Ahura Mazda
Ahura Mazda is the name of the supreme entity of Zoroastrianism. In antiquity he was the main deity of the religion of the Persian Empire.
Zoroastrianism is thus described by its adherents as “mazdaiasna”, the worship of Mazda. In the Avesta, "Ahura Mazda is the highest object of worship", the first and most frequently mentioned divinity in the yasna liturgy. In Zoroastrian cosmogony and tradition, all minor divinities are also creations of Mazda (read Bundahishn III).
Ahura Mazda is Auramazdā in Old Persian, Aramazd in Parthian and Armenian (cf. also Aramazd). In Middle Persian and New Persian its usage varies, but Hormizd, Hormuzd, Ohrmazd, and Ormazd/Ōrmazd (اورمزد/ارمزد) are common transliterations.
He is the god of heaven, omniscient and celestial priest, leader of the Amesha Spenta, truths (not divinities) of Zoroastrianism created by Ahura Mazda to help govern creation (the ahura). He is an abstract and transcendent god, without a concrete image, for which reason he is not representable. Zorastrians use the term atar to refer to fire and light, which are manifestations of Ahura Mazda.
Angra Mainyu is the opposite of Ahura Mazda, is the representation of evil, is neither a god nor an entity and has given rise to the misconception that there is "cosmic dualism" in Zoroastrianism[quote required]. He is also called Ahriman. He represents the daeva, those of bad conduct, however, in languages related to Sanskrit, only: & # 39; devá & # 39; has a beneficial connotation, the 'dyaus' Vedic, 'clarity', 'strength', indicates a power superior to the human, but which can be hostile. In Arabic: 'Azzuhara', luminous star, refers to Venus
Mazda means ‘wisdom’, it is a feminine name (like the Greek Sofia). Ahura literally means the male 'high being'; and would have a common origin with the Hindu concept of Asura.
The Good Mind
Ahura Mazda is understood through the good mind: but this communion, this exchange between divinity and the humans who reach out for it, is unique through the good mind. He communicates and manifests himself to mortals through his own ethical attributes that are a part of his being. Men and women can choose to be as achaa (upright) or as Vohu manah (with a good and benevolent mind), or any of the other essences of being itself. of God. He gives his own attributes to humanity to progress and evolve towards wholeness.
Nomenclature
Mazda, or rather its Avestan form Mazdā (nominative Mazdå), reflects Proto-Iranian *Mazdāh. It is generally considered the proper name of the deity, as well as its Sanskrit cognate medhā meaning 'intelligence' or 'wisdom'. In both languages the words reflect Proto-Indo-Iranian *mazdhā-, from Proto-Indo-European *mn̩sdʰeh1 , literally meaning 'fix the mind', and therefore 'wise'.
The adjective ahura originally meant 'ahuric', characterizing a specific Indo-Iranian entity called *asura. Although traces are still evident in ancient Indian and Iranian texts, in both cultures the word appears sporadically as the epithet of other divinities.
In the Gathas (Gāθās), the hymns whose composition is attributed to Zoroaster himself, the two halves of the name are not necessarily used at the same time, or are even interchanged, or are used in reverse order. However, in the most recent Avesta texts, Ahura and Mazda are integral parts of the name Ahura Mazda, which are merged into other ancient Iranian languages.
Origins
Although it is accepted that Ahura Mazda is the conceptual equivalent of a Proto-Indo-Iranian divinity, the details are a matter of speculation and debate. A scholastic consensus identifies a connection to the prototypical *vouruna (Varuna) and *mitra, but there is no established consensus on whether Ahura Mazda is one. of the two, or a syncretism of the two together, or even one superior to both.
One opinion is that the Proto-Indo-Iranian divinity is the nameless Father Asura, that is, the god Varuna of the Rigveda. In this opinion, the Zoroastrian mazda is the equivalent of the Vedic Sanskrit medhira , described in the Rigveda 8.6.10 as the "vision of cosmic order". » that Varuna offers to his devotees. It has also been suggested that Ahura Mazda could be the Iranian development of the expression dvandvah from *mitra-*vouruna, *mitra otherwise being 'Lord& #39; nameless (Ahura) and *vouruna being mazda/medhira as noted above. In this constellation, Ahura Mazda is a composite divinity in which the favorable characteristics of *mitra negate the inauspicious qualities of *vouruna.
In another opinion, Ahura Mazda is seen as the Ahura par excellence, superior to *vouruna and *mitra, and the Father Asura nameless from the Rig-veda is a distinct god (see etymology above) to which Ahura Mazda may be related. In a development of this view, the expression dvandvah of *mitra-*vouruna is none other than the archaic 'Mithra-Baga' of the Avesta. But while in the Rig-veda Bhaga is a minor divinity in his own right, in Proto-Indo-Iranian times this was an epithet for the concept of *vouruna and in upper Iran it continued to be a cult title for *vouruna, later superseding it. It has also been noted that in tablet #337 from a fortification at Persepolis, Ahura Mazda is distinct from Mithra and from Baga.