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by Jayaram V
The Zoroastrian cosmogony is based on the belief that God
fashioned and shaped
the world in which we live as a conscious choice. However it is not the
only world that He brought into existence. Before he shaped our material world, He created
an invisible, spiritual realm, which He populated with spiritual
entities from His own light. He created lords or ahuras, archangels or
Amesha Spentas, guardian angels and other yazatas or luminaries. He made sure that evil would not
be able to enter this world. It is a world of million suns where
darkness has no place to hide. He also sanctified it with His holy order or Asha
by establishing perfect harmony and division of powers among its
constituents. The beings of the spiritual realm personify His qualities
and serve as ideals of Truth and righteousness for others to follow.
Next He created the material world and populated it with plants, animals
and humans. He created the earth and the sky. He brought forth water
and air. These are the physical or material aspects of the same
entities that populate the higher realm. Both are mirror images that
differ in the nature of their constitution. He materialized sacred
fire that would serve as His own symbol upon earth with the ability to
purify, sanctify and create order and harmony. He limited
the presence of evil to the material plane and trapped it in the
metals and material things, so that at an appropriate time He can
destroy it altogether.
As for God, He is self existing. No one created Him. He exists
eternally without a beginning and an end. However He is not someone
who mere resides in a high tower and remains unconcerned with what goes
on in His own domain. He is an active and dynamic God, who is just and
benevolent. He can be approached and communicated through prayers and
supplications. He responds to our calls. He comes to our rescue. From
time to time He reveals himself to a chosen few or sends a savior or
prophet upon earth to help people progress on the righteous path.
The Zoroastrian texts do not provide a clear and unanimous explanation
of how the evil came into existence and since when. Some later day texts
present an argument that the spirit of evil came into existence as a
twin to the spirit of good in the remote past and that God as the highest
of all would ultimately settle the dispute by punishing the evil. The
earlier texts however do not address this issue. The primeval evil
seems to be there from the beginning in its own sphere, separated from
the realm of God by a huge void. God being Truth,
righteousness and justice could not be be the creator of evil. So Ahirman,
the evil entity, existed in his own realm from the beginning, waiting
for an opportunity to strike at God and His realm. He is however no
match for God. Perhaps God's patience and tolerance is what keeps him
alive so long as He is not a complete menace. In the beginning of
times, he tried
to attack God and corrupt His realm. God threw Him back into the
abyss. When God was creating the worlds and beings, he created counter
forces to keep himself in a state of preparedness. Finally, when God
finished creating the material world, he managed to creep into it and
infest the elements with his presence, making them unstable,
impermanent, prone to negativity and susceptible to decay and
disintegration.
Theories of creation
The Zoroastrian theory of creation is perhaps one of
the oldest and most elaborate concept ever found in any ancient or prehistoric
religion. Following are some of the fundamental aspects of Zoroastrian
cosmogony.
1. Before the creation there was only infinite time. God created
finite time out of it. With it came the linear time consisting of past
and future and cycles of time consisting of four periods of 3000 years
each.
2. Before creation there was only infinite space. God created
finite worlds out of it consisting of the heaven, the earth and the
middle atmospheric region.
3. Creation took place in two levels or planes. First God created
the spiritual realm and then proceed to create the material world.
4. Creation in both realms did not happen in a flash, but in a
sequential and orderly fashion over a period of time. In the spiritual
plane God first created the Amesha Spentas and then various categories
of divinities and beings. In the material plane He first created
relative time from infinite time. Then came sky, water, earth, plants,
animals, primeval ox and primeval man.
5. Creation in both the planes proceeded in a similar fashion so
that whatever that was created in the Spiritual realm will have a
corresponding entity in the material world. The difference between the
elements of both the worlds is with regard to their composition and
susceptibility to the problem of evil.
6. God shaped both the realms from His own light. The luminaries of
the spiritual realm were created out of His own aura or brilliance,
while fire and light played an important role in shaping the
material world.
