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Part 2.
House as a Metaphor for a State of Being.
Part 2.1 “Dwelling
place”, and “dwells”.
Part
2.2 House of Worst Thinking, House of Deceit
Part 2.3 House
of Good Thinking, House of Song.
2. House as a Metaphor for a State of Being.
There are some instances in which Zarathushtra
uses the word “house” literally, such as when he refers to
“…the rule of
the house, or of the district or of the land…” Y31.16,1 and when he speaks of a person who has
“…placed
house and settlement and district and land in strife and destruction…”
Y31.18.
But in most instances in which Zarathushtra uses
the word “house” and its related terms “abode”, "dwelling place", and
“dwell”, he does so in a metaphoric sense, indicating a state of being.
2.1 “Dwelling place”, and “dwells”.
In Y30.10, Zarathushtra speaks of the “dwelling
place of good thinking”.
“…and there shall be yoked from the good dwelling place of good
thinking the swiftest steeds, which shall race ahead unto the good fame
of the Wise One and of truth.” Y30.10
We know that good thinking (vohu mano) is
reason and intelligence committed to goodness, the comprehension of truth
and what’s right (asha), however incrementally. So it is readily
apparent that good thinking cannot "live" in a literal house. The only
“good dwelling place” in which good thinking could exist, is a good state of
being. So it is easy to see that “good dwelling place” in this verse, is a
metaphor for a good state of being.
In the same way, in Y33.5, Zarathushtra speaks of
the paths of truth wherein the Wise Lord "dwells".
“…I shall attain for us here the long-lived rule of good thinking
and the paths, straight in accord with truth, wherein the Wise Lord
dwells.” Y33.5.
Clearly, the
“paths, straight in accord with truth”
are not physical paths or locations. The Wise Lord could "dwell" in the paths of truth, only in a metaphoric
sense, indicating His state of being.
In a related way, Zarathushtra speaks of an
existence where
“the Wise Lord dwells in maturity”:
“…Hither, where
[aramaiti] is in harmony with truth, where sovereignty is in the power of
good thinking, where the Wise Lord dwells in maturity.” Y46.16.
This is another way of saying: that where
aramaiti, truth and the rule of good thinking exist, the Wise Lord is to
be found.
2.2 House of Worst Thinking, House of Deceit.
In the Gathas, there is no notion of Hell as a
physical location – a place of punishment to which “bad” people go, after
death. A moment's reflection makes it clear that we all (in our present
reality, at least) are not only fallible, but are admixtures of "good" and
"bad". The best of us has done something wrong, and the worst of us has
done something good. So the whole notion of punishing in eternal hell a
fallible life form who has done wrong, raises more questions about the
justice (let alone the beneficence) of such an order of things, than it
resolves – definitely not an order of things consistent with the beneficence
and justice that are a part of asha (as discussed in Part 1.2 of this
series, dealing with Fire and the Checkmate Solution).
Zarathushtra describes the existence that results
from wrongful conduct as the “House of Worst Thinking” and the “House of
Deceit.” For example:
“Because of such (evil) rule, the destroyers of this world viewed
their riches in the House of Worst Thinking…” Y32.13.
"But the
deceitful persons, bad in rule, bad in actions and words, bad in conceptions
and thoughts, ….. they shall be true guests in the House of Deceit."
Y49.11.
"Neither are the
Karpans our allies…..Theirs is a pleasure from (bringing) injury to the cow
[metaphoric good vision] by their actions and their words, a doctrine which
shall place them in the House of Deceit in the end." Y51.14.
"During their
regimes, the Karpans and the Kavis yoked (us) with evil actions in order to
destroy the world and mankind. But their own soul and their conception did
vex them when they reached the Bridge of the Judge, (there) to become guests
in the House of Deceit forever. " Y46.11. [more on "forever" below].
It is clear from the above verses, that the
"House of Worst Thinking" and the "House of Deceit" are Zarathushtra's ideas
of the consequences of wrongful conduct. What does he mean by these terms?
"Worst Thinking" is the opposite of good (or
best) thinking. "Deceit" in the Gathas, is often found in opposition to
truth (asha). It means the opposite of truth, i.e. that which does
not "fit", which is untrue, inaccurate, mistaken, wrong. The worst
thinking, and deceit are abstract concepts which cannot physically "live" in
a literal, material house. They can only exist in a person's state of
being. So the House of Worst Thinking, and the House of Deceit, are a state
of being which is the opposite of good thinking (vohu mano) and truth
(asha). That the House of Worst Thinking and the House of Deceit are
metaphors for a type of existence or a state of being, is corroborated in
Y30.4 where Zarathushtra expresses the same thought, but without metaphor:
"…the worst
existence shall be for the deceitful…" Y30.4.
