VARUN,
VED AND ZOROASTRIANISM
Chapter
- 7
Varun
and Ahura Mazda :
It
is generally accepted that the Ahura Mazda of the Avesta is indeed
the Varun of Rig Ved. Before we come to that let’s talk of
few other things.
X.
Before parting of ways :
The
Old World :
78.1.
In the Vedic times the people on either side of the great river
Sindhu were closely related. The communities that lived in what
is Iran today and in what is Sind and Punjab today shared common
traditions, myths and legends as also a common cultural milieu.
Their faith, as also many of their religious rites were virtually
the same; and were often called by same or similar names. The language
spoken on either side of the great river; the words, grammar and
syntax of the idioms sprung from same roots.
78.2.
For, in those days what we now call the frontier between the two
lands—the imaginary line dividing people of imaginary differences—did
not exist; the Vedic people populated both Iran and India equally
freely. They established kingdoms, formed alliances, and created
common systems of: worship, living and trade; as also measurement
and mathematics. They developed ongoing cultural and trade contacts
with peoples of rival cultures as far away as Mesopotamia, Phoenicia
and even Egypt; and carried their language so far west that the
westernmost Isles of the Eurasian land mass came to be called “Eire”
after Arya the term used by these people to describe themselves.
The
gods and the priests :
78.3.
Of the gods worshipped on both the sides, Indra the Deva and Varun
the mighty Asura were prominent. The worship was commonly through
the medium of the formless fire (Agni); they prayed to Agni to lead
them along the good path (Agneye naya supatha rayé asman
– YajurVed 40.17). It appears that the older deity Varun
who upholds the moral order was more widely accepted in the western
region (Iran) while Indra the warrior god had more followers on
the east of the Sindhu. The priests guiding the communities on the
west of the great river were the Bhrigus (identified by some scholars
as the tribe of the Anu or Anva), while Angirasas were the priests
of the Puru people and of the dominant Bharatas on the eastern side.
There was certain amount of rivalry between the Bhrigus and the
Angirasas though both groups came from same stock (descendents of
Prajapathi). It was not, therefore, a conflict between two diverse
cultures. What separated the two clans was the conflict of ideas
and rivalry rather than as enmity. That rivalry went far back into
the pre-Vedic past. During the times of the early Rig Ved the Angirasas
were regarded the dominant priests, while the Bhrigus or the Atharvanas
synonymous with fire-priests were on the fringe.
The
Bhrigus :
79.1.
The Bhrigus, also known as Bhargavas, are the descendents of the
sage Bhrigu. The cult of the sage Bhrigu whose name derives from
the root bhrk meaning ‘the blazing of the fire’ professed
immense reverence towards the elements of fire on earth viz the
life and warmth-giving Sun and the Fire. Though all Rishis, in general,
have associations with these two elements, the Bhrigus’ attachment
to fire was a special one. They were the first to introduce the
fire-ritual and the Soma-ritual; and were the first to discover
the nexus between fire and water (Apam Napat).The Bhrigus were associated
with water as also fire. The fire-worshipping Bhrigus were close
to the life on seas, rivers. The vast stretch of the mouths of the
mighty Sindhu as it branched into number of rivulets to join the
occasion was the region of the Bhrigus. It is where they resided
and flourished. That is the reason that the present day Baruch was
known as Bhrigu-kaksha or Bhrigu kaccha the region of the Bhrigus.
79.2.
The Bhrigus followed the doctrine of the ancestors (pitris) or the
older gods (Asura). The Supreme Asura the Father -Varun the Asura
Mahat (the mighty Asura) was highly venerated by the Bhrigus. The
Bhrigu cult which adopted monotheistic approach wholly favoured
the worship of the invisible Asura the Father Varun through the
medium of the formless fire Agni that lights the path of the Fathers
(the fire does not have much of a form—at least not a static
one). They dis-favoured icon worship. The Bhrigus strived to abide
by Rta the physical and moral laws of Varun. And, insisted on sharp
distinctions between the good and evil.
