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6/21/2025, 9:52:39 AM
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This fragmentation is even more evident in the controversy surrounding the Atharvaveda, the fourth Veda, which is often rejected or relegated to the background by more Vedic orthodox schools and therefore the last to be canonized. Its main authors are the Bhrigus and Angirases, who in later traditions are marginalized or replaced by more orthodox Rishis in the Brahmanic genealogies. The Atharvaveda is notorious for containing healing hymns, spells, curses, and magical formulas, which brings it closer to esoteric and pre-Brahmanic traditions. It is no coincidence that many scholars associate the name of Angiras etymologically with Aŋra Mainyu (Ahriman), the spirit of evil in Zoroastrianism. The figure of Ahriman himself seems to reflect the demonization of lineages or practices considered deviant within the original Indo-Iranian body.
The Magi, who were the Medes and Persian priests, probably descendants of these schools associated with the Atharvaveda and its rites, were later called heretics by orthodox Zoroastrians themselves, precisely because of their association with Chaldean/Babylonian astrology, invocation rituals and practices considered magical. This led to their marginalization, despite originally being part of the clergy. The historical irony is that the Magi were also guardians of the Indo-Iranian religion, but later became the target of Zarathustra's reform.
The tension also appears in cosmology: the planetary devas (grahas), such as Shani (Saturn), Mangala (Mars) or Budha (Mercury), are legitimate and even beneficial entities in Vedism, linked to karma and dharma in the cosmic cycle. In Zoroastrianism, the 7 planets were reinterpreted as evil Daevic creations of Ahriman, as opposed to the 12 constellations of the zodiac, which would represent the order and creation of Ahura Mazda.
This fragmentation is even more evident in the controversy surrounding the Atharvaveda, the fourth Veda, which is often rejected or relegated to the background by more Vedic orthodox schools and therefore the last to be canonized. Its main authors are the Bhrigus and Angirases, who in later traditions are marginalized or replaced by more orthodox Rishis in the Brahmanic genealogies. The Atharvaveda is notorious for containing healing hymns, spells, curses, and magical formulas, which brings it closer to esoteric and pre-Brahmanic traditions. It is no coincidence that many scholars associate the name of Angiras etymologically with Aŋra Mainyu (Ahriman), the spirit of evil in Zoroastrianism. The figure of Ahriman himself seems to reflect the demonization of lineages or practices considered deviant within the original Indo-Iranian body.
The Magi, who were the Medes and Persian priests, probably descendants of these schools associated with the Atharvaveda and its rites, were later called heretics by orthodox Zoroastrians themselves, precisely because of their association with Chaldean/Babylonian astrology, invocation rituals and practices considered magical. This led to their marginalization, despite originally being part of the clergy. The historical irony is that the Magi were also guardians of the Indo-Iranian religion, but later became the target of Zarathustra's reform.
The tension also appears in cosmology: the planetary devas (grahas), such as Shani (Saturn), Mangala (Mars) or Budha (Mercury), are legitimate and even beneficial entities in Vedism, linked to karma and dharma in the cosmic cycle. In Zoroastrianism, the 7 planets were reinterpreted as evil Daevic creations of Ahriman, as opposed to the 12 constellations of the zodiac, which would represent the order and creation of Ahura Mazda.
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