Similarly, in Y31.20, he says:
"…(But) a long
lifetime of darkness, foul food, the word woe – to such an
existence shall your conception, along with its (corresponding) actions,
lead you, ye deceitful ones." Y31.20.
In this verse, Y31.20, Zarathushtra uses
"darkness" and "foul food" as metaphors. "Darkness" refers to a state of
ignorance, a state in which the person is deluded, not enlightened, does not
see things clearly with understanding. And just as "foul food" is bad for
the body, in the same way the vices of a person are bad nourishment for his
soul. So this verse tells us, (without the metaphor of "House"), that
deceitful (or wrong) thoughts and actions are poor nourishment (foul food)
for the soul, and result in an existence that is unhappy (woe), and lacks
understanding (darkness). The previously quoted verses tell us the same
thing, except that they use the metaphors, House of Deceit, or the House of
Worst Thinking, to describe the existence that results from wrong thoughts,
words and actions.
So the "hell" of the Gathas – the "House of Worst
Thinking" and the "House of Deceit" – is a state of being that is
unenlightened and unhappy – the opposite of good thinking (vohu mano)
and truth (asha).
In an Avestan fragment2 composed long
after the Gathas, hell is said to be reached in four steps: "The first
step…laid him in the Evil-Thought Hell; The second step…laid him in the
Evil-Word Hell; The third step…laid him in the Evil-Deed Hell; The fourth
step … laid him in the Endless Darkness."3
A later Pazand work, the Mainyo-i-khard4
states: " [verse 20] And hell is first Dushmat (evil thoughts), and second
Duzhukht (evil words), and third Duzhvaresht (evil deeds); [verse 21] with
the fourth footstep, the wicked man arrives at that which is the darkest
hell…..[verse 31] … their darkness is such-like as when it will be necessary
to hold by the hand"5 i.e. very thick darkness, where a person
cannot see for himself, and needs a hand.6
The "Endless Darkness" of the Avestan fragment
quoted above, may likewise mean a darkness which is endless in the sense
that it is very thick darkness, or it simply may have been an attempt (such
as occurs in so many instances throughout the later texts) to provide an
opposite for the notion of heaven as the "Endless Lights". For while the
Gathas address the problem of evil in a linear fashion – through
transformation (the changing of minds as discussed in Part 1.2 of this
piece), the later texts address the problem of evil in a bi-polar fashion –
the idea that there are two uncreated "gods", one all good and the other all
evil, each spawning its own "good" and "evil" creations – dualism.
In their descriptions of "heaven" and "hell" both
the Avestan fragment Yasht 22, and the Pazand Mainyo-i-khard, are
highly metaphoric (although some people interpret their images literally),
and indeed their descriptions sometimes have all the credibility of a horror
story made to frighten the credulous. However, it seems clear that they
follow the Gathic conclusion that "hell" is a state of being created by evil
thoughts, words and actions, which result in "darkness" – a state of being
which is the opposite of enlightenment.
It is also interesting that in later texts, hell
is described as a place where if a thousand men were closely packed within a
single "span"(?), yet "…they (the men) think in this way, that they are
alone; and the loneliness is worse than its punishment…"7
indicating, metaphorically, that hell is a state of being which includes an
alienation and isolation that is far removed from Zarathushtra's notion of
completeness (haurvatat).8
The Avestan fragment (Yasht 22), mentioned above,
does not address the duration of this "hell" of evil thoughts, words and
actions. The Mainyo-i-Khard does, calling it of "long duration"
9 – not eternal or "forever".
Which brings us back to Y46.11. What could
Zarathushtra have meant by wrongdoers being
"…guests in the House of Deceit forever."
Y46.11?
Here is the full verse again.
"During their
regimes, the Karpans and the Kavis yoked (us) with evil actions in order to
destroy the world and mankind. But their own soul and their conception did
vex them when they reached the Bridge of the Judge, (there) to become guests
in the House of Deceit forever. " Y46.11.
"Guests" would seem to indicate a temporary
residence. But then, what could Zarathushtra mean by "forever"?. Could he
mean that such wrongdoers would remain in a state of wrongheaded delusion
("House of Deceit") forever? Such an interpretation would be inconsistent
with his assertion that
"…it has been
fated for this world, Wise One, that the truth is to be saved for its (good)
preference, that deceit is to be destroyed for its (false) profession…"
Y49.3.
