Supplement No. 13

Conversion of Ethereal State into Material

As stated already under head 'Cosmography of the Space', the top three Dakhyus are super ethereal in composition and the rest lower four ethereal. From the lowest sub-regions of the last Zamrir, (transitional region) below the Pairi Dakhyu, begins the top of the earthy globe, which extends downward into the Aipi Dakhyu at the bottom of the Nisti. Thus the largest portion of the earthy globe is in the Aipi Dakhyu, which also includes the infernal regions. This change from the ethereal to the material state was not direct. The earthy globe as we see it today is in its fourth and final evolution, the first being fiery, next airy, and then watery and the last material.

In the fiery stage, the globe and the human, animal, vegetable and material forms were also of a fiery nature. The legendary bird phoenix is said to have belonged to this age. When the final form of this fiery stage called 'Kehrp' had reached, the airy stage came into being, in which the fiery Kehrp remained latent. When this airy stage reached its final form called 'Tewishi', the watery stage came into being, in which the fiery Kehrp and airy Tewishi remained latent. In this watery stage coarse jelly-like forms appeared. When these turned into incognizable steamy forms the earthy envelope came into existence. When the watery stage reached its final form called 'Ushtan', the airy Tewishi and the fiery Kehrp remained latent. Side by side with the coming into existence of the earthy globe, its inhabitants viz. minerals, vegetables, animals and human beings which were all hitherto impalpable and incognizable, now appeared in palpable forms in which the fiery Kehrp, airy Tewishi and watery Ushtanic bodies lay in refined beautiful states.

 

Mixed Creations

Later on mixed creations came into existence, such as, half fish-like or animal-like with half human form. They were hermaphrodite- like, the male and female bodies joined together (Bd. 15).

In English dictionary, we meet with names of griffin, with eagle's head and wings and lion's body; hippogriff, half-horse and half-griffin; a winged horse; hippocampus, sea horse etc. which are believed to be fabulous, but which probably belonged to some evolution in the distant past. Then came non-fragile separate sexes with one eye (ibid.), one leg, one hand, and tall as tallest trees. Then came to view oceans with islands full of jungles and trees of unimaginable heights.

These were inhabited by strange animals of unimaginable size, some seeming half vegetable half animal-like. After innumerable Zarvane-daregho-khadat of 81,000 years each, these islands expanded into continents with symmetrical nature of half fish and half human form, as well as half human half animal form. Then after numerous Zarvanedaregha came into existence earthy symmetrical forms containing Azda, the fluid counterpart of bony skeleton, Gaetha, soft organs and Tanu, the supporting frame of rigid and malleable structure. In this structure Kehrp contained in itself Tewishi, Tewishi contained in itself Ushtan i.e. life-matter of the Tree of Life, Vane-Zavitbish. .

Again after numerous Zarvane-daregha of 81,000 years each, the present condition of the body appeared, which is gifted with powers of speech, conscience and consciousness and the will power of doing right or wrong. This Khaki i.e. material stage began with Machh, a fish form half human and half fish (known as merman and mermaid). Hence humanity is named Mashya in Avesta. (Abridged from "Essential Origins of Zoroastrianism" by Dr. F. S. Chinivala).