At present time there are about 200/000 Zoroastrians throughout the world, half of them (Parsis) in India. The Zoroastrian faith is relatively unknown worldwide In Iran its origin country few know about. Zoroastrian philosophy was the main religious belief system of ancient Iranians and for about several hundred years was the basis of the Iranian culture and their life style, now is almost forgotten In western countries few are familiar with Zoroastrian philosophy and are reminded of “Thus Spoke Zarathustra,” written by Nietzsche a celebrated German philosopher. Still this faith still lives and has had heavy influence on Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

Who was Zarathustra?

Zarathustra lifetime is a matter of discussion between researchers. But generally his date of birth is somewhere between 1700 BC and 1500 BC and it is generally believed that he was born in Eastern Iran, in what is now the Russian Steppes.

But what has survived is the religion that he created and like Buddha after him, Zarathustra wanted to know the mystery of life.

Why was there death and suffering in the world? What was the origin of evil? He became filled with a deep longing for justice, for a moral law that would allow mankind to lead a good life in peace. Tradition didn't provide any answers.

He turned his back on the world and retreated to a cave on a mountain, where he meditated for ten years. Communing with nature and his inner self he finally received enlightenment from Ahura Mazda, the Wise Lord. He left his life of seclusion and descended from the mountain. He was thirty years old and brought with him a new hope, a new way of life, which still has relevance to us four thousand years later.

Zarathustra, never assumed to be a prophet. He never claimed he had associated with God. He never ordered his followers to perform certain activities, but he recommended them to try to know the creator of the earth and heaven and adopt good manner, on the basis of their wisdom. Therefore, Zarathustra was neither a prophet, nor can one call his spiritual path a “religion,” in a narrow sense ,rather he was a thoughtful benevolent who recognized his God on the basis of his wisdom and never said he had been missioned to bring any message from God to human beings.

What is Zoroastrianism?
It’s one of the oldest monotheistic world “religion” in which three virtues are especially important. Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds, the latter held the highest in the order.

The sacred text is called the Avesta-E-Zend (Avesta), which comprises Gathas, songs or hymns composed by the Prophet Zarathustra.

Zoroastrianism has no iconoclastic tradition. Only the symbol of Faravahar or Farohar, signifies the final goal, which is to live in a manner befitting the progress of the soul towards enlightenment

A life of active good towards others; people, animals, nature, is at the heart of the religion. Happiness unto him who gives happiness unto others," said Zarathustra

The religion is based on the freedom of human beings to make their moral choices here on earth. Every individual has the twin spirits of good and evil in their minds, that form their dual nature. When we exercise our Better Mind, we create life and draw Ahura Mazda and His Divine Powers towards ourselves. When we use our Evil Mind, we enter a state of spiritual death. Confusion descends upon us and we rush towards wrath and bloodlust, by whose actions human existence is poisoned.

Our duty in life is to play our part in this great cosmic battle between Good and Evil. Our individual lives are the battlefield. Every decision we make, every choice of thought, word and deed, adds up.

It is perhaps difficult to appreciate the originality and courage of Zarathustra's thought today. So many prophets have come after him with similar proclamations. But if we place ourselves into the antiquity in which he lived, Zarathustra's religion was radically different to anything mankind had ever dreamt of thus far. Instead of a religion based on fear, Zarathustra's religion put a free, thinking, rational mind on center stage. It is the religion of free will par excellence.

Salvation for the individual depends on the sum of his/her thoughts, words and deeds and there can be no intervention by any divine being to alter this. No costly material sacrifices or rituals will change the way the individual is judged. Making our own choices, we alone have to bear the responsibility for our own souls.

Later religions, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, all borrowed from His teachings.

The sense of mystery around Zarathustra has persisted through history, even to the present day. Among the ancient Greeks the name of Zoroaster became synonymous with the mysterious wisdom of the east, though the gnostics who were using his name seldom thought of him as anything other than a magician.

Is Zoroastrian Monotheism Philosophy or Religion in History?
It is easy to answer this question. Inkling about zoroastrian philosophy shows that Zarathustra, never assumed prophethood. He never claimed he had associated with the Lord of cosmos whose width galaxy extends more than 36 milliard (36 thousand million), light year, which lies beyond our imagination. Zarathustra, never ordered his followers to perform certain activities, but he recommended them to try to know the creator of the earth and heaven and adopt good manner, on the basis of their wisdom. Therefore, Zarathustra was neither a prophet, nor we can call his spiritual path a “religion,” rather he was a thoughtful benevolent who recognized his God on the basis of his wisdom and never said he had been missioned to bring any message from God to human beings.

