Vedic Connection in Zoroastrianism
It has been observed that present-day Hindus worship the devas as gods and the asuras as demons, while in present-day Zoroastrianism this dichotomy is reversed.
In the Rig Veda, the asuras were considered the "older Gods". This is also evident in Zoroaster's Gathas, with additionally the daevas being the "wrong gods", the followers of whom were to be brought back on the path of the 'good religion'.
The ancestors of both branches worshiped the same set of divinities. Later, it seems, one group came to favor one set and the other group favored the other, leading to rivalry between the two groups, and a crystallization of the individual sets into what then became the asuras/ahuras versus the devas/daevas. This stage is still evident in both the Rig Veda and in the earliest texts of the Avesta.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrianismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroaster
The oldest sacred texts of both religions have a similar grammar, structure and style, and share words and phrases. The language of the Gathas (the oldest hymns of the Zoroastrian collection of texts known as the Avesta) and the language of the Rig Veda are similar to the point that many translations of Gathic Avestan were made by scholars of Vedic Sanskrit.
From Brahma Puran
Kashyapa married thirteen of Daksha’s daughters
Their names were:
Aditi
Diti
Danu
Arishta
Surasa
Khasa
Surabhi
Vinata
Tamra
Krodhavasha
Ida
Kadru
Muni
Aditi’s sons were the twelve gods known as the adityas
Their names were
Vishnu
Shakra
Aryama
Dhata
Vidhata
Tvashta
Pusha
Vivasvana
Savita
Mitravaruna
Amsha
Bhaga
Diti’s sons were the daityas or Asuras
They were named Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakshipu, and amongst their descendants were several other powerful daityas like Vali and Vanasura.
Diti also had a daughter named Simhika who was married to a danava (demon) named Viprachitti.
According to Vedic Histories both Devas and Asuras were Sons of Rishi Kahsyap.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashyap
Some people says that Caspian Sea is named after him only.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspian_Sea
Caspian seas border Iraq also which is suppose to be the home of the Asuras.
Some Cities (with typical Sanskrit name) near the Caspian Sea:
Astara, Azerbaijan
Lankaran, Azerbaijan
Ramsar, Iran
Some more information can be found on the following links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asurahttp://angkorblog.com/_wsn/page17.html
Asuras in Buddhism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asura_%28Buddhism%29
Some more similarities
1) Yama (in the Vedas) or Yima (in the Avesta) is a name common to both religious systems. Yama/Yima was born from Vishswat/Vivanghat. In both religions he is a judge and a king.
2) In the Vedas, rta is the cosmic order of the universe, violation of which is druh. In the Avesta, asha is literally 'truth', opposed to by druj, literally 'falsehood'.
3) In Zoroastrianism, asha is protected by Mithra. In Vedic religions, Mitra is a protector of rta.
4) In Sankskrit, oblation ("sacrifice") is yajna while in Avestan it is yasna. Ritual oblation is common to both Vedic religion and Zoroastrianism.
5) The oldest sacred texts of both religions have a similar grammar, structure and style, and indeed share words and phrases.
6) The language of the Gathas (the oldest hymns of the Zoroastrian collection of texts known as the Avesta) and the language of the Rig Veda are similar to the point that many translations of Gathic Avestan were made by scholars of Vedic Sanskrit.
7) Like the Rigvedic Aryans, the ancient Iranians worshipped gods like Mitra, Vayu, Verutraghna.
They also wore the sacred thread and worshipped fire.
9) They had a social organization that was in some ways similar to the Vedic occupation based social system.Zoroaster the founder of Zoroastrianism preached a doctrine of monotheism but he did not accept the monotheistic God [Visnu] of the Vedas.
Zoroaster instead put forward the worship of the Asuras [demons] and proposed Ahura [Asura] Mazda as the Supreme Deity. Zoroaster also created other anti-Vedic conceptions to embellish his new religion and Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains them in Tattva-viveka:
"Zarathustra [Zoroaster] is a very ancient philosopher. When his philosophy found no honor in India, Zarathustra preached in Iran. It was by the influence of Zarathustra’s ideas that Satan, an equally powerful rival to God, made his imaginary appearance first in the religion of the Jews and then in the religion based on the Koran. Then, influenced by Zarathustra's idea of two Gods, the idea of three gods, or a ‘Trinity’ made its appearance in the religion [Christianity] that had come from the Jewish religion.
