Educational Resource - A New Website: homidhalla.com
A New Website on Zarathushti Lore
from January 1, 2008
by
Dr. Homi Dhalla
The soul of the earth complained to the Creator that it was being oppressed by violence, savagery and cruelty and it needed a protector. In response to this call, Prophet Zarathushtra was deputed to bring about order in the prevalent chaos. It was this that moved Rabindranath Tagore to remark: “He was the watcher in the night who stood on the lonely peak facing the East and broke out singing the paens of light to the sleeping world when the sun came out on the brim of the horizon”.
Although the Prophet spread his message in the distant past, his legacy lives on. The moral vision, which he has bequeathed, is timeless. His message as taught in the Gathas brought forth ideas that not only changed the stream of human thought but influenced the most important concepts in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This spirit of the Gathas has also been echoed in the Avestan and Pahlavi literature.
The Pahlavi texts are an integral and important part of Zarathushti literature. This literature throws significant light on the practice of Zoroastrianism in Sasanian and post-Sasanian times. A crucial part of this literature is wisdom literature. This form was evidently an important vehicle to impart knowledge to children as well as adults. Those Pahlavi texts dealing with this aspect are known as ‘Andarz’ and may also be termed as wisdom literature. The Pahlavi term ‘Andarz’ means, “counsel, advice, maxim, admonition or teaching”. These are admonitions of sages, learned priests and ministers.
Hence, my intention in launching this website is to bring the inspiring message of the Gathas as well as other maxims and admonitions from later literature to the common man. Every time you visit this website, a new thought would be projected from this vast moral storehouse. They are pregnant with Zarathushti values and hence would provide guidance to us in our daily lives.
You could access this website by logging onto homidhalla.com from January 1, 2008.
from January 1, 2008
by
Dr. Homi Dhalla
The soul of the earth complained to the Creator that it was being oppressed by violence, savagery and cruelty and it needed a protector. In response to this call, Prophet Zarathushtra was deputed to bring about order in the prevalent chaos. It was this that moved Rabindranath Tagore to remark: “He was the watcher in the night who stood on the lonely peak facing the East and broke out singing the paens of light to the sleeping world when the sun came out on the brim of the horizon”.
Although the Prophet spread his message in the distant past, his legacy lives on. The moral vision, which he has bequeathed, is timeless. His message as taught in the Gathas brought forth ideas that not only changed the stream of human thought but influenced the most important concepts in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This spirit of the Gathas has also been echoed in the Avestan and Pahlavi literature.
The Pahlavi texts are an integral and important part of Zarathushti literature. This literature throws significant light on the practice of Zoroastrianism in Sasanian and post-Sasanian times. A crucial part of this literature is wisdom literature. This form was evidently an important vehicle to impart knowledge to children as well as adults. Those Pahlavi texts dealing with this aspect are known as ‘Andarz’ and may also be termed as wisdom literature. The Pahlavi term ‘Andarz’ means, “counsel, advice, maxim, admonition or teaching”. These are admonitions of sages, learned priests and ministers.
Hence, my intention in launching this website is to bring the inspiring message of the Gathas as well as other maxims and admonitions from later literature to the common man. Every time you visit this website, a new thought would be projected from this vast moral storehouse. They are pregnant with Zarathushti values and hence would provide guidance to us in our daily lives.
You could access this website by logging onto homidhalla.com from January 1, 2008.
Labels: educational resource
posted by Behram Pastakia at 4:44 AM
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