79.3.
The main text of the Bhrigus was the Atharvana Ved. They were,
in particular, known as Atharvans. Sri Sayana-charya described the
Atharvanas as of firm resolve and steadfast mind. Elsewhere, Bhrigus
were described as very proud people, hot tempered and independent.
It is said; they valued free thinking more than the rules. Bhrigus
were also the expert physicians, mathematicians, architects and
artists. The Bhrigus compiled their almanac with reference to the
star by the name of their preceptor Shukra (Venus)) [as did the
ancient Egyptians, Mayas, Incas, Assyrians, and Babylonians].
The
Angirasas :
80.1.
In contrast, the Angirasas who professed worship of younger gods
(Deva) were the preceptors of the Puru Aryans the heroes of Rig
Ved on the east of the Sindhu. The name Angirasa too is connected
with fire as the ‘glowing coal or the shouldering ember’
(Angara).The Angirasas are described as the sons of the flame resembling
the lustre of the dawn and as the drinkers of Soma. They are hailed
as the warriors, the fighters for the cows or rays of sun (gosu
yodhaah); and are credited with gaining back the cows, the horses,
the waters and all treasures from the grasp of the sons of Darkness.
Their association with the Dawn and the Sun and the Cows comes through
in several ways.
80.2.
Angirasas were dexterous users of words and were superb poets. They
are the masters of the Rik who expressed their thought with clarity
and brightness (svaadhibhir rkvabhih – RV: 6. 32.2).Their
poetry is charged with high idealism, soaring human aspirations
and an intense desire to grow out of the limited human confines.
Angirasa are said to have composed the very first verse of the Rig
Ved, the hymn to Agni.
80.3.
The Angirasas were more closely associated with mountains, hills,
dales, vast open spaces; and were mainly in the foothill regions
of the Himalayas. They were more attuned to contemplation and pursuit
of knowledge (than wealth and pleasure). They adopted the yajna
and soma practices from the Bhrigus. The Angirasas compiled their
almanac with reference to star bearing the name of their preceptor
Brihaspathi, Guru (Jupiter) [as did the people of ancient Chinese,
Japanese, Malaya, Indonesia, etc].
Bhrigu
–Angirasa rift :
81.1.
Though both the Bhrigus and Angirasas were closely associated with
fire, the Bhrigus in particular came to be known as the Atharvanas-
the high priests who worship fire. Further, though both Bhrigus
and Angirasas performed Yajna with great fervour, the latter tended
to personify the gods and to lend them a form (murtha).This tendency
to shift towards worship the formless through a personalized form
or an idol (murti) seems to have displeased the Bhrigus and exacerbated
the rift between the two great sages and their followers. The Bhrigus
on the west of the Sindhu asserted their method of worship was pristine
and their gods who were more ancient (Asura). The Angirasas on the
other hand believed that the younger gods (Deva) were more dynamic,
powerful and more responsive to prayers. Each group tended to look
down upon the other; and to decry the gods of the rival cult.
81.2.
The rise of Indra the king of Devas and the steep decline of Varun
the Asura and his eventual eclipse in the Vedic pantheon had lot
to do with widening the rift between the clans of the two sages.
Varun in the early Rig Ved was a highly venerated god. He was hailed
as the sole sovereign sky-god; the powerful Asura, the King of both
men and gods, and of all that exists. He governed the laws of nature
as also the ethical conduct of men. But with time, Varun was steadily
stripped of his powers one-by-one and relegated to a very minor
rank. Further, one of the most fundamental aspects of Varun the
Rta, which signified the greatest good not merely ensured the physical
order but also the moral order in the universe, was given a goby.
81.3.
The shabby treatment meted out to Varun the Asura Mahat, the watering
down the laws of Varun the Rta offended the Bhrigu clan greatly.
