ZARATHUSHTRA (ZOROASTER) First Perfect Master/Poet after Adam of the Sufis SELECTED POEMS (GATHAS) (Large Print & Large Format Edition) Translation and Introduction by Paul Smith from the Original by D.J. Irani Introduction by Rabindranath Tagore The Perfect Master and Prophet and one of the first poets Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) lived approx. 7000 B.C. and through his teaching of 'Good words, good thoughts, good deeds' brought in his poems that are similar in form to ruba'is a revelation and dispensation of Divinity. His teaching and poetry have influenced most religions that followed and his poems/songs were a great influence on many of the Sufi poets, including Rumi. Here are 115 of his profound, simple, inspiring poems selected from the Gathas. Large Print (18pt) & Large Format ("8 x 10") Edition. 150 pages. Paul Smith (b. 1945) is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets from the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages, including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Amir Khusrau, Sarmad and many others, as well as poetry, fiction, plays, biographies and a dozen screenplays. amazon.com/author/smithpa

~*~ZARATHUSHTRA~*~ SELECTED POEMSA New Verse Translation and Introduction by Paul Smith from the Original Translation by D.J. Irani.Original Introduction by Rabindranath Tagore.The Perfect Master and Prophet and one of the first poets Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) lived approx. 7000 B.C. and through his teaching of 'Good words, good thoughts, good deeds' brought in his poems that are similar in form to ruba'is a revelation and dispensation of Divinity. His teaching and poetry have influenced most religions that followed and his poems/songs were a great influence on many of the Sufi poets, including Rumi. Here are 116 of his profound, simple, inspiring poems selected from the Gathas. 141 pages.COMMENTS ON PAUL SMITH'S TRANSLATION OF HAFIZ'S 'DIVAN'.“It is not a joke... the English version of ALL the ghazals of Hafiz is a great feat and of paramount importance. I am astonished. If he comes to Iran I will kiss the fingertips that wrote such a masterpiece inspired by the Creator of all.” Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran. “Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith.” Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator into Persian and knower of Hafiz's Divan off by heart.“I was very impressed with the beauty of these books.” Dr. R.K. Barz. Faculty of Asian Studies, Australian National University.“Smith has probably put together the greatest collection of literary facts and history concerning Hafiz.” Daniel Ladinsky (Penguin Books author). Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of over 80 books of Sufi poets from the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages, including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Amir Khusrau, Sarmad and many others, as well as poetry, fiction, plays, biographies and screenplays.

The Teachings of Zoroaster, And the Philosophy of the Parsi Religion by Shapurji Aspaniarji Kapadia, first published in 1913, is a rare manuscript, the original residing in one of the great libraries of the world. This book is a reproduction of that original, which has been scanned and cleaned by state-of-the-art publishing tools for better readability and enhanced appreciation. Restoration Editors' mission is to bring long out of print manuscripts back to life. Some smudges, annotations or unclear text may still exist, due to permanent damage to the original work. We believe the literary significance of the text justifies offering this reproduction, allowing a new generation to appreciate it.

Although by its title, this book seems to be about a specialized topic, the spread of Mithraic societies and its avatars, in time and geographical expanse, much enhances its relevancy. From Roman legionaries to chivalry orders, from dervish circles to guild organizations, and from Freemasons to French revolutionaries, the hierarchy of Mithraic societies, their initiation rites, and their oaths of secrecy, provided a model for brotherhood organization that was efficient, but also flexible; they could adapt their philosophy to the prevailing politico-religion conditions of the day, because they did not worship any particular god, but could also be comrades in arms with nascent religious movements, such as with Christianity. Mithra was the initial guarantor of their oath, and if need be it could be replaced by Jesus, Allah or any other divinity. Their "religion" was their brotherhood, and as such they usually provided a counter-balance to the power elite, and had the potential to become politically active.

Early Iranians believed evil had to have a source outside of God, which led to the concept of an entity as powerful and utterly evil as God is potent and good. These two forces, good and evil, which have always vied for superiority, needed helpers in this struggle. According to the Zoroastrians, every entity had to take sides, from the cosmic level to the microcosmic self. One of the results of this battle was that certain humans were thought to side with evil. Who were these allies of that great Evil Spirit? Women were inordinately singled out. Male healers were forbidden to deal with female health disorders because of the fear of the polluting power of feminine blood. Female healers, midwives, and shamans were among those who were accused of collaborating with the Evil Spirit, because they healed women. Men who worked to prepare the dead were also suspected of secret evil. Evil even showed up as animals such as frogs, snakes, and bugs of all sorts, which scuttled to the command of their wicked masters. This first comprehensive study of the concept of evil in early Iran uncovers details of the Iranian struggle against witchcraft, sorcery, and other "evils," beginning with their earliest texts.