Indian Antiquary Vol 34

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 22

16
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[JANUARY, 1905.
the zealous searchers after the kingdom of God by means of unceasing praise and meditation of Mazda." The object of the hymn ties on the face of it, though it contains passages which have so far resisted elucidation. It depicts the call of Zarathushtra to his prophetic mission. He realises the enormous difficulty of his message, but is prepared for its execution. Ahura Mazda will vouchsafe him support, and Aramaiti will instruct him. This entire narrative, therefore, is reported by Zarathushtra himself. But even in the strophes where he is not mentioned - for instance, where he complains ef perseoution and misunderstanding and is at a loss whither to wend his way - the speaker and the prophet are identical.
Nevertheless it does not follow that he is the actual poet. There are found arguments warranting suspicion. It is patent that to the singer of this hymn Zarathustra is a sanctified being of bygone ages. We may not believe it, but he declares that he existed from before the creation. At all events the following words are put in his mouth in strophe 5:
"Thee I conceive as holy Mazda Ahora,
Because at the creation of the world I beheld Thee first, When Thon didst appoint that deeds and words shall their recompense have
For the wicked evil, happy blessings for the good." Here then he is so far glorified as to have experienced this apocalypse at the first beginning of things. And this idea recurs again. He is named in numerous passages where he can neither be the poet nor his contemporary. A striking instance is the celebrated dialogue with Geush Urva, the soul of the Kine, a personification whose significance we shall discuss in the sequel. Geush Urva laments over her sufferings and beseeches Mazda for a guardian. Mazda responds that Zarathustra is the only protector ordained to be her lord, her Batu, for he knoweth all the divine commandments. In spite of her appeal for a more puissant caretaker, Geush Urva has to content herself with Zarathushtra.
Fancies of this description do not crop up in the life-time of a person. They are the result rather of his apotheosis decreed by posterity.
In another song along with him we come upon Vishtasp, whom tradition makes his patron, Frasaoshtra, whom it makes his father-in-law, who both are already living, if I construe the presage correctly, with Ahura Mazda in heaven, "where Asha is united with Armaiti" (righteousness with true belief), where the sovereignty of the Good Mind prevails, and where Abara Mazda tenants what we may call his Valhalla (varedemam). Vishtasp is counted among the inmates of Mazda's house, and of the Haechataspa Spitamas, the house of Zarathushtra, it is claimed that they brought to the believers Asha (righteousness) scoording to the primordial or aboriginal ordinance of Ahon. It is permissible to expound all this in a metaphorical sense, but taken all in all it produces the impression that the minstrel refers to persons now exalted to divinity whom he pays homage 6
Another pealm, which constitutes & whole Gatha, and perchanoe is of the oldest, contains several allusions to the Zarathushtrian legends.
It would throw much light on the problem, if it was lees mutilated and so more intelligible. Still it is plain that it sets forth that Zarathashtra had "recently proclaimed a reward for the Magavans in the shape of Garo-demana or paradise. One can scarcely refrain from hazarding the conjecture that the Zarathushtra here spoken of is not a person, but rather aj ecclesiastical or prophetic office. We may instanoe the places which deal with the gifts wit1 which Zarathustra must be propitiated..
# Yam 29, 8, 9. # The Gatha, Vohukhahathra, Yamna 50. (ne specially atropher 11 aod 16.)
*
Yasna 46, 19-19. Yamna 46, 13; 49, 12, 50, 6