Frashogard

Roj Sarosh Mah Bahman, 1378 Yz.

When man consciously decides to go along with the Gav side of nature, speaks the truth and increases day by day the practice of Manthravani, a subtle change begins to occur in him – on the physical, emotional as well as spiritual level. One of the first characteristics which is developed through the practice of Manthravani is CONTENTMENT. Contentment implies offering thanks to Ahura Mazda for whatever condition He may put us in. This is a very important emotion. If we analyze ourselves dispassionately, we realize that most of our suffering and negativity comes through lack of contentment.

We always benchmark our life and conditions with those who we believe are much better off than us. A villager walking to work in the fields believes the executive going to office is better off. The executive struggling to catch the 8:13 local feels the senior executive driving his car to work is better off. The senior executive feels the Vice President been driven to office by his chauffeur is better off. The Vice President feels the Business Owner getting off the helicopter is better off. Finally, the Business owner peers down from his helicopter and sees the villager walking to his fields in a carefree manner – and feels the farmer is much better off!

Thus our mental makeup is such that rather than being satisfied with the situation we are in, we constantly benchmark – against false benchmarks and try ever harder to achieve the so-called dream. When the dream is achieved, the satisfaction is fleeting and for a very little time, since the mind has already decided to benchmark against someone ‘higher up’. This is the trap of materialism and the possession-driven world, where happiness is thought to be measured by the bank balance. But this happiness is temporary and delusional.

Real happiness comes through contentment. There is a beautiful phrase in our Patet Pashemani prayer, which says: ‘pa neki sepasdar hom, az anai khorsand hom’. ‘For all the goodness that the Creator has given me, I offer thanks; for all the troubles and trials I have to go through, I accept them with happiness, for in them lies my salvation.’ This is NOT a defeatist attitude or a sign of resignation, this is the true essence of our faith – to be happy and content with whatever the Lord has given us, to have full faith in His Kindness and Mercy, for all things shall pass, and in the end the victory shall be ours.

Thus the practice of Manthravani and making it an integral part of our lives – not offering prayers only before exams, or before an interview or a date, but offering heartfelt thanks to God for every single second we live, brings about a slow but steady change in the individual’s mental setup. The feeling of contentment arises. When there is contentment, there is little, or no desire for worldly goods or pleasures. When the mind breaks away from the ‘I want this, I want that’ routine, it begins to delve on the greater questions which every man must answer – who am I? where have I come from? where do I have to go? how will I get there? who or what will help me reach my destination? These are the existential questions which all of us must grapple with and come to our answers. Only a calm and contented mind can tackle these questions, and only a mind trained and pacified by the Avesta Manthras can arrive at the true conclusion which has been revealed in our scriptures.

When the contented man finishes his enquiries and realizes the Truths of Nature, he is able to differentiate them from the illusory world which is around him; he becomes a True Devotee. He realizes the futility of materialism and possessiveness and instead begins to give away – the goodness he has achieved. He becomes like the Gav element – giving to others all he has. Such a man is called a Dregu (chanted in the Yatha Ahu Vairyo prayer as ‘dregubyo’, mispronounced by most Parsis as ‘daregopyo’ or worse) – the poor man, the mendicant. Poor denotes the poverty of possessions, but the fullness of wisdom. This person, who gives all he has to another less fortunate than him, rises in the spiritual hierarchy to become what is known as ‘Haomi’ – the True Devotee.

He becomes an instrument of God and the Divine Machinery which works for our salvation. He is attuned with the working of the Yazatas and Amesha Spentas, he hears the Divine Song of the Yatha Ahu Vairyo which pervades the entire universe, he sees the Divine Beings working in unity and cohesion with each other. He joins in this Divine Work. He puts aside his own spiritual development, and instead helps to open the eyes of others around him. He is given the Righteous Spiritual Authority. He can summon the entire Nature to help him. His every wish is immediately granted by Nature – because his every wish is only for another less fortunate than him. Such is the true spiritual Master, which very few lucky persons can find in today’s world. True spiritual Masters are those who take the sufferings of their followers upon themselves. They suffer the most horrible physical ailments, but can miraculously cure others. This is the level of spiritual advancement which every Parsi must strive for. The Avesta Manthras are the first stepping stones in this long process. Without inculcating the Manthras into our lives, we cannot take the first steps to our ultimate salvation. May we all become worthy of achieving this level.

Ervad Marzban J. Hathiram

Roj Meher Mah Bahman, 1378 Yz.

We have seen earlier that our mind is constantly in the process of originating, analyzing and processing various thoughts. These thoughts, which can be either good, or Gav encouraged; or bad, or Vohun encouraged give rise to a sublime body which forms around our physical body. This sublime body is called ‘Tevishi’ – the emotions, or desire body. Thus our every thought and the resultant word and deed gather around our physical frame in a particular manner and form the Tevishi body. This body, although invisible to us, can be easily seen and understood by spiritually advanced persons, who can then immediately tell us what we have been up to in the last 24 hours. Spiritual Masters of all faiths are experts at visualizing and understanding this web of emotions around our physical body.

The duality which is there in our thoughts and emotions – the interplay of good and evil, is expressed in the Avesta as two opposing forces, called Tabaesha and Baeshaza. Tabaesha means ‘illness, evil, harm’. Baeshaza is the condition where there is no Tabaesha. The evil component is the root cause of all physical ailments, as well as spiritual regression. This has been categorized in the Avesta as 99,999 diseases. These arise from the negative aspects of our mind such as: lust, shamelessness, anger, jealousy, revenge, faithlessness, gossip-mongering, going against religion etc. Thus the physical ailments, together with these mental ailments form the core of the 99,999 degrees of Tabaesha, which are the obstacles which man must overcome in his journey to salvation.

The seeds of these ailments are present in all men, but the constant practice of Manthra reciting will stop these seeds of evil from germinating. Due to man’s own past actions, his weaknesses are tested time and again, on some days with more frequency than on others. This flow of temptations, man’s falling for them and the subsequent reaction are what is called ‘Tabai’, or in English, fate. Fate is therefore not predetermined, but rather the reaction of man’s own past thoughts, words and actions.

