3. Zoroastran Prophecy ~
The Zoroastran
religion arose circa the 7th century BC, and perhaps even
several centuries earlier, according to some commentators.
Zoroaster (or, Zarathustra in Persian) taught that the
primary deity is Ahura-Mazda had as his opponent
Anghra
Mainyu, who proposed the druj ("The Lie"). Though closely
matched in power, Ahura Mazda will eventually overcome
Anghra Mainyu.
Zoroastrans also believe in cosmic cycles of time lasting
12,000 years and divided into 3,000-year epochs. At this
time we are in the second epoch, the "Time of Mixture",
which refers to the interaction of good and evil.
Zoroastrans await the birth of a Saoshyant (savior) who is
now overdue.
When Zoroaster died, his sperm was miraculously preserved in
Iran’s Lake Kansaoya. When the time arrives, the sperm will
impregnate a girl who is swimming there, and she will give
birth to three sons. The first will be Ukhshyat-ereta ("He
who makes righteousness grow"); later he will be called
Hoshedarmah. One millennium later, Ukhshyat-nemah ("He who
makes reverence grow") will be born, to be followed 1,000
years later by Astavat-ereta ("Righteous world"), who will
oversee the end of time.
Chapter 3 of the
Zoroastran text Zand-i Vohuman Yasht contains very lengthy
prophecies (easily the longest in the world) about the later
days of this era (excerpted here from Sacred Books of the
East, volume 5, Oxford University Press, 1897; translated by
E. W. West): |
Zarathustra |
"Zartosht said thus:
’Creator of the material world! O propitious spirit! what token
would you give of the tenth-hundredth winter?’
"Ohrmazd spoke thus: ’Righteous Zartosht! I will make it clear:
the token that it is the end of thy millennium, and the most
evil period is coming, is that a hundred kinds, a thousand
kinds, a myriad of kinds of demons with disheveled hair, of the
race of Wrath, rush into the country of Iran (Airan shatro) from
the direction of the east, which has an inferior race and race
of Wrath.
"’They have uplifted banners, they slay those living in the
world, they have their hair disheveled on the back, and they are
mostly a small and inferior race, forward in destroying the
strong doer; O Zartosht the Spitaman! The race of Wrath is
miscreated and its origin is not manifest.
"’Through witchcraft they rush into these countries of Iran
which I, Ohrmazd, created, since they burn and damage many
things; and the house of the house owner, the land of the
land-digger, prosperity, nobility, sovereignty, religion, truth,
agreement, security, enjoyment, and every characteristic which
I, Ohrmazd, created, this pure religion of the Mazdayasnians,
and the fire of Warharan, which is set in the appointed place,
encounter annihilation, and the direst destruction and trouble
will come into notice.
"’And that which is a great district will become a town; that
which is a great town, a village; that which is a great village,
a family; and that which is a [great] family, a single
threshold.
"’O Zartosht the Spitaman! They will lead these Iranian
countries of Ohrmazd into a desire for evil, into tyranny and
misgovernment, those demons with disheveled hair who are
deceivers, so that what they say they do not do, and they are of
a vile religion, so that what they do not say they do.
"’And their assistance and promise have no sincerity, there is
no law, they preserve no security, and on the support they
provide no one relies; with deceit, rapacity, and misgovernment
they will devastate these my Iranian countries, who am Ohrmazd.
"’And at that time, O Zartosht the Spitaman, all men will become
deceivers, great friends will become of different parties, and
respect, affection, hope, and regard for the soul will depart
from the world; the affection of the father will depart from the
son; and that of the brother from his brother; the son-in-law
will become a beggar from his father-in-law, and the mother will
be parted and estranged from the daughter.
"’When it is the end of thy tenth hundredth winter, O Zartosht
the Spitaman, the sun is more unseen and more spotted; the year,
month, and day are shorter; and the earth of Spandarmad is more
barren, and fuller of highwaymen; and the crop will not yield
the seed, so that of the crop of the corn-fields in ten cases
seven will diminish and three will increase, and that which
increases does not become ripe; and vegetation, trees, and
shrubs will diminish; when one shall take a hundred, ninety will
diminish and ten will increase, and that which increases gives
no pleasure and flavor.
"’And men are born smaller, and their skill and strength are
less; they become more deceitful and more given to vile
practices; they have no gratitude and respect for bread and
salt, and they have no affection for their country.
"’And in that most evil time a boundary has most disrespect
where it is the property of a suffering man of religion; gifts
are few among their deeds, and duties and good works proceed but
little from their hands; and sectarians of all kinds are seeking
mischief for them.
"’And all the world will be burying and clothing the dead, and
burying the dead and washing the dead will be by law; the
burning, bringing to water and fire, and eating of dead matter
they practice by law and do not abstain from.