Bhrigu was after all the son of Varun.
The
Bhrigus professed monotheism and formless worship of Varun; and
stood by Rta. Even while the battles of minds and hearts were being
waged the rival groups lived side by side.
Y.
Rift formalized :
Separation
of Books :
82.1.
The rift between the two clans was more or less formalized when
the composite text Atharvana Ved, also called Bhrigu – Angirasa
Samhita, was split into two books along the lines of their affiliations:
the Bhargava Ved (the Ved of the Bhrigus) and Angirasa Ved (the
Ved of the Angirasa).It is believed that the Atharva Ved which
has come down to us in India is, in fact, only one-half of the original
text – the Angirasa Ved part. The other half the Bhargava
Ved is lost to us.
82.2.
Shri Jatindra Mohan Chatterji argues that the Bhrigus whose notions
of God, of his worship and of the moral order were not well accepted
in the east took with them their sacred text Bhargava Ved over
to the west of the Sindhu River. Shri Chatterji says that Zend Avesta
is the Bhargava Ved text that was lost to India. He asserts that
the Bhargava Ved the missing Book of the Bhrigu Angirasa Samhita
is indeed the Zend Avesta (The Hymns of Atharvan Zarathustra –
Published by The Parsi Zoroastrian Association, Calcutta, 1967).
82.3.
Thus, the Indo-Iranians became divided into two groups of people
on the basis of the method of worship and accent on certain principles.
And it is apparently this division that led to the breakup of the
original Aryan Land into two parts: Iran and India. In the process,
both countries lost something. Iran, on the one hand, lost the Rig
Ved, with its hymns in praise of Indra and along with it the Saman
and Yajus as well. India, on the other hand, lost half of the Atharva
Ved, namely the Bhragava Samhita or Bhargava Ved. Thereafter due
to vicissitudes and ironies of history the two lands could never
come together again. They, sadly, remain separated- forever.
82.4.
When the Aryan community was undivided the terms Asura and Deva
both denoted gods of high respect. The gods were referred to Asura
as also Deva. But with the parting of their ways each tribe accorded
its own chosen words of abuse to the terms Asura or Deva, depending
on to which side of the Sindhu they belonged.
Z
…. And after :
Language
of the Avesta and Vedic Sanskrit :
83.1.
The Zend Avesta (chhanda = verse, meter; Avesta = apistaka = pusthaka)
literally means the Book of Hymns, which indeed was the nature of
the Bhragava Samhita or Bhargava Ved. Shri JM Chatterji observes
that the language of the Avesta and the language of the Veds resemble
very closely since they are based in a common linguistic foundation.
It
is said; their relation is so close that entire passages from the
Gathas can be rendered into Vedic Sanskrit by application of the
phonetic rules – that is by exchanging some sounds for others-
such as S for Sh; Z for Zh; and ,C for Ch. For instance; the Sanskrit
terms aham (‘I’), jihva (tounge), sapta (seven), hima
(snow) and yajna (sacrifice ritual) would become ajem, hijva, hapta,
zyma, and yasna, respectively, in the Iranian texts. Similarly Pita
(Sk) would be Pitar (Av); Mans (Sk) – Manah (Av); Hotar (Sk)
– Zotar (Av); Mitra (Sk) – Mithra (Av); Arya (Sk)-Ariyan
(Av); and, Martyanam (Sk) – Masyanam (Av) and so on. Such
rendering can produce verses in Sanskrit that are correct not only
in form but also in poetic flow. Further, some terms – e.g.
Shukra (bright), Krishna (dark) – carry the same form and
meaning in either text.
83.2.
One could find a Sanskrit equivalent for almost any Avestan word.
For instance: The Avesthan : aevo pantao yo ashahe, vispe anyaesham
apantam (Yasna 72.11); could be rendered in Sanskrit as : abade
pantha he ashae, visha anyaesham apantham (translation: The one
path is that of Asha, all others are not-paths).