If wrongdoers were to remain in a state of delusion forever, then evil would
be forever with us, and would not be
"destroyed"
as Y49.3 tells us. The same objection would apply even if "House of
Deceit" were not a metaphor for a deluded state of being, but was a location
of torment to which people who had done wrong were confined. As long as
such a place of torment existed, evil would still be with us – not just in
the inhabitants of such a place, but in the maintenance of such a place of
torment.
Such an interpretation (that wrongdoers will
remain in a state of delusion forever) would also be inconsistent with
Zarathushtra's profound realization that evil is defeated by changing minds
– by "deliver[ing]
deceit into the hands of truth" Y30.8, 44.14,
and that this occurs through the law of consequences (and mutual, loving
help), which is a part of the way things have been ordered (asha) (as
discussed in Part 1.2 of this series, Metaphor in the Gathas).
In short, the idea of a permanent state of
delusion for wrongdoers (or a permanent place of torment), is so
inconsistent with key aspects of Zarathushtra's thought, that it is not a
tenable interpretation. We need to puzzle out what Zarathushtra might have
intended here.
The operative Gathic words in Y46.11 are yavoi
vispai and their translation as "forever" or its equivalent, seems
fairly uniform amongst those who have translated the Gathas.10
Taraporewala, states, in his commentary to
Y46.11:
"yavoi
vispai – For all time. We have vispai yave in Yasna 28.8. The
implication is 'through endless ages'." (page 611).
Although in Y46.11, Insler translates yavoi
vispai as "forever", in Yasna 28.8, he translates vispai yave
as: "for a whole lifetime" (page 27).11 Thus we have the
possibility of a long duration of time that is something less than
"forever". This is consistent with Y31.20, where a parallel thought is
expressed, although with different words:
"…(But) a
long lifetime of darkness, foul food, the word woe – to such an
existence shall your conception, along with its (corresponding)
actions, lead you, ye deceitful ones." Y31.20.
Not being a linguist, I am not competent to
express an opinion on possible linguistic alternatives for yavoi vispai
in Y46.11. However, a contextual analysis may be useful. We are told in the
later (Pazand) text Mainyo-i-khard that the Bridge of the Judge
(sometimes called the Bridge of the Separator), is encountered after death,
when the soul is attempting to make the transition from the material
existence to the spiritual one. "Bridge" here is a metaphor for transition
(from the material to the spiritual).12
It is clear that a person who exists in the
"hell" of evil thoughts, words and actions can never make the transition to
the state of pure wisdom which is the House of Good Thinking –
Zarathushtra's idea of paradise, as discussed in the next section (Part 2.3
below). So perhaps what Zarathushtra is saying in Y46.11, is that a person
who lives in evil thoughts, words and actions is always in a state of
delusion, i.e. while he exists in the evil of bad thoughts, words and
actions, his state of being always will be that of a deluded person, a
person who does not comprehend truth – the House of Deceit. So the word
"forever" would not mean he could never change. It would mean that evil
thoughts, words and actions would always, at all times, result in the
occurrence of a state of being that is deluded – the House of Deceit.
Both these conclusions – (1) "long lifetime", as
well as (2) that evil thoughts words and actions always producing a state of
delusion – are consistent with the rest of Zarathushtra's thought, and may
provide an answer to Zarathushtra's intent in Y46.11.
2.3 House of Good Thinking, House of Song.
Zarathushtra refers to heaven or paradise as the
House of Good Thinking and the House of Song. That "House" in these terms
is a metaphor for a state of being is corroborated by Y30.4, where
Zarathushtra states, without metaphor, that the reward for the truthful
person is the best thinking.
"…the worst
existence shall be for the deceitful, but the best thinking for the truthful
person." Y30.4.
Indeed, in a thousand and one subtle and
beautiful ways, without metaphor, Zarathushtra leads us to the conclusion
that paradise is a state of being in which a person has attained and
personifies, the amesha spenta.13 So “House of Good Thinking”
is a metaphor for a state of being that is Wisdom personified. And
“House of Song”
is a metaphor for a state of being that is bliss – a metaphor that perhaps
attempts to evoke the emotional high that beautiful music generates. Here
are examples of how Zarathushtra uses the House of Good Thinking, and the
House of Song for paradise:
"…those who rule
over life14 at will in the House of Good Thinking." Y32.15.
