Comparison and Analysis of the Stages of the Journey of the Righteous Soul to Heaven in the Manichean and Zoroastrian Religions

In various religions, there are beliefs about the fate of the righteous person‟s soul in the afterlife. In this research, we examine and compare the stages of the ascension of the righteous soul until reaching Heaven in the Manichean and Zoroastrian religions. At each stage it is examined what happens and what heavenly gifts the righteous soul receives. The findings show that these two religions have similarities and differences in the beliefs related to the ascension of the righteous soul to Heaven. According to the findings of this research, it was determined that there was a ceremony in the Manichaean religion in which fortune telling was done to select the Teachers, the Elect and Church Leaders. In this ceremony, the ascension to Heaven of that person was determined with omen, and if their omens were recognized as good, they were elected as teachers or elected members or church leaders. Also, in this article, due to the fact that there are similarities between Kird-īr‟s journey to heaven and the journey of the righteous soul to heaven in Manichaeism, the manner of his journey is also examined.


Introduction
Both Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism had many followers at the beginning of the Sasanian period.Mani appeared during Shapur's time and reached Shapur's presence and was allowed to propagate his own religion.Hormezd I also had an opinion of approval and support towards Mani, and sheltered him for a while in the royal land of Babylon, in his palace, from the persecution of the opponents.During the one-year reign of Hormezd I, the religious tolerance of his father, Shapur I, was still ruling, and it seems that the real power of Kird-īr and his opposition to Mani, starts from the time of Bahram I. Kird-īr finally caused the imprisonment and death of Mani in 276 AD, during the reign of Bahram I. Chasing, torturing, and persecuting the Manichaeans was one of Kird-īr's next actions, which continued until the end of Bahram III's reign.These two religions have taken beliefs from each other due to their existence in the same period and in the same country.Zoroastrian religion, after this period, is very different from what is mentioned in the Avesta, and it has received some beliefs from Manichaeism.Also, the Manichaean religion received names and beliefs from the Zoroastrian religion.
"A little over twenty years ago, Prods Oktor Skjaervø published a series of four articles in which he examined "Iranian Elements in Manichaeism" as well as the possible influence of Manichaeism on institutional Zoroastrians in the early Sasanian period (Skjaervø, 1995a(Skjaervø, , 1995b(Skjaervø, , 1996(Skjaervø, , 1997)).In these articles, Skjaervø performed the service of pushing the study of Iranian religion out of a comfort zone that viewed Manichaeism as related to an already well-established "Zoroastrianism".In the latter view, an organized and orthodox Zoroastrianism served as a source of terms, concepts, and themes that Mani and Manichaeans appropriated and modified to fit into Manichaean "syncretism" (see for example Scott, 1989).In contrast, Skjaervø imagines a Manichean origin occurring at a "time when the Mazdayasnian religion was being redefined and established" (Skjaervø, 1995a, p. 267).Faced with the late dating of almost all primary sources on the religion, he recognizes that it is possible that elements of Manichean myth were permanently incorporated into Zoroastrian mythology at this time (Skjaervø, 1995a, p. 267).While not completely unprecedented, Skjaervø's recognition of the possibility of an exchange of ideas in both directions between these two communities (1995a, p. 281), in a period that was formative for both, marks a major advance away from an understanding of Manichaean origins that consists simply of normative heresiological tropes put in the fancy dress of modern academics.BeDuhn (2020) has published an article under the title "The Co-formation of the Manichaean and Zoroastrian Religions in Third-Century Iran"" (BeDuhn, 2020).
In this research, the author intends to answer these questions: 1) What are the similarities and differences between the stages of the righteous soul's journey to heaven in Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism?
2) What heavenly gifts does the righteous soul receive from the gods in the various stages of its journey to heaven in Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism?
3) How was Kird-īr chosen as a teacher of Manichaeism?4) How did Kird-īr travel to heaven and which religion does his journey correspond to and what gifts did he receive on his journey to heaven?
In this research, we want to examine the beliefs that exist in both Manichean and Zoroastrian religions about the ascension of the righteous soul to heaven.Through a step-by-step investigation with the events that happen in each step, we want to reach the conclusion that why Goshtasbi Ardakany (2023) stated in her article that Kird-īr went to Heaven with the method of Manichaean religion.By examining each stage of the righteous soul's journey to Heaven, we will find out whether each stage is similar to the beliefs of Manichaeism or similar to the beliefs of Zoroastrianism.Also, in this article, the method of selecting the Teachers and Elected members of the Manichaean Church is examined.

Method
In this research, the author have used the descriptive-analytical method for investigation and the author have collected the research data from various sources with the library method and analyzed it.The author have tried to mention all the points that should be compared between Manichaeism and Zoroastrianism at each stage of the soul's journey to Heaven.In 2023, in an article titled "Solving the Mystery of Mowbed Kird-īr's Journey to Heaven" published by Poorchista Goshtasbi Ardakany, the words and expressions of this part of the inscriptions of Kird-īr's journey to Heaven have been examined.In her article, she stated that Kird-īr went to Heaven with the ascension of Manichaean religion.In the conclusion section, the author have mentioned all the results case by case in order to clarify the reason why Goshtasbi Ardakany stated in her 2023 article that Kird-īr went to Heaven with the method of Manichaeism.

Manichean and Zoroastrian Gods in the Order of Their Coming to Welcome the Righteous Soul
In Manichaeism, the angels or gods who accompany the righteous soul to Heaven are called šahriyār/šahrδār "King".Applying the name "King" to these gods belongs to the religious beliefs of Manichaeism and does not exist in Zoroastrianism.In Manichean texts these kings are considered as "saviors of the souls of the dead".

The First Stage in Manichaeism
According to the Manichean texts, the first king to welcome the souls of the dead is Rōšnšahr yazd or Narisah Yazd.With the arrival of the first king, Rōšnšahr yazd, the gates of heaven will open and light will spread everywhere.
There are a number of surviving hymns of praise and invocation addressed to the chief gods of the Third Creation, who are active in helping man.In both Middle Persian and Parthian the first of these gods, the Third Messenger, was identified with the Zoroastrian messenger-god, Nairyōsaŋha (pe.Narisah, Pth.Narisaf).In Parthian he was also identified with Mithra, and attracted some of the traits of this ancient Iranian god (see Boyce in A Locust's Leg, Studies in honour of S. H. Taqizadeh, ed. W. B. Henning and E. Yarshater, London 1962, 44 ff.) (Boyce, 1975b, p. 115).

Translation:
The hymns of the Third Messenger O right and kindly God, O foreseeing God, help me, be my helper.‫ـــــ‬Youare praised, O illuminator Mihr yazd, the great ‫ــــــ.‪light‬‬You are bright and the light of the world of seven climes, your light shines on every country and region.Your spiritual movement is swifter than thought, quicker than the wind blowing, more agile than the night in the dusk.Your appearance is bright, radiant, so your sign is white, your beautiful robe is honorable, who all the saved follow <you>.
In Kird-īr's inscriptions, the word spēdagān means "white-colored" (Goshtasbi Ardakany, 2023).In the mentioned hymn, it is written that because Mihr yazd's appearance is bright and radiant, his sign is white.So the meaning of "white-colored" in Kird-īr's inscriptions is quite correct.