The flow of these reactions can be somewhat regulated by man through the practice of Manthravani (recital of the Avesta Manthras as per laid down rules and observances). This answers one of the fundamental questions – do prayers wash away our sins? The answer is NO. Prayers can never obliterate the misdeeds we have done, but the practice of Manthravani , together with the feeling of genuine regret and repentance, sets into motion a divine machinery which can soften the reaction blow when it occurs, or spread it over a period of time, so as to lessen its impact.

Thus the true Parsi is one who is always conscious of his own weaknesses; who is forever on guard against the temptations which arise from his fundamental creation; who tries to listen to the Gav element within him and ignores the Vohun; who is quick to realize his mistakes and offers genuine repentance for it; who includes the practice of Manthravani into his daily routine, so that he can use its mighty force to avoid falling into the same temptations again. A Parsi on this path is on the correct path to salvation. Slowly, the Tabaesha forces within him come under his control and over a long period of time, his body is rid of all the Tabaesha and becomes full of Baeshaza. That is the stage of perfect mental, physical and spiritual heath.

In our next post, we shall try to understand what such a perfect man can do.

Ervad Marzban J. Hathiram

Roj Tir Mah Bahman, 1378 Yz.

Prayers are known in the Avesta as ‘Manthra Spenta’. Manthra means Divine Words, a revelation, while Spenta implies something which gives spiritual progress and benefit. The Avesta Manthras are thus not compositions of a human, but are the essence of the Divine Wisdom received by Zarathushtra from Ahura Mazda, condensed and formulated into a language that can be spoken by the human tongue. These original Avesta Manthras were of various categories, which were then further expanded and added to by the authorized disciples of Zarathushtra, who are known by the name Zarathushtrotemo – those who best take forward the work of Zarathushtra. At different times, based on the spiritual advancement of the persons taking birth during that time period, Rainidars – the spiritual executors of Prophet Zarathushtra and the Repairers of the Faith, appear, and after proving their spiritual authority by passing through miraculous tests, rearrange the Avesta Manthras to better suit the needs of the people to be born thereafter. The last such Rainidar was Dastur Adurbad Mahrespand who lived around 320 AD during the reign of the Sassanian King Shahpur II (309-379 AD). The current Kusti prayers and the Khordeh Avesta are the compositions of Dastur Adurbad Mahrespand, from the original Avesta.

The core of the Avesta Manthra and their efficacy lie in the method of their construction. Avesta Manthras are based on the science of Staota Yasna, i.e. the knowledge of divine vibrations, colours and forms which arise through the working of any Divine Being. For example, the work of Khurshed Yazata – the Divine Being behind the physical sun which we see, causes several colours, vibrations and unseen forms which enable the physical sun to perform its function of sustaining life in our Universe. When a devotee prays the Khurshed Nyaesh, he is able to attune his own Ruvan to some part of the Divine Song which is being created by Khurshed Yazata and thereby take benefit of the same. Thus just as at a physical level, it is advantageous to stand facing the very early rising sun and absorb its invigorating rays, in the same manner, it is spiritual very advantageous to pray the Khurshed Nyaesh and assimilate the spiritual energy being distributed by Khurshed Yazata.

The Avesta Manthras have a dual function. At one level, the Manthras offer the spiritual sustenance which is required by our Ruvan, so that it may work tirelessly and efficiently in its mission to remove the deficiencies it has. By providing this sustenance to the Ruvan, the Gav element of the Ruvan becomes stronger, while the Vohun element becomes subdued. This eases the constant friction between the two and thereby causes less tension in the physical mind, which can be more at ease. The reducing of this stress on the physical mind causes the overall physical health of the individual to improve. It should be remembered that all physical ailments arise from the mental strain caused by the two competing parts of the Ruvan. When this competition is somewhat pacified (although it can never be completely removed, until salvation), the mental peace automatically reduces the physical ailments from the body. Therefore, man’s longevity – his ability to live a healthy life of many years is also directly attributable to the amount of Manthras which he recites during his lifetime. Manthras are the spiritual equivalent of physical exercise in the gym.

At another level, Manthras act as remedies to cure the ills which ail the Ruvan and which result in our physical mind behaving in the way we have described earlier. The remedial or curative power of the Manthras result in the Vohun element becoming less aggressive towards the Gav element. The Gav element is able to assert more power over the physical mind, which results in man taking a less selfish and more long-term view of his existence. Thus man veers more towards truth and righteousness. He begins to care more for those around him, and the environment that surrounds him. He is less inclined to take more than is needed and more inclined to give back to others what he has but does not need. This is the beginning of his long journey to salvation. This ability to transform man’s thinking and thereby his speech and action is the real power of the Avesta Manthras.

Thus we see that Manthras are multi-tasking in nature. It is the good fortune of Parsis to be presented with this storehouse of energy and divine salvation. It is incumbent on us to inculcate the practice of reciting some Manthras every day. The Kusti ritual itself is a powerful tool to cleanse our Ruvan and the environment around us. The Manthras like Gahs, Nyaeshes, Yashts etc. have been specially formulated for us by Dastur Adurbad Mahrespand and should be used as is, without any alterations, shortening, or mixing. There is an unfortunate trend in our community to shorten prayers, or come out with “short cut” Nirangs. These cannot be a substitute for the complete prayers as have been formulated. ‘Lack of time’ is not an excuse, since everyone is given 24 hours – no one is given 23 and no one is given 25. Time management and proper prioritizing of our activities will always give the individual enough time to pray the Avesta Manthras, which are like a doctor’s prescription – something to be taken and used with faith and as per instructions – or the results could be different from what we had envisioned.

In our next post we shall go slightly deeper into the ability of the Manthras to transform our lives.

