The following are extracts from the “Selected Writings” of Late Roni K. Khan.
GLIMPSES OF PARSI HISTORY
THE HISTORY
II. “ANCIENT” IRAN, ZARATHUSHTRA AND THE GREAT SCHISM (THE GREAT DIVIDE)
Compelled to abandon their original homeland (Airyanam Vaejo), the Aryans commenced their historic Southward migration in search of lands providing more hospitable environments. Enroute, they sojourned in an area we shall label “Ancient” Iran (Sk. Arya-yan, Irya-yan = the way the Aryans went), in order to conveniently distinguish it from what we call “Modern” Iran, the Middle Eastern location much further to the South (South of 40 degrees North Latitude) where the Iranian Aryans finally settled (much later). Many scholars, both Western and Indian, have tried to equate various so-called geographical references in the Parsi scriptures with certain physical features in Modern Iran and its environs. This is erroneous, because the sacred texts make no mention of any monarch beyond Kai Vistaspa of the Kaiyan dynasty (successor to the Peshdadian) which held sway in Ancient (not Modern) Iran; and in any case, the purported geographical references are only spiritual allegories. Having said that, we turn to the location of Ancient Iran, the kingdom of nine spiritually exalted rulers (possessors of the fabled Kaiyan “Khoreh”, the divine luster of high auric development, & the birthplace of Prophet Zarathushtra.
The following scriptural evidences indicate that Ancient Iran was located at or above 50 degrees North Latitude:
The historical record preserved in Bundaheshn (XXV, 3-5) states that over there “the longest day was double the length of the shortest day”. It is a geophysical fact that such a phenomenon can occur only at or around 50 degrees North Latitude: there alone, the longest day (June 29, 16 hours 20 minutes) is exactly double the duration of the shortest day (January 4, 8 hours 12 minutes).
The Holy Gathas (Yasna 44-5), the personalised Divine Songs of Asho Zarathushtra, specifically mention the times of commencement of only 3 “Gehs” (i.e. fixed divisions of the day, scientifically based on solar motion and the angle of the Sun’s rays to the earth, when prayers are to be offered): Usha, dawn (Havan Geh), Arem-pithva, midday (Rapithvin Geh) and Khshapan, dusk (Aiwisruthrem Geh). Notably by their absence in the Gathas are the remaining two Gehs, Usha-hin (midnight) and Uziren (from about 3:40 PM to sunset). The omission of Usha-hin (midnight) is understandable, since most devotees are asleep at that time. But how to explain the omission of Uziren Geh (from about 3:40 PM to sunset)? The answer is very simple, for Uziren had little or no practical utility in the Northerly Latitudes where Zarathushtra lived and preached, as it dwindles to insignificant durations for a considerable portion of the year there: in 50 to 55 degrees North Latitude, Uziren shrinks to the slimmest proportions since the sun in deep Winter sets at around 4 PM, while in a North Latitude of about 60 degrees the Winter Sun sets before 3 PM and there is no Uziren Geh at all. Hence, Uziren did not lend itself to general applicability in Ancient Iran, since it did not allow for sufficient time to perform the required prayers.
We also note that the above research conclusions from the scriptures have been later corroborated, on the basis of archaeological finds from the Soviet Union and from certain ancient Armenian sources, by Prof. James R. Russell of Columbia University’s Department of
Iranian Studies. He also concluded that the real birthplace of Asho Zarathushtra Spitama was at forty-nine degrees, twenty minutes North Latitude, and he also seems to have estimated the Longitudinal co-ordinate since he suggests today’s Soviet Southern Siberia (Central Asia) as the actual region.
Western scholars like A.V. Williams-Jackson and E.G. Browne have sought to perpetuate the traditional absurdity that Zarathushtra lived around the 7th century BC, i.e. shortly before the Achaemenian era. This view is based on the genealogy found in the Behistun rock inscriptions where a certain Vistaspa is named as the father of Darius I, and he is promptly equated with Kai Vistaspa, the Kaiyan monarch known from the Gathas to have been the contemporary and supporter of Zarathushtra. It is amazing but sad to note how scholarship failed to adequately recognize that the names, carved into the same living rock-face, of the forefathers of the Behistun Vistaspa (viz. Arshama – Ariyaramna – Kaispis – Hakhamanis) are utterly different from the forefathers of the Gathic Vistaspa as recorded in the Avesta scriptures (viz. Aurvadaspa – Kava Husrava – Kava Usa – Kavi Kavata). In other words, the two genealogies are absolutely different, save for the chance commonality of a single name (viz. Vistaspa)!
Further, most Western scholars are not inclined to give serious credence to the unanimous testimony of the Ancient Greeks that Zarathushtra lived some 6000 years before their own time, brushing it aside as “extravagant” – in all else, however, the Ancient Greeks are accorded the highest credibility and revered as masterminds!