Translation:
Praise be to you with many prayers, to the bright-faced Rōšnšahr yazd.‫ـــــــ‬ you are my friend, Rōšnšahr yazd, merciful god, save me.‫ــــــ‬ It was visible the drafš (= the robe) and the sign and radiance from the twelve gates.Your beautiful shape is fine, your deeds are extensive.You are the judge in the earth and the sky, you are the witness, your own.You shine all the bright radiance to the whole world.The gates of the sky were opened and the bright radiance shined.You were born by a miracle, and you are emanated, <you>, the helper of the father of mankind.The sons of the depth of the earth take light from the sky.Every wish of yours was a perfect goodness, it will save the saved, it will condemn the condemned.The sons of Darkness (i.e. the wicked, or demons) are subdued on earth, the sons of the Day (i.e. the good) are awakened, the praise you.You convulse the earth and the sky.
[more than 20 lines missing] You have mercy on... you are …, for the lost, you are desirous for salvation.The treasure of jewels that you collect, your sons, you always take up.You are the King who gives gifts, diadem, robe and white sign.You, you are the sympathetic King, have sympathy and mercy on me too.I will always teach your name, save me too, because I am weak.However, it is not written in any Avestan text or any Pahlavi text that before the maiden comes, the king comes with a robe in his hand.drafš is specifically related to the Manichaean Ascension and belongs to Narisaf yazd.Even if we consider the meaning of drafš as "banner" like some researchers, it still belongs to Manichean ascension and does not exist in Zoroastrian religion.We also checked the entire Avesta and even in the Avesta no god with drafš welcomes the righteous soul (See Bartholomae's Altiranisches Wӧrterbuch below the word drafša-, 1961, 771).
The dawn and the morning came, radiant light from the east.The splendidly king was appeared, God Narisah.
In this Manichaean text, it is also mentioned that Narisah Yazd (=Rōšnšahr yazd) appears from Khorasan (the east); Boyce notes in a footnote that, this text is the opening lines of a Middle persian hymn, where too the Third Messenger is identified with the sun, although he is not in that language called Mihr Yazd (Boyce, 1975b, p. 121).
According to what is stated in the texts of the Manichaean religion, Rōšnšahr yazd comes from Khorasan (the east) and is the first king whose arrival opens the gates of Heaven.He carries gifts with him, which are the diadem and the robe.Because he is very bright and luminous, his sign is white.In some hymns, this god is called razwar or dādβar "judge", but as Boyce mentioned, this was due to the confusion of this god with the god "Mihr" of Zoroastrianism, and this is not the case in Manichaeism.In the "bg or M67 Riil2" text, which is a Parthian hymn, the word razwar is used for this god, which Boyce mentioned in the footnote of this text: it iz the Iranian Mithra rather than the Manichaean Third Messenger who is a judge, and who at the same time as sun-god follows a fixed course (Boyce, 1975b, p. 115).In the "bj" text, which is a Parthian hymn, it is mentioned about this god dādβar ud wigāh čē harw … hazār-čašm, which Boyce mentioned again in the footnote of this text: in these lines, with the god as "judge and witness", and with the epithet "1000-eyed", the concept of the Iranian Mithra overlays that of the Manichaean Third Messenger (ibid.,p. 117).dādβar and wigāh are also mentioned in "bk" text (ibid., 118).dādβar is also mentioned in "bm" text (ibid., p. 119).This god is not a "judge" in the Manichaean religion, but considering that it is mentioned in the "bh" text that gyānum žām ō wahišt anōšag "lead my soul to the eternal paradise" (ibid., p. 117), this god is one of the gods who guides the soul of a righteous person to Heaven.

Translation:
The most high God, the deathless God, the two bright ones who are the holders of the throne, the mighty strong Srōšahrāy, the savior of the souls, the Lord Mani, the three Kings made by the gods, Jesus, the eternal savior wryhr, the beautiful, fine Maiden of light, the supreme of the comers, the bright Wahman, the most powerful, these miracle-working gods will powerfully give the new divine pray for rejoicing and new happiness, fortune..., new salvation.
Mani's name is also present in the hymns whose singers request the soul-saving gods to save their souls, and also the singer of the hymn requests Mani to save his soul.As we can see in the "dv or M176" text that follows, and in the hymns that will follow the article, Mani is one of the saviors of the righteous person's soul in the Manichaean religion.It is stated in the "dv or M176" text that: 1) … nōgmāhā sad az nōg wahišt, ud nōg šādī būd ō hāmāg dēn.

Translation:
1) …The new moon ascended from the New Paradise, and there was new happiness for whole the religion.
2) The famous Jesus, the foremost of the gods.O new moon, you are God and you are the pleasing father.O full moon, O Jesus, O famous God, O full moon, O Jesus, O famous God, obeisance for the light of hearts, obeisance for the light of hearts.
3) I praise Jesus, the Maiden and the Nous, the god of radiance, I pray God Narisaf yazd and Lord Mani.The Manichaeans believed that Mani is one of the gods who saves the souls of the dead after death and guides them to the Bright Paradise.For this reason, Mani is also praised in most of their religious hymns.

The Third Stage in Manichaeism
The third god who welcomes the righteous soul is the Just Justice.Mani taught that the soul may be incarnated many times before it attains release through perfected virtue.There exist two accounts of its fate at death: 1) the soul goes before the Just Justice, and having been judged takes one of three paths, to "life" (the New Paradise), to "mixture" (back to the world) or to "death" (hell): 2) the righteous soul, leaving the body, is met by one of the redeeming gods, accompained by three angels who bear the insignia of its victory, namely a garland, a diadem, and a heavenly robe.Having received these it ascends to the New Paradise by the Column of Glory, the moon and the sun.Sometimes the redeeming god appears in the form of a Maiden of light, reminiscent of the Zoroastrian daēnā (Boyce, 1975b, pp. 7-8); Ibn an-Nadim mentioned in the book Al-Fihrist, in the first part of the ninth article, in the chapter ‫المعاد«‬ ‫فی‬ ‫المانویة‬ ‫»قول‬ that: Translation: Mani said: If death comes to a righteous person, Ohrmezdbay sends a god to him as a wise guide (= the Just Justice), and he is accompanied by three gods who have a jug of water, a robe and an anadem and a diadem of light with them.And along with them comes a maiden similar to the soul of that righteous person.The Ahremen, A ̄z dēw, and other demons also appear to him, and as soon as the righteous person sees them, he asks for help from the god who is as a wise and the three gods.So they approach him, so when the demons see them, they start to run away.They (= gods) take that righteous person with them, cover him with anadem and diadem and robe, and put a jug of water in his hand and take him through the Column of Glory to the moon, <the sun> and to the Bright Paradise near Ohrmezdbay and the Mother of Life, to the place where he was in the beginning, in the Bright Paradise.
According to the writings of the Manichaeans and what Ibn an-Nadim wrote in the Al-Fihrist book, after the arrival of the Just Justice, the three gods will come, and the next stage is related to the three comers according to the Manichaean texts.

