by Jayaram V
According to Zoroastrian teachings, Angra Mainyu is the architect of
evil, the anti
God principle, who represents evil, untruth, arrogance and
death and subjects people to torment once they come under his influence. He is emotionally
unstable, lazy, lacks confidence, cowardly and ignorant, but has a blind
ambition to overpower God and infest His creation by
whatever means that are available to him. He is assisted in his effort
by a host of evil entities, the Daevas and the Druj whom he created. Jeh, the primeval
woman is his partner, who instigates him and reminds him of his duties,
whenever he is depressed or frightened by the memory
of God, and goads him into action. Despite his weaknesses and evil
intentions, he is somehow endowed
with the power to create his own forces. Though God is omnipotent,
Zoroastrian texts do not give the impression that he is created by God,
because God being pure light and truthfulness, cannot create evil that
is centered in darkness, falsehood and malice. God will only destroy him
when the times comes. Till then Ahirman exists by himself, presenting a
problem to the forces of light. They have to contend with him and do all
they can to maintain the sanctity and order of the worlds so that he
remains confined to his own domain till God destroys him in a manner
already planned by Him.
Zoroastrian religion is based on the belief that the world is
a battle ground between good and evil forces, with far reaching consequences to
the humanity, depending upon which side they join. Zoroastrian texts vary in their interpretations of this epic battle.
According to one version Ahura Mazda is constantly opposed by an evil
being called Angra Mainyu. The battle
between the two will continue till the end of creation when God will
ultimately triumph and confine the evil to one particular region, the
hell. According to another version, at the beginning of creation, Ahura
Mazda created the twin spirits, the good Spenta Mainyu andl Angra Mainyu
or Ahirman. He gave them the freedom to choose between life, light and
good on one hand and death, darkness and evil on the other. Spenta
Mainyu chose life, truth, light, order and goodness, while Angra Mainyu
chose death, darkness, chaos and evil. Spenta Mainyu presides over the world of Truth and Justice while the latter
over the
kingdom of lies or falsehood (Druj). The material world in between is a
playground in which the opposing forces meet and determine the fate of
human beings. Angra Mainyu is presently trapped in metals and material
things and will continue to trouble people till God brings him to
justice on the Judgment Day. Some later day texts describe the opposing twins as children of Zurvan or Time.
Traditional accounts favor the first version according to which in the
beginning there was only Infinite Time. In it God and Angra Mainyu were
both infinite and finite. They were infinite on one side where there
were no boundaries to their domains. On the other side, they were
separated by a great Void. Because the void limited their domain on one
side, they were also finite. God was not only the more powerful of the
two,
but also omniscient. with the knowledge of the past, present and future.
Before He even met him, He was aware of Angra Mainyu,
residing on the other side of the Void. He also knew about their
impending battle. But Angra Mainyu was not omniscient. He was also not
as brave and courageous as God. He was weak, timid, ignorant and lazy. Fear and malice were his weapons.
In the Infinite Time, when there
was perfect balance in the universe, Angra Mainyu crossed the Void and
saw God for the first time. He made an attempt to attack Him. God
made a covenant with him, knowing well that the time to
contain the evil was yet to come.
According to the covenant, God offered a truce to Ahirman, that would last for 9000
years. According to the agreement, God's will alone would
prevail in the first
three thousand years. The will of both would prevail in the next three thousand years during which the material
world and things would become susceptible to the forces of evil and
suffer from instability, death and decay. The next three thousand years
would begin with the birth of Zoroaster, who would spread the teachings of
God among humanity and make them aware of the conflict between the
forces of good and evil and prepare them for the final confrontation, teaching them the right way to live and support the
forces of good. Another prophet would be born a thousand years later to
continue the teachings. Finally at the beginning of the third
millennium, a future son of Zoroaster would manifest on earth. He would
be called Saoshyant. He would herald the Final Judgment Day, distribute
the drink of immortality among people and help God and his forces
destroy the evil for ever.
As projected by God, Ahirman attacked the material world when he was
instigated by his partner, Jeh. He burst through the sky. He invaded the
earth. He attacked the primeval man, the primeval ox and all the
elements, namely, fire, water, earth and air. He attacked the stars, the
planets, the plants and the animals. According to Zoroastrian beliefds,
the presence of evil in the material plane makes our world unstable and
ever changing. Evil renders the things in our world susceptible to
decay, death and disintegration. Mountains were formed when the evil
pierced through the otherwise plain earth and caused earthquakes deep
inside. It is also responsible in our world for droughts, deserts and
the stench that comes sometimes from the earth. Smoke and black soot is
formed when evil overtakes the fire. It makes air noxious with stinking
smells, water susceptible to pollution and impurities, plants, men and
animals to fever and sickness and the sun and the moon to eclipses. Human
beings are also susceptible to the invasion of evil forces. Especially,
their minds and bodies can succumb to the influence of evil. Their minds
and bodies can fall prey to evil thoughts and evil temptations. They can
intentionally or unintentionally come into contact with evil things such
as dead or putrid matter or contaminated water, air or earth. The
Zoroastrians scriptures therefore urge men to be very careful in their
day to day lives. living very responsibly, religiously and ethically,
remembering God all the time and practicing righteousness by observing
the three commandments taught by Zoroaster, namely: good thoughts, good
words and good deeds. They are advised to protect themselves by chanting
the sacred mantras like Ashem Vohu and Ahunwar mantra and abide by the
instructions given in the scriptures to keep their minds, bodies and
environment as pure and clean as possible. The concept of duality, or
the battle between good and evil forces is found in all religions.
Rejection of evil and adoration of the divine for one's own good is the
common theme that runs through all religious scriptures. However Zoroastrianism
presents its in a rather dramatic way, not as something that has been
happening only in some higher worlds between beings of light and
darkness, but as something that has been happening right here, right
now, in oneself and in every aspect of the material creation, in
everything that one can see, touch, smell and feel. It presents it as an
inherent problem of our existence, from which escape is possible, by a
conscious and ethical choice, by practicing righteousness and emulating
all the qualities represented by God and His six Immortal Beings.
Suggested Further Reading
|