Herodotus (450 BC, the “Father of History”) estimated Zarathushtra at 6,000 years before his own time (i.e. 6,450 BC);
Eudoxus (368 BC), at 6,000 years before the death of Plato – (i.e. 6,347 BC);
Xanthus (475 BC), at 6,000 years before Xerxes – (i.e. 6,486 BC);
Aristotle (350 BC), Hermodorus and Hermippus (250 BC), as also
Plutarch (83 AC) placed Zarathushtra at 5,000 years before the Trojan War – (i.e. 6,194 BC).
No scholar has advanced a cogent reason as to how and why the erudite (scholarly) Greeks all committed the very same childish “blunder”, especially when they lived close enough to the alleged era of Zarathushtra to have almost been his contemporaries!
The birth of Asho Zarathushtra took place about 8,300 years ago, in or around 6,311 BC when the Vernal Equinox was in the first degree of Cancer, which it left to enter Gemini in 6,239 BC during the lifetime of the Prophet.
(Please refer to Handout-5 for a brief explanation of the “Precession of the Equinoxes”, the “Great Year” period of 25,800 years, the westerly/backward shift of the Vernal Equinox through the Zodiacs and the 2,150 years of transit period through each Zodiac. Basis that reference, it becomes easier to understand the calculation of the westerly transit of the Vernal Equinox through the various Zodiacs: from entering Gemini during the lifetime of Asho Zarathushtra, to its present transit through Pieces which is near completion, to the next Aquarian age; each transit taking about 2,150 years i.e. Pieces + Aries + Taurus + Gemini x 2,150 yrs = about 8,600 years:
Aquarius ¬ Pieces ¬ Aries ¬ Taurus ¬ Gemini ¬ Cancer).
This is not a matter for conjecture: the various confirmatory evidences are consistent and decisive. For those who would turn a blind eye to the explicit Greek declarations, there is a large body of other research evidence to clinch the matter beyond doubt. Resisting the temptation, for want of space, to present this fascinating subject in detail, one can only mention the main sources for the evidence: (i) Astronomical calculations on the infallible basis of the “Precession of the Equinoxes”, (ii) Rigvedic analysis, (iii) the Scheme of the Twelve Hazara Periods, (iv) Linguistic analysis of the Gathas in comparison with the Rigveda and (v) Numerology, especially the KaTapaYaadi system also widely used in ancient India.
Upon the advent of Athravan Zarathushtra Spitama, the Indo-Iranian Aryans were a united people, and for ages past their common creed had been Ahura-tkaesha or Paoiryo-tkaesha (i.e. Old or Original Religion). Over the centuries, however, certain innovations had been introduced and adopted by a significant section of the Aryans.
Zarathushtra raised his voice in dissent and campaigned for reforms to restore the monotheistic, aniconic (without form) orthodoxy of the Old faith. As a result, the Aryans split into two camps: the forefathers of the Parsis chose Mazda-Yasna (Sk. Pitri-Yana = ancestral way of worship), while the forefathers of the Hindus chose Deva-Yasna (Sk. Deva-Yana). Though both religious systems emanated from a common original source, the two schools of thought grew further apart and the differences of opinion hardened on fundamental issues:
the Mazda-Yasnis endorsed monotheism (belief in only one God), aniconism (worship without form), caste-equality and activism,
while the Deva-Yasnis endorsed henotheism (belief in one god, supreme or specially venerated, but not the only god - a stage between monotheism and polytheism), idolatory, caste-division and passivism.
Attempts at reconciliation failed, and the Great Schism between the Avestan and Vedic Aryans became a landmark fact in the history of mankind.
The Iranian Aryans left Ancient Iran, migrated further South and finally settled in the Iranian Plateau (“Modern” Iran, about 25 to 40 degrees North Latitude).
The Vedic Aryans similarly migrated Southwards and finally settled in Hapta Hendu (Sk. Sapta Sindhu), where they finally codified the sacred Vedas during 4,559 to 3,599 BC when the Vernal Equinox was in the Mrigasirsha (Orion) Nakshatra (cf. B.G. Tilak’s 1893 work, “The Orion”).
That the Great Schism and the final parting of ways must have taken place during or shortly after the ministry of Zarathushtra is evidence of the following:
The names of most of the Kaiyan monarchs of Ancient Iran, including Kai Vistaspa (Sk. Istasva) who embraced Zarathushtra and his religion, as also the name of Arjasp the Turanian, are recorded in the Rigveda (1-122-13, 1-100-17). In striking contrast, the names of the successors of Kai Vistaspa are conspicuous by their absence.