The Fourth Stage in Manichaeism and the First Stage in Zoroastrianism
In the fourth stage in Manichaeism, the Maiden of light comes through the Column of Glory to welcome the righteous person's soul.The Column of Glory is the Column of radiance "bāmistūn" which is also called Srōš-ahrāy or Kišwarwāryazd, through which the righteous soul ascends to the moon, the sun, and the New Paradise.In the Manichaean text "p or M5569 (T II 79)", which is about Mani's death, it is stated that: pad wuzurg šādīft, aδ baγān rōšnān kē až dašn ud hōy šawēnd, pad šang ud srōd čē šādīft frawašt pad warž baγānīg, čawāγōn wirōž tirγ ud dīdan nisāg niδfurdag, ō bāmistūn šībah rōšn, ud māh wardyūn, amwardan baγānīg.ud angūd aδ pidar Ohrmezdbaγ (Boyce, 1975b, p. 47).
Translation: And with great joy, with the bright gods, who go from the right and the left, with a harp and a song of joy, he flew with a godlike miracle, like a fast lightening, and <with> a bright, swift apparition, to the bright path of the Column of glory, and the chariot of the moon, assembly attributed to the gods.And remained with the Father Ohrmezdbaγ.
In the Zoroastrian religion, this bright path is created from where the dead body is placed in the sunlight; What evidence there is about the funeral rites of pagan Iran suggests that among various Iranian peoples the princes and nobles had adopted the custom of laying the embalmed bodies of their dead within a larg tomb, a rite which may have been connected with an aristocratic hope of salvation in Paradise, with resurrection of the body hearafter.There is some reason to think that exposure of the dead was first adopted by Iranians in Central Asia, and whether or not this rite was actually evolved by Zoroaster, the likelihood seems that the prophet himself chose it as that of his own faith, this being one of the measures which revelation gave him the courage to foster or introduce.There are a number of ways in which it accords with his doctrines.Firstly, the body is laid in the open under the life-giving sun, which makes a path of light to draw the soul upwards to the Činvat Bridge.In Zoroastrian tradition it is hvarǝ.darǝsā,or, as it is expressed in Persian, Khoršēd nigareš "beholding by the sun", which is stressed as the chief merit of exposure.the sun's rays, beneficent for the Spenta creation, are also powerful to burn away the pollutions of the body, which in death belongs to the daēvic powers.Moreover, by exposure to birds and beasts the corrupting flesh is itself swiftly destroyed-sometimes in minutes rather than hour-and there is no sullying of the creations of earth or fire or water.Further, in its harshness the rite marks a disdain for the nasā which the soul has abandoned; and its simplicity accords with the universal character of Zoroaster's messages, since it levels all men in death, naked alike beneath the sky (Boyce, 1975a, p. 325).
The difference between these two bright paths is that in the Manichaean religion, this bright path is created by Srošahrāy, but in Zoroastrian religion, this bright path is created by the sun's rays on the corpse.The bright path appears in the Manichaean religion, and the maiden and the rest of the gods come to welcome the righteous soul through it and take him to the New Paradise through this bright path; However, in Zoroastrian religion, the bright path is created from the place where the corpse is placed in the sunlight and continues to the Činwad Bridge, which is the place where the maiden and judging gods come, and this path exists only up to the Činwad Bridge.
That is, the bright path in the Manichaean religion ends at the New Paradise, which is in Khorasan (the east), and the bright path in the Zoroastrian religion ends at the Činwad Bridge, which is in Čagād dāitī in the middle of Alborz Mountain.
In Zoroastrian religion, it is stated in the Avesta that the first person who comes to welcome the righteous soul is the Maiden, and before the Maiden there is no trace of the arrival of any yazad or Amshaspand.In the later Pahlavi text "Mēnōg-ī Xrad" which seems to have added things other than the Avesta later, an interesting point can be found, and that is that, like the Manichaean religion, after the arrival of the Srōš-ahlāy, at that time, the maiden comes to welcome the soul of the righteous.In the second chapter of this text, from verses 123 to 130, it is stated as follows: (123) 'And when a soul of the righteous passes upon that bridge, the width of the bridge becomes as it were a league (parasang), ( 124) and the righteous soul passes over with the cooperation of Srosh, the righteous.(125) And his own deeds of a virtuous kind come to meet him in the form of a maiden, (126) who is handsomer and better than every maiden in the world.( 127) 'And the righteous soul speaks (128) thus: "Who mayst thou be, that a maiden who is handsomer and better than thee was never seen by me in the worldly existence?"(129) 'In reply that maiden form responds (130) thus: "I am no maiden, but I am thy virtuous deeds, thou youth who art well-thinking, well-speaking, well-doing, and of good religion!(Mēnōg-ī Xrad, chapter 2, verses 123-130).
It seems that due to the similarity between this text and Manichaean beliefs, because there is no trace of such a belief in the Avesta, this is derived from Manichaean beliefs.
After the appearance of Srōš-ahrāy in Manichean religion, the Maiden appears.Kanīg rōšn or the Maiden of Light is the first of the senān āyāgān "the three comers" or senān šahriyārān "the three kings" to accompany the soul of the righteous.
Translation: Praise be to pure wisdom, Jesus the Splendour, the Maiden of light and the great Wahman, brave saviors, raiser of the dead of pure religion.
Translation: I praise you, Lord Mani, Jesus, the Maiden and Wahman, the beautiful place, and the angels.
Translation: From the angel of light (=Mani) and from Jesus, the Maiden and Wahman: love, salvation, godliness, wisdom, wealth and wisdom from the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Goshtasbi Ardakany, 2023).
The coming of the maiden to welcome the righteous person's soul is also mentioned in the Avesta.In the Avesta, the first person to appear is the Maiden.In the 19th chapter of Vidēvdād, verse 30, it is written that the Maiden comes first and brings the guard dogs with her.It is also written in Haδōxt Nask, chapter two, verse 9, that first the Maiden comes to welcome the soul of the deceased.It is stated in the 30th verse of the 19th chapter of Vidēvdād: 30. hāu srīra kǝrǝta taxma huraoδa jasaiti spānavaiti nivavaiti pasvaiti yaoxštavaiti hunaravaiti, [hā drvatąm aγem urvānō tǝmō-hva nizaršaite,] hā aṣ̌āunąm urvānō tarasca harąm bǝrǝzaitīm āsǝnaoiti tarō cinvatō pǝrǝtūm vīδārayeiti haētō mainyavanąm yazatanąm (Vidēvdād, chapter 19, verse 30).
So then, the beautiful, strong, tall-formed, recognizer, well-groomed and graceful, efficient and masterful and very clever Maiden arrives with the dogs at her sides.She makes the soul of the righteous one go up above the Mount Alborz; above the Chinwad bridge she places it in the presence of the Spiritual gods (Vidēvdād, chapter 19, verse 30).These dogs protect the righteous person's soul, but they do not help the soul of a sinful person in front of the Daevas while crossing the Chinwad bridge (see chapter 13 of Vidēvdād, verse 9).
In the Haδōxt Nask, before the Maiden comes to welcome the righteous soul, a very fragrant wind blows.The blowing of this wind is also mentioned in some Pahlavi texts.It is stated in Haδōxt Nask, chapter two, verse 7-8: (7) At the end of the third night, when the dawn appears, it seems to the soul of the faithful, one as if it were brought amidst plants and scents; it seems as if a wind were blowing from the region of the south, from the regions of the south, a sweet-scented wind, sweeter-scented than any other wind in the world.(8) And it seems to the soul of the faithful one as if he were inhaling that wind with the nostrils, and he thinks: 'Whence does that wind blow, the sweetest-scented wind I ever inhaled with my nostrils?' (Haδōxt Nask, chapter 2, verse 7-8).
It is written in Mēnōg-ī xrad, chapter two, verses 140 to 144 that after the arrival of the maiden, a fragrant wind blows, and this is contrary to what is stated in the Avesta: (140) 'And when he walks onwards from there, a sweet-scented breeze comes then to meet him, which is more fragrant than all perfume.(141) The soul of the righteous inquires of Srosh (142) thus: "That breeze is this, that never in the world so fragrant a breeze came into contact with me?" (143) 'Then Srosh, the righteous, replies to that righteous soul (144) thus: "This breeze is from heaven, which is so fragrant."(Mēnōg-ī xrad, chapter two, verses 140-144).
In the Haδōxt Nask, after the wind blows, the righteous soul thinks to himself and asks: "Whence does that wind blow, the sweetest-scented wind I ever inhaled with my nostrils?";But in Mēnōg-ī xrad the righteous soul asks Srōš: "That breeze is this, that never in the world so fragrant a breeze came into contact with me?";The difference between these two texts indicates that Srōš was added in the Pahlavi texts and is one of the later beliefs that arose in the Zoroastrian religion.In the book Bundahišn Chapter 30, the blowing of this fragrant wind is also mentioned: agar ahlaw [ān ī ruwān] tēz pad ān gōwišn wād-ē(w) padīrag āyēd ī weh ud nēktar ud hu-bōytar ud pērōzgartar az hamāg wādān ī pad gētīg kē ruwān be urwāhmēnēd (Pakzad, 2005, p. 347).
Translation: If the soul is righteous, quickly with that speech, a wind welcomes him that is good, and is more good and fragrant and more victorious than all the winds of the world, that makes the soul happy.
Translation: If he is righteous, on the way he will be greeted by a cow-shaped one, fat and full of milk that will reach the soul from that prosperity and fattiness.
It seems that the author of the text has transferred the vernal oil mentioned in the last verse (verse 18) of chapter two of Haδōxt Nask, which is given to the righteous soul after reaching heaven, to this part and wrote that the cow gives him fattiness.We will explain about this oil or butter in its own step.
Translation: After, fifteen-year-old Maiden-shaped arrives to welcome him, who has a beautiful figure, wears a white dress, who is good in every way, with whom the soul rejoices.
As you can see, there are later beliefs in Pahlavi texts, for example, the coming of the cow-shaped is added in this text, but it is not found in the Avesta.
When this wind blows upon it (the soul), his own conscience appears to him, in the shape of a Maiden fair, bright, white-armed, strong, tall-formed, high-standing, thick-breasted, beautiful of body, noble, of a glorious seed, of the size of a maid in her fifteenth year, with a body of the beauty of such one as the most beautiful creatures (are).
kainīnō kǝhrpa, which is in this verse, is mentioned as kanīg kirb in Pahlavi texts.

