abar fravahr-cihr | On fravaṣ̌i-nature

If we don’t regard the Iranian ideas on fravaṣ̌i, we must accept that they spoke of a number of “fravaṣ̌i”s. Av. fravaṣ̌i, Pers. fravahr, Sogd. fravart(i) are all used in different meanings.

One Avestan meaning of the fravaṣ̌i is an example or form of all (righteous) people existing together with Ahura Mazdā; This fravaṣ̌i precedes the dahišn ‘material creation’. These fravaṣ̌is are divided into the three Indo-European functions. (See for example Bundahišn (60-61) where speaks of the fravahr ī arteštārān ahlavān ‘fravaṣ̌i of the righteous charioteers’. Cf. also VZ 3.3, Yt. 13. 17)

The fravaṣ̌i festival (Pers. fravardīgān, which the Parsis call muktād) is bound to the Hamaspaθmaēδaya gāhāmbār, which corresponds to the Summer Solstice2, that is, the five additional days after the end of Spǝṇtā Ārmaiti’s month (panzag ‘epagomena’)3; Perhaps this could explain why the first month of summer was called fravardīn (< Av. fravaṣ̌inām) by the Persians. The Sogdian Magi named this month navasarδic, Xvārazmian Magi nāvsārci (both meaning ‘new year’), and Sakastānian Magi gvād (< Ir. vāta- ‘wind’; In Gujarati of Parsis we find guvād ‘wind’). Also the first month of the Armenian calendar is called navasard4. Bērōnī correctly identifies the Sogdian festival on the five stolen (Ar. المسترقة ) days at the end of the Xšumic month (equal to Spəṇtā Ārmaiti month) with the fravardīgān of Persians:

This must be compared with the despise of Mazdayasnians for ‘weeping and crying’. Perhaps from this association of fravardīgān and the dead Sogd. fravart took the meaning ‘corpse, grave’ (fravart-katē ‘grave, graveyard’). This word is found only in Christian texts6, and its meaning must be understood in the context of Christian ‘soul’ and death.

Fravahr finds a new meaning in Manichaean literature: Ether. If the Sakastānian Magi place the month of ‘wind’ instead of fravardīn, they must equate wind and fravaṣ̌i. Mani names one of the five elements as fravahr ‘ether’ (Gr. ᾱ̓ήρ, Lat. aer, Syr. …, Ar. نسیم, Uygh. tïntura, Ch. 氣 qì)7. Pers. (ardāv) fravahr ‘element’8 descends from Av. aṣ̌aonī- fravaṣ̌i-.

In the here we’re not dealing with those previous meanings, though all descend from *pra-ṵrti-.9 We deal with a fravaṣ̌i that is inside the peoples’ bodies, and we must identify its function. urvan and fravaṣ̌i are two individuals (Pers. stī) in the body:

This explains why the Dēnkird calls this fravaṣ̌i “fravahr-cihr”. The Rāsta also says that “fravahr is called ṭabʿ (‘nature’) in Arabic.”

Next we shall see the diagram of the human and the universe according to the Dēnkird iii 263 (M 278-279) to find the place of fravahr-cihr.

Thus the material world is composed of the four elements fire, wind, water and earth, comparable to:

Only Mani, out of spite for the world, replaces earth with ‘light’. The fifth element is the sphere, which resembles the urvan of the universe: Av. θβāṣ̌a ‘firmament’; Pers. rah ‘chariot’; Skt. ākāśa ‘sky’; Gr. αἰθήρ ‘ether’; the same thing Mani calls fravahr.

The human body is also made up of four humors (Ar. خلط): Wind, Blood, Bile and Phlegm. This is different from the doctrine of Hippocrates and Ayurveda. The Greek medic identifies four “waters”. Blood (αἷμα), Phlegm (φλέγμα), Yellow Bile (μέλαινα χολή), Black Bile (ξανθη χολή)17. The Indian medic identifies three doṣa: Wind (vāta), Bile (pitta), and Foam/Phlegm (kapha / śleṣman)18.

Another fragment of that Iranian notion is found in the Preface of Burzōy to his translation of Pañcatantra.19

In the world, the wind and fire of nature regulate and make able the elements by temperate harmony. The Dēnkird separates the wind and fire as humors from the natural wind and fire. Two are the material principles of the world itself, while the two other are natural phenomenon in the world itself. Accordingly, in the human body the wind and fravaṣ̌i-nature equalize and make able the elements. This wind is not the same humor wind, it is the breath that humans inhale and exhale. In the heart, the wind is given life (animated) by the power of the fire in the heart. In the stomach too fire digests food and water. The Avesta speaks of the Vohu Fryāna fire in humans and animals (Y. 17.11 ātrəm vohu.fryānəm).

Bundahišn (123) explains it thus:

Comparing with the Ayurvedic terminology, that wind resembles the vyāna and this fravaṣ̌i(-nature) resembles the samāna.20

Comparing with Greek medicinal terminology, natural wind is inhaled and enters the heart’s left chamber, the place of implanted heat (ἔμφυτον θερμόν). Here it becomes life-wind (πνεῦμα ζωτικόν, روح حیوانیة), and circulate the blood through the veins to the whole body.21

It could be said that vyāna is wind-natured, and fravaṣ̌i(-nature) fire-natured. Then the fire in the heart, the fire in the stomach and the fire in the head are all fravaṣ̌i-nature (against the view of Zādspram)22. Wind keeps fire alive, and fire is the fravaṣ̌i and runner of wind. Vyāna is the body’s life-giver, and this fravaṣ̌i is the body’s keeper.23

If the temperate harmony of natural wind and fire is interrupted, the world is disturbed, the earth quakes and volcanos erupt. Accordingly, if the temperate harmony of the fravaṣ̌i(-nature) and wind is interrupted, the body is disturbed and sicknesses become common.24

Translated from the book Rāsta. pp. 76-85—اشه، رهام؛ راسته، آموزه بزشکی مغان، تهران، (1390).