Zoroastrian Haoma Ritual

Introduction In Zoroastrian tradition, haoma is the chief among the medicinal plants that can be pounded to extract their juice (Lesser Bundahishn 24.18, a Middle Persian Zoroastrian religious text states: "Haoma which is out-squeezed is the chief of medicinal plants." While haoma is the word used in older texts, hom is the word used in more recent texts.) The strained juice is then consumed in very small quantities. In addition to being the name of the main medicinal plant, haoma is also the name given to the family of plant-based medicinal and health promoting extracts made from haoma and other plants. In Zoroastrian texts, haoma is associated with the baresman (haomayo gava baresmana), a bundle of twigs from select medicinal plants and trees. The method of preparing the haoma extract is preserved in the principal Zoroastrian ritual called the yasna ceremony where the central rite is the ab-zohr, meaning strength to water. Two liquid extracts called parahom (from para-haoma meaning before-haoma) and hom are prepared during the rite. The first parahom extract is made by pounding of a mixture of haoma, pomegranite and/or water. Cow's milk in Iran, or goat's milk in India, replaces water in a second preparation. Only a few drops of the extract are consumed by the participants of the ceremony or by anyone else. Even the most beneficial of foods or cures can be harmful if consumed inappropriately or in excess. A guiding principle in Zoroastrian practices is to consume only that which promotes health, and only that which benefits both body and mind while refraining from consuming anything (or quantities) that can cause harm. The ritualistic practice of mixing and pounding together the haoma and pomegranate twig and leaf to produce an extract preserves the process of synergistically bringing together the beneficial properties of the plants to promote physical health and healing. The haoma and pomegranate extract is consumed as a mixture. The plants' extracts are not consumed alone or separately. In addition, bringing together plant life, water and animal milk while reciting a manthra, a prayer, promotes spiritual health as well. In our discussion on the baresman, we see that pomegranate is one of several health promoting plants whose twigs make up the baresman bundle of twigs. The other baresman twigs we have been able to identify so far in the literature, are myrtle, laurel, pomegranate, tamarisk, willow and juniper (the texts say there are thousands of healing plants to treat thousands of aliments, the knowledge of which was destroyed with the destruction of Zoroastrian texts). The haoma twigs can be paired with different baresman twigs to produce blends with specific healing and health giving properties. In ancient times, the haoma twigs were probably part of the baresman bundle.

Haoma and Baresman's Use in Ancient Health & Healing Zoroastrian scriptural texts (Vendidad 3.1 and 14.8, and Ram Yasht 5) mention that Zoroastrian priests carried with them the baresman, the mortar for pounding and extracting the twigs' juice, and cups. The image on the right appears to fit that description. It is a photograph of a relief rock carving that now resides in the Museum for Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara, Turkey. Zoroastrian priests, the magi, were renowned physicians and healers. The magi's code of setting aside their personal needs in order to attend to a person in need of medical help, made the magi respected throughout the region. The magi frequently carried the baresman bundle with them, so much so, that the baresman became the principle identifying symbol not just of the magi, but of the Zoroastrian faith as well.

Carrying a bundle of different twigs, the juices of which could be combined in different ways to treat a variety of different aliments, was in some ways the equivalent of carrying a modern-day physician's medicine bag. Uniqueness of the Zoroastrian Method of Preparing Healing Extracts What sets the Zoroastrian method of preparing healing extracts apart from other traditions is a combination of the following features: The extracts are from tender branches and leaves. Using tender twigs allows the plant to regenerate itself and does not kill the plant. The extracts are cold extracts and not teas. Heat can destroy sensitive healing or health giving components. The combination possibilities are numerous. The texts state that there are ten thousand plants to counter ten thousand ailments. The plants are not dried or ground into powders. There is no record of fruits or roots being used in the extracts, presumably because fruits can be eaten whole and roots may need cooking. Using the root of a plant kills the plant. Animal parts are not used and animals are not killed in the process of seeking health and healing for humans.