Translation:
The religious people will tell to him that... <O> our God, if it is worthy of you, we will tell you about what the sinners did to us.Xradešahr yazd will answer them like this: See me and be happy.But he who has harmed you, I will judge that for you, and I will demand time.But whatever you want to say to me, I know it.Then he prays for them, and comforts their hearts, and makes them stand on the right side, and all the gods stand with joy.And he (= Xradešahr yazd) separates the evildoers from the believers, and makes them stand on the left side and curses them and says that they should not tell lie… will be wholly bright.Because the sin you did, and the deceitful troubled you did, you, the son of men, did it <against me>.

Translation:
1 all sin, inner and outer, <that he> thought, said and did, what (is its) harm?Teach the mixture of the thought of piety and sin and separate one from another.Uncover your own being, the pure Word (= the Manichaean Gospel) which is the leader for the soul which is in the body.Through it (= the pure Word) understand fully too the false Word, who leads to the dark hell, the hellish leader.As a judge with scales, (so) weight (those) saved and condemned through the Word.Remember the rebirth and the harsh hell, where souls are oppressed and wounded by distress.Have a spiritual zeal, treasure of the Word, so that run thither ... 2 Restrain the heart and mind from the turmoil of sin, ascend to the path of peace to the bright home (used of Paradise as the true home of the spirit).
Up rises Vahman from his golden throne; Vahman exclaims: "How hast thou come to us, thou Holy One, from that decaying world into this undecaying one?"A very interesting point is that the interpretation of this verse is found in the Pāzand of Khorda Avesta in Afrin-i Dahman, Afrin of Ardafrawash, verse 16, which is as follows: uš hastāţ vōhū manō haca gātvō zaranyō kǝrǝtō, aval ast vahman amǝṣ̌āspǝṇţ vastarg dǝ̄bā u zarīn pǝ̄šīţ ba ruąn dihāţ (Grotto & Kasson, 2022, p. 49).
Translation: Up rises Vahman from his golden throne; At first, he is Vahman Amshaspand to give the soul of the immortal-soul a silk garment decorated with gold.
From the 31st verse of the 19th chapter of Vidēvdād and the interpretation of this verse, it is clear that after the Maiden, Vahman Amshaspand comes to welcome the soul of the righteous person and presents him with a silk garment decorated with gold; But in Pahlavi texts, it is written that Rašn comes to judge with his scales.In the Avesta, Rašn does not have the task of judging the souls of the dead, and nowhere in the Avesta is anything written about the judgment of Rašn on the Činwad Bridge.It seems that the judgment by Rašn which is found in the Pahlavi texts is influenced by the judgment of Xradešahr yazd in the Manichaean texts and has emerged by being influenced by it.
In the Bundahišn "the lofty Hukar, through which spring the water of Ardvīsūr" is called the "chief of summits".Further, since this mountain was held to be the highest point on earth, it was natural that, once the doctrine had envolved that the souls of the happy dead ascended to Heaven, this should be regarded as the place from where their upward journey began.On it accordingly is said to rest one end of the Činvatō pǝrǝtu, the Činvat Bridge; and when (presumably in accordance with Zoroaster's own teachings) the crossing of this bridge came to be regarded as depending solely on an ethical judgment, the peak itself received yet another name, in Pahlavi the Čagād ī Dāitīg, the "lawful Summit".In Vidēvdād 19.98 "the soul of the righteous one" is said to "go up above high Harā, above the Činvat Bridge"; and in the Bundahišn the explanation is given: "the Čagād ī Dāitīg is that which is in the middle of the world ... on which is the Činvat Bridge.The souls are judged at that place" (Boyce, 1975a, p. 137).
According to the Pahlavi texts, Rašn is one of the gods who has the duty of judging on Činwad Bridge, and he carries a scale with which he measures the good and bad deeds of each person.Two other gods who accompany him in judging are Aštād and Mihr.In the second chapter of the Mēnōg-ī Xrad, it is written as follows about Rašn's judgment on the Činwad Bridge: (119) And Rashn, the just, weighs (his deeds) (120) with a spiritual scale that does not lean in any direction, neither for the righteous nor yet the wicked, neither for the lords nor yet the monarchs.(121) As much as a hair's breadth it will not turn, and has no partiality; (122) and he who is a lord and monarch it considers equally, in its decision, with him who is the least of mankind (Mēnōg-ī Xrad, chapter 2, verses 119-122).