"’They recount largely about duties and good works, and pursue
wickedness and the road to hell; and through the iniquity,
cajolery, and craving of wrath and avarice they rush to hell.
"’And in that perplexing time, O Zartosht the Spitaman, the
reign of Wrath with infuriate spear and the demon with
disheveled hair, of the race of Wrath, the meanest slaves walk
forth with the authority of nobles of the land; and the
religious, who wear sacred thread-girdles on the waist, are then
not able to perform their ablution, for in those last times dead
matter and bodily refuse become so abundant, that one who shall
set step to step walks upon dead matter; or when he washes in
the Barashnom ceremony, and puts down a foot from the stone
seat, he walks on dead matter; or when he arranges the sacred
twigs and consecrates the sacred cakes in their corpse-chamber
it is allowable.
"’Or, in those last times, it becomes allowable to perform a
ceremonial with two men, so that this religion may not come to
nothing and collapse; there will be only one in a hundred, in a
thousand, in a myriad, who believes in this religion, and even
he does nothing of it though it be a duty; and the fire of
Warharan, which will come to nothing and collapse, falls off
from a thousand to one care-taker, and even he does not supply
it properly with firewood and incense; or when a man, who has
performed worship and does not know the Nirangistan [’code of
religious formulas’], shall kindle it with good intentions, it
is allowable.
"’Honorable wealth will all proceed to those of perverted faith;
it comes to the transgressors, and virtuous doers of good works,
from the families of noblemen even unto the priests, remain
running about uncovered; the lower orders take in marriage the
daughters of nobles, grandees, and priests; and the nobles,
grandees, and priests come to destitution and bondage.
"’The misfortunes of the ignoble will overtake greatness and
authority, and the helpless and ignoble will come to the
foremost place and advancement; the words of the upholders of
religion, and the seal and decision of a just judge will become
the words of random speakers among the just and even the
righteous; and the words of the ignoble and slanderers, of the
disreputable and mockers, and of those of divers opinions they
consider true and credible, about which they take an oath,
although with falsehood, and thereby give false evidence, and
speak falsely and irreverently about me, Ohrmazd.
"’They who bear the title of priest and disciples wish evil
concerning one another; he speaks vice and they look upon vice;
and the antagonism of Ahriman and the demons is much brought on
by them; of the sin which men commit, out of five sins the
priests and disciples commit three sins, and they become enemies
of the good, so that they may thereby speak of bad faults
relating to one another; the ceremonies they undertake they do
not perform, and they have no fear of hell.
"’And in that tenth hundredth winter, which is the end of thy
millennium, O righteous Zartosht, all mankind will bind torn
hair, disregarding revelation, so that a willingly-disposed
cloud and a righteous wind are not able to produce rain in its
proper time and season.
"’And a dark cloud makes the whole sky night, and the hot wind
and the cold wind arrive, and bring along fruit and seed of
corn, even the rain in its proper time; and it does not rain,
and that which rains also rains more noxious creatures than
water; and the water of rivers and springs will diminish, and
there will be no increase.
"’And the beast of burden and ox and sheep bring forth more
painfully and awkwardly, and acquire less fruitfulness; and
their hair is coarser and skin thinner; the milk does not
increase and has less cream; the strength of the laboring ox is
less, and the agility of the swift horse is less, and it carries
less in a race.
"’And on the men in that perplexing time, O Zartosht the
Spitaman, who wear the sacred thread-girdle on the waist, the
evil-seeking of misgovernment and much of its false judgment
have come as a wind in which their living is not possible, and
they seek death as a boon; and youths and children will be
apprehensive, and gossiping chitchat and gladness of heart do
not arise among them.
"’And they practice the appointed feasts of their ancestors, the
propitiation of angels, and the prayers and ceremonies of the
season festivals and guardian spirits, in various places, yet
that which they practice they do not believe in unhesitatingly;
they do not give rewards lawfully, and bestow no gifts and alms,
and even those they repent of again.
"’And even those men of the good religion, who have reverenced
the good religion of the Mazdayasnians, proceed in conformity
with those ways and customs, and do not believe their own
religion.
"’And the noble, great, and charitable, who are the virtuous of
their own country and locality, will depart from their own
original place and family as idolatrous; through want they beg
something from the ignoble and vile, and come to poverty and
helplessness; through them nine in ten of these men will perish
in the northern quarter.
"’Through their way of misrule everything comes to nothingness
and destitution, levity and infirmity; and the earth of
Spandarmad opens its mouth wide, and every jewel and metal
becomes exposed, such as gold and silver, brass, tin, and lead.