Ervad Marzban J. Hathiram

Roj Avan Mah Bahman, 1378 Yz

Khshnoom – which is the mystical knowledge of the Zarathushtrian religion explains that man’s soul, called Urvan in Avesta or Ruvan in Pahlavi is on a long journey. This journey took the Ruvan from its original destination, which was very close to the Supreme Lord Ahura Mazda, to very far away. Currently, the Ruvan is on its way back ‘home’ – to Ahura Mazda. Why did the Ruvan have to set out on this journey? For the limited purpose of understanding our primary subject of prayer, we can say that the Ruvan was found lacking in certain aspects. These deficiencies had to be removed from the Ruvan to bring it back to its pristine state. In order to remove these deficiencies, it was necessary to set up a whole apparatus and procedure through which this could be done. Further, the Ruvan had to go through a process of fragmentation through which the original Ruvan was broken down according to certain laws of decimalization. Thus the Ruvan which is present within ourselves, as well as in all animate as well as inanimate objects is part of the original whole Ruvan.

Before it can reach the ultimate destination, the Ruvan fragments have to undergo a process of purification and reformation in order to remove the deficiencies. How is this to be done? Khshnoom explains that the Ruvan itself is of the highest degree of purity and has the greatest devotion towards Ahura Mazda. It has no physical shape or form. These conditions are not conducive to removing the deficiencies. Therefore, the spiritual machinery and government of Ahura Mazda, which is run by the various divine entities known as Amesha Spentas, Yazatas, Gathas etc. have devised and created the physical world which we see around us. The deficiency of the Ruvan is known in the Avesta as ‘Dravao’ – ignorance. [Ignorance implies unknowing about its ultimate goal. All evil arises out of ignorance.] This Dravao is mixed and iterated with other spiritual ingredients which gives rise to another form called ‘Vohun’. The Vohun is then mixed with Gav – the life giving element which pervades the entire Cosmos. The combination of Gav and Vohun, along with other ingredients, gives rise to Anasers, which are the spiritual DNA, or building blocks of nature. A variety of permutations and iterations of the Anasers gives rise to physical DNA, which is the ultimate building block from which the various parts of physical body – bone, tissue, organs, blood etc. is formed.

One can now appreciate the amount of effort put in by the Divine Apparatus of Ahura Mazda to create the conditions which will enable the Ruvan to remove its deficiencies. Each fragment of the Ruvan is given a physical form, which in our case as humans can be either the male or female body. The Ruvan is placed in this body through an intricate process and then begins its life on this earth as one of us. As an infant, the Ruvan is active, but as the child grows, the Ruvan falls into a slumber. As the physical mind becomes active, the child interacts with the world outside and develops its personality. As the physical mind becomes more mature, the Dravao, which is intertwined in every atom of our body now rears its head. In our minds, and in this physical world, the Dravao finds fertile ground for its own development! This arising of the Dravao and the exhibition of its tendencies is the root cause of man’s irresponsible and immoral behavior. The Dravao, which is ignorance itself, refuses to see the long term goal of the Ruvan – its salvation, and instead tries to take everything and more which is available in the surrounding environment. This exhibits itself as the various sins mentioned in our religion: lust, envy, anger, jealousy, revenge etc.

At the same time, it must be remembered that the body also has the Gav element in it. Gav is the Divine Life Force which enables us to breathe and live and survive as an organism. The fundamental characteristic of Gav is its ability to give everything it possesses for the good of another. This characteristic of selflessness [known in Gujarati as 'para-dukha-bhanjan' - taking the suffering of another on oneself] is the key to removing the deficiency from the Ruvan. The truly spiritual man is he, who, without even a moment’s thought or doubt, is willing to sacrifice all he has attained, for the purpose of helping another who is far worse off than him. This spirit of sacrifice is seen most visibly in the cow, which gives its most precious possession – its milk, for the use of others. If the cow is not milked, it is likely to die. This is the reason why the cow and the bull occupy such an important position in our religion.

Thus within our bodies, and almost unknown to us, there is a constant fight going on between the forces of Gav and Dravao. The Dravao, which can be portrayed as a wolf, sees the Cow, embodying the Gav, and tries to kill the cow in order to eat it. The cow, on the other hand, sees the ignorance of the Dravao and offers its milk to the wolf, in the hope that the his ignorance will be removed through the Divine Realization contained in its milk. The wolf runs behind the cow and the cow runs behind the wolf, in a never ending race! This battle is also the same battle which is played in our mind whenever we are tempted to do think, speak or do some evil. The brain, which as we have seen before, is composed of the Dravao and Gav elements, is in a tussle. Whenever a choice is presented to the individual, the Dravao rises and tries to influence the brain to take the short-term, and almost always, wrong, path. The Gav element tries to influence the mind by trying the make it understand the futility of taking the short-term approach and thinking long-term, and moving on the Path of Truth and Righteousness. Given this battle, sometimes our brain and mind decides to go with the Dravao, and hence commits sins; and sometimes agrees with the Gav, and commits virtue.

Thus any ‘prayer’ made by such a mind or person, who is composed of two competing sides can never be a real prayer to God. This is the reason why in our religion, the Manthras, are always the word of God, through His Authorized Prophet Zarathushtra, and His own Authorized descendants. True prayer or Manthra is thus that, which when prayed or recited, removes the confusion from our minds and helps us make the right choice – the choice of Truth and righteousness. In our next post, we shall try to understand how reciting the Manthras given to us by Prophet Zarathushtra help us in making this right choice.

Ervad Marzban J. Hathiram

Roj Adar Mah Bahman, 1378 Yz.

Today is the second death anniversary or Baj of Ervad Eruchshah Edulji Karkaria. I am posting the tribute I had written for him when he passed away so that readers of this blog may know what a great person we lost in his passing. It is a shame that our so-called community papers did not have the time or the decency to print even a small obituary on him when he passed away. This tribute is my small way of remembering someone who I was very close to and who helped me and continues to help me in many ways. I request all readers to please recite one Ashem Vohu after reading this tribute as your own personal mark of respect to a great Athornan.

