17. A Leg in Heaven

Adore God with a pure mind and pure body and honour Him in His works.                       -- Zend Avesta 'A leg went to Heaven.' You will be surprised to hear that. But what about the man? Whose leg was it? It was a curious sight which Zoroaster saw in Heaven.      Zoroaster was a great Persian teacher. His followers are found in many parts of the world. There are stories about him showing the great power he exercised over animals. He taught his followers to honour every living creature, large or small, and to treat all animals as the children of God. He is the founder of Zoroastrianism.     One day this good man had a dream. He dreamt that an angel came to him and took him to see Hell and Heaven. In Hell he saw the wicked people punished. In Heaven he saw people who had led good and kind lives living in Happiness and peace.     When he was first taken to Hell by the angel, he saw a man with only one log suffering there.     In Heaven he saw a strange sight. He was not able to understand it. He asked the angel, "What is this that I see? Here is a leg of a man placed on a throne, and all here are happy to see it. Please explain to me what it means.'     The angel said, 'Listen, Zoroaster, what this honour to the one leg means. There lived a king who was never known to have done any good act. He always took delight in tormenting all living beings both, men and animals. So he was hated. He was feared. He was the cause of the ruin of his people and his country. Yet this bad and cruel-hearted king did one, and only one, kind act in his life.      One day as he was going about, he saw a camel tethered to a post. The fodder for the camel was placed in a tub at a distance. Try as the camel might, he could not reach it. The poor animal was hungry. Cruel as the king generally was, he noticed the animal's vain attempts to reach the tub. So with one leg he pushed the tub within the reach of the camel. The camel had his feed and was satisfied. Yes, the king was a bad man. He could not be admitted into Heaven. But the leg had done a good deed to a poor hungry animal. So, that kind act was carefully remembered. And there you see the leg. In Hell you saw the man with every part of his body except the leg.'      The angel disappeared. Zoroaster woke from his dream. His heart was glad. He felt peace in his soul. ****  **** Additional Information of Interest Click here to find out more about Zoroaseter, who was also known as Zarathustra. The exact date of his birth in Eastern Persia (Iran) is unkown; it could have been anywhere between 18th and 6th century BC. Click here to find out more about the religious philosophy of Zoroastrianism.  Click here for a discussion on Zoroastrian edicts on kindness to animals.