Mánthrás, melodious mind-formulas, charms at the basis of all creation

In our past articles we stated that the ancient seer/prophet Zarathûshtrá calls his poetic songs or gathas a “numinous song/poetry” or nem.añg.há, Persian namáz.

In fact, nem.añg.há “numinous poetic formulae” is the 3^rd word of the gathas. The poetic gathas start with these 3 words: ahyá yásá nem.añg.há “I, for the own self (of godhood) yearn, desire; in numinous poetry/song.”

Hence, the poetic gathas are a display, an unfolding of ahüric attributes of Ma(n)zdá, and doing as “God of spirit/mind power, genius, creativity” does and being as Ma(n)zdá “God of spirit/mind power, genius, creativity is.

The ancient Aryan Prophet also calls his sacred verse mánthrán or mánthrá “a melodious mind formulae/counsel that unleashes the powers and/or the godheads of spirit/mind.”

Avestan Mánthrá, Vedic Mantra मंत्र from the root man “to feel, intuitively know, think” is a sacred, wise counsel in Verse, with melodious meters, resonant with numinous qualities and spirit/mind powers.

Mánthrá can be compared with Mentor, a figure in Homer’s Odyssey. Mentor was a most wise advisor entrusted to protect Odysseus’s son, Telemachus; while Odysseus sailed against Troy. Mentor was a male, but Athena, the female goddess of wisdom, assumed Mentor’s form in order to guide, teach, and give insights to young Telemachus. It is interesting to note that the original mentoring archetype embodied both male and female wisdom.

We read in verses 80-81 0f the beautiful farvardin Yasht; mánthrö speñtö “the auspicious mánthrá” is the SOUL “ûrvá” of ahúrá ma(n)zdá.

The auspicious mánthrá is BROAD, WIDE, WHITE “aûrûshö,” Greek eurys, Skt. uruh;” LIGHT, SHINNING and BRIGHT “raôkhshnö,” ancient Germanic leukhtam, and FAR-SEEING “frá-deresrö.”

In the religious Zoroastrian calendar, the 29^th day of each month is assigned to mánthrö speñtö “the auspicious mánthrá” and 30^th day of each month to boundless lights.

As the inner essence or the SOUL (ûrvá) of ahúrá ma(n)zdá; mánthrá or “creative mind melodies” participate in the formation of reality and creation.

“Sacred Verse or mánthrá” is called AVESTA (from the root vid) “invisible wisdom” and/or “veiled knowledge” that serves as the formulating power of creation. Mánthrá is the magical charm of making, a melodious echo from the mind, thoughts of God.

For in the poetic gathas, Ma(n)zdá ahûrá creates the worlds through his power of imagination and mind. The God of mind-power, spirit and genius, Ma(n)zdá; thinks and his thoughts become melodies that create the worlds. Each creation is a melodious song, a symphony of creative thoughts or mind-formulas.

Zarathûshtrá sees the mánthrás or the creative charms with the mind’s eye, with the eye of the spirit.

He calls himself in Yasna 50.6, the 1^st rhymed verse line yé mánthrá váčem ma(n)zdá baraití; “one who bears, carries the voice/word of the mantra, the mind formulae of Ma(n)zdá.”

Incidentally the word for Prophet in Persian is Payám-bar or Pæygham-bar “one who bears, carries the tidings, message, divine communications.” Zarathûshtrá calls himself mánthrá ma(n)zdá baraití “one who bears, carries the wise counsel, mind-formulae of Ma(n)zdá” in his poetic gathas.

In Zoroastrianism, the prophet is a seer, knower of the mánthrás “creative mind melodies,” as well as the vehicle through which the mánthrás or melodious charms, find poetic expression.

In the Indo-European religious experience, although the visual aspects of the prophet’s experiences as a seer are emphasized, the oral-aural dimensions are given distinct priority, for that which the prophet saw and heard was preserved orally through sacred speech and/or melody, and not through the visual medium of writing.

Hence, the mánthrás as the melodious rhythms at the basis of all creation are also called sravá from the root srû “that which is HEARD, a melodious, delightful song.

ardeshir