"… Yes, let us
set down His glories in the House of Song" Y45.8
In passing one might wonder: Why didn't
Zarathushtra call his notion of paradise the House of Truth? Why the House
of Good Thinking? Perhaps the reason is that paradise has relevance only
for living beings, and for living beings, it is the comprehension of truth (vohu
mano) that is relevant as a state of being.
One might also wonder: Why did Zarathushtra call
paradise the
"best thinking"
Y30.4, or
"the House of Good Thinking?" Y32.15.
Why not the House of Good Action? It is a fundamental part of his teaching
that good thoughts alone are not enough. They have to be translated into
good words and good actions.
"Yes, those men
shall be the saviors [saoshyanto] of the lands, namely those who
shall follow their knowledge of Thy teaching with actions in harmony
with good thinking and with truth, Wise One. These indeed have been fated
to be the expellers of fury." Y48.12.
Indeed, the later Avestan fragment, Yasht 22,
states that a good person attains paradise in four steps:
"The first
step…placed him in the Good-Thought Paradise; The second step…placed him in
the Good-Word Paradise; The third step…placed him in the Good-Deed
Paradise; The fourth step…placed him in the Endless Lights." (SBE Volume
23, page 317).
It is apparent that the unknown author of this
fragment, like Zarathushtra, believed that good thoughts alone are not
enough, but that good words and good actions are also required. So the
first level of achievement is good thoughts. A higher level of achievement
is attained when good thoughts are translated into good words. And an even
higher level of achievement is attained when good thoughts and words are
translated into good actions. If this is so, why then does Zarathushtra
describe his idea of paradise as the
"best thinking" Y30.4,
or "the
House of Good Thinking?" Y32.15. Why not as the House of Good Action?
Perhaps the answer is that the first three stages
of paradise described in this Yasht fragment, are achieved in the medium of
this material world – with our thoughts, words and actions. Whereas
ultimate completeness – when the reason for mortality ceases (ameretat)
– exists in the reality of mind and spirit. Thus we start with good
thinking in the material world, and end with the state of being that is the
best thinking (or the House of Good Thinking) when we have made the
transition from the material, to spiritual perfection (expressed
metaphorically by crossing Chinvat Bridge).
Finally, we come to the enigmatical Gathic verse,
Y51.15, in which the House of Song is also mentioned.
"What prize
Zarathushtra previously promised to his adherents – into that House of Song
did the Wise Lord come as the first one. This prize has been promised to
you during the times of salvation by reason of your good thinking and
truth." Y51.15.
This last verse, Y51.15, is unique in a number of
respects.
First, what does Zarathushtra mean by "salvation"
in this verse, Y51.15? We find the answer in Y51.20. Salvation, to
Zarathushtra, is truth (asha) and good thinking (vohu mano):
"…..let that
salvation of yours be granted to us: truth allied with good thinking!…"
Y51.20.
Second, this verse (Y51.15) equates the "prize"
that is earned through good thinking and truth, with the House of Song ("What prize Zarathushtra previously promised to his adherents – into
that House of Song…"). Now we know from other parts of the Gathas,
that the amesha spenta are both the reward (prize) as well as the
means of obtaining the reward (see Part 3.1.4 of this series for the
evidence on which this conclusion is based). We also know that the amesha
spenta are characteristics of the Wise Lord (see Part 3.1.6) and in fact
are the qualities that make for divinity (see Part 3.2.1). Putting all
these premises together, what conclusion do we come to?
If the amesha spenta are characteristics
of the divine, and are also the prize (reward), and if, as Y 51.15 tells us,
the prize is the House of Song, then the conclusion is inescapable: the
House of Song is a state of being that personifies the amesha spenta
– the qualities that make for divinity. In short, the House of Song – the
Zarathushtrian paradise – is a state of being that is divine.
Finally, the first sentence of this verse
(Y51.15) tells us that this paradise, this state of being, has been attained
by the Wise Lord as the first one ("…into that House of Song did the Wise Lord come
as the first one…" Y51.15). And the last sentence says that this state of
being, this prize, also can be attained by the rest of us through our good
thinking and truth.
These thoughts are likewise suggested by
Zarathushtra's technique in describing the relationship between asha
and vohu mano on the one hand, and Ahura Mazda and all the
living on the other hand, in three distinct and different ways, alternating
between these three ways throughout the verses of the Gathas. (1) He
describes asha and vohu mano as allegorical beings, separate
and distinct from the Wise Lord, but reverenced, worshiped, praised or
served in tandem with Him. (2) He refers to asha and vohu mano
as separate from, but allied with, or of a like nature with, Mazda and all
the living; and (3) he refers to asha and vohu mano as an
integral part of the nature of Mazda and all the living.
