The word paradise comes from the Old Iranian pairi-daæz “an idyllic enclosure.” The modern Persian páliz “lush secret garden” comes from the same root.

In Old Persian Inscriptions, Darius the Great, describes his lush garden palace complex at Susa as frasha “splendid, marvelous, beaming with vigor/life.”

The word frashö/frashá goes back to the poetic gathas of the ancient Aryan Prophet Zarathûshtrá and is of paramount importance in the Zoroastrian sacred literature and apocalyptic account of future events.

Frashö refers to the time when all imperfections and limitations wither away and the world becomes “marvelous, splendid, radiant with life and fresh/new energy.”

The term also illuminates the role of mortal man in the sacred history as an idyllic gardener of the worlds.

For Darius the Great, his lush garden palace, the Old Persian pairi-daæz– was the earthly manifestation of an ideal marvelousness/splendor on this earth.

In a similar way Zoroastrian rulers’ duty was to create a heaven on earth for their Aryan Kingdom (Airan-Shahr) and their entire extended Realm.

At the time of frašö–kart the world becomes luminous (röšan), without darkness (a-tár,) the stars (stáragán) and the moon (máh) and the sun (xvar) will come down on earth, making the world indestructible (anöša), complete/comprehensive (han-girdîg) and entire/whole (hámön).

The idea of an extraordinary, marvelous cosmic rebirth, resurrection and the formation of a new bodily form can clearly be traced to the poetic gathas, See for example Yasna 30.7, 2nd and 3rd rhymed verse lines.

We read in the ancient commentaries for example: The savior saôšyánt and the Wise Lord, Öhrmazd, proceed to do the following:

án î mûrd, sôšyáns abág awēšán frašgird kardár kîš ayár hînd ö ristag tan ēstēnd öhrmazd ast az zamīg ûd xön az áb ûd möy az ûrvar ûd gyán az wád xváhēd ēk ö deed gumēzeed ud ēwēnag î xvad dáreed daheed

Those who are dead, the savior Sōšyáns along with those who are the makers of marvelous splendor (frašö-kart), who are his helpers, will raise them to their bodies, Öhrmazd will call (their) bones from the earth and blood from the water and hair from the plant and spirit from the wind, he will mix one with the other and he will create the form which each has.

Zoroastrian apocalyptic literature demonstrates elements that definitely are rooted in the Indo-European remote past. But the ancient Aryan Prophet Zarathûshtrá made innovative additions such as the concept of frašö/fraša- “marvelous, new splendor” and building of idyllic perfections/heavenly gardens on this good earth.

The magnificent, cataclysmic event will change the myriad of the worlds and transfigure them for their new extraordinary splendor, See Yasna 30.2, 3rd rhymed verse line.

There will be a new body of eternal youth and a spring without end. Happy Ôstara!

ardeshir