Mihryazd

Mihryazd
Birth name	Sohrab Karvani
Born	September 19th, 3701 Kārvān, Somasi
Died	June 12th, 3755 Aldegaria, Kemoku
Title	Mihr King of Light
Nationality	Aldegarian
Spouse	Khorshid Alizadeh
Children	Shabnam, Babak
Father	Ardeshir Karvani
Mother	Shahrazad Azaddehi
Known for	Founder of Rowshanism
Honored in	Rowshanism

Mihryazd (Aldegarian: , September 19, 3701 - June 12, 3755), born Sohrab Karvani () was a Mihr claimant who gained control over Aldegar in 3746 and founded his own religion, known as Rowshanism, claiming to be the fulfillment of eschatological expectations in Yazdism, Daenism, and Kanzo.

Life

Early life

Sohrab Karvani at the age of 16, in 3717

Sohrab Karvani was born in September 3701 to a local bazaari from Kārvān in Somasi. Karvani joined the family business upon his father's request, as is customary for Aldegarian bazaaris. In 3723, Karvani met Khorshid Alizadeh, whom he married in 3725. The couple had two children, Shabnam and Babak.

Although Karvani's life was not unusual for a bazaari, those around him claim that he was always more concerned with contemplation and the study of religious literature and prayer.

Mihrist movement

In 3714 Aldegar was brought under the rule of the Polrani dynasty as the "Duchy of Phoenix", criticized for its corrupt and nepotistic practices and for the elimination of the generous Aldegarian welfare system. In response, a series of revolts against Polrani rule started in July 3736, calling for the overthrow of the regime. Although the uprisings lacked organizational or ideological cohesion, one trend slowly became the dominant feature of the revolts, namely the belief in the imminent arrival of the Mihr and the subsequent renovation of the world. Dubbed the Mihrist movement, these beliefs gained further impetus when they received the approval of Mobed Ardeshir Rousta, one of the leading religious figures in Aldegar.

Declaration to Mobed Parviz Kashrani

The room where the Declaration of Mihryazd took place, in Kārvān

Following Mobed Rousta's declaration of the imminent arrival of the Mihr, Mobed Parviz Kashrani, one of his disciples, began a spiritual search for the Promised One. After 40 days of prayer in a Fire Temple, Mobed Kashrani traveled to Kārvān in Somasi, where he met Sohrab Karvani. On the night of November 12 3736, Mobed Kashrani was invited by Sohrab Karvani to his house. There, Kashrani told him that he was searching for the Mihr, to which Karvani announced that he was the one he was searching for. After replying satisfactorily to all of Mobed Kashrani's questions, Sohrab Karvani proceeded to write in his presence, with extreme rapidity, a commentary on the Vohu Khshathra Gatha, one of the sacred hymns in the Daftar-e Asha, the Yazdean holy book. According to Mobed Kashrani, Sohrab Karvani did not for one moment interrupt his writing, which was accompanied by his intonation. After this Mobed Kashrani came to recognize Sohrab Karvani as the Mihr. Three days later, the Mobed announced his finding the Promised One in a sermon to a large gathering at the Fire Temple in Kārvān. Mihryazd's commentary on the Vohu Khshathra Gatha is considered to be his first revealed work.

Mobed Kashrani became Mihryazd's first disciple, followed within a few months by eight other disciples; collectively, these nine are known as the Letters of the Light. Mobed Kashrani is also recognized as the Sign of the Mihr, a title signifying his leadership in the Rowshani community, bellow only Mihryazd.

Imprisonment

Shortly after Mobed Parviz Kashrani's public declaration, the Polrani regime placed Mihryazd under arrest. As a Mihr claimant, he was considered a threat to the regime, especially as a result of his wide popular following. During his imprisonment, Mihryazd communicated with his disciples via a number of letters, known as tablets; these tablets are considered scripture by Rowshanis. Also during his imprisonment, Mihryazd wrote most of the Bayān, the Rowshani holy book.

