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کتاب بندهش یکی از مهم ترین متون بازمانده از ادبیات پهلوی است که می توان آن را دایره المعارفی از اطلاعات مربوط به مزدیسنا محسوب کرد. این کتاب علی رغم عنوانش – که به معنی( آفرینش آغازین ) است – تنها به مساله ی آفرینش محدود نمی گردد، بلکه در سی وشش فصل خود علاوه اسطورهای مربوط به آفرینش ،جدال اورمزد و اهریمن، تاریخ ایرانیان از پیشدادیان تا رسیدن تازیان، پیش بینی وقایعی که اتفاق خواهد افتاد و مطالبی درباره ی جغرافیای اساطیری و موجودات مختلف، از حیوانات و درختان و سرزمین ها و کوه ها و رودها در آن دیده می شود.
پیش از آنکه چیزی وجود داشته باشد، تنها زروان وجود داشت. زروان یکهزار سال به قربانی ایستاد تا مگر او را پسری که نامش هرمزد خواهد بود ،زاده شود. پسری که آسمان و زمین و آنچه در اوست باید بیافریند. پس از آن یکهزار سال به اندیشه ی شک آلود افتاد، که آیا این همه قربانی را سودی در بر بوده است ؟
شر که گویا زاده ی شک زروان است موجودی است پلشت و پلید که هرچه زشتکاری و خباثت است منسوب به اوست و خیر که بالیده ی نیایش های پدر است، آفریده ای است خوشبو و روشن رای که تمام نیکی ها و بسامانی ها پیوند خورده ی اوست.
اسطوره ها منبع انرژی خلاق و زاینده ی خود را از این دو قطب خیر و شر گرفته اند. خیر قطب مثبت و زندگی سازو شر قطب تاریکی ،منفی و مرگ گرا. اسطوره ها دنیایی را به تصویر می کشند که همه چیز در آن پیرو اصل قطعیت است و حال در جهان امروز ما اصل حاکم بر جهان عدم قطعیت است. هیچ چیز نمی تواند قطعا بد باشد و قطعا خوب. هر چیز می تواند همان قدر که خوب است، بد باشد و همان اندازه که بد، خوب. خیر و شر مقوله ای ذاتی و در درون انسان است و آنچه در بیرون تجسم پیدا کرده، محل تولد و پیدایش و خاستگاه اولیه اش درون خود انسان است. هرمزد و اهریمن دو هماورد در برابر هم نیستند ، دو شاخه ی وجود و جوهره ی انسانی هستند که به صورت شخصیت های بیرونی در اساطیر تجسم یافته اند. یکی نماد خیر درونی انسان و دیگری نماد نیروهای شر درونی انسان. این دو نیرو مدام در جدال با هم به سر می برند، گاهی او بر این فایق می آید و گاه این بر او.
مریم طاهری راد
Bundahishn is one of the most important texts in Pahlavi (Middle Persian) Literature which can be counted as an encyclopediccollection on Mazdayasna teachings. Despite its title― meaning Primal Creation― not only is it about myths of creation, but it also contains information on the battle between Ohrmazd (Ahūrā Mazdā, Ahūrāmazdā, Hourmazd, Hormazd, or Hurmuz) and the onslaught of the Evil Spirit, Iranian history from Pishdadian[1] Dynasty to the Arab invasion of Persia in 635, the prediction of future events and notes on mythological geography and different creatures from animals to trees, lands, mountains and rivers.
Zurvan was the primordial creator deity, the god of infinite time and space which is also known as the only deity of matter who predates everything else. It sacrificed for a thousand years to have a son by the name of Ahūrā Mazdā, a son who would createheaven and hell and everything in between. Towards the end of this one-thousand-year period, it began to doubt the efficacy of its sacrifices. Ahriman (Angra Mainyu), conceived at the moment of Zurvan’s doubt, is the fiendish spirit, the source of all foulness and evil, and Ahūrā Mazdā, an answer to its father’s prayers, is the source of all light, good deeds and wisdom.