Here are a few verses in which Zarathushtra
refers to asha and vohu mano as allegorical beings, separate
and distinct from the Wise Lord, but reverenced, worshipped or served in
tandem with Him.
"Come hither to
me, ye best ones…-- Thou, Wise One, together with truth and
good thinking -- …Let bright gifts and reverence (for all of you) be
manifest amid us." Y33.7.
"…Thou, Wise
One, along with truth and good thinking…I shall very
happily approach all of you, as I worship and praise." Y34.6.
Here are some verses in which he describes the
Wise Lord, man, and all the living, as separate from, but allied with, or of
a like nature with, asha and vohu mano.
[The Wise Lord]
"The Wise
Lord, who is of the same temperament with truth…" Y29.7.
[The Wise Lord]
"…He who
is allied with good thinking and the good companion of sunlike
truth…" Y32.2.
[Man]
"…I am eager for
the alliance of good thinking…" Y49.3.
[Man]
"…We respected
him among you as the good companion of truth." 46.13.
[The Wise Lord]
"…Wise
Lord allied with truth." Y50.10.
[Man]
"…the virtuous
man whose soul is in alliance with truth…" Y34.2.
[Other life
forms]
"…the creatures allied with truth do prosper…" 43.6.
[All the living]
"…the
world allied with truth…" Y44.15.
[The Wise Lord]
"…Thy
tongue (which is) in harmony with truth…" 51.3.
[Man]
"The priest who
is just in harmony with truth…" Y33.6.
[Man]
"…an existence
in harmony with truth…" 44.8.
[Man]
"…as he lives
honestly in harmony with truth…" Y50.2.
Here are some verses in which Zarathushtra
describes asha and vohu mano as an integral part of the nature
of the Wise Lord, and other life forms.
[The Wise Lord]
"…the
Truthful One…" Y43.8.
[The Wise Lord]
"… the
truthful Lord, virtuous in His action…" Y46.9.
[The Wise Lord]
"… the
truthful Lord. Y53.9.
[Man]
"…for the
truthful person [ašaune]…" Y30.4.
[Other life
forms]
"…the creatures of truth [ašahya gaethao]…" Y31.1.
[Man]
"… the souls of
the truthful ones [ašaunam]…" Y49.10.
[Man]
"…That the soul
of the truthful person [ashaono] be powerful in immortality…" Y45.7.
[The Wise Lord]
"…May He
dispense through His good thinking (each) reward corresponding to
one's actions." Y43.16.
[Man]
"…Through …
his good thinking, he shall be someone like Thee, Wise One." Y48.3
And in Y50.11, Zarathushtra equates the Wise Lord
and truth – calling Him truth, the way he calls Him Wisdom.
"Yes, I shall
swear to be your praiser, Wise One, and I shall be it, as long as I have
strength and be able, o truth….." Y50.11
By depicting the concepts of asha and
vohu mano as allegorical entities that are objects of worship, reverence
and service, is Zarathushtra suggesting that these qualities are the essence
of divinity and therefore worthy of worship?
And by treating the relationship between asha
and vohu mano, on the one hand, and the Wise Lord and all the
living on the other, in these three different ways – (i) showing them
separate, (ii) showing them linked, and (iii) showing them integrated – is
Zarathushtra suggesting that these divine qualities can be attained by all
the living in a process of transformation, incrementally, until they are
attained completely, and are personified? These questions are further
explored in Parts 3.2.1 and 3.2.2 of this series, relating to the quality
and nature of divinity.
1. All
references to, and quotations from, the Gathas in this paper are from the
translation of Professor Insler, as it appears in The Gathas of
Zarathustra, (Brill, 1975) (“Insler” hereinafter), unless otherwise
specified, except that I leave “aramaiti” untranslated, inserting the word
“aramaiti” in square brackets in place of the translated word. In fairness
to Professor Insler, he may, or may not, agree with the inferences I draw
from his translation.
2. Yasht XXII,
but which, according to Darmesteter is not really a Yasht at all, (SBE Vol.
23, page 1), and whose date is unknown. This fragment is not in Gathic, and
so was likely composed some time after Zarathushtra.