"’And rule and sovereignty come to slaves, such as the Turk and
non-Turanian of the army, and are turbulent as among the
mountaineers; and the Chini, the Kavuli, the Softi, the Ruman,
and the white-clothed Karmak then attain sovereignty in my
countries of Iran, and their will and pleasure will become
current in the world.
"’The sovereignty will come from those leather-belted ones and
Arabs and Rumans to them, and they will be so misgoverning that
when they kill a righteous man who is virtuous and a fly, it is
all one in their eyes.
"’And the security, fame, and prosperity, the country and
families, the wealth and handiwork, the streams, rivers, and
springs of Iran, and of those of the good religion, come to
those non-Iranians; and the army and standards of the frontiers
come to them, and a rule with a craving for wrath advances in
the world.
"’And their eyes of avarice are not sated with wealth, and they
form hoards of the world’s wealth, and conceal them underground;
and through wickedness they commit sodomy, hold much intercourse
with menstruous women, and practice many unnatural lusts.
"’And in that perplexing time the night is brighter, and
the year, month, and day will diminish one-third; the earth of
Spandarmad arises, and suffering, death, and destitution become
more severe in the world.’
"Ohrmazd said to Zartosht the Spitaman: ’This is what I
foretell: that wicked evil spirit, when it shall be necessary
for him to perish, becomes more oppressive and more tyrannical.’
"So Ohrmazd spoke to Zartosht the Spitaman thus: ’ Inquire fully
and learn by heart thoroughly! Teach it by Zand, Pazand, and
explanation! Tell it to the priests and disciples who speak
forth in the world, and those who are not aware of the hundred
winters, tell it then to them so that, for the hope of a future
existence, and for the preservation of their own souls, they may
remove the trouble, evil, and oppression which those of other
religions cause in the ceremonies of religion.
"’And, moreover, I tell thee this, O Zartosht the Spitaman!
that whoever, in that time, appeals for the body is not able to
save the soul, for he is as it were fat, and his soul is hungry
and lean in hell; whoever appeals for the soul, his body is
hungry and lean through the misery of the world, and destitute,
and his soul is fat in heaven.’
"Zartosht inquired of Ohrmazd thus: ’O Ohrmazd, propitious
spirit! creator of the material world who art righteous!’ -- He
is Ohrmazd through righteous invocation, and the rest through
praise; some say ’righteous creator!’ -- ’O creator! In that
perplexing time are they righteous? And are there religious
people who wear the sacred thread-girdle on the waist, and
celebrate religious rites with the sacred twigs? And does the
religious practice of khwetodas continue in their families?’
"Ohrmazd said to Zartosht thus: ’Of the best men is he who, in
that perplexing time, wears the sacred thread-girdle on the
waist, and celebrates religious rites with the sacred twigs,
though not as in the reign of King Vishtasp.
"’Whoever in that perplexing time recites Ita-ad-yazam and one
Ashem-vohu, and has learned it by heart, is as though, in the
reign of King Vishtasp, it were a Dvazdah-homast with
holy-water.
"’And by whomever prayer is offered up, and the Gatha-hymns are
chanted, it is as though the whole ritual had been recited, and
the Gatha-hymns consecrated by him in the reign of King Vishtasp.
"’The most perfectly righteous of the righteous is he who
remains in the good religion of the Mazdayasnians, and continues
the religious practice of khwetodas in his family.’
"Ohrmazd said to the righteous Zartosht: ’In these nine thousand
years which I, Ohrmazd, created, mankind become most perplexed
in that perplexing time; for in the evil reigns of Az-i Dahak
and Frasiyav of Tur mankind, in those perplexing times, were
living better and living more numerously, and their disturbance
by Ahriman and the demons was less.
"’For in their evil reigns, within the countries of Iran, there
were not seven towns which were desolate as they will be when it
is the end of thy millennium, O Zartosht the Spitaman! For all
the towns of Iran will be ploughed up by their horses’ hoofs,
and their banners will reach unto Padashkhvargar, and they will
carry away the sovereignty of the seat of the religion I approve
from there; and their destruction comes from that place, O
Zartosht the Spitaman! This is what I foretell.’
"’Whoever of those existing, thus, with reverence unto the
good, performs much worship for Ohrmazd, Ohrmazd, aware of it
through righteousness, gives him whatsoever Ohrmazd is aware of
through righteousness, as remuneration and reward of duty and
good works, and such members of the congregation, males and
females, I reverence; and the archangels, who are also male and
female, they are good.’
"Zartosht inquired of Ohrmazd thus: ’O Ohrmazd, propitious
spirit! Creator of the material world, righteous one! Whence do
they restore this good religion of the Mazdayasnians? And by
what means will they destroy these demons with disheveled hair,
of the race of Wrath?