The Sixth Stage in Manichaeism and the Third Stage in Zoroastrianism
Wahman (wuzurg) or Manohmēd rōšn is the third of the kings who comes to welcome the righteous soul, and this is in harmony with the order in which the names of the three comers are mentioned in the Manichaean texts.All the gods that have been mentioned so far to welcome the righteous soul in the Manichaean religion are the gods of the third creation in the Manichaean religion.For the names of the gods of the third creation, see (Boyce, 1975b, p. 10).
In the Zoroastrian religion, there are various texts for the judgment of Mihr on the Činwad Bridge.After someone dies, three āfrīnagāns are solemnised during the fateful third night, dedicated firstly to Rašnu and Arštāt together, yazatas of the mysterious air through which it must now travel; and finally to the fravašis of the just (ardāy fravaš), whose company it is about to join.There is another service just before down on the fourth morning.The mouners pause as the sun appears to draw the soul up to face Mithra the Judge at the Činvat Bridge; and then they solemnise a last service, make offering to fire on behalf of the soul, and break three days of abstinence by sharing together the flesh of the animal sacrifice (Boyce, 1975a, p. 330).

Translation:
The duty of Mihr is to judge the world with truth.It says that "Mihr, the owner of vast pastures, the 1000-eared, the 10000-eyed".His possession of vast pastures is that if one can go to the pasture and to come back from there without fear, it is from Mihr.His being a 1000-eared is that five hundred spirits do the work of one ear for him.His being a 10000-eyed is that five thousand spirits do the work of one eye for him; that <they say>: "O Mehr! Hear this, hear that too!See this, see that too!Every day until noon, he is engaged in this work along with the sun, and that is why the judge in the world judges until noon.Regarding Mihr, it is also said <Religion> that "He is the ruler of all countries; Because whatever and whoever it reaches, <that thing or person> will be judged.<Because> Ahuramazda created him the most glorious of spiritual gods.
It should be said with great surprise that in a Manichaean text called "dr or M781+M1314+M1315 (T I)", which is in Middle Persian, the axe, dagger and sword are mentioned together.
Translation: Thraetaona restrained … everyone.And three fiery figures and ... are standing in me.And I have the sharp and destroyer axe in my hand, and the original sword and dagger of pure steel protects round about me, and the whip of speaking and hearing of angels... is with me, and the seven hard steel daggers that I held in my hand ...
Here Thraetaona brings three steel weapons to fight as the controller of fever and disease.Boyce mentioned in the footnote of the text "dt or M4b" about Thraetaona that, frēdōn šāh, the Avestan Thraētaona, who is still thus invoked by Zorostrians, as "King Farēdūn", for help against sickness and other evils.Frēdōn nēw "brave Frēdōn" is linked in traditional Zorostrian fashion with Mihr Yazd (ibid., p. 190).

138).
Translation: There, on grass-land magnate Mithra's chariot, are in readiness a thousand well-made, two-bladed hatchets of steel; hailing from supernature they fly, hailing from supernature they fall, on to the evil head(s) of the evil gods.(Goshtasbi Ardakany, 2023).
After she mentioned that Mihr Yazd has steel double-bladed axes, went on to mention that Mithra's weapon, is also in the form of a pair of scissors and a sword; Mihr Yazd's sword is a double-bladed sword that turns into the Činwad Bridge.In Manichean belief, Wahman wuzurg plays the role of Mihr Yazd on the bridge (ibid.).She recognized that the axe, scissors, and sword belong to Mihr Yazd, and as we discussed above in the text "dr", these three weapons are the weapons of Mihr Yazd that Frēdōn uses to fight against fever, disease, and evil.Wahman is killing lions with a two-bladed sword and is moving ahead of others; Instead of Wahman's face, Bahram II's face is seen in the relief, which must have been carved according to Bahram II's order.It is safe to say that this has been done on purpose, because Bahram II ordered it so that it would appear that Bahram II has saved Kird-īr's soul.Even the name that Bahram II gave to Kird-īr during his own reign and called him Kird-īr ī bōxt-ruwān Wahrām clearly indicates that Bahram has saved Kird-īr's soul.It is certainly for this reason that Bahram II allowed Kird-īr to record inscriptions and reliefs during this period to make it appear to everyone that he was the savior of Kird-īr's soul, which, of course, is not true (Goshtasbi Ardakany, 2023).
Mani had traveled to lands where Buddhism was prevalent and for this reason Mani believed in reincarnation and called it "zādmurd" (= transmigration of souls).zādmurd is similar to Saṃsāra in Buddhism.Figure 2 above provides a model of the Buddhist idea of Saṃsāra.Saṃsāra specifically refers to the endless cycles of rebirth.These endless cycles begin with the Three Poisons and Three Unwholesome Roots which are the root causes of the afflictions or unwholesome states of mind which result in (bad) karma by which through dependent origination and the Twelve Links one is reborn into one of the Six Realms.The afflictions are overcome by the Noble Eightfold Path and bad karma is counteracted by the Three Wholesome Roots to produce good karma, and therefore a favourable rebirth in a higher realm (Ramsden, 2022).
Translation: O Maitreya (= Lord Mani), O great noble, messenger of the gods, interpreters of religion... Jesus, the Maiden and Lord Mani, Jesus, the Maiden and Lord Mani, have mercy on me, O merciful illuminator, save my soul from this transmigrations of souls, save my soul from this transmigrations of souls.
What travelers report in the Ascension of Kird-īr shows that because Kird-īr was righteous and the mentioned gods accompanied him (Goshtasbi Ardakany, 2023), he does not have to take the path of rebirth and can go to the New Paradise; Only the Elect could, therefore, expect to attain Paradise at death.The Hearers could ordinarily hope for salvation only after re-incarnation as one of the Elect.The Elect, on the other hand, remained capable of sin; perpetual vigilance was necessary for them also (Boyce, 1975b, p. 11).

The Seventh Stage in Manichaeism and the Fourth Stage in Zoroastrianism
The last king or god is Ohrmezdbay or Mard hasēnag or Mardōhm naxwēn (= The first Man).Only this king or god belongs to the first creation in the Manichaean religion (Boyce 1975 b, 9), and the rest of the gods who accompany the righteous soul to the New Paradise belong to the third creation.
Translation: So finally you will accept the helmet, the anadem and the diadem from the Father Ohrmezd bay in the Bright Paradise.For ever, there, rejoice and be fortunate, be glad with happiness.(Boyce, 1975b, p. 165;Esma'ilpour Motlagh, 2018, p. 66).

