EPISODE 9: The Sacred Fire & The Assassin

The Final Day (Age 77)

“Whether Zarathustra died by sword or by age, his death changed nothing. His ideas were already immortal.”
— The Fire Never Went Out

The Man Who Changed Human Consciousness Forever

Had One Last Task: To Prove That Truth Outlives Its Prophet

Age 77: The Completion

Zarathustra spent 35 years at the royal court of Vishtaspa before he passed away at the age of 77.

77 years.

Let’s trace the journey:

• Age 0-7: Miraculous childhood, early assassination attempts
• Age 7-20: Training as priest, refusing blood sacrifice
• Age 20-30: Ten years alone, searching for truth
• Age 30: The vision that created monotheism
• Age 30-42: Twelve years of exile, persecution, rejection
• Age 42-77: Thirty-five years at court, building the legacy

57 years of preparation, struggle, and construction.

By age 77:

• ✓ Zoroastrianism established across eastern Iran
• ✓ Fire temples built in multiple cities
• ✓ The Magi trained and spreading the faith
• ✓ The Gathas preserved on golden sheets
• ✓ Rituals standardized (five daily prayers, Navjote, marriage rites)
• ✓ Royal family fully integrated (his daughter married to prime minister)
• ✓ Theological framework complete (Asha vs. Druj, free will, Frashokereti)

The mission was complete.

The Traditional Account: Martyrdom at Balkh

He is said to have been 77 years old when he was murdered in the town of Balkh (modern Afghanistan) when the Turanian King Arjasp attacked.

The Invasion

King Arjasp led the Turanian forces—nomadic tribes from Central Asia who opposed Zoroastrianism.

Why did they attack?

Because Zoroastrianism had become powerful. Because King Vishtaspa had made it the state religion. Because the faith was spreading, threatening the old polytheistic tribal systems.

The old order was dying. They struck back.

The Fire Temple

One tradition states that Zarathustra was slain with other priests by the Turanians, who stormed the city of Balkh and destroyed the temple, NUSH AZAR, in which he was officiating at the fire altar.

Zarathustra was praying.

Not defending. Not fighting. Not fleeing.

Praying.

At the fire altar—the symbol of Asha, truth, light, order.

The fire he had tended for 35 years. The fire that represented everything he taught. The fire that would outlast him.

The Assassin

A warrior in Arjasp’s army named Turbaratus is said to have entered the temple and slain Zoroaster.

Other sources give the name as BrAtrOkrEsh (also spelled Bratrok-resh, Brātrōkrēš).

The name of the murderer occurs several times in the Avestan scriptures.

This wasn’t random. This was targeted assassination.

Datistan – I Dinik, 72.8, states that among the most heinous sinners “one was Tur – e- Bratarvaksh, the Karap and heterodox wizard, by whom best of the man (i.e. Jharatusht) was put to death.”

A Karap—one of the old priests.

The same priestly class that had tried to kill Zarathustra:

• At age 7 (childhood assassination attempt)
• Age 30-42 (12 years of persecution)
• Now at age 77 (final assassination)

They never stopped trying.

From birth to death—57 years of assassination attempts.

And finally, at age 77, they succeeded.

The Rosary

Many of us must have heard the story from our grandmothers: Zarathushtra was 77 years old and praying in a Fire Temple. An evil sorcerer by the name of Turbaratur quietly sneaked behind the Prophet and stabbed him in the back with a dagger.

Stabbed in the back while praying.

As the Prophet fell down, He threw the Tasbih (rosary, prayer beads) which was in His hands on the murderer. As the Tasbih fell on Turbaratur, he too perished.

The prayer beads killed the assassin.

Not through magic. Not through curse.

But through divine justice—the cosmic law (Asha) that Zarathustra had spent 57 years teaching.

You cannot kill truth without being destroyed by it.

Alternative Accounts

The Peaceful Death

According to one tradition, he died of natural causes when he was 77.

Many scholars believe that Zarathushtra died peacefully.

After 77 years. After completing the mission. After training successors. After preserving the teachings.

Simply passing from this world to the next.

No drama. No martyrdom. Just completion.

The Divine Ascension

The Pahlavi book Dinkard, which has the complete life story of the Prophet, never uses the term ‘death’ in its entire narrative. It merely states that the Prophet attained ‘Vikhiz’ and He went up to ‘Pahalum Ahwan.’

Vikhiz = Departure/Ascension
Pahalum Ahwan = The Highest Heaven

Not “died.” Ascended.

