CHAPTER IV

Fruitless Travels and Further Divine Visions

On receiving directions from Ahura Mazda, Zarathustra was set to establish the religion as revealed to Him and to this purpose, He left His mountain solitude and moved from place to place to preach. The first ten years were spent in strenuous, fruitless travels, encountering failures and disappointments, as none accepted His religion. Ibn-Al-Athir, a historian of the 13th century A.D., mentions Zarathustra in this period as having left Ajerbaijan and went to Fars, but here none accepted His message. From Fars He went to India, from India to China, from China to Turkestan, but none even offered Him shelter. In fact, wherever He went to preach, He was driven out of the respective places. At Farganah, the chief of that place rather wanted to kill Him. Though a man of divinity with divine traits and characteristics, divine enlightenment and power, He moved among the people with all humility as one of them and not as a superman. When He came back to Iran to meet King Vistasp (known in Pahlavi as Gustasp) son of King Lohrasp, He was imprisoned and remained in prison for a short while.

Of His fruitless travels, 'Zarathost Nama' mentioned that when He left his native place and went to other parts of Iran (Ibn-Al-Athir named this part as Fars), while crossing a river, the level of the water was so much reduced, that He and others of the caravan could cross it with ease. The caravan took over a month to reach their destination in Iran and the day, according to Zad-Sparam and Zarathost Nama was Arenan (30th day) of Aspandard (12th month of the Zoroastrian calendar year). Zoroastrian calendar year used to start from Spring Equinox and consisted of 365 days divided into 12 months (with a leap year of 13 months observed after every 120 years); the 12th month is of thirty-five days.

The caravan, on reaching their destination, found that people from many parts of the land gathered to take part in the annual spring celebration. Zarathustra got separated from His companions and while He was alone at a field of the banks of the Aewatak river, He saw in a vision that a successful army under the leadership of His cousin, Medhyomah, was waiting to meet Him somewhere in the northern direction The army meant here was the army of His disciples and of devoted followers and not of military soldiers, and Medhyomah truly was the leader among them.

Zarathustra had another divine vision — It was at the early dawn of Dep Meher (the 15th day) Ardibehest (the 2nd month) of the 31st year of the enthronement of King Gustasp, that Zarathustra, while standing alone on the banks of the Aewatak River — the 3rd tributary of Daity river ― suddenly perceived the shining face of Vohu Manah (the first of the six Amesha Spentas after Ahura Mazda), coming to Him and holding a shining tree branch (meaning a branch of the tree of Truth).

A short while later, when Zarathustra was near the banks of river Aooshan Rood, the 4th tributary of river Daity, Vohu Manah appeared again. This time, the vision was more distinct and Vohu Manah appeared as nine times the size of a man. Zarathustra was in a state of ecstasy and while in that state, Vohu Manah took Him to a gathering of Ahura Mazda with the rest of the Amesha Spentas. Zarathustra was put to a kind of divine test or trial and after successfully undergoing it, He was blessed with further enlightenment of divine truth and secrets. After about a couple of years, according to Zad-Sparam, He again had a vision of Vohu Manah for the third time and this was either south of Caspian or on the Hugar Peak (Avestan name, Hukairya) — and Aoosind Peak of Herberejaiti (Elburz) mountain. Later, He also had visions of other Amesha Spentas.

He had a vision of Ash Vahishta (the second of the six Amesha Spentas) on the bank of river Tojan, while according to Zad-Sparam He had a vision of Kshthra Vairya (the third Amesha Spenta) at a caravansary near river Miwan. The experience of this latter