Although the Polrani regime took great care not to draw attention to Mihryazd and not to turn him into a martyr, his imprisonment led to the intensification of the anti-Polrani protests and uprisings. Mihryazd's followers, colloquially known as Surkhjāmagān ("the Crimson-Wearing Ones"), soon became the driving force of the anti-Polrani opposition.

King of Light

Mihryazd as the King of Light

The Surkhjāmagān eventually succeeded in overthrowing the Polrani regime in 3746, after ten years of protests, uprisings, and outright military clashes. After the Mihrists took over the capital city of Tamaddon, the Phoenix regime was dismantled, and Mihryazd, released from his prison, was installed as Aldegar's new head of state as the "King of Light". Aldegar was reformed as the "Kingdom of Light", a Rowshani theocracy with Mihryazd as its Head of State; the new regime embarked on an ambitious program of often violently implementing the religion's precepts, by redistributing wealth, dismantling the armed forces, persecuting the clergy of all religions in Aldegar, and banning marriage. These policies, while very popular with the poorer classes of Aldegar, led to numerous clashes with the aristocracy and clergy, which were to plague the Rowshani regime throughout its existence.

Death

Mihryazd had been suffering from tuberculosis since his decade-long imprisonment at the hands of the Phoenix regime, and the disease proved fatal. On the 22nd of Khordad 4464 (June 12th 3755), Mihryazd passed away in his sleep, leaving behind a divided and unstable nation. The Rowshani government initiated the construction of a large shrine in Kārvān, Mihryazd's birthplace, completed in 3758, and where Mihryazd's body was interred. The extravagant and elaborate building, combining Eastern and Western architectural elements, was seen by the common Aldegarian as a symbol of the increasing corruption of the successors of Mihryazd, contrasting with the latter's simplicity. The expensive construction of the shrine and the renewed suppression of the clergy and aristocracy by Mihryazd's successors eventually led to the creation of an organized opposition and the eventual collapse of the Rowshani regime in 3763.

The Shrine of the Mihr in Kārvān

Succession

Mihryazd did not establish a clear successor to himself, leading to a succession dispute immediately after his death between Mobed Parviz Kashrani, the Sign of the Mihr and Mihyazd's lieutenant, and Mihryazd's son Babak. Both of them could point to seemingly conflicting passages in Mihyazd's writings that could be interpreted as granting legitimacy to their respective claims. Eventually Mobed Kashrani's party emerged victorious, after all living members of Mihryazd's family died under suspicious circumstances. Babak's followers, lacking a leading figure and heavily persecuted by Mobed Kashrani, eventually died out, leaving only Kashrani's branch as the surviving sect of Rowshanism. Now the faith is led by the Sign of the Mihr, who serves for life and has the right to appoint his successor.

Teachings

Mihryazd's teachings serve as the core of Rowshanism's religious beliefs; in his pronouncements, Mihryazd frequently and unambiguously referred to himself as the Mihr and as the incarnation of Shuya Nakagawa, proclaiming his ministry as the fulfillment of eschatological expectations in the major religions of Aldegar. Besides this apocalyptic emphasis, Mihryazd's teachings create a hedonistic and altruistic ethical system for the Rowshani faith, condemning inequality and the power of the clergy or other religious authorities. Rowshani teachings can be summarized by this quote from Mihryazd: "Do your best. Then, don’t worry; be happy in My love. I will help you", often truncated as "Don't worry, be happy", which was also Aldegar's official motto during Rowshani rule.

Writings

Most of the writings of Mihryazd are grouped into two main categories. The Bayān, meaning "Exposition", is the sacred book of Rowshanism, and is a collection of texts written by Mihryazd with a claim of divine inspiration. The Bayān contains Mihryazd's commentary on the Vohu Khshathra Gatha, his first revealed text, as well as a number of hymns, laws, and texts elaborating on the Rowshani view of God, the afterlife, and the nature of the Mihr. In addition to the Bayān, Rowshanis also revere as inspired are the Tablets of Mihryazd; tablets are letters written by Mihryazd in response to specific questions by Rowshanis. Sometimes Mihryazd revealed works very rapidly by chanting them in the presence of a secretary and eyewitnesses.