or, deludedly, play into the hands of dark forces.
After the revelation, Zarathustra accepted a rite of passage: he passed through a raging flame, a bowl of molten metal was poured onto his chest, and his body was ripped open with sharp daggers. But not even a trace remained on the body of the prophet. The firmness of the newfound faith made him invulnerable.
I open my arms for you …
Now Zarathustra felt ready to return home, to show the true path to those who were dear to him. But, as you know, there is no prophet in his homeland: he was rejected by the community, and through the efforts of the sorcerer Durashrab he was declared such a dangerous person that he thought it good to hide as soon as possible.
The spirit of darkness Angro Mainyu tried to kill or tempt Zarathustra with promises of great power. Spirits of hunger and thirst, cold, begging surrounded him from all sides. But the prophet resisted.
At the age of forty, Zarathustra found himself in Drangiana - the land where King Vishtaspa ruled. (Many scholars believe that these are lands corresponding to modern Iran and Afghanistan.) It was he who became the first follower of Zarathustra.
On the day when Vishtaspa accepted the true faith, a hitherto incredible miracle happened: all domestic and wild animals suddenly began to dance. For people, this turned out to be sufficient proof of this. That Zarathustra is God's messenger. And it was from that time that the wide spread of the Zoroastrian faith, which affirmed monotheism, began.
Sacred book
In a foreign land, at the age of forty-two, Zarathustra finally gained recognition, universal respect and worship. He was married twice: once to a widow, and the other to an innocent girl (it was believed that only a virgin would remain with her husband after death, while a widow would belong to her first husband). The first wife bore the prophet two children, the second - four.
Surrounded by love, reverence and children, Zarathustra lived to a ripe old age. All these years he created the Avesta. Vishtaspa created the most skillful scribes and ordered them to write down everything that Zarathustra says in golden letters on ox skins. In total, twelve thousand of these skins were required. This was the first and most complete record of the holy book. Vishtaspa considered it the greatest treasure of his state. What was the prophet talking about?
About his personal chosenness, about the end of the world, which is not far off, that the victory of Ahura Mazda is predetermined and inevitable, but everyone is obliged and free to take his place in the eternal struggle between good and evil and, in addition, everyone is responsible to the highest and only God not only for himself, but also for all living. Let's face it, the ideas that are relevant now were first voiced millennia before.
Endowed with the gift of foresight, Zarathustra told people what awaited them in the future. In such a detailed way he described the coming of Christ: from the Star of Bethlehem and the adoration of the Magi to the last days of the earthly life of God's Son. After Jesus, two more Saviors are to come into the world. With the arrival of the last, Ahura Mazda will begin his decisive battle with evil. Angro Mainu with the devas will be defeated, and all the creations of the Good Spirit will finally gain eternal life. And then the Day of Judgment will come, the description of which in the Avesta is very similar to the "Revelation of John the Theologian."
In addition to the Avesta, Zarathustra wrote a great many verses, which were also written on ox skins. But, alas, we are unable to read them. According to traditional Pahlavi chronology, Iskander, Alexander the Great, was born 258 years after the birth of the prophet.
We owe a lot to his victorious march across Central Asia, including the disappearance of Zarathustra's texts. They were destroyed thoughtfully, purposefully, with a blissful sense of accomplishment. Everything that came down to us was recorded again later and for many centuries it was preserved only in oral tradition. Hence the confusion in chronology: willy-nilly, modern words were added to the sacred texts, which did not make the weather before, but now give scientists so much headache.
Woe to those who do not know the light
Of course, Zarathustra could not help knowing about his painful death. Like Jesus, he trembled for a moment and tearfully begged the Creator to pass this cup from him. But Ahura Mazda explained to him that then evil will remain undefeated, and Zratustra's mission will not be completed.
All these years the old "friend" of Durashrab, the sorcerer Tur-i-Bratarvakhsh, had been approaching Zarathustra. Already in his advanced years, he himself found the glorified elder. Having made his way into the prophet's dwelling, the villain found him praying. The sorcerer approached Zarathustra from behind and, not daring to look at the victim, but his eyes, thrust a sharply sharpened sword into his back. As the prophet predicted, his death did not bring the killer happiness: he fell as if knocked down and immediately gave up his ghost.
Woe to those who embrace sorrow
Today one can relate differently to the prophecies of Zarathustra. And his very name, as we mentioned at the very beginning, now turned out to be undeservedly tarnished. Yes, Zarathusra was raised on the shield by the pampered and restless sons of the Silver Age (it was not for nothing that we quoted Gumelev's verses); he was perverted by Nietzsche, who knew how to think well and write well, but did not bother to read the prophetic texts available to him. Why did he need an ancient prophet?
Perhaps he wanted to "sanctify" his "Gospel" with the authority of a respected but very distant sage. Many were shocked, and some were captivated by the Nietzschean apology of the superman, but could anyone reproach him with incorrect references to Zarathustra? Indeed, in essence, the preacher of the new morality only borrowed from the prophet the idea that man is free, but he gave the opportunity to dispose of this freedom not the most commendable.
Is it Zarathustra's fault? Does he have anything to do with this? Probably not. It never occurs to anyone to blame Christ for the zealous activity of the Holy Inquisition, does it?
We are talking about free human will. The subject is, of course, dangerous. And yet we saw the manifestation of this freedom not only in the deeds of Hitler, but also in the countless ascetic fates of many saints and quite secular, but great people. Everyone chooses what he wants and what he is capable of. You can go to the right, or you can go to the left: it all depends on you. Thus spoke Zarathustra.
Author: Elena Savelyeva
