Frashogard

Roj Dae-pa-Din Mah Meher, 1380 Yz.

After the Padruz Uthamna gets over the priests take a break, waiting for the exact time when the Zoroastrian day changes, 36 minutes before sunrise. As soon as this time is reached, the priests perform a fresh Kusti, recite the Sarosh Baj and Havan Gah and then begin the very important ceremony, generally called the Daham Yazad Jashan or Afringan. Not many Parsis are aware of this very essential Zoroastrian Divinity called Daham Yazad, since his name is not part of the 30 days calendar. However, priests are on familiar terms with Daham Yazad, since every Afringan ceremony performed must contain one Karta (chapter) dedicated to him. Who is Daham Yazad and why is he so important?

To understand the role and importance of Daham Yazad it is necessary to understand the composition of the human body and its ultimate destiny. Just as the physical body is composed of many billions of atoms and molecules, all manifesting themselves in various permutations and combinations, so also the basic building block of the physical atoms owes its origins to what is called as ‘Anasers’. Anasers can be called the spiritual DNA, which are unseen. The Anasers are derived from even more ethereal components which are manufactured in certain spiritual factories in a distinct part of the Cosmos. These ethereal components are transported down to the earth in a particular manner by various divine entities. As they descend on earth they become less ethereal and more ultra-physical. Finally they manifest as Anasers and then are mixed with earthly matter to form the physical DNA, atoms and molecules and other elementary particles which are being discovered by science today. The Anasers are categorized into four groups: Atash (Fiery) Baad (airy) Aab (watery) and Khak (earthly).

When we die, the physical body begins to disintegrate. However, as Zoroastrians, it is our moral duty to not defile any element. At the same time, the Anasers, which are entwined within the human body must be disengaged from their physical confines and liberated. If this is not done, the flight of the Urvan to the higher regions cannot take place. This is where the great Talisman of the Dakhma comes in. Many Parsis believe that the Dakhma is merely a receptacle for the dead bodies. This is incorrect. The Dakhma is a spiritual institution whose importance is on the same level as an Atash Behram!

Before the Dakhma can be built a very intricate ceremony called the Tana ceremony is carried out. This ceremony is so intricate and backbreaking that very few priests can do it, and even they have to be guided constantly by a council of priests who gather at the spot for this momentous occasion. The ground where the physical structure of the Dakhma is to be created is first dug up to the foundation level. Then 301 nails of various weights, shapes and sizes are made out of copper. On the appointed day, the specially prepared priests descend into the foundation level and with the accompaniment of specific prayers, begin the process of hammering these 301 nails to the ground in a particular circular manner. The largest of the nails weighs a massive 20 kilos and is hammered right in the centre of the foundation. Then four nails, each weighing 5 kilos and each having three holes are hammered into the four directions. After that 36 nails are hammered in a circular fashion around the inner perimeter. Then 256 (32 x 2 x 4) nails are hammered in the spot where the gutters leading from the central Bhandar well of the Dakhma to the underground wells will be constructed. These are in two rows of 32 nails each. Finally 4 nails are hammered at the entrance of the four gutters. In this way (1+4+36+256+4) 301 nails are hammered into the ground. Each nail is to be fixed into the ground using specific prayers. To help the priests get this done properly, guidelines are drawn on the ground using chalk powder by the priests themselves. As the hammering progresses the council of priests watching from above supervises the entire process, ensuring that no mistake is made.

Then on the appointed day, the Tana ceremony is performed. Many weeks before this ceremony, pious Zoroastrian ladies belonging to the priestly class begin weaving the woollen thread which will be used in the Tana ceremony. The procedure followed is the same as is used while extracting the thread from which the Kusti is woven. With the accompaniment of prayers, the ladies of the priestly family take a ball of wool and slowly begin drawing out one thin thread from the it, using the small spindle (chaatri). This painstaking and time consuming process must be done till a sufficient length of thread is extracted. Then, two balls of this thread are taken and again, with the accompaniment of prayers, the two threads are woven together to make one strong thread. Then 101 such stands are taken to weave into a thick thread, about the thickness of a normal Kusti. [In the Kusti weaving process, 72 strands are used, but for the Dakhma 101 strands are used.] This thread is then carefully wound up to make a big ball of thread.

