History of Zoroastrianism/Chapter 38

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CHAPTER XXXVIII
ORMAZD

The supreme godhead. Ormazd is the Pahlavi equivalent of the Avestan Ahura Mazda in the Pahlavi writings of the Sasanian period and later. The concept of the Highest Being retains its former abstract and spiritual character in the works of the Pahlavi writers. Ormazd is what the entire creation is not, and he is not what anything in the universe is. The author of the Dinkart describes him by negatives, and states that Ormazd is the sovereign, and not slave; father, and not child; first, and not last; master, and not servant; lord, and not serf; protector, and not protected; changeless, and not changeable; knowledge itself, and not acquiring knowledge; giver and not receiver.[1] Radiant and glorious are his standing epithets in the Pazend prayers. We shall presently discuss some of the most prominent of the divine attributes which the Pahlavi works ascribe to Ormazd.

Ormazd is eternal. Ormazd had no beginning and has no end. He alone is the one who is neither born nor dies.[2] His adversary is inferior to him in this respect, that there will be a time when he will not exist. Ormazd ever was, is, and will ever be.[3] He is the causer of causes, himself being causeless.[4] He is the prime source of existence.[5]

Ormazd is invisible. The concept of the spirituality of Ormazd remains unchanged. He is the Spirit of Spirits.[6] Invisibility is the chief characteristic of spirituality, and Ormazd is said to be invisible.[7] He is so even to the other spiritual beings.[8] Though present in everything, he is unseen anywhere.[9] When ​Viraf is escorted by Srosh and Atar to the celestial court, and presented by Vohuman to Ormazd he hears the voice of Ormazd, sees a light, but does not see him face to face.[10] The souls of the righteous ones behold the place of Ormazd in heaven, and console themselves as having seen Ormazd himself.[11]

He is intangible. The Gathic and Later Avestan texts spoke figuratively of the hands, mouth, eyes, and body of Ormazd. In the Pahlavi texts Zaratusht is portrayed as sitting by the side of the Lord and saying to him that the head, hands, feet, hair, mouth, tongue, and even clothes of Ormazd resembled his own, and therefore he wished to grasp the Heavenly Father with his hands. Ormazd thereupon tells him that this is impossible, for, as the godhead, he is intangible.[12] A later text, on the contrary, speaks of Ormazd as taking hold of the prophet's hand and giving him wisdom in the shape of water to swallow.[13]

He is omniscient. In his knowledge of the past, present, and future Ormazd is without an equal.[14] It is he alone who is called the all-knowing one.[15] He knows all that is to come, and is aware of the final overthrow and end of his adversary.[16] Through his wisdom it is that man can guide himself to the path of righteousness.[17] Owing to his power of comprehending everything, he is the best judge of man.[18] He knows the inmost recesses of man's heart, for no secrets are hid from him.

He is omnipotent. Despite his rival who always thwarts his work, Ormazd is called omnipotent and all-ruling.[19] Everything in the world has some superior, Ormazd alone has none.[20] He is not wanting in anything.[21] The strongest of men feels ​himself impotent before the Lord. There are moments in each man's life during which his strength fails him, and he longs for the invisible power to lean upon. Ormazd is the power to turn to, for he is all-protecting.[22] He is the sustainer and helper of the helpless, guardian of the rich and the poor, liberator of those in distress and averter of all harm.[23]

Ormazd is the creator and conservator of creation. He has created the entire creation.[24] He has created the Amshaspands and Izads, the paradise and Garotman, the shining sun and the brilliant moon, stars and the wind, water and fire, earth and trees, cattle and metals and men. He has given movements to the heavens and upholds them without pillars. He has given eyes to see and ears to hear and tongue to speak and hands to hold and feet to walk.[25] Through his wisdom he has brought the world into being and exercises his providential care to maintain it.[26] He is the father of man,[27] whom he has created as the greatest in all creation and has endowed with the power of thinking.[28] It is man's sacred duty to obey his heavenly creator.[29] He is the father and lord of creation.[30] He has created the good creatures, that they may participate in removing the blemish-giver from the world.[31] Like the weaver he has woven multifarious objects on the loom of nature.[32] Progress of his creatures is his constant wish.[33] He is the eternal source of all blessings and benefactions.

