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Comparison and Analysis of the Stages of the Journey of the Righteous Soul to Heaven in the Manichean and Zoroastrian Religions (in English)
Comparison and Analysis of the Stages of the Journey of the Righteous Soul to Heaven in the Manichean and Zoroastrian Religions (in English)
Poorchista Goshtasbi Ardakany2024, Asian culture and History
In various religions, there are beliefs about the fate of the righteous person’s soul in the afterlife. In this research, we examine and compare the stages of the ascension of the righteous soul until reaching Heaven in the Manichean and Zoroastrian religions. At each stage it is examined what happens and what heavenly gifts the righteous soul receives. The findings show that these two religions have similarities and differences in the beliefs related to the ascension of the righteous soul to Heaven. According to the findings of this research, it was determined that there was a ceremony in the Manichaean religion in which fortune telling was done to select the Teachers, the Elect and Church Leaders. In this ceremony, the ascension to Heaven of that person was determined with omen, and if their omens were recognized as good, they were elected as teachers or elected members or church leaders. Also, in this article, due to the fact that there are similarities between Kird-īr’s journey to heaven and the journey of the righteous soul to heaven in Manichaeism, the manner of his journey is also examined.
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Asian Culture and History; Vol. 16, No. 1; 2024
ISSN 1916-9655 E-ISSN 1916-9663
Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education
Comparison and Analysis of the Stages of the Journey of the
Righteous Soul to Heaven in the Manichean and Zoroastrian Religions
Poorchista Goshtasbi Ardakany1
1
Ph.D. Candidate of Ancient Iranian Languages, Institute for Humanities and Caltural Studies, Tehran, Iran
Correspondence: Poorchista Goshtasbi Ardakany, Mythologist and Researcher of ancient Iranian languages,
Faculty of Linguistics, Institute for Humanities and Caltural Studies, Tehran, Iran. E-mail: p.goshtasbi@ihcs.ac.ir
Received: May 7, 2024
Accepted: June 7, 2024
Online Published: June 16, 2024
doi:10.5539/ach.v16n1p49
URL: https://doi.org/10.5539/ach.v16n1p49
pēšōbāy ī dēn māzdēsn, Mowbed Kird-īr!
čiyōn-tān framūd ud xwāst payrāst ēstēd,
hučašmīhā framāyēd ud nigerēd.
bawād kū pad ēn nāmag, pāhlom ahlāyīh
ō ašmā ruwān pad wahišt be rasād.
ēdōn bawād, ēdōntar-iz bawād.
Abstract
In various religions, there are beliefs about the fate of the righteous person’s soul in the afterlife. In this research,
we examine and compare the stages of the ascension of the righteous soul until reaching Heaven in the
Manichean and Zoroastrian religions. At each stage it is examined what happens and what heavenly gifts the
righteous soul receives. The findings show that these two religions have similarities and differences in the beliefs
related to the ascension of the righteous soul to Heaven. According to the findings of this research, it was
determined that there was a ceremony in the Manichaean religion in which fortune telling was done to select the
Teachers, the Elect and Church Leaders. In this ceremony, the ascension to Heaven of that person was
determined with omen, and if their omens were recognized as good, they were elected as teachers or elected
members or church leaders. Also, in this article, due to the fact that there are similarities between Kird-īr’s
journey to heaven and the journey of the righteous soul to heaven in Manichaeism, the manner of his journey is
also examined.
Keywords: Zoroastrian texts, ascension, the righteous soul, Paradaise, Manichaean texts, good omen, Kird-īr
1. Introduction
Both Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism had many followers at the beginning of the Sasanian period. Mani
appeared during Shapur’s time and reached Shapur’s presence and was allowed to propagate his own religion.
Hormezd I also had an opinion of approval and support towards Mani, and sheltered him for a while in the royal
land of Babylon, in his palace, from the persecution of the opponents. During the one-year reign of Hormezd I,
the religious tolerance of his father, Shapur I, was still ruling, and it seems that the real power of Kird-īr and his
opposition to Mani, starts from the time of Bahram I. Kird-īr finally caused the imprisonment and death of Mani
in 276 AD, during the reign of Bahram I. Chasing, torturing, and persecuting the Manichaeans was one of
Kird-īr’s next actions, which continued until the end of Bahram III’s reign. These two religions have taken
beliefs from each other due to their existence in the same period and in the same country. Zoroastrian religion,
after this period, is very different from what is mentioned in the Avesta, and it has received some beliefs from
Manichaeism. Also, the Manichaean religion received names and beliefs from the Zoroastrian religion.
“A little over twenty years ago, Prods Oktor Skjærvø published a series of four articles in which he examined
“Iranian Elements in Manichaeism” as well as the possible influence of Manichaeism on institutional
Zoroastrians in the early Sasanian period (Skjærvø, 1995a, 1995b, 1996, 1997). In these articles, Skjærvø
performed the service of pushing the study of Iranian religion out of a comfort zone that viewed Manichaeism as
related to an already well-established “Zoroastrianism”. In the latter view, an organized and orthodox
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Zoroastrianism served as a source of terms, concepts, and themes that Mani and Manichaeans appropriated and
modified to fit into Manichaean “syncretism” (see for example Scott, 1989). In contrast, Skjærvø imagines a
Manichean origin occurring at a “time when the Mazdayasnian religion was being redefined and established”
(Skjærvø, 1995a, p. 267). Faced with the late dating of almost all primary sources on the religion, he recognizes
that it is possible that elements of Manichean myth were permanently incorporated into Zoroastrian mythology at
this time (Skjærvø, 1995a, p. 267). While not completely unprecedented, Skjærvø’s recognition of the possibility
of an exchange of ideas in both directions between these two communities (1995a, p. 281), in a period that was
formative for both, marks a major advance away from an understanding of Manichaean origins that consists
simply of normative heresiological tropes put in the fancy dress of modern academics. BeDuhn (2020) has
published an article under the title “The Co-formation of the Manichaean and Zoroastrian Religions in
Third-Century Iran”” (BeDuhn, 2020).
In this research, the author intends to answer these questions:
1) What are the similarities and differences between the stages of the righteous soul’s journey to heaven in
Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism?
2) What heavenly gifts does the righteous soul receive from the gods in the various stages of its journey to
heaven in Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism?
3) How was Kird-īr chosen as a teacher of Manichaeism?
4) How did Kird-īr travel to heaven and which religion does his journey correspond to and what gifts did he
receive on his journey to heaven?
In this research, we want to examine the beliefs that exist in both Manichean and Zoroastrian religions about the
ascension of the righteous soul to heaven. Through a step-by-step investigation with the events that happen in
each step, we want to reach the conclusion that why Goshtasbi Ardakany (2023) stated in her article that Kird-īr
went to Heaven with the method of Manichaean religion. By examining each stage of the righteous soul’s
journey to Heaven, we will find out whether each stage is similar to the beliefs of Manichaeism or similar to the
beliefs of Zoroastrianism. Also, in this article, the method of selecting the Teachers and Elected members of the
Manichaean Church is examined.
2. Method
In this research, the author have used the descriptive-analytical method for investigation and the author have
collected the research data from various sources with the library method and analyzed it. The author have tried to
mention all the points that should be compared between Manichaeism and Zoroastrianism at each stage of the
soul’s journey to Heaven. In 2023, in an article titled “Solving the Mystery of Mowbed Kird-īr’s Journey to
Heaven” published by Poorchista Goshtasbi Ardakany, the words and expressions of this part of the inscriptions
of Kird-īr’s journey to Heaven have been examined. In her article, she stated that Kird-īr went to Heaven with
the ascension of Manichaean religion. In the conclusion section, the author have mentioned all the results case by
case in order to clarify the reason why Goshtasbi Ardakany stated in her 2023 article that Kird-īr went to Heaven
with the method of Manichaeism.
3. Manichean and Zoroastrian Gods in the Order of Their Coming to Welcome the Righteous Soul
In Manichaeism, the angels or gods who accompany the righteous soul to Heaven are called šahriyār/šahrδār
“King”. Applying the name “King” to these gods belongs to the religious beliefs of Manichaeism and does not
exist in Zoroastrianism. In Manichean texts these kings are considered as “saviors of the souls of the dead”.
3.1 The First Stage in Manichaeism
According to the Manichean texts, the first king to welcome the souls of the dead is Rōšnšahr yazd or Narisah
Yazd. With the arrival of the first king, Rōšnšahr yazd, the gates of heaven will open and light will spread
everywhere.
There are a number of surviving hymns of praise and invocation addressed to the chief gods of the Third
Creation, who are active in helping man. In both Middle Persian and Parthian the first of these gods, the Third
Messenger, was identified with the Zoroastrian messenger-god, Nairyōsaŋha (pe. Narisah, Pth. Narisaf). In
Parthian he was also identified with Mithra, and attracted some of the traits of this ancient Iranian god (see
Boyce in A Locust’s Leg, Studies in honour of S. H. Taqizadeh, ed. W. B. Henning and E. Yarshater, London 1962,
44 ff.) (Boyce, 1975b, p. 115).
In the Parthian text “bg or M67 Riil2”, it is stated as follows:
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Narisafyazdīg bāšāhān
ōn baγ rāšt ud mihrbān frawēnag yazd, ō man hufrayādā, u-m wxad dastδār bawāh. ـــــāfrīd ay, rōšnāgar Mihr
yazd, rōšn wuzurg. ـــــbām ay ud nisāgīft čē haft kišfar zambūdīg, rōšnīft tō tābēd pad harw šahr ud pādgōs.
gyānēn čamag čē tō tirγestar až parmānag, raγēstar až wād wazīd, niδfurdestar až šab pad šām. dīdišn tō nisāg,
bāmēn adyān ispēd nišān, burzwār tō drafš hužihr, kē haxsēnd harw bōxtagān (Boyce, 1975b, p. 115;
Esma’ilpour Motlagh, 2018, p. 26).
Translation:
The hymns of the Third Messenger
O right and kindly God, O foreseeing God, help me, be my helper.ـــــYou are praised, O illuminator Mihr yazd,
the great light. ــــــYou are bright and the light of the world of seven climes, your light shines on every country
and region. Your spiritual movement is swifter than thought, quicker than the wind blowing, more agile than the
night in the dusk. Your appearance is bright, radiant, so your sign is white, your beautiful robe is honorable, who
all the saved follow <you>.
In Kird-īr’s inscriptions, the word spēdagān means “white-colored” (Goshtasbi Ardakany, 2023). In the
mentioned hymn, it is written that because Mihr yazd’s appearance is bright and radiant, his sign is white. So the
meaning of “white-colored” in Kird-īr’s inscriptions is quite correct.
In the Parthian text “bk or M39Ri-Rii”, it is stated:
āfrīd bawāh pad was āfrīwan ō rōžānīg Rōšnšahr yazd. ـــــــfrihum tū ay, Rōšnšahr yazd, huaxšaδīg baγ, ō man
bōž. ــــــbūd paydāg drafš ud nišān ud fradāb až dwāδes bar. gōnyāg ast tō karišn, ud wiδβayāg im tō kirdagān.
dādβar ay pad zamīg ud āsmān, tū wigāh ay wxad. harwīn fradāb rōšn tābēh pad hamag zambūdīg. wišād barān
až āsmān, ud fradāb rōšn drafšīd. zād ay pad warž, ud izγad ay hufrayād ō pidar mardōhm. žafrān zamīg zādagān
až āsmān rōšn istānēnd. harw tawān kām kirbag ispurr būd, bōžād bōxtagān, andraxtagān andrenǰād. tār zādagān
nidraxt pad zamīg, rōž zādagān wiγrād, ō tō istāwēnd. yōzēh zamīg ud āsmān …
[more than 20 lines missing]
kird-ud axšaδ pad … ay, apēdagān wxāzag ay ō mōxš. radanīn fraγāw čē tū amwardēh, wxēbēh zādagān, čīd abar
sānēh. šahrδār ay, kē dahēd dāšn, dīdēm drafš, ud nišān ispēd. tū tū ay rōdwar šahrδār, abar man-iž rōd ud
āmužd kar. nām tawān čīd wifrāsām, ō man-iž bōž, čē nizāwar hēm (Boyce, 1975b, pp. 117-118; Esma’ilpour
Motlagh, 2018, pp. 28-29).
