Every time the Avatar comes, He has one "weakness." Zarathustra’s "weakness", Meher Baba said, was to throw his prayer beads at His assassin, burning him to death. This painting is by Anthony Davis.*

By Dr. Jal K. Wadia

Ed. Note: Zarathustra, or Zoroaster, as he is more commonly known in the West, was the first historical Avatar in this last cycle of Avatars, according to Meher Baba. Baba also said there were several figures in Persian history named Zoroaster, so it is difficult to date his life correctly. The oldest classical writers such as Xanthus, Plato, Pliny and Plutarch, place him in eras varying from 6,000 B.C. to 1,000 B.C. Ancient Pahalavi scholars place him between 1200 B.C. to 800 B.C. and modern scholars agree with them. In this incarnation, Avatar Meher Baba was born in a Parsi family of Zoroastrian faith.

*Thank you to Tony Davis for donating a color scan of his painting to replace the black and white one that was here. JK - Webmaster 2003