"’O Creator! Grant me death! And grant my favored ones
death that they may not live in that perplexing time; grant them
exemplary living that they may not prepare wickedness and the
way to hell.’
"Ohrmazd spoke thus: ’O Zartosht the Spitaman! After the
ill-omened sovereignty of those of the race of Wrath there is a
fiend, Shedaspih of the Kilisyakih, from the countries of Salman;’
Mah-vand-dad said that these people are Ruman, and Roshan said
that they have red weapons, red banners, and red hats.
"’It is when a symptom of them appears, as they advance, O
Zartosht the Spitaman, the sun and the dark show signs, and the
moon becomes manifest of various colors; earthquakes, too,
become numerous, and the wind comes more violently; in the world
want, distress, and discomfort come more into view; and Mercury
and Jupiter advance the sovereignty for the vile, and they are
in hundreds and thousands and myriads.
"’They have the red banner of the fiend Shedaspih of Kilisyakih,
and they hasten much their progress to these countries of Iran
which I, Ohrmazd, created, up to the bank of the Arvand, some
have said the Frat river, unto the Greeks dwelling in Asuristan;
they are Greeks by strict reckoning, and their Assyrian dwelling
is this, that they slay the Assyrian people therein, and thus
they will destroy their abode, some have said the lurking-holes
of the demons.
"’They turn back those of the race of Wrath in hundreds and
thousands and myriads; and the banners, standards, and an
innumerable army of those demons with disheveled hair will come
to these countries of Iran which I, Ohrmazd, created.
"’And the army of the invader is an extending enemy of the Turk
and even the Karm, be it with banners aloft when he shall set up
a banner, be it through the excessive multitude which will
remain --- like hairs in the mane of a horse --- in the
countries of Iran which I, Ohrmazd, created.
"’The leather-belted Turk and the Ruman Shedaspih of Kilisyakih
come forth with simultaneous movement, and in three places, with
similar strife, there was and will be three times a great
contest, O Zartosht the Spitaman!
"’One in the reign of Kay Kaus, when through the assistance of
demons it was with the archangels, and the second when thou, O
Zartosht the Spitaman, receivedst the religion and hadst thy
conference, and King Vishtasp and Arjasp, miscreated by wrath,
were, through the war of the religion, in the combat of Sped-razur
["the hoary forest"],’ some have said it was in Pars;
’and the
third when it is the end of thy millennium, O Zartosht the
Spitaman! when all the three, Turk, Arab, and Ruman, come to
this place,’ some have said the plain of Nishanak.
"’For when one shall be able to save his own life, he has
then no recollection of wife, child, and wealth, that they may
not live, in that perplexing time, O Zartosht! Yet the day when
the hundredth winter becomes the end of thy millennium, which is
that of Zartosht, is so that nothing wicked may go from this
millennium into that millennium.’
"Zartosht inquired of Ohrmazd thus: ’O Ohrmazd, propitious
spirit! Creator of the material world, righteous one! When they
are so many in number, by what means will they be able to
perish?’
"Ohrmazd spoke thus: ’O Zartosht the Spitaman! When the demon
with disheveled hair of the race of Wrath comes into notice in
the eastern quarter, first a black token becomes manifest, and
Aushedar son of Zartosht is born on Lake Frazdan. It is when he
comes to his conference with, me, Ohrmazd, O Zartosht the
Spitaman, that in the direction of Chinistan, it is said ---
some have said among the Hindus --- is born a prince; it is his
father, a prince of the Kayanian race, approaches the women, and
a religious prince is born to him; he calls his name Warharan
the Varjavand,’ some have said Shahpur. That a sign may come to
the earth, the night when that prince is born, a star falls from
the sky; when that prince is born the star shows a signal.’
"’It is Dad-Ohrmazd who said that the month Aban and day Vad is
his father’s end; they rear him with the damsels of the king,
and a woman becomes ruler.
"’That prince when he is thirty years old --- some have told the
time --- comes with innumerable banners and divers armies, Hindu
and Chini, having uplifted banners for they set up their banners
--- having exalted banners, and having exalted weapons; they
hasten up with speed as far as the Veh river --- some have said
the country of Bambo --- as far as Bukhar and the Bukharans
within its bank, O Zartosht the Spitaman!
"’When the star Jupiter comes up to its culminating point and
casts Venus down, the sovereignty comes to the prince.
"’Quite innumerable are the champions, furnished with arms and
with banners displayed, some have said from Sagastan, Pars, and
Khurasan, some have said from the lake of Padashkhvargar, some
have said from the Hiratis and Kohistan, some have said from
Taparistan; and from those directions every supplicant for a
child comes into view.