"At first, three separate gods were concocted in the philosophy of Trinity. Later, learned scholars were no longer satisfied with this, so they made a compromise stating that these three concocted gods were God, the Holy Ghost, and Christ." (Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Tattva-viveka 1/21)
http://www.gosai.com/krishna-talk/61-real-religion-not-man-made.html
10) In Vedic religion, religious law is dharma, the path to be taken. In Zoroastrianism, the word 'religion' is literally and hypostatically daena (Avestan, Pahlavi: den, Modern Persian: din).
11) In both Zoroastrianism as in Vedic religions, a disciple is allowed to practice their devotion in anyway as long as it is non-violent and giving praise to a good spirit.
Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam (Katha Upanisad 2.2.13) means that God has many forms and that any form can be worshipped. Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita further said that no matter to whom the prayers are directed, they all go to Him. Similar ideas also exist in Zoroastrianism.Ram in Avesta
Vayu the Lord of Long Duration (that is, the Angel Ram)http://www.avesta.org/dhalla/nyaish1.htmRam (the ancient Vayu) represent the wind.http://www.farvardyn.com/zoroaster6.php
Lord Hanuman is also associated with Vayu as 'Pavanputra'. The Ramayana deals with the relationship between Ram and Hanuman.Arash or Arjuna
Âraŝ, the Archer is a heroic archer of the Persian mythology. Being celebrated by poets such as Ferdowsi, the name Âraŝ is one of the most popular in the Persian-speaking world.
It is asserted by some sources that the legend of "Ārash, the Parthian Archer" in Persian mythology bears some resemblance to that of Arjuna; this is cited by some as being reminiscent of a shared Indo-Iranian heritage. However, Arjun is an integral part of the Mahabharata and one of its lead characters. The other central characters in the story are not mentioned in the story of Arash. Lastly, Indian scientists have discovered what they claim to be Dwaraka, or Krishna's city, indicating that the Mahabharata may indeed have a link to actual events in Indian history, as opposed to being a mythological tale.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arash_%28mythology%29
Arjuna is one of the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. His name means 'bright', 'shining', or 'silver'. The third of the five Pandava brothers, Arjuna was one of the children borne by Kunti, first wife of Pandu.
He bears a total of ten names: Arjun. Phaalgun. Jishnu, Keerti, Shewetvaahan, Vibhatsu, Vijaya, Paarth, Savyashachee (also referred as Sabyasachi), and Dhanajaya.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partha
Parthia was a civilization situated in the northeast of modern Iran, but at its height covering all of Iran proper, as well as regions of the modern countries of Armenia, Iraq, Georgia, eastern Turkey, eastern Syria, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Kuwait, the Persian Gulf coast of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and UAE.
Parthia was led by the Arsacid dynasty, who reunited and ruled over the Iranian plateau, taking over the eastern provinces of the Seleucid Empire, beginning in the late 3rd century BC, and intermittently controlled Mesopotamia between ca 150 BC and AD 224. It was the third native dynasty of ancient Iran (after the Median and the Achaemenid dynasties).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthia
Asha/ Arta Vahishta and Yoga Vasistha
Asha/ Arta Vahishta:
Asha (aša) or arta is the Avestan language term for a concept of "cardinal importance" to Zoroastrian theology and doctrine. In the moral sphere, aša/arta represents what has been called "the decisive confessional concept of Zoroastrianism."
The significance of the term is complex, with a highly nuanced range of meaning. It is commonly summarized in accord with its contextual implications of 'truth' and 'right(eousness)', 'order' and 'right working'.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asha_VahishtaYoga Vasistha:
It is said that this book alone can lead to spiritual liberation. The profound conversation between Sage Vasistha and Prince Rama is of that between a great enlightened sage and a seeker who is about to reach completeness. This is amongst those rare conversations which directly leads to Truth. The truths, wonders and mysteries of Reality are revealed in a fabulous and grandiose way by Sage Vasistha.
