Chapter 19
The Amesha Spentas
“In the past, Master, you have often spoken of the Amesha Spentas, will you explain to us what you mean by them precisely!”
“We have to turn to the grain of wheat once again and seek the meaning therein for if we comprehend the truth of the grain we will come to know all creation and its laws. Djamaspa, tell us of all you know concerning this grain.”
“I remember that on the first day when we sowed our first seed you spoke of the life within that seed and you said that though the seed seemed lifeless it came to life once it impregnated the earth. Now, the term ‘amesha’ means the life and deathlessness of the seed. It is that which is alive and can endow life unto others. When it enters the human frame it gives it its essence of life and when it enters the frame of animals it gives them life too.
‘Spenta’ is a purifying, healing process. Hence, the ‘amesha spentas’ are those who lead others along a process of purification: they are the pure and the immortal healers. They lead the jewel of the seed into activity, growth and the reproduction of countless other seeds. If we but surpass the seed we will see the very same element exposed in the various aspects of being. The seed comes to life within the earth. Thus, the wheat which is born owes its jewel to the elements of soil, water, air and sun.
Think of these four elements—can you trace their jewels?”
“I cannot answer that question. Will you guide me, great Instructor?”
“Indeed it is truly an enigma. Should any of the elements have been lacking the seed would have been unable to grow. Each of the elements itself has its own particular being and structure. At the end of the long road of development one arrives at a single answer: light. In this world and in the universe all things rise from light—nothing can exist without it. The invaluable treasure of the world is light—the various perspectives of the world are the forces of light or ‘love’: that timeless, unique, eternal Creator and cultivator of being is limited to the power of light, or to the ‘radiance of light’. More specifically, it is the purest and most perfect luminosity. All things in life arise from the power of light and they rise to join that power. Ahura Mazda, the radiance of light and love, is the finest light of the heavens and of the earth. He is the power of creation, the harmonized power of the essence of the universe, and the very jewel of being for he is the wisdom of being. Mazda Ahura, is the fount of all things for he is the most essential of all necessities, the boundless light, the primal jewel, the total brilliance which incessantly illuminates and through his illumination and creation all things come into being. All that exists in this universe, all that is beautiful and righteous, comes from his radiance. All the various portrayals of light which come from Mazda are equal and related to one another and each element exists and is perceived through the others. In this world there exists but a single jewel—power—and all the innumerable aspects of the universe are the various portrayals of that force, for all life takes root in that single element. The universe and this world are one—and the singular existence of the world, of life and of Ahura Mazda are the foundations of my religion.
Like all the other aspects of the universe man is but another portrayal of that force of light for he is another form of the radiance of light. Therefore, he is another ring in the chain of being. Man can attain salvation in this world through the knowledge of the world, of himself and of the brilliance of his thoughts and of his heart. Then can he join the process of the radiance of light.
Djamaspa, Man has travelled far from the worship of collective deities and has come to believe in the singularity of being. Look at the Mithraists, they worship a separate deity for each of the elements, but their deities are formed by the characteristics of men. Some of them who believe in Mithra visualize him as a powerful king with the omnipotence of a patriarch, and with the feelings and instincts of a man. They see him enthroned in the heavens among the angles to rule over the universe. Yet, my God is not such a deity. The Ahura Mazda to whom I have pledged myself is the boundless world of light. He is the wisdom, the harmony of being. He is the righteousness and the progress of life—the torch of the universe. My God is not found in the skies but all about us—in the innocent laughter of the child, in the thoughts of men, in the heart of the plant and in all things and within all people—mostly it comes from the process of loving.
The most beautiful, the most wondrous, the most invaluable term in the world is ‘mehr’. It has a twofold meaning: light and attraction. The universe was created upon this twofold element of ‘mehr’ and I turn Godward through mehr to find salvation.
Life was first built upon mehr as the greatest force of being and it came to activity through its second meaning of attraction, thus, creating the various aspects of the universe. Any activity, development, growth, progress and finally inexistence comes from the forces of attraction and resistance in mehr. Mehr is what brings the cycles of the sun and the herald of being to rise. It is mehr which allows its radiance to warm our hearts to strum the hidden chords within us. Only then does a new being come into existence-the song of life. The hearth of your existence turns into a vast deep in which is embedded the excitement, activity, growth and birth of being. From these depths do the mighty soaring waves rise. The water lilies adorn the waters with their upturned faces turned lovingly to the sun as the life-giving rainbow hues the skies to draw the lovers to witness its eternal beauty. The chord of your being will continue its song as it strums forth in starry splendor. It is that life offering light which has let a warm and sweet look shine forth in answer to which your heart strums in harmony. It is a unique melody unmatched by any song in life.”