How much is required? Enough to go around the entire circumference and the inner parts of the Dakhma foundation three times. If the circumference of the Dakhma is say 300 feet, then more than 1800 feet (or about 545 metres) of thread is required to be kept ready. Just to give readers an idea of how difficult this is, the normal Kusti of say 5 Gaj is about 135 inches long (about 3.5 metres), we are talking about the equivalent of more than 150 such Kustis! The ball of thread is then handed over to the priests, who ritually wash and dry the thread and then fumigate it using the Dadgah fire.

On the day of the Tana ceremony, the two priests, who are in a ritually exalted state (Moti Khub), under the watchful eye of the High Priests, the chosen Council of Priests and a large number of assembled Parsi laypersons, begin the process. The main priest takes the end of the thread and to the accompaniment of specific prayers, ties the end to the central nail in the centre of the Dakhma foundation. The second priest walks behind him, carrying the big ball of thread in a large Langri, or pan. It is his job to ensure that at no point the thread touches the ground or gets entangled in any way, since that would ruin the whole ceremony. From the central nail, the priest walk to the nail in the south west corner and giving a twist there, walk to the nails in the other three corners, making a whole circle of the Dakhma foundation. They then pass the thread through one of the holes in the nails with three holes and then pass the thread over the 36 nails arranged in two rows around the circumference. This whole process is repeated two more times, passing the thread through the other two holes of the three holed nails, and twisting a turn over each of the other nails.

After the third round around the perimeter, the thread is taken to the 32 nails on each side of each of the four gutters and passed over each nail, giving a twist. Finally the thread is brought back to the centre nail and joined with the end from which the whole process was started. Any excess thread is also wrapped around the head of the nail. This back breaking and exacting process must be finished within the Havan Gah, to the accompaniment of specific prayers and without a single break or error. The Tana ceremony is the pinnacle of a priest’s life and one in thousands gets an opportunity to perform this exalted ceremony. It is my great privilege to present to readers of Frashogard two extremely rare photographs showing the Tana ceremony for the Dakhma at Bangalore. These are perhaps the only extant photos of this ceremony.

I apologize for the poor quality since these are photos taken from old photos by me. This second photograph shows the priests climbing back to the ground after finishing the ceremony. Note the row of 32 nails in each line. This is where the gutter leading to the underground wells of the Dakhma would be contructed.

One can clearly see the exactness with which the Tana has been wrapped around the nails in the ground. Also clearly seen is the Council of Priests sitting on the top, along with Head Priests and the large number of Parsis.

The following diagram also shows the positioning of the nails around the foundation and the process of wrapping the Tana thread around the nails.

We shall understand the esoteric meaning behind this ceremony in our next post.

Ervad Mrzban J. Hathiram

Roj Sarosh Mah Meher, 1380 Yz.

The Bhoi prayers performed during the first four days provide protection and sustenance to the Ruvan, Baodangh and Fravashi (now collectively called Ruvan), as they take their seat near the head of the physical body. The Keherp, Ushtan and Tevishi bodies (collectively called Keherp from now on) coalesce to form a small receptacle, in the shape of the Farohar image which is commonly seen today, in which the Ruvan sits. The lighted Divo, the Sachkar circuits and the constant prayers near the body are of great help and need to the Ruvan as it prepares for its great flight.

The Geh Sarna ceremony cuts the umbilical cord which ties the Ruvan to its physical body. As the physical body is carried away to be consigned to the Dakhma, it is of vital importance that the Bhoi prayers are NOT stopped. Unfortunately, due to absence of priests and the laziness and ignorance of relatives, once the physical body is removed from the Bungli, the constant prayers stop. Soon the atmosphere is the Bungli also changes with relatives indulging in loud and inappropriate talk (and laughter, in some cases), totally oblivious to the fact that the Ruvan is still present and sitting near the place where the body was placed. This is the time of greatest vulnerability, when the need for Avesta prayers is the greatest. And yet, in our ignorance, we stop the prayers at the very time they are needed to most! It is the duty of relatives to form a chain of volunteers who can sit and open the Khordeh Avesta and recite just about any prayer, in a soft but audible voice, for say 15 minutes each. Then the next volunteer can take over and so on. If this simple remedy is adopted, there would be no need of requesting priests to pray, and no arguments. It is to be remembered that the primary responsibility of saying the Bhoi prayers is of relatives and not priests.