Ervad Marzban J. Hathiram

It is an honour and privilege to write a few words in memory of Ervad Eruchshah Edulji Karkaria, who passed away in Navsari on Roj Adar, Mah Bahman; Sunday, 24th June 2007 at the age of 91. Eruchshah was the last of the great stalwarts we had in our community who combined the rare gifts of wisdom, ritual knowledge, scholarly aptitude, self pride and implicit humility. Ordained a complete priest at a young age, Eruchshah probably performed more Yazashne and Vendidad ceremonies than a normal person would perform the Kusti. He had the most fantastic ability to recite prayers in such a pure and perfect way that a careful listener would be able to distinguish between the short “i” of one word and the long “i” of another, or the four different types of “e” present in our Avesta Manthras. He spent many years as a Prayer instructor at the Dadar Madressa and hundreds of priests who passed under his hands still remember him as an extremely hard task master who would not hesitate to severely beat up a student until he got the pronunciation of the Avesta correct. Despite the beatings and the hardships, they still had complete love, respect and devotion for him, ascribing their current successes only to his hard efforts. As a practicing Yaozdathregar, Eruchshah was instrumental in training several hundred priests in the intricacy of the higher Pav Mahel ceremonies, including current leading lights like Ervad Aspandiar Dadachanji, late Ervad Jehangirji Turel, Ervad Faredun Turel, Ervad Keki Ravji, Ervad Keki Panthaky and others. His grasp of ritual was so perfect that he even knew the subtle differences in rituals between the priests of different Panthaks, and would teach each priest based on his knowledge of the different traditions present in the Bhagaria, Karkaria, Sanjana, Godavara or Surti panths. He had deep knowledge of difficult ceremonies like the Nirangdin, Hamayasht, consecration of a Varasyaji, or a Dokhma. Several practicing priests would make it a point to visit him and get their doubts cleared before undertaking such ceremonies.

Eruchshah was an encyclopaedia on the history of the priesthood, specially the Bhagaria (Navsari) panth which was founded in 1271 AD. The Bhagarias (so called because of their ancient agreement to share all the income amongst the partners) were divided into five main families, called ‘Pols’, each named after an illustrious leader. Each Pol would rotate the right to perform certain ceremonies in different months of the year so that all the five Pols and the various families (grouped by Surname) would get a chance to perform each different ceremony. Eruchshah could rattle of the rights of each family under every Pol for each day and month of the year! I still remember the first time I was introduced to him by another great son of Navsari, late Ervad Dosabhai Desai (Master Saheb), he immediately looked at me and said: “Hmmm… Hathiram – tame to Asa Faredun ni Pol na” (Hathiram – that means you are from the Asa Faredun Pol). He knew the complete history behind the various disputes between the Bhagaria and Sanjana Mobeds and would regale listeners (Priests only!) with the inside stories and quirks of some prominent priests.

Eruchshah was a lifelong student of Ilm-e-Khshnoom, and had the great fortune of interacting for many years with Khshnoom stalwarts like Dr. Framroze Chiniwalla (who gave him many detailed explanations regarding rituals, as well as certain Avesta Nirangs), Jehangirji Chiniwalla (who passed on many astrological gems to him) and Dinshaw Masani. Eruchshah led a life of the highest Tarikat order, being extremely steadfast in following the most minute Tarikat rules, because he sincerely and rightly believed that a Mobed without Tarikats was like a fish out of water. Because of this insistence on Tarikats and his refusal to take any short cuts, Eruchshah found it extremely difficult to find priests who would agree to pair with him as the Joti-Rathwi for Pav Mahel ceremonies, a fact he used to bemoan in his last years. Eruchshah had weak eyesight, which grew progressively worse as his age advanced. Perhaps he knew through his knowledge of astrology that he would lose his eyesight in later years, and hence developed a voracious appetite for reading all the available Khshnoom literature. In lieu of his poor eyesight, Eruchshah was gifted with the most amazing memory I have ever seen. On several occasions when I visited him with queries on some Khshnoom topics or ritual questions, Eruchshah would never cease to amaze me by being able to quote the exact volume, page and paragraph number where my query would be answered. He would always embellish this book knowledge with the wisdom he had received from the Khshnoom masters referred to earlier and would present the answers in a manner that they would be immediately and for always engraved in my mind. Eruchshah was always frank in his opinion and would not hesitate to demolish the ego of certain so-called Khshnoom leaders by pointing out their mistakes either through phone calls or letters.

When the Ustad Saheb Behramshah Nowroji Shroff Daremeher was established in 2001, and after I took over as Panthaky in 2003, Eruchshah wrote a letter to me, exhorting me to follow all the rules of prayer and ritual as explained by Ustad Saheb. In my reply to him I explained the various procedures we were following. He immediately wrote back commending me for that effort and laying down even further rules for the future. He also wrote a paragraph addressed to the Trustees of the Agiary, asking them to always support these efforts. That letter remains one of my most prized possessions. He was very eager to come to our Daremeher, specially during the Fasli Muktad days and witness himself the changed atmosphere present at that time. But time and his weak health prevented that from happening. He was one of my greatest supporters in keeping this tradition of Fasli Muktad started by Ustad Saheb nearly 90 years ago continue even today. He was extremely pleased when I started the Behram Baug Fasal Foundation to observe the Fasli festivals on the correct days and sent a very generous donation for the same.

Eruchshah was a master of astrology, and many people flocked to him for his advise. He would make his daughter read out the basic horoscope with the planets in each of the 12 houses. Even without his eyesight, he would form a picture of that horoscope in his mind’s eye and would then start rattling off the various characteristics of that person as well as points for the future. He specifically called for my horoscope once and sat down with me and gave me some pointers. He seemed very amused when he found that in many parts my horoscope chart seemed to match with his own, and chuckled and told me: “now you’ll see how difficult it will be for you to follow the hard Tarikats of our religion”.

Eruchshah had immense self pride – both as a Yaozdathregar priest of the highest calibre, and as a Khshnoomist. He steadfastly refuse to join the spectacle of hundreds of priests being presented large sums of money by lay persons for “their service to the religion”. He always used to say – ‘if it is service, then why should we accept this money?’ Despite several attempts to drag him to these “fairs” where Priests are paraded and given sums of money, Eruchshah firmly refused and was critical of those who did so, except in those cases where poverty was a concern. Always a stickler for protocol, Eruchshah was that rare person today who would always maintain his dignity and honour in public occasions and would always sit aside in a corner without a fuss until he was called on to the stage and asked to deliver a speech or a vote of thanks.