Translation:
Praise be to you with many prayers, to the bright-faced Rōšnšahr yazd. ـــــــyou are my friend, Rōšnšahr yazd,
merciful god, save me. ــــــIt was visible the drafš (= the robe) and the sign and radiance from the twelve gates.
Your beautiful shape is fine, your deeds are extensive. You are the judge in the earth and the sky, you are the
witness, your own. You shine all the bright radiance to the whole world. The gates of the sky were opened and
the bright radiance shined. You were born by a miracle, and you are emanated, <you>, the helper of the father of
mankind. The sons of the depth of the earth take light from the sky. Every wish of yours was a perfect goodness,
it will save the saved, it will condemn the condemned. The sons of Darkness (i.e. the wicked, or demons) are
subdued on earth, the sons of the Day (i.e. the good) are awakened, the praise you. You convulse the earth and
the sky.
[more than 20 lines missing]
You have mercy on... you are …, for the lost, you are desirous for salvation. The treasure of jewels that you
collect, your sons, you always take up. You are the King who gives gifts, diadem, robe and white sign. You, you
are the sympathetic King, have sympathy and mercy on me too. I will always teach your name, save me too,
because I am weak.
However, it is not written in any Avestan text or any Pahlavi text that before the maiden comes, the king comes
with a robe in his hand. drafš is specifically related to the Manichaean Ascension and belongs to Narisaf yazd.
Even if we consider the meaning of drafš as "banner" like some researchers, it still belongs to Manichean
ascension and does not exist in Zoroastrian religion. We also checked the entire Avesta and even in the Avesta no
god with drafš welcomes the righteous soul (See Bartholomae’s Altiranisches Wӧrterbuch below the word
drafša-, 1961, 771).
In the text “bq or M5260V”, which is about Narisah Yazd, it is stated:
āmad wizih ud bāmdād, rōšn ispixt az hwarāsān. būd paydāg sahēnīhā šahriyār, Yazd Narisah (Boyce, 1975b, p.
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121; Esma’ilpour Motlagh, 2018, p. 32).
The dawn and the morning came, radiant light from the east. The splendidly king was appeared, God Narisah.
In this Manichaean text, it is also mentioned that Narisah Yazd (=Rōšnšahr yazd) appears from Khorasan (the
east); Boyce notes in a footnote that, this text is the opening lines of a Middle persian hymn, where too the Third
Messenger is identified with the sun, although he is not in that language called Mihr Yazd (Boyce, 1975b, p.
121).
According to what is stated in the texts of the Manichaean religion, Rōšnšahr yazd comes from Khorasan (the
east) and is the first king whose arrival opens the gates of Heaven. He carries gifts with him, which are the
diadem and the robe. Because he is very bright and luminous, his sign is white. In some hymns, this god is called
razwar or dādβar “judge”, but as Boyce mentioned, this was due to the confusion of this god with the god
“Mihr” of Zoroastrianism, and this is not the case in Manichaeism. In the “bg or M67 Riil2” text, which is a
Parthian hymn, the word razwar is used for this god, which Boyce mentioned in the footnote of this text: it iz the
Iranian Mithra rather than the Manichaean Third Messenger who is a judge, and who at the same time as sun-god
follows a fixed course (Boyce, 1975b, p. 115). In the “bj” text, which is a Parthian hymn, it is mentioned about
this god dādβar ud wigāh čē harw … hazār-čašm, which Boyce mentioned again in the footnote of this text: in
these lines, with the god as “judge and witness”, and with the epithet “1000-eyed”, the concept of the Iranian
Mithra overlays that of the Manichaean Third Messenger (ibid., p. 117). dādβar and wigāh are also mentioned in
“bk” text (ibid., 118). dādβar is also mentioned in “bm” text (ibid., p. 119). This god is not a “judge” in the
Manichaean religion, but considering that it is mentioned in the “bh” text that gyānum žām ō wahišt anōšag
“lead my soul to the eternal paradise” (ibid., p. 117), this god is one of the gods who guides the soul of a
righteous person to Heaven.
3.2 The second stage in Manichaeism
In the second stage of the ascension of the righteous soul in the Manichaean religion, Mānī comes to welcome
the righteous soul. In the Manichaean texts, the name of Mani is also mentioned along with the name of the
savior gods. In the Manichaean hymn “dx or M74”, the names of the gods who save the soul of the righteous
person are mentioned:
bay burzist anōšag xwadayā, gāhdārān dōnān rōšnān, abzār zōrmand Srōšahrāy, bōzegar ī gyānān, mānī
xwadāwan, yazdegird *senān šahriyārān, lālmīn wryhr (?) Yišō‛zīndakkar, *gōnyāg agrāw Kanīgrōšn, āyāgān
abardom Wahman rōšn, tahmātarān imēšān bān warzāwendān imēšān yazdān tahmīhā dayānd nōg yazdīg āfrīn
wārišn ud nōg šādīh, … xunakīh nōg bōxtagī…. (Boyce, 1975b, p. 194; Esma’ilpour Motlagh, 2018, p. 80).
Translation: The most high God, the deathless God, the two bright ones who are the holders of the throne, the
mighty strong Srōšahrāy, the savior of the souls, the Lord Mani, the three Kings made by the gods, Jesus, the
eternal savior wryhr, the beautiful, fine Maiden of light, the supreme of the comers, the bright Wahman, the most
powerful, these miracle-working gods will powerfully give the new divine pray for rejoicing and new happiness,
fortune..., new salvation.
Mani’s name is also present in the hymns whose singers request the soul-saving gods to save their souls, and also
the singer of the hymn requests Mani to save his soul. As we can see in the “dv or M176” text that follows, and
in the hymns that will follow the article, Mani is one of the saviors of the righteous person’s soul in the
Manichaean religion. It is stated in the “dv or M176” text that:
1) … nōgmāhā sad az nōg wahišt, ud nōg šādī būd ō hāmāg dēn.
2) wxašnām Yišō‛, až baγān afradom. nōgmāh tū, baγ, ay, ud pidar arγāw ay. purrmāh Yišō‛, xwadāyā wxašnāmā,
purrmāh Yišō‛, xwadayā wxašnāmā, zirδān rōšnā namāž, ō zirδān rōšnā namāž.
3) Yišō‛, Kanīg, ud Wahmanā, Bām-yazdā istāwām, ō baγ Narisaf yazd, ō mār mānī āfurām.
4) nōg purrmāhāyā ud wahār … xwadāyā mānīyā. āfurām ō frēstagān, yazdān, … nōg xwarxšēd … zēnārēs
*bay.
5) …nōg purrmāh tābād abar dēn. drōd abar tō, xwadāyā.
6) awarā pad drōdā, xwadāy. rist, … huaxšaδ mār mānī baγā, tū man bōž baγā, tū manā bōž, *baγā (Boyce,
1975b, pp. 192-193; Esma’ilpour Motlagh, 2018, p. 78).
Translation:
1) …The new moon ascended from the New Paradise, and there was new happiness for whole the religion.
2) The famous Jesus, the foremost of the gods. O new moon, you are God and you are the pleasing father. O full
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moon, O Jesus, O famous God, O full moon, O Jesus, O famous God, obeisance for the light of hearts,
obeisance for the light of hearts.
3) I praise Jesus, the Maiden and the Nous, the god of radiance, I pray God Narisaf yazd and Lord Mani.
4) O new full moon and spring … O Lord Mani. I pray angels, gods, … the new sun … zēnārēs *bay.
5) The new full moon shined on the religion. Health be upon you, O Lrod.
6) Come here in health (= welcome), O Lord. truly, ... O merciful Lord Mani god, you, save me!, O God, you,
save me!, O God.
The Manichaeans believed that Mani is one of the gods who saves the souls of the dead after death and guides
them to the Bright Paradise. For this reason, Mani is also praised in most of their religious hymns.
3.3 The Third Stage in Manichaeism
The third god who welcomes the righteous soul is the Just Justice. Mani taught that the soul may be incarnated
many times before it attains release through perfected virtue. There exist two accounts of its fate at death: 1) the
soul goes before the Just Justice, and having been judged takes one of three paths, to “life” (the New Paradise),
to “mixture” (back to the world) or to “death” (hell): 2) the righteous soul, leaving the body, is met by one of the
redeeming gods, accompained by three angels who bear the insignia of its victory, namely a garland, a diadem,
and a heavenly robe. Having received these it ascends to the New Paradise by the Column of Glory, the moon
and the sun. Sometimes the redeeming god appears in the form of a Maiden of light, reminiscent of the
Zoroastrian daēnā (Boyce, 1975b, pp. 7-8); Ibn an-Nadim mentioned in the book Al-Fihrist, in the first part of
the ninth article, in the chapter « »قول المانویة فی المعادthat:
و معهم الرکوة و اللباس و، و معه ثالثة آلهة، أرسل الیه االنسان القدیم إلها ً نیّراً بصورة الحکیم الهادی، اذا حضرت وفاة الصدیق:قال مانی
فاذا رآهم، و یظهر له شیطان الحرص و الشهوة و الشیاطین، و یأتی معهم البکر الشبیهة بنسمة ذلک الصدیق،العصابة و التاج و اکلیل النور
و أخذوا ذلک الصدیق و ألبسوه، فاذا رأتهم الشیاطین ولت هاربة، فیقربون منه،الصدیق استغاث بااللهة التی علی صورة الحکیم و اآللهة الثالثة
و الی النهنهة أمّ االحیاء الی، و عرجوا به فی عمود السبح الی فلک القمر و الی االنسان القدیم، و أعطوه الرکوة بیده،التاج و االکلیل و اللباس
.ماکان علیه أوالً فی جنان النور
(Al-Fihrist, ninth article, pp. 468-9).
Translation: Mani said: If death comes to a righteous person, Ohrmezdbay sends a god to him as a wise guide (=
the Just Justice), and he is accompanied by three gods who have a jug of water, a robe and an anadem and a
diadem of light with them. And along with them comes a maiden similar to the soul of that righteous person. The
Ahremen, Āz dēw, and other demons also appear to him, and as soon as the righteous person sees them, he asks
for help from the god who is as a wise and the three gods. So they approach him, so when the demons see them,
they start to run away. They (= gods) take that righteous person with them, cover him with anadem and diadem
and robe, and put a jug of water in his hand and take him through the Column of Glory to the moon, <the sun>
and to the Bright Paradise near Ohrmezdbay and the Mother of Life, to the place where he was in the beginning,
in the Bright Paradise.
According to the writings of the Manichaeans and what Ibn an-Nadim wrote in the Al-Fihrist book, after the
arrival of the Just Justice, the three gods will come, and the next stage is related to the three comers according
to the Manichaean texts.
3.4 The Fourth Stage in Manichaeism and the First Stage in Zoroastrianism
In the fourth stage in Manichaeism, the Maiden of light comes through the Column of Glory to welcome the
righteous person’s soul. The Column of Glory is the Column of radiance “bāmistūn” which is also called
Srōš-ahrāy or Kišwarwāryazd, through which the righteous soul ascends to the moon, the sun, and the New
Paradise. In the Manichaean text “p or M5569 (T II 79)”, which is about Mani’s death, it is stated that:
pad wuzurg šādīft, aδ baγān rōšnān kē až dašn ud hōy šawēnd, pad šang ud srōd čē šādīft frawašt pad warž
baγānīg, čawāγōn wirōž tirγ ud dīdan nisāg niδfurdag, ō bāmistūn šībah rōšn, ud māh wardyūn, amwardan
baγānīg. ud angūd aδ pidar Ohrmezdbaγ (Boyce, 1975b, p. 47).
