The true meaning of Mazda

Excellent work, Ardeshir!!!
It strikes me that Mazda has both the meaning of wisdom and also a component of the English "emergence" to it. Like transcendent wisdom or wisdom in emergence.
I'm still trying to find a better word than "consciousness" for "minoo" though.
One of the problems being that there is no clear cut meaning for "consciousness" itself in English. ;-)
But I would prefer if we left "consciousness" inside the human head (as it is actually a very PASSIVE thing in psychology). Minoo is more of "mind" but also more than "mind". It could also be translated as "sense".
Minoo could be one of the words, like asha and haurvatat, that are best left untranslated for lack of good words in English. If the Indians taught the world karma and dharma, we could introduce asha and haurvatat.
Ushta
Alexaner

2010/1/20 ardeshir farhmand

i alluded in my ahün-var article to this, the very name "mazdá," not only suggests inherent wisdom and intuitive understanding, but it is connected to thoughts, memory and brilliant ideas, Lith. mintis "thought, idea, and vision; greek mantis "one who divines, prophet, seer.

more interestingly the word is related to Skt. mahan/mahas "the great world of possibilities."
"this is strongly confirmed by the ancient exegesis. accordingly, this shows most interesting connection to O.E. mæg (inf. magan, pt. meahte, mihte), from P.Gmc. root mag-, O.N. mega, Ger. mögen, Goth. magan "to be able"), from PIE *mogh-/*megh- "power to realize." O.C.S. mogo "to be able," mosti "power, force," ." "mazdá" is not only vision and wisdom, but also the power to realize that vision and make it happen and möglich.

Furthermore, "shyaotha-na- nám" in ahünvar or Yasna 27.13 refers to the manifesting act of "spentá mainyü " or the auspicious spirit of ahurmazd.

In short, mazdá is all the wisdom/meta-knowledge we have to acquire, all the wondrous powers we have to obtain, all the new, amazing and awesome possibilities that we must aspire to realize.

ü ö á

mazdá is the same as Greek "Metis" and Sanskrit "Medha," they all seem to point to learning, wisdom, intuitive understanding, skill/craft via superb mental/spiritual powers.

The Lithuanian "mandras" "wide-awake," O.C.S. madru "wise, sage," Goth. mundonsis "to look at, all come from the same root. There seem to be also a germanic "mntr" meaning "awake, lively,intelligent." We also encounter "medhira," described in Rigveda 8.6.10 as the "insight into the truth of things."

The Zoroastrian tradition translates Maz-da, as "mas danaki" or "mas danai," "great vision," "great wisdom;" or the "greatly wise" and of "superb understanding/insight."

In the vedas we have three supreme worlds whose names are not given. But in the vedantic books the greatest of all these supreme worlds is MAHAS, the great world. The principle of MAHAS is "vi-jnana or gnosis, superb knowledge as well as insightful understanding of things which leads upwards to MAYAS or awesome powers to make and create. See O.E. macian, from W.Gmc. "to build, make," O.H.G. mahhon, Ger. machen.)


In short, MAZDA means insight, superior understanding, sagacity, and GREAT GENIUS. Zarathushtra declares that WISDOM, VISION and GREAT GENIUS is the POWER SUPREME or MAZDA AHURA as he calls it.

Notice the deliberate and beautiful indo-germanic word-play that suggests "mazdá," wisdom and vision, mental/spiritual abilities is the "ahura par excellence or "ahura maximus."