It was for all these and many more reasons, that Eruchshah was perhaps the only person I have seen who radiated a “Noor” or luminescence on his face. Despite his advanced age and ill health, his skin was fair and without blemish, and his face shone an aura which immediately made one want to fall at his feet. All this and more we have now irretrievably lost. Now who shall we turn to for answers to our myriad questions? Who shall guide us in ritual and procedure? Where will we find the Nirangs and prayers to combat our frailties and weaknesses? Who will keep in check our boundless egos and self inflicted sense of importance? To whom shall we turn to show our children’s horoscopes? An era has ended and we are left orphaned by his passing.

Eruchshah used to bemoan the poor quality of priests today, and would always wonder: ‘who will do my ceremonies?’ Nature always takes care of her own, and many of his senior students joined to fulfil that grave responsibility, in Navsari, as well as in Mumbai. Through these efforts, and through the intercession of the Abed Sahebs of Demavand who he so dearly loved and worshipped all his life, may his Ruvan come under the protection of Sarosh Yazad, and may it break free from the shackles of its physical body and arrive at the base of Chinvat to begin its journey to the onward realms. And may it continue to bless and guide us from there.

Ervad Marzban J. Hathiram

Roj Dae-pa-Adar Mah Bahman, 1378 Yz.

Of the many gifts given to Parsis by their Prophet Zarathushtra, that of the Manthras is one of the most significant. Manthras are the divine words of the Prophet and His appointed disciples which form what we loosely call today the ‘Avesta’. Over the thousands of years that have passed since the time of the advent of Zarathushtra, the great majority of the Manthras have been, unfortunately, lost. What we have left is not more than 5% of the original, which are used for daily prayers as well as the rituals which form the core of the faith. The question is often asked: What is the use of praying in a language we do not understand? Cannot the same prayers be translated in to a common language like English and the same said with more concentration and meaning? Would it not be better if some newer and shorter prayers were introduced? In order to answer these and related queries, it is necessary to firstly understand who man is, what is his role in nature, what is prayer, why does man need to pray and what benefits accrue from praying.

The fundamental characteristic which differentiates man from animals is his brain and the power of reasoning and logic, along with the ability to verbalize his thoughts and articulate them in an orderly manner. These reasoning, cognitive and verbal skills are controlled by the brain, or more popularly, the mind. The functioning of the mind gives rise to thoughts. Thoughts give rise to emotions. Every human is, at all times, involved in a complex mix of thoughts and emotions, which govern his behavior and responses with external stimuli. These interactions determine his overall character and temperament. Unlike animals, whose primary instinct is survival, man’s thoughts and emotions are more complex. His thoughts are shaped and formed by the sensory perceptions which reach his mind through the five senses. These senses, being physical in nature, cause man’s mind to be more involved in the physical phenomena around him. Thus our thoughts are constantly analyzing the physical surroundings and governing our responses to them. Thus the nature of man’s thoughts is, predominantly, short sighted, and more towards instant gratification. In such circumstances, the overall emotion is of taking more from the environment than is necessary for the self, or as is commonly called, selfishness. Since man is a social animal, his thoughts towards his immediate relatives and close associates may be more considerate and compassionate, but overall the material temperament in the most pronounced. It would be therefore, fair to say that our mind is a jumble of thoughts and emotions which are more about self-preservation and selfishness, where the ‘I, me, myself’ factor is predominant.

It is therefore logical to expect that even when thinking of God, man’s mind is constantly in a state of wanting. Even when we bow our heads before the Holy Fire, the mind keeps ready a list of demands and requests, which subconsciously and without even our knowing, keep pouring out. In other words, it would be fair to say that man is a prisoner of his own thoughts, which keep him in a state of permanent longing – of one thing or the other. This is the reason why the ancients coined the Persian word for prayer as ‘Bandagi’, which is derived from ‘bandag’ – slave! Thus even a prayer to God, were it to be composed by man, would include some element of want or desire. But religions and its Prophets have always taught us that the real goal of man is salvation, the merging of the self with the Lord. Thus the end result of our prayers should not be a material goal or a list of requests, but rather the single minded pursuit of salvation of the soul, known as ‘Ruvan bokhtagi’. Given the state of man’s mind as described above, it can be said that it is impossible for man to compose a ‘prayer’ with the salvation of the soul as its ultimate goal.

What is the reason for this? Why is man’s mind so structured as to be incapable of looking at the ultimate goal? The Zarathushtrian religion has answered this beautifully, and we shall analyze this in our next post.

Ervad Marzban J. Hathiram

Roj Behram Mah Dae, 1378 Yz.

I have written earlier about the tremendous power possessed by our consecrated Padshah Sahebs, housed in the numerous Agiaries and Atash Behrams around the country. There are so many incidents that happen in these sacred places which go unnoticed, or unreported. There is a great oral tradition in our community, where certain stories are handed down from generation to generation. And of course there are miracles which happen even in this polluted day and age.

The incident I am going to write about today happened maybe 50 to 70 years ago, and as is the case, the names of the persons involved are lost. The facts remain, and they make for very interesting reading.

Many Parsis must have observed that there are several non-Parsis who have great faith in our Agiaries and Atash Behrams, and always bow down whenever they pass these sacred places. Some non-Parsi devotees also offer money for sandalwood to some of their Parsi friends to offer to the Padshah Sahebs.

There was a non-Parsi businessman, somewhere around the Charni Road area, who was a great believer in the Holy Banaji Atash Behram situated opposite the station. On his way to work in that area, this businessman would enter the compound of the Atash Behram and offer a little sandalwood to the Padshah through any Parsi entering the Atash Behram, or the helpers sitting on the verandah outside, then bow down reverentially outside the Atash Behram and leave for his work.

