Chapter 10
The Caravan Sets Out
At evenfall under the cloak of the dark a caravan, led by Zarathustra, set out stealthily headed for the distant city of Bactria. The travelers feared lest the karapans learn of this journey for they knew how these dissolute evil doers would set upon them and destroy them all. The karapans and all Zarathustra’s opponents had long since joined forces to ruin the Leader and his disciples.
The caravan left the city limits while darkness reigned. In the bosom of the night, lulled by the tranquility of the lazy hours whilst the moon cast its shadow upon the earth and the gentle valley breeze lovingly caressed the foliage, the Prophet thought of the future. The nightingale lost its soul to son, branches rustled, water purred in the river bed and Zarathustra banished from his heart all that was evil to replace it with goodness and beauty. He drowned himself in the contemplation of the various hurdles which lay ahead of him and his thoughts budded forth in beauteous prayers:
O Mazda Ahura,
I turn to Thee in blessed thought.
In the light of truth let me know of the material and
Divine reward which leads Thy followers to happiness.
(Gathas, chapter 28, verse 2)
Zarathustra sang as he had sung neither in body nor in soul before. The form of the hymn was so short and heartening that whoever heard it for the first time felt the core of his heart ache with longing to drench himself in its splendor. The essence of these hymns was neither mournful nor gloomy. The Leader spoke of happiness, of joy and of the path which could lead men to their attainment of divine beneficence of Ahura, the perfection of strength and righteousness:
O truth,
O divine Thought,
O Mazda Ahura,
I praise Thee.
I laud Thee as none has yet lauded Thee.
May we attain divine strength and righteousness.
Grant us our plea for happiness and felicity.
(Gathas, chapter 28, verse 3)
“One must transcend baseness, trivialities, humiliations and ignominy and soar to sublimity. One must fly above the mountains, wing the skies and saturate one’s lungs with air in order to gaze at the splendor of life from the apex of the sky. One must surpass the vermin which inhabit the swamps and rise to the branches of the towering trees. Caves must be destroyed that homes might be built on the mountain peaks. Hearts must be unleashed to lead men unto green pastures. Letters and books must be written and read to free us of evil and ugliness, for evil hoards nothing but pride, self-centeredness, vanity, darkness and ignorance which breed cruelty, injustice, malice and malevolence. When human thought embraces knowledge its warm rays rend asunder the evil of obscurity and cleanse away the mast which covers the heart to lead the body and soul unto the sacred kingdom.
Yes, we must move away from those winding, craggy, foot-soaring courses to walk along the path of truth. We must travel that road which takes us to what we desire: true happiness and a warm homestead.”
I shall lead my soul to the realm of the sublime
through divine thought.
Knowing of the reward with which Mazda Ahura
will crown my deeds.
I shall guide men along the path of truth with all
the power within my soul.
(Gathas, chapter 28, verse 4)
“O you shameless liars leash your tongues!Wicked, sullied beings, hide yourselves!
Knaves, seek the shelter of your temples!
Oh you cruel oppressors, return to where you came from!
Go to the wolves!
Mix and consult with the jackals and the hyenas!
I flee you and your gloomy world. I will not suffer that affected and proud look of your eyes!
I will not tolerate your vane, cruel demeanor!
My world is that of truth and of Vohuman—the world of sacred thoughts!
I have vowed my love to Ahura—the radiance of being, the brilliance of the essence of existence, the wisdom of the totality of being, and that force of created life whose splendor radiates from every element in creation. I have pledged allegiance to the palpitation of my heart—to that inner beat which rises from my being to lead me unto all that is exquisite and good.
I never think of myself and now that I have found the light of Mazda, of the realm of truth, of purity and of righteousness I will strive to reach the light through the heart of gloom. I shall guide the unfortunate who are prey to the oppressions of corrupt witless oppressors to the realm of light.”
O truth,
When will I behold Thee?
O sacred thought,
When will I know Thee through knowledge?
O Thou mightily Ahura,
When will I attain Thee?
When will I hear the inner song of Ahura?
May I come to guide the misled with Thy greatest
thought provoking message upon my lips!
(Gathas, chapter 28, verse 5)
“My enemies are all about me. My followers and I are surrounded by these evil, cruel, malicious, adversaries.
The wolves are everywhere and their howls knife the hearts of the shepherds and their flocks on moonless nights.
Venomous adders soundlessly creep the earth ready to spring and poison the body of any unfortunate farmer who slumbers in the niches of his fields.
The karapans and the kavis believe the world must be overrun by wolves, adders and scorpions; they say that the world must be draped in the dim blackness of ignorance. There must never be the least sign of mirth, no joyous sound should rise from anywhere, and neither should music play to appease the smarting spirit. There must only be darkness and the world must be covered inthe dismal silence of a graveyard.
Each day must break to the deafening screeches of vultures that descend from the sky to rip away the flesh of fresh corpses. Doves must die, the sparrow must flee and only the vultures are to rule the sky. The terrifying glare of their eyes must keep watch over the terrestrial.
I will rise against any who opposes me for I shall fight the upholders of ignorance, suppression and darkness! I will set fire to the vultures that they flee the rooftops and the farms and in their stead I will bring back the sparrow and the dove that they might once again sing ear for men. I love the song of the spring birds and of all birds. I love the shine of the sun and the flowering of the sunflower. I want all those in this life to face the sun as the sunflower does. They must face light, warmth, heat, beauty and life. I praise the sun and Mehr. Thus, I raise my hymns unto them that the world might be forever illuminated by their radiance.