These two opposite forces have been the generative sources of classical Iranian mythology. Ohrmazd (the Lord, the Spirit) is the positive and vital force, while Ahriman is the negative force of death and decay. Myths portray a world in which everything is based upon determinism while our today’s world is one of relativity and lack of certainty. Nothing is absolutely good or bad. In fact, it can be as good as it is bad. Good and/or evil are intrinsic qualities within mankind, and therefore every external evocation of these specifications has had its origin within us. Ahriman and Ohrmazd are not two separate principles opposing each other; they are in fact twin spirits of human beings that have been embodied as discordant in myths. One is representative of all the good within mankind, the other that of all devil. These energies are in a constant battle, with mankind caught in the middle. Sometimes the good is the victorious, sometimes the evil.
Written by: Maryam Tāheri Rād
Translated by: Azadeh Feridounpour
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Overview and HistoryTehran is the capital of Iran and the largest city in the Middle East, with a population of fifteen million people living under the peaks of the Alborz mountain range.Although archaeological evidence places human activity around Tehran back into the years 6000BC, the city was not mentioned in any writings until much later, in the thirteenth century. It's a relatively new city by Iranian standards.But Tehran was a well-known village in the ninth century. It grew rapidly when its neighboring city, Rhages, was destroyed by Mongolian raiders. Many people fled to Tehran.In the seventeenth century Tehran became home to the rulers of the Safavid Dynasty. This is the period when the wall around the city was first constructed. Tehran became the capital of Iran in 1795 and amazingly fast growth followed over the next two hundred years.The recent history of Tehran saw construction of apartment complexes and wide avenues in place of the old Persian gardens, to the detriment of the city's cultural history.The city at present is laid out in two general parts. Northern Tehran is more cosmopolitan and expensive, southern Tehran is cheaper and gets the name "downtown."Getting ThereMehrabad airport is the original one which is currently in the process of being replaced by Imam Khomeini International Airport. The new one is farther away from the city but it now receives all the international traffic, so allow an extra hour to get there or back.TransportationTehran driving can be a wild free-for-all like some South American cities, so get ready for shared taxis, confusing bus routes and a brand new shiny metro system to make it all better. To be fair, there is a great highway system here.The metro has four lines, tickets cost 2000IR, and they have segregated cars. The women-only carriages are the last two at the end, FYI.Taxis come in two flavors, shared and private. Private taxis are more expensive but easier to manage for the visiting traveler. Tehran has a mean rush hour starting at seven AM and lasting until 8PM in its evening version. Solution? Motorcycle taxis! They cut through the traffic and any spare nerves you might have left.People and CultureMore than sixty percent of Tehranis were born outside of the city, making it as ethnically and linguistically diverse as the country itself. Tehran is the most secular and liberal city in Iran and as such it attracts students from all over the country.Things to do, RecommendationsTake the metro to the Tehran Bazaar at the stop "Panzda Gordad". There you can find anything and everything -- shoes, clothes, food, gold, machines and more. Just for the sight of it alone you should take a trip there.If you like being outside, go to Darband and drink tea in a traditional setting. Tehranis love a good picnic and there are plenty of parks to enjoy. Try Mellat park on a friday (fridays are public holidays), or maybe Park Daneshjou, Saaii or Jamshidieh.Remember to go upstairs and have a look around, always always always! The Azadi Tower should fit the bill; it was constructed to commemorate the 2500th anniversary of the Persian Empire.Tehran is also full of museums such as:the Contemporary Art Museumthe Abghine Musuem (glass works)the 19th century Golestan Royal Palace museumthe museum of carpets (!!!)Reza Abbasi Museum of extraordinary miniaturesand most stunning of all,the Crown Jewels Museum which holds the largest pink diamond in the world and many other jaw-dropping jewels.Text by Steve Smith.