Another
example (left) of Avestan text from Yasna 10.6 is rendered word
for word in Sanskrit on the right. Translated it means: `Mithra
that strong mighty angel, most beneficent to all creatures, I will
worship with libations’
![](yasna_10_6_sk.jpg)
83.3.
The Cambridge History of India observes, “The coincidence
between the Avesta and the Rig-Ved is so striking that the two
languages cannot have been long separated before they arrived at
their present condition.” The linguist, Professor T. Burrow
of Oxford University also argued for strong similarities between
language of Avesta and Vedic Sanskrit. And, HD Griswold (in his
The Religion of the Rig Ved) went so far as to point out that each
can be said to be “a commentary on the other … No scholar
of the Avesta worth the designation can do without a thorough grounding
in Vedic Sanskrit”.
Similarities
and differences between Rig Vedic Sanskrit and Avestan.
Source
: Encyclopedia Britannica.
The
long and short varieties of the Indo-European vowels e, o, and a,
for example, appear as long and short a: Sanskritmanas- “mind,
spirit,” Avestanmanah-, but Greek ménos “ardour,
force; Greek pater “father,” Sanskrit pitr-, Avestan
and Old Persian pitar-.
After
stems ending in long or short a, i, or u, an n occurs sometimes
before the genitive (possessive) plural ending am (Avestan -am)—e.g.,
Sanskrit martyanam “of mortals, men” (from martya-);
Avestan mašyanam (from mašya-); Old Persian martiyanam.In
addition to several other similarities in their grammatical systems,
Indo-Aryan and Iranian have vocabulary items in common—e.g.,
such religious terms as Sanskrit yajña-, Avestan yasna- “sacrifice”;
and Sanskrit hotr-,zaotar- “a certain priest”; as well
as names of divinities and mythological persons, such as Sanskrit
mitra-, Avestan miqra- “Mithra.”
Indeed,
speakers of both language subgroups used the same word to refer
to themselves as a people: Sanskrit arya-, Avestan airya-, Old Persian
ariya- “Aryan.” Avestan.
The
Indo-Aryan and Iranian language subgroups also differ duhitr- “daughter”
(cf. Greek thugáter). In Iranian, however, the sound is lost
in this position; e.g., Avestan dugdar-, dudar-. Similarly, the
word for “deep” is Sanskrit gabhira- (with i for i),
but Avestan jafra-. Iranian also lost the accompanying aspiration
(a puff of breath, written as h) that is retained in certain Indo-Aryan
consonants; e.g., Sanskrit dha “set, make,” bhr, “bear,”
gharma- “warm,” but Avestan and Old Persian da, bar,
and Avestan garma-.
Further,
Iranian changed stops such as p before consonants and r and v to
spirants such as f: Sanskrit pra “forth,” Avestan fra;
Old Persian fra; Sanskrit putra- “son,” Avestan puqra-,
Old Persian pusa- (s represents a sound that is also transliterated
as ç).
In
addition, h replaced s in Iranian except before non-nasal stops
(produced by releasing the breath through the mouth) and after i,
u, r, k; e.g., Avestan hapta- “seven,” Sanskrit sapta-;
Avestan haurva- “every, all, whole,” Sanskrit sarva-.
Iranian also has both xš and š sounds, resulting from
different Indo-European k sounds followed by s-like sounds, but
Indo-Aryan has only ks; e.g., Avestan xšayeiti “has power,
is capable,” šaeiti “dwells,” but Sanskrit
ksayati, kseti. Iranian was also relatively conservative in retaining
diphthongs that were changed to simple vowels in Indo-Aryan.Iranian
differs from Indo-Aryan in grammatical features as well.
The
dative singular of -a-stems ends in -ai in Iranian; e.g., Avestan
mašyai, Old Persian cartanaiy “to do” (an original
dative singular form functioning as infinitive of the verb).
