Avesta Manthravani
Science of Vibrations and Colours
by Adil J. Govadia
A wise old sage once said, “An ounce-glass is no instrument to calculate the quantity of the ocean. Similarly, a limited human mind and intellect are no tape to measure the reality of one’s religion.”
I choose to write upon this rather difficult subject not in the capacity of a religious scholar but in the vein of a student who persistently seeks correct religious knowledge. To find a proper balance between the pronouncements of the ancient wisdom and the seekers of modern knowledge, I personally view science as a frail instrument with confining limitations. While speaking about science and religion, there lies a much deeper meaning in the words of Swami Chinmayananda when he said, “----with limited knowledge, the unlimited cannot be known or understood, for the Truth is far beyond the senses of the human mind.”
The term ‘Manthravani’ means chanting of manthra, also called japa in Sanskrit. It is said that repeated chanting of a manthra often produce desired results and uplifts the spiritual conscience. The power of manthra or the written words in Holy Scriptures is evident in mostly all religions.
Sometime in 1100 AD, a Jewish Rabbi named Judah and his disciples developed a theory on the mystical harmony of words in the Holy Scriptures. Later, the theory became popular and was even published in a book entitled STUDIES IN JEWISH MYSTICISM (Association for Jewish Studies, 1982, p. 91) authored by Joseph Dan. Following is a quote from the book which explains the theory:
“ ...the words and letters of the various prayers are not accidental, nor are they only vehicles for their literal meaning. Their order, especially their numbers, reflect a mystical harmony, a sacred divine rhythm. This mystical harmony can be discovered in historical events, directed by God; in nature, especially in the miraculous occurrences directly influenced by divine powers; and first and foremost, in the Bible. According to Rabbi Judah and the Ashkenazi Hasidic school in general, there can be nothing accidental in the Bible, not even the forms of letters, the punctuation, the vocalization, and especially-in the numerical structures-the number of certain letters, consonants or vowels in a certain verse; the number of words from the same root; the number and variety of divine names in a certain periscope, the absence of one or more letters from a chapter, and many other elements of the Scriptures besides their content.”
Joseph Dan further writes that Rabbi Judah was critical of the French and British Jews when they altered the morning prayer by adding a few words. Rabbi Judah pointed out that such an addition destroys the numerical structure of the prayer and renders it utterly nullified. He maintained that it is the "numerical combination," rather than the "meanings" of the words that affects the needed contact between the worshiper and God. The original scripture was mathematically composed in a way that encodes and guards every single one of its parameters. He cautioned that if the scriptures were tampered with, the code would be broken.
After nearly ten centuries of what Rabbi Judah stated regarding these elements of scriptural codes, the present day computers have demonstrated and confirmed each one of them. The divinely instituted liturgies, in their original unaltered words, are so numerically perfect that they can be compared to the combination of a locked safe; we need to dial that specific combination to establish contact with our creator.
Many international scholars, from various religious backgrounds, have reported this unique phenomenon of numerically perfect religious literature in other Holy Scriptures as well. The Quran, which was revealed in A.D. 610-630, is another scripture that is known to still exist in its original language and form and known to have mathematical coding throughout. To quote a Muslim scientist and computer expert named Rashad Khalifa, “All the parameters of the Quran----the numbers and sequences of chapters; the number of verses; the numbers assigned to each verse; the number of words; the number of certain specified letters; the number of words from the same root; the number and variety of divine names; the absence of one or more letters from a word, verse or chapter; the unique and often strange spellings of certain crucial words; and many other elements----are all authenticated by its mathematical code”.
So where does the language of Avesta stand in the light of these discoveries? According to some scholars, Avesta is not a spoken language: it is a manthravani of the developed souls which carries a special arrangement of syllables to cause certain vibrations and colours thereby producing the desired results within the remitter (the worshipper) and his environment. In one of his articles titled ‘Avesta Manthras & Secrets of our Scriptures’, Ervad (Dr.) Hoshang J. Bhadha said, “Our Avesta prayers are based on the Science of Vibrations (Staota Yasna). We attune ourselves to Staota Yasna, which is the primeval law. Our prayers, which are based on Staot Yasna, have mystical esoteric purport and therefore cannot (and should not) be understood or deciphered by mere philology.”
