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Ram in the Zend Avesta of Zoroastrianism

Yes. One of the Avestan texts, the Ram Yasht, is a hymn to Vayu, an associate (“hamkar”) of the deity Ram Yazad. This Ram has no obvious connection with the Ram of the Hindus, but there are intriguing links.

But first, a bit more detail about the Zoroastrian faith. “Avesta” has come to mean both a language as well as a collection of texts. As a language, “Avesta” is the root of the Iranian part of the Indo-Iranian language family, just as “Vedic Sanskrit” is the root of the Indian part of the Indo-Iranian family.

If Avesta is a “dead” language, then the sacred texts were also lost on account of two factors: (1) invasions by the Macedonians/Greeks, Huns, and Arabs, and (2) a reliance on writing to preserve the works. Paradoxically, as the Indian experience shows, in a book-burning world, memorizing is far more reliable than written text.

Safe-harbored in medieval India, the Parsis translated the available Avestan texts into Gujarati & Sanskrit. This led to further alteration of words and meanings. In particular, the Avestan word “Raman”— which in its noun form means “joy” and also the name of the deity who presided over joy, pleasure, domestic happiness etc.— became “Ram”.

The Zend Avesta are commentaries on the Avesta. Currently, the Zend Avesta consists of the following texts: (1) The Yasna (including the Gathas), (2) The Visparat, (3) The Videvdat (Vandidad), (4) The Yashts, and (5) The Khordeh Avesta.

The Yashts consist of 21 hymns. Scholars seem to think that the Yashts were originally composed in the 1st millenium BC, that is, in the first thousand years before Christ. Each hymn is intended for a specific day of the month and is addressed to a specific deity. Since a month has more than 21 days, this means some of the hymns have been lost. The fifteenth hymn came to be called the Ram(an) Yasht.

Now about the links between Ram Yazad and the Hindu’s Lord Rama. For the Zoroastrians, Ram(an) Yazad is an associate of Vayu Yazad; for the Hindus, Hanuman, the son of Vayu, is a disciple of Ram. This inversion of relationships is seen in other aspects of the Zoroastrian/Hindu split. The ahuras (asuras) are the good guys in Zoroastrian faith, and the devas are the bad guys; for the Hindus, it’s the other way around. All of it points to a great religious quarrel between the Indo and Iranian branches of the Indo-European tribes.

On the other hand, traditionally the Ram Yasht is recited during marriage ceremonies. It’s therefore interesting that a striking feature of Lord Rama is his dedication to a monogamous relationship. He’s strictly a one-woman guy. Nothing like Lord Krishna or Vishnu.

My uneducated guess is that both Ram(an) Yazad and Lord Rama are descended from a proto-Rama figure who was worshipped some 4,000 years ago in Central Asia. In the Iranian line of descent (~1000 BC), he turned into the Avestan diety Ram Yazda with Vayu as his associate or hamkar. In the Indian line of descent, Vayu was given importance in the Rg Veda. But by 300 BC, the proto-Ram began to acquire the features we now connect with the Lord Rama of the epic: adherence to dharma, monogamy, skill with the bow, and a loyal sidekick named Hanuman, son of Vayu.

Irrespective of the accuracy of this account (and it probably isn’t), the name Ram/Raman does find several mentions — though with a very different meaning— in the Avestan texts.
 
Ram in the Zend Avesta of Zoroastrianism

Yes. One of the Avestan texts, the Ram Yasht, is a hymn to Vayu, an associate (“hamkar”) of the deity Ram Yazad. This Ram has no obvious connection with the Ram of the Hindus, but there are intriguing links.

But first, a bit more detail about the Zoroastrian faith. “Avesta” has come to mean both a language as well as a collection of texts. As a language, “Avesta” is the root of the Iranian part of the Indo-Iranian language family, just as “Vedic Sanskrit” is the root of the Indian part of the Indo-Iranian family.

If Avesta is a “dead” language, then the sacred texts were also lost on account of two factors: (1) invasions by the Macedonians/Greeks, Huns, and Arabs, and (2) a reliance on writing to preserve the works. Paradoxically, as the Indian experience shows, in a book-burning world, memorizing is far more reliable than written text.

Safe-harbored in medieval India, the Parsis translated the available Avestan texts into Gujarati & Sanskrit. This led to further alteration of words and meanings. In particular, the Avestan word “Raman”— which in its noun form means “joy” and also the name of the deity who presided over joy, pleasure, domestic happiness etc.— became “Ram”.

