This is brought out by the almost verbatim similarity of a critical verse in both the Gathas & the Bhagwad Geeta.
Mantra of the Universal Soul: Gae-ush Urva-nem
The Earth’s Souls’ lament: Ys29.1
In anguish; wailed Mother Earth, taking the shape of the self sacrificing Cow.
Why & for what purpose have I been created, what hands have moulded me,
The degenerate forces of Hate, Deceit & Violence, encircle me---strangulate me,
For me , there is no Protector, other than you.
Guide me, I plead with thee, to a safe shelter through an efficient & powerful Saviour.
Amongst the Par-asu tribes of the 16 aryan lands, Zarathushtra was born, in answer to this appeal of mother earth.
Bhagwad Gita (X.1.17-18)
The earth, oppressed by schemes of the princes proud,
Leagued in their might with countless demon hosts
Bowed down with this great burden,
She approached her great creator, seeking help from him,
Wearing the shape of a Cow, two streams of tears,
Flowing adown her face, lamenting loud,
And piteously, with heavy heart she stood,
And poured out to her lord, her suffering soul
In answer to this appeal, we are told that Sri Krishna was born.
Interestingly, this name "Krsna" also appears in the Farvardin Yasht as that of a good King. The doctrine of the Gita was taught previously by sage "Narayan" in the reign of king Vasu (Vistasp), in the country North-West of India, where the people were white complexioned, & professed a culture of self expression, & religion of monotheism.
Govinda (Krishna ), the hero of the Bhagad Geeta, himself states that he derived his philosophy from Iranian sources.
(Karna Parva 69-85). "This is the philosophy of the Atharvas & the best of all philosophies. Those who desire welfare should act up on this code".
Those who know that the priests of
The word narayan (the same as naro-ish nara
In the Avesta, Zarathushtra is traditionally referred to as one who had achieved “perfection” (Ha-urva-tat) within one lifetime. This “perfect man”, is identified as "Naro-ish Nara"
One must keep in mind the time frame involved. Whereas the Maha-bharata identifies its time as around 15 generations after the Ramayana epic; it clearly says that the era of Sage Narayana was so far in the past that even an estimate could not be made about those times.
Thus in tracing the origin of the positive philosophy of action which is the special contribution of Zarathushtra, the Mahabharata states:
Shanti: 378-83: The Ethics of self assertion was preached by Rishi Narayana.
Here the word "narayan" is qualified by "rishi" to distinguish it from the ideal of all ideals, the Creator himself.
Indeed the whole outlook of the mahabharata- its non-ascetic, positive, militant philosophy may be said to be an amplification of the principle of the Gathas.
Namely, Shanti:271-20: Tell you truly, non-violence is quite a duty, but violence for the right cause is also a duty. This is our creed, the creed of the followers of truth.
Similarly, Ys46.18: "Ill
The Gathic dictum of uncompromised war with the forces of evil, finds an echo in Bhagwad Geeta 2.41:
"For a warrior, Nothing is higher than war against Evil.
The Warrior, confronted by such a war, should be pleased Arjuna;
For it comes as an open gate to heaven.
But, if you do not participate in the battle against Evil,
You will incur Sin, violating your Dharma & your Honour".
Tradition (Udyoga Parva: 96-46) is insistent that Arjuna & Govinda (Sri Krishna) are re-incarnations of Nar & Narayana, or for Farashoshtra (Naroi farashoshtra-for the sake of Farashoshtra, the nara of -Ys28.8 & Zarathushtra, as they were called in Iran.
The philosophy of Rishi Nara-yana (Zarathushtra) being the central idea of the Mahabharata, herein we find the reason why every chapter in the Mahabharata begins by homage to Nara-yana & nara
It is the peculiarity of the Mahabharata alone that Nara-yana & nara
Interestingly, Udyoga Parva 96-46 refers to Sage Narayan as “camel”—ushtra, the term for intellect, which forms the suffix of Za-rath-ushtra.
Interestingly, Udyoga Parva 96-46 refers to Sage Narayan as “camel”—ushtra, the term for intellect, which forms the suffix of Za-rath-ushtra.
The imagery of the Gathic Yasna 44.18; advising mankind on the best practices to adopt for success in life:
Dasa Aspao arshna-vaitish Ushtram-chaa
Of commanding, energetically (without procrastination), the 10 senses with strength (purpose) & intelligence.
In this imagery that straddles the spiritual & the material; the intelligent Charioteer, represented as Ush-trem is both Intelligence (Ush) & a Camel. He commands a Mighty Stallion (Strength), who in turn guides Ten Mares 10 senses.
Whereas this concept is not found in the Vedas; it is however, detailed at great length in the Katha-Upanisad (i. 3.3-6) where the atman is called the Lord of the Chariot; the physical Body as the Chariot and the Human Senses as the Horses. These "horses" rush outwards, guided by the Ush-trem (intelligence) along the path of Truth; ignoring baser material desires.
Kahmaa, meaning “desire” is critical to understanding human mentality; as it is frustrated desires that are the root cause of negative emotions (Aesh-maa : envy, greed, anger, malice, sloth, & ego.
The Greeks borrowed the same concept, which appears as the chariot in Plato's Phaedros.
This can be seen reflected in the Yoga postulates listed in the Shewta-savatara Upanishad: “Controlling the Pranas (diverse energies/senses of the body: the nervous system), balanced in Motion (firmly anchored in reality), one should breathe out, when the Prana (energy) comes to rest at the tip of the nose. As horses, difficult to control, on a journey, the knower should control the mind without distraction.”