7. God shaped the worlds through good thoughts, good words and good
actions. He chanted the most sacred Ahuna Vairya mantra at the time of
creation. He used His mental power or Divine Mind and positive
thoughts to create Asha or the holy order.
8. God is both protector and sustainer of His creation. He created
Asha, the holy order and infused it in His creation, so that it would
stand apart from the chaos that prevail in the realm of evil.
Creation of the divinities of the spiritual realm
It is difficult to enumerate the entire gamut of Zoroastrian divinities or spiritual
beings created by Ahura Mazda. The Haft Amahraspand Yasht of Khorda
Avesta mentions the following list of divinities.
- the Amesha-Spentas:
- Vohu-Mano;
- Asha-Vahishta,
- Khshathra-Vairya;
- Spenta-Armaiti;
- Haurvatat,
- Ameretat
- Mithra, the lord of wide pastures
- Rama Hvastra.
- Atar (Asha), the son of Ahura Mazda.
- Apam Napat, the tall lord
- The Fravashis of the faithful
- Verethraghna, made by
- Sraosha, the holy, devout, fiend-smiting who makes the world
grow;
- Rashnu-Razishta
- Arshtat, who makes the world grow, who makes the world increase;
In addition we also find mention of the following ahuras or divine
entities
- Fareshtas or archangels
- Varuna, the lord of justice
- The fair Yima, the good shepherd, who was the first mortal
- Fravashis, the guardian angels
Creation of entities of the material world
The following entities were created by God in the material world
- Sky
- Water represented by Haurvatat
- Earth represented by Aramaiti
- Plants represented by Ameretat
- Animals represented by Vohu Mano
- Human beings
- Gayoamard, the primeval man from whom descended 25 races in all
- Goshorun, primeval ox.
- Planetary gods Tishtar (Mercury), Haptoring (Mars), Vanand
(Jupiter), Sataves (Venus), Gochin (Saturn)
- Mashye and Mashyane, the first man and woman or Adam and Eve
Formation of the luminaries
The Bundahisn mentions the following luminaries created by God in
the region between the sky and the earth.
"Ohrmazd produced illumination between the sky and the earth, the
constellation stars and those also not of the constellations, then the
moon, and afterwards the sun, as I shall relate.
"2. First he produced the celestial sphere, and the constellation stars
are assigned to it by him; especially these twelve whose names are
Varak (the Lamb), Tora (the Bull), Do-patkar (the Two-figures or
Gemini), Kalachang (the Crab), Sher (the Lion), Khushak (Virgo),
Tarazhuk (the Balance), Gazdum (the Scorpion), Nimasp (the Centaur or
Sagittarius), Vahik (Capricorn), Dul (the Water-pot), and Mahik (the
Fish); 3. which, from their original creation, were divided into the
twenty-eight subdivisions of the astronomers, of which the names are
Padevar, Pesh-Parviz, Parviz, Paha, Avesar, Beshn, Rakhvad, Taraha,
Avra, Nahn, Miyan, Avdem, Mashaha, Spur, Husru, Srob, Nur, Gel,
Garafsha Varant, Gau, Goi, Muru, Bunda, Kahtsar, Vaht, Miyan, Kaht. 4.
And all his original creations, residing in the world, are committed
to them; so that when the destroyer arrives they overcome the
adversary and their own persecution, and the creatures are saved from
those adversities.
"5.As a specimen of a warlike army, which is destined for battle, they
have ordained every single constellation of those 6480 thousand small
stars as assistance; and among those constellations four chieftains,
appointed on the four sides, are leaders. 6. On the recommendation of
those chieftains the many unnumbered stars are specially assigned to
the various quarters and various places, as the united strength and
appointed power of those constellations. 7. As it is said that Tishtar
is the chieftain of the east, Sataves the chieftain of the west,
Vanand the chieftain of the south, and Haptoring the chieftain of the
north. 8. The great one which they call a Gah (period of the day),
which they say is the great one of the middle of the sky, till just
before the destroyer came was the midday (or south) one of the five,
that is, the Rapithwin.