In
Sanskrit the ending is extended with a—martyay-a. Avestan
also retains the archaic pronoun forms yuš, yuzm “you”
(nominative plural); in Indo-Aryan the -s- was replaced by y (yuyam)
on the model of the 1st person plural—vayam “we”
(Avestan vaem, Old Persian vayam).
Finally,
Iranian has a 3rd person pronoun di (accusative dim) that has no
counterpart in Indo-Aryan but has one in Baltic.]
Zend
Avesta and the Gathas :
84.1.
Zend Avesta is the oldest and the most famous religious text of
Iran. As mentioned earlier, it is believed to be a version of the
Vedic text Bhrigu Ved of the Atharva Ved. The Avesta comprises
four books: Yasna (book of hymns), Yashta (book of prayers), visparatau
(book of Rta or righteousness) and vidaevadata (book of laws). The
hymns composed by the prophet Zarathustra are inserted into the
original text of the Avesta in the Book of Yasna. His hymns –
Gatha (Gita or songs) numbering seventeen consisting 238 verses
are indeed the core and cream of the Avesta despite the fact that
they form only a tiny portion of the whole text. These Gathas of
inspired poetry composed in ancient form were sung by Zarathustra
the poet-prophet to invoke and glorify the Great God Ahura Mazda.
They are highly devotional in nature expounding the essence of Rta
(Asha) the greatest good, the good mind (voshu) and righteousness.
They also reveal the mind and the personality of Zarathustra the
first prophet of mankind. He exhorts people to lead a life of righteousness
as directed by Ahura Mazda.
The
Gathas also contain biographical glimpses of Zarathustra.
Zarathustra
:
![](zarathustra2.jpg)
85.1.
The traditions of Iran believe that Ratu (Rishi) Zarathustra descended
from a long line of sage-kings (Raja-rishi). Zarathustra describes
himself : as of the Bhrigu clan, a Bhargava ‘ I am Spitama
Zarathustra’ (the Avestan term Spitatama = shukla (Snkt) =
white which is the colour associated with Bhrigu); as in the line
of sage Vashishtha (Vahishta in the Avesta: Vahishtem Thwa Vahishta
yem); as an Atharvan (fire priest); as a Zoatar (hotar (Snkt)= priest
officiating at the yajna) ; as a reciter of Mantras (Mantrono dutim
–Ys.32.13) ; and as a Mantra teacher (Manthra-ne :Ys.50.5).
85.2.
He declares that “silent meditation is the best for man”
(Ys.43.15); and exhorts to worship the formless-one “in essence
and in vision’ (Ys.33.71). He was not very fond of rites and
rituals; and was positively against worship of icons. Zarathustra
proclaimed his immense faith in the Great One; and said that the
formless Supreme can be realized through intense Love alone (in
the sense of deep Bhakthi) –“, O Ahura, Who Art the
Greatest Good; with love would I worship Thee” (Gatha: 28.82).
According to Shri JM Chatterji, Zarathustra was a Vedic sage in
the line of Bhrigu and Vashista; and the Gathas resemble in tenor
and spirit the devote and forceful hymns sung in praise of Varun
by sage Vashista in the Atharva Ved (AV.4.16.7-8).
85.3.
Scholars believe that Zarathustra lived during the late Vedic age
when Varun was being phased out; when he was no longer the greatest
god; and when Indra ruled as the king of gods. Given the fact that
he lived in the regions west of the Sindhu and that he belonged
to the Bhrigu-clan, Zarathustra was naturally inclined towards the
worship of Varun the formless Great Asura. There is therefore in
Zarathustra’s hymns a strong streak of monotheism; great love
for his God; immense faith in prayers and in God’s mercy;
and a very clear and a precise moral sense of the right and the
wrong.
Ahura
Mazda :
86.1.