Every Parsi is supposed to recite certain prayers, which are called the Farajyat prayers in each Gah of the day. While we may not follow this injunction in life, it is essential that the Ruvan of the deceased gets this benefit. Hence at the change of every Gah, a relative should perform his Kusti and then sit down and recite the Farajyat prayers in the Bungli in a soft but audible voice. The Dungerwadi helpers should be reminded to put a Kasya of milk where the prayers are being recited. After the Farajyat prayers are over, the milk should be offered to the dog who was used to perform the Sagdid ceremony.

The Sarosh nu Patru ceremony (which should start 36 minutes after sunset) arms the Ruvan sitting in the Bungli with the protection of Sarosh Yazad, to fight the evil forces which gather as the sun sets. Meanwhile, Baj prayers should be performed in the Agiary in every Gah to offer the protection to the Ruvan and prepare it for its onward journey. If possible, three Yazashne and three (or one) Vandidad ceremonies should also be performed.

In the Ushahin Gah of the third day after death, the most important ceremonies of consecrating 5 Bajs take place in the Agiary. The Padruz Uthamna ceremony is performed in the last 80 minutes before the next day commences. (the Zoroastrian day begins 36 minutes before sunrise.) In this solemn ceremony, the lead Priest recites a very long list of names of ancient Zoroastrian Emperors, warriors, relatives of the Prophet Zarathushtra and other illustrious personages. Many persons ask me why these names of persons who have passed away thousands of years ago need to be recited? There are two reasons for reciting this Roll of Honour. The first is to pay respect to those who lived ideal Zoroastrian lives and played important roles in the rise of our religion. But the main reason is that the priest is calling attention to the super-evolved Fravashis of all those illustrious personages.

In his mind, as the priest calls out the names, he should pass this thought: ‘O Great, illustrious Fravashis! Here lies the Ruvan of the deceased Behdin. It is preparing to undertake the most dangerous and long journey of its life – from this physical earth to the regions of Chinvat in a different dimension. In this journey, it will be watched closely by many evil spirits, who would love to capture the Ruvan and use it as a slave in their unholy activities. The times in which this Ruvan has lived its life, are far from conducive for following the commandments of our great religion. It is therefore likely that the person has committed many sins and transgressions which will hinder its smooth journey. There is a great danger that the Ruvan may not reach its appointed destination. By the power vested in me through this white turban and my righteous life, I request all you great personages to witness the flight of this Ruvan. I appeal to you to offer it all assistance and protection in its voyage. I implore you to guide it to its final destination!”

The Padruz Uthamna also contains certain lessons for the Ruvan, which it listens to with full attention. The sacred Manthras of this ceremony, specially the last paragraph prepare the Ruvan for its ultimate destiny. As the ceremony ends, a helper takes the plate of flowers in one hand and the sprinkler containing rose water in the other. He first offers the same to the priests, and then to the relatives present. What is the meaning of this practice? Some wise members of our community (one of the problems with our community is that there are too many persons who think they are wise, but are not actually so) commented that since the Uthamna ceremony takes place very early in the morning, the rose water is offered to freshen up those who may have dozed off to sleep, lulled by the melodious voice of the priest! Wah! What sound logic! But then why is the rose water also offered in the afternoon Uthamna?

It was our beloved Master, Ustad Saheb, who first explained the rationale of this practice, which is called the Pai Mozd ceremony. Ustad Saheb revealed that as the Ruvan prepares for its journey, it looks forward to those who have assembled there. It wonders what those who have assembled there will do for it. At this time, the helper arrives with the flowers and the rosewater. Each member of the assembly, who has come there because of his love and respect for the deceased, should take one of the flowers from the tray and wet his hands with the rosewater. Then holding the flower in front of his eyes, the relative should make a solemn promise to offer something of value to the Ruvan of the deceased. Not in monetary terms, because that has no value to the Ruvan, but in terms of Manthra. It can be a simple promise: ‘I will recite a Stum Karda every day for the first month’, or ‘I will have the Baj ceremony performed for you every month’, or ‘I will recite the Sarosh Patet prayer for you’, or just ‘I will remember you every day after my prayers and recite one Ashem Vohu in your memory’.

The flower should be taken and kept carefully in the Khordeh Avesta book used by the relative for his daily prayers. Even after it has dried out, it will serve as a reminder of the promise given to the Ruvan. Similarly, the scent of the rosewater will remind us of our spiritual task.

