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ZOROASTRIANISM
Who fears God, does not know God

Asha defined: The first among Gathic concepts (enumerated earlier) is ASHA. It is an Aryan concept, shared by Hindus as well as Persians. In archaic Sanskrit, it is Rta/Rita, and the Law of the Universe. In both Sanskrit and Gathic Avestan, it literally means "what fits", in any and every situation; in every physical, emotional, ethical, mental, material and/or spiritual relationship.

In the realm of the strictly physical and material, it can be defined as the amalgam of laws that rule and uphold the Cosmos - the laws of chemistry, physics, biology, etc. It is what is real, accurate and factual. Without Asha, scientifically the use of verifiable repeatable experiments to establish scientific theory, laws and facts would not work, for Asha is the Ordering Principle of the Universe. What, for example, makes water always freeze at the same temperature, under the same pressure and chemical composition. Thus it is also 'Precision'.

But Asha applies equally to the ethical, emotional, the mental and/or spiritual dimensions. In this sense it is best understood as Righteousness - that is what ought to be, what is right, what is correct. In another sense, it also stands for, Order and/or Truth. Even in this context Asha encompasses 'Precision', because it is doing what is Right, at the Right time, in the Right place, through the Right means and for achieving the Right results.

Ahura Mazda's relationship with Asha: The Gathas tell us that Ahura Mazda is the source of Asha (Song 9:3) and As 4:7, 8, 13, 21; 5:2, 9; 6:6; 7:6; 8:2, 4, 10,14, 16; 9:15, 17; 10:4, 6, 8 & 10; 11:9; 13:6, 9; 14:6, 7; 16:16) ha is also a part of His very own nature, His very own Essence.(Songs 1:8; 2:7;

It is pertinent to note here that in the Gathas, Zarathushtra shows us the relationship between Ahura Mazda and all His Essences, as well as the relationship between each of His Essences. What emerges is an exquisite Divine interwoven tapestry and one realizes that Ahura Mazda can only be understood through His essences.

As we gain an insight into this we discern that Asha which is an essential part of the Wise Lord may also be described as God's will, His Plan and His Justice; the tool with which in His Wisdom, Mazda promotes the Living World.

Righteousness or Truth? The relationship of Ahura Mazda and His Essences, makes it necessary for us to realize that in order to truly understand any given passage in the Gathas which refers to any one of the Essences, one must look very closely, to determine which is most fitting in the relevant context. This is one of the techniques that Zarathushtra uses to make us think reflectively about the Gathas and is one of the reasons it is a "Manthra", a thought-provoking message.

This, however, makes Gathic concepts hard to translate with any single word. It makes it necessary for Western readers, to be aware that when we translate Asha, or any other of God's Essences, by just one word, that word cannot be taken to mean exactly what it means in the west.

For example Asha is most closely Righteousness, but it is not Righteousness in the sense of the Bible, which defines it as, "right standing with God", although it includes this as a secondary meaning. Neither is Righteousness simply "Justice" in the strict western sense, although, justice is one of Asha's components, along with fairness, equity etc. Righteousness in the Gathas is what is fitting, what ought to be, the quality of being right, in whatever context.

That this is the more exact meaning of Asha has been argued and is not universally accepted. Many Western scholars based on Achaemenian era Greek renditions of Asha and on Sassanian era translations, prefer to use Truth as the main one word translation of Asha.

However, as Professor K. Irani has shown, while Truth is a secondary component of the meaning of Asha, it is not one of the main ones. For Truth is not always what is Righteous, nor does it always bring Righteous results. A little allegory by Professor Irani should make this abundantly clear:

A man fleeing for his life approaches a Mazdayasni, and asks to be hidden from his persecutors, whom he describes. The Mazdayasni, following the principles of Asha, hides the person to save his life. Shortly the persecutors, weapons ready, come to the Mazdayasni, and ask him: "Have you seen, such and such and do you know, where he is?"

What should an Ashavan Mazdayasni (a Mazdayasni desirous of Asha) do? If he tells the truth the man will be killed. If he does not, he is lying and if Asha is Truth then he is violating Asha." Well, since Asha promotes that which is conducive to refreshing (improving) creation and achieving fulfillment, wholeness and or completeness, the Mazdayasni's duty is clear. It ´fits´ for him to lie and save the man's life. Under the life-threatening circumstances, it is what is Right; what ought to be.

Asha and other philosophies: Asha can also be understood in terms of other religious concepts. It is somewhat like the Tao, in that it rules and sustains the Cosmos, and it includes a Law of the Mean, which tends to balance things out. It is like Karma, in the sense that it includes a law of just returns. It is also, like Dharma, the way of right actions.

But it is not "the Absolute" as Tao is. It is rather an Essence of the absolute and fashioned by it. It differs from Karma in that it does not assign a "debt" for actions beyond one life time, but allows for independent circumstances, working through its law of the mean, to give each one, above and beyond just one life time, his just desserts.

Furthermore, Asha is not impersonal. It is loving and part of a Loving God and designer of the Cosmos. Thus it's unlike all three - Tao, Karma and Dharma. It also has some aspects that may be similar to the Torah, but it is not prescriptive, it is not really a law, it is more - "A Principle of Life."

See also Mazdayasna's similarities with and influences on ohter religions

Questions and/or opinions? You're welcome on the discussion pages!                     (continue)