Parahom Preparation Implements

The ritual implements used to produce parahom are the mortar (hawan) and pestle (dastag/abar-hawan/labo) for pounding and extracting the juice from the reconstituted fungus, a nine-holed strainer (surakhdar tasjta), and a bowl for holding the parahom. A priest who knows how to prepare various kinds of haoma extracts and their benefit, is called a hawanan. The ritual preparation of parahom is described in Mary Boyce's article: Haoma Ritual at CAIS. Haoma's Identification in Scripture According to the Greater Bundahishn 9.4, at the time of creation, ten thousand healing plants grew to counteract ten thousand diseases. From those ten thousand plants grew a further hundred thousand species. At the centre of these healing plants is the chief among them: the mythical white haoma (Amanita muscaria var. alba) - the plant of eternal life called the Gokard / Gokaren / Gaokarena (Vendidad 20.4). From a variety of haoma, red, yellow or golden haoma, the ancients cut and included stems and tender shoots of additive plants when making the baresman bundle (Vendidad 19.18-19). The following are further descriptions and references to haoma in the Hom Yasht, chapters 9 - 11 in the book of Yasna, a book that is part of the Zoroastrian scriptures, the Avesta: Haoma's Growing Range In scripture and religious texts, haoma was said to be found in hilly or mountainous regions (Yasna 9.26, 10.3-4, 10.11-12), in gorges and abysses (Yasna 10.11).In some passages, the Mount Alburz range (Avestan Hara Berezaiti stretching from the Pamirs to the Caspian Sea) is mentioned as Haoma's habitat.

Haoma's Characteristics Different haoma have colour that range from white (the mythical supreme haoma - Yasna 10.12), to red or golden yellow (Vendidad 20.4, Yasna 9.17, Yasna 9.30,31,32). There are many kinds of haoma and the growing range was the mountain ranges (Yasna 10.12, 10.21). Haoma is fragrant (Yasna 10.4). Yasna 9.16 mentions the term asu in connection with haoma. Several translators of the Yasna describe asu as a characteristic of haoma and their conclusions are varied. Dieter Taillieu translates asu as twigs, Robert Wasson as stalks, Ilya Gershevitch as fibre or flesh, and Mills as sprouts. Asu could also mean finger-like joints, a characteristic used to describe the Hindu soma (see below), and which is termed ksip. The term asu is also found in healing related inscriptions in tablets from the library of Assyrian King Ashurbanipal (668 - 627 BCE) at Nineveh. In these texts, translators feel that asu is the title for a specialist in herbal remedies. Haoma's Properties Haoma is nourishing (Yasna 9.4, 10.20). It improves health (Yasna 9.17, 9.22, 9.27, 10.7), stamina (Yasna 9.1315,9.17, 9.22) and strength (Yasna 9). It gives strength to warriors before [spiritual] battle (Yasna 9.27). It promotes healing (Yasna 9.16-17, 9.19, 10.8, 10.9). Haoma is stimulating and arouses sexual desire (Yasna 9.3-15, 9.17, 9.22, 10.13). It helps in the bearing of strong children (Yasna 9.7, 9.22), something of particular importance in ancient times when infant mortality could have been high. It helps imparts clear thinking and thereby wisdom (Yasna 9.22, 10.13). It is good for the soul's journey (Yasna 9.16). It has both physical and spiritual benefits. Middle Persian Zoroastrian literature such as the Lesser Bundahishn 24.18 quoted above, point to haoma being the name of an eponymous healing plant that lent its name to a family of healing plants which appear to have been used in conjunction with the main haoma plant in the manner preserved by the ab-zohr ceremony described above. Identification of Haoma Scriptural references tell us there were varieties of haoma with different colours, of which white haoma was a very special if not rare variety. Zoroastrian texts do tell us that there were various varieties of haoma. The various varieties that we profile below are all haoma candidates and in addition to being found in Iran, Pakistan, India and Nepal, they also grow in the Central Asian regions of Tajikistan and Afghanistan where Ancient Zoroastrianism - at the time of the writing of the Avesta - may have had its home. Other Indo-Iranian Names for Haoma The names of local varieties of ephedra in the traditional Indo-Iranian Aryan lands all stem from either haoma or soma (the 'h' sound in the Avestan languages changes to the 's' sound in the Reg Vedic Sanskrit language). The root word for the local name changes from haoma to soma as we move into the traditional Aryan lands of the upper Indus river, i.e. Hapta Hindu or upper Hind / Sind. Today, these areas form Nuristan / Kafiristan in NorthEastern Afghanistan and the eastern adjacent districts of Chitral and Gilgit in the far north of Pakistan. The Chitral and Gilgit districts lie south of the Afghanistan's Wakhan corridor and the Hundu Kush mountains - the natural and traditional border between the Iranian (Avestan) and Indian (Sanskrit) regions Yasna Ceremony The Yasna ceremony is the highest of the inner circle ceremonies and requires the recitation of chapters 1 to 72 of the book of Yasna. The purpose of the Yasna ceremony is to purify the world, strengthen the bond between the spiritual and physical existences, and to promote good health. As with all ceremonies of the inner circle, it is performed in the pavi area (inner sanctum) of a fire temple.