He is all-good. The creator is supreme in goodness;[34] he is all-goodness without any evil.[35] Whatever is good in the world proceeds from him.[36] He is the fountain of goodness as he is the ​source of all glory and light and happiness.[37] He is benevolent and beneficent.[38] He is foremost in goodness; He is foremost in goodness;[39] always wishing good, and never contemplating evil of any kind.[40] His goodness extends to the good and evil alike,[41] for his desire is all-beneficent.[42] This is manifest from the infinite care which he takes of his creatures,[43] as he is the preserver and protector of man through his perfect goodness.[44] Man should discipline his soul to trust in the goodness of Ormazd. Young and old, it is said, should think a hundred thousand times daily about the numerous blessings showered upon them by Ormazd, for ungratefulness on their part would lead their souls to the abode of woe.[45]

He is all-merciful. The Heavenly Father is the source of mercy and is all-merciful.[46] He is the lord of beneficence.[47] He is merciful to those who turn to him in joy and sorrow. When man looks to Ahriman and not to Ormazd for guidance, he incurs the divine displeasure. Yet even if man in this way may be out of Ormazd's approbation, he is still not out of his mercy. The deity knows the infirmities of human nature and the weaknesses of the human heart, and forgives man's inequity and transgression, if, penitent, the sinner approaches his Heavenly Father with heartfelt contrition,[48] firmly resolving to redeem his sinful past by good deeds present and future.

At the end of time, Ormazd will gather back all his creatures to himself.[49] Even the sinners will not be lost forever. Yet all this while the merciful Lord desires that man may not even now leave his blessed company, for it grieves him that man should suffer even temporarily through his own perverse conduct, and thus postpone the ultimate renovation.

​Ormazd is light physically, morally he is truth. When Viraf, as hallowed visitant of true faith to the realms supernal, is escorted by Srosh and Atar as angel guides to the presence of Ormazd, he finds to his utter bewilderment that, although the almighty Lord is graciously pleased to greet him with audible divine words, he himself can see nothing in the ineffable presence but the sovereign light.[50] This endless light is emblematic of Ormazd, who dwells therein.[51] All light proceeds from Ormazd.[52] In the moral sphere Ormazd is eternal truth. Porphyry of Tyre[53] says that he learnt from the Magi that they upheld the view that the body of Ormazd resembled light, and his soul was a likeness of truth.[54]

He is all-just. Great is the goodness of Ormazd, but his justice demands that he shall not make awards regardless of the merits or demerits of man. He is the divine law-giver, and as such he is the sovereign judge. The guilty man who affronts him, the sinner who lives and moves without contrition in his heart, the rebel who discards divine authority, all need a corrective. As the lord of mercy he forgives, but as the lord of justice he punishes as well. He is the giver of the reward of merit,[55] and does not let pass a single good deed of man unrewarded.[56]

Man should devote himself body and soul to Ormazd. Man has an inborn impulse that prompts him to strive after the divine. He looks to God for the satisfaction of the yearnings of his heart, even though the Evil Spirit ever struggles to steal away his heart from Ormazd. In the age-long conflict between good and evil, man's soul forms the prize of the two combatants. Whether he shall be a willing prize in the hands of Ormazd, or a rebel prey in the clutches of Ahriman, rests with him. Man, therefore, should learn to know himself. Religion best teaches him to do this. This knowledge of the self it is that will put him into right relation with his Heavenly Father, and thus save him from falling a victim to Druj.[57] Man toils to teach the parrot and the pet nightingale, but neglects to tame himself in the service of the Lord. The animal in his makeup asserts itself under such circumstances and prevents his spirit from singing glory to his creator. Man's evil thoughts and sensual appetites, ​hampering his spiritual growth, prove to be only so many turns and windings that lead him astray from the path of Ormazd to that of Ahriman. Well can we see why man has constantly to beware of these; the tempestuous storm may overtake him at any moment, if he has not made any provision in the hour of calm. There is no hope for the individual who demeans and debases himself, and is loath to leave the path of wickedness. It is through the help of Ormazd that man can liberate himself from the evil designs of Ahriman, and make himself worthy for eternal bliss.[58]

Man should further know Ormazd, for to know him is to follow him. This is the desire of the godhead.[59] He loves man with the love of a father for his child.[60] It behoves man to live in accordance with the divine will, and to offer to him worship and glorification.[61] He is worthy of man's praise because of his wise dispensation unto man.[62] Purity of thought, word, and deed is the most acceptable sacrifice to be given to Ormazd. The righteous person who furthers his creation by his holy deeds pleases him most.[63]

Devotion to Ormazd should dominate man's entire being, and man stands firm as a rock in the midst of trials and sufferings as long as he lives for Ormazd. Woe unto him who ceases to be good, for Ormazd departs from his sinful person and the wicked man becomes a partner of Ahriman.[64] The strongest of the strong has to turn to God for succour in the moment of overwhelming trouble, and Ormazd's help is the best preservative of man from all calamities. In the moment of the bitterest anguish, when man's heart sinks under sorrow, when cramping and sordid poverty brings depression, when the cup of misery is filled to the brim, and the spirit is wrung with grief, man finds the final refuge in him.[65] When man is devoutly resigned to Ormazd, he is saved from all troubles.[66]

In his divinity, moreover, Ormazd desires that man shall not come to him simply when reduced to dire extremities, but shall be constant in his devotion, whether amid happiness or in misery. ​Man shall not serve him because he fears him, but because he loves him. The devout shall not remember him in need, and forget him in plenty; nor shall he pay homage to Ormazd in the temple, and bend his knees to Ahriman outside.

