Saoshyant

Saoshyant(Avestan:𐬯𐬀𐬊𐬳𐬌𐬌𐬀𐬧𐬝saoš́iiaṇt̰) is anAvestan-languageterm that literally means "one who brings benefit", and which is used in several different ways inZoroastrianscripture and tradition. In particular, the expression is the proper name oftheSaoshyant, aneschatologicalsaviour figure who brings aboutFrashokereti,the final renovation of the world in which evil is finally destroyed. The term was contracted toSoshansin Zoroastrian tradition and came to apply to three saviour figures that were prophesied to progressively bring about the final renovation.

Etymology

TheAvestanwordSaoshyantderives from an active participle (indicated by the-ant-) of the future stem of the verbal rootsū-/sau-,which itself comes from theProto-Indo-Europeanroot *ḱewh₁-'to swell'. The Avestansūra-'strong' andyawaēsū-'ever-thriving' derive from this root. Over time, the verbal root acquired the extended meanings 'to be of use, profit, advantage' and 'to create profit, use, advantage, to further'. It is in this extended sense that the wordSaoshyantwas understood by Zoroastrians. In stanzas 128 and 129 ofYasht13, the following explanation of the word's etymology is given: "we worship thefrawaṣ̌iof righteousAstwat̰-әrәta,who will be the VictoriousSaošyantby name... (he is called)saošyantbecause he will further (sāwayāt̰) all material life ".

In scripture

In theGathas,the most sacred hymns of Zoroastrianism, believed to have been composed byZoroasterhimself, the term is used as a common noun to refer to the prophet's own mission and to his community of followers, who "bring benefit" to humanity. The common noun also appears in the Younger Avesta (e.g.Yasna61.5), where it generically denotes religious leaders, including Zoroaster (e.g.Yasna46.3)Another common nounairyaman"member of community" is an epithet of thesesaoshyants. In contrast, the standing epithet of the saviour figure(s) isastvat-әrәta"embodying righteousness,"which hasarta/asha"Truth" as an element of the name.These saviours are those who follow Ahura Mazda's teaching "with acts inspired byasha"(Yasna48.12).

Saoshyantfirst appears as a proper name in the Younger Avesta,explicitly so inYasht13.129 where it is used in the singular and where Astvat-ereta develops into an alternate name of the Saoshyant. The singular also appears inYasna59.1 whereVerethragnais said to be Saoshyant's weapon in overcoming resistance. A plural form appears for instance inYasht17.1 whereAshi—the divinity of "recompense" —is described to give the Saoshyants the power of "making wonderful" (frasho.kereti). The term may also be rendered as "Renovation" and can be translated etymologically as "juicy-making".

The role of the Saoshyant, or Astvat-ereta, as a future saviour of the world is briefly described in Yasht 19.88-96, where it is stated that he will achieve the Frashokereti, that he will make the world perfect and immortal, and evil andDrujwill disappear. He is identified as the son of Vîspa.taurwairî and it is stated that he will come forth from Lake Kansaoya/Kansava and will carry the same weaponVerethragnathat a number of Iranian epic heroes and kings have used in the past against various demonic foes.Haurvatat,Ameretat,the righteousDūraošaand other similar entities will be his companions and together, they will vanquish the evil creations ofAngra Mainyu.

In tradition

Already alluded to in scripture (e.g.Yasht19.88-96, see above), but only properly developed in the 9th–12th century texts, is the role of the Saoshyant during the final renovation. In theseMiddle Persiantexts, the name is contracted toSoshansor similar (Sōshansin living Zoroastrianism).

Those medieval works of Zoroastrian tradition envision three future saviours, each of them a Soshans/Saoshyant, with one for the end of each thousand-year period that comprise the last 3,000 years of the world (these three millennia follow the "millennium of Zoroaster" ). According to the tradition (found e.g. in theJamasp Namag), the first Saoshyant will be named (H)Ushedar, the second (H)Ushedarmah and the third will again betheSaoshyant, who will lead humanity in the final battle against evil. The medieval works also transmit a tradition in which the three future saviours are mythologised as born of maidens, conceived while their mothers bathed in a lake that miraculously preserved the seed of the prophet Zoroaster himself.

The story of the Saoshyant's conception and early life are described inDenkard7.10.15ff as follows: Thirty years before the decisive final battle, a maiden named Eredat-fedhri ( "Victorious Helper" ) and whose nickname is "Body-maker" will enter a lake (in Yasht 19.92, this is "Lake Kansava" ). Sitting in the water, the girl, who has "not associated with men" will receive "victorious knowledge." Her son, when born, will not know nourishment from his mother, his body will be sun-like, and the "royal glory" of theKhvarenahwill be with him. Then, for the next 57 years he will subsist on only vegetables (17 years), then only water (30 years) and then for the final 10 years only on "spiritual food."

The events of the final renovation are described in theBundahishn(30.1ff): In the final battle with evil, theyazatasAiryamanandAtarwill "melt the metal in the hills and mountains, and it will be upon the earth like a river" (Bundahishn34.18) but the righteous (i.e., theashavan) will not be harmed. Eventually,Ahura Mazdawill triumph, and his agent Saoshyant will resurrect the dead, whose bodies will be restored to eternal perfection, and whose souls will be cleansed and reunited with God. Time will then end, andashaand immortality will thereafter be everlasting.

In the Bahá'í Faith

Main article:Bahá'í Faith and Zoroastrianism

Bahá'í tradition considers the prophecies of the Saoshyant (Bahá'i 'Soshyosh') to have been fulfilled in the person ofBahá'u'lláh,while the other two Soshans of Zoroastrian tradition are interpreted as referring toMuhammadand theBábrespectively.

See also

• Messiah
• Second Coming
• Christ (title)
• Mahdi
• Kalki
• Maitreya

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Boyce, Mary(1975),A History of Zoroastrianism, Vol. I,Leiden: Brill,ISBN90-04-04319-5.
• Dhalla, Maneckji Nusservanji (1938),History of Zoroastrianism,New York: OUP.
• Kazemi, Farshid (2013), "Celestial Fire: Bahá'u'lláh as the Messianic Theophany of the Divine Fire in Zoroastrianism",Irfan Colloquia,14:45–123.
• Khianra, Dipchand; Stiles, Susan Manek (2000), "Zoroastrianism", in Smith, Peter (ed.),A Concise Encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith,London: Oneworld Publications, pp. 368–369,ISBN1-85168-184-1.
• Malandra, William (2013)."Saošyant".InYarshater, Ehsan(ed.).Encyclopædia Iranica, Online Edition.Encyclopædia Iranica Foundation.Retrieved17 April2024.