Yasna Meaning Yasna is commonly taken to mean worship or dedication as well as being related to the words yaz, yezi (Avestan) and later yazishn (Middle Persian), words that evolved yet later into ijeshne and then Jashn / Jashne / Jashan. Given the association of yasna with jashne, a thanksgiving festival, yasna could very well carry a meaning similar to celebration such as honouring or venerating. In addition, the Avestan yaz is identified with the Sanskrit root word yaj which has been taken to mean worship or to praise. L. H. Mills in his The Zend Avesta: The Sacred Books of the East, Part Thirty-one, Yasna II, page 203, says that the word yas means 'desire to approach' or 'desire the approach of'. Yazishn-Khana / Gah A yazishn-khana or yazishn-gah, the room or place for the yazishn, is noted in the Middle Persian Persian Rivayats as being part of a Dar-e Mehr, a neighbourhood place of worship, and separate from the atash-khana or atash-gah or, the room or place for the fire. Time or Gah / Geh of the Ceremony The stipulated time for the entire ceremony is during the morning watch or Hawan gah / geh (In the Avestan languages, Havani ratu, and also known as Havan-ni-Meher cf. Havan-e Mehr). During the first seven months of the Zoroastrian calendar, that is, the Rapithwan above ground months, the Havan gah is the period of the day between sunrise (when the rays of the rising sun have dispelled the darkness of the night) to noon. For the last five, cool, Rapithwan below ground months of the Zoroastrian year, the Havan gah extends from sunrise to 3 pm. Preparation Prior to the start of the Yasna ceremony, a priest (often the Rathvi / Raspi who will assist the senior Zaoti / Zoti priest) will assemble the materials required for the ceremony including the plants that play a central role in the rites. Some traditional temples have a well and plants such as date palms and pomegranate trees growing within the premises.

In those temple grounds that contain growing date palms and pomegranate (Av. hadanaepata) trees, the priest walks to a date palm with a pot of consecrated water from the well and a sharp knife. After selecting a suitable leaf, the priest washes his hand and carefully cuts the leaf while reciting a manthra. After cutting the leaf, the priest washes the leaf and his hands, and enters the Yasna-gah (see below), the Yasna place, within the temple with the leaf. There he cuts the leaf into three strips and braids the strips into a cord which he uses to ties the baresma (barsom) bundle symbolizing the unity and synergy of the plant world. The ritual collection is repeated for a cutting of pomegranate. In addition to the pomegranate, date palm strips and consecrated water, haoma as well as milk (cow's milk in Iran and goat's milk in India) will be used in the preparation of the haoma (hom) extracts. Ab-Zohr The central rite of the Yasna ceremony is the ab-zohr - the preparation of a liquid extract that is part of the haoma or hom family of healing methods. Ab-zohr means strength-water in Persian, a name that is derived from the Avestan ape-zaothra. The Parsi (Indian Zoroastrian) name for the rite is jor-melavi from the Gujarati, jor / djor meaning 'strength' and melavi meaning 'introduction'. During this rite, two liquid preparations called parahom (from para-haoma) and hom (from haoma) are prepared during different phases of the Yasna ceremony: the first being the Parayagna or Paragna - the pre-yasna phase, and the second being during the yasna ceremony itself. The first preparation is consumed by the senior Zoti priest while a part of the second preparation is poured into the temple's well or a nearby stream in a culmination of the ab-zohr rite. Prof. Mary Boyce translates zaothra as libation - a libation being a liquid that is poured out during a religious ceremony. The remainder of the second extract is consumed by the temple's priests and some of the laity. Haoma or hom is also the name given to the principle plant used to prepare the parahom and hom extracts. It is also the name given to the entire family of health-giving and healing plants used as admixtures with haoma as well as their extracts. Parahom Preparation Implements / Alat The ritual implements used to produce the hom preparation are part of the priest's ritual implements or alat. They are the mortar (hawan) and pestle (dastag/abar-hawan/labo) for pounding and extracting the juice from the reconstituted haoma, a nine-holed strainer (surakhdar tasjta), and a bowl for holding the parahom. A priest, who knows how to prepare various kinds of haoma extracts and their benefit, is called a hawanan. The ritual preparation of parahom & hom is described in Mary Boyce's article: Haoma Ritual at CAIS. Pre-Yasna Ceremony - Parayagna / Paragna The prelude to the central rite of the Yasna ceremony is the parayagna (or paragna), meaning before-yasna (para is Avestan for before and yagna is the Vedic Sanskrit equivalent, cf. yajna, to yasna). During the parayagna, the ceremonial utensils called the alat and other items used in the Yasna ceremony are consecrated and the plants whose juice will be extracted are cleaned by a ritual washing and assembled. The twigs include the barsom twigs (now often replaced by wire strands), other related plants (urvaram, for instance pomegranate twigs and leaves) and the aiwiyaonghan / aiwyaonghana, date palm twigs. The barsom symbolizes the channel through which the material creation gaetha / gaethya connects with the spiritual realm mainyu / mainyva (in later language: menog and getig). Preparation of Parahom Extract During the Parayagna / Paragna Ceremony The first parahaoma extract is prepared - usually by the Rathvi / Raspi priest - as part of a preliminary or preparatory rite to sanctify the worship and preparation area immediately prior to the main Yasna service. The materials that are