After some time, the business of this man entered a downturn, and his debts began to mount, until a stage was reached when his creditors took him to court over non-payment of their dues. The case came up in front of a Parsi Judge. The Judge was lenient and expected the business of the man to improve in the coming days and was confident that he would be able to pay his debts, and hence gave him time of a few months. However, the situation went from bad to worse, and the businessman was in no state to pay anything to his creditors. When the days of grace were over, the Parsi judge gave a final ultimatum to the businessman and threatened him with imprisonment if the debt was not paid within the next two or three days.

On the day prior to the final deadline, the businessman could see no hope of being able to repay his creditors. Faced with the shame and humiliation of being declared bankrupt and being sent to prison, the businessman decided it was better to end his life rather than suffer in this manner. So for the last time he went up to the Banaji Atash Behram, and using the last of his money offered a piece of sandalwood to the Padshah in the normal manner. Bowing down to the Padshah, he turned around and started walking towards Chowpatty beach, where he had decided to put an end to his life by walking into the waters.

His mind filled with fear and trepidation coupled with thoughts of the shame of his bankruptcy and the feelings for his aged mother at their house all consumed this man, and he did not notice the horse carriage that pulled up next to him. In the carriage were seated two Parsi priests in the ceremonial dress! The carriage stopped and the priests asked the man where he was going. The businessman replied and to his great surprise the Priests offered him a lift! He was aware that Parsi priests would generally not have any contact with a non-Parsi. The carriage came to Chowpatty and the man thanked the Priests and got off.

The businessman sat down on the beach and waited for the sun to set, so that his walk into the water would not be noticed by anyone and he would not be stopped. As the sun began to set and darkness began to fall, the businessman arose and began to walk towards the waves and what he hoped was his escape from a troublesome life. As he was near the waves, he suddenly saw the same two Parsi priests walking towards him from the side! They came up to him and asked him what he was up to? The businessman gave evasive answers and tried to shake off the two Parsi priests. It was then that one of the Priests told him: ‘Go home, my friend, avoid what you are doing. Your debts will be repaid by tomorrow.’

Taken aback by the frankness of the Priests and realising that he was dealing with someone very spiritual, the businessman gave up and went back home, all the time wondering as to how these two could know his mental and financial state, and how would the debt be repaid? After a troubled night, the businessman was amazed to receive a visitor early in the morning – a person who owed the businessman a large sum of money, which the businessman had written off as non-recoverable stood at his door, with the entire amount in his hand!

His happiness knew no bounds, as the businessman proudly went to the court with the money and offered to pay his creditors what he owed in front of the Judge. The Judge, who had reconciled himself to sending the businessman to jail was surprised to see him with a pile of cash in his hand! The Judge got angry and rebuked the businessman – ’so you had the cash all along, but only when I threatened to imprison you did you agree to pay your creditors.’

The businessman broke down and narrated the entire story in front of the court. The Judge called a recess and took the businessman to his Chamber. The Parsi judge was on good terms with late Jehangirji S. Chiniwalla, the ace student of Ustad Saheb Behramshah N. Shroff and himself a practicing Advocate. The Judge called a meeting with Jehangirji and the businessman and after the story was retold asked Jehangirji whether any of this was possible or was the man lying?

With his knowledge and based on his interactions with Ustad Saheb, Jehangirji immediately replied that the man was telling the absolute truth. He explained to the Judge that there were two ways in which the incident could be interpreted.

Firstly, all Padshahs are living entities who have their own Astral Body. This body is normally resident within the Padshah Himself, but when need be, the astral body can take any form and manifest itself anywhere. The devotion of the non-Parsi towards the Padshah, coupled with the difficult circumstances of his life and maybe some good actions in a previous birth, all got together and made the Padshah invoke His Astral Body and commanded it to take the form of the Priests and guide the businessman on to the right path.

Another way to explain the incident was provided by Jehangirji, which we have discussed in the case of the Wadiaji Atash Behram incident. We are aware of the presence of the Sahiar Mobeds. These are lofty spiritual souls who normally visit India for a period of six months from Iran. They are given the spiritual responsibility of rectifying any defects or shortcomings in our Agiaries and Atash Behrams by the Abeds of Demavand. It is possible that the non-Parsi businessman was saved by the intercession of these Sahiar Mobeds.

Whatever the case may be, this incident again brings forward the fact that our Padshah Sahebs are live throbbing entities, who have immense power and can work miracles for us in times of difficulty. It behooves every Parsi to regularly visit our sacred places and form a deep bond of devotion and respect with these Padshah Sahebs. It is not enough to merely visit the Padshah Saheb before an important meeting, or an exam. It is necessary to form a relationship with the Padshah on a daily basis, to completely surrender our ego at his feet and to make Him a part of our daily life and ritual. Those who do so will surely be blessed by the Padshah and will at some point of their life, be witness to their own small personal miracle.

May that day come soon for all of us, and may we keep our faith in our own religion and its visible symbol – the Padshah Sahebs in our Agiaries and Atash Behrams, and may every Parsi arise out of the difficult circumstances of his or her life through the intercession of our Holy Fires!

Dear readers, there is a vast store of such inspiring incidents in our religion. Unfortunately we are unaware of them. It is my desire to record all such incidents here on the Frashogard blog. I request you to tell more and more of your Parsi friends about our website and ask them to visit this blog regularly, or to subscribe to it so that a wider readership can grow within the community. This will keep us together in the coming days of difficulty and hardship.

I am deeply indebted to my friend and brother-like figure Kaizad Keravala, who was told of this incident by a very close friend of late Jehangirji Chiniwalla and whose very good memory enabled him to recount it to us after so many years. In the coming days, I will try to put more such inspiring incidents on this Blog.

Ervad Marzban J. Hathiram

Roj Khorshed Mah Meher, 1378 Yz.

In our previous post we understood the meaning of ‘putting’ or ‘releasing’ the Baj of Sarosh at the point where the body is placed in the Dokhma and the helper gives the signal of ‘Bawaji, Baj mukjo.’

Once the signal is given, one can finish the Baj of Sarosh and then recite the Namaskar of the Dokhma and Namaskar of the Mountain (since Dungerwadi is on a hilltop) as given in the book.

