Look at Zarathustra portrayed on a mural of the Shree Saibaba Satsang Mandal, Surat, Gujarat. He is shown next to Jalaram (left) and Vivekananda.
Apart from the gods that are common to both
Zoroastrianism and HINDUISM, names of some other
Hindu gods are carried by even modern day Persian speakers. For example, the names '
Śiva' (
Charming) and variations of '
Rāma' (
Black)
[63] are used by Iranic speakers, such as Persians and Pashtuns.
King Ram is also added in names such as 'Shahram' (
King Rām) and 'Vahram'/Bahram' (
Virtuous Rām), which was the other name of Verethragna mentioned in the Bahram Yasht of the Avesta. The Sassanian kings took the Vahram title, such "Vahram I" (ab. AD 273-276.)
[64] Toponyms as well include 'Ram'/'Raman' in their syntax, such as Ramsar in Iran.
Daēvā does not mean Deva
Whereas the root of the Avestan word 'daēvā' is "
daē" meaning
god, of 'deva' it is "
div", which means
light. Zarathustra wrote in his Gāthās, "
daēnāe paouruyae dae ahura!"
[65] Hence, the word for religion in Avestan is daēnā.
[66]
That deva carries positive connotations is seen in
Gāthā 17.4 Yasna 53.4 wherein Ahura Mazda is said to be a "devaav ahuraaha."
As Airyanem Vaeja is in Kashmiri, the Avestan and Kashmiri vocabulary are similar. Dai is still used by Kashmiris to refer as
god.
Many Avestan verses are from Vedas
The
Rig Veda is believed to have been the oldest scripture in the world. In it are verses that are identical to ones within the Zhand Avesta, except the dialect of the Avesta is in Avestan. Ahura Mazda, whom the Mazdaens
worship as the Supreme Lord is the
Avestan equivalent to
Vedic Sanskrit's Asura Medhira or Asura Mada. These terms mean "Wise Lord" and in the
Rig Veda this phrase appears in a few places, in one verse being "
kṣayannasmabhyamasura".
 | With bending down, oblations, sacrifices, O Varuna, we deprecate thine anger:
Wise Asura, thou King of wide dominion, loosen the bonds of sins by us committed.[67] |
 |
| —Rig Veda 24.14 | | |
There are several passages in the
Vedas (especially the
Atharva Veda) and Avesta that are identical, with the only difference that they are in the different dialects of Avestan and Vedic Sanskrit.
There are two sets of Mazdaen scriptures; the Zhand Avesta
[68] and the Khorda-Avesta.
[69] The Zhand contains 3 further sets of writings, known as the Gāthās
[70] compiled by Zarathustra, and the Vendidad, and Vispered. (Not surprisingly, Hindu scriptures also have collections known as Gāthas, such as the
Vasant Gātha and
Theragātha.) The Khorda contains short prayers known as
Yashts. They are written in a metre much like the
Vedas. Normally they contain 15 syllables known in Sanskrit as Gayatri
asuri) like hymns of the Rig Veda, or Ushnih
asuri such as in the Gāthā Vohu Khshathrem
[71] or of 11 syllables in the Pankti asuri form, such as in the Ustavaiti Gātha.
Some scholars also note that there is a connection between Bhargava Rṣi and Zoroastrianism, as the Atharva Veda portion composed by him is known as Bhargava Upastha and the latter word is the Sanskrit version of the term 'Avesta'.
[72]
Some identical verses from Vedas and the Avesta
| Scripture | Sanskrit | Avestan | English |
|---|
Rig Veda (10.87.21) /
Zhand Avesta (Gāthā 17.4 Yasna 53.4) | mahaantaa mitraa varunaa samraajaa devaav asuraaha sakhe
sakhaayaam ajaro jarimne agne martyaan amartyas tvam nah | mahaantaa mitraa varunaa devaav ahuraaha sakhe ya fedroi vidaat
patyaye caa vaastrevyo at caa khatratave ashaauno ashavavyo | O Ahura Mazda, you appear as the father, the ruler, the friend, the worker and as knowledge.
It is your immense mercy that has given a mortal the fortune to stay at your feet. |
|---|
Atharva Veda 7.66 /
Zhand Avesta (Prishni, Chapter 8, Gāthā 12) | yadi antareekshe yadi vaate aasa yadi vriksheshu yadi bolapashu
yad ashravan pashava ud-yamaanam tad braahmanam punar asmaan upaitu | yadi antareekshe yadi vaate aasa yadi vriksheshu yadi bolapashu
yad ashravan pashava ud-yamaanam tad braahmanam punar asmaan upaitu | O Lord! Whether you be in the sky or in the wind, in the forest or in the waves.