The Holy Spirit. Spena Menu is the Pahlavi equivalent of the Avestan Spenta Mainyu, or the Holy Spirit, and occurs especially in the great Pahlavi work Dinkart as the divine attribute of Ormazd. Instances may, however, be cited in which the Holy Spirit, here as in the Gathas, seems to have been regarded as being separate from Ormazd.[67] Like the Younger Avestan texts, the Dinkart speaks of the creation of the Holy Spirit.[68] He is the source of all virtue, as his rival Gana Menu or Ahriman is the originator of vice.[69] The good qualities of man that make him righteous are derived from him.[70] To know Spena Menu, is to reach him,[71] and the devout person who is in spiritual communion with the Holy Spirit prospers in this world.[72] When a man is possessed of the power of Spena Menu, he is able to rout the Evil Spirit,[73] but when he sinfully puts out the Holy Spirit from his person, he exposes himself to the danger of being overpowered by the arch-fiend.[74] Spena Menu warns man of the temptations of the Evil Spirit, and inspires him with pious thoughts.[75]

Vohuman, the genius of wisdom, and also the innate wisdom, are the products of Spena Menu,[76] and it is the Holy Spirit that bestows the gift of divine wisdom upon man.[77] In fact the Mazdayasnian religion itself is the innate intelligence of Spena Menu.[78]

Spena Menu will ultimately triumph over the wicked Gana Menu,[79] and banish evil from the world.[80]

