PRIMARY EDUCATION OF ZOROASTRIANS
Abdullaev Kobiljon Fayzullaevich
Uzbekistan. Bukhara State University
It is difficult to achieve perfection, the process of being an active member of society, to move to the social-economical education of young generation without primary education which makes a basic grade of educational system. Zoroastrians also paid a great attention to the primary education.
After the acceptance of Zoroastrian religion, based on believe only in God, in Movaraunnahr, Iran and Khorasan, the special temples – otashkadas with shrines began to be built for praying to Akhura Mazda. Otashkadas were usually built in wide areas in the suburbs of the city. They consisted of ten hudjra (rooms), tolor (hall), reading rooms, libraries, and rooms for singing. In the reading halls pupils were taught to reading the part of “Avesta” named “Visparad” with special rhythm and devices, in the rooms for singing they were taught to collective singing (chorus) “Gokh”.
Professor Isa Djabbarov wrote that the temples found during the archeological searches under the leading of S.P.Tolstov in the ruins of Tuprakkala and Janbas-kala in Khorezm consisted of several buildings, and the was a quatreangled building surraonded by several fences, circling path inside in the middle of those buildings. It was found that there was a double-stored building near the temple, a beautiful triangle building which had more than hundred rooms. Each room was decorated with special ornaments. 140 documents dedicated to administrative-economical affairs, written in leather and wood; 138 big and little statues; description of people, birds and animals; decorating pictures of women playing triangled musical instrument and their hands holding the special state of musical instrument (notes) express us that there were different objects[6].
Otashkadas were of special place in common, spiritual, educating life of society. Together with educational buildings they had treating centers also, like “sihatgoh” (hospitals), “darmongoh” (clinics); drugstores, city “dodgustar” (judge), vakf -leader’s and chairman’s rooms also. Dijnabishts – special chancellors where were different documents and religious books, were also in otashkadas. Some examples were recopied as a book, Zoroastra odes were kept, kitobdors (librarians), tens of Avesta-researchers, wisers and tellers had there activities there. Test-rituals as “Sidrapushi” and “Kamarbastan” were spent in otashkadas. Mobiling a young men to soldiers, building of canals, organizing hashars, different holidays and rests were also connected with the activity of otashkadas. Saying in short, otashkadas were temples of Zoroastrian religion with the line of activitites as praying, calling people to believe in God, spending a variety of religious ceremonies, telling people laws of religion; they also served as a source of science, common thinking and spirituality. They were also the place of solving different economical, educational problems.
Otashkadas were built of raw and burned breaks on the hills in order to defend from different natural disasters. Otashkadas were built in ancient towns as Urgench, Termez, Balkh, Bomiyan, Merv, Mekhan (Turkmenistan); Khuttaliyan (Tadjikistan); Tabrez, Yazd, Seistan, Isfakhan (Iran). Otashkadas in Koma (India) and Isfakhan (Iran) are kept considerably better. The walls of tens hudjras built in ten meter height in Isfakhan during the Sasanids reign are still kept. In nowadays one of the beautiful and big otashkadas in Yazd has its activity. Academician A.Askarov during the archeological searches in the ruins of Yarkutan in Surkhandarya found remains of big otashkada which consisted of tolor and hundreds of hudjra.
In educational places as medrese and at the schools in otashkada consisting of main section of Zoroastrian educational system together with the educational process’ books there were kept and used books devoted to social knowledge, copies of “Avesta”, handwritings of books containing social and spiritual meaning.
The main sources serving for primary education were books:
Nikadum Nask consists of 54 parts. It was about justice, truth, rights of people, methods of reign.
Kitradad – the history of humankind, the history of world shahinshah (kings) dynasty.
Khusporam – the book about the rights of landowners and stock-breeders.
Vendidod – the book about the regimen of tahorat – cleaning, ritual washing (before praying), funerals, drugs and doctor’s duty.
Kodukhn nask – the book about the life after the death, about the life in heaven and hell.
Spend – the book about the life and activity of Zoroastra.
Later these books were enriched with different informations and proofs, they were also systemized, translated into pekhlevi, and in many copies were spread along the territory.
In “Avesta” in different grades of educational system the advantages reading books is said that “a heartily reading person gives clearness and perfectness to reading”[2].
Nowadays it is noticeable among young generation that tha tendency of reading scientific-popular and literary books is much more low. It has, undoubtedly, negative influence on formation of their world outlook, their development. That’s why it is necessary to spend a propaganda process of the use of books in the process of teaching and upbringing, in the formation of thoughts, advice of our predecessors, that’s to say Zoroastrians love to books to widely developed young generation.
Analysis of Zoroastrian handwritings kept up to our days written in pekhlevi such as “Dadeston-i menog-i khrad”, “Bundakhishn”, “Oyatkor Zareran”, “Zatsporam”, “Kornomai Ardasheri Bobakon”, “Bakhman Yasht”, “Rivoyat”, “Rost sukhan”, “Shoyist-noshoyist”, “Chim-i-dron”, “Andarz-i danag mard”, “Khveshkarix-i redagon” let to learn their ideas about education and upbringing, advice of teacher to his pupil, wise man to young generation; to get a complete information about the system and process of education, about the rules kept in observe during the process of upbringing and teaching, duties of teachers, supervisors and pupils.