Zarathustra declared there is only one God and He is formless. He
is the only one worthy of highest worship. Zarathustra gave that
‘formless mighty spirit’ one and only one name: Ahura
Mazda. Zarathustra’s monotheism is so strict and uncompromising
that never in his Gathas does he address or refer to his God by
any other name. And, he declared ‘Ahura Mazda alone is worthy
of worship’ (Gatha: 29.4).
86.2.
The terms Ahura (Asura= the formless mighty lord) and Mazda (Mahat
= Greatest; or Medha = Vedhas = wise) were already in use and well
known in the eastern regions of Iran as alternate names of the ancient
god Varun. The virtues and attributes of Varun were also well known.
But, ever since Zarathustra employed the compound term -Ahura Mazda
– it became widely accepted in preference to the earlier name
Varun.
86.3.
Ahura Mazda was conceived as a formless invisible God. The prime
attribute of the invisible God is his essence. Zarathustra visualized
his God in his heart and mind; and described him in varieties of
ways. Zarathustra sang the glory of his God Ahura Mazda the spirit
in his being as :
the
uncreated God; the mighty formless spirit; highest deity; wholly
wise, benevolent and good; Most beneficent spirit; Maker of the
material world; Holy One; the creator and upholder of the moral
order Asha (Rta); All-Wise Lord of All He Surveys; the source of
all goodness; the friend of the righteous, the destroyer of the
evil and the creator of the universe which is completely good.
86.4.
He bursts into a series of superlatives: the All Brilliant; the
All Majestic; the All Greatest;;the Greatest Good; Most Beneficent
Spirit; the Best(Vahishtem); and the Most Beautiful (Ys: 31 .21).
86.5.
Zarathustra describes Ahura Mazda in as many as one hundred-and-one
epithets, of which the forty-fourth is Varun. In the Avesta, Varun
stands for the ‘all –embracing sky’.
86.6.
Ahura Mazda was invoked in a triad, with Mithra and Apam Napat (described
as the spirit of the waters). Ahura Mazda was not worshiped through
a murti or an idol; in fact, the idols were smitten in the congregations.
[Till
the Achaemenid period (ca. 550–330 BC) it was customary for
the emperors to have an empty chariot drawn by white horses to honour
Ahura Mazda. However, stone carved Images of Ahura Mazda began to
appear in the Parathion period (ca.129 BC-224 AD).]
86.7.
Further, In the Gathas where the battle between good and evil is
a distinguishing characteristic of the religion, the Daevas (Devas
the Vedic gods) are the “wrong gods”, the followers
of whom need to be brought back to the path of the ‘good religion’.
Ahura
Mazda and Varun :
87.1.
Scholars, who have studied the Gathas closely, observe the virtues,
powers and attributes of Ahura Mazda and that of Varun of the Rig
Ved are almost identical. Many strongly believe that Ahura Mazda
is indeed the Varun. For instance, Bloomfield (in his Hymns of the
Atharva-Ved, Sacred Books of the East, 1897) declared: “It
seems to me an almost unimaginable feat of scepticism to doubt the
original identity of Varun and Mazda”. And, similarly Nichol
Manicol (Indian Theism, London, 1915) observed that “the evidence
that identifies Varun with Mazda is too strong to be rejected”.
Rta
and Asha :
We
need to talk a bit more about Rta the very heart of Varun-doctrine
and hence the core of Zarathustra’s Gathas.
88.1.
Rta in Rig Ved is the principle that supports and upholds all creation;
it governs the physical and moral order in the universe. Rta in
the Avesta is termed Asha; and Asha carries the same connotation
as Rta. Asha the greatest good of all is the basic and the most
important tenet of the Avesta. The term Asha occurs in the Avesta
texts in a variety of forms such as: asha, arsh, eresh, arta and
ereta.
88.2.
Asha is raised to a very exalted position; to the level of Ahura
Mazda himself. Ahura Mazda is described as ‘of one accord
with Asha’; and as one ‘who is highest in Asha, and
one who has advanced furthest in Asha.’