After reciting the Namaskar, one should go up to the place where the person hands out the Taro, or bull’s urine. A small volume, about 5ml should be held in the cup of the palm and then applied to all the exposed parts of the body – the face, the arms, and the feet (if not covered with socks). Wait for about a minute to let the Taro dry off on the body. Thereafter, without washing the hands or praying anything, the Kusti should be untied, the Hormazd Khodae should be recited and the Kusti should be retied while reciting 2 Yatha, 1 Ashem. No further prayers should be said.

Now proceed to the wash basins and all the exposed parts where Taro had been applied should be washed with water and dried. Then recite the Kem na Mazda and untie the Kusti. Then Hormazd Khodae should be recited and the Kusti tied while reciting the 2 Yatha and 1 Ashem and then the Jasa me avangahe…prayer should be recited to finish off the Kusti ritual.

In effect, the Kusti should be untied and tied twice after praying the Namaskar. This is an important observance which is missed by almost 99% of people attending the Paidust.

The unfortunate practice of entering the Dadgah or Sagdi immediately after this should be avoided and should not be done. In the earlier days, there were small wash rooms next to the Dadgah. The Parsi helpers would take one’s fresh clothes on arrival at the Dungerwadi and keep this set in those bathrooms. After the Paidust, one would have a quick bath and then wear these clothes, and only then enter the Sagdi. If this is not possible today, then one should not enter the Sagdi. One can always visit it when one comes for the Uthamna.

Now it’s time to head back to the Bungli. Care should be taken to return by the same path as one came up. Begin reciting the Sarosh Baj once again up to the words ‘Astavaitish ashahe..’ (i.e. take the Baj of Sarosh). In Mumbai as one enters the straight sloping road which leads down to the Bunglis, there is a small but important ritual which needs to be performed by those returning back. Keeping the Baj, the person should bend down, such that the right knee touches the ground. Then, using the handkerchief, place the right hand on the ground and recite one Yatha. Then stand up again, walk about 5 steps, and repeat bending down on the right knee, and placing the right hand on the ground with the handkerchief in between the ground and the hand. Once more, stand up, walk a further 5 steps and repeat one last time. While performing this ritual the following thought should be passed through the mind: “While walking up behind the corpse, I passed on some of the Druj Nasu on to this sacred ground. with the power of this one Yatha, I pray that the load on this ground due to that Druj Nasu be hereby removed.” Once the ritual is finished, the Baj of Sarosh can be concluded and by that time you would have arrived at the Bungli.

After arriving at the Bungli, one can meet the relatives of the deceased and offer your condolences once again. Those who wish to leave for work directly should take permission of the relatives to use the baths attached to the Bungli to have a quick shower and change into normal clothes. Those who are leaving for home can proceed directly. On reaching home the clothes should be lightly rinsed by the person while having their bath and then given for the actual washing.

Those who are close relatives and intend to stay at the Dungerwadi for the further prayers should immediately have a bath and change into fresh clothes. Then after tying the Kusti, one should go near the place where the corpse was placed and where a small Afarganyu (fire vase) will now be placed with a fire. Taking a small piece of good quality sandalwood and a pinch of incense, offer the same to the fire and recite one Ashem. while reciting the Ashem, the following thought should be passed: “May the Ruvan of so-and-so attain the protection of Sarosh Yazad and prepare itself for its journey to the higher realms.” This marks the end of the Paidust ritual.

The process of attending the Paidust is a sacred responsibility. There are several things one is supposed to do which will help the Ruvan in its onward journey. If they are done correctly, the person is blessed by the Ruvan in deep gratitude. Such blessings are worth more than any happiness money can buy.

It is only when we read the complete list of things to do that we realise how much importance is placed in our religion on our attendance at the Paidust. And it is only then we realise how our current practice is so far removed from what it should be.

It is hoped that Parsis who have read this series of posts will not only pass on this knowledge to others but also try and observe the responsibilities whenever they next visit the sacred grounds of the Dungerwadi.

Ervad Marzban J. Hathiram

Roj Mahrespand Mah Sherevar, 1378 Yz.

A lady has asked the following queries after reading yesterday’s post on the Paidust.

1. Can pregnant women attend any of the other ceremonies performed for the deceased (at Dungerwadi or at the Agiary) – like Sarosh nu Patru or Uthamna or the later ceremonies like Dasma, Masiso, Chamsi, Varsi, Muktad prayers, etc?

2. Ahunavaiti Gatha is also prayed during the Gatha days by many – may it be at home or in the Agiary – what happens to pregnant women then? What is to be done/observed at that time?

3. Can the Ahunavaiti Gatha or any of the other Gathas for that matter be prayed on any other day of the year also?

My answers are as under:

1. Pregnant women can attend ALL ceremonies being performed by the deceased as mentioned in the query EXCEPT for the Paidust, for the simple reason that the Ahunavaiti Gatha is recited ONLY during the Geh Sarna ceremony.

A further query can be raised by some critical minded persons that if the effect of the Ahunavaiti Gatha is such as described in the earlier post, should pregnant women also not attend the Yazashne, Vandidad and Nirangdin ceremonies where also the Ahunavaiti Gatha forms part of the prayers?

The answer is definitely pregnant women can attend these ceremonies, even though Ahunavaiti Gatha is recited as some part of the ritual. The reason is this: The Avesta prayers are arranged according to the laws of Staota Yasna (the Divine Science of Vibrations, which arise through the recitation of Avesta prayers). Thus what comes before as well as after a particular prayer is also very important as it has an effect on the overall Staota produced during the ceremony. Thus in the Geh Sarna ceremony, the Ahunavaiti Gatha comprises almost 99% of the total prayer and hence the Staota of this prayer is very strong. On the other hand in case of ceremonies like the Yazashne or Vandidad, the Ahunavaiti Gatha does not form even 5% of the overall prayer and is sandwiched between other prayers of equal or greater Staota. Hence the precautions to be taken by pregnant women during the Geh Sarna do not apply to the other ceremonies mentioned.