"9.Ohrmazd performed the spiritual Yazishn ceremony with the archangels (amahraspand)
in the Rapithwin Gah, and in the Yazishn he supplied every means
necessary for overcoming the adversary. 10. He deliberated with the
consciousness (bod) and guardian spirits (farohar) of men, and the
omniscient wisdom, brought forward among men, spoke thus: 'Which seems
to you the more advantageous, when I shall present you to the world?
that you shall contend in a bodily form with the fiend (druj), and the
fiend shall perish, and in the end I shall have you prepared again
perfect and immortal, and in the end give you back to the world, and
you will be wholly immortal, undecaying, and undisturbed; or that it
be always necessary to provide you protection from the destroyer?'
"11.
Thereupon, the guardian spirits of men became of the same opinion with
the omniscient wisdom about going to the world, on account of the evil
that comes upon them, in the world, from the fiend (druj) Ahriman, and
their becoming, at last, again unpersecuted by the adversary, perfect,
and immortal, in the future existence, for ever and everlasting."
Creation of Evil Entities by Ahirman, The Arch Villain
While God was creating the worlds and entities, Ahirma went ahead
with his own counter creation. The following demons
and dark spirits are some of the entities mentioned in the Zoroastrian
scriptures.
- Mitokht who is falsehood
- Akoman who is evil thought
- Andar
- Sovar
- Nakahed
- Tairev
- Zarik
- Daewas,
- Jeh, the evil consort of Ahirman
- Mazendaran (Indra's) demons
The nature of Ahirman
The Bundahishn (Chp. 27) catalogues the list of evil spirits and
their misdeeds in the following manner.
"We can ascribe to the winter the harm which the Evil Spirit
has produced unto the creation of Ohrmazd. His astral body is that
of the frog, the vicious crab. He neither thinks of, nor speaks, nor
works the weal of the creatures of Ohrmazd. His work of
unforgiveness and destruction is this that he will destroy the
creatures whom Ohrmazd increases. And his eye lashes will not
refrain from inflicting calamity unto the creatures."
"And with sorcerous smiting he instigates mankind to friendship
for himself and unfriendliness to Ohrmazd, so that they may forsake
the Revelation of Ohrmazd, and pursue that of Ahriman. He instills
this into the minds of men that this is not the Revelation of
Ohrmazd, and they ought not to be steadfast to it. 4. He who will
give something to the man who has laid down this aphorism as a
tenet, will propitiate the Evil Spirit, that is, he shall have
delighted him."
Nature of Ahirman's creatures
The creatures of Ahirman are divided into two categories: Arch
Daevas and Druj or
cooperators. Most of the evil creatures have the
"strength of pestilence and disease, producers of pain and grief,
possessing their own weapons, of the seed of darkness, and bringers of
stench, defilement, and vileness." They are "large in
number, and of immense details, a portion of them all is mingled in
the bodies of men, and their tokens are clear to men." The daevas
are six: Akoman, Indra, Saurva, Nanohaithya, Taurvi and Zairi.
- Akoman produces vile thoughts and unpeacefulness into the
creatures.
- Indra. He freezes the minds of the creatures from practicing
righteousness just like much frozen snow. He instills this into
the minds of men that they ought not to have the sacred shirt and
thread girdle {sudre and kusti}.
- Saurva is the leader of the devs. He personifies evil authority,
oppression, unlawfulness, and the production of want.
- Naonhaithya produces discontent among the creatures.
- Taurvi mingles poison into the vegetable creations.. She
is the smiter,
- Zairi is the venom maker. She poisions the waters, plants and
animals
The Druj or the evil cooperators are
- Taurvi
- Taromaiti produces scornfulness.
- Mithaokhta is the druj of scepticism.
- Araska is the druj of revengefulness and of the evil eye.