Like Elijah in the Hebrew Bible (taken up in a whirlwind).

Like Jesus in Christian tradition (ascended to heaven).

But 1,700 years earlier.

The Lightning Strike

The Greeks, who greatly admired him, have told that his death came by a stroke of lightning or by a flame from the Heavens.

Divine fire.

Not killed by men—called home by Ahura Mazda through the sacred element.

Fire brought him into this world (survived the infant assassination attempt by fire).

Fire defined his teaching (the sacred flame as symbol of truth).

Fire ended his earthly mission (returned through heavenly fire).

The Mystery: Why Isn’t His Death in the Avesta?

In the entire Avesta we have, there is no reference to this story!

The most important figure in Zoroastrianism.

His death is never mentioned in the scripture.

Why?

Theory 1: It Was Too Painful

The assassination was so traumatic—the prophet murdered while praying—that the community couldn’t bear to record it.

Theory 2: Death Isn’t The Point

The Dinkard never uses the term ‘death’—only ‘ascension.’

Because Zarathustra’s teaching was about what happens after death:

• Heaven for the righteous
• Hell for the wicked
• Resurrection at Frashokereti
• Final judgment and triumph of good

If you believe in eternal life, physical death is just transition.

Theory 3: The Legacy Matters, Not The End

The Avesta focuses on:

• The teachings (Gathas)
• The rituals (Yasna, Visperad)
• The theology (Asha vs. Druj)
• The ethics (“Good thoughts, words, deeds”)

Not on how the prophet died, but on what he taught.

Because that’s what lasts.

The Theological Significance

Zoroaster is said to have asked Mazda Ahura for immortality, and the god replied that his slayer would also remain immortal, that resurrection would be impossible and mankind without hope.

A fascinating dialogue.

Zarathustra asks for personal immortality.

Ahura Mazda says: “If you live forever, your killer will too. Resurrection will be impossible. Humanity will have no hope.”

Why?

Because Zarathustra’s teaching requires:

• Death (to be overcome by resurrection)
• Martyrdom (to prove truth’s power)
• Mortality (to show that ideas outlive bodies)

If Zarathustra never died—how could resurrection be proven?

The Vision of Heaven and Hell

Mazda Ahura granted him a glimpse of the delights of heaven and the miseries of hell, and Zoroaster was satisfied with the ending of his earthly life.

Before death, Zarathustra saw:

• Heaven (House of Song) – the reward for choosing Asha
• Hell (House of Lies) – the consequence of choosing Druj

And he was satisfied.

Because he knew:

• His teachings would endure
• His followers would continue
• His vision would spread
• Good would ultimately triumph (Frashokereti)

Physical death meant nothing. The fire would keep burning.

The Saoshyant Prophecy: Zarathustra’s Return

But here’s where it gets extraordinary:

The Sacred Lake

According to Zoroastrian tradition: Zarathustra, illumined with a bright light, laughed so loudly at birth. His semen was preserved in Lake Kasoya (Iran).

His seed preserved in sacred water.

The Three Future Saviors

This seed will impregnate a virgin swimming in the lake, who will give birth to three saviors (Saoshyants):

1. Ukhshyat-ereta (“He who makes righteousness grow”)
   Born 1,000 years after Zarathustra
2. Ukhshyat-nemah (“He who makes reverence grow”)
   Born 2,000 years after Zarathustra
3. Astavat-ereta (“Righteous World”)
   Born 3,000 years after Zarathustra
   Will oversee Frashokereti (final renovation of the world)

The Pattern

Zarathustra himself = First Saoshyant (savior)

Three future Saoshyants = Born from his essence

Zarathustra never really dies. He returns—three times.

And the third time? He completes what he started: The final triumph of Asha over Druj. The resurrection of all the dead. The judgment of all souls. The renovation of the world.

This concept—the returning savior—would influence:

• Jewish Messiah (coming redeemer)
• Christian Second Coming (Jesus returns)
• Islamic Mahdi (final guide)

All traceable to Zarathustra’s Saoshyant.

What His Death Proves

1. Truth Doesn’t Need Its Prophet

By age 77:

• Zoroastrianism was established
• The Magi were trained
• The Gathas were preserved
• Fire temples were functioning
• Rituals were standardized
• The faith was spreading

Zarathustra could die because the structure was built.

2. Martyrdom Validates The Message

If the old priesthood—the Karapans—killed Zarathustra at age 77:

It proves they still feared him.

After 57 years. After he’d won. After the faith was established.

They still had to kill him.

Because truth is that threatening.