2. Ahunavaiti Gatha is definitely prayed by many Parsis during the Gatha days. However, pregnant women should NOT pray this Gatha. They can resume the following year.

3. Any of the Gathas can be prayed even on the non-Gatha days. However, there is a long standing tradition that the Ahunavaiti Gatha is NOT prayed on a regular basis. In addition it is advisable for a Parsi to recite the Vahishoisti Gatha everyday.

Ervad Marzban J. Hathiram

Roj Jamyad Mah Sherevar, 1378 Yz.

In our earlier two posts we have covered the aspects of attending a Paidust up to the stage where the two priests begin the recitation of the Ahunavaiti Gatha which is known as the Geh Sarna ritual.

The person attending the Paidust has already ‘taken’ his Baj of Sarosh and is therefore in the ‘no-talk’ phase. This is a good time to closely listen to the priests and manner in which they recite this particular prayer. There is a steady speed in their praying, where the breath is taken at the beginning of each stanza of the Ahunavaiti Gatha and the breath is not broken till the end of the stanza. The recitation is peculiar because there is a cutting motion to the prayer with each word being recited with some sharpness. Even the recitation of the Yatha Ahu Vairyo prayers which occur at the end of each Chapter of the Gatha (there being 7 Chapters in the Ahunavaiti Gatha) is done in a peculiar cutting motion.

There is a very important spiritual aspect to this practice. The Manthras of the Ahunavaiti Gatha are very powerful and their main characteristic is the ability to CUT. The recitation of this prayer is done to CUT the connection which exists between the Ruvan of the person, now sitting near the head of its old and decaying body, and the physical body itself. There is a subtle spiritual cord, much like the umbilical cord which binds together the mother and child at birth. This ability of the Ahunavaiti Gatha Manthras to cut connections is the main reason why pregnant women are advised NOT to attend the Paidust, as the powerful Manthras might inadvertently cause a problem in the link between the mother and the developing child in her womb.

At a certain point during the Geh Sarna ceremony, the priests stop praying and turn away from the body. The Nasseh-salaars sitting next to the body lift it from the stone slabs on which it was placed before the Sachkar, and gently place the body into the iron bier or Gehaan located next to the stone slabs. At this point the spiritual Karshas or boundaries drawn at the time of the Sachkar ceremony to contain the Druj Nasu are broken and the Nasu comes charging out. Immediately another assistant brings in the dog and the Sagdid ritual is done. The spiritual power coming out of the dog’s eyes limits the spread of the Nasu pollution. At this time, the persons sitting in the room where the body is placed should turn their gaze or eyesight away from the body so that no connection is established between the eyes and the Nasu. Once the Sagdid ritual is over, the assistant gives an audible signal to the priests who will then once again resume the Geh Sarna prayer from the point they had stopped. The persons sitting in the room should wait for this signal to bring back their eyes upon the body.

As the Mobeds recite and come to the end of the Geh Sarna prayer the constant thought should be run: “May the powerful prayers of the Ahunavaiti Gatha succeed in cutting the connection and attraction between the Ruvan and its body.”

After the Geh Sarna prayers are over, and if the Baj has been maintained, one should go up in front and perform the Sezda, always standing at least 10 feet away from the body. Even if the Nasseh-salaars insist, you should not go any near to the body than 10 feet at all times. If the Baj has been broken by speaking to someone, then the Kusti should be re-done and the Baj of Sarosh taken once again. Then the Sezda should be performed and silence maintained to hold the Baj. While bowing down in front of the body while doing the Sezda, a silent 1 Ashem Vohu can be recited and the thought passed in the mind: “May the Ruvan of Behdin XX (name of the person) close its connection with this physical body which is now going to the Dokhma, and may it attain the protection and custody of Sarosh Yazad.”

After doing the Sezda, one should walk out of the Bungli and use a cotton handkerchief to make a Paiwand (connection) with another person. The handkerchief should be held by the two in such a way that it forms a U shape. Thereafter one should walk behind the body being carried after the priests and keeping an adequate distance. While walking the following thought should be focussed in the mind: “Because the body has been lifted from the pavi in which it was placed at the time of the Sachkar, the attack of Druj Nasu is now in play. With this handkerchief and the power of my Kusti and Sarosh Baj, I am reducing the attack on the Urvan. May the Earth (Spenta Armaiti) take the attack of the Nasu from the Urvan and onto herself through this handkerchief.” Those who know the ‘Yatu zi Zarathushtra …’ prayer forming part of the Haftan Yasht should pray the same while walking behind the priests. Otherwise, the simple Ashem prayer would suffice. Absolute silence is a must as the Baj is still ‘On’.

Rather than looking around at the scenic beauty of the Dungerwadi premises or the other persons who are attending the Paidust, it is best to keep the eyes towards the ground and to focus the mind on the thoughts mentioned in the previous paragraph.

After the body has been placed on the platform before the Dokhma for the final Sagdid, the last Sezda should be done from around 10 feet. While bowing down for the last time before the deceased’s body, focus the thoughts on your association with that person, and praying one Ashem Vohu pass the thought: “May the Ruvan of Behdin XX (name of the person) close its connection with this physical body which is now going to the Dokhma, and may it attain the protection and custody of Sarosh Yazad.”

After the body is carried into the Dokhma the attendees should walk to the place where the prayer books are handed out. After some time, one of the Nasseh-salaars who has accompanied the body inside the Dokhma will come out and give a signal to the assistant handing out the books. The assistant then loudly says: “Bawaji Baj mukjo” (Parsis, please ‘leave’ the Baj). This is the given signal when the Baj of Sarosh which had been taken at the Bungli should be finished by reciting ‘Nemascha ya Armaitish…’ and then the rest of the Sarosh Baj. Then the Namaskar of the Dokhma and the Namaskar of the Mountain given in the book should be recited.

It is only now that readers will realise the mystery of the man shouting “Bawaji Baj mukjo” which everyone listens to but hardly anyone understands today! There is a reason behind EVERY step of our rituals, it just needs to be understood.

We shall continue the further steps in our next post.

Ervad Marzban J. Hathiram