Who was Zarathustra?
Zarathustra was born in Iran, probably in the region that is now part of present-day Russia or Afghanistan. He was married and had children. His father was Pourushaspa and his mother was Dughdova. Long before the coming of Zarathustra the people of Iran followed the “Mazdayasni” religion, one characterized by the worship of multiple deities. This caused a good deal of distress to Zarathustra. To seek a message from God he withdrew himself from the material world at an early age and spent several years in solitude. When he knew that he had heard the voice of God, he set out to preach. For ten years no one paid any heed to him; in fact, he was denounced as a heretic and sorcerer. The tide turned when he was received by King Vishtasp. So impressed was the King by Zarathustra’s message that he publicly embraced the new religion which spread rapidly throughout Iran and neighboring countries. The success of the new religion was not liked by his opponents who succeeded by slander and deceptio