Sutra 48 states: `From this perfection of posture comes cessation of disturbances from the pair of opposites'[2].
Sage Vyasa comments: `From the conquest of posture the Yogi does not become over-powered by the pair of opposites such as heat and cold, pleasure and pain, fame and ignominy."
This concept is but a verbatim translation of Gathic thought. It is also very similar to the Path of Moderation expressed by Lord Krishna and Rishi Vashishta.(Vahishta).
Yoga, derived from the root word Yuj, (in turn derived from “Yu” meaning unite & separate: co-ordinate) refers to a methodology of harnessing, setting to work, & coordinating the mind & the body. Yoga teaching is said to have come from Ish-wara, the Cosmic Guru. The word Ishwara (not found in the Vedas) is derived from Ishu, (Yasna 34.15) that attribute of Ahura Mazda, given to wish fulfillment & overcoming difficulty. Originally composed by Kava Ushana (Shukra-acharya) & codified by Sage Patanjali, it is distinct from the Vedanta philosophy. The word Ishwara, for the almighty only appears in post Vedic literature.
Ishu: One of the 72 names (attributes) of Ahura Mazda is referred to twice in the the Hormazd Yasht as:
isho-khshathroo = whose strength helps overcome obstacles (also epithet of Ganesha)
isho-khshathro-tema = the strongest helper/wish fulfiller (in overcoming obstacles)
The Avestan/Gathic term “Ishu”, for the Powerful Creator who grants wishes, not seen in the Vedas is thus the Ishwar of post vedic scriptures. As is apparent here, in this timeline, previous Asuras (Ganesh in this case) are re-introduced to worship as Gods.
The etomology of the name of our saviour can now be understood:
Za-rath-ushtra: Za(bright divine light, vedic Hari) + Rath (chariot) + Ush-tra (blaze of enlightenment, from Ush = to burn & tra = concentration/confluence/intersection)
“Ushtra” means both the intellect that controls the mind & has also been referred to as “Camel”; The Camel being the prime mode of transportation in the Balkh-Afghanistan area in those times, the name refers to:
The vehicle (bringer) of the blazing light of enlightening knowledge.
According to J M Chatterjee; It is after this epic war (Mahabharat) that the imperial family of the Kurus left Indra-Prastha (Delhi Anshan
The most powerful emperor of this line being “Kur-ush” (Cyrus, the Great), the name compositing the paternal “Kuru” clan with "Ush" for Light. His successors, Darius (Dara-ush) & Xerxes (Ksh-ashish) too turned their attention westward, although close links continued between them & Bharatas (Indians).
Inspite of the political differences, this memory of joint heritage could possibly be the reason why there were no invasions into India (or vice versa) prior to the Moslem looting expeditions[4] as also the fact that there were numerous Zarathoshti settlements in Sind, Punjab & Saurashtra right upto the time of the Sassanian empire. (KISSE-I-SANJAN Or The Supposed Landing Of The Parsis In Sanjan by Byramsha D. Nasikwala ; published by B.N. BHATHENA, 100, Nagdevi Street, Bombay, 3)
The Godly designation “Pai-ti[5]”; meaning “worthy of devotion”; source of protection; for our Creator Ahura Mazda, becomes “Pati” (e.g. Tiru-pati) of the Vedic Sanskrit, a designation restricted earlier to Asuras/Ahuras.
A cognate word is: paata = the Protector, the 41st name of Ahura Mazda (Out of 72 names of Ahura Mazda in Hormazd Yasht)
“Bhagwan” (Bhag + Wan) is Avestan Baga-wan; where Baga = divine fortune & Wan = victorious. Cognate terms being Baga, Bagh-dad & Bha-rata
The Avestan “Daitya”, & its cognate “Daato”, (Out of 72 in Hormazd Yasht) = the Bestower & Postulator is none other than Datta or Daitreya in Hindu scriptures.
The Vayaosh (Vedic & Gathic[6] Vayu) that we invoke daily in the Jase me avanghe Mazdao prayer, representing the “all pervading atmosphere” , an entity mirrored in Hanu-man (Son of Man) of post vedic scriptures (Ramayana). One may note that the term “hanu” means “son” in avesta (in vedic Sanskrit it is sanu); clearly showing times in the Aryan past when terminologies & dialects were freely exchanged.
[1] 3129 BC appears to be very viable date for Mahabharata war based on one critical astronomical statement made in Mahabharata Bhishma Parva that “Thirteen day” eclipse pair occurred in Kurukshethra before the Mahabharata war. Whereas, this set of eclipses also suggests a later date, the fact that the River Ganga has overtaken River Saraswati as the prime Vedic river, but not totally dried, points towards this earlier date taking precedence. The physical description of various cities of the time (archeologically located in the Saraswati Valley
The Mahabharatta is also replete with detailed description of the Persian “Tripura” (three walled fort) excavated in Balkh .
[4] In the Sarosh Yasht Vadi there is a special invocation for blessing & protecting the Zarathushtis living on the Arabian peninsula , clearly indicating that they were a threatened minority in these areas, unlike in India
I invoke thee O Creative Life Force (Ahura), by choice, through recitation of the Ahunawar Mantra , for protecting (Pai-ti) my entire being (Tan = body)
[6] Yasna 53.6
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