Spirituality & Religious StudiesAhura Mazda
Also known as Ormaz or Horomazes. Ahura means “lord.” Mazda means “wisdom.”
Ahura Mazda is the main god & sky deity in Zoroastrianism. He’s the 1st, & most commonly invoked, in the Yasna. The Yasna is the Avestan name of both a text within the Avesta collection & of the Yasna liturgy, Zoroastrianism’s principal act of worship.
The 1st worthwhile invocation of Ahura Mazda happened during the Achaemenid period (circa 550-330 BC) with the Behistun Inscription of Darius the Great.
Until the reign of Artaxerxes II (circa 405/404-358 BC), Ahura Mazda was worshipped & invoke alone in all extant royal inscriptions. With Artaxerxes II, Ahura Mazda was gathered into a triad of deities with Mithra & Anahita.
In the Achaemenid period, the only known depiction of Ahura Mazda at the royal court was an empty chariot drawn by white horses. This was to invite Ahura Mazda to accompany the Persian army into battle.
Ahura Mazda was pictured in images starting from the 5th century BC. But during the Sassanid period, these depictions were replaced by stone-carved figures, & eventually removed entirely due to an iconoclastic movement supported by the Sasanian dynasty.
The worship of Ahura Mazda didn’t originate with Zoroaster. But it existed before the prophet’s message. Unlike other deities of the ancient world, who were capricious or vengeful, Ahura Mazda is known for his omniscience, absolute goodness, & immateriality (he has no physical form).
According to Zoroastrian tradition, Zoroaster (at the age of 30) received a revelation: while gathering water, at dawn, for a sacred ritual, he saw the shining figure of an Amesha Spenta, Vohu Manah, who led Zoroaster to the presence of Ahura Mazda. This is where he was taught the cardinal principles of the “Good Religion,” later known as Zoroastrianism.
As a result of this vision, Zoroaster felt that he was chosen to spread & preach the religion. He stated that this source of all goodness was the Ahura, worthy of the highest worship.
Zoroastrianism is famous for its ethical dualism. According to the Gathas (the oldest hymns of the faith), Ahura Mazda created 2 “Twin Spirits”:
- Spenta Mainyu
- The “Bounteous Spirit” who chose light & truth.
- Angra Mainyu (Ahriman)
- The “Destructive Spirit” who chose darkness & the Lie.
This struggle is the engine of history. Ahura Mazda created the material world as a “trap” for Angra Mainyu, where evil could be engaged, limited, & eventually defeated through the collective “good thoughts, good works, & good deeds” of humanity.
In some Zurvanist narratives, it’s mentioned that Zurvan had a wife who gave birth to Ahura Mazda & Ahriman. Later, Ahura Mazda married his mom & had kids with her, including the sun, dogs, pigs, donkeys, & cattle.
Zurvanism was a fatalistic religious movement of Zoroastrianism in which the divinity Zurvan is a 1st principle who engendered equal but opposite twins, Ahura Mazda & Angra Mainyu. But in non-Zurvanist Zoroastrian traditions, it’s said that Ahura Mazda married his daughter Spenta Armaiti & she gave birth to Keyumars.
Later, she gave birth to Mashya & Mashyana. These traditions are considered to be that Mashya & Mashyana are the kids of Keyumars.
Zoroaster stated that Ahura Mazda created spirits known as yazatas to aid him. Zoroaster proclaimed that some Iranian gods were daevas who deserved no worship. These “bad” deities were created by Angra Mainyu, the destructive spirit.
Angra Mainyu was the source of all sin & misery in the universe. Zoroaster claimed that Ahura Mazda used the aid of humans in the cosmic struggle against Angra Mainyu. However, Ahura Mazda is Angra Mainyu’s superior, not his equal. Angra Mainyu & his daevas (which attempted to attract humans away from the Path of Asha) would eventually be defeated.
Ahura Mazda is often pictured surrounded by 6 (sometimes 7) divine beings called the Amesha Spentas. They’re not separate gods. But rather emanations, or “archangels,” that represent aspects of his own nature:
- Vohu Manah (Good Mind)
- Divine wisdom & the protector of animals.
- Asha Vahishta (Best Righteousness)
- The order of the universe & protector of fire.
- Khshathra Vairya (Desirable Dominion)
- Divine power & the protector of the Earth.
- Spenta Armaiti (Holy Devotion)
- Religious piety & the protector of the Earth.
- Haurvatat (Wholeness/Health)
- Perfection & the protector of water.
- Ameretat (Immortality)
- Eternal life & the protector of plants
Many scholars of religious studies note that several key ideas were either introduced (or solidified) in Judaism (& later Christianity & Islam) through this contact:
- Heaven & Hell
- The idea of a place of reward & punishment.
- The Devil
- The evolution of “Satan” from a heavenly prosecutor to a cosmic adversary (Angra Mainyu).
- The Messiah
- The Zoroastrian concept of the Saoshyant, a Savior who brings about the end of the world & the resurrection of the dead.
- The Final Judgement
- The belief that every individual will cross a bridge (the Chinvat Bridge) after death to be judged for their deeds.
Today, the followers of Ahura Mazda are primarily the Parsis, with pockets of communities around the world. The most famous modern Parsi is Freddie Mercury (of Queen fame). The modern Parsis are mainly in India & pockets in Iran & the United States (mainly in California & Texas).
They continue to keep the “Ever-Burning Fire” (or Eternal Flame) alive in their temples as a symbol of Ahura Mazda’s eternal light & purity.
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