Translation: And with great joy, with the bright gods, who go from the right and the left, with a harp and a song
of joy, he flew with a godlike miracle, like a fast lightening, and <with> a bright, swift apparition, to the bright
path of the Column of glory, and the chariot of the moon, assembly attributed to the gods. And remained with
the Father Ohrmezdbaγ.
When the bright path of the Column of glory (= Srōš-ahrāy) appears, the Maiden comes to welcome the
righteous soul. The Maiden of Light is also mentioned as sadwēs in the Parthian text “ao or M741R” (Boyce
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1975b, p. 98; id. 1977, p. 81; Esma’ilpour Motlagh, 2018, p. 12).
In the Zoroastrian religion, this bright path is created from where the dead body is placed in the sunlight; What
evidence there is about the funeral rites of pagan Iran suggests that among various Iranian peoples the princes
and nobles had adopted the custom of laying the embalmed bodies of their dead within a larg tomb, a rite which
may have been connected with an aristocratic hope of salvation in Paradise, with resurrection of the body
hearafter. There is some reason to think that exposure of the dead was first adopted by Iranians in Central Asia,
and whether or not this rite was actually evolved by Zoroaster, the likelihood seems that the prophet himself
chose it as that of his own faith, this being one of the measures which revelation gave him the courage to foster
or introduce. There are a number of ways in which it accords with his doctrines. Firstly, the body is laid in the
open under the life-giving sun, which makes a path of light to draw the soul upwards to the Činvat Bridge. In
Zoroastrian tradition it is hvarǝ.darǝsā, or, as it is expressed in Persian, Khoršēd nigareš “beholding by the sun”,
which is stressed as the chief merit of exposure. the sun’s rays, beneficent for the Spenta creation, are also
powerful to burn away the pollutions of the body, which in death belongs to the daēvic powers. Moreover, by
exposure to birds and beasts the corrupting flesh is itself swiftly destroyed- sometimes in minutes rather than
hour- and there is no sullying of the creations of earth or fire or water. Further, in its harshness the rite marks a
disdain for the nasā which the soul has abandoned; and its simplicity accords with the universal character of
Zoroaster’s messages, since it levels all men in death, naked alike beneath the sky (Boyce, 1975a, p. 325).
The difference between these two bright paths is that in the Manichaean religion, this bright path is created by
Srošahrāy, but in Zoroastrian religion, this bright path is created by the sun’s rays on the corpse. The bright path
appears in the Manichaean religion, and the maiden and the rest of the gods come to welcome the righteous soul
through it and take him to the New Paradise through this bright path; However, in Zoroastrian religion, the bright
path is created from the place where the corpse is placed in the sunlight and continues to the Činwad Bridge,
which is the place where the maiden and judging gods come, and this path exists only up to the Činwad Bridge.
That is, the bright path in the Manichaean religion ends at the New Paradise, which is in Khorasan (the east), and
the bright path in the Zoroastrian religion ends at the Činwad Bridge, which is in Čagād dāitī in the middle of
Alborz Mountain.
In Zoroastrian religion, it is stated in the Avesta that the first person who comes to welcome the righteous soul is
the Maiden, and before the Maiden there is no trace of the arrival of any yazad or Amshaspand. In the later
Pahlavi text “Mēnōg-ī Xrad” which seems to have added things other than the Avesta later, an interesting point
can be found, and that is that, like the Manichaean religion, after the arrival of the Srōš-ahlāy, at that time, the
maiden comes to welcome the soul of the righteous. In the second chapter of this text, from verses 123 to 130, it
is stated as follows:
(123) ‘And when a soul of the righteous passes upon that bridge, the width of the bridge becomes as it were a
league (parasang), (124) and the righteous soul passes over with the cooperation of Srosh, the righteous. (125)
And his own deeds of a virtuous kind come to meet him in the form of a maiden, (126) who is handsomer and
better than every maiden in the world. (127) ‘And the righteous soul speaks (128) thus: “Who mayst thou be, that a
maiden who is handsomer and better than thee was never seen by me in the worldly existence?” (129) ‘In reply that
maiden form responds (130) thus: “I am no maiden, but I am thy virtuous deeds, thou youth who art well-thinking,
well-speaking, well-doing, and of good religion! (Mēnōg-ī Xrad, chapter 2, verses 123-130).
It seems that due to the similarity between this text and Manichaean beliefs, because there is no trace of such a
belief in the Avesta, this is derived from Manichaean beliefs.
After the appearance of Srōš-ahrāy in Manichean religion, the Maiden appears. Kanīg rōšn or the Maiden of
Light is the first of the senān āyāgān “the three comers” or senān šahriyārān “the three kings” to accompany
the soul of the righteous.
Kird-īr used the word zan in his inscriptions (Goshtasbi Ardakany, 2023). The word zan is actually the Pahlavi
translation of the word gǝnā in the Avesta, which means “noble woman, divine woman”. For the word gǝnā and
its Pahlavi translation, see (Hintze, 2007, pp. 196, 341). By writing this word, Kird-īr wants to show that this
woman is a divine and noble woman. Kanīg rōšn or the Maiden of Light is the first of senān āyāgān “the three
comers” or senān šahriyārān “the three kings” to accompany Kird-īr hangirb. But in the Manichaean texts, her
name is always mentioned as the second comer, and the order of their appearance is Jesus, the Maiden, and the
Nous:
āfurīhād wihīh yōǰdahr, Yišō‛ ispixtān, Kanīgrōšn ud Wahman wuzurg, bōxtārān nēwān, murdāhēzān ī dēn
yōǰdahr. (Boyce, 1975b, p. 155; Esma’ilpour Motlagh, 2018, p. 55: Text cu or M801a).
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Translation: Praise be to pure wisdom, Jesus the Splendour, the Maiden of light and the great Wahman, brave
saviors, raiser of the dead of pure religion.
ō tō āfurām, xwadāy mānī, Yišō‛, Kanīg ud Wahman, ud gāh ī huzihr, ud frēstagān. (Boyce, 1975b, p. 154;
Esma’ilpour Motlagh, 2018, p. 56: Text cu or M801a).
Translation: I praise you, Lord Mani, Jesus, the Maiden and Wahman, the beautiful place, and the angels.
az frēstagrōšn ud az Yišō‛, Kanīg ud Wahman: dōšārmī, bōxtagīh ud yazdegirdīh, rāymastī, rāy ud wihī az pidar,
pusar ud az wāxš yōǰdahr. (Boyce, 1975b, p. 150; Esma’ilpour Motlagh, 2018, p. 52: Text cr or M729).
Translation: From the angel of light (=Mani) and from Jesus, the Maiden and Wahman:
love, salvation, godliness, wisdom, wealth and wisdom from the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Goshtasbi
Ardakany, 2023).
The coming of the maiden to welcome the righteous person’s soul is also mentioned in the Avesta. In the Avesta,
the first person to appear is the Maiden. In the 19th chapter of Vidēvdād, verse 30, it is written that the Maiden
comes first and brings the guard dogs with her. It is also written in Haδōxt Nask, chapter two, verse 9, that first
the Maiden comes to welcome the soul of the deceased. It is stated in the 30th verse of the 19th chapter of
Vidēvdād:
30. hāu srīra kǝrǝta taxma huraoδa jasaiti spānavaiti nivavaiti pasvaiti yaoxštavaiti hunaravaiti, [hā drvatąm
aγem urvānō tǝmō-hva nizaršaite,] hā aṣ̌āunąm urvānō tarasca harąm bǝrǝzaitīm āsǝnaoiti tarō cinvatō pǝrǝtūm
vīδārayeiti haētō mainyavanąm yazatanąm (Vidēvdād, chapter 19, verse 30).
So then, the beautiful, strong, tall-formed, recognizer, well-groomed and graceful, efficient and masterful and
very clever Maiden arrives with the dogs at her sides. She makes the soul of the righteous one go up above the
Mount Alborz; above the Chinwad bridge she places it in the presence of the Spiritual gods (Vidēvdād, chapter
19, verse 30). These dogs protect the righteous person’s soul, but they do not help the soul of a sinful person in
front of the Daevas while crossing the Chinwad bridge (see chapter 13 of Vidēvdād, verse 9).
In the Haδōxt Nask, before the Maiden comes to welcome the righteous soul, a very fragrant wind blows. The
blowing of this wind is also mentioned in some Pahlavi texts. It is stated in Haδōxt Nask, chapter two, verse 7-8:
(7) At the end of the third night, when the dawn appears, it seems to the soul of the faithful, one as if it were brought
amidst plants and scents; it seems as if a wind were blowing from the region of the south, from the regions of the
south, a sweet-scented wind, sweeter-scented than any other wind in the world.
(8) And it seems to the soul of the faithful one as if he were inhaling that wind with the nostrils, and he thinks:
‘Whence does that wind blow, the sweetest-scented wind I ever inhaled with my nostrils?’ (Haδōxt Nask, chapter 2,
verse 7-8).
It is written in Mēnōg-ī xrad, chapter two, verses 140 to 144 that after the arrival of the maiden, a fragrant wind
blows, and this is contrary to what is stated in the Avesta:
(140) ‘And when he walks onwards from there, a sweet-scented breeze comes then to meet him, which is more
fragrant than all perfume. (141) The soul of the righteous inquires of Srosh (142) thus: “That breeze is this, that
never in the world so fragrant a breeze came into contact with me?” (143) ‘Then Srosh, the righteous, replies to that
righteous soul (144) thus: “This breeze is from heaven, which is so fragrant.” (Mēnōg-ī xrad, chapter two, verses
140-144).
In the Haδōxt Nask, after the wind blows, the righteous soul thinks to himself and asks: “Whence does that wind
blow, the sweetest-scented wind I ever inhaled with my nostrils?”; But in Mēnōg-ī xrad the righteous soul asks
Srōš: “That breeze is this, that never in the world so fragrant a breeze came into contact with me?”; The difference
between these two texts indicates that Srōš was added in the Pahlavi texts and is one of the later beliefs that arose in
the Zoroastrian religion. In the book Bundahišn Chapter 30, the blowing of this fragrant wind is also mentioned:
agar ahlaw [ān ī ruwān] tēz pad ān gōwišn wād-ē(w) padīrag āyēd ī weh ud nēktar ud hu-bōytar ud pērōzgartar az
hamāg wādān ī pad gētīg kē ruwān be urwāhmēnēd (Pakzad, 2005, p. 347).
Translation: If the soul is righteous, quickly with that speech, a wind welcomes him that is good, and is more
good and fragrant and more victorious than all the winds of the world, that makes the soul happy.
The interesting point is that in this text, after the fragrant wind blows, before the maiden comes to welcome the
righteous soul, a cow-shaped comes:
agar ahlaw andar rāh ēg-iš gāw kirb ō padīrag rasēd frabīh ud purr-pēm kē ruwān aziš padēxīh ud čarbīh rasēd
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(ibid., p. 347).
Translation: If he is righteous, on the way he will be greeted by a cow-shaped one, fat and full of milk that will
reach the soul from that prosperity and fattiness.
It seems that the author of the text has transferred the vernal oil mentioned in the last verse (verse 18) of chapter
two of Haδōxt Nask, which is given to the righteous soul after reaching heaven, to this part and wrote that the
cow gives him fattiness. We will explain about this oil or butter in its own step.
