Zoroastrianism and democracy
These days, it is very common to come across the preposterous portrayal of present-day modern ideas and values into depictions and/or interpretations of the ancient Zoroastrian wisdom.
Such approach instead of depicting the ancient Zoroastrian sacred poetry in its objective historical context– views it through the lens of contemporary modern beliefs and creates a highly distorted understanding of the ancient sacred verses.
The ancient Zoroastrian sacred poetry and lore could only and only be understood in its comparative ancient Indo European context. Even ideas that are wholly novel and unique to Zoroastrianism could only be objectively grasped in their ancient Indo European and proto Indo European historical background.
Among such uncorroborated arguments is the proposition that Zoroastrianism advocates democracy and that “yatha ahu” formula is the principle of democracy!!!!!!
The poetic gathas start with the most sacred yathá ahü vairyö formula “the will to become godlike.” This formula is repeated innumerable times throughout Avesta “the book of unknown or hidden wisdom” and also prescribes the Zoroastrian form of government.
The first line of the most sacred verse reads: yathá ahü vairyö//athá ratüš ašát čit hačá “the will to become a god-being is realized through RATÜ whose soul knows the Truth of virtue, excellence and artistry “ašá.”
Ratü is the knower of riddles, rites and formulas, the wise counsel, spiritual leader/guide. Ratü has the figurative sense of “lead, guide” and the literal sense “counsel, rate, judge, reason.” We have here the notion of “reasoning, computing, deciphering, decoding and creative interpretation.”
Ratü is connected to Latin Ratiô, the technical term for “calculation, computation and right measure.”
Ratü comes from an ancient root that implies “reckoning, creative reasoning, thinking, understanding and finding the right order.” The root also denotes “recounting, telling, advising.”
We pass directly from the “willpower to become a god being or god-king” to that of “creative thinking for solving riddles and unraveling the right formula.”
Ratü conveys the notion of finding the key to or discovering the right formula to a puzzle” that is to say, “to creatively think/reason while assuming the responsibility of power/leadership.”
The poetic gathas and Zoroastrianism advocate the holding of power/leadership by “the uniquely brilliant/the best” selected on the basis of their creative judgment/reasoning. It is a form of government that places power/rule in the hands of a ruling class of experts. This regime is ruled by lovers of knowledge/discovery and thus is grounded on insight and creativity.
Per the Váršt-manßar commentary of Yasna 30.9, 3rd rhymed verse line of the poetic gathas; EVERY Zoroastrian has to choose a god-being (ahvö,) “patron spirit” or yazatá “adorable god-force” and a scholar ratuu or dastür as their spiritual counsel and authority on all questions except those so clearly and universally resolved as not to require expert guidance.
ardeshir