  1. ↑ Vol. 3, p. 176, 177.
  2. ↑ Ba Nām-i Yazad in Pāzend Texts, p. 210.
  3. ↑ Bd. 1. 3; Dk., vol. 2, p. 103; Gs. 128; Duā-i Nām Sitāyishn in Pāzend Texts, p. 159.
  4. ↑ Dk., vol. 9, p. 572.
  5. ↑ Dk, vol. 3, p. 157.
  6. ↑ Dd. 31 6; Sg. 1. 2; Dk, vol. 2, p 103; Duā-i Nām Sitāyishn in Pāzend Texts, p. 159.
  7. ↑ Dk., vol. 6, p. 390.
  8. ↑ Dd. 31. 6.
  9. ↑ Dk., vol. 3, p. 174.
  10. ↑ AV. 11. 1–6; 101. 10–12.
  11. ↑ Dd. 19. 4.
  12. ↑ SLS. 15. 2, 3.
  13. ↑ BYt. 2. 4, 5.
  14. ↑ Bd. 1. 2, Dk., vol. 1, p 34.
  15. ↑ Bd. 1. 2, Sg. 1. 1, 8. 49; Dk, vol. 1, p. 34; vol 2, p. 103; vol 3, p. 140, vol. 5, p. 331, vol. 6, p. 300, 412, 416; vol. 7, p. 440, 452; Vol. 8, p. 429, 461, 485; vol. 9, p. 594; Jsp, p. 110, Duā-i Nām Sitāyishn, Namāz-i Dādār Ahuramazd, Nām-i Khāvar; Sitāyishn-i Ahuramazd in Pāzend Texts, p. 159, 206, 212, 243.
  16. ↑ Bd. 1. 13, 17, 20, Zsp. 1. 2, Dk, vol. 4, p. 258.
  17. ↑ Dk., vol. 3, p. 174.
  18. ↑ Dk., vol. 7, p. 473.
  19. ↑ Sg. 1. 1; Dk., vol. 1, p. 34; vol. 2, p. 103; vol. 3, p. 140, 157; vol. 6, p. 390, 412; vol. 7, p. 440; Duā-i Nām Sitāyishn, Ba Nām-i Yazad, Namāz-i Dādār Ahuramazd, Sitāyishn-i Ahuramazd in Pāzend Texts, p. 159, 206–208, 243.
  20. ↑ Dk., vol. 3, p. 177.
  21. ↑ Dk., vol. 3, p. 174; vol. 6, p. 412.
  22. ↑ Dk., vol. 7, p. 440; Duā-i Nām Sitāyishn in Pāzend Texts, p. 159.
  23. ↑ Namāz-i Dādār Ahuramazd, Ba Nām-i Yazad, Sipās-i Akenāreh, Nām-i Khāvar, Sitāyishn-i Ahuramazd in Pāzend Texts, p. 206, 209, 211, 212, 243.
  24. ↑ Dk., vol. 3, p. 163, 179.
  25. ↑ Duā-i Nam Sitāyishn, Namāz-i Dādār Ahuramazd, Ba Nām-i Yazad, Sipās-i Akenāreh, Nām-i Khāvar, Sitāyishn-i Ahuramazd in Pāzend Texts, p' 159, 206-209, 211, 212, 243.
  26. ↑ Dk., vol. 5, p. 324; vol. 12, bk. 6. 311, p. 26.
  27. ↑ Gs. 122.
  28. ↑ Duā-i Nām Sitāyishn in Pāzend Texts, p. 159.
  29. ↑ Dk., vol. 4, p. 268.
  30. ↑ Dk., vol. 5, p. 323.
  31. ↑ Dk., vol. 11, bk. 6 135, p. 39; Duā-i Nām Sitāyishn in Pāzend Texts, p. 159.
  32. ↑ Dk., vol. 7, p. 425.
  33. ↑ Dd. 3. 1, 2.
  34. ↑ Bd. 1. 2.
  35. ↑ Zsp. 1. 17.
  36. ↑ Dk., vol. 12, bk. 6. B. 2, p. 38.
  37. ↑ Sitāyish-i Depmihr in Pāzend Texts, p. 257.
  38. ↑ Duā-i Nām Sitāyishn, Namāz-i Dādār Ahuramazd; Ba Nām-i Yazad; Sipās-i Akenāreh; Nām-i Khāvar; Sitāyishn-i Ahuramazd in Pāzend Texts, p. 159, 206–209, 211, 212, 243.
  39. ↑ Dd. 37. 127; Dk., vol. 4, p. 194.
  40. ↑ Mkh. 8. 22.
  41. ↑ Mkh. 38. 4.
  42. ↑ Sg. 8. 53.
  43. ↑ Sg. 8. 57, 58.
  44. ↑ Dk., vol. 3, p. 140.
  45. ↑ Ba Nām-i Yazad in Pāzend Texts. p. 209, 210.
  46. ↑ Dk., vol. 6, p. 385.
  47. ↑ Mkh. 1. 1.
  48. ↑ Dk., vol. 1, p. 9; Duā-i Nām Sitāyishn; Namāz-i Dādār Ahuramazd; Ba Nām-i Yazad in Pāzend Texts, p. 159, 206–208.
  49. ↑ Dk., vol. 6, p. 416.
  50. ↑ AV. 101. 4–12.
  51. ↑ Bd. 1. 2; Zsp. 1. 2.
  52. ↑ Gs. 132.
  53. ↑ About 230–300 A. D.
  54. ↑ Vita Pyth., 41.
  55. ↑ Dk., vol. 6, p. 361.
  56. ↑ Dk., vol. 6, p. 385, 386.
  57. ↑ Dk., vol. 6, p. 356.
  58. ↑ Dk., vol. 7, p. 441.
  59. ↑ Mkh. 40. 24, 25; Dk., vol. 7, p. 444; vol. 10, bk. 6. 31, p. 10.
  60. ↑ Dk., vol. 7, p. 441.
  61. ↑ Dk., vol. 9, p. 641.
  62. ↑ Dk., vol. 6, p. 390.
  63. ↑ Dk., vol. 8, p. 489.
  64. ↑ Dk., vol. 3, p. 179.
  65. ↑ Dk., vol. 11, bk. 6. 126, p. 33.
  66. ↑ Dk., vol. 10, bk. 6. 28, p. 9.
  67. ↑ Dk., vol. 2, p. 120; vol. 4, p. 194; vol. 5, p. 297, 328.
  68. ↑ Vol. 5, p. 325; vol. 8, p. 442.
  69. ↑ Dk., vol. 5, p. 348.
  70. ↑ Dk., vol. 5, p. 341.
  71. ↑ Dk., vol. 8, p. 442.
  72. ↑ Dk., vol. 5, p. 328, 340; vol. 8, p. 441, 442.
  73. ↑ Dk., vol. 4, p. 208, 209.
  74. ↑ Dk., vol. 2, p. 108.
  75. ↑ Dk., vol. 4, p. 250–252.
  76. ↑ Dk., vol. 3, p. 158.
  77. ↑ Dk., vol. 8, p. 477.
  78. ↑ Dk., vol. 8, p. 474.
  79. ↑ Dk., vol. 4, p. 252, 253; vol. 7, p. 462; vol 8, p. 441.
  80. ↑ Dk., vol. 5, p. 326.
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