After that the Maiden comes, which is similar to the one mentioned in Haδōxt Nask:
did kanīg kirb padīrag rasēd ī hu-kirb ī spēd wistarag ī pānzdah sālag kē az hamāg kustag nēk kē ruwān padiš
šādīhēd (Pakzad, 2005, p. 347).
Translation: After, fifteen-year-old Maiden-shaped arrives to welcome him, who has a beautiful figure, wears a
white dress, who is good in every way, with whom the soul rejoices.
As you can see, there are later beliefs in Pahlavi texts, for example, the coming of the cow-shaped is added in
this text, but it is not found in the Avesta.
It is also stated in Haδōxt Nask, chapter two, verse 9:
aŋ́hā̊ dim vātayā̊ frǝ̄rǝnta saδayeiti yā hva daēnā, kainīnō kǝhrpa srīrayā̊ xṣ̌ōiθnyā̊ auruṣ̌a-bāzvō amayā̊ huraoδayā̊
huzarštayā̊ bǝrǝzaityā̊ ǝrǝdva-fṣ̌nyā̊ sraotanvō āzātayā̊ raēvasciθrayā̊ paṇca-dasayā̊ raoδaēṣ̌va kǝhrpa avavatō
srayā̊ dāmąn sraēštāiš (Haδōxt Nask, chapter 2, verse 9).
When this wind blows upon it (the soul), his own conscience appears to him, in the shape of a Maiden fair, bright,
white-armed, strong, tall-formed, high-standing, thick-breasted, beautiful of body, noble, of a glorious seed, of
the size of a maid in her fifteenth year, with a body of the beauty of such one as the most beautiful creatures
(are).
kainīnō kǝhrpa, which is in this verse, is mentioned as kanīg kirb in Pahlavi texts.
3.5 The Fifth Stage in Manichaeism and the Second Stage in Zoroastrianism
Yišō‛ or Yišō‛ ispixtān or Yišō‛zīndakkar or Yišō‛zīwā(h) or Xradešahr yazd is the second king and the sixth
greeter who comes to accompany the righteous soul, but in the Manichaean texts, Jesus always comes before the
maiden. In the Manichaean texts it is mentioned that the judgment will be done by Jesus. In text z from the
Šābuhragān, it has been written that arbitration is done by Xradešahr yazd and the verb dādestān kun- “pass
judgment, judge” (Boyce, 1975b, p. 78; id., 1977, p. 33) is attributed to him in this text. Therefore, he is the
judge who weighs good deeds and bad deeds with scales.
u-š dēnwar gōwānd kū… mān xwadāy, agar-it passazag tis az hān čē druwandān pad amāh kird pēš tō gōwām.
u-šān Xradešahr yazd passox ōh dayād, kū man wēnēd ud šād bawēd. *anē kē pad ašmāh winast hād, hān-itān
dādestān kunān, ud angām xwāhān. bēz harw čē ašmāh kāmēd pēš man guftan, hān an dānēm, gahēšān āfrīn
kunad, u-šān dil wiwāsēnēd, u-šān ō dašn ārag ēstēnēd. ud *hamag yazdān pad šādīh pahrēzēnd. ud
duškirdagānān az dēnwarān wizārēd, u-šān ō hōy ārag ēstēnēd. u-šān nifrīn kunad, ud ōh gōwēd kū mā drōwāxēz
(?) … hāmispīz bawād. čē *hān-iz wināh īg ašmāh kird. *u-tān zūrīg axšād kird hān-itān merdān pusar *kird….
(Boyce, 1975b, p. 78).
Translation: The religious people will tell to him that... <O> our God, if it is worthy of you, we will tell you
about what the sinners did to us. Xradešahr yazd will answer them like this: See me and be happy. But he who
has harmed you, I will judge that for you, and I will demand time. But whatever you want to say to me, I know it.
Then he prays for them, and comforts their hearts, and makes them stand on the right side, and all the gods stand
with joy. And he (= Xradešahr yazd) separates the evildoers from the believers, and makes them stand on the left
side and curses them and says that they should not tell lie… will be wholly bright. Because the sin you did, and
the deceitful troubled you did, you, the son of men, did it <against me>.
As seen in this text, in the Manichaean religion only evildoers are judged by Xradešahr yazd and there is no
judgment for the righteous. This type of judgment also exists in Zoroastrian religion. The word tarāzūg is used
as talāzūg in Manichaean texts and means “scales” (Boyce, 1977, p. 86). Exactly this word is used in a text that
is about good deeds and bad deeds and about weighing deeds with a scale by a judge. In the Parthian text “az or
M7IIRi”, it is stated:
1 … harw āstār, andarēn ud bēn, andēšād wāxt ud kird, čē *mehgār? srēšišn čē andēšišn kirbag ud bazag wižēhā,
ud wiwadāh ēw až bidān. izwārā wxēbēh bāwag, saxwan pawāg čē wxad ast wāδāg ō gyān kē pad tanbār. pad
haw-iž drōγmēγ saxwan ispurr frawadāh, kē wāyēd ō tār dōžax, narahīg wāδāg. čawāγōn kaδ pad talāzūg razwar,
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padhenǰāh bōxtagān ud andraxtagān čē pad saxwan. karāh aβyād ō āžōn ud istaft narah, kū trixsēnd ud wixasēnd
gyānān pad anǰūgīft. ruwānēn abrang dārāh, saxwanēn fraγāw, kū čamāh *nerd…
2 nirāmā zirδ ud mānag až āšōb bazag, sanāh pad rāh rāmišn ō rōšn padišt (Boyce, 1975b, p. 109; Esma’ilpour
Motlagh, 2018, pp. 21-22).
Translation:
1 all sin, inner and outer, <that he> thought, said and did, what (is its) harm? Teach the mixture of the thought of
piety and sin and separate one from another. Uncover your own being, the pure Word (= the Manichaean Gospel)
which is the leader for the soul which is in the body. Through it (= the pure Word) understand fully too the false
Word, who leads to the dark hell, the hellish leader. As a judge with scales, (so) weight (those) saved and
condemned through the Word. Remember the rebirth and the harsh hell, where souls are oppressed and wounded
by distress. Have a spiritual zeal, treasure of the Word, so that run thither ...
2 Restrain the heart and mind from the turmoil of sin, ascend to the path of peace to the bright home (used of
Paradise as the true home of the spirit).
In the “bt or M28 II Ri-vi” text, the word dāywar “judge” is used for Yišō‛zīndakkar:
drīst awar, pid dōšārmīgar, ud dāywar xwābar ī ōyšān kē-t panāh grift. drīst awar, pid ī-mān pušt abzār ud
wistāhīh hōstīgān (Boyce, 1975b, p. 124; Esma’ilpour Motlagh, 2018, p. 35).
Translation: Welcome, loving father, and bounteous judge of those who have taken refuge in you. Welcome,
Father, our strong support and strong reliance!
But in Zoroastrian religion, in the 31th verse of the 19th chapter of Vidēvdād, it is stated that after the Maiden,
Wahman Amshaspand comes:
31. usǝhištaţ vohu manō haca gātvō zaranyō-kǝrǝtō fravaocaţ vohu manō, kaδa-nō iδa aṣ̌āum agatō iθyejaŋhataţ
haca aŋhaoţ aiθyajaŋhǝm ahūm ā (Vidēvdād, chapter 19, verse 31).
Up rises Vahman from his golden throne; Vahman exclaims: “How hast thou come to us, thou Holy One, from
that decaying world into this undecaying one?”
A very interesting point is that the interpretation of this verse is found in the Pāzand of Khorda Avesta in Afrin-i
Dahman, Afrin of Ardafrawash, verse 16, which is as follows:
uš hastāţ vōhū manō haca gātvō zaranyō kǝrǝtō, aval ast vahman amǝṣ̌āspǝṇţ vastarg dǝ̄bā u zarīn pǝ̄šīţ ba ruąn
dihāţ (Grotto & Kasson, 2022, p. 49).
Translation: Up rises Vahman from his golden throne; At first, he is Vahman Amshaspand to give the soul of the
immortal-soul a silk garment decorated with gold.
From the 31st verse of the 19th chapter of Vidēvdād and the interpretation of this verse, it is clear that after the
Maiden, Vahman Amshaspand comes to welcome the soul of the righteous person and presents him with a silk
garment decorated with gold; But in Pahlavi texts, it is written that Rašn comes to judge with his scales. In the
Avesta, Rašn does not have the task of judging the souls of the dead, and nowhere in the Avesta is anything
written about the judgment of Rašn on the Činwad Bridge. It seems that the judgment by Rašn which is found in
the Pahlavi texts is influenced by the judgment of Xradešahr yazd in the Manichaean texts and has emerged by
being influenced by it.
In the Bundahišn “the lofty Hukar, through which spring the water of Ardvīsūr” is called the “chief of summits”.
Further, since this mountain was held to be the highest point on earth, it was natural that, once the doctrine had
envolved that the souls of the happy dead ascended to Heaven, this should be regarded as the place from where
their upward journey began. On it accordingly is said to rest one end of the Činvatō pǝrǝtu, the Činvat Bridge;
and when (presumably in accordance with Zoroaster’s own teachings) the crossing of this bridge came to be
regarded as depending solely on an ethical judgment, the peak itself received yet another name, in Pahlavi the
Čagād ī Dāitīg, the “lawful Summit”. In Vidēvdād 19.98 “the soul of the righteous one” is said to “go up above
high Harā, above the Činvat Bridge”; and in the Bundahišn the explanation is given: “the Čagād ī Dāitīg is that
which is in the middle of the world ... on which is the Činvat Bridge. The souls are judged at that place” (Boyce,
1975a, p. 137).
According to the Pahlavi texts, Rašn is one of the gods who has the duty of judging on Činwad Bridge, and he
carries a scale with which he measures the good and bad deeds of each person. Two other gods who accompany
him in judging are Aštād and Mihr. In the second chapter of the Mēnōg-ī Xrad, it is written as follows about
Rašn’s judgment on the Činwad Bridge:
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(119) And Rashn, the just, weighs (his deeds) (120) with a spiritual scale that does not lean in any direction,
neither for the righteous nor yet the wicked, neither for the lords nor yet the monarchs. (121) As much as a hair’s
breadth it will not turn, and has no partiality; (122) and he who is a lord and monarch it considers equally, in its
decision, with him who is the least of mankind (Mēnōg-ī Xrad, chapter 2, verses 119-122).
In the twenty-sixth chapter of the Bundahišn, it is stated as follows:
ruwān-iz mardōmān pad wināh ud kirbag Rašn āmārēnēd (Pakzad, 2005, p. 314).
Also, Rashn reckons people’s souls for reward and sin.
3.6 The Sixth Stage in Manichaeism and the Third Stage in Zoroastrianism
Wahman (wuzurg) or Manohmēd rōšn is the third of the kings who comes to welcome the righteous soul, and
this is in harmony with the order in which the names of the three comers are mentioned in the Manichaean texts.
All the gods that have been mentioned so far to welcome the righteous soul in the Manichaean religion are the
gods of the third creation in the Manichaean religion. For the names of the gods of the third creation, see (Boyce,
1975b, p. 10).
In the Zoroastrian religion, there are various texts for the judgment of Mihr on the Činwad Bridge. After
someone dies, three āfrīnagāns are solemnised during the fateful third night, dedicated firstly to Rašnu and Arštāt
together, yazatas of the mysterious air through which it must now travel; and finally to the fravašis of the just
(ardāy fravaš), whose company it is about to join. There is another service just before down on the fourth
morning. The mouners pause as the sun appears to draw the soul up to face Mithra the Judge at the Činvat
Bridge; and then they solemnise a last service, make offering to fire on behalf of the soul, and break three days
of abstinence by sharing together the flesh of the animal sacrifice (Boyce, 1975a, p. 330).