No matter where you are, come to us once. All living beings restlessly await the sound of your footsteps. |
|---|
Rig Veda /
Zhand Avesta (Gāthā 17.4, Yasna 29) | majadaah sakritva smarishthah | madaatta sakhaare marharinto | Only that supreme being is worthy of worship. |
|---|
| Atharva Veda / Zhand Avesta (Yasna 31.8) | vishva duraksho jinavati | vispa drakshu janaiti | All (every) evil spirit is slain. |
|---|
| Atharva Veda / Zhand Avesta | vishva duraksho nashyati | vispa drakshu naashaiti | All (every) evil spirit goes away. |
|---|
| Atharva Veda / Zhand Avesta | yadaa shrinoti etaam vaacaam | yathaa hanoti aisham vaacam | When he hears these words. |
|---|
Why Zarathustra's teachings are called Zhand Avesta
The Avesta is also known as the Zhand Avesta. Zhand is the Avestan equivalent of Chhand.
| O Kshatriya, the verses that were recited by Atharvan to a conclave of great sages, in days of old, are known by the name of Chhandas. They are not be regarded as acquainted with the Chhandas who have only read through the Vedas, without having attained to the knowledge of Him who is known through the Vedas. The Chhandas, O best of men, become the means of obtaining Brahm(Moksha) independently and without the necessity of anything foreign. |
|
| —Mahabharata Udyoga Parva Chapter 43:4[73] | | |
The word Avesta comes from Sanskrit 'Abhyasta', which means
Repeated. Hence, the Avesta (Abhyasta) is basically a repetition of Zarathustra's teachings.
Zarathustra was born in Kashmir
Zarathustra is always shown wearing a dhoti, (Indian-fashioned garment), unlike the Balkhans to whom he preaches.
The birthplace of Zarathustra has been a subject of dispute ever since the Greek, Latin and later the Muslim writers came to know of him and his teachings. Cephalion, Eusebius, and Justin believed it was either in Balkh (Greek: Bactria) or the eastern Iranian Plateau, while Pliny and Origen thought Media or the western Iranian Plateau, and Muslim authors like Shahrastani and al-Tuabari believed it was western Iran.
[74]While Zarathustra's place of birth has been postulated in various places even in modern times, including within areas not historically included by authors, such as in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, a few scholars have believed that he was born in Kashmir. Shrikant G. Talageri
[75] and T. Lloyd Stanley
[76] were proponents of this Kashmiri Airyanem Vaeja viewpoint. Mazdaen scriptures
[77] mention repeatedly that Zarathustra was born in Airyanem Vaeja, also known as
Airyanam Dakhyunam. However, Zarathustra moved from there to Balkh, where he was given sanctuary by its king and he had become a royal sage. The Mazdaen scriptures further say that many other people of Airyanem Vaeja had moved out with the dramatic climate change whereby snow and cold weather became much more frequent. Zarathustra was regarded as a pious Godman for the Balkhan administrators of his time and India was recognized as a center of spiritual and scientific wisdom. This is why Mazdaean scriptures show that King Vishtaspa's court was already familiar with the Indian Brahman adviser Changragach who was teacher to minister Jamaspa, even before Zarathustra's arrival to Balkh. The Brahman Byas was also welcome in King Vishtaspa's court and met and had become a disciple of Zarathustra. King Vishtaspa (Greek: Hystaspes) was the father of King Darius I of the Balkh Kingdom and he had studied
astronomy amongst the Brahmans of India.