Dr Bhadha further explains “-----that our simple and short prayer of Yatha Ahu Vairyo is the fundamental keynote to the entire edifice of our scriptures. This extremely powerful prayer has 21 words, each corresponding to one of the 21 Nasks or the Volumes. These 21 Nasks were composed of Staota Vacha, capable of being understood only by the "developed" souls like Prophet Zarathushtra, the Rainedars and the Saosyants. Without altering the original essence of the ‘manthra’, these advanced disciples of Prophet Zarathushtra prepared 21 volumes in talismatic Avestic language called Maanthra-Spenta Nasks. Certain portions of these 21 Nasks were then selected and, together with it’s Zend explanations, was made available to the laity in the days of the Great Kings of the Iranian Empire. Therefore, deciphering the meaning of our prayers by mere philology is neither desired nor advised.” It is interesting to read Dr. Bhadha’s emphasis that, “---therefore, except the Saosyants (the developed souls), no one has the authority to change or alter one word or syllable of the existing text of our age-old scriptures.”
What does the term “staot” mean? “Staot” is the language of light and sound which helps to best achieve the communion between the spirit and the soul. One may ask, what is the relationship or where is the connection between the oral prayers and ‘sound and light’?
To understand this phenomenon, Mrs. Pervin Mistry offers to explain through the knowledge of science. According to her, “All universe is made of atoms or energy that vibrates at different frequencies! Energy can never be destroyed but can be transmuted to different states. This fact was communicated to us by none other then Asho Zarathushtra thousands of years ago when He declared in Yasna 30 that the "twins" or the dual forces of Spenta and Angre (good and the evil) are inter-related and that matter can never be destroyed but can be alchemised to other forms of energy. Angre Mainyu (matter), as the twin of Spenta Mainyu (energy), cannot be destroyed since the very purpose and aim of creation is tochange (convert) ‘Angre’ (matter) into ‘Spenta’(spirit) by obeyingandfollowing the Path of Asha.”
Imagine Asho Zarathushtra actually knew all this (and much more) over 6000years years ago!!!
Mystically, Asho Zarathushtra also taught us in Yasna 30.1 (Ahunavaiti Gatha) that Ahura Mazda (staotacha Ahurai) has revealed the mysteries of light and sound (staot yasna), which will help us to attain spiritual illumination through manthra and master the spiritual knowledge pertaining to light and sound! He had said that only when we rid the disease (ignorance) within through manthra (sound and light) would we begin our way to spirituality!
As we all know, since times immemorial, colour therapy has been used for curing various illnesses! Just as sound can create, destroy or heal, so can light. It is reported that the Greek sage Pythagoras learned the mysteries of healing under the Magi of Persia. He often used colour therapy to cure diseases. Likewise, even in ayurveda, different organs of the body are ascribed different colours, under the domain of different planetary influences. According to Mrs. Pervin Mistry, “Different planets have different colours indicating that each object in the universe has its own resonance and frequency. On this important fact, rests the teaching of ‘jhirum’ (spiritual genes) or the principle that differentiates a rose from a plum depending upon the spiritual genes as defined by the respective resonance/spectrum of that object!”
She further explains that “Esoterically, each and every planet or an individual or a religion, is affiliated to a certain ‘jhirum’ or resonance/spectrum. The reason why only Lord Krishna is depicted "blue" is because the Hindu religion is affiliated to Mercury Planet. Mercury is conceived as blue in colour.Just as different organs of the body are ascribed different colours, Ayurveda and also the Buddhism, ascribe different fruits, animals and flowers, etc. to belong to a different planet and colour depending on the respective spiritual genes.”
It is indeed an important esoteric teaching as, not only is healing done through different colours, it is also done through sound. Perhaps, our wise ancestors knew that the colour white contains the entire spectrum of VIBGOYR and therefore mandated that the sudreh, worn next to skin, should be made of white colour only. Probably it has health benefits as well, since the colour white is generally known to maintain good health of organs and circulation.
To quote Mrs. Mistry again, “Sudreh is verily a fortress that protects us from unseen ‘druj’. While tying and untying the kusti, we recite the sacred manthravani based on ‘staot’ (sound and light) and, in fact, these sounds of manthravani actually help us to keep the unseen ‘druj’ at bay!”
Is it not a pity that in order to appear being "fashionable" and "progressive", many ignorant Zarthushtis prefer to renounce such spiritual armour! Many of them believe that only the purity of thoughts matter. Indeed yes, but, to keep our thoughts pure, to protect our aura (force-field) and to preserve our health and environment, we are fortunate to be given these ‘alaats’ of Asha (Righteousness), Atarsh (consecrated holy Fire), Boonak Pasbani (preservation of the "seed” and purity of race), Dokhmenashini (disposal of the dead through exposure to ‘khorshed-nagirashni’), Kriyakaam (spiritual therapy of rituals and ceremonials), Sudreh-Kashti (talismanical spiritual instruments) and of course, Maanthravani (the sacred vibratory prayers).