It is stated in the Dādestān ī Dēnīg question 13, verse 3 that for the amount of sin, the place of committing the
sin and the time of committing the sin, the accountant is Mihr:
pad čandīh [pad-iz wēš<īh>] kū-gyāgīh ud kay-zamānīh āmārgar mihr (Dādestān ī Dēnīg, 1998, p. 62).
It is stated in the Bundahišn about Mihr:
Mihr xwēškārīh wizīrīh ī gēhān pad rāstīh kardan. čiyōn gōwēd kū Mihr ī frāx-gōyōd ī hazār gōš ī bēwar čašm.
u-š frāx-gōyōdīh ēd kū ka pad dašt abē-bīmīh be šāyēd āmadan ud šudan pad rāy ī Mihr. u-š hazār-gōšīh ēd kū-š
panǰ sad mēnōg kār ī gōšīh hamē kunēnd. u-š bēwar-čašmīh ēd kū-š panǰ hazār mēnōg kār ī čašmīh kunēnd kū
Mihr ēn-iz niyōxš ān-iz niyōxš ēn-iz wēn ud ān-iz wēn. har(w) rōz tā nēm-rōz abāg xwaršēd pad ēn kār. ēd rāy
dādwar pad gētīg tā nēm-rōz wizīr kunēd. Mihr rāy ēn-iz gōwēd kū pad hamāg dehān dahibed kū pad har(w) tis
ud har(w) kas be rasēd dādestan be bawēd kē frāz dād Ohrmazd xwarrahōmandtom az mēnōgān yazadān
(Pakzad, 2005, p. 305).
Translation: The duty of Mihr is to judge the world with truth. It says that “Mihr, the owner of vast pastures, the
1000-eared, the 10000-eyed”. His possession of vast pastures is that if one can go to the pasture and to come
back from there without fear, it is from Mihr. His being a 1000-eared is that five hundred spirits do the work of
one ear for him. His being a 10000-eyed is that five thousand spirits do the work of one eye for him; that <they
say>: “O Mehr! Hear this, hear that too! See this, see that too! Every day until noon, he is engaged in this work
along with the sun, and that is why the judge in the world judges until noon. Regarding Mihr, it is also said
<Religion> that “He is the ruler of all countries; Because whatever and whoever it reaches, <that thing or
person> will be judged. <Because> Ahuramazda created him the most glorious of spiritual gods.
It should be said with great surprise that in a Manichaean text called “dr or M781+M1314+M1315 (T I)”,
which is in Middle Persian, the axe, dagger and sword are mentioned together.
… hāmāg … frēdōn nirāmād … u-m *se pahikirb ud prwdg (?) ī ādurēn andar istād hēnd. ud tabar ī tēǰ ud
wišōbāg pad dast dārēm, u-m šafšēr ud čīlān ī hasūd armās ī pāk pērāmōn ōbāyēd, u-m aspšōn īg gōwišn ud
ašnawišn ī frēstagān … abāg ast, ud haft čīlān istaft pōlāwad ī-m pad dast grift … (Boyce, 1975, p. 188).
Translation: Thraetaona restrained … everyone. And three fiery figures and ... are standing in me. And I have
the sharp and destroyer axe in my hand, and the original sword and dagger of pure steel protects round about me,
and the whip of speaking and hearing of angels... is with me, and the seven hard steel daggers that I held in my
hand ...
Here Thraetaona brings three steel weapons to fight as the controller of fever and disease. Boyce mentioned in
the footnote of the text “dt or M4b” about Thraetaona that, frēdōn šāh, the Avestan Thraētaona, who is still thus
invoked by Zorostrians, as “King Farēdūn”, for help against sickness and other evils. Frēdōn nēw “brave
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Frēdōn” is linked in traditional Zorostrian fashion with Mihr Yazd (ibid., p. 190).
Goshtasbi Ardakany (2023) mentioned in her article that in the Avesta it is mentioned about the weapon of the
god Mihr:
hištaite aom vāšahe
miθrahe vouru.gaoyaoitōiš
hazaŋrǝm čakušanąm
haosafnaēnąm bitaēγanąm hukǝrǝtanąm;
mainyavasā̊ vazǝnti
mainyavasā̊ patǝnti
kamǝrǝδe paiti daēvanąm (Yasht 10, 132; Gershevitch, 1967, p. 138).
Translation: There, on grass-land magnate Mithra’s chariot, are in readiness a thousand well-made, two-bladed
hatchets of steel; hailing from supernature they fly, hailing from supernature they fall, on to the evil head(s) of
the evil gods. (Goshtasbi Ardakany, 2023).
After she mentioned that Mihr Yazd has steel double-bladed axes, went on to mention that Mithra’s weapon, is
also in the form of a pair of scissors and a sword; Mihr Yazd’s sword is a double-bladed sword that turns into the
Činwad Bridge. In Manichean belief, Wahman wuzurg plays the role of Mihr Yazd on the bridge (ibid.). She
recognized that the axe, scissors, and sword belong to Mihr Yazd, and as we discussed above in the text “dr”,
these three weapons are the weapons of Mihr Yazd that Frēdōn uses to fight against fever, disease, and evil.
Figure 1. The three comers, Yišō‛, Kanīg and Wahman, along with Kird-īr hangrib in Sar Mashhad Relief
Look at Figure 1, in this picture the three comers are accompanying Kird-īr hangirb on his journey to heaven.
Wahman is killing lions with a two-bladed sword and is moving ahead of others; Instead of Wahman’s face,
Bahram II’s face is seen in the relief, which must have been carved according to Bahram II’s order. It is safe to
say that this has been done on purpose, because Bahram II ordered it so that it would appear that Bahram II has
saved Kird-īr’s soul. Even the name that Bahram II gave to Kird-īr during his own reign and called him Kird-īr ī
bōxt-ruwān Wahrām clearly indicates that Bahram has saved Kird-īr’s soul. It is certainly for this reason that
Bahram II allowed Kird-īr to record inscriptions and reliefs during this period to make it appear to everyone that
he was the savior of Kird-īr’s soul, which, of course, is not true (Goshtasbi Ardakany, 2023).
Mani had traveled to lands where Buddhism was prevalent and for this reason Mani believed in reincarnation
and called it “zādmurd” (= transmigration of souls). zādmurd is similar to Saṃsāra in Buddhism.
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Figure 2. Saṃsāra
Figure 2 above provides a model of the Buddhist idea of Saṃsāra. Saṃsāra specifically refers to the endless
cycles of rebirth. These endless cycles begin with the Three Poisons and Three Unwholesome Roots which are
the root causes of the afflictions or unwholesome states of mind which result in (bad) karma by which through
dependent origination and the Twelve Links one is reborn into one of the Six Realms. The afflictions are
overcome by the Noble Eightfold Path and bad karma is counteracted by the Three Wholesome Roots to produce
good karma, and therefore a favourable rebirth in a higher realm (Ramsden, 2022).
In the “dz or M38V” text it is mentioned that Yišō‛, Kanīg and mār mānī are the gods who save the dead from
zādmurd. It is stated in this text that:
… maitrā wuzurg arγāwā, yazdān ižgand tarkumānān dēn … Yišō‛ Kanīgrōšnā mārō mānīyā, Yišō‛ Kanīgrōšn
mārō mānīyā, tū pad man kar axšaδ axšaδāg rōšnāgarā, bōžāh man arwānā čīmī zādmurdā, bōžāh man arwānā
čīmī zādmurd (Boyce, 1975b, p. 196; Esma’ilpour Motlagh, 2018, p. 81).
Translation: O Maitreya (= Lord Mani), O great noble, messenger of the gods, interpreters of religion... Jesus,
the Maiden and Lord Mani, Jesus, the Maiden and Lord Mani, have mercy on me, O merciful illuminator, save
my soul from this transmigrations of souls, save my soul from this transmigrations of souls.
What travelers report in the Ascension of Kird-īr shows that because Kird-īr was righteous and the mentioned
gods accompanied him (Goshtasbi Ardakany, 2023), he does not have to take the path of rebirth and can go to
the New Paradise; Only the Elect could, therefore, expect to attain Paradise at death. The Hearers could
ordinarily hope for salvation only after re-incarnation as one of the Elect. The Elect, on the other hand, remained
capable of sin; perpetual vigilance was necessary for them also (Boyce, 1975b, p. 11).
3.7 The Seventh Stage in Manichaeism and the Fourth Stage in Zoroastrianism
The last king or god is Ohrmezdbay or Mard hasēnag or Mardōhm naxwēn (= The first Man). Only this king or
god belongs to the first creation in the Manichaean religion (Boyce 1975 b, 9), and the rest of the gods who
accompany the righteous soul to the New Paradise belong to the third creation.
As stated in the Manichaean text “cr or M729”:
… pas abdom padīrāy xōy, pusag, dīdēm az pidar Ohrmezd bay andar wahišt rōšnā. ǰāydān ānōh wārāy ud
wištīrāy, framēnāy pad šādīh (Boyce, 1975b, p. 150; Esma’ilpour Motlagh, 2018, p. 53).
Translation: So finally you will accept the helmet, the anadem and the diadem from the Father Ohrmezd bay in
the Bright Paradise. For ever, there, rejoice and be fortunate, be glad with happiness.
As mentioned in Parthian text “cx or M93II+289a+4970”, the First Man or Ohrmezdbaγ reigns in the palace:
*appaδan ast šahrδārīft o čē noxzād hasēnag
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čē pad haw padmōžēd šādīft o ud šahrδārīft dīdēm bandēd
ud ō harwīn aδyāwarān o dīdēm ō hawīn bandēd
ud šādīft padmōžān o ō hawīn tan padmōžēd
ud ō harwīn dēnāβarān o ud wižīdagān kirbakkarān
padmōžēd istāwišn o u-šān dīdēm bandēd
ud padixšāhēnd pad šādīft o čawāγōn abar nām būd paštag
ud anǰūgīft widārād o až dast dušmenūn (Boyce, 1975b, p. 165; Esma’ilpour Motlagh, 2018, p. 66).
Translation:
The kingdom of the First Man (= Ohrmezdbaγ) is the palace.
Because with it he wears happiness and ties the diadem of the kingship.
And for all the helpers, he ties diadem for them.
And he covers their body with the garment of happiness.
And all the virtuous believers and the Elect,
he covers them with praising and ties diadem for them.
And they reign in gladness, as in the case of their name (= the Manichaeans), the pact was, and they suffered
anguish from the hands of (their) foes.
paštag: “pact” (MacKenzie, 1986, p. 66).
The reward of the righteous in heaven is mentioned in four Manichaean texts as talawār, which means “hall”
(Boyce, 1977, p. 86). The first text is “ax or M7Iri-Vi”, which is a Parthian text, and the second is “bc or
M33IIRi+M367V”, which is a Parthian text and the third is “bh or M77Ri-15”, which is a Parthian text and the
fourth is “bp or M737”, which is a Parthian text. In the “bh or M77Ri-15” text, both talawār “hall” and gāh
“throne” are mentioned as heavenly rewards.
It is stated in the text “ax or M7Iri-Vi”:
talawār windād, wižīdagān rāštān ud niγōšāgān punwendān. nisāžēd grīw ō pawāžišn, ud im rāz rāšt šōž dārēd.
namōyēd ō hawīn kē bōxsēnd, ud im rāz ō hawīn wižēhēd (Boyce, 1975b, p. 108; Esma’ilpour Motlagh, 2018, p.
20-21).
Translation: The Elect righteous and the dutiful Hearers find the hall. Prepare the soul for purification, and keep
this secret truly holy. Honour those who will be saved and teach them this secret.
