The Chinvat Bridge in Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil...

 is the bridge

Bridge

A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...

 which separates the world of the living from the world of the dead. All souls must cross the bridge upon death.

The Bridge's appearance varied depending on the observer's asha

Asha

Asha is the Avestan language term for a concept of cardinal importance to Zoroastrian theology and doctrine. In the moral sphere, aša/arta represents what has been called "the decisive confessional concept of Zoroastrianism." ...

, or righteousness. As related in the text known as the Bundahishn

Bundahishn

Bundahishn, meaning "Primal Creation", is the name traditionally given to an encyclopædiaic collections of Zoroastrian cosmogony and cosmology written in Book Pahlavi. The original name of the work is not known....

, if a person had been wicked, the bridge would appear narrow and the demon Vizaresh would emerge and drag their soul into the druj-demana (the House of Lies), a place of eternal punishment and suffering similar to the concept of Hell

Hell

In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...

. However, if a person's good thoughts, words and deeds in life were many, the bridge would be wide enough to cross, and the Daena

Daena

Daena is a Zoroastrian concept representing insight and revelation, hence "conscience" or "religion." Alternately, Daena is considered to be a divinity, counted among the yazatas.-Nomenclature:...

, a spirit representing revelation, would appear and lead the soul into the House of Song. Those souls that successfully cross the bridge are united with Ahura Mazda

Ahura Mazda

Ahura Mazdā is the Avestan name for a divinity of the Old Iranian religion who was proclaimed the uncreated God by Zoroaster, the founder of Zoroastrianism...

.
Often, the Chinvat Bridge is identified with the rainbow, or with the Milky Way galaxy, such as in Professor C.P. Tiele's "History of Religion ". However, other scholars such as C.F. Keary and Ferdinand Justi disagree with this interpretation, citing descriptions of the Chinvat Bridge as straight upward, rather than curvilinear.

Three divinities were thought to be guardians of the Chinvat Bridge: Sraosha

Sraosha

Sraosha is the Avestan language name of the Zoroastrian divinity of "Obedience" or "Observance", which is also the literal meaning of her name....

 (Obedience), Mithra

Mithra

Mithra is the Zoroastrian divinity of covenant and oath. In addition to being the divinity of contracts, Mithra is also a judicial figure, an all-seeing protector of Truth, and the guardian of cattle, the harvest and of The Waters....

 (Covenant) and Rashnu

Rashnu

Rashnu is the Avestan language name of the Zoroastrian yazata of justice. Together with Mithra and Sraosha, Rashnu is one of the three judges who pass judgment on the souls of people after death...

 (Justice).

Alternate names for this bridge include Chinwad, Cinvat, Chinvar or Chinavat.

The concept of the Chinvat bridge is similar to that of the As-Sirāt in Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

.

In Scripture

In the 71st chapter of the Avestan text, the Yasna

Yasna

Yasna is the name of the primary liturgical collection of texts of the Avesta as well as the name of the principal Zoroastrian act of worship at which those verses are recited. The Yasna, or Izeshne, is primarily the name of the ceremony in which the entire book is recited and appropriate...

, there is a description of the Chinvat Bridge.

Ŷatha vashi ashâum idha anghô ashava frapârayånghe urvânem tarô cinvatô peretûm vahishtahe anghêush ashava jasô ushtavaitîm gâthãm srâvayô ushtatâtem nimraomnô, (zôt u râspî,) ushtâ ahmâi ... gaêm mananghô! - http://www.avesta.org/yasna/y54to72s.htm

As thou dost desire, O holy (one)! so shalt thou be, holy shalt thou-cause [thy] soul to pass over the Chinvat Bridge; holy shalt thou come into Heaven. Thou shalt intone the Gatha Ushtavaiti, reciting the salvation hail. - Avesta.org translation

The Vendidad

Vendidad

The Vendidad or Videvdat is a collection of texts within the greater compendium of the Avesta. However, unlike the other texts of the Avesta, the Vendidad is an ecclesiastical code, not a liturgical manual.-Name:...

also describes the Chinvat Bridge in fargard 19.

27. dâtare ... dva tâ dâthra bavaiñti dva tâ dâthra pârayeiñti dva tâ dâthra pairi-bavaiñti dva tâ dâthra paiti hañjaseñti mashyô astvaiñti anghvô havâi urune para-daidhyât. 28. âat mraot ahurô mazdå, pasca para-iristahe mashyehe pasca frasaxtahe mashyehe pasca pairithnem dereniñti daêva drvañtô duzhdånghô, thrityå xshapô vîusaiti ushi raocaiti bâmya gairinãm ashahvâthranãm âsenaoiti mithrem huzaênem hvarexshaêtem uzyôraiti, 29. vîzareshô daêvô nãma spitama zarathushtra urvânem bastem vâdhayeiti drvatãm daêvayasnanãm merezujîtîm mashyânãm, pathãm zrvô-dâtanãm jasaiti ýasca drvaite ýasca ashaone cinvat-peretûm mazdadhâtãm baodhasca urvânemca ýâtem gaêthanãm paiti-jaidhyeiñti dâtem astvaiñti anghvô. 30. hâu srîra kereta taxma huraodha jasaiti spânavaiti nivavaiti pasvaiti ýaoxshtavaiti hunaravaiti, hâ drvatãm akhem urvânô temô-hva nizarshaite, hâ ashâunãm urvânô tarasca harãm berezaitîm âsenaoiti tarô cinvatô peretûm vîdhârayeiti haêtô mainyavanãm ýazatanãm.- http://www.avesta.org/vendidad/vd19.htm

27. O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Where are the rewards given? Where does the rewarding take place? Where is the rewarding fulfilled? Whereto do men come to take the reward that, during their life in the material world, they have won for their souls? 28. Ahura Mazda answered: 'When the man is dead, when his time is over, then the wicked, evil-doing Daevas cut off his eyesight. On the third night, when the dawn appears and brightens up, when Mithra, the god with beautiful weapons, reaches the all-happy mountains, and the sun is rising 29. 'Then the fiend, named Vizaresha, O Spitama Zarathushtra, carries off in bonds the souls of the wicked Daeva-worshippers who live in sin. The soul enters the way made by Time, and open both to the wicked and to the righteous. At the head of the Chinwad bridge, the holy bridge made by Mazda, they ask for their spirits and souls the reward for the worldly goods which they gave away here below. 30. 'Then comes the beautiful, well-shapen, strong and well-formed maid, with the dogs at her sides, one who can distinguish, who has many children, happy, and of high understanding. 'She makes the soul of the righteous one go up above the Hara-berezaiti; above the Chinwad bridge she places it in the presence of the heavenly gods themselves. - http://www.avesta.org/vendidad/vd19sbe.htm#section5