The “national badge” of the Aryans, the Sacred Cord (Av. Aiwiaonghana, Sk. Yagnopavita, Prachinavit), is said to have been bestowed as a divine gift on Yima (Shah Jamsheed) and the Aryan race by Sarosh Yazata, and was worn by the United Aryans from the remotest times. The United Aryans, prior to the advent of Athravan Zarathushtra, wore only Aiwiaonghana, thrice-wound around the naval chakra at the waist. Later, Zarathushtra Spitama introduced the sacred white cotton shirt, the “Sudreh”, over which his followers thenceforth proceeded to tie the Aiwiaonghana. When the Vedic Aryans broke away and settled in Hapta Hendu, they continued the practice of wearing the Sacred Cord: the first idol they are believed to have installed in India, that of the Fire-god (Agni-Deva), is depicted with a triple-cord around its waist, and to this day certain Hindu castes wear the Cord, though strung over the shoulder and across the heart chakra. The pertinent point is that the Indian Aryans continued to wear the pre-Zarathushtrian Sacred Cord, but with the conspicuous exception of the Sacred Shirt, the “Sudreh”, introduced by Asho Zarathushtra and worn to this day by his followers along with the Sacred Cord.
The United (Indo-Iranian) Aryan period and the Great Schism are not figments of imagination. The sacred Sanskrit scriptures, particularly the Rigveda, are replete with invaluable historical references to the development of Mazda-Yasna and Deva-Yasna. Furthermore, Zarathushtra Spitama is referred to there by his well-known title of “Atharva” (Av.Athravan; Athra = Holy Fire, Van = Keeper) and also as Parsu or Partha Rama (the Rama of Persia, Parthia).
Rigveda 5-34-3 provides an explicit description of a personage who was:
“Fair-Complexioned” (cf. Av. Spitama = white/fair; probably also a reference to purity of auric colour in addition to pigmentation),
a “Rebel” (i.e. a dissident, a reformer),
“Head of the Magha” (cf. Av. Mazoi Magai = the Maga Brotherhood or Mandal) and
“Friend of Kava” (cf. Av. Kava Vistaspa, the Kaiyan monarch)
– these four appellations in combination unmistakably apply to only one personage in religious history – Athravan Asho Zarathushtra Spitama.
Further, Rigveda 1-83-5: “The Atharva (i.e. Zarathushtra) first chalked out the way of Yagna (Av. Yasna = worship or attunement with God); then came the Vow-Keeper Vena (i.e. Sri Ramachandraji, Raghu Rama) of the Solar Race.”
Also, Rigveda 10-93-14: “I would now speak of Rama, the intrepid (fearless, bold) Prophet (‘Vena’) of Parthia (‘Prithavana’) and also about his Ahura (‘Asura’) and Magavans (‘Maghavats’).”
In Manu’s writings (11-33) too, Zarathushtra is referred to as Atharva: “Let him (i.e. Brahmana) use without hesitation the sacred texts revealed by the Atharva” – the deliberate use of the expression “without hesitation” clearly indicates that the reference is to a non-Vedic prophet.
Evidence of the Schism is nowhere more apparent than in the history of the two words “Asura” (Av. Ahura; “s” and “h” interchangeable) and “Deva”. In United Aryan times, both were honourable terms: Asura meant Supreme Spirit, while Deva was derived from the root “div” = to shine. As the differences of ideology deepened, Deva came to mean iconic (corporeal, having form) and Asura, aniconic (incorporeal, without form) – Yajur Veda 2-30: “Those who, casting off their forms, have become Asuras and now move about as spirits”.
After the parting of ways, the failure of all hopes of reconciliation and the cementing of differences, both words came to be deliberately degraded and assumed meanings glaringly opposite to the original: Asura came to mean “demon” for the Indian Aryans and likewise, Deva came to mean “demon” for the Iranian Aryans. It is a striking fact that in the older portions of the Rigveda, all the prominent Vedic gods, including Varuna, Rudra, Agni, Indra and Savitri, have been called “Asuras”; it is only in the later tenth and last Mandala, and in the subsequent literature, that the term Asura is used without exception in the derogatory sense. Also, the Amara Kosha states that the Asuras were the previous gods, and this sentiment is replicated in the Mahabharata (Santi Parva 33-25) and Brihad-Aranyaka Upanishad (3-1). It is therefore worth a thought that the legendary Deva-Asura “War” may more aptly refer to an ideological tussle than a physical battle.
The fact that Mazda-Yasna and Deva-Yasna have had separate and healthy existences for over 8,000 years and that there are certain ancient differences between the two (kindly refer page-3, second paragraph) should not blind us to the fact that both these religions have been minted in antiquity, their religious systems are both beautiful and elevated, and each has profoundly influenced the development of the other great religions of the world.
Also, it is the firm personal conviction of the present writer, that over a thousand years ago when ocean travel in primitive boats was far more perilous than overland journeys and the Iranian refugees could well have fled by easier land routes in other directions (except for the Arab South), they consciously chose the more difficult sea route Eastwards to tolerant Hindustan, for tolerance of other ordained faiths is a feature of both Zarathushtrian and Hindu Aryan cultures – their harmonious co-existence in India for over a thousand years is a happy witness to this fact.