The Zend Avesta are commentaries on the Avesta. Currently, the Zend Avesta consists of the following texts: (1) The Yasna (including the Gathas), (2) The Visparat, (3) The Videvdat (Vandidad), (4) The Yashts, and (5) The Khordeh Avesta.

The Yashts consist of 21 hymns. Scholars seem to think that the Yashts were originally composed in the 1st millenium BC, that is, in the first thousand years before Christ. Each hymn is intended for a specific day of the month and is addressed to a specific deity. Since a month has more than 21 days, this means some of the hymns have been lost. The fifteenth hymn came to be called the Ram(an) Yasht.

Now about the links between Ram Yazad and the Hindu’s Lord Rama. For the Zoroastrians, Ram(an) Yazad is an associate of Vayu Yazad; for the Hindus, Hanuman, the son of Vayu, is a disciple of Ram. This inversion of relationships is seen in other aspects of the Zoroastrian/Hindu split. The ahuras (asuras) are the good guys in Zoroastrian faith, and the devas are the bad guys; for the Hindus, it’s the other way around. All of it points to a great religious quarrel between the Indo and Iranian branches of the Indo-European tribes.

On the other hand, traditionally the Ram Yasht is recited during marriage ceremonies. It’s therefore interesting that a striking feature of Lord Rama is his dedication to a monogamous relationship. He’s strictly a one-woman guy. Nothing like Lord Krishna or Vishnu.

My uneducated guess is that both Ram(an) Yazad and Lord Rama are descended from a proto-Rama figure who was worshipped some 4,000 years ago in Central Asia. In the Iranian line of descent (~1000 BC), he turned into the Avestan diety Ram Yazda with Vayu as his associate or hamkar. In the Indian line of descent, Vayu was given importance in the Rg Veda. But by 300 BC, the proto-Ram began to acquire the features we now connect with the Lord Rama of the epic: adherence to dharma, monogamy, skill with the bow, and a loyal sidekick named Hanuman, son of Vayu.

Irrespective of the accuracy of this account (and it probably isn’t), the name Ram/Raman does find several mentions — though with a very different meaning— in the Avestan texts.
The Hero's Journey, Doc...

over and over and over again.

Jordan Peterson ne in recent times kaafi tippani give kari hai on this mamla.

Hardwired jo hai na, in us all.

namaste 🙏
 
Aik bhee Islamic tourist trinket koi nahi baich ra. Dekh lo aap log. Saaray Zaoroastrian themed hain....... :p

Dekh lo @Vsdoc .......from the 9 minute mark on:



Aaaaaahahahahahaaaaaaaaa

True. Most haram.

Clean streets and sidewalks.

Clean people. Well dressed.

Lots of women in the open. Men extremely respectful to and waiting on them.

Small things that say a lot.
 
I wanted to take a picture the other day, perfect shot.. didn't.

Wee urchin baby dragging herself to a thela/cart... very fancy brands and big mall right across.

Have seen the odd gora shook up pretty bad by it all, hell, its not pleasant for anyone.. but this is sacchai of subcontinent.

I almost shudder to think about how bad it is in

AKHAND BHARAT !!

Gareebi Hatao policy totally failed so far.

In Bangladesh at least there is some effort to provide low level export jobs. At least this is my perception - but I could be wrong.

You have to have bottom up development, providing plenty of labor-intensive export jobs.

Trickle down economy with Backoffice etc. does not usually help the poor.

1757529053106.png


Here is one of the many hundreds of integrated factories (Apex Textiles) producing ten million pieces of apparel per month (from loose cotton all the way to sewn apparel). It provides employment for many tens of thousands of workers - then multiplied by hundreds of factories like this. India missed out on textile exports.

1757529652210.png


1757529729952.png


 
come to think of it, chudail bole toh,

Bianca Gandy Mardani Vadracini bhi hai

rundee bhan le laudee, ye aur iska pappu retarded communist bhai.

The legend of the Churail says that these witches have feet facing backward.

Here is one of the progressive Rock outfits in Bangladesh as reported by Bass Musician Magazine.

 
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I wanted to take a picture the other day, perfect shot.. didn't.

Wee urchin baby dragging herself to a thela/cart... very fancy brands and big mall right across.

Have seen the odd gora shook up pretty bad by it all, hell, its not pleasant for anyone.. but this is sacchai of subcontinent.

I almost shudder to think about how bad it is in

AKHAND BHARAT !!
Idhar free ka rashan hai , free ka cylinder hai. An illiterate teenage can literally survive on 9000 per month in Delhi renting 15*15 ft room with an honest earning, but these harami offsprings choose begging on streets and your family has to hire 3000rs per month fence jumping illegal maid.
 

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