"’It is concerning the displayed banners and very numerous army,
which were the armed men, champions, and soldiers from the
countries of Iran at Padashkhvargar --- whom I told thee that
they call both Kurd and Karman -- it is declared that they will
slay an excessive number, in companionship and under the same
banner, for these countries of Iran.
"’Those of the race of Wrath and the extensive army of Shedaspih,
whose names are the two-legged wolf and the leather-belted demon
on the bank of the Arvand, wage three battles, one in Sped-razhur
and one in the plain of Nishanak;’ some have said that it was on
the lake of the three races, some have said that it was in Maruv
the brilliant, and some have said in Pars.
"’For the support of the countries of Iran is the innumerable
army of the east; its having exalted banners is that they have a
banner of tiger skin, and their wind banner is white cotton;
innumerable are the mounted troops, and they ride up to the
lurking-holes of the demons; they will slay so that a thousand
women can afterwards see and kiss but one man.
"’When it is the end of the time, O Zartosht the Spitaman, those
enemies will be as much destroyed as the root of a shrub when it
is in the night on which a cold winter arrives, and in this
night it sheds its leaves; and they will reinstate these
countries of Iran which I, Ohrmazd, created.
"’And with speed rushes the evil spirit, with the vilest races
of demons and Wrath with infuriate spear, and comes on to the
support and assistance of those demon-worshippers and
miscreations of wrath, O Zartosht the Spitaman!
"’And I, the creator Ohrmazd, send Neryosang the angel and Srosh
the righteous unto Kangdezh, which the illustrious Siyavarshan
formed, and to Chitro-miyan son of Vishtasp, the glory of the
Kayanians, the just restorer of the religion, to speak thus:
‘Walk forth, O illustrious Peshotan! to these countries of Iran
which I, Ohrmazd, created; consecrate the fire and waters for
the Hadhokht and Dvazdah-homast! That is, celebrate them with
the fire and waters, and such as is appointed about the fire and
waters!’
"’And Neryosang proceeds, with Srosh the righteous, from the
good Chakad-i-Daitik to Kangdez, which the illustrious
Siyavarshan formed, and cries out from it thus: ‘Walk forth, O
illustrious Peshotan! O Chitro-miyan son of Vishtasp, glory of
the Kayanians, just restorer of the religion! Walk forth to
these countries of Iran which I, Ohrmazd, created! Restore again
the throne of sovereignty of the religion!’
"’Those spirits move on, and they propitiate them; with
holy-water the illustrious Peshotan celebrates the
Dvazdah-homast, with a hundred and fifty righteous who are
disciples of Peshotan, in black marten fur, and they have
garments as it were of the good spirit.
"’They walk up with the words: ‘Humat, hukht, huvarsht,’ and
consecrate the fire of the waters; with the illustrious Hadokht
they bless me, Ohrmazd, with the archangels; and after that it
demolishes one-third of the opposition.
"’And the illustrious Peshotan walks forth, with the hundred and
fifty men who wear black marten fur, and they celebrate the
rituals of the Gadman-homand ("glorious") fire, which they call
the Roshano-kerp ("luminous form"), which is established at the
appointed place, the triumphant ritual of the Farnbag fire,
Hordad, and Amurdad, and the ceremonial with his priestly
cooperation; they arrange and pray over the sacred twigs; and
the ritual of Hordad and Amurdad, in the chapter of the code of
religious formulas demolishes three-thirds of the opposition.
"’Peshotan son of Vishtasp walks forth, with the assistance of
the Farnbag fire, the fire Gushnasp, and the fire Burzhin-Mihr,
to the great idol-temples, the abode of the demons; and the
wicked evil spirit, Wrath with infuriate spear, and all demons
and fiends, evil races and wizards, arrive at the deepest abyss
of hell; and those idol-temples are extirpated by the exertions
of the illustrious Peshotan.
"’And I, the creator Ohrmazd, come to Mount Hukairya with the
archangels, and I issue orders to the archangels that they
should speak to the angels of the spiritual existences thus:
‘Proceed to the assistance of the illustrious Peshotan!’
"’Mihr of the vast cattle-pastures, Srosh the vigorous, Rashn
the just, Warharan the mighty, Ashtad the victorious, and the
glory of the religion of the Mazdayasnians, the stimulator of
religious formulas, the arranger of the world, proceed to the
assistance of the illustrious Peshotan, through the order of
which I, the creator, have just written.
"’Out of the demons of gloomy race the evil spirit cries to Mihr
of the vast cattle-pastures thus: ‘Stay above in truth, thou
Mihr of the vast cattle-pastures!’