In the handwriting of “Andarz-i danag mard” sage talked to his son, gave him advice, taught him and said: “My son! Be innocent in order not to feel fear. Be gentle in order to be worthy. Be smart in order to be wealthy. Be thankful in order to have many friends… According instructions and duties, be obedient to relatives and friends, and also don’t argue with your supervisor… Be as kind and genle to your wife and children as possible, exactly talk to them, teach and admote them”[4]. As we see, the head of the family had, first of all, to give advice (family teaching), and then teach (school education) his children. It was underlined that son’s duties were: to find good and clever friends, not to steal, be always true, and could answer for his words and actions.
Zoroastrian primary education consisted of the main section of educational system, and included the age from 7 up to 15.
Up to 7 years children were not taught systematically, they just were acquainted with exact canons of Zoroastrism.
It was considered that in this age children were away of different sins and the influence of Akhriman. The child reached seven years was dressed into a special cloth with the saint symbols. Considering that seven-year-old child can differ good and bad (kind and evil), he was given some responsibilities.
The following words can be the example of a special attention paid to child upbringing in Zoroastrian religion: “ O, Mazda! Give your unlimited love to those who bring up a child! Where are your advice, instructions, kindness and enlightening?” or “Upbringing should be considered main support of life. Every young man should be taught such that learning good manners, reading, and then writing he should get the highest grade.[1]”
The final grade of primary education for Zoroastrian people in the educational places like medrese was owning the following seven types of art:
Reading.
Writing.
Counting.
Bow shooting.
Riding on a horse.
Relogious canons.
Kiroat (reading with a special intonation) and singing.
Writing and counting were the lowest section in education. As a higher section of primary education was accepted oratory and “sweetsaying” (politeness). Voizs (orators) occupied a more higher place in the society than secretaries and calligraphs. People who could perfectly write and count, were craftsmen, but orators were in the level of priests and leaders of the religion.
Zoroastrians planned physical and labour training, physical and labour upbringing, their main aim was military-patriotic training and training of young generation to labour. Boys were taught to fight, straddle a horse, graze and interbreed cattle, looking after camels and horses, managing them, graze sheep, use more than 50 kinds of arm in order to defend cattle from wild animals and pirats, riding the horse and 32 military crafts else. This fact shows a succession and permanent use of private and primary education which is characterized by its special style in making young generation more perfect.
A special attention is also paid to concrete definition of time of getting knowledge, spending classes and rest time during a primary education. “He must get knowledge at the beginning and the end of the day, at the beginning and the end of the night, must be completely smart, and must reach that grade in order to adore the God and to say sincere words to their honour. And in this way improve his knowledge”. “He must have a good rest in the middle of the day and night, after that he must work hard to get the knowledge in order to own the treasure of our wise predecessors”[3].
Every young man who got an education and the end of the process took an oath. There is an example of pupil’s oath given in “Avesta”: “Until I’m alive, until I’ve my power and strength with my own will and leader’s order I will display vigilance and be kind”[3].
As we see, there was a sincere belief in knowledge in Zoroastrian religion, and Zoroastrians considered that at last wisdom and science will win in the society.
“Avesta” and our other historical saying show that our predecessors worried not only about the birth of healthy generation and paid a great attention to his physical training since his young ages, but also wanted them to learn sciences and trades, to be spiritually clean and to have good and kind features. They paid a special attention to patriotic, spiritual, mental, physica, sexual, labour and business upbringing, tried to form in a young man such human features as truthfulness, kindness and humanity.
Obliged branches of primary education were: reading and writing, counting and a subject about stars (Arithmetics and astronomy), bow shooting, riding on a horse (military knowledge), following the religious canons, redain and singing (musically).
Zoroastrians used the following methods of teaching:
Oral narration. Texts of “Avesta” and instructions were given in kharbeds and dasturs orally by heart. The forms of text narrating were: legend, tale, advice, instructions and songs. In order to improve the knowledge there were given some tasks.
The followings were obliged: “Repeating singing (twice), good reading, telling by heart patmons, bands, zands (chapters, paragraphs), questions, answers according “Avesta” to teachers’ and supervisors’ asks”.
Visual aids. Partially, in counting teaching visual aids were barsam sticks; in astronomy teaching were showing and observing sky elements; in art leaning were musical instruments, works of art, buildings, architectural projects and others.
Practical methods. In order to improve knowledge gained with the help of oral and visual aids, there also were practical methods in the process of teaching (exercises, tasks, communication and individual study). They contain using the military arm, riding, wrestling, reding poems and singing, play on musical instruments, oratory, painting, rock-painting, table laying, receiving guests, drafts and chess playing, preparing of jug-drink, service in otashkadas and many other receivings. Repeating and improving the gained knowkedge were realized by the way of communication (speaking), the level of doing educational tasks was always analized.
Individual study. Parts of “Avesta” – “Gokhi” and “Yashti” were studied as individual task; a special attention during the reading was paid to pronunciation, developing the oral speech.in order to form and improve speaking and listening kiroat and oratory art were learned individually in special buildings built according the rules of accustics and providing tremble and echo of voice. “Avesta”’s letter priests kept in secret. Bringing the saint books’ parts up to our days is the service of those who learnt and kept in his memory those parts. It is said in the “Avesta” Studa Yasht: “We greet you “Stavuta Yasnyakh”. This is the law of two worlds. It is accepted, said twice, learned, taught and it is priority which is repeated, kept in mind, read by heart and may according its will change the world”. Or “Singing by heart, secret remembering, keeping in mind, keeping in heart, without any doubt, without moving from Yasn reading”. These words can be seen as an example of individual study form in the process of primary education.
Undoubtedly, thoughts and ideas of our predecessors – Zoroastrians about primary education, their methods of teaching and upbringing, advice and instructions are worth of being example and using them in nowadays primary education.
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