Abstract
Over several thousand years of Iranian history, Yārsān can be considered one of the greatest inheritors of ancient thoughts such as the rebirth and manifestation of God in human form. The foundations of Yārsān’s beliefs are Eastern, and they can be seen as synonymous with the beliefs of Hinduism and other Eastern schools. Rebirth or reincarnation—one of the most important ancient Indian and Iranian beliefs—can be considered a shared point between Hinduism and Yārsān. The purpose of this chapter is to reveal structural similarities between Hinduism and Yārsān using the comparative mythology of some of their saints, as well as by analyzing their common religious structures. The findings of this study will demonstrate that Yārsān is heir to the primitive religion of the natives of the Indo-Iranian plateau, which is also closely related to Hinduism and other Eastern schools.
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Notes
- 1.
Zoroaster is a prophet of ancient Iran.
- 2.
The God in Yārsān religion.
- 3.
Holy book of the Yārsāns.
- 4.
In Kurdish, the word Mād is pronounced “Mai,” which means Medes. It refers to the Medes dynasty, founders of the first great empire of the Iranian Plateau, who ruled from 700 to 549 BC.
- 5.
Jam is a holy gathering ring in which Yārsān’s groups come together and Pir is at the top of it.
- 6.
Jāme be Jāme or Doon-ā-Doon means transmigration of the soul from one body to another after death.
- 7.
Seyyed Haidar, nicknamed Seyyed Berāka, was one of the elders of Yārsān in the nineteenth century and many miracles have been reported about him. His time was known as “Yari Tani.”
- 8.
Daftar Nowruz Sorāni, 208.
- 9.
Rostam is a mythical Iranian hero.
- 10.
Siāvash or Siāvakhsh is a mythical Iranian prince.
- 11.
Rākhsh is Rostam’s horse.
- 12.
The collection of Hindu religious poems and hymns written in Sanskrit.
- 13.
Pardivar is a place in Iranian Kurdistan where Sultan Sahāk revealed the religion of Yārsān.
- 14.
Divan Gureh, Yādegāri family manuscript.
- 15.
Barbud was a Sassanid dynasty musician.
- 16.
Khosrow Parviz was one of Iran’s ancient kings, ruling from 590 to 628.
- 17.
Ali ibn-e-Abi Tālib is the first Imam of the Shiites and the fourth caliph of the Muslims.
- 18.
Pir-e Shart means keeping the religious oath and allegiance with the people.
- 19.
Anahita is the goddess of water in ancient Iran.
- 20.
Hānitā is the Kurdish pronunciation of Anahita’s name.
- 21.
Dāo is a proper noun and is not the abbreviated name of Dāwūd.
- 22.
According to Yārsān, Dāo has different manifestations and Pir Dāwūd is one of them.
- 23.
Nowruz Sorāni, 213.
- 24.
Divine Shah Taymour, 122.
- 25.
Feroz was one of the kings of the Khalji dynasty in India.
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Mahmoudi, E. (2022). Common Roots of Hinduism and Yārsān (Goran) Beliefs. In: Hosseini, S.B. (eds) Yari Religion in Iran. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6444-1_2
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