Translation:
The kingdom of the First Man (= Ohrmezdbaγ) is the palace.
Because with it he wears happiness and ties the diadem of the kingship.
And for all the helpers, he ties diadem for them.
And he covers their body with the garment of happiness.
And all the virtuous believers and the Elect, he covers them with praising and ties diadem for them.
And they reign in gladness, in the case of their name (= the Manichaeans), the pact was, and they suffered anguish from the hands of (their) foes.paštag: "pact" (MacKenzie, 1986, p. 66).
The reward of the righteous in heaven is mentioned in four Manichaean texts as talawār, which means "hall" (Boyce, 1977, p. 86).The first text is "ax or M7Iri-Vi", which is a Parthian text, and the second is "bc or M33IIRi+M367V", which is a Parthian text and the third is "bh or M77Ri-15", which is a Parthian text and the fourth is "bp or M737", which is a Parthian text.In the "bh or M77Ri-15" text, both talawār "hall" and gāh "throne" are mentioned as heavenly rewards.

Translation:
The Elect righteous and the dutiful Hearers find the hall.Prepare the soul for purification, and keep this secret truly holy.Honour those who will be saved and teach them this secret.
Translation: See the mighty beloved divine figure of the fathers.The virtuous, the true believers, the happy Hearers, find the divine appearance.The beneficent find the divine hall.This is the fortunate righteous, the dutiful Hearer, and this is his piety, which is necessary to save the soul.

Translation:
The happiness of us, the Elect and the Hearers, the hall and the throne and the anadem were prepared, for ever and ever.The hearers are also immortal.
Translation: They go to the Bright Paradise, where the gods exist and rest.They receive as their nature the original splendour of the radiant palace, and they are glad.They put on brilliant clothes, and live eternally in Paradise.Rōzšād (= a proper name).talawār, which is tālār in Persian, means the main hall of the palace where parties and dances were held.In the Māzani dialect, there is the same word in the form of telvaar, which means "a large desert tent that is set up to welcome guests" (https://abadis.ir/fatofa/‫.)/تلوار‬The word bazm in the ascension inscriptions of Kird-īr means "feast, festivity" (Boyce 1977: 30;MacKenzie 1986, p. 18) (Goshtasbi Ardakany, 2023).The man who is "Similar to Kird-īr" and the woman enter the palace with the kings, where a festivity is going to be held to welcome Kird-īr.Golden festivity thrones are all for the presence of kings in this festivity and even the man who is "similar to Kird-īr" is given a golden festivity throne to sit on (ibid.).The reward of the righteous in heaven is mentioned in some Manichean texts as gāh "throne".As described above, one of these texts is the "bh or M77Ri-15" text.
Look at figure 3, contrary to the opinion of everyone who thinks this relief belongs to Bahram II, this relief belongs to the festivity mentioned in the journey of Kird-īr.By the order of Bahram II, his figure was carved instead of the king of the heavenly palace.This has been done on purpose, because Bahram II ordered it so that it would appear that Bahram II has saved Kird-īr's soul.Even the name that Bahram II gave to Kird-īr during his own reign and called him Kird-īr ī bōxt-ruwān Wahrām clearly indicates that Bahram has saved Kird-īr's soul.The king of the heavenly palace is the last king who guided the others to the palace.He is not a new king, that is Ohrmezdbay.(Boyce, 1975b, p. 103;Esma'ilpour Motlagh, 2018, p. 16).