to be pound together for the first parahom preparation - three pieces of haoma (dried), pomegranate and water are readied. Then the pomegranate and a little consecrated water are repeatedly pounded together during a recitation of Yasna 27. The liquid ground mixture is poured onto the nine-holed strainer and the strained liquid is collected below in a designated bowl. The Raspi collects the residue from the strainer and places the residue close to the fire so that it may dry completely before the end of the ceremony. Preparation of the Hom Extract During the Yasna Ceremony After the preparation of the parahom, the Rathvi / Raspi is joined by the senior Zaoti / Zoti priest. Following the joining formalities, the Zoti starts reciting the opening Yasnas including Yasnas 3 to 8, the Sarosh Dron, and Yasnas 9 to 11, the Hom Yasht. At Yasna 11.8, the Raspi pours a few drops of the parahom from one of the containers onto the barsom bundle and hands the remainder to the Zoti. At Yasna 11.10, the Zoti consumes the parahom prepared by the Raspi in three sips. The Zoti begins to pound the second hom preparation between Yasna 22 and 28. While the first preparation had been made using water, milk (cow's milk in Iran and goat's milk in India) is used for the second pressing. The second mixture brings together the beneficial properties of plant life, water and animal milk in order to best promote physical health and healing. Preparing the hom extract during a ritual recitation of the Yasna, enables the mixture to promote spiritual health as well. The pounding is suspended during Yasnas 29 and 30 and resumed when during Yasnas 31 and 32, the Zoti pounds the mixture three times, straining some of the liquid into one of the bowls after each pounding, each time returning any crushed residue to the mortar. During Yasna 33, the Zoti pours the last of the mortar's contents over the strainer and squeezes the fibrous residue so that it yields its last drops. He removes the fibrous residue from the strainer and places it on a designated spot beside him on the floor. The Raspi picks up the residue and places it beside the fire next to the previous residue from the parahom preparation (in order that this batch may also dry completely). During recital of Yasna 34, the now empty mortar is inverted and the milk-dish is placed the mortar's upturned base. The bowl containing all the squeezed hom extract is set of the top of the milk-dish in a three-tiered arrangement. The recitation of the Yasnas continues and at Yasna 62, the Raspi feeds the now dried haoma and pomegranate fibrous residue to the fire. During the recitation of the remaining Yasnas, the Zoti removes the hom extract container from the top of the threetiered arrangement and re-rights the upturned mortar. He then pours the extract between two bowls and the mortar thoroughly mixing all the extract and milk, and finishes with all three containing the same amount of the hom mixture. After the recitation of the final Yasna, 72, both priests carry the hom mixture in the mortar to the temple's well (or a nearby stream) and make a libation by pouring small amounts three times into the well or stream. Small quantities of the remaining hom mixture are consumed by the temple priests and the remainder is available for special needs of the laity such as thanksgiving for a newborn child or administering the last rites to a dying individual. Any remaining hom juice is poured over the roots of trees.