- Vizaresh is that which contends with the souls of departed men,
during those three nights, when they are on earth, brings fear and
smiting on to them, and sits at the gate of the wicked existence.
- Uta is that which delivers a message invisibly, when men sit to
answer the call of nature, or when they eat food.
- Akatash is the druj of perverseness, which makes the creatures
averse from righteous objects.
- Cheshma causes earthquake and makes whirlwind too, and proceeds
to the opposition of the cloud.
- Varun practises unnatural lust. He is without the path.
- Bushasp practises slothfulness,
- Sij is the druj which causes destruction,
- Niyaz is that which causes want.
- Az swallows things; when, owing to privation, nothing is
obtained, it devours from its person.
- Pinih makes a hoard; it neither enjoys nor gives it to any.
- Nas causes the pollution and contamination which they call ‘nasa.'
- Freptar distracts mankind.
- Spazg is a slanderer who brings and carries the talk of a thing
which is nonexistent by similitude.
- Anast is utters falsehood.
- Aghash is the druj of the malignant eye which kills man with the
eye.
- But is that which they worship in India; its light is lodged in
such idols as Butasp worshipped.
- Astwihad is the evil wind which snatches life.
- Apaush and the dev Spenjaghra are at war with the producers of
rain.
- Kunda is that which is the steed of sorcerers.
How Ahirman attacked the material world
An account of how, instigated by Jeh, Ahirman, who was reeling from
the earlier defeat, woke up attacked various entities of the material
world is given in the Bundhahishn, Chapter 3, which is reproduced
below.
"6. And, again, the wicked Jeh shouted thus: 'Rise up, thou father
of us! for in that conflict I will shed thus much vexation on the
righteous man and the laboring ox that, through my deeds, life will
not be wanted, and I will destroy their living souls (nismo); I will
vex the water, I will vex the plants, I will vex the fire of Ohrmazd,
I will make the whole creation of Ohrmazd vexed.'
"7. And she so recounted those evil deeds a second time, that the
evil spirit was delighted and started up from that confusion; and he
kissed Jeh upon the head, and the pollution which they call
menstruation became apparent in Jeh.
"8. He shouted to Jeh thus: 'What is thy wish? so that I may give it
thee.' And Jeh shouted to the evil spirit thus: 'A man is the wish, so
give it to me.'
"9. The form of the evil spirit was a log-like lizard's (vazak)
body, and he appeared a young man of fifteen years to Jeh, and that
brought the thoughts of Jeh to him.
"10. Afterwards, the evil spirit, with the confederate demons, went
towards the luminaries, and he saw the sky; and he led them up,
fraught with malicious intentions.
"11. He stood upon one-third of the inside of the sky, and he
sprang, like a snake, out of the sky down to the earth.
"12. In the month Frawardin and the day Ohrmazd he rushed in at
noon, and thereby the sky was as shattered and frightened by him, as a
sheep by a wolf.
"13. He came on to the water which was arranged below the earth, and
then the middle of this earth was pierced and entered by him.
"14. Afterwards, he came to the vegetation, then to the ox, then to
Gayomard, and then he came to fire; so, just like a fly, he rushed out
upon the whole creation; and he made the world quite as injured and
dark at midday as though it were in dark night.
"15. And noxious creatures were diffused by him over the earth,
biting and venomous, such as the snake, scorpion, frog (kalvak), and
lizard (vazak), so that not so much as the point of a needle remained
free from noxious creatures.
"16. And blight was diffused by him over the vegetation, and it
withered away immediately.
"17. And avarice, want, pain, hunger, disease, lust, and lethargy
were diffused by him abroad upon the ox and Gayomard.
"18. Before his coming to the ox, Ohrmazd ground up the healing
fruit, which some call 'binak,' small in water openly before its eyes,
so that its damage and discomfort from the calamity (zanishn) might be
less; and when it became at the same time lean and ill, as its breath
went forth and it passed away, the ox also spoke thus: 'The cattle are
to be created, and their work, labor, and care are to be appointed.'