“Thank you, mighty Zarathustra, for explaining to us the meaning of the great jewel of life. Will you lead us unto the realm of the Amesha Spentas?”
“Once more are we to turn to the seed. I ask you, does any order or wisdom govern the structure, development and growth of the grain? If I were to plant a seed of wheat could I reap barley or could I only reap wheat? Clearly, wheat can only give wheat. Hence, from the moment the wheat seed is sown all the processes which lead it to fruition are those that govern that particular seed. Therefore there is a particular order. This wisdom and order in the seed is what I have called the Amesha Spenta—they are the forces and the order which govern all things in life and in the universe: they are the norms of Vohuman, Ordibehesht, Shatriver, Esfand, Hordat and Ameredat.
Vohuman is the wisdom of the universe and divine speculation in man. Though the seed might appear lifeless it does in fact have a life which is governed by a singular wisdom and order that allows the wheat seed to only give wheat. In the developing process of the seed there lies a special order which takes it through the stages of germination, growth and fruition and only then is this wheat reaped and eaten and thereby transformed into energy. In my benevolent creed, Vohuman is the total wisdom of the universe. It becomes the power of divine speculation in man which leads him to the search for knowledge, enlightenment and growth. It is this wisdom and thought that sets man apart from the animal kingdom. In fact it is man’s most invaluable asset.
The term ‘vohuman’ stems from the term ‘voh’ meaning good and ‘man’ or ‘formulated thought’. Vohuman is opposed by ‘angarman’ or ‘ahriman’ which leads man to evil. Vohuman, or divine speculation, leads man to friendship and does not allow anger, vengeance or ambition to penetrate his heart. Vohuman negates cruelty and prevents man from resorting to evil for it breeds benevolence, awareness, the power of true comprehension, knowledge and insight. Against Vohuman stands Acuman or evil thought which leads man to evil, enmity and war for it breeds malice, revenge and bloodshed. Should man obey Acuman he will leave his world of wisdom and resort to vice.
Listen:
O Mazda,
He whose thoughts are good or evil will chose all things
in life and his understanding, words, deeds and
temperament will be affected accordingly.
In the end Thy wisdom will separate good from evil.
(Gathas, chapter 48, verse 4)
O Mazda Ahura,
Truly, say I, all beings both men and women, who abide
by that which Thou doth consider the best in life through
the radiance of divine thoughts will profit of truth and of
divine strength.
I will lead these people to Thy worship and I will lead
them over the bridge of judgemet.
(Gathas, chapter 46, verse 10)
Ordibehesht, or Asha, is the second law which governs the seed and life. It is the total harmony of the universe. The created world is ruled by a firm order and there is no order in the universe—nothing goes beyond Asha. The harmony in the minds of men, truth and purity comes from Asha. The greatest enemy of Asha and of mankind is falsehood.
Asha brings truth in the psyche and in the lives of all men. All that which is good in the universe comes from truth. Opposite truth stands falsehood which brings man sorrow, vice, hypocrisy, sin and deception.
Of Asha I say:
The deeds of every man must be based upon truth for
it is the essential creed of life.
A leader must deal in the best manner with the dorvands,
With the true and with those whose good and evil deeds
Have come to intermingle.
(Gathas, chapter 33, verse 1)
O Ahura,
At the hour of recompense,
When truth defeats falsehood and the devas and all
their train are forever defaced then will mehr fulfill you
and through your forgiveness praise you.
(Gathas, chapter 48, verse 1)
O Mazda Ahura,
When I call to Thee in truth who but Asha and divine
thoughts will aid my mind?
Who will guard my followers and I?
(Gathas, chapter 50, verse 1)
Almighty Mazda Ahura,
O righteousness,
O life giving truth,
O divine thoughts,
O divine strength,
Listen to me!
When you do reward men bless me!
(Gathas, chapter 33, verse 11)
In the light of divine speculation and through Thy
radiance will the fate of the good and of the evil ones
be determined.
Through the progress of truth and righteousness many
will seek Thy path!
(Gathas, chapter 47, verse 6)
Shatrivar is the third law of the universe which is the harmonizer of the universe, the lord of benevolence, divine strength, patience and moderation in man.
