Part 7
DIVINE EMANATIONS
Zarathushtra uses some twenty abstract terms to prescribe
the way of promoting mental and physical faculties of soul to achieve perfection
and immortality. He calls them
"the primal divine laws of life." They are described as "divine names" in
Haptanghaiti, the "Seven Sections" in the Gathic dialect. In the Farvardin Yasht, it is "the progressive
thought-provoking message, the very spirit of God," which gives these
abstracts "beautiful, active forms," and God the Creator is their
"guardian and guide." The
context of the Gathas shows them as divine emanations, which are sometimes
poetically personified. They are
the universal laws of nature, the natural way of living.
Of these asha, precision, has been mentioned more
than 150 times and merezhdika, compassion, only once.
We shall only briefly define the ones mostly mentioned in the Gathas:
Spenta Mainyu, the progressive mentality
stands for the creative faculty of God. It
creates, sustains, and promotes the creation.
It leads to perfection and immortality.
Vohu manah, the good mind is the source of
all that is good and wise. It was
through his own good mind that Zarathushtra discovered, understood, and reached
the Godhead. Good mind leads to
refined speech, which, in turn, turns into noble actions. Zarathushtra's doctrine rests on three pillars--Humata,
H�khta, Hvarshta--Good thoughts, Good Words, and Good Deeds.
Good mind helps one to discriminate between good and bad.
It defines the sources of happiness and sorrow.
In fact, it is the bliss some call "heaven."
Two other cognate abstracts are khratu, intellect, and chisti,
comprehension which enhance one's knowledge for better work.
Asha or arta is the old Indo-Iranian law of
"truth, precision, righteousness" that governs the universe-sun, moon,
earth, seasons and all. It is
precision and order in the universe that points to the Creator, Maintainer, and
Promoter. It has been enacted to
maintain the creation. It is the
road to perfection. In human
society, asha is the right thing, done at the right time and right place,
and with the right means to obtain the right result.
This promotes a society to perfection.
It ensures justice for all. It
safeguards the rights of every member of society.
It provides every individual with what he or she has contributed to
society. Asha in a society sees
that neither the society nor any individual exploits any person.
And, above all, asha gives freedom of thought, word and deed to
every member.
Seraosha is the divine voice one gets in tune with
after one is fully in conversant with good mind and righteousness.
It is the guiding inner self of a person.
It is divine inspiration.
�thra, fire in the Gathas is mental light, warmth,
and energy, three qualities that help one become as creative as one can.
The physical fire, used as the best of altars, represents the mental �thra,
a sublime object to observe and mentally to see the light, feel the warmth and
enjoy the energy to translate Good Thoughts into Good Words and Good Deeds.
Usht� is
enlightenment that comes through meditation, concentration of mental faculties.
It is the true happiness that radiates happiness to others without any
discrimination, social or otherwise.
Da�n� is clear conception. It is "conscience" in an individual and
"religion" for a fellowship of individuals who actively join to
promote the living world in accordance with the Primal Principles of Life.
Good mind, precision and other principles create perfect
order. Zarathushtra calls it khshathra.
It means sovereignty, rule, settlement, and dwelling.
It is the "desired," the "good," and the
"chosen" government of the righteous, yet it belongs to God. It is the "ideal" order on the earth established by
human beings who are wise, enlightened, experienced, sincere, and above all
devoted to the promotion of the living world.
�ramaiti, serenity and tranquility, thrives under a
good order. A tranquil order
promotes health and happiness, and mind and body grow together evolving to:
Haurvat�t, wholeness, perfection.
Evolution to wholeness means continuity, and continuity stands for
immortality--ameret�t. Wholeness and immortality make human beings godlike
and make them live in eternal bliss, the ultimate goal of the Zarathushtrian
doctrine.
Zarathushtra uses more principles among abstract qualities
that could help mankind to make the world an ideal place to live in peace and
harmony with every living being, and to achieve the divine eternity ordained by
God.
* * * * * *
Click:
Salient Points of the Good Religion (with Zarathushtra's Life Sketch)
Zarathushtra, A Unique Personality (Part 1) Zarathushtra, Early Life (Part 2)
Relatives First (Part 3) Consolidation (Part 4) The Gathas (Part 5)
God in the Gathas (Part 6) Divine Emanations (Part 7) Good and Evil (Part 8)
Death in the Gathas (Part 9) Rituals in the Gathas (Part 10)
Gahanbars
and the Gathas (Part 11) Religion
and Tradition (Part 12)