"19. And before his coming to Gayomard, Ohrmazd brought forth a
sweat upon Gayomard, so long as he might recite a prayer (vaj) of one
stanza (vichast); moreover, Ohrmazd formed that sweat into the
youthful body of a man of fifteen years, radiant and tall.
"20. When Gayomard issued from the sweat he saw the world dark as
night, and the earth as though not a needle's point remained free from
noxious creatures; the celestial sphere was in revolution, and the sun
and moon remained in motion: and the world's struggle, owing to the
clamor of the Mazendaran demons, was with the constellations.
"21. And the evil spirit thought that the creatures of Ohrmazd were
all rendered useless except Gayomard; and Astwihad with a thousand
demons, causers of death, were let forth by him on Gayomard.
"22. But his appointed time had not come, and he (Astwihad) obtained
no means of noosing (avizidano) him; as it is said that, when the
opposition of the evil spirit came, the period of the life and rule of
Gayomard was appointed for thirty years.
"23. After the coming of the adversary he lived thirty years, and
Gayomard spoke thus: 'Although the destroyer has come, mankind will be
all of my race; and this one thing is good, when they perform duty and
good works.'
"24. And, afterwards, he (the evil spirit) came to fire, and he
mingled smoke and darkness with it.
"25. The planets, with many demons, dashed against the celestial
sphere, and they mixed the constellations; and the whole creation was
as disfigured as though fire disfigured every place and smoke arose
over it.
"26. And ninety days and nights the heavenly angels were contending
in the world with the confederate demons of the evil spirit, and
hurled them confounded to hell; and the rampart of the sky was formed
so that the adversary should not be able to mingle with it.
"27. Hell is in the middle of the earth; there where the evil spirit
pierced the earth and rushed in upon it, as all the possessions of the
world were changing into duality, and persecution, contention, and
mingling of high and low became manifest."
The Purpose of Creation
In Zoroastrianism the reason behind the creation of God is not left
to speculation or intellectual curiosity. Unlike in Hinduism which
explains the creation as the play (lila) of God, in Zoroastrian world
view creation is part of a grand plan orchestrated by God to deal with
the problem of evil. Being omniscient, He created the worlds and its
beings essentially to execute His plan to isolate and combat evil and
get rid of it eventually. According to His plan, the world will come
to an end in a great conflagration at the end of the fourth period
when He would establish His
authority, segregate the primeval evil and destroy it from the
material plane. Humans were
created as a part of the agreement between Him and the fravashis or the
guardian angels that they would become part of His army against the
evil and play an important role in destroying it. In the process
they would also benefit by overcoming their shortcomings in
the material world and become perfect beings fit to live in a perfect
world marked by perfect order, harmony, truth and righteousness.
The Conflict between good and evil
The conflict between God and evil is akin to the tussle that goes
on between light and darkness every day in the form of day and night.
The material world of God presently is very much like a world passing
through its night. The first three periods are akin to morning, noon
and evening. The early hours before the rise of the sun is comparable
to the infinite time during which Ahirman planned an attack on God but
will little success. The forces of darkness fail to suppress the sun
and it eventually arises from the horizon in a splendor of glory,
infusing every thing with its presence. But as the day wears on
darkness begins to enter the world and settles down in the
spaces between things. For a while it seems as if darkness is winning
and overtaking the elements. In that
darkness what keeps people reminded of light are the few luminaries or
the constellation of stars in the sky, the moon and the sacred fire that used to
be lit in every house, temple and sacred place in ancient times. Fire is a
personification of the sun. It is a symbol of light and brightness. It
keeps the chaos of night at bay and reassures people of the coming
dawn and the ultimate triumph of the forces of day light. This is not
to suggest that Zoroastrian concept of creation and the battle between
good and evil came out of some one's imagination. It is either a
coincidence or a fact that the macrocosm of God's manifestation
mirrors itself in many of its constituent parts like a holograph of
the universe itself.
Suggested Further Reading
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