It is stated in the text “bc or M33IIRi+M367V”:
sēzdēn baγānīg ifryānagān pidarān pādgirb wēnēd. čihrag baγānīg kirbakkarān windēnd, rāštān amwastān,
šādčan niγōšāgān. talawār baγānīg nēwgarān windēnd. im ast ardāw farrox, niγōšāg punwend, u-š im ast kirbag
čē čār bōxtan grīw (Boyce, 1975b, p. 110-111; Esma’ilpour Motlagh, 2018, p. 23).
Translation: See the mighty beloved divine figure of the fathers. The virtuous, the true believers, the happy
Hearers, find the divine appearance. The beneficent find the divine hall. This is the fortunate righteous, the
dutiful Hearer, and this is his piety, which is necessary to save the soul.
It is stated in the text “bh or M77Ri-15”:
šādīft amāh *padrāst, wižīdagān ud niγōšāgān, talawār ud gāh ud pusag, yahm yāwēd yāwēdān. niγōšāgān-iž
bawēnd anōšag (Boyce, 197 b, p. 116; Esma’ilpour Motlagh, 2018, p. 27).
Translation: The happiness of us, the Elect and the Hearers, the hall and the throne and the anadem were
prepared, for ever and ever. The hearers are also immortal.
It is stated in the text “bp or M737”:
šawēnd ō garδmān rōšnēn, kū yazdān parxēzēnd ud angawēnd. talawār bāmēn naxwēn pattabag čihrag istānēnd,
ud wišminēnd. nisāgēn padmōg padmōžēnd, ud žīwēnd yāwēdān andar wahišt. Rōzšād (Boyce, 1975b, p. 121;
Esma’ilpour Motlagh, 2018, p. 32).
Translation: They go to the Bright Paradise, where the gods exist and rest. They receive as their nature the
original splendour of the radiant palace, and they are glad. They put on brilliant clothes, and live eternally in
Paradise. Rōzšād (= a proper name).
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talawār, which is tālār in Persian, means the main hall of the palace where parties and dances were held. In the
Māzani dialect, there is the same word in the form of telvaar, which means “a large desert tent that is set up to
welcome guests” (https://abadis.ir/fatofa/تلوار/).
The word bazm in the ascension inscriptions of Kird-īr means “feast, festivity” (Boyce 1977: 30; MacKenzie
1986, p. 18) (Goshtasbi Ardakany, 2023). The man who is “Similar to Kird-īr” and the woman enter the palace
with the kings, where a festivity is going to be held to welcome Kird-īr. Golden festivity thrones are all for the
presence of kings in this festivity and even the man who is “similar to Kird-īr” is given a golden festivity throne
to sit on (ibid.). The reward of the righteous in heaven is mentioned in some Manichean texts as gāh “throne”.
As described above, one of these texts is the “bh or M77Ri-15” text.
Look at figure 3, contrary to the opinion of everyone who thinks this relief belongs to Bahram II, this relief
belongs to the festivity mentioned in the journey of Kird-īr. By the order of Bahram II, his figure was carved
instead of the king of the heavenly palace. This has been done on purpose, because Bahram II ordered it so that it
would appear that Bahram II has saved Kird-īr’s soul. Even the name that Bahram II gave to Kird-īr during his
own reign and called him Kird-īr ī bōxt-ruwān Wahrām clearly indicates that Bahram has saved Kird-īr’s soul.
The king of the heavenly palace is the last king who guided the others to the palace. He is not a new king, that is
Ohrmezdbay.
Figure 3. Kird-īr hangirb in the feast of the gods- Naqsh-i Rostam
In Manichaeism, gods have thrones, and the soul of a righteous person is given a throne in Heaven, in
Ohrmezdbay Palace as a heavenly gift. The word throne is found in the Manichaean texts in two forms: gāh and
*tarnīs:
It is stated in the Parthian text “as or M173R+M94R” that:
*karēnd ud wirāzēnd o was gāh nisāgēn o
*kaw istōmēn o aδ harw pidarān baγān *huangad
rōšnān harwīn o ardāwān o ud niγōšāgān o
kē burd aβγām o aδ pidar gašēnd (Boyce, 1975b, p. 103; Esma’ilpour Motlagh, 2018, p. 16).
Translation:
The last prince with all the fathers and gods <who are> very happy, <they> will make and prepare many bright
thrones. All the Bright ones, the Elect ones and the Hearers who endured the persecution, will be glad with the
Father.
In the Parthian text “bm or M39Vi” it is stated as follows:
ifrēštagān pawāgān, čīdīgān kirdagārān, rāštīgar šahrδār tarnīs namōyām (Boyce, 1975b, p. 119; Esma’ilpour
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Motlagh, 2018, p. 30).
We honour the throne of the holy angels, the čīdīg creators, the righteous King.
gāh seems to be a heavenly gift offered to the righteous souls upon entering the hall of Ohrmezdbaγ Palace, but
tarnīs is the throne reserved for the gods. In some Manichean texts, gods also have gāh. For example, in text “dx
or M74”, where Srōšahrāy and Mani have gāh, the adjective gāhdārān has been used for them (Boyce, 1975b, p.
194; Esma’ilpour Motlagh, 2018, p. 80).
Another gift that is given to the righteous soul after entering Ohrmezdbaγ Palace is food. In the “dv or M176”
text, this food is mentioned as āhār “food” (Boyce, 1977, p. 9) and in the “dy or M174” text as zīšn “meal”
(ibid.: p. 106). It has been written in the “dv or M176” text:
āmad nōg rōz ud nōg *šādī. āmad nōg rōz, awarā nōg *šādīh. āhārā winār ī zīndagān purr šādī (Boyce, 1975b,
p.193; Esma’ilpour Motlagh, 2018, p. 78).
The new day and new happiness came. The new day came, the new happiness, come! Prepare the food for the
living, full of happiness.
It is stated in the text “dy or M174”:
… bawānd arzān ō … dāšin īg wispān kirdagārān. ud day zīšn ud āyaft ī nēwān ō huǰadag ud istāyīdag awāhmān,
xwadāy, šahriyār wuzurg padixšarāwend (Boyce, 1975b, p. 196; Esma’ilpour Motlagh, 2018, p. 81).
... They will be worthy ... the gift of all the Creators. And give meal and gift of the righteous, to the fortunate and
praised such a one, O Lord, the great honoured King.
Now we will investigate these in Zoroastrianism. In Zoroastrianism, in the 32nd verse of the 19th chapter of
Vidēvdād, it is stated:
32. xṣ̌nūtō aṣ̌aonąm urvānō pārayeiṇti avi ahurahe mazdā̊ avi amǝṣ̌anąm spǝṇtanąm avi gātvō zaranyō-kǝrǝtō avi
garō nmānǝm maēθanǝm ahurahe mazdā̊ maēθanǝm amǝṣ̌anąm spǝṇtanąm maēθanǝm anyaēṣ̌ąm aṣ̌aonąm.
The souls of the righteous pass glady to the golden throne of Ahura Mazda, to the golden throne of the
Amesha-Spentas, to the Garo-nmanem, the abode of the Amesha-Spentas, the abode of all the other holy beings.
A very interesting point is that the interpretation of this verse is found in the Pāzand of Khorda Avesta in Afrin-i
Dahman, Afrin of Ardafrawash, verse 15, which is as follows:
bunaṇţ mānī hōrmǝzda amǝṣ̌āspǝṇdąn aga gāh zarīn ruąn ōrā ba har cūn aṇdar awastā garō-namānǝm maiθinǝm
ahurahe mazdā̊ maiθinǝm amǝṣ̌anąm spǝṇtanąm maiθinǝm anyeṣ̌ąm aṣ̌aonąm bǝ̄-rasāţ ruąn ōi anōš ruąn ba
garōθamąn ba mihīn hormǝzda u amǝṣ̌āspǝṇdąn ba mahīn awarǝ fravaš ruąn (Grotto & Kasson, 2022, p. 49).
Translation: To the golden throne of Ahura Mazda and Amshaspands, may his soul reach all that is in Avesta
“garō-namānǝm maiθinǝm ahurahe mazdā̊ maiθinǝm amǝṣ̌anąm spǝṇtanąm maiθinǝm anyeṣ̌ąm aṣ̌aonąm”. I wish
that he who has an immortal soul, his soul, reaches the abode of Ahura Mazda and Amshaspands, to the abode of
other Fravashis and souls.
In the Avesta, Ahuramazda and Amshaspands have golden thrones. It is written in the Hāδōxt Nask that after the
coming of the Maiden, the righteous soul reaches Heaven through the three steps of good thought, good word,
and good deed, and with the fourth step, it reaches endless light:
(15) ‘The first step that the soul of the faithful man made, placed him in the Good-Thought Paradise;
‘The second step that the soul of the faithful man made, placed him in the Good-Word Paradise;
‘The third step that the soul of the faithful man made, placed him in the Good-Deed Paradise;
‘The fourth step that the soul of the faithful man made, placed him in the Endless Lights.’ (Haδōxt Nask, chapter
2, verse 15).
In the thirtieth chapter of Bundahišn, it is written about the Maiden that:
ēn-iz gōwēd kū kē pad rādīh ahlaw būd ē̌stēd ka-š ān wād ō padīrag rasēd andar ān wād kanīg kirb wēnēd ān
pursišn kunēd u-š ān kanīg pad rāh-nimāyīh ō srat-ēw barēd kē-š sē̌ pāyag padiš ud pad ān srat ō garōdmān
šawēd pad sē̌ gām ī ast humat ud hūxt ud huwaršt. nazdist gām tā ō star-pāyag ud dudīgar tā ō māh-pāyag ud
sidīgar tā ō xwaršēd-pāyag kū garōdmān ī rōšn (Pakzad, 2005, p. 350).
Translation: <Religion> also says that, when a person has been righteous in giving, when he is welcomed by
that wind, he sees in that wind the“maiden-shaped”, he asks that question, and that maiden guides him to a
ladder that has three steps, and with that ladder, with three steps ـــwhich are good thoughts, good words and
good deeds ـــhe goes to Garodman. The first step <goes> to the base of star, the second step to the base of the
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moon, and the third step to the base of the sun, which is the bright Garodman.
In the 23rd chapter of the Pahlavi Rivayat and in the 23rd question of the Dādestān ī Dēnīg, exactly the same
content is mentioned. In the second chapter of the Mēnōg-ī Xrad, verses 145 to 147 also contain the same content.
In the 19th chapter of Vidēvdād, the righteous soul goes to Garōdmān after the arrival of the Maiden and Vahman
Amshaspand.
During these investigations, we came to one point, and that is that the righteous soul in Zoroastrian religion is
not judged by the judging gods at all, and goes directly to heaven through the three steps of good thought, good
word, and good deed, and with the fourth step it goes to endless lights. In some texts, such as the 9th Denkard,
the 19th chapter of Sudgarnask, it is said that Aštad and Mihr guide the righteous soul through the Činwad
Bridge and save him from hardship (Madan, 1911, p. 809; Goshtasbi Ardakany, 2020, p. 76-77).
Also, in the 17th and 18th verses of the second chapter of Haδōxt Nask, it is stated that the righteous soul will be
fed in heaven:
(17) āaţ mraoţ ahurō mazdā̊: mā dim pǝrǝsō, yim pǝrǝsahi yim xrvantǝm āiθivantǝm urvištrǝm pantąm aiwitǝm
yaţ astasča baoδaŋhasča vī.urvištīm. (18) x varǝθanąm +hē +barǝtąm +zarmayehe raoγnahe taţ asti yūnō
humanaŋhō hvačaŋhō hušyaoθnahe +hudaēnahe xvarǝθǝm pasča para.iristīm taţ nāirikayāi frāyō.humatayāi
frāyō.hūxtayāi frāyō.hvarštayāi huš.hąm.sāstayāi ratuxšaθrayāi aṣ̌aonyāi xvarǝθǝm pasča para.iristīm (Haδōxt
Nask, chapter 2, verses 17-18).