Translation:
The last prince with all the fathers and gods <who are> very happy, <they> will make and prepare many bright thrones.All the Bright ones, the Elect ones and the Hearers who endured the persecution, will be glad with the Father.
We honour the throne of the holy angels, the čīdīg creators, the righteous King.gāh seems to be a heavenly gift offered to the righteous souls upon entering the hall of Ohrmezdbaγ Palace, but tarnīs is the throne reserved for the gods.In some Manichean texts, gods also have gāh.For example, in text "dx or M74", where Srōšahrāy and Mani have gāh, the adjective gāhdārān has been used for them (Boyce, 1975b, p. 194;Esma'ilpour Motlagh, 2018, p. 80).
The new day and new happiness came.The new day came, the new happiness, come!Prepare the food for the living, full of happiness.
... They will be worthy ... the gift of all the Creators.And give meal and gift of the righteous, to the fortunate and praised such a one, O Lord, the great honoured King.Now we will investigate these in Zoroastrianism.In Zoroastrianism, in the 32nd verse of the 19th chapter of Vidēvdād, it is stated: 32.xṣ̌nūtō aṣ̌aonąm urvānō pārayeiṇti avi ahurahe mazdā ̊ avi amǝṣ̌anąm spǝṇtanąm avi gātvō zaranyō-kǝrǝtō avi garō nmānǝm maēθanǝm ahurahe mazdā ̊ maēθanǝm amǝṣ̌anąm spǝṇtanąm maēθanǝm anyaēṣ̌ąm aṣ̌aonąm.
The souls of the righteous pass glady to the golden throne of Ahura Mazda, to the golden throne of the Amesha-Spentas, to the Garo-nmanem, the abode of the Amesha-Spentas, the abode of all the other holy beings.
Translation: To the golden throne of Ahura Mazda and Amshaspands, may his soul reach all that is in Avesta "garō-namānǝm maiθinǝm ahurahe mazdā ̊ maiθinǝm amǝṣ̌anąm spǝṇtanąm maiθinǝm anyeṣ̌ąm aṣ̌aonąm".I wish that he who has an immortal soul, his soul, reaches the abode of Ahura Mazda and Amshaspands, to the abode of other Fravashis and souls.
In the Avesta, Ahuramazda and Amshaspands have golden thrones.It is written in the Hāδōxt Nask that after the coming of the Maiden, the righteous soul reaches Heaven through the three steps of good thought, good word, and good deed, and with the fourth step, it reaches endless light: (15) 'The first step that the soul of the faithful man made, placed him in the Good-Thought Paradise; 'The second step that the soul of the faithful man made, placed him in the Good-Word Paradise; 'The third step that the soul of the faithful man made, placed him in the Good-Deed Paradise; 'The fourth step that the soul of the faithful man made, placed him in the Endless Lights.' (Haδōxt Nask, chapter 2, verse 15).
Translation: <Religion> also says that, when a person has been righteous in giving, when he is welcomed by that wind, he sees in that wind the"maiden-shaped", he asks that question, and that maiden guides him to a ladder that has three steps, and with that ladder, with three steps ‫ـــ‬which are good thoughts, good words and good deeds‫ـــ‬ he goes to Garodman.The first step <goes> to the base of star, the second step to the base of the moon, and the third step to the base of the sun, which is the bright Garodman.
In the 23rd chapter of the Pahlavi Rivayat and in the 23rd question of the Dādestān ī Dēnīg, exactly the same content is mentioned.In the second chapter of the Mēnōg-ī Xrad, verses 145 to 147 also contain the same content.In the 19th chapter of Vidēvdād, the righteous soul goes to Garōdmān after the arrival of the Maiden and Vahman Amshaspand.
During these investigations, we came to one point, and that is that the righteous soul in Zoroastrian religion is not judged by the judging gods at all, and goes directly to heaven through the three steps of good thought, good word, and good deed, and with the fourth step it goes to endless lights.In some texts, such as the 9th Denkard, the 19th chapter of Sudgarnask, it is said that Aštad and Mihr guide the righteous soul through the Činwad Bridge and save him from hardship (Madan, 1911, p. 809;Goshtasbi Ardakany, 2020, p. 76-77).
Also, in the 17th and 18th verses of the second chapter of Haδōxt Nask, it is stated that the righteous soul will be fed in heaven: (17) āaţ mraoţ ahurō mazdā ̊: mā dim pǝrǝsō, yim pǝrǝsahi yim xrvantǝm āiθivantǝm urvištrǝm pantąm aiwitǝm yaţ astasča baoδaŋhasča vī.urvištīm.(18) x v arǝθanąm + hē + barǝtąm + zarmayehe raoγnahe taţ asti yūnō humanaŋhō hvačaŋhō hušyaoθnahe + hudaēnahe x v arǝθǝm pasča para.iristīmtaţ nāirikayāi frāyō.humatayāifrāyō.hūxtayāifrāyō.hvarštayāihuš.hąm.sāstayāiratuxšaθrayāi x v arǝθǝm pasča para.iristīm(Haδōxt Nask,chapter 2,. 17 And Ahura Mazda answered: 'Ask him not what thou askest him, who has just gone the dreary way, full of fear and distress, where the body and the soul part from one another.18 '[Let him eat] of the food brought to him, of the oil of Zaremaya: this is the food for the youth of good thoughts, of good words, of good deeds, of good religion, after he has departed this life; this is the food for the holy woman, rich in good thoughts, good words, and good deeds, well-principled and obedient to her husband, after she has departed this life.' In the Pahlavi text Mēnōg-ī Xrad, it is also stated that after the righteous soul reaches Heaven, he is given food and an all-embellished throne: (150) 'Then Ohrmazd, the lord, speaks (151) thus: "Ask ye from him no tidings; for he has parted from that which was a precious body, and has come by that which is a fearful road.( 152) And bring ye unto him the most agreeable of eatables, that which is the mid-spring butter [Maidyozarem roghan], (153) so that he may rest his soul from that bridge of the three nights, unto which he came from Astwihad and the remaining demons; (154) and seat him upon an all-embellished throne."chapter 2,.
Translation: Ahuramazda says that: "Do not ask him to speak, because, due to love and friendship for the body, when he came out of the body, then it was difficult for him, and give him food."The soul says: "Which food will you give me first?"Ahuramazda says: "Give horse milk, ghee, sweet wine or spring oil.First, give spring oil, because this is the food for the soul of the righteous when they die, until the last body".
In the Dādestān ī Dēnīg, 30th question, it is written about this vernal oil that is given to the righteous soul in Heaven: 12. Just as those wordly creatures become perfected by joyful food, in like manner spiritual perfection and joy reach the soul, and in its appearance to wordly creatures (this) is +called + "spring butter".13.And the reason for that name is this: it is said that the best earthly food (comes) from the products of cattle, and among the products of cattle used as food milk (is the best), and amongst milk (products) butter (is the best), and amongst butters (the best is) that which is extolled for its goodness, which they obtain in the second month of the year, when +Mihr is in the constellation of Taurus, as that month is called Zarmiyā in the religion.The interpretation and explanation of the name is this, that the earthly equivalent of that (i.e.heavenly food) is the best food in the world (Dādestān ī Dēnīg, 1998, p. 95).
In the Bundahišn as mentioned above, the cow-shaped comes and gives fattiness to the righteous soul; But the time of its arrival is after the blowing of the fragrant wind and before the arrival of the Maiden (see the stage of the arrival of the Maiden).
It is very interesting that bread, meat and wine are served at the festivity in Kird-īr's inscription!(Goshtasbi Ardakany, 2023).Eating meat and wine is prohibited in Manichaeism, but in this inscription, the mention of serving bread, meat and wine has the aspect of religious propaganda for Manichaeism.This indicates to the Manichaeans that if you do not eat meat and wine during your lifetime, you will be given meat and wine after death.
The journey of Kird-īr to Heaven can be imagined in such a way that first the death of the āʻīna of Kird-īr was done by Mani.Then, when the Kird-īr's āʻīna went towards the sun, the travelers, that is, several of Mani's disciples, have followed the Kird-īr's āʻīna through mental travel and prediction.Then the moment-to-moment report was given to Kird-īr by the travelers, Mani's disciples, which of the gods would welcome him at each stage of his journey and finally take him to Heaven and to the feast of the gods.Kird-īr received many gifts from the kings who accompanied him to Heaven, which can be seen in his reliefs.These gifts are: drafš "a robe", čiyēn "a pair of scissors", xōy "a helmet", dīdēm "a diadem", pusag "an anadem", and finally talawār "the hall" of the heavenly palace, gāh "the throne" and āhār/zīšn "food, meal".Look at figures 3 and 5, the gifts received by Kird-īr are shown in these figures.(ibid., p. 117), murwā "omen" (ibid., p. 118).10) In (M871e): nōg murwāh "new presage", pad ǰadag ī nēw "with a good omen" (ibid., p. 120).
If you pay attention to the content of the hymns, you will see that all these teachers and members and leaders of the Manichaean Church were chosen or sent by Gods, angels, or the three comers.I think that this ceremony was also performed for Kird-īr, and since the soul itself no longer ascends in it, the title "Similar to Kird-īr" is used.In the case of the Manichaean hymn M543, which Goshtasbi Ardakany (2023) discussed in her article, her theory certainly seems to be correct, because there was no mowbed other than Kird-īr who had such influence and power that he could force the kings to obey his command and listen to his teachings.In addition, the names of Manichaean gods who play a role in the ascension and salvation of the souls of the dead appear in this hymn.We can relate the word sangbed at the beginning of this hymn to the presidency of Kird-īr; That is, because all the inscriptions and reliefs from the beginning of the Sasanian period to the end of the period of Bahram III were carved on the stones under his supervision, we should consider him as the master of the stones.Because there is no official position in Zoroastrian religion that is called sangbed.Because this position was reserved for him in the Sasanian period, we cannot find this name in another text.I also believe that Kird-īr has taught as a teacher of both religions, therefore the teachings of the two religions have been mixed to a large extent and have lost their original form.(Leurini, 2018, pp. 97-99;Goshtasbi Ardakany, 2023).
I also saw the word nēw in this hymn, and I guess that the word murwāh must have come after it, and I added it.Because in all other hymns it is mentioned in the same way.From this hymn, it can be clearly recognized that the leader of the Zoroastrian religion, for whom this hymn was written, is not an ordinary leader and has a special power and influence that the kings honor him and obey his commands.He cannot be anyone other than Kird-īr.
Translation: Then Patecius saw another omen and said that I see that the virtuous (= Mani) has risen and for a few days the arrow... … He enters the wide gate of the palace with dignity and goes out.Then Mowbed Kird-īr <who> was standing in front of the king with his helpers, thought, and jealousy and slander ...
Unfortunately, we are missing parts of the text and the events seen by Patecius are not complete.In this text, Patecius says after divination that Mani rose and for several days the arrow <was in his body>… … Mani enters the wide gate of the palace with dignity and goes out.Then Mowbed Kird-īr <who> was standing in front of the king with his helpers, thought, and jealousy and slander ...; This shows that Patecius has seen the future and Mowbed Kird-īr caused Mani's death by slandering him.So, Patecius was one of those who has traveled to the future with a mental journey and informed about the events.
Translation: And when they came to the Kushan watch-post, then the spirit of the border of Khorasan appeared in the form of a maiden.And she asked me, that I am Ammō, what are you doing.Where did you come from?I said that I am a religious man, a disciple of Mani the apostle.That spirit said that I do not accept you.Go back to where you came from.And she hid from the presence of me.
So I, Ammō, with two fasts, stood in prayer before the sun.So the angel appeared.She said do not be faint-hearted.Recite aloud (the chapter) "the Collecting of the Gates" from "the Treasure of the Living".
So, the next day that spirit appeared.She said to me, why didn't you go to your town?I said, I have come from far away, for religion.That spirit said, what is the religion that you bring?I said, we don't eat meat and wine and avoid women.
Mar ammō was another of mani's chief apostles.His main missionary-work was in the north-east of the Sasanian Empire, in the old homelands of the Parthians.He was therefore the founder of the Eastern Manichaean church by which all the surviving Iranian material has been transmitted (ibid., p. 40).
Mani's disciples seem to have had special powers due to fasting and austerity, so that they predicted future events.

