HAOMA
NOTE: I
am pleased to see that a remark of mine on 29 February has stirred Ervad Jal
Birdy out of his month-long silence to only respond for a second time on my
earlier counter-response of 8 February on Haoma. He continues with his
silence on two issue: My note on pre-Aryan temple prostitution distorted by him
and his colleagues to apply to fire-temple, and my other remark that all the
Yashts are the compositions of pre-Gathic and post-Gathic anonymous persons
distorted by him and his colleagues to mean that "Hormazd Yasht is a
forgery."
Ali A. Jafarey
* * *
* * *
HAOMA
Dasturji
Dr. Maneckji N. Dhalla
The divinity of
joint Indo-Iranian fame. One of the most distinctive features common to the
Indo-Iranian peoples before their separation is the Haoma-Soma cult. The Avestan
Haoma is identical with Vedic Soma, and both refer to the sacred drink prepared
from a special plant and partaken of as a part of the ritual service. Haoma has
secured a prominent place in the later Avestan theology and forms an essential
part of the Zoroastrian liturgy. Haoma primarily is a plant of this world, from
which the drink was quaffed as a religious act, but the idea soon evolves into
an angel of the same name presiding over this plant. The two concepts are so
closely interwoven that it often becomes difficult to ascertain whether the
Haoma occurring in a certain passage is the genius of the plant of that name, or
the plant itself. The same difficulty is witnessed with reference to Soma in the
Vedas. The anthropomorphic character of both Haoma and Soma is little
pronounced. Three chapters of the Yasna and a Yasht mostly composed of excerpts
from the Yasna are dedicated to Haoma. More than 120 hymns are devoted to Soma
in the Rig Veda.
Ahura Mazda brought
for Haoma the star-bespangled spiritual girdle, that is, the Mazdayasnian
religion. Girt with this he dwells on the top of the mountains (Yasna 9:26), and
from these heights he sacrifices unto Drvaspa, Sraosha, Mithra, and Ashi
Vanghuhi. (Ys. 57:19, Yasht 9:17-18, Yt 10:88, Yt 17:37-38) Haoma pleads the
greatness of his cult. He is anxious that his cult, which has been in vogue for
centuries, be given a due place in the new faith and receive the sanction of the
prophet. The poet depicts him as approaching Zarathushtra for this particular
purpose. One morning, we are informed, Haoma came to the prophet as he was
chanting the sacred Gathas before the fire-altar, and asked him to seek his
favour by consecrating the Haoma juice for libations and to praise him as the
other sages had praised him.(Ys 9:1-2) Vivasvant, Yama, and Trita Aptya were the
first to sacrifice unto Soma. The Avestan texts speak of the same persons who
first offered sacrifices unto Haoma. In reply to Zarathushtra’s inquiry Haoma
proceeds to give instances of some of the greatest of his celebrants. The first
among the mortals to sacrifice unto the angel Haoma by pounding the Haoma plant
for libation was Vivanhvant, and the great benefit he derived therefrom was that
the glorious Yima was born unto him.(9:3-4) Athwya, Thrita, and Pourushaspa, the
father of the prophet himself, were among the other prominent men who sacrificed
unto Haoma. Their reward was that illustrious sons were born unto them. Thus
Zarathushtra himself was born unto Pourushaspa because the latter praised Haoma.(9:6-13)
Zarathushtra, the poet says, thereupon paid homage to the angel, and proclaimed
his cult as the most praiseworthy.(9:16)
Haoma’s titles.
The standing epithet of Haoma is ‘far from death.’ He is the powerful one,
and rules according to his wi11. (9:25) He is the lord of knowledge and
possesses good wisdom.(9:27, 10:2) He is the healing one, beautiful, lordly, and
of golden eyes. (Yt 9:17, 10:88, 17:37)
His gifts.
Zarathushtra invokes Haoma and asks from him intelligence, courage, victory,
health, increase, prosperity, vigour of body, and power to rule at will, and to
smite the wicked that he may vanquish the evil done by the wicked men and
demons. (9:17-18) The prophet further prays to him for health of the body, long
duration of life, the all-shining abode of the righteous, the realization of his
wishes on earth, a complete triumph over the wicked and a foreknowledge of the
evil intents of the wicked. (9:19-21) Haoma
bestows these boons upon him, Haoma in like manner gives knowledge to the
aspiring students, husbands to the ripening maidens, beautiful offspring and
righteous progeny to women, and paradise to the righteous. (9:22, 11:10)
The devout worshipper, in return, dedicates his very body to him. (10:14,
11:10)) Piety accompanied by joy
enters the house in which Haoma dwells. (10:1)
Haoma implored to
rout the wicked. This angel is invoked to guard the faithful from the harm
of the wicked, to take away the power of their hands and feet, and to confuse
their minds, so that they cannot behold the universe with both their eyes.
