Wisdom of our Great Zoroastrian King Darius

Wisdom of our Great Zoroastrian King Darius, A Moral code for all the Aryans*
King Darius says: By the grace of Ahura Mazda I am a friend of the righteous person, and I am not a friend of the wrong doer. It is not my wish that the weak should be harmed by the strong, nor that the strong be harmed by the weak.
I am not hot-tempered. What things develop in my anger, I hold firmly under control by my thinking power. 
What a man says against another man, that does not convince me, until I hear the sworn statements of both. 
~ (lines from King Darius’ royal Inscription; DNb, Naghsh Rostam- Pars, IRAN)
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The solemn words of great King Darius show his reverence for truth, his opposition to lies (druj) and his Justice as a king; words which are an echo of the teachings of our beloved prophet Ashu Zartosht in his sacred Gathas.. The reverence of truth and following the laws of Asha are at the core of our religion - Zoroastrianism - and infact were the beliefs upon which our mighty Achaemenian kings had established our empire.

Ancient Aryans

Ancient Aryans saw fundamental unity with all good creations in the world forming bonds with the good creations.. The Ancient Iranians and followers of our Aryan religion -Zoroastrianism regarded the creations of Ahura Mazda such as waters, earth, Fire, plants, animals, sun, moon, etc. as Divine and Indeed praised all Ahura Mazda's earthly creations.
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It was only the arrival of Aryan way of thinking which changed the focus of peoples, and religion to spiritual and humanly ideals, and created bonds between humans and nature. The fact which is reflected in many Aryan and Zoroastrian costumes of revering the godly creations, and the Yazads (Yazatas: Guardians of Ahura Mazda’s earthly creations);
… Since Ancient times our Zoroastrian Ancestors paid homage to and praised the Yazads, good creations of Ahura Mazda, and mother earth for blessings she has bestowed upon us while worshiping the great god Ahura Mazda, highest in holiness & righteousness..
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Herodotus on the issue of Respect for the "waters" among ancient Iranians, writes: " There is another peculiarity about the Persians that they never defile and contaminate a river, nor do they ever wash their hands in a river; and neither allow others to do so, as they have a great reverence for water. " (Herodotus, Greek historian 484 BC-425 AD)
In our sacred book of Avesta, Yzad Anahita (Aredvi Sura anahita) is mentioned as the yazata of waters and a prayer is also devoted to her (Ardvi sura nyayesh) where she is mentioned as worthy of prayers..
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In our ancient religion, sacrifice of animals was also blamed, and our Zartoshti ancestors raised the beneficial animals, so did they consider taking care of them as part of the dutifulness of a righteous person. Accordingly, harming or killing them was considered and evil act only performed by karapans and evil doers.


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In our Aryan Zoroastrian religion and in accordance with the laws of reverence of nature, polluting the soil and earth was strictly prohibited … In specific was bringing of the earth in contact with pollution.. and thus, instead of burying or attempting to preserve their dead with complex rituals and tombs, the Zoroastrian Aryans performed Dakhme rituals where they exposed the deceased' body in towers of silence (dakhme) instead of burying it directly to avoid polluting the soil, And indeed what better way we had to dispose off a corpse than a Dakhma, since burial lays to waste thousands of square kilometers of Ahura Mazda's good creation, the Earth.. The Aryans instead of viewing humanity as distinct from the rest of the living world, saw fundamental unity with all good creations under the sun, developed bonds with them and considered taking care of them as part of their dutifulness 



(to be continued)

Today is Dadar

Today is Dadar Ahura Mazda (Hormazd) Roj,
Mithra : Dehad Daheshni Dadgar – Dadar Ahura Mazda = Dadar Ahura Mazda ni bashksheso, hamu pamye.

With His Grace, I lead my virtuous life.

1. Be benevolent contributor to others.

2. Speak truth : I quote : ‘The ancient Persian people taught their sons to ride horses, shoot bows & speak the truth.

The Persians considered it disgrace to lie or to be in debt’. I unquote : ‘ World Book’, Persia, Ancient, p.297

3. Righteousness and good actions, eventually, speed up the spiritual progress of oneself.

4. Humility and power of tolerance are one of the greatest virtues of man kind.

5. Straight forwardness and humbleness in oneself, inspires others to follow the suit.

6. Prayer brings in one self, the art of living which transforms the darkness of ignorance to the divine light of knowledge.

Asho Zarathustra very eagerly wanted to know from Dadar Ahura Mazda : ” Reveal unto me, O Mazda-Ahura, which of Thy names are the most beneficent, the most effective & the holiest as would enable me to smite all evil & attain an existence free from all evil-doers.”

Then pronounced Ahura -Mazda, ” I am Existence itself , the One & only reality.

Secondly, I am the Spiritual Leader of man kind.

Thirdly, Am I Omnipresent.

Fourthly, The Highest Righteousness.

Fifthly, Do I embody all the gifts of Nature.

Sixth, I am the Supreme Intelligence.

Seventh, The Possessor of all Wisdom.

Eighth, Am I Wisdom itself.

Ninth, The Possessor of all Wisdom.

Tenth, Am I Prosperity itself.

Eleventh, The bringer of all Prosperity.

Twelfth, Am I the Creator of all Life (Ahura).

Thirteenth, I am the Lord Benefactor

Fourteenth, One bears enmity to none.

Fifteenth, The Victorious Am I.

Sixteenth, The Judge of all human actions.

Seventeenth, The All Seeing.

Eighteenth, I Am The Health-giver.

Nineteenth, The Architect of the Universe.

Twentieth, The Omniscient -Mazda.”

” O Zarathustra ! In order to over come all evil, thou should-st recite these names, ‘names’ of Mine in Loud- Prayer by Day & by Night.”
Zarathosti Din Shaan Baad.

Faravahar

1. The Faravahar’s face resembles the face of human being and therefore, indicates its connection to mankind.
2. There are two wings in two sides of the picture, which have three main feathers. These main feathers indicate three symbols of good reflection, good words, and good deed, which are at the same time the motive of flight and advancement.
3. The lower part of the Faravahar consists of three parts, representing bad reflection, bad words, and bad deed which causes misery and misfortune for human beings.
4. There are two loops at the two sides of the Faravahar, which represent Sepanta Minu, and Ankareh Minu. The former is directed toward the face and the latter is located at the back. This also indicates that we have to proceed toward the good and turn away from bad.
5. One hand of the Faravahar, points upwards, showing that we have to struggle to thrive.
6. The other hand holds a ring. Some interpreters consider that as the ring of covenant, representing loyalty and faithfulness which is the basis of Zarathustra’s philosophy.

Farvardigan

Farvardiganis Farvardin mah, Farvardin roj, called the Farvardegan day. On this day, we remember fondly the Fravashis of all those who passed away. And we also pay homage to Zarathushti saints and ancient Kyanian and saintly kings. The prayers ideal for the day are Satum-no-Kardo (Stom Karda) and for those who have time, the Farvardin Yasht. Many Zarathushtis will be going to the Doongerwadi in Mumbai (and other places) for the Jashans and other ceremonies which will be performed there. The Jashan ceremony at the Mumbai Doongerwadi will be performed at 5.30 pm at the Guzdar pavilion followed by a Humbandagi to invoke the blessings of the departed and pray for their progress in the ethereal world. The Doongerwadi at Kemps Corner in Mumbai is a very good place to visit. It is a lush green belt, ecologically healthy and environmentally friendly place. The whole area is serene and calm and if one is lucky one may even spot the lovely colourful peacocks who run around freely.