"’And then Mihr of the vast cattle-pastures cries thus: ‘Of
these nine thousand years’ support, which during its beginning
produced Dahak of evil religion, Frasiyav of Tur, and Alexander
the Ruman, the period of one thousand years of those
leather-belted demons with disheveled hair is a more than
moderate reign to produce.’
"’The wicked evil spirit becomes confounded when he heard this;
Mihr of the vast cattle-pastures will smite Wrath of the
infuriate spear with stupefaction; and the wicked evil spirit
flees, with the miscreations and evil progeny he flees back to
the darkest recess of hell.
"’And Mihr of the vast cattle-pastures cries to the illustrious
Peshotan thus: ‘Extirpate and utterly destroy the idol-temples,
the abode of the demons! proceed to these countries of Iran
which I, Ohrmazd, created! Restore again the throne of
sovereignty of the religion over the wicked! When they see thee
they will be terrified.’
"’And the illustrious Peshotan advances, and the fire Farnbag,
the fire Gushnasp, and the triumphant fire Burzin-Mihr will
smite the fiend of excessive strength; he will extirpate the
idol-temples that are the abode of demons; and they celebrate
the ceremonial, arrange the sacred twigs, solemnize the
Dvazdah-homast, and praise me, Ohrmazd, with the archangels;
this is what I foretell.
"’The illustrious Peshotan walks forth to these countries of
Iran which I, Ohrmazd, created, to the Arvand and Veh river;
when the wicked see him they will be terrified, those of the
progeny of gloom and those not worthy.
"’And regarding that Warharan the Varjavand it is declared that
he comes forth in full glory, fixes upon Vandid-khim ["a curbed
temper"], and having entrusted him with the seat of mobadship of
the mobads, and the seat of true explanation of the religion, he
restores again these countries of Iran which I, Ohrmazd,
created; and he drives away from the world covetousness, want,
hatred, wrath, lust, envy, and wickedness.
"’And the wolf period goes away, and the sheep period comes on;
they establish the fire Farnbag, the fire Gushnasp, and the fire
Burzin-Mihr again at their proper places, and they will properly
supply the firewood and incense; and the wicked evil spirit
becomes confounded and unconscious, with the demons and the
progeny of gloom.
"’And so the illustrious Peshotan speaks thus: ‘Let the demon be
destroyed, and the witch be destroyed! Let the fiendishness and
vileness of the demons be destroyed! And let the gloomy progeny
of the demons be destroyed! The glory of the religion of the
Mazdayasnians prospers, and let it prosper! Let the family of
the liberal and just, who are doers of good deeds, prosper! And
let the throne of the religion and sovereignty have a good
restorer!’
"’Forth comes the illustrious Peshotan, forth he comes with
a hundred and fifty men of the disciples who wear black marten
fur, and they take the throne of their own religion and
sovereignty.’
"’Ohrmazd said to Zartosht the Spitaman: ’This is what I
foretell, when it is the end of thy millennium it is the
beginning of that of Aushedar.
"’Regarding Aushedar, it is declared that he will be born in
1600, and at thirty years of age he comes to a conference with
me, Ohrmazd, and receives the religion.
"’When he comes away from the conference he cries to the sun
with the swift horse, thus: ‘Stand still!’
"’The sun with the swift horse stands still ten days and nights;
and when this happens all the people of the world abide by the
good religion of the Mazdayasnians.
"’Mihr of the vast cattle-pastures cries to Aushedar, son of
Zartosht, thus: ’O Aushedar, restorer of the true religion! cry
to the sun with the swift horse thus: ’Move on!’ for it is dark
in the regions of Arezahi and Sawahi, Fradadhafshu and
Widadhafshu, Wouru-bareshti and Wourujareshti, and the
illustrious Xwaniratha. ’
"’Aushedar son of Zartosht cries, to the sun he cries, thus:
‘Move on!’
"’The sun with the swift horse moves on, and Varjavand and
all mankind fully believe in the good religion of the
Mazdayasnians.’
"Ohrmazd spoke thus: ’O Zartosht the Spitaman! this is what I
foretell, that this one brings the creatures back to their
proper state.
"’When it is near the end of the millennium Peshotan son of
Vishtasp comes into notice, who is a Kayanian that advances
triumphantly; and those enemies who relied upon fiendishness,
such as the Turk, Arab, and Ruman, and the vile ones who control
the Iranian sovereign with insolence and oppression and enmity
to the sovereignty, destroy the fire and make the religion weak;
and they convey their power and success to him and every one who
accepts the law and religion willingly; if he accept it
unwillingly the law and religion ever destroy him till it is the
end of the whole millennium.