[78]
There are similarities noticed by scholars such as Subhash Kak and Zubin Mehta which are described by them between Mazdaen practices of Kashmiri Hindus. These include the sacred thread for
women (called
aetapan in Kashmiri) and the sacred shirt (
sadr.) The festival of Nuvruz
[79] in commemoration of King Yima is known as Navreh in Kashmir which is celebrated by Kashmiri Hindus. Furthermore, the folklore of Kashmir too has many tales where devas
[80] are antagonists to both
devas and asuras. As the title Zarathustra has many variations, such as 'Zartust' and 'Zardost', the Sanskrit equivalent of his title is 'Haritustra Svitma'. The 'p' in 'Spitama' corresponds to a 'v' in Sanskrit just as Avestan 'Pourusarpa' is 'Purusarva' is Sanskrit. Whereas the consonant 's' of many Sanskrit words becomes 'h' in Avestan, 'Svitama' maintains its letter because it is followed by a 'v', just as how the 's' in Sanskrit '
asva' (
horse) becomes 'aspa' (i.e., 'Dhruwaspa' means
She who possesses strong horses, and
animals within nameswere more common, such as Yuvanasva and Vindhyasva.) As 'Spitama' means
white, the Sanskrit word for the color-based name is 'Svitama'. Svita is a metaphorical characteristic associated with purity and normally associated with Brahmans in the Vedas. For example, the Rig Veda
[81] describes the Vasiśṭha ṛṣis as 'svityam' (
white), 'svityanco' (
dressed in white)
[82] and
white-robed. Zarathustra dresses in white as well Mazdaen priests also dress up in white. The connection between Vasiśṭha ṛṣi with Atharvan Rṣi is a very close one.
Identification of Avestan sacred places in Kashmir
See also: King Yama's Kingdom was in Kashmir, Rig Vedic rivers, India is the homeland of Indo-Europeans
Kashmir itself has taken on various endonyms and exonymns, which can make pinpointing whether an author is talking about the region. In this case, the Mazdaen scriptures refer to it as Airyanem Vaeja and Anu-Varshte. In addition to these, the region has been called Kashmar, Kashir, Kasherumana, Katche-yul, Kasperia, and Kipin, and it together with Balawaristan is known as
Hari-varṣa, Naishadha-varṣa, Uttara-Patha, and Deva-Kuru. It has symbolic and historic association with rishis, and has been known as Rishivaer/Rishi-wara (
Land of Rishis.) Even Persian literature has mentioned the words Reshi, Reshout, and Rea-Shivat when speaking about Kashmir.
[83] Firdaus (
Paradise) is another Persian word that has been used to describe Kashmir. The word Airyanem within the phrase Airyanem Vaeja means
Of the Aryans. Jain mantras use the term in the salutations, such as "Namo Airiyanam" in the Namokar Mantra, and "Om Hreem Namo Airiyanam" as an astrological mantra for Jupiter.
Why Airyanem Vaeja is also called Anu-Varshte
The Avesta mentions 'Anu-varshte daēnāyai'
[84], meaning "
religion of Anu-land." This prayer requests the help of Ardvisura to help Zarathustra able to convince King Vishtaspa to accept the 'religion of Anu-Varshte.' The Anu tribe, also known as Anavas in many Hindu scriptures, were based in Kashmir. There's even a village called Ainu Brai after them within Pahalgam tehsil of Anantanag in Kashmir. That they later annexed nearby lands, including Balkh in Afghanistan, is evident from scriptures such as that of Panani's that tells us of Anava settlements.
In the Anava lineage, 7th in descent from Anu were brothers Usinara and Titikshu. The territories gained by the Anavas was split by these brothers wherein Usinara had grasped Kashmir and the Punjab
[85] while Titikshu gained rulership over eastern territories of Anga (Bihar), Vanga (Bengal), Suhma, Pundra, and Kalinga (Orissa.)
Because Kashmir has prehistorically been the Anava stronghold, even during the
Dasarajna War as the Rig Veda mentions, it is acknowledged as such both in Hindu scriptures such as the Atharva Veda
[86] and in the Mazdaen Avesta.
One of the reasons why historically Balkh and some other regions of modern Afghanistan were Indianized (and hence, referred to as Ariana) is because the Anavas also held areas of Afghanistan under their suzerainty. In Vrtlikara
[87],
Sage Panini (from Afghanistan himself) mentions that there are 2 Anava settlements of the Usinara called Ahvajala and Saudarsana. Even scholarly Chinese visitors to ancient India, Fa Hien and Yuan Chwang describe the story of a certain King Usinara told at Udyana (modern Swat Valley where people are mostly ethnically Afghans) that sacrificed his life to save that of a dove's.
To little surprise the Kurma Purana
[88] mentions Anava being 1 of the 7 sons (
Saprtarṣis) of Vasiśṭha, meaning that Vasiśṭha had married within the royal family. Within the same
Manavatara era another son of Vasiśṭha was Shukra, meaning that Vasiśṭha had likely married multiple women.
