Ahura Mazda

Ahura Mazda

Section 1: Overview

[BEGINNER]

Ahura Mazda, meaning "Wise Lord" in Avestan, is the supreme, uncreated, all-knowing god of Zoroastrianism. He is the creator of the material and spiritual universe and the source of asha (truth, right-order, righteousness). In opposition to Ahura Mazda stands Angra Mainyu (later called Ahriman), the destructive spirit — but Ahura Mazda is not dualistic in the sense of two equal forces: he is ultimately supreme, and the eschatology of Zoroastrianism teaches that asha will triumph.

The name Ahura Mazda appears in the oldest Zoroastrian scripture, the Gāthās (hymns attributed to the prophet Zarathustra), usually dated between 1500 and 1000 BCE. In Achaemenid Persia (c. 550–330 BCE), the kings Darius I and Xerxes inscribed their devotion to Ahura Mazda in royal inscriptions at Persepolis, Bisotun, and Naqsh-e Rostam.

[INTERMEDIATE]

Ahura Mazda is described through seven primary attributes, the Amesha Spentas ("Bounteous Immortals"):

1. Vohu Manah — Good Mind / Good Purpose
2. Asha Vahishta — Best Truth / Righteousness
3. Khshathra Vairya — Desirable Dominion
4. Spenta Armaiti — Holy Devotion
5. Haurvatat — Wholeness / Perfection
6. Ameretat — Immortality
7. Spenta Mainyu — The Bounteous Spirit itself

These are not separate gods but aspects of the one Wise Lord. A Zoroastrian cultivates each attribute in themselves through the ethical formula humata, hūkhta, huvarshta — "good thoughts, good words, good deeds."

Section 2: Symbols & Worship

The Faravahar — a winged disc enclosing a human figure — is the most widely recognised symbol associated with Ahura Mazda (though scholars debate whether it depicts Ahura Mazda himself or the fravashi, the guardian spirit of humanity).

Fire temples (Atash Behrams, Agiaris) house the sacred fire that represents Ahura Mazda's presence. Fire is not worshipped as a god but venerated as his most exalted symbol — pure, luminous, untouchable.

Major festivals:

• Nowruz — Persian New Year (spring equinox), linked to Zoroastrian cosmology
• Mehregan — autumn festival linked to Mithra but rooted in Zoroastrian calendar
• Jashne Sadeh — fire festival

Section 3: Relationships

• Angra Mainyu / Ahriman — adversary; the destructive spirit
• Zarathustra (Zoroaster) — the prophet through whom Ahura Mazda revealed the Gāthās
• Mithra, Anahita, Sraosha — yazatas (worthy-of-worship beings) aligned with Ahura Mazda
• Amesha Spentas — the seven primary emanations / aspects

Section 4: Key facts

• Type: Supreme god / creator
• Tradition: Zoroastrianism (Mazdayasna)
• Scripture: Avesta (Gāthās, Yasna, Visperad, Vendidad, Khorde Avesta)
• Symbol: Faravahar, sacred fire
• Living communities: Parsis (India), Iranis (Iran), global diaspora