"’And, afterwards, when the millennium of Aushedar-mah comes,
through Aushedar-mah the creatures become more progressive, and
he utterly destroys the fiend of serpent origin; and Peshotan
son of Vishtasp becomes, in like manner, high priest and primate
of the world.
"’In that millennium of Aushedar-mah mankind become so versed in
medicine, and keep and bring physic and remedies so much in use,
that when they are confessedly at the point of death they do not
thereupon die, nor when they smite and slay them with the sword
and knife.
"’Afterwards, one begs a gift of any description out of the
allowance of heretics, and owing to depravity and heresy they do
not give it.
"’And Ahriman rises through that spite on to the mountain of
Damawand, which is the direction of Bevarasp, and shouts thus:
‘Now it is nine thousand years, and Faridoon is not living; why
do you not rise up, although these thy fetters are not removed,
when this world is full of people, and they have brought them
from the enclosure which Yim formed?’
"’After that apostate shouts like this, and because of it, Az-i
Dahak stands up before him, but, through fear of the likeness of
Faridoon in the body of Faridoon, he does not first remove those
fetters and stake from his trunk until Ahriman removes them.
"’And the vigor of Az-i Dahak increases, the fetters being
removed from his trunk, and his impetuosity remains; he swallows
down the apostate on the spot, and rushing into the world to
perpetrate sin, he commits innumerable grievous sins; he
swallows down one-third of mankind, cattle, sheep, and other
creatures of Ohrmazd; he smites the water, fire, and vegetation,
and commits grievous sin.
"’And, afterwards, the water, fire, and vegetation stand before
Ohrmazd the lord in lamentation, and make this complaint: ‘Make
Faridoon alive again! so that he may destroy Az-i Dahak; for if
thou, O Ohrmazd, dost not do this, we cannot exist in the world;
the fire says thus: I will not heat; and the water says thus: I
will not flow.’
"’And then I, Ohrmazd the creator, say to Srosh and Neryosang
the angel: ‘Shake the body of Kersasp the Saman, till he rises
up!’
"’Then Srosh and Neryosang the angel go to Kersasp; three times
they utter a cry, and the fourth time Sam rises up with triumph,
and goes to meet Az-i Dahak.
"’And Sam does not listen to his words, and the triumphant club
strikes him on the head, and smites and kills him; afterwards,
desolation and adversity depart from this world, while I make a
beginning of the millennium.
"’Then Soshyant makes the creatures again pure, and the
resurrection and future existence occur.
"’May the end be in peace, pleasure, and joy, by the will of
God! So may it be! Even more so may it be!"
The Zoroastran text
Bundahishn ("Creation", also known as Zand-agahih, "Knowledge from
the Zand"), includes a chapter of apocalyptic prophecy. The book
states that in the millennium of the first Saoshyant Hoshedarmah,
people will stop eating meat, then milk, then vegetables, then
water, until they stop eating altogether for ten years before he
manifests. During his lifetime, Ahura-Mazda will resurrect the dead
during a period of 57 years. Then the final judgment will be
convened by the Sadvastaran ("Righteous Judges"), who will separate
the good and evil. The righteous souls will enter heaven, and the
wicked will go to hell for three days. Then a huge comet named
Gochihr will strike the planet, and the resulting heat will "melt
the metal of Sharewar" ("Chosen power", a spirit with power over
metals):
"In the final war
between good and evil, fire and death will swirl over all, and
every man will have to pass through boiling lava. To the just
and righteous men, the lava will be as warm as milk, but to the
wicked men, it will be scalding and fatal."
Then all humanity will
be reunited, and all will receive an elixir that will give them
immortality. Finally, Ahura-Mazda will defeat the evil Anghra Mainyu.
In Chapter 9 of Jamasp Namak ("The Book of Jamasp"), he recounts the
signs of the times for King Vishtasp, thus:
"Jamasp the
astrologer said to him that when the time of Aushedar would
appear, these several signs shall necessarily appear. The first
is this, that the nights will be brighter. The second is this,
that Haptoiring (a star in the Bear constellation) will leave
its place and will turn in the direction of Khorasan. The third
is this, that the intercourse of persons one with another, will
be great. The fourth is this, that the breach of faith, which
they will make at that time, will have quicker and greater
results. The fifth is this, that mean persons will be more
powerful. The sixth is this, that wicked persons will be
virtuous. The seventh is this, that the Drujs (evil powers) will
be more oppressive. The eighth is this, that the magic and
tricks which they will perform in those times, will be very bad.
The ninth is this, that the noxious creatures, like the tigers,
the wolves, and four clawed animals will do great harm. The
tenth is this, that misinformed persons will commit great
oppression upon the Dasturs of religion.