Conclusion
We have reached the following results by carefully examining the texts of the Manichaean and Zoroastrian religions about the ascension of the righteous soul to Heaven: 1) In the Manichaean religion, the gods who come to welcome the righteous soul are called šahriyār/šahrδār, and in the Zoroastrian religion, they are not called this way, but are called yazata/yazad or amǝša-spǝṇta/amahraspand. 2) The first king who welcomes the righteous soul with drafš "robe", that is Rōšnšahr yazd, exists only in Manichaeism, and there is no god who welcomes the soul with drafš in Zoroastrianism.a) In the inscriptions of Kird-īr's ascension, it is mentioned that "[And] the travelers whom I saw in the death of the āʼīna, they said like this, "we see a riding king, white-colored and he is sitting on a noble horse and has a robe [in his hand]"; This feature exactly corresponds to the Ascension in Manichaeism.3) In the Manichaean religion, the bright path through which the gods and the righteous soul go to the moon, the sun, and the New Paradise is created by Srōšahrāy (Bāmistūn); But in the Zoroastrian religion, the bright path is created by exposing the dead body to the sunlight (that is, Khorshed nigaresh) and this path only goes as far as the Činwad Bridge, and the soul alone ascends from it and goes to the Činwad Bridge.a) According to Goshtasbi Ardakany's article (2023), it is mentioned in the inscriptions of Kird-īr's journey to heaven that: b) woman and that man who <is> just like "similar to Kird-īr", held hands together and went towards Khorasan (= the east) towards the bright road [whence that woman came], and that road <is> verybright.c) And they said like this, "that man, "similar to Kird-īr", and that woman, ascended beyond that king [3][4] ww.] and they are going towards Khorasan (= the east) and they [go] on that [very bright] road.d) With these descriptions, the bright path described in the Kird-īr's inscriptions is the Column of Glory in Manichaeism, because Kird-īr hangirb ascends along with the Maiden and Kings through this bright path.4) In the Manichaean religion, the Maiden comes after Srōšahrāy; But in the Zoroastrian religion, the Maiden comes after the blowing of a very fragrant wind, and when the maiden appears on the Činwad Bridge, there are guard dogs on both sides of her.The fact that it is stated in the Pahlavi text "Mēnōg-ī Xrad" that Srōš ahlāy comes before the maiden, is derived from the Manichaean beliefs that made it to this text.5) In the Manichaean religion, before the Maiden, first Narisah yazd, second Mani, third the Just Justice and fourth Srōšahrāy come to welcome the righteous soul; But in the Zoroastrian religion, the Maiden is the first person to welcome the righteous soul.a) According to what is mentioned in the inscriptions of Kird-īr's journey to Heaven, several gods come to greet Kird-īr before the maiden, which corresponds to the Ascension in Manichaeism.6) In the Manichaean religion, heavenly gifts are mentioned as drafš "robe", dīdēm "diadem", pusag "anadem", xōy "helmet", talawār "hall", gāh "throne", zīšn or āhār "meal, food".In Ibn an-Nadim's Al-Fihrist book, ‫"الرکوة"‬ "water jug" is also mentioned; In the Zoroastrian religion, heavenly gifts are mentioned as, a very fragrant wind, a silk garment decorated with gold, vernal oil or spring butter, and a fully decorated throne.In Rivayat-i Pahlavi, horse milk, ghee and sweet wine are also mentioned as heavenly food.In the Zoroastrian religion, food is "the food of the dead" and in the Manichaean religion, it is "the food of the living."7) In the Manichaean religion, all gods have thrones; But in the Zoroastrian religion, only Ahuramazda and Amshaspands have golden thrones.8) In the Manichaean religion, the righteous soul ascends to the New Paradise through the Column of Glory, which is the bright path; But in the Zoroastrian religion, the righteous soul goes to Heaven through the three steps of good thought, good word, and good deed after the arrival of the Maiden on the Činwad Bridge, and with the fourth step, it reaches endless light.9) In the Manichaean religion, Ohrmezdbay has a palace, and the righteous soul enters his palace after reaching the New Paradise; But in Zoroastrian religion, the righteous soul after ascending to garōdmān goes to the golden thrones of Ahuramazda and Amshaspands.10) In the Manichaean religion, the place of the New Paradise is located in Khorasan (the east), and the gods who welcome the righteous soul come from Khorasan (the east); But in the Zoroastrian religion, the righteous soul goes to the Činwad Bridge, which is located in Čagād Dāitī, in the middle of Mount Alborz, and then ascends from there and goes to the station of the star or the moon or the sun.11) In the Manichaean religion, divination has been done to select the Teachers, the Elect and Church Leaders.
They chose him through the omen that showed that the person in question had ascended to the New Paradise and was recognized by the gods as righteous.
According to the findings of this research and the cases mentioned, Kird-īr has traveled to Heaven through fortune telling and prophecy made by Mani's disciples and has been chosen as a new teacher of Khorasan.All stages of Kird-īr's journey are in complete harmony with the results mentioned about the righteous soul's journey to Heaven in Manichaeism.That is, in his inscriptions, all the stages of ascension of the righteous soul in the Manichaean religion are mentioned.Goshtasbi Ardakany (2023) recognized that Kird-īr traveled to Heaven through the ascension of the Manichaean religion, and also her comments about the Manichaean hymn M543 are acceptable according to our findings.Kird-īr received these heavenly gifts on his journey to Heaven: drafš "robe", dīdēm "diadem", pusag "anadem", čiyēn "a pair of scissors", xōy "helmet", talawār "the hall", gāh

4 )
O new full moon and spring … O Lord Mani.I pray angels, gods, … the new sun … zēnārēs *bay.5) The new full moon shined on the religion.Health be upon you, O Lrod. 6) Come here in health (= welcome), O Lord.truly, ... O merciful Lord Mani god, you, save me!, O God, you, save me!, O God.

Figure 4 .
Figure 4. Kird-īr hangirb in the relief of Naqsh-i Rajab mentioned in her article that in the Avesta it is mentioned about the weapon of the god Mihr: