ongoing battle to reform and eradicate the plague of caste

Evil, but also the responsibility to actively promote Good,

from the Indian subcontinent. 

vanquish Evil, and move not only himself, but the whole

world towards frashokereti, the final resurrection, when all

will be in a state of perfection and everlasting bliss. This

ZOROASTRIANISM

149

commitment to a life of bringing about a happy,

harmonious, morally perfect social order, is what the

Prophet offered.

Zoroastrians, according to FZANA, denounce racism

To think a good thought, to speak a good word, to do a good

as an evil from which one is not only to remove him or

deed, is the best. Everlasting happiness to those who follow the

herself from, but also act towards eradicating it from the

path of Asha.

150

world. 

The scriptures of Zarathustra are contained in the

The ancient history of the Zoroastrians began with the

ancient texts, The Avesta, written in the Avestan language.

advent of the Prophet Zarathustra (Zoroaster, in Greek

Of these, the divine hymns, The Gathas, are the words of

literature); recently, scholars dated this faith to originate

Prophet Zarathustra himself:

around 1800 B.C.

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 Zoroastrian ideas have played a vital

role in the development of western religious thought...

Zaraous tra, who (is) thy friend, the follower 

The interchange of Zoroastrian thought with the Judaeo 

of Truth?

Christian ideology first took place when Cyrus the Great

For the Great Brotherhood who wills, indeed,

defeated the Assyrians and released the Jews from

to achieve renown?

Babylonian captivity...the commemoration of December

That person, indeed, at (this) ushering in is 

25th as the birthday of Christ has its origins in early

known (to be) Kavs a Vis taspa; (those)

Mithraic observances. 

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whom thou hast established in thine 

Zarathustra, according to Federation of Zoroastrian

(blest) abode, O Mazda Ahura, them shall 

Association of North America (FZANA),  preached the

I address with the Message of Vohu Mano.

monotheistic religion of the One Supreme God, Ahura

Us TAVAITI 4.14.

Mazda (Wise Lord). His message is a positive, life 

affirming, active principled one, which demands not so

Let the Helper born to deliver (mankind)

much belief, as reason and action on the part of every

listen to the Teachings;

individual. His was not a prescriptive ethic based on

Never should the Truth speaker think of 

obedience, fear or love, but rather, an ethic of personal

association with the follower of Untruth;

responsibility. A Zoroastrian is taught to lead an

so that (their) Higher Selves may combine

industrious, honest and, above all, charitable life. 

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in the supreme reward (each) united to 

Zarathustra presents a view of the world in which

As a at the ushering in (of the new age), O

Ahura Mazda originally creates an ideal existence in

Wise Jamaspa.

accordance with the Law of Asha...Ahura Mazda gives

SPAENTA MAINYU 3.9

man not only the freedom to choose between Good and

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DENOUNCING RACISM