The eleventh is
this, that the injury to the Dasturs of religion will be
unlawful; they will take their property by force and will speak
evil of them. The twelfth is this, that the blowing of the
summer and winter winds shall not be useful. The thirteenth is
this, that affection for pleasure will be prevalent. The
fourteenth is this, that those who arc born at that time will
reach death more in a miserable way and in untimely way . The
fifteenth is this, that respectable persons in spite of their
respectful position, will practice too much of untruthfulness,
injustice, and false evidence. Death, old age, unchecked pride,
and strength will overtake (lit. reach) all countries. Then
there will come the Dastur of the world. The apostle will
cleanse the whole country. The sixteenth is this, that the two
caves which are in Seistan will be destroyed and the seas of the
cities will carry away the water and the whole of Seistan will
be full of water."
Zarathustra spoke thus
in this prophecy of his successor in our time:
"When a thousand two
hundred and some years have passed from the inception of the
religion of the Arabian and the overthrow of the kingdom of Iran
and the degradation of the followers of My religion, a
descendant of the Iranian kings will be raised up as a Prophet."
The Zend Avesta (Favardin
Yast 13: 129) says this about the coming World Savior:
"He shall be the
victorious Benefactor by name and World Renovator by name. He is
Benefactor because he will benefit the entire physical world; he
is World Renovator because he will establish the physical
existence indestructible. He will oppose the evil of the progeny
of the biped and withstand the enmity produced by the faithful."
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4. Baha’i Prophecy ~
The Baha’i (Persian, "of glory") faith, was founded in the late 19th
century by Mirza Husayn Ali of Nur, known as Baha’u’llah (Arabic,
"The Glory of God") in fulfillment of a prophecy by Mirza Ali
Muhammad of Shiraz, the Bab. The Baha’i religion has its
expectations of "The Seventh Angel", who will appear sometime before
the year of Mustageth (2001 AD) at the end of this age. He is
described as follows in Abdul-Baha’s book, Some Answered Questions:
"When the appointed
hour is come, there shall suddenly appear that which will cause
the limbs of mankind to quake. Then and only then will the
Divine Standard be unfurled, and the Nightingale of Paradise
warble its melody."
"The Seventh Angel is a man qualified with heavenly attributes,
who will arise with heavenly qualities and character. Voices
will be raised, so that the appearance of the Divine
Manifestation will be proclaimed and diffused. In the Day of the
Manifestation of the Lord of Hosts, and the epoch of the divine
cycle of the Omnipotent which is promised and mentioned in the
books and writings of the Prophets --- in that Day of God, the
Spiritual and Divine Kingdom will be established, and the world
will be renewed; a new spirit will be breathed into the body of
creation, the season of the Divine Spring will come, the clouds
of mercy will rain, the sun of reality will shine, the
life-giving breeze will blow, the world of humanity will wear a
new garment, the surface of the earth will be a sublime
paradise; mankind will be educated, wars, disputes, quarrels and
malignity will disappear; and truthfulness, righteousness,
honesty, and the worship of God will rule forevermore; meaning
that the Spiritual and Everlasting Kingdom will be established.
Such is the day of God, for all the days that have come and gone
were the days of Abraham, Moses and Christ, or of the other
Prophets; but this day is the day of God, for the sun of reality
will arise in it with the utmost warmth and splendor."
Another vague prophetic
promise is made elsewhere in the same book:
"These twenty-four
great persons, though they are seated on the thrones of
everlasting rule, yet are worshipers of the appearance of the
universal Manifestation, and they are humble and submissive,
saying, ’We give thanks to Thee, O Lord God Almighty, Which art,
and wast, and art to come, because Thou hast taken to Thee Thy
great power and hast reigned’ - that is to say, Thou wilt issue
all Thy teachings, Thou wilt gather all the people of the earth
under Thy shadow, and Thou wilt bring all men under the shadow
of one tent. Although it is the Eternal Kingdom of God, and He
always had, and has, a Kingdom, the Kingdom here means the
manifestation of Himself; and He will issue all the laws and
teachings which are the spirit of the world of humanity and
everlasting life.
And that universal
Manifestation will subdue the world by spiritual power, not by
war and combat; He will do it with peace and tranquility, not by
the sword and arms; He will promote these divine teachings by
kindness and righteousness, and not by weapons and harshness. He
will so educate the nations and people that, notwithstanding
their various conditions, their different customs and
characters, and their diverse religions and races, they will, as
it is said in the Bible, like the wolf and the lamb, the
leopard, the kid, the sucking child and the serpent, become
comrades, friends and companions. The contentions of races, the
differences of religions, and the barriers between nations will
be completely removed, and all will attain perfect union and
reconciliation under the shadow of the Blessed Tree."
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