I want a long life during which I might sing forth my hymns and bring my thoughts and feelings to fruition. I seek a long life brimmed with happiness and joy for myself and for all men.”
O truth,
O sacred Thoughts,
Come unto me and grant me long life!
O Mazda Ahura,
Grant Zarathustra divine power and happiness through
Thy true words!
Grant us all the strength with which we may overcome
the malice and harm of our enemies!
(Gathas, chapter 28, verse 6)
O Mazda,
May the wicked ones who forsake sacred thoughts suffer and be harmed!
May the true who bear not such evil be sheltered from sin!
The good, who may be poor, are dear to the benevolent.
The evil one, who may even be powerful and strong, is worthless.
(Gathas, chapter 47, verse 4)
O Mazda Ahura,
Thou hast promised finest reward to the good through sacred thoughts.
But the wicked will not receive Thy love.
For they persist in ugly thoughts and deeds.
(Gathas, chapter 47, verse 5)
“I have heard that Vishtaspa is a wise seeker of truth. If this be true, and I pray it be, then I ask truth to grant him that reward which comes from sacred thoughts along with righteousness which gives the strength of sacred thoughts, love, good judgment, humility and patience to all men.
I pray that I might have sufficient strength to carry out what I love and believe among mankind that men may come to true happiness and bliss in life.”
O truth,
Grant us that forgiveness which is the reward of sacred thoughts!
O Righteousness,
Grant Vishtaspa and his followers their wishes!
O Mazda,
Grant us the strength to spread Thy word!
(Gathas, chapter 28, verse 7)
“I ask sacred thoughts for Frashushtra, whom I have heard seeks knowledge and loves truth, for it is only through sacred thoughts that men like Frashushtra can lead themselves and others unto the light.
I ask the pure Ahura, who is the best and the finest harmonizer of truth, to grant sacred thoughts unto the brave Frashushtra and to all my followers.”
O Ahura,
O Thou finest and best of all,
O thou who are in utmost harmony with truth,
I long for Thee to grant sacred thoughts unto
Frashushtra and unto m other disciples!
(Gathas, chapter 28, verse 8)
“My nature is such that I will never bear Mazda Ahura, nor truth nor blessed thoughts to suffer any offense from me. May all men be likewise!”
O Mazda Ahura,
O truth,
O blessed Thoughts,
I shall never offend Thee for the forgiveness that
Thou hast granted me!
I shall strive and divine strength art truly worthy of
praise!
(Gathas, chapter 28, verse 9)
“O Mazda Ahura, many are they who are of true and blessed thoughts and deeds. Now do some of these people flee with me the abode of ugliness, evil falsehood and filth. They turn to a place where they can plant and nurture the seeds of their thoughts and wishes.
O Mazda Ahura, I worship Thee with my soul and I ask Thee to grant these people victory that they may bring their hopes to fruition. I know of how you grant those prayers which are given from the soul for the furtherance of truth.”
O Mazda Ahura,
Grant the prayers of those whom Thou knoweth to be
true and of good thoughts and deeds!
I well know that Thou wilt grant those prayers which
rise from the soul for a good cause!
(Gathas, chapter 28, verse 10)
While chanting his hymns Zarathustra led his caravan on for many days through a laborious passage before they arrived in the orient at the city of Bactria.
Zarathustra and his followers rested and shook off the fatigue of their journey before they turned to the court of Vishtaspa.
In those days Bactria was both the seat for Persian kings and the jewel of the civilized world. Years after the founding of civilization by Kayoomars the seeds of the great Persian culture had taken root and had come to the pinnacle of their perfection. Keykhosrow had united all the Persian kingdoms under one rule and he had set the culture of Persian civilization which now spread out to all its surrounding neighbors.
The Persians had spread their culture to distant lands and the ancient world was truly Persian. Mathematics, astrology, medicine and all Persian sciences had infiltrated the other ancient cultures.
At this time, just as at any other period, the essence of every advancement and expansion was development. At the same time as economy, culture and civilization flourished the conflict between old and new, between all material, ideological and cultural structures, which were partly embedded in the past and partly in novelty, had begun to appear. The karapans and the kavis sought the old, stagnating ways whilst the scouts of advancement and the enlightened sought modern methods.
Bactria, was the great capital of this conflict. From every corner of Persia and of all the civilizations of the time, the enlightened ones and the researchers turned to Bactria to trade views and to exchange ideas. The court of Vishtaspa was the great refuge of these seekers.
Zarathustra was the idol of thought, wisdom, knowledge, truth and purity. He was the leader of the learned, the wise and of the philosophers and as such he was well known throughout Persia.
Before his arrival at Bactria the Leader was well known by its inhabitants. The wise men and the sages of this city anxiously awaited his arrival. So too did Vishtaspa impatiently await that day. He hoped to profit of Zarathustra’s brilliant knowledge, wisdom and insight.
Instead, the malignant-minded, the unlettered, the necromancers and the karapans feared his arrival. Not only did they retreat from his teaching but they strove to fight his wisdom through any means available to them.
In the end the hopes of Vishtaspa and of his followers came true when Zarathustra arrived to spread his benevolent creed among men.