Hinduism and Zoroastrianism

[dyanaprajna2011]

Are Hinduism and Zoroastrianism basically the same religion? Do they come from a common source? Was one originally part of the other? Or are they just two completely separate religions that happen to share some commonalities?

 

[Gaura Priya]

I think they may have shared some similarities, but I find that the approaches are quite different.

Z: Zoroaster is the Founder
H: No one founded Hinduism; it is eternal

Z: God is strictly invisible and monotheistic
H: God can be seen in all forms, many forms, or no forms - can be polytheistic, monotheistic, pantheistic or monistic

Z: The Gathas and the Avesta are the main Scriptures
H: The Scriptures include the Four Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas, the Gita, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, etc.

Z: Sacred fire as the main external worship practice
H: Fire sacrifices, but also aratis, pujas, abhishekhas, kirtana, etc.

 

[Jainarayan]

Another curious thing is that the words asura and ahura are linguistically related. Indo-Iranian has a sound shift from Sanskrit /s/ to Indo-Iranian /h/ (Sindhu to Hindu, sapta to hapta, saptasindhu to haptahindu). Moreover, in Zoroastrianism, I believe the roles of the beings are reversed: the ahuras are the beings of truth and the daevas are beings of untruth. A Zoroastrian could probably correct if I have it wrong.

 

[Gaura Priya]

Another curious thing is that the words asura and ahura are linguistically related. Indo-Iranian has a sound shift from Sanskrit /s/ to Indo-Iranian /h/ (Sindhu to Hindu, sapta to hapta, saptasindhu to haptahindu). Moreover, in Zoroastrianism, I believe the roles of the beings are reversed: the ahuras are the beings of truth and the daevas are beings of untruth. A Zoroastrian could probably correct if I have it wrong.

Nope, you're right in this part.

Persian and Hindi are both part of the same language family of Indo-Aryan languages, so they share very similar sounds. Hear the numbers in both Hindi and Persian and they definitely share linguistic similarity.

But I believe Hinduism and Zoroastrianism countered each other growing up. Just like Mandaeism instead of Judaism and Christianity.

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

The commonalities seem to come from the Indo-Iranian peoples before they split up. I've read, but I can't remember where, that Zarathustra was more a reformer of Hinduism than one setting up his own religion. And you both are right, the languages come from the same family. And, the roles of beings are reversed. It's my belief that Zarathustra left the Vedic religion, for unknown reasons, and began his own religion to reflect his disagreements and falling out with the Vedic religion. To me, this seems to be the link between the similarities in Eastern and Western religions. Zoroastrianism was monotheistic and dualistic, influencing later western religions such as Christianity and Islam, while Hinduism was more polytheistic and non-dualistic, influencing later Indian religions such as Jainism and Buddhism.

 

[Satyamavejayanti]

Are Hinduism and Zoroastrianism basically the same religion? Do they come from a common source? Was one originally part of the other? Or are they just two completely separate religions that happen to share some commonalities?

Its most likely they came from the same common source, and that was the Sanskrit speaking Vedic source, there are some commonalities, i think it may have been a reformation movement.

 

[Jainarayan]

I'm a Proto-Indoeuropeanist as compared to a Proto-Indoeuropeguitarist. :slap:

Yes, Vedic Sanskrit and Avestan are Indo-Iranian sister languages. I wasn't sure about the roles of the asuras/ahuras v. devas/daevas.

 

[Vinayaka]

Very very little in common, other than geography.

 

[Riverwolf]

Hinduism and Zoroastrianism most definitely share the same source (very likely an early form of the Vedic religion), but eventually split apart, as can be attested due to the simple fact that Devas were demonized in Zoroastrianism, and Asuras were demonized in later Vedic texts.

 

[Madhuri]

I agree with Satyamavejayanti and Riverwolf. These religions most likely comes from a Vedic source, and as evolution applies to everything, so most religions of the world are derived from an earlier one. Veda evidence stems back further than any other prominent religion.

 

[Valjean]

Black and white vs shades of grey. Cosmic dichotomy vs multiple levels of reality and an ultimate unity.

I see them as quite different.

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

That's my thinking on this subject, that Zoroastrianism stems from an early Vedic source. In one way or another, all religions, I think, can be traced back to the Vedas. And I think that Zoroastrian-Hindu link is what links the East from the West.

 

[Valjean]

I never thought of Zoroasterianism as Vedic. Wasn't it the fantasy of a single founder, that just happened to catch on?

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

I never thought of Zoroasterianism as Vedic. Wasn't it the fantasy of a single founder, that just happened to catch on?

Sort of. Zarathustra, the founder of Zoroastrianism, seems to me, and there are religious studies to give evidence for this, was originally part of the Vedic religion. However, due to some falling out, he began his own religion, but still based much of it on the Vedas, even though he reversed some ideas.