Asha
is the changeless eternal law of Ahura .It was in accordance with
that law that the universe came into being; it is by Asha that the
universe is sustained; and it is by obeying which universe is progressing
towards its destiny and fulfilment.
As
the moral order in the Universe, Asha signifies righteousness, Truth,
Justice and Divine will. Asha is also the spiritual enlightenment.
As it usually happens, it is hard to find an exact term in English
language to capture an Indian concept. It is the case with Rta and
Asha too.
88.3.
A prayer calls out Asha as “the Love, the greatest Love and
the enlightenment of he who honours Asha just for the love of it”;
and yearns “Through the best Asha, through the highest Asha,
may we get a vision of Thee O Ahura Mazda, may we draw near unto
Thee, may we be in perfect union with Thee” (Ys.60.12).Finally
“there is but one path…the path of Asha; all the rest
are false” (Ys.71.11)
Great
Reformer :
89.1.
Zarathustra was not only a great prophet but was also a great reformer.
He did not overthrow the older Vedic region and its beliefs. Instead,
he reformed the ancient religion and lent it a definite sense of
direction. [In a way, the religion of Zarathustra is closer to the
Vedic religion than is the Buddhism.]
89.2.
Zarathustra re-established Varun and his doctrine of moral order,
of Love and of faith in God. He placed the formless and unseen,
the one and only God at the centre of kingdom of justice. He emphasized
the dichotomy of the good and bad; the value systems and the wisdom
in life. He asked his people to Love God and the Truth for its own
sake. He played down the role of rituals and encouraged contemplation;
exhorted to worship the formless God ‘in essence and vision’
and to seek him in silent meditation.
89.3.
Varun symbolized purity in life in all its aspects. Zarathustra
sought to re-establish in his land the sense of purity as also the
values and the wisdom of the ancient Great and Noble God Varun.
[
I fondly recall my dear departed friend Dorabjee ( whose story you
read earlier; if you have not , please do read now my tribute to
an old friend ) . It was Dorabjee who during my early years in Bombay
led me to acquaintance with the Gathas of Zarathustra and to the
realization how close they were to the hymns of Atharva Ved. I
trust my friend, wherever he is, would not be displeased with my
effort.]
References
and Sources :
1.
Indra and Varuna in Indian Mythology by Dr. Usha Choudhuri; Nag
Publishers, Delhi, 1981
2.
The Indian Theogony by Dr.Sukumari Bhattarcharji, Cambridge University
Press, 1970
3.
Asura in early Vedic religion by WE Hale; Motilal Banarsidass; Delhi,
1986
4.
Goddesses in ancient India by PK Agrawala; Abhinav Publications,
New Delhi,1984
5.
The Hymns of Atharvan Zarathustra by JM Chatterji; the Parsi Zoroastrian
Association, Calcutta, 1967
www.avesta.org
6.
Outlines of Indian Philosophy –Prof M Hiriyanna; Motilal Banarsidass,
Delhi, 2005
7.Original
Sanskrit texts on the 0rigin and history of the people of India,
their region and institution By J. Muir;Trubner & co., London,
1870.
8.
A classical dictionary of Hindu mythology and religion, geography,
history, and literature byJohn Dowson; Turner & co, Ludgate
hill. 1879.
9.
Vaidika Sahitya Charitre by Dr. NS Anantharangachar; DVK Murthy,
Mysore, 1968
10.
Sri Brahmiya Chitra Karma sastram by Dr. G. Gnanananda
11.
Zarathustra Chapters 1-6 by Ardeshir Mehta; February 1999
Websites
:
indiayogi.com
bookrags.com
bookrags.com
hinduweb.org
rashmun.sulekha.com
newworldencyclopedia.org
indiadivine.org
svabhinava.org
en.wikipedia.org
iamronen.com
hummaa.com