Mazdayasna: The Religion of Zarathustra according to the Gathas

Abstract

The subject of the article is the religion of Zoroaster according to the Gatas. Mazdayasna is not mentioned in the Gatas, but it is a name that describes Zoroaster’s religion well. The main source of the study is the Gatas. It is aimed to create a simple text with all the basic subjects of the religion based on the Gatas. Numerous studies have been conducted and ideas have been put forward about Zoroaster and his teachings. However, the main purpose of this study is to get rid of the confusion of the discussions and speculations made so far and to present the general framework of Zoroaster’s religion revealed in the Gatas in a holistic way. Thus, it is aimed to open the door to the possibility of looking at the post-Zoroaster period from a new and different perspective. The ultimate goal of the study is to establish the integrity of Zoroaster’s religion and to reveal that it has a system of its own. For this purpose, the subjects of creation, worldly life and the afterlife, which point to the system of the religion, are addressed holistically. Indeed, although there is little data in the Gatas, it has been understood that the harmony and parallels between creation and the afterlife and their relationship with worldly life indicate a system. A clear example of this is freedom of choice: the ability to choose in creation, and the ability of a person to choose truth or falsehood in worldly life and to receive the reward of his choice in the afterlife, indicates a system. However, due to the lack of data, some openness and deficiencies in the relationship between creation and the afterlife create gaps in the system. For example, there is no information about the beginning or creator of Twin Spirits and evil divine beings.