17 And Ahura Mazda answered: ‘Ask him not what thou askest him, who has just gone the dreary way, full of fear
and distress, where the body and the soul part from one another. 18 ‘[Let him eat] of the food brought to him, of the
oil of Zaremaya: this is the food for the youth of good thoughts, of good words, of good deeds, of good religion,
after he has departed this life; this is the food for the holy woman, rich in good thoughts, good words, and good
deeds, well-principled and obedient to her husband, after she has departed this life.’
In the Pahlavi text Mēnōg-ī Xrad, it is also stated that after the righteous soul reaches Heaven, he is given food
and an all-embellished throne:
(150) ‘Then Ohrmazd, the lord, speaks (151) thus: “Ask ye from him no tidings; for he has parted from that
which was a precious body, and has come by that which is a fearful road. (152) And bring ye unto him the most
agreeable of eatables, that which is the mid-spring butter [Maidyozarem roghan], (153) so that he may rest his
soul from that bridge of the three nights, unto which he came from Astwihad and the remaining demons; (154)
and seat him upon an all-embellished throne.” (Mēnōg-ī Xrad, chapter 2, verses 150-154).
In Rivayat-i Pahlavi, the twenty-third chapter, phrases like Haδōxt Nask have been written:
Ohrmazd gōwēd kū-š saxwan az-iš ma pursēd čē mihr ud +dōšāram ī tan rāy ka az tan be āmad ā-š dušxwār būd
u-š xwarišn dahēd. ruwān gōwēd kū xwarišn naxust kadām dahēm? Ohrmazd gōwēd kū pēm ī asp ud mazg rōγn
ud may ī šīrēn ayāb rōγn ī mēdyōzarm kard ēstēd dahēd naxust dahēd rōγn ī mēdyōzarm čē ruwān ī ahlawān ka
az gētīg be šud hēnd ā-šān tā tan ī pasēn xwarišn ēn ast (The Pahlavi Rivayat, 1913, p. 84).
Translation: Ahuramazda says that: “Do not ask him to speak, because, due to love and friendship for the body,
when he came out of the body, then it was difficult for him, and give him food.” The soul says: “Which food will
you give me first?” Ahuramazda says: “Give horse milk, ghee, sweet wine or spring oil. First, give spring oil,
because this is the food for the soul of the righteous when they die, until the last body”.
In the Dādestān ī Dēnīg, 30th question, it is written about this vernal oil that is given to the righteous soul in
Heaven:
12. Just as those wordly creatures become perfected by joyful food, in like manner spiritual perfection and joy
reach the soul, and in its appearance to wordly creatures (this) is +called + “spring butter”. 13. And the reason
for that name is this: it is said that the best earthly food (comes) from the products of cattle, and among the
products of cattle used as food milk (is the best), and amongst milk (products) butter (is the best), and amongst
butters (the best is) that which is extolled for its goodness, which they obtain in the second month of the year,
when +Mihr is in the constellation of Taurus, as that month is called Zarmiyā in the religion. The interpretation
and explanation of the name is this, that the earthly equivalent of that (i.e. heavenly food) is the best food in the
world (Dādestān ī Dēnīg, 1998, p. 95).
In the Bundahišn as mentioned above, the cow-shaped comes and gives fattiness to the righteous soul; But the
time of its arrival is after the blowing of the fragrant wind and before the arrival of the Maiden (see the stage of
the arrival of the Maiden).
It is very interesting that bread, meat and wine are served at the festivity in Kird-īr’s inscription! (Goshtasbi
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Ardakany, 2023). Eating meat and wine is prohibited in Manichaeism, but in this inscription, the mention of
serving bread, meat and wine has the aspect of religious propaganda for Manichaeism. This indicates to the
Manichaeans that if you do not eat meat and wine during your lifetime, you will be given meat and wine after
death.
The journey of Kird-īr to Heaven can be imagined in such a way that first the death of the āʻīna of Kird-īr was
done by Mani. Then, when the Kird-īr’s āʻīna went towards the sun, the travelers, that is, several of Mani’s
disciples, have followed the Kird-īr’s āʻīna through mental travel and prediction. Then the moment-to-moment
report was given to Kird-īr by the travelers, Mani’s disciples, which of the gods would welcome him at each
stage of his journey and finally take him to Heaven and to the feast of the gods. Kird-īr received many gifts from
the kings who accompanied him to Heaven, which can be seen in his reliefs. These gifts are: drafš “a robe”,
čiyēn “a pair of scissors”, xōy “a helmet”, dīdēm “a diadem”, pusag “an anadem”, and finally talawār “the hall”
of the heavenly palace, gāh “the throne” and āhār/zīšn “food, meal”. Look at figures 3 and 5, the gifts received
by Kird-īr are shown in these figures.
Figure 4. Kird-īr hangirb in the relief of Naqsh-i Rajab
Figure 5. Kird-īr hangirb in the petroglyph of Naqsh-i Rostam
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Kird-īr recorded and showed the events of his heavenly journey in reliefs. He was very shrewd and managed to
convince King Bahram II to allow him to record his inscriptions and reliefs, and in return, Kird-īr replaced
Bahram II’s figure in these reliefs once in place of Wahman and once in Ohrmezdbaγ’s place. Bahram II also
gave the name Kird-īr ī bōxt-ruwān Wahrām to Kird-īr because everyone considered Bahram II the savior of
Kird-īr’s soul.
3.8 The Place of Heaven in the Manichaean Religion and Zoroastrian Religion
In the Manichaean religion, the bright path (i.e. Srōš-ahrāy or Bāmistūn) continues until reaching the New
Paradise, and the righteous soul ascends through it to the moon, the sun, and the New Paradise; But in the
Zoroastrian religion, the bright path, which is created through Xwaršēd Nigerišn, brings the soul of a righteous
person to Činwad Bridge, and after that to reach Heaven with three steps of good thought, good word and good
deed to Garōdmān and with the fourth step reaches Endless lights.
Khorasan or the east is the place of the New Paradise, Ohrmezdbay and gods in Manichaeism. As stated in the
Manichaean text “y”:
Pas Rōšn-šahryazd ō Nōgšahr-āfuryazd framād kū šaw, ud parrōn az zamīg ud āsmān hāmkišwar, ud bēdandar az
hān panz dušox ō ērag pādgōs-rōn az ānōh ōrrōntar abar tam dušox, az xwarāsān dā ō xwarniwār pādgōs, hassār
wahištāw ēg dēsmān īg nōg dēs. ud mayān awē dēsmān, āz ud ahremen ud dēwān ud parīgān rāy, bannestān ēw
hōstīgān kun. …
ud abar hān dēsmān ī nōg, hān wahištāw ī nōg kun, kū Ohrmezd ud imēšān yazdān kē pad xwēš warz ud rōšnī āz
ud ahremen ud dēwān ud parīgān grift ud bast, ud amāh gāh ud…. (Boyce, 1975b, p. 66).
Translation: So Rošnšahr yazd said to Nōgšahrāfur yazd to go, and beyond the earth and the sky of the universe
and beyond the five hells to the south region, <which> from there, is closer to the darkness of hell, from
Khorasan (= the east) to the west, like Paradise, then, build a new building. And in the middle of that building,
build a firm prison for Az, the Devil, demons, and she-devils. …
And in that new building, build that new paradise, which <will be> a place and ... for Ohrmezd and these gods
ــــwho, with their miracles and brightness, captured and closed Az, the Devil, demons and she-devils, ــــand for
us ...
In the thirty-third question of the Dādestān ī Dēnīg, it is written that: “The souls of the righteous pass over the
Činwad Bridge in spiritual flight, and the power of (their) meritorious deeds leads them upwards to the stars, or
to the moon, or to the station of the sun, or to the endless light (Dādestān ī Dēnīg, 1998, p. 105); Čagād ī Dāitī is
located in Ērān-wēz and its place is in Alborz mountain and the Činwad Bridge has been placed there (Madan,
1911, p. 809; Goshtasbi Ardakany, 2020, pp. 76-77).
4. Seeing Omens and Prophesying in the Manichaean Religion
In the Manichaean religion, fortune-telling is used to select the Teachers, the elect, and leaders of the
Manichaean church. In these omens, it can be seen whether the person in question will ascend to Heaven and is a
righteous person or not. A person whose omen is good, will be chosen as a teacher or one of the elected members
or leader of the Manichaean Church. We have mentioned ten hymns as examples in which the word good
omen/presage is used:
1)
In (M871n): murwāh ī nēw āmad “the good presage has come” (Leurini, 2018, p. 92).
2)
In (M1863): āyād nōg murwāh pad ǰadag ī šādī “May the new presage come with the good omen of joy (ibid.,
p. 93).
3)
In (M436): nēw murwā “good presage” (ibid., p. 96).
4)
In (M7351/R): awar pad nōg ǰadag ud nēw murwāh “welcome with the new good omen and good presage”
(ibid., p. 101), pad nēw murwāh ud ǰadagī humāyōn “with the good omen and fortunate fame” (ibid., p. 102),
pad nōg murwāh ud pad nēw pēšār “with the new presage and with the good guide” (ibid., p. 103).
5)
In (M1952): nōg murwāh “new omen”, huǰadag “fortunate” (ibid., p. 107).
6)
In (M7250): nēw murwāh nōg šādīh “the good omen, new joy” (ibid., p. 109).
7)
In (M31/I/V): pad nēw murwā “with a good omen” (ibid., p. 111).
8)
In (M661): nōg nēw murwāh “the new good omen” (ibid., p. 113).
9)
In (M31/II): āmad nōg murwā abzōn ud ǰadag ī humāyōn “The new presage, growth, and fortunate omen
came”, pad nēw murwā “with the good omen”, āmad pad nēw murwāh “He came with the good presage”, nōg
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murwā ī šādīh “the new omen of joy” (ibid., p. 117), murwā “omen” (ibid., p. 118).
10) In (M871e): nōg murwāh “new presage”, pad ǰadag ī nēw “with a good omen” (ibid., p. 120).
If you pay attention to the content of the hymns, you will see that all these teachers and members and leaders of
the Manichaean Church were chosen or sent by Gods, angels, or the three comers. I think that this ceremony was
also performed for Kird-īr, and since the soul itself no longer ascends in it, the title “Similar to Kird-īr” is used.
In the case of the Manichaean hymn M543, which Goshtasbi Ardakany (2023) discussed in her article, her theory
certainly seems to be correct, because there was no mowbed other than Kird-īr who had such influence and
power that he could force the kings to obey his command and listen to his teachings. In addition, the names of
Manichaean gods who play a role in the ascension and salvation of the souls of the dead appear in this hymn. We
can relate the word sangbed at the beginning of this hymn to the presidency of Kird-īr; That is, because all the
inscriptions and reliefs from the beginning of the Sasanian period to the end of the period of Bahram III were
carved on the stones under his supervision, we should consider him as the master of the stones. Because there is
no official position in Zoroastrian religion that is called sangbed. Because this position was reserved for him in
the Sasanian period, we cannot find this name in another text. I also believe that Kird-īr has taught as a teacher of
both religions, therefore the teachings of the two religions have been mixed to a large extent and have lost their
original form. The hymn (M543) is given below:
/R/
…kū … īg
… of the
sangbed ud pēšōbāy ī
head of the [sa]ṃgha and leader of
dēn māzdēs ⸰⸰ tū nōg hamōzāg
Mazda-worshipping religion! You, the new teacher
ī xwarāsān ud rāyēnāg ī
of Khorasan (= the east) and the guide of
wahedēnān ⸰⸰ ⸰⸰ čē zād hē pad
good-religionists. what kind of birth are you in
farrōǰ/pērōz axtar andar tōhm ī
the lucky/ victorious star in the family of
šahriyārān ⸰⸰ wizīd hēnd senān
kings? The three comers were elected
āyāgān Yišō‛, Kanīg ud Wahman
Jesus, the Maiden and Wahman
… ō ēn
… to this
… frēstagān
… angels
… rōšnīgar yazd
… illuminator god
… hrubēd (?)