3. Physical Death Proves Spiritual Resurrection

Zarathustra taught:

• The body dies
• The soul is judged
• The righteous go to heaven
• At Frashokereti, all are resurrected

He had to die to validate his own teaching.

If he’d lived forever—how could anyone believe in resurrection?

4. The Fire Keeps Burning

Whether murdered at the altar, struck by lightning, or peacefully passing:

The sacred fire didn’t go out.

The fire temples kept functioning.

The Magi kept teaching.

The Gathas kept being chanted.

The five daily prayers kept being observed.

The death of the prophet changed nothing about the truth he taught.

The Burial Mystery

Where was he buried? (No Dakhma recorded)

We don’t know.

In Zoroastrianism, bodies are traditionally exposed in Towers of Silence (Dakhmas) so vultures can consume the flesh, preventing earth/fire pollution.

But Zarathustra’s burial site? Unknown.

Some say Balkh. Some say he was consumed by divine fire. Some say he ascended.

Why does it matter?

Because there’s no shrine to visit. No tomb to venerate. No relics to worship.

This was intentional.

Zarathustra taught: Don’t worship me. Worship Ahura Mazda.

Don’t pray to me. Pray through ethical living.

Don’t seek my bones. Seek truth (Asha).

By having no tomb, he prevented his own deification.

The Pattern: Every Prophet Pays The Price

Every truth-teller who threatens the establishment pays.

Zarathustra paid for 57 years—longer than any of them.

The Theft: How His Death Was Forgotten

What Happened at Balkh (Age 77):

The first recorded martyrdom of a monotheistic prophet:

• Murdered while praying
• Killed by the old priesthood
• Dying at the altar of truth
• Assassin destroyed by divine justice

This pattern would repeat:

• Jesus: Killed by religious establishment
• Early Christian martyrs: Killed for faith
• Islamic martyrs: Shaheed tradition

But who knows Zarathustra was the first?

The Saoshyant Concept:

Zarathustra’s teaching (1700 BCE):

• Savior figure will come
• Will be born of a virgin
• Will bring final judgment
• Will resurrect the dead
• Will defeat evil permanently

Later religions adopted this:

• Jewish Messiah (post-Exile, 539 BCE+)
• Christian Jesus (30 CE – “born of virgin, defeats Satan, resurrects dead”)
• Islamic Mahdi (610 CE – “final guide, defeats Dajjal”)

All from Zarathustra’s Saoshyant prophecy.

None acknowledge the source.

The Modern Silence

Zartosht No Diso (Zarathustra’s death anniversary) is observed by Zoroastrians worldwide:

• Dae Mahino, Khorshed Roj (specific date in Zoroastrian calendar)
• Fire temple visits
• Special prayers to his Fravashi (guardian spirit)
• Reflection on the Gathas

But how many of the 4.3 billion who practice his ideas know this day exists?

How many Christians who believe in:

• One God (Zarathustra’s teaching)
• Heaven and hell (Zarathustra’s teaching)
• Satan/devil (Zarathustra’s Angra Mainyu)
• Resurrection (Zarathustra’s teaching)
• Final judgment (Zarathustra’s Frashokereti)
• Savior returning (Zarathustra’s Saoshyant)

—know that a Persian prophet died teaching these concepts 1,700 years before Jesus?

The Truth

Whether Zarathustra:

• Was murdered by Bratrok-resh while praying
• Died peacefully at age 77
• Was struck by divine lightning
• Ascended to Pahalum Ahwan without dying

The method doesn’t matter.

What matters:

By age 77, the mission was complete.

• Monotheism: Established
• Free will: Taught
• Heaven and hell: Defined
• Asha vs. Druj: Clarified
• Ethics over ritual: Proven
• Institutions: Built
• Successors: Trained
• Texts: Preserved

The man could die because the truth was immortal.

NEXT: Episode 10 – The Theft of Light

How Zarathustra’s ideas were stolen and rebranded by Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Greek philosophy. The systematic erasure of the source. The 4.3 billion who practice his beliefs without knowing his name.

“Whether Zarathustra died by sword or by age, his death changed nothing.”

The fire temples kept burning.

The Magi kept teaching.

The Gathas kept being chanted.

The five daily prayers kept being observed.

The fire he lit at age 30 never went out.

Even when the prophet died at age 77.

For the complete Zarathustra series and more on the systematic theft of Persian contributions to human civilization, visit efiretemple.com

The man who was murdered at the altar gave you the concept of martyrdom for truth.

The least we can do is know his name.