The created world is the creation of two similar forces: the harmony of dialectics and compatibility create the two forces of disharmony and incompatibility. In the process of creation being and becoming are rendered through harmony; should this harmony be upset destruction will ensue.
In the human mind the two forces of natural opposition are depicted as wisdom and desire and Shatrivar, or the harmonizer and moderator, comes about when man is able to bring harmony between his wisdom and desire thereby overcoming desire and subjugating it to his wisdom. This strength will give man peace and happiness. Moderation and justice come from divine strength. Cruelty, overindulgence, covetousness, vice and sin rise from the lack of divine strength and from the lack of self possession. I have ever praised this divine strength:
O Mazda Ahura,
Now do I praise Thee, Asha and the finest divine thoughts.
I praise divine strength.
I seek the true path—the way of Thy hymns.
May I come to witness the song of those who sing Thy
hymns!
(Gathas, chapter 50, verse 4)
May divine strength, blessed thoughts and truth come to
he who chooses the benevolent path!
May righteousness grant him strength
As he has chosen the path may he succeed in his trials!
(Gathas, chapter 30, verse 7)
Esfand is the pull of life. Two forces of attraction rule over being: the forces of accord and discord of which action and reaction are their particular portrayals. Within the grain there lies a force that drives part of the grain into the earth and other parts of it toward water and air: within both these pulls there is a discord and an accord. The wheat stalks feel the warmth of the sun and therefore they turn toward it. This portrayal of action and reaction exists within every element of the universe. This is what causes the growth and development of that particular element. In man these elements of action and reaction are portrayed through love, humility, justice, judgment and righteousness which lead to joy and peace.
O Mazda,
Eventually will he who joins his understanding with
divine speculations through his heart and soul
and treads the path of righteousness, truth and
knowledge attain Thy eternal kingdom.
(Gathas, chapter 49, verse 5)
I turn to Thee through my loving hymns with open arms!
I pray unto Thee in truth and humility.
In the light of the art of divine speculation do I draw neigh
unto Thee.
(Gathas, chapter 50, verse 8)
O Mazda,
I ask Thee to watch over divine speculation and the mind
Of the true that you might guard them.
I praise righteousness and the desires of the heart!
I praise Thee, the grand ruler of eternal life.
(Gathas, chapter 49, verse 10)
Hordat is growth and fulfillment. From the moment it touches the earth until the moment when it gives forth it is encompassed in a stream of growth and fulfillment. There is a power inside the seed which leads it along this stream. Like the seed all the aspects of life partake of this inner pull which leads them to fruition. There is no inactivity in this world for life is an endless stream of growth and fulfillment which changes its outer aspects in essence and expanse. The laws of growth all obey their respectively predetermined forms and continue to repeat those forms. In this process energy is rendered into form and form into energy. The goal of development is bloom and fulfillment. Hence, life partakes of a ceaseless flow of development. In this process each step surpasses the previous step but is inferior to the next. The process of development in life is unrelenting and gradual.
In this complex process of development, each step is advancement. The progress of the world is un-regressing and only heads forward at ultimate speed. The further the world advances the greater is its rate of development. The task of Hordat in the human mind is fulfillment, bloom, joy and health for this is what takes man on to light and strength.
O Mazda Ahura,
That which is worthy of you on the path of truth we
offer unto Thee in our prayers.
May all men come to fulfillment through the light of
divine thought in Thy kingdom.
O Mazda,
Truly do the wise unceasingly profit of Thy divine strength.
(Gathas, chapter 34, verse 3)
Ameretat is eternal life, it is the power of creation within which all life gives birth and dies.
These are the Amesha Spentas in the universe and within the human mind—collectively they create the gradation of the universe. In this gradation the laws which govern the microcosm mirror those which govern the structure and essence of the macrocosm.
Man is a microcosm who obeys the dictates of the microcosm of the Amesha Spentas. When they govern the mind and life of man he becomes the mirror in which the countenance and the total wisdom of the universe are reflected: he becomes Ahura Mazda and peace, joy and fertility fill his life. Both within the spread of human life and in the human psyche the Amesha Spentas are the adornments of the mind which rise from divine speculation. After man ascends the steps of self possession, love, righteousness, development and bloom he arrives at immortality.
In my creed all men who walk this path of light and goodness must ascend these steps in order to arrive at Hordat and Ameretat—the ultimate eternal fruition and bliss.”