… collects (?)
…
…
/V/
nēw <murwāh>…
good <omen> …
šahriyārān pēšīh-ut nizāyānd
kings will honor you with a loud voice
framān-ut padīrānd āfrāh-ut
<they> will accept your command,
niyōšānd; harwispīn išnūg
<they> will hear your teaching; Everyone will kneel
pad namāz pad nizāy pēš tō
for bow, before you with reverence.
āwarānd ⸰⸰ ⸰⸰ frēstagān-ut
Angels
pērōzēnānd abar wispān
will make you victorious over all
hambāwān ⸰ wāxšān-ut …
foes. Tutelary spirits <will> ... you..
frihān-ut …
Friends <will> ... you...
čēr …
victorious …
…
… (Leurini, 2018, pp. 97-99; Goshtasbi Ardakany, 2023).
I also saw the word nēw in this hymn, and I guess that the word murwāh must have come after it, and I added it.
Because in all other hymns it is mentioned in the same way. From this hymn, it can be clearly recognized that the
leader of the Zoroastrian religion, for whom this hymn was written, is not an ordinary leader and has a special
power and influence that the kings honor him and obey his commands. He cannot be anyone other than Kird-īr.
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In Kird-īr’s inscriptions, Rēhīgs are the people who see the future with mental journeys. Only the identity of one
of these Manichean persons is clear, because in a Manichean text he sees and recounts an event in the future.
This person is Pattēg or Patecius. In the text “m or M 6031 R ii, V I (T II D 163) of Boyce’s book (of course,
Boyce wrongly named the title of the text “Another fragment concerning Mani’s last journey”), it is stated that:
mas pattēg an nišān dīd ud wāžād *kū wēnām kū kirbakkar abar padrāšt ud *čwand rōž tigr …
…kū pad *arγāwīft pad šāhīgān bar frāx adīhēd ud azihēd. adyān kird-īr maγbed aδ aδyāwarān kē *parxāšt
parwān šāh, *andēšād, ud rask ud *nabēn … (Boyce, 1975b, p. 43-44).
Translation: Then Patecius saw another omen and said that I see that the virtuous (= Mani) has risen and for a
few days the arrow...
… He enters the wide gate of the palace with dignity and goes out. Then Mowbed Kird-īr <who> was standing in
front of the king with his helpers, thought, and jealousy and slander ...
Here the word nī̌šān means “omen” (Nyberg, Vol.2/1974, p. 142). This text proves that they used divination to
see the future. In the existing text, the word is written as t̲ ygr, which is transliterated in the Parthian text as tigr,
should mean “arrow” (ibid.: 193), but Boyce translated it as Tigris! (Boyce, 1975b, p. 43, id., 1977, p. 88).
Unfortunately, we are missing parts of the text and the events seen by Patecius are not complete. In this text,
Patecius says after divination that Mani rose and for several days the arrow <was in his body>… … Mani enters
the wide gate of the palace with dignity and goes out. Then Mowbed Kird-īr <who> was standing in front of the
king with his helpers, thought, and jealousy and slander ...; This shows that Patecius has seen the future and
Mowbed Kird-īr caused Mani’s death by slandering him. So, Patecius was one of those who has traveled to the
future with a mental journey and informed about the events.
It is possible that another traveler is Ammō, because when he went to Khorasan to propagate Mani’s religion, he
saw the spirit of the border of Khorasan in the form of a maiden. In the text “h or M 2 I”, it is stated that:
ud ka mad hēnd ō pahrag ī kušān, ēg paydāg būd wāxš ī hwarāsān wimand, pad dēs ī kanīzag. u-š pursīd ō man
ammō, kū čē-kārag hē. az kū āmad hē. man guft kū dēnwar hēm, hašāgird ī mānī frēstag. hān wāxš guft kū-t an
nē padīrēm. abāz ward, kū āmad hē. ud nihuft az pēš man.
pas an ammō pad dō rōzag pad āfrīn ēstād hēm pēš xwarxšēd. pas frēstag paydāg būd. guft kū waddil mā bāš.
niyān ī zīndagān, hrubišn ī darān, pēšī pahipurs.
pas dudīg rōz hān wāxš paydāg būd. ō man guft, čē rāy nē šud hē ō xwēš šahr. man guft, az dūr gyāg āmad hēm,
dēn rāy. hān wāxš guft, čē ast dēn ī āwarē. Man guft pit ud may nē xwarēm, az *zan dūr parxēzēm (Boyce,
1975b, p. 40).
Translation: And when they came to the Kushan watch-post, then the spirit of the border of Khorasan appeared
in the form of a maiden. And she asked me, that I am Ammō, what are you doing. Where did you come from? I
said that I am a religious man, a disciple of Mani the apostle. That spirit said that I do not accept you. Go back to
where you came from. And she hid from the presence of me.
So I, Ammō, with two fasts, stood in prayer before the sun. So the angel appeared. She said do not be
faint-hearted. Recite aloud (the chapter) “the Collecting of the Gates” from “the Treasure of the Living”.
So, the next day that spirit appeared. She said to me, why didn’t you go to your town? I said, I have come from
far away, for religion. That spirit said, what is the religion that you bring? I said, we don’t eat meat and wine and
avoid women.
Mar ammō was another of mani’s chief apostles. His main missionary-work was in the north-east of the Sasanian
Empire, in the old homelands of the Parthians. He was therefore the founder of the Eastern Manichaean church
by which all the surviving Iranian material has been transmitted (ibid., p. 40).
Mani’s disciples seem to have had special powers due to fasting and austerity, so that they predicted future
events.
5. Conclusion
We have reached the following results by carefully examining the texts of the Manichaean and Zoroastrian
religions about the ascension of the righteous soul to Heaven:
1)
2)
In the Manichaean religion, the gods who come to welcome the righteous soul are called šahriyār/šahrδār,
and in the Zoroastrian religion, they are not called this way, but are called yazata/yazad or
amǝša-spǝṇta/amahraspand.
The first king who welcomes the righteous soul with drafš “robe”, that is Rōšnšahr yazd, exists only in
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Manichaeism, and there is no god who welcomes the soul with drafš in Zoroastrianism.
a) In the inscriptions of Kird-īr’s ascension, it is mentioned that "[And] the travelers whom I saw in the
death of the āʼīna, they said like this, “we see a riding king, white-colored and he is sitting on a noble
horse and has a robe [in his hand]"; This feature exactly corresponds to the Ascension in Manichaeism.
3) In the Manichaean religion, the bright path through which the gods and the righteous soul go to the moon, the
sun, and the New Paradise is created by Srōšahrāy (Bāmistūn); But in the Zoroastrian religion, the bright path
is created by exposing the dead body to the sunlight (that is, Khorshed nigaresh) and this path only goes as far
as the Činwad Bridge, and the soul alone ascends from it and goes to the Činwad Bridge.
a) According to Goshtasbi Ardakany’s article (2023), it is mentioned in the inscriptions of Kird-īr’s
journey to heaven that:
b) woman and that man who <is> just like “similar to Kird-īr”, held hands together and went towards
Khorasan (= the east) towards the bright road [whence that woman came], and that road <is> verybright.
c) And they said like this, “that man, “similar to Kird-īr”, and that woman, ascended beyond that king [3-4
ww.] and they are going towards Khorasan (= the east) and they [go] on that [very bright] road.
d) With these descriptions, the bright path described in the Kird-īr’s inscriptions is the Column of Glory in
Manichaeism, because Kird-īr hangirb ascends along with the Maiden and Kings through this bright
path.
4) In the Manichaean religion, the Maiden comes after Srōšahrāy; But in the Zoroastrian religion, the Maiden
comes after the blowing of a very fragrant wind, and when the maiden appears on the Činwad Bridge, there
are guard dogs on both sides of her. The fact that it is stated in the Pahlavi text “Mēnōg-ī Xrad” that Srōš
ahlāy comes before the maiden, is derived from the Manichaean beliefs that made it to this text.
5) In the Manichaean religion, before the Maiden, first Narisah yazd, second Mani, third the Just Justice and
fourth Srōšahrāy come to welcome the righteous soul; But in the Zoroastrian religion, the Maiden is the first
person to welcome the righteous soul.
a) According to what is mentioned in the inscriptions of Kird-īr’s journey to Heaven, several gods come to
greet Kird-īr before the maiden, which corresponds to the Ascension in Manichaeism.
6) In the Manichaean religion, heavenly gifts are mentioned as drafš “robe”, dīdēm “diadem”, pusag “anadem”,
xōy “helmet”, talawār “hall”, gāh “throne”, zīšn or āhār “meal, food”. In Ibn an-Nadim’s Al-Fihrist book,
““ ”الرکوةwater jug” is also mentioned; In the Zoroastrian religion, heavenly gifts are mentioned as, a very
fragrant wind, a silk garment decorated with gold, vernal oil or spring butter, and a fully decorated throne. In
Rivayat-i Pahlavi, horse milk, ghee and sweet wine are also mentioned as heavenly food. In the Zoroastrian
religion, food is “the food of the dead” and in the Manichaean religion, it is “the food of the living.”
7) In the Manichaean religion, all gods have thrones; But in the Zoroastrian religion, only Ahuramazda and
Amshaspands have golden thrones.
8) In the Manichaean religion, the righteous soul ascends to the New Paradise through the Column of Glory,
which is the bright path; But in the Zoroastrian religion, the righteous soul goes to Heaven through the three
steps of good thought, good word, and good deed after the arrival of the Maiden on the Činwad Bridge, and
with the fourth step, it reaches endless light.
9) In the Manichaean religion, Ohrmezdbay has a palace, and the righteous soul enters his palace after reaching
the New Paradise; But in Zoroastrian religion, the righteous soul after ascending to garōdmān goes to the
golden thrones of Ahuramazda and Amshaspands.
10) In the Manichaean religion, the place of the New Paradise is located in Khorasan (the east), and the gods who
welcome the righteous soul come from Khorasan (the east); But in the Zoroastrian religion, the righteous soul
goes to the Činwad Bridge, which is located in Čagād Dāitī, in the middle of Mount Alborz, and then ascends
from there and goes to the station of the star or the moon or the sun.
11) In the Manichaean religion, divination has been done to select the Teachers, the Elect and Church Leaders.
They chose him through the omen that showed that the person in question had ascended to the New Paradise
and was recognized by the gods as righteous.
According to the findings of this research and the cases mentioned, Kird-īr has traveled to Heaven through
fortune telling and prophecy made by Mani’s disciples and has been chosen as a new teacher of Khorasan. All
stages of Kird-īr’s journey are in complete harmony with the results mentioned about the righteous soul’s
journey to Heaven in Manichaeism. That is, in his inscriptions, all the stages of ascension of the righteous soul in
the Manichaean religion are mentioned. Goshtasbi Ardakany (2023) recognized that Kird-īr traveled to Heaven
through the ascension of the Manichaean religion, and also her comments about the Manichaean hymn M543 are
acceptable according to our findings. Kird-īr received these heavenly gifts on his journey to Heaven: drafš
“robe”, dīdēm “diadem”, pusag “anadem”, čiyēn “a pair of scissors”, xōy “helmet”, talawār “the hall”, gāh
69
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Asian Culture and History
Vol. 16, No. 1; 2024
“throne” and āhār/zīšn “food, meal”.
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This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution
license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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