From time immemorial until now, this scripture is a well of wealth from which several understandings, scientific ideas, philosophies and perceptions have been realised.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga_vasistha
It has been observed that present-day Hindus worship the devas as gods and the asuras as demons, while in present-day Zoroastrianism this dichotomy is reversed.
In the Rig Veda, the asuras were considered the "older Gods". This is also evident in Zoroaster's Gathas, with additionally the daevas being the "wrong gods", the followers of whom were to be brought back on the path of the 'good religion'.
The ancestors of both branches worshiped the same set of divinities. Later, it seems, one group came to favor one set and the other group favored the other, leading to rivalry between the two groups, and a crystallization of the individual sets into what then became the asuras/ahuras versus the devas/daevas. This stage is still evident in both the Rig Veda and in the earliest texts of the Avesta.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrianismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroaster
The oldest sacred texts of both religions have a similar grammar, structure and style, and share words and phrases. The language of the Gathas (the oldest hymns of the Zoroastrian collection of texts known as the Avesta) and the language of the Rig Veda are similar to the point that many translations of Gathic Avestan were made by scholars of Vedic Sanskrit.
From Brahma Puran
Kashyapa married thirteen of Daksha’s daughters
Their names were:
Aditi
Diti
Danu
Arishta
Surasa
Khasa
Surabhi
Vinata
Tamra
Krodhavasha
Ida
Kadru
Muni
Aditi’s sons were the twelve gods known as the adityas
Their names were
Vishnu
Shakra
Aryama
Dhata
Vidhata
Tvashta
Pusha
Vivasvana
Savita
Mitravaruna
Amsha
Bhaga
Diti’s sons were the daityas or Asuras
They were named Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakshipu, and amongst their descendants were several other powerful daityas like Vali and Vanasura.
Diti also had a daughter named Simhika who was married to a danava (demon) named Viprachitti.
According to Vedic Histories both Devas and Asuras were Sons of Rishi Kahsyap.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashyap
Some people says that Caspian Sea is named after him only.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspian_Sea
Caspian seas border Iraq also which is suppose to be the home of the Asuras.
Some Cities (with typical Sanskrit name) near the Caspian Sea:
Astara, Azerbaijan
Lankaran, Azerbaijan
Ramsar, Iran
Some more information can be found on the following links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asurahttp://angkorblog.com/_wsn/page17.html
Asuras in Buddhism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asura_%28Buddhism%29
Some more similarities
1) Yama (in the Vedas) or Yima (in the Avesta) is a name common to both religious systems. Yama/Yima was born from Vishswat/Vivanghat. In both religions he is a judge and a king.
2) In the Vedas, rta is the cosmic order of the universe, violation of which is druh. In the Avesta, asha is literally 'truth', opposed to by druj, literally 'falsehood'.
3) In Zoroastrianism, asha is protected by Mithra. In Vedic religions, Mitra is a protector of rta.
4) In Sankskrit, oblation ("sacrifice") is yajna while in Avestan it is yasna. Ritual oblation is common to both Vedic religion and Zoroastrianism.
5) The oldest sacred texts of both religions have a similar grammar, structure and style, and indeed share words and phrases.
6) The language of the Gathas (the oldest hymns of the Zoroastrian collection of texts known as the Avesta) and the language of the Rig Veda are similar to the point that many translations of Gathic Avestan were made by scholars of Vedic Sanskrit.
7) Like the Rigvedic Aryans, the ancient Iranians worshipped gods like Mitra, Vayu, Verutraghna.
They also wore the sacred thread and worshipped fire.
9) They had a social organization that was in some ways similar to the Vedic occupation based social system.Zoroaster the founder of Zoroastrianism preached a doctrine of monotheism but he did not accept the monotheistic God [Visnu] of the Vedas.
Zoroaster instead put forward the worship of the Asuras [demons] and proposed Ahura [Asura] Mazda as the Supreme Deity. Zoroaster also created other anti-Vedic conceptions to embellish his new religion and Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains them in Tattva-viveka:
"Zarathustra [Zoroaster] is a very ancient philosopher. When his philosophy found no honor in India, Zarathustra preached in Iran. It was by the influence of Zarathustra’s ideas that Satan, an equally powerful rival to God, made his imaginary appearance first in the religion of the Jews and then in the religion based on the Koran. Then, influenced by Zarathustra's idea of two Gods, the idea of three gods, or a ‘Trinity’ made its appearance in the religion [Christianity] that had come from the Jewish religion.