(9:28-29) He is besought to hurl
his weapons at the skulls of the wicked for the protection of the righteous
(9:30-32) and to crush the thought
of the maligner. (10:12)
Haoma’s due.
Haoma is to be propitiated with sacrifice.
Among other objects animals were sacrificed in the Zoroastrian ritual
unto the angels, and the different parts of the consecrated flesh were allotted
to the various Yazatas. The Pahlavi books elaborately treat the question of
reserving particular parts of the animal for the various Yazatas. We are told
that Ahura Mazda has set apart for Haoma as his share in the sacrifice the
jaw-bone, the tongue, and the left eye of the immolated ani-ma1. (11:4)
In general this is also in accordance with the statement of Herodotus
(Herod. 1:132) regarding the Persian acts of sacrifice in worship.
Haoma’s curse.
Haoma does not give good children of priestly virtues to the woman who
wrongfully partakes of the sacred cake consecrated to him. (10:15)
Whosoever deprives Haoma of his portion in the sacrifice, displeases him,
and the penalty he pays for this slight to Haoma is that a priest, a warrior, or
a husbandman is not thereafter born in his house. (11:5-6)
The faithful is exhorted to propitiate him with his due portion, lest the
offended angel should bind him with heavy iron chains as he bound Franraspan.(11:7)
Haorna pronounces his curse of being childless and of evil name and fame against
those who, like thieves, rob him of his legitimate portion in the sacrifice.
(11:3) He hurled down the arrogant Keresani from his throne. (9:24)
Haoma, king of
plants. Haoma is the sovereign lord of all plants among both the Indians and
the Iranians. Physically it is the plant that grows on the highest summits of
Mount Hara Berezaiti, the modern Alburz. (10:10)
According to the Vedic texts it grows on the mount Mujavat. The birds
carried it from there in all directions. (10:11) An eagle brought it down, says the Veda.(RV. 3:43:7, 4:26:6,
etc.) The nourishing earth is its mother where it grows in vales and dales,
spreading sweet perfume all around. (10:4, 17)
It is of golden hue, say both, and the celestial drink prepared from its
branches is most invigorating and profitable for the soul of man. (9:16)
Indulgence in intoxicating beverages causes wrath and strife, quarrel and
confusion, but the drink of Haoma is accompanied by righteousness and piety.
(10:8, Yt 17:5) It confers
immortality. It is the source of
righteousness. (10:4) Haoma grows
in abundance when it is praised by man. The pounding of the Haoma juice for
sacrifice is tantamount to the destruction of the demons by thousands. (10:6)
Misery vanishes and happiness and health enter the house in which Haoma
is prepared. (10:7) The exhilarating drink gives inspiration and enlightenment
to his supplicant and makes the beggar’s mind as exalted as that of the rich.
(10:13) The faithful pray that the healing remedies of Haoma may reach them for
the strength of their bodies. (10:14) There
is a close affinity between the Haoma-Soma cults and the rituals performed to
celebrate them have great resemblance to each other. We shall notice it in our
chapter on rituals. (see the following)
Priestly functionaries who conducted the sacrificial ceremonies. The priestly hierarchy that was firmly established during this period was headed by the high priest, who was called Zarathushtrotema. He is invoked by this name. (Vendidad 8:21, 72; 9:27; cf. Vd. 10:13-14; 11:9-19; 20:7,9; 21:18-19; 22:21) The Rig Veda speaks of about sixteen priests that performed ceremonies and we have in the Avestan texts eight different functionaries who were employed in the performance of the Yasna ceremony. These are zaotar, ‘sacrificer,’ havanan,’ the pounder of Haoma,’ atravakhsh, ‘tender of the fire,’ fraberetar,’ carrier of things,’ aberetar,’ bringer of things,’ asnatar,’ cleanser,’ raethwishkara, ‘auxiliary priest,’ and sraoshavarez, ‘master of rituals.’ (Vispered 3:1, Yt 24:15, Vd 5:57-58, 7:17-18, Gah 3:5)
Revival of the
Indo-Iranian rituals. With the return of the Indo-Iranian divinities come
also the ceremonies that their early votaries had celebrated before their
separation. The Yasna Haptanghaiti already refers to the Haoma ceremony, (42:5)
