Asha

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This article is about a Zoroastrian principle. For other uses, see Asha (disambiguation).

Avestan asha (aša; Old Persian arta, Middle Persian ard) is a central principle of Zoroastrianism, representing "truth", "justice" or "order".

The opposite of asha is druj (Old Persian drauga), representing "untruth", "chaos".

[edit] Etymology

Avestan aša and its Vedic equivalent ṛtá both derive from Proto-Indo-Iranian *árta "truth", which derives from Proto-Indo-European *h₂r-to- "properly joined, right, true", from the root *h₂ar also found in *h₂ar-yo-.

Avestan druj, like its Vedic Sanskrit cousin druh, appears to derive from the PIE root *dreugh, also continued in German Trug "fraud, deception". Old Norse draugr and Middle Irish aurddrach both mean "spectre, spook". The Sanskrit cognate druh means "affliction, afflicting demon".

[edit] The concept

In a literal sense, asha means "truth", more literally "what is properly joined, in its proper place", hence "cosmic order" (see cosmos).

For the Indo-Iranians, all physical creation (geti) was determined to run according to a "master plan" - in Zoroaster's revelation inherent to Ahura Mazda - and violations of the order (druj) were violations against creation, and thus violations against Ahura Mazda.

Asha represents order, creation and truth, while druj represents the inversion of these concepts (chaos, decay, untruth, faithlessness). In their lives, mortal beings (humans and animals both) are active participants in the conflict of asha versus druj, and it is their duty to defend order, which would decay without counteraction.

This concept of asha versus the druj presents a similarly absolute moral dichotomy as that of good versus evil in Abrahamic religions, with the difference that Zoroastrianism - similar to other eastern religions - did not originally hypostasize 'bad' and 'good' (or rather 'bad' vs. 'better'). Like western religions however, God is the Creator of only the good, and hence (epitomized) Badness had to have a source other than God. The resolution of this conundrum was a primary factor in the monist developments of Zurvanite Zoroastrianism and its extreme dualism.

[edit] As a divinity

In the Zoroastrian hierarchy of yazatas, asha is represented by and is the epitome of Asha Vahista, the Amesha Spenta of 'best righteousness'.

[edit] In proper names

Together with its old and middle Persian equivalents, the term asha appears in a number of theophoric names, including Ardešir, Arda Viraf and Arta-xšaϑra (Greek: Artaxerxes). It is also the root of the name of the city of Ardebil.

The asronih, the Parthian and Sassanid era feudal class that represented the priesthood, is the equivalent of the Avestan term ashavan, the "righteous man".

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