Rituals And Worship
The navjote, or initiation into the religion, takes place before puberty between the ages of seven and nine for both boys and girls. It is the first time that the child wears the "armor of the religion": the sudrah (shirt), kusti, which should then be worn every day for the rest of his/her life.
Zoroastrianism believes that children cannot tell the difference between right and wrong, and therefore cannot sin. Once children freely choose to be initiated, they become adults responsible for their own thoughts, words, deeds, which will determine the fate of their souls on judgment day.
The sudrah (shirt), to be worn next to the skin, is made of white cotton, usually thin muslin, (white being a symbol of purity) to remind the wearer that his/her deeds must be as pure and spotless as the sacred shirt they are wearing.
The kusti, the sacred cord, made of seventy-two threads of lambswool, is entwined thrice around the waist, again symbolically reminding the wearer of the holy triad of good words, thoughts and deeds. The untying and retying of the kusti, accompanied by the kusti prayers, is always done facing the direction of a source of light: the sun, the moon or a lamp
Parsis ritually do not leave the head uncovered and do not smoke. But there are no caste divisions, no religious restrictions about food. Their worship of fire is the highest and purest symbol of the Divinity. The Parsis have remained faithful to their Zoroastrian faith and are proud of their racial purity. Marriage with outsiders is rare.
The Parsis worship in fire temples. Fire is of very special significance to the Zoroastrians. It gives light, warmth and energy to the other six creations, and so creates life. The Atash Behram or the Holy Fire is the most important and the most sacred fire. The Prophet saw fire to be the physical representation of Asha (Order/Truth/ Righteousness), and as a source of light, warmth and life for his people. All the religious rituals (the performance of which is an important Zoroastrian duty),are
solemnized in the presence of fire, the life-energy
They do not cremate or bury the dead and instead leave their dead in Dakhma or the 'Towers of Silence' where they are devoured by vultures. This is done to ensure purity of the elements.

Holy places
There are eight Atash Behrams, or Victorious Fires in India. Four in Mumbai, Maharashtra - four in Gujarat, two in Surat, and the remaining in Udwada and Navsari. The Iranshah Atash Behram at Udwada is the oldest [720 AD] – the original fire brought by the fleeing Parsis from Iran and consecrated shortly after their arrival at Sanjan, India.
The village of Udwada is hence considered as a center of pilgrimage by the Parsis and is visited by thousands every year .

Living a Zoroastrian Life
Zarathushtra taught that since this world created is essentially good, man should live well and enjoy its bountiful gifts though always in moderation, as the states of excess and deficiency are deemed to be the workings of the Hostile Spirit.
Man, in Zoroastrianism, is encouraged to lead a good and prosperous life and hence monasticism, celibacy, fasting and the mortification of the body are anathema to the faith as they weaken man and thereby lessen his power to fight evil.
The prophet saw pessimism and despair as sins, in fact as yielding to evil. In his teachings, man is encouraged to lead an active, industrious, honest and above all, a happy and charitable life.

The After-Life Doctrine
Upon physical death (seen as a temporary triumph of evil) the soul will be judged at the Bridge of the Separator, where the soul will receive its reward or punishment based upon the balance of its thoughts, words and deeds. If found righteous, the soul will ascend to the abode of joy and light, whilst if wicked, it will descend into the depths of darkness and gloom. The latter state, however, is a temporary one, as there is no eternal damnation in Zoroastrianism.
There is a promise, then, of a series of saviors the Saoshyants, who will appear in the world and complete the triumph of good over evil. Evil will be rendered ineffective and Ahura Mazda, the Infinite One, will finally become truly Omnipotent in Endless Light. There will then take place, a general Last Judgement of all the souls awaiting redemption, followed by the Resurrection of the physical body, which will once again meet its spiritual counterpart, the soul. Time, as we know it, will cease to exist and the seven creations of Ahura Mazda will be gathered together in eternal blessedness in the Kingdom of Mazda, where everything, it is believed, will remain forever in a perfect state of joy.

Zarathustra in Modern Times

After translation of his writings became possible, he is no longer seen as a magician. with an esoteric name, the Zoroaster that arrived in Europe epitomized the burgeoning cry for enlightenment.

In Zarathustra many of the intellectuals thought they had found a dignified religious figure that was free from the historical baggage of Christianity. To Kant and Diderot, Zarathustra was a model of enlightenment tolerance and even the cynical Voltaire wrote a play called Zoroastre; wherein he had found in a pagan from the distant past a figure who had arrived at monotheism and morality without the aid of the orthodox church. Zarathustra also became the subject of
celebrated operas from Rameau and Mozart.

In the 19th century Nietsche was inspired by Zarathustra's example and placed his philosophy of the 'superman' in the mouth of the prophet, entitling his work Thus Spoke Zarathustra, though the prophet and the philosopher had little, if anything in common.

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