Greater Bundahishn
Also known as: Bundahishn, Bundahišn, Iranian Bundahishn, Bundahishn-i Buzurg, Greater Bundahišn
A Middle Persian cosmological compendium outlining Zoroastrian creation, the 9,000-year cosmic struggle between Ohrmazd and Ahriman, geography, astronomy, calendrics, and eschatology.
Description
The Greater Bundahishn (“Primal Creation”) is a Middle Persian compilation of Zoroastrian cosmology and sacred knowledge, redacted centuries after the Sasanian era from older Avestan exegesis. It narrates the primordial opposition of Ohrmazd and Ahriman, details the stages of creation, and maps the material and spiritual worlds—mountains, seas, rivers, stars, and constellations—as manifestations of asha (cosmic order). The work catalogs deities (Amesha Spentas and yazatas), mythic beings, and primeval figures like Gayōmart and the cosmic bull, explains the Zoroastrian calendar and ritual purity framework, and looks ahead to the Frashōkərəti (final renovation), resurrection, and judgment across the Chinvat Bridge. The “Greater” (Iranian) recension is fuller than the “Lesser” (Indian) Bundahishn and became a cornerstone for later Zoroastrian tradition.
Historiography
Transmitted in Pahlavi manuscripts reflecting multiple recensions; the “Greater” (Iranian) version is more expansive than the “Lesser” (Indian) recension. Editors and translators have noted accretions, glosses, and harmonizations from Zand traditions. Modern scholarship uses the work alongside Dēnkard and Wizīdagīhā ī Zādspram to reconstruct late antique Zoroastrian cosmology and geography.
Date Notes
Compiled in Middle Persian from Zand materials after the Sasanian period; preserved in later manuscripts. Distinct from the shorter Indian recension (Lesser Bundahishn).
Themes
Archetypes
Symbols
Major Characters
- Ahura Mazda
- Angra Mainyu
- Mithra
- Anahita
- Tishtrya
- Sraosha
Myths
- Creation of the Seven Creations
- Ahriman’s Assault on the World
- The Mixture and the Renovation (Frashokereti)
Facts
- Title means “Primal Creation” in Middle Persian.
- Language is Pahlavi (Middle Persian) with Zand (exegetical) material.
- Represents the fuller Iranian recension; the Lesser Bundahishn is shorter.
- Articulates a 9,000-year cosmological schema of conflict and resolution.
- Centers on the dualism between Ohrmazd (good) and Ahriman (evil).
- Provides detailed sacred geography: mountains, rivers, seas, and climes.
- Includes astronomical lore on constellations and planetary influences.
- Explains Zoroastrian calendrics and day/month divinities.
- Preserves myths of Gayōmart, the primordial bull, and first human pair.
- Eschatology culminates in Frashōkərəti, resurrection, and final judgment.
- Closely related to Dēnkard and Wizīdagīhā ī Zādspram in scope and sources.
- A key post-Sasanian compilation derived from earlier Avestan traditions.