3. Yasht 22
verse 33, SBE Volume 23, page 320.
4. See The
Book of Mainyo-i-khard, translated by E. W. West, (APA Oriental Press
Amsterdam reprint). This work also exists in a Persian form known as
Mino-khirad.
5. West,
The Book of the Mainyo-i-khard, page 141.
6. In Yasna
31.12, Zarathushtra says:
"…but in due course [aramaiti] shall come to terms
with one's spirit where there has been opposition." Y31.12.
I think by this he means (in part) that when a person finds himself in the
darkness through his wrongful choices, it is the loving words and actions of
others (in addition to the law of consequences), that help to dissolve the
darkness. So mutual, loving, help is something that we all need to both
give and receive, in order to make it.
7. Quoted from
the Bundahish, as translated by E. W. West in SBE Volume 5, page 114. West
in his footnote to this quotation, notes the similarity of this passage to a
part of the Arda Viraf Nameh, which he translates as follows: "Compare Arda
Viraf-namak (LIV, 5-6): 'As close as the ear to the eye, and as many as the
hairs on the mane of a horse, so close and many in number, the souls of the
wicked stand, but they see not, and hear no sound, one from the other; every
one thinks thus, "I am alone." ' ". SBE Volume 5, page 114, footnote 2.
The Bundahish
is a Pahlavi text consisting of a collection of fragments. The two oldest
manuscripts of the Bundahish both came from India and were written on very
old Indian paper in the second half of the 14th century anywhere from 1351
to 1397. According to E. W. West, the work as it now stands "is evidently of
a fragmentary character, bearing unmistakable marks of both omissions and
dislocations; and the extant manuscripts,…differ among themselves both as to
the extent and arrangement of the text. Many passages have the appearance
of being translations from an Avesta original, …it is very probable…[from
the lost] Damdad Nask…" (SBE Vol. 5, pages xxii to xxix).
8. For a
discussion of Zarathushtra's notion of completeness (haurvatat)
see Of Means and Ends, Proceedings of the First Gatha Colloquium
1991 (WZO 1998), pages 92 – 101; which may also be read in the Site Map
section of
www.vohuman.org, and on
www.zarathushtra.com. See also
discussion in Part 3.2.2 of this series, Metaphor in the Gathas.
9. West,
The Book of the Mainyo-i-khard, page 141, and also 137.
10. Here are a
few examples:
Azargoshasb:
"…as they fall down in the abode of untruth, where they are
obliged to dwell forever." (page 55);
Duchesne-Guillemin: "…For ever to be inmates of the house of Evil."
(page 79);
Humbach: "…(and they will remain) for all time guests (attached) to the
house of deceit." (Vol. 1, page 171);
Jafarey: "…because they have been all the time dwelling in the house of
wrong." (page 52);
Mills: "…in the Lie's abode for ever shall their habitation be." (SBE
Vol. 31, page 141);
Moulton: "…Their own soul and their own self shall torment them when
they come where the Bridge of the Separator is, to all time dwellers in the
House of the Lie". (page 374);
Taraporewala: "…(such) for all time (shall be) dwellers of the Abode of
Untruth." (page 609).
11. Here are a
few examples of how others have translated this part of Y28.8.
Azargoshasb:
"…through all eternity." (page 3);
Duchesne-Guillemin: "…for ever" (page 89);
Humbach: "… for all the time" (Vol. 1, page 171) and in his commentary,
he adds: "…or 'for the whole life-time…" (Vol. 2, page 26);
Jafarey: "forever" (page 30);
Mills: unknown (SBE Vol. 31, page 21-30);
Moulton: "for aye [ever]" (page 346);
Taraporewala: "eternity" (page 114).
12. for a
discussion of the metaphors involved in the story of Chinvat Bridge in the
Mainyo-i-khard, see Buried Treasures which appears in the Site
Map section of
www.vohuman.org.
13. For the
evidence on which this conclusion is based, see Of Means and Ends,
Proceedings of the First Gatha Colloquium 1991 (WZO 1998), pages 92 – 101;
which may also be read in the Site Map section of
www.vohuman.org, and on
www.zarathushtra.com.
14. Here,
"life"
may be another way of saying ameretat – non-deathness, indicating,
perhaps, that those who have attained ameretat are no longer bound to
mortality, but may assume a mortal existence if they wish ("…those who rule over life at will…"),
in order to help and guide in times when their help is needed. These words
(in Y32.15) are ambiguous, and may reasonably be interpreted in other ways
as well. |
