Since ages past we Zarathushtrians wear the sudreh and kusti, but most of us hardly realize their great spiritual significance. There are stray references and allusions in the holy Gathas, in Pahlavi texts and in Firdausi’s Shahnameh, which show that these are, in fact, emblems of cosmic initiations received by Asho Zarathushtra and the great Peshdadian Shah Jamshed thousands of years back. The relevant facts are scattered throughout our extant scriptures. Dr Behramshah D. Pithavala had tried his level best to reconstruct the whole picture by placing those facts together.
When an aspirant becomes ready to enter a new stage in spiritual evolution, he is made to pass through a cosmic initiation, in the course of which some new facet of divine wisdom is revealed to him and he is then invested with an emblem as a token or mark of the progress made by him. Such cosmic initiations are generally presided over by a Saheb-e Dil, Abed or Master of Wisdom, a Yazata or Ahura Mazda Himself, depending upon the spiritual stage attained by the disciple.
Our kusti is a microcosmic replica of the three macrocosmic "belts” surrounding the mid-region of the Earth.
It is said that during the formative ages, hordes of spiritual forces working on the dark side of light attempted to destroy the Earth. They, however, ran away in fright when they saw a kusti-like band along the Equator, pulsating with huge shafts of Divine Light.
In the annals of mystic experiences the cosmic initiation of Zarathushtra (circa 6311 BC) is indeed very unique. There were four great initiations through which Zarathushtra had already passed and as a result of which he had already acquired great knowledge and wisdom. In the fifth initiation, he was led by Archangel Vohumano (Bahman Ameshaspand = Love or Good Mind), who after giving Asho Zarathushtra preliminary examination, asked Him to "remove his clothes,” i.e. his physical body, and in a state of astral projection to follow Him to the celestial hall of initiation, the Great White Lodge (Vyakhma Ameshanam Spentanam, i.e. the Assembly of Holy Immortals, of which Srosh Yazad is also a member).
After passing through the requisite tests or ordeals that he is put to, Zarathushtra advances towards Ahura Mazda who bestows on him keys to all wisdom. Thereafter, Vohumano invests Zarathushtra with a pure white robe so aptly called "Behman’s raiment” in the Rivayat of Hormuzdyar Framroz, our sudreh, as a symbol of the path of purity, love and righteousness.
Finally, Ahura Mazda exhorts Zarathushtra as follows: "Oh righteous Zarathushtra, be more kindly as I am towards my creations, go forward with praises, go on in the way of the Good Divine Law and of all those who walk in its paths, both men and women.” Thereafter, the six holy Amesha Spentas delivered similar exhortations with special reference to the various kingdoms of nature of which they are heads appointed by Ahura Mazda.
After this, the holy congregation dispersed and Zarathushtra proceeded on his great mission of spreading the divine message of righteousness.
VILOO ADAJANIA