"At first, three separate gods were concocted in the philosophy of Trinity. Later, learned scholars were no longer satisfied with this, so they made a compromise stating that these three concocted gods were God, the Holy Ghost, and Christ." (Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Tattva-viveka 1/21)
http://www.gosai.com/krishna-talk/61-real-religion-not-man-made.html
10) In Vedic religion, religious law is dharma, the path to be taken. In Zoroastrianism, the word 'religion' is literally and hypostatically daena (Avestan, Pahlavi: den, Modern Persian: din).
11) In both Zoroastrianism as in Vedic religions, a disciple is allowed to practice their devotion in anyway as long as it is non-violent and giving praise to a good spirit.
Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam (Katha Upanisad 2.2.13) means that God has many forms and that any form can be worshipped. Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita further said that no matter to whom the prayers are directed, they all go to Him. Similar ideas also exist in Zoroastrianism.Ram in Avesta
Vayu the Lord of Long Duration (that is, the Angel Ram)http://www.avesta.org/dhalla/nyaish1.htmRam (the ancient Vayu) represent the wind.http://www.farvardyn.com/zoroaster6.php
Lord Hanuman is also associated with Vayu as 'Pavanputra'. The Ramayana deals with the relationship between Ram and Hanuman.Arash or Arjuna
Âraŝ, the Archer is a heroic archer of the Persian mythology. Being celebrated by poets such as Ferdowsi, the name Âraŝ is one of the most popular in the Persian-speaking world.
It is asserted by some sources that the legend of "Ārash, the Parthian Archer" in Persian mythology bears some resemblance to that of Arjuna; this is cited by some as being reminiscent of a shared Indo-Iranian heritage. However, Arjun is an integral part of the Mahabharata and one of its lead characters. The other central characters in the story are not mentioned in the story of Arash. Lastly, Indian scientists have discovered what they claim to be Dwaraka, or Krishna's city, indicating that the Mahabharata may indeed have a link to actual events in Indian history, as opposed to being a mythological tale.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arash_%28mythology%29
Arjuna is one of the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. His name means 'bright', 'shining', or 'silver'. The third of the five Pandava brothers, Arjuna was one of the children borne by Kunti, first wife of Pandu.
He bears a total of ten names: Arjun. Phaalgun. Jishnu, Keerti, Shewetvaahan, Vibhatsu, Vijaya, Paarth, Savyashachee (also referred as Sabyasachi), and Dhanajaya.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partha
Parthia was a civilization situated in the northeast of modern Iran, but at its height covering all of Iran proper, as well as regions of the modern countries of Armenia, Iraq, Georgia, eastern Turkey, eastern Syria, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Kuwait, the Persian Gulf coast of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and UAE.
Parthia was led by the Arsacid dynasty, who reunited and ruled over the Iranian plateau, taking over the eastern provinces of the Seleucid Empire, beginning in the late 3rd century BC, and intermittently controlled Mesopotamia between ca 150 BC and AD 224. It was the third native dynasty of ancient Iran (after the Median and the Achaemenid dynasties).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthia
Asha/ Arta Vahishta and Yoga Vasistha
Asha/ Arta Vahishta:
Asha (aša) or arta is the Avestan language term for a concept of "cardinal importance" to Zoroastrian theology and doctrine. In the moral sphere, aša/arta represents what has been called "the decisive confessional concept of Zoroastrianism."
The significance of the term is complex, with a highly nuanced range of meaning. It is commonly summarized in accord with its contextual implications of 'truth' and 'right(eousness)', 'order' and 'right working'.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asha_VahishtaYoga Vasistha:
It is said that this book alone can lead to spiritual liberation. The profound conversation between Sage Vasistha and Prince Rama is of that between a great enlightened sage and a seeker who is about to reach completeness. This is amongst those rare conversations which directly leads to Truth. The truths, wonders and mysteries of Reality are revealed in a fabulous and grandiose way by Sage Vasistha.
From time immemorial until now, this scripture is a well of wealth from which several understandings, scientific ideas, philosophies and perceptions have been realised.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga_vasistha
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