| From the Greater Bundahishn we read: “Near to that tree, the Gokaren (Gaokarena) tree was produced, in order to keep away ill-shaped decrepitude; and the complete exaltation of the world arose therefrom.” (26) Haoma is compared to Soma in the following passages. The first one is Vedic: (11) O Indra, pour in milk, prepare the cake, and mix the Soma-draught. I hear them say that thou art rich. (12) Quaffed juices fight within the breast. The drunken praise not by their wine. (Rig Veda VIII, 2:12) Compare to: (8) All other toxicants go hand in hand with Rapine of the bloody spear, but Haoma's stirring power goes hand in hand with friendship. [Light is the drunkenness of Haoma (Pazand).] Who as a tender son caresses Haoma, forth to the bodies of such persons Haoma comes to heal.” (Yasna 10, 8) In the following passage, Haoma talks to the seer, as if it were a being and describes its child as “the brilliant,” “he of the many flocks,” the “most glorious of those yet born,” and “sunlike” one of men: “At the hour of Hâvani H(a)oma came to Zarathustra, as he served the (sacred) Fire, and sanctified (its flame), while he sang aloud the Gâthas. And Zarathustra asked him: Who art thou, O man! who art of all the incarnate world the most beautiful in Thine own body of those whom I have seen, (thou) glorious [immortal]? Thereupon gave H(a)oma answer, the holy one who driveth death afar: I am, O Zarathustra, H(a)oma, the holy and driving death afar; pray to me, O Spitâma, prepare me for the taste. Praise toward me in (Thy) praises as the other [Saoshyants] praise. Thereupon spake Zarathustra: Unto H(a)oma be the praise. What man, O H(a)oma! first prepared thee for the corporeal world? What blessedness was offered him? what gain did he acquire? Thereupon did H(a)oma answer me, he the holy one, and driving death afar: Vîvanghvant was the first of men who prepared me for the incarnate world. This blessedness was offered him; this gain did he acquire, that to him was born a son who was Yima, called the brilliant, he of the many flocks, the most glorious of those yet born, the sunlike-one of men, that he made from his authority both herds and people free from dying, both plants and waters free from drought, and men could eat imperishable food.” (Yasna IX, The Hom Yast, 1-4) In this next section, Haoma is said to be a holy plant which grows on the summits of mountains: (3) I praise the cloud that waters thee, and the rains which make thee grow on the summits of the mountains; and I praise thy lofty mountains where the H(a)oma branches spread. (4) This wide earth do I praise, expanded far (with paths), the productive, the full bearing, thy mother, holy plant! Yea, I praise the lands where thou dost grow, sweet-scented, swiftly spreading, the good growth of the Lord. O H(a)oma, thou growest on the mountains, apart on many paths, and there still may’st thou flourish. The springs of Righteousness most verily thou art, (and the fountains of the ritual find their source in thee)!” (Yasna X, 3-4) |
(9) Of all the healing virtues, H(a)oma, whereby thou art a healer, grant me some. Of all the victorious powers, whereby thou art a victor, grant me some. A faithful praiser will I be to thee, O H(a)oma, and a faithful praiser (is) a better (thing) than Righteousness the Best; so hath the Lord, declaring (it), decreed. (10) Swift and wise hath the well-skilled Deity created thee; swift and wise on high Haraiti did He, the well-skilled, plant thee. (11) And taught (by implanted instinct) on every side, the bounteous birds have carried thee to the Peaks-above-the-eagles, to the mount's extremist summit, to the gorges and abysses, to the heights of many pathways, to the snow-peaks ever whitened. (Yasna X, 9-11) We know there are many varieties of psilocybin containing mushrooms, and when we read about milky white ones, along with golden ones, it makes sense that these are varieties of mushrooms, especially when the healing liquor is mentioned alongside it like we read in the following passage: (12) There, H(a)oma, on the ranges dost thou grow of many kinds. Now thou growest of milky whiteness, and now thou growest golden; and forth thine healing liquors flow for the inspiring of the pious. So terrify away from me the (death's) aim of the curser. So terrify and crush his thought who stands as my maligner. (Yasna X, 12) (13) Praise be to thee, O H(a)oma, (for he makes the poor man's thoughts as great as any of the richest whomsoever.) Praise be to H(a)oma, (for he makes the poor man's thoughts as great as when mind reacheth culmination.) With manifold retainers dost thou, O H(a)oma, endow the man who drinks thee mixed with milk; yea, more prosperous thou makest him, and more endowed with mind. (Yasna X, 13) (17) Thereupon spake Zarathustra: Praise to H(a)oma, Mazda-made. Good is H(a)oma, Mazda-made. All the plants of H(a)oma praise I, on the heights of lofty mountains, in the gorges of the valleys, in the clefts (of sundered hill-sides) cut for the bundles bound by women. From the silver cup I pour Thee to the golden chalice over. Let me not thy (sacred) liquor spill to earth, of precious cost.” (Yasna X, 17) There is an Irish fairy tale concerning a giant, who guards a tree of fairy berries which are not allowed to touch the ground, which we will read about in an upcoming chapter. This is reminiscent of the sacred liquor not being allowed to “spill to earth.” (26) Greater Bundahishn (B. T. Anklesaria translation) 6D.6; Bundahishn, xxvii, 4; cf. ix, 6; xviii, 1-6; xxiv, 27; Sacred Books of the east v, 31, 65-66, 91, 100 |