the invocation of the souls of the dead, (42:39:2) and their Fravashis.(37:3)
The chief ceremony is the Yasna corresponding to the Vedic Yajnya, the more
important part among both being the preparation of the Haoma-Soma juice. The
Haoma ceremony is shorn of its early gross element, yet the resemblance between
it and the Soma cult is so great that they are spoken of in identical words. We
shall quote a few of the more important passages to show the close parallelism
between the Haoma-Soma cult. The celestial plant, it is said, was brought upon
earth by birds. It is girishta or girijata and parvata
vrddhah, say the Vedic texts, and the Avesta says it is bareshnush
paiti gairinam and paurvatahva viraodha, that is, growing on
mountains. It is Av. zairi, and Skt. hari, meaning green or
golden. It is passed through a sieve of the hairs of the tail of the sacred bull
among the Iranians and from that made of sheep wool among the Indians. The
extracting process is called Av. havana, and Skt. savana. It is
Av. haomahe madho, and Skt. somyam madhu,’sweet
juice of Haoma-Soma.’ It is Av. baeshaza, and Skt. bheshaja,
‘healing.’ The plant is deified among both and then it is called Av. hvaresh,
and Skt. svarsh ‘celestial,’ it is Av. hukhratu, and Skt. Sukratu,
'posessed of good intelligence.’ It is Av. verethraja, and Skt. vrtraha,
‘victorious’. (See Hodivala, Indo-Iranian Religion in The Journal of the K.R.
Cama Oriental Institute, 4.7-10, Bombay, 1924)
* * * * * *
Dear companions,
Ushta!
I hope you have read
what the late Dasturji Dr. Dhalla has on "Haoma" in his unrivalled
book "History of Zoroastrianism," New York, 1938 (pages 204-07 and
254-55), scanned and posted by me yesterday [6 March 2000]. Did you notice that:
1. "One of the most distinctive features common to the Indo-Iranian people before their separation is the Haoma-Soma CULT."
2. "Haoma has
SECURED a prominent place in the LATER AVESTA theology …" Note: Dasturji
has 100 pages on "The Gathic Period" with seven pages on "Prayers
and Rituals" and does not have anything to say on the ceremonies, including
the "Ijashne" and its Haoma juice preparation. He has them all in
Chapter XVII he very rightfully calls "THE YOUNGER AVESTA RELIGION."
3. "Haoma
primarily is a plant of this world … but the idea soon EVOLVES into an angel
of the same name."
4. In the Avesta,
there are "three chapters of Yasna and a Yasht [plus three chapters of the
Vispered] dedicated to Haoma [but] more than 120 hymns .… in the Rig
Veda."
5. Haoma "is
anxious that his CULT, which has been in VOGUE for centuries, be given a DUE
PLACE in the new faith and receive the SANCTION of the prophet."
6. "THE POET
depicts him [Haoma] approaching Zarathushtra for this purpose."
7. Preparing and
drinking Haoma by four persons has its reward "that illustrious sons were
born unto them. Thus Zarathushtra himself was born unto Pourushaspa."
8. Zarathushtra, who
does not know any deity except Mazda in his Gathas, now "invokes Haoma and
asks from him intelligence, courage, victory, health, increase, prosperity,
vigour …."
9. Yet the Haoma
Yasht does not show Zarathushtra engaged in pounding Haoma, and extracting and
drinking its juice.
10. "Haoma is to
be propitiated with sacrifice …. [and] We are told that Ahura Mazda has set
apart for Haoma … the jaw-bone, the tongue and the left eye of the immolated
animal."
11. "With the
RETURN OF THE INDO-IRANIAN DIVINITIES come also the ceremonies … the more
important part among both being the preparation of Haoma-Soma juice."
12. "The Haoma
ceremony is SHORN of its EARLY GROSS ELEMENT, yet the resemblance between it and
the Soma CULT is so great that they are spoken of in identical words."
(Note: the capitalization of letters within the quotes from the Dasturji's essay is by me to emphasize the very points the distorters and blasphemers use against me -- points that any scholar should detect in the narratives and hymns composed in honor of Haoma-Soma.)
…..
Wishing you more
enlightenment through USHTA!
Ali A. Jafarey
7 March 2000
* * * * * *
LINKS:
To Return to the Relevant Original
Allegation, CLICK
Introduction
to The Plain Reality Behind The Intricate Falsity
(Allegation No. 6)
also
HAOMA Its Original and Later Identity
TABLE OF CONTENTS and Their Links
Analysis of the 26-page "Global Protest"