Further, Mrs. Pervin Mistry explains and I quote her, “What is very interesting is that light is a spectrum. It has many colours. Each colour has its own resonance and mathematical number. We can better appreciate the teaching that Ahura Mazda created the Universe through the utterance of the holy manthra of Ahunavar (Divine Sound of Cosmic Ether Resonating at Frequencies)! HE conceived this as HIS First Thought! Thought is also light! (Our neurons in the brain cells have "electric impulses", or "light charges"!) Light produces sound and sound has frequencies or resonance (vibes that have mathematical numbers)! All universe is atoms vibrating at different frequencies peacefully existing with one another; therefore, matter and energy are also the same but vibrating at different frequencies! This indicates that "energy" or "soul-consciousness" is independent of bodily existence! It is a fact that sound and light belongs to the same family of waves and has the potency to create and destroy!”
“Every object in nature has it's own corresponding "natural" or resonant frequency. Thus when you sound a high enough frequency at glass (or at kidney stones as in a surgery), the glass shatters (the kidney stone crumbles), while a crystal goblet does not (and the other internal organs are unaffected and unaware). As this illustration shows, the glass has it's own ‘unique number’ different from that of crystal (as do our internal organs). Likewise our manthravani has it's own ‘resonant’ frequencies as it is composed of not one but many such sine (cosine) waves overlapping to produce what we hear as Avestan language or ‘manthravani’. Thus the utterance of our prayers has the ability to create (good) as well as destroy (druj); it can also settle/calm, and by doing so, heal the mind and body!”---Unquote.
This fact is elaborated in our Ardibehesht Yasht wherein it is stated that manthra are the best healing remedy because they cure themind as well! Another classic example of the power of manthravani is our Nirang (consecrated urine of varasiajithe white bull), a miracle indeed, proved beyond doubt through extensive pathological testing under strictly controlled conditions of a bacteriology laboratory in London.
We all know that, today, science recognizes the alternative method of medicine that employs waves, light and sound to heal; healing through Kirlian photography is the best example one can cite. Magnetic therapy, Reiki, Pranic Healing etc. are some of the other alternative methods of treatment that are posing a challenge to modern science.
According to Ervad (Dr) Bhadha, “Our manthra, rooted in ‘staot’ or cosmic resonance, are extremely potent and if recited with faith and purity, they can certainly heal. Sound and light, both being functions of waves of energy, the sounds of ‘staot’ uttered physically are absorbed into the rays of Divine Light instantly. The meaning behind ‘ahunim vairim tanum paiti’ (meaning: "the utterance of the Ahunavar prayer protects the body") may be better understood through science, which accepts the potency of sound as energy. Besides the holy ‘manthra spenta’, Asho Zarathushtra has given us Fire through which spirituality is achieved. Fire is both spiritual as well as physical. Being spiritual, Fire (Asha Vahishta), is a Divinity; it is equated with Ahura Mazda's Own Inner Light and Life/Energy. As energy, Fire transmutes the physical (matter) into the spiritual. It is the source of all Creation. Therefore, no Zarathushti ritual is complete without the presence of Fire.”
Undoubtedly, Zarathushtrian religion is the MOST scientific and eco-friendly of all religions but unfortunately the present-day generation has somehow lost FAITH in its teachings and practice. Where does the fault lie? Who or what is to be blamed for this sad state of affairs? It reminds me of the story of a Greek sage (equivalent of a fakir) who lived in utter simplicity like all fakirs do. He was greatly revered by many and his fame grew rapidly. Emperor Alexander heard of him and decided to pay him a visit. As he was departing from the sage’s simple shack Alexander asked if he could grant any favours to the sage.
“Nothing in particular. Just pray that the sun can continue to shine on me”, replied the sage. “And where are you headed now?” the sage enquired.
“To conquer the world as I have conquered only a half,” said the King.
The sage replied simply, “You will never be able to conquer everything, for a part is always left, that is, Yourself!”
Alexander perhaps did not understand the final words of the sage. He went out to complete his conquests but fell ill due to malaria and had to give up his plans to conquer the world. It was then that Alexander understood the sage’s parting words------sometimes truth is so close that you can’t see it!! At such times of temporary blindness, don’t question, have FAITH !
FAITH indeed is one singular key area, which so far has preserved the great religion of Zarathushtra and also helped it to flourish. It would not be out of place to quote Dean W.R.Inge who said, “Faith is an act of self-consecration in which the will, the intellect and the affections, all have their place”, unquote. The extent of faith our ancestors had in our ceremonies and the rituals can be gauged from the fact that when they traveled abroad in boats from India, they had their ‘uthamna’ ceremony (part of the funeral ceremony) performed before they left just in case they don’t return alive! Such was the unfailing faith in our ceremonies and rituals.
Somebody rightly said that the only act of faith that wears well and holds it’s colours in all weathers is the one which is woven with conviction and the one which is set with the sharpness of time tested experience.
AJG
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