The Ruvan wishes for these Pai Mozd promises as it prepares for its flight. Alas! Today we have forgotten everything. Only the shell remains!

We shall continue our journey in the next post.

Ervad Marzban J. Hathiram

Roj Khorshed Mah Meher, 1380 Yz.

Where do we come from? Why are we here? What do we need to do here? Where will we go? These are the essential and existential questions asked by all at some point or other in our life. Great philosophers and thinkers have applied their immense intellect to come up with answers that may satisfy our urge to know the reality behind this earth. A famous musician and singer wrote eloquently:

From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There’s more to be seen than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done

Some say eat or be eaten
Some say live and let live
But all are agreed as they join the stampede
You should never take more than you give

In the circle of life
It’s the wheel of fortune
It’s the leap of faith
It’s the band of hope
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the circle of life.

What does the Zoroastrian religion have to say about these questions? What light has our Master, Ustad Saheb Behramshah Nowroji Shroff shed on the wondrous circle of life?

Ustad Saheb explained that in order to properly answer these questions, it was necessary to understand the rationale of creation. The Zoroastrian Divine Science reveals that Ahura Mazda created this universe to aid in the process of collective salvation (Frashogard). The Ruvans of man play a central role in this process. The Ruvans carry with them a part of the imperfection which exists in nature. This imperfection has to be converted to perfection. Over an extremely long period of time (called Zravane Akarne – Endless Time in the Avesta), the individual Ruvans will convert their individual burden to perfection. When all such individual fragments have been reformed, the collective universe will head towards collective perfection – called Frashogard, or Frashokereiti.

Thus man’s life of 70-80 years is an insignificant part of the overall extremely long life of the Ruvan as it toils to reform the small part of imperfection it carries. The earth is one of the many milestone stops where the Ruvan arrives at, uses the facilities provided by Ahura Mazda and His Creation to reform its burden and then proceeds onwards on its long journey. Our physical body, in which the Ruvan spends the few years of our life, is one such aid in the process of transmutation of evil to good. Therefore to understand the journey of the Ruvan and our own journey, it is necessary to properly study the composition of our body.

The Avesta reveals that the physical body which we see and interact with is not the whole body. The complete human body is composed of nine parts, divided into three groups of three components each. The first group of three bodies, which we may call the Physical Group, consists of

The second group of three bodies, which we may call the Ultra-physical Group, consists of

The third group of three bodies, which we may refer to as the Divine Group contains the

The Keherp or the subtle body contains within it 16 centres, called Chakhras, which attract, receive, process and distribute Divine Energy which descends from the heavens above. The Chakhras are located at 16 different points of the human body, starting from the top of the head to the soles of the feet. The three Divine Bodies of Ruvan, Baodangh and Fravashi reside within the 10th Chakhra which is located near the heart.

Each of the three groups also has its own reasoning and thinking mind. The mind which we currently use to determine our daily behaviour is the mind of the physical group of bodies. (referred to as the physical mind from here on). The mind connected to the ultra-physical group of bodies is currently dormant, but can be activated by those who are advancing on the spiritual path. The mind connected with the Divine group (which we will refer to as the Ruvan’s mind) is also dormant during our physical life. It can be activated by very advanced persons who have freed themselves from the limitations of physical life. During our lifetime of 70-80 years, the physical mind is active and this is the intelligence we use to make the decisions which will shape our lifestyle and interaction with others.

Another important point to bear in mind is the fact that every thought, word and deed which is produced by our physical mind is recorded at three places in nature. The first imprint is placed in our Aipi, or the immediate surrounding area of our physical body which is unseen through normal eyes. The second imprint is recorded on the ground where such thought, word or deed was germinated. The third imprint is created in an area far above the earth, which we shall examine later on. Depending on whether the thought, word or deed was good (good refers to universal good, not personal or convenient good) or evil, the imprint is recorded in either the south or north side of the area above the earth. These imprints play an invaluable part in our onward journey, as we shall see later on.

On the day of death, which is always pre-determined, many processes are started within the 9 bodies. As dawn breaks, the Azda, which is like a bag of viscous liquid permeating the entire physical body and about 3 inches beyond that, slowly begins to develop a crack, near the right toe (for a male) and the left toe (for females). The life force begins to seep out of this crack slowly. At the same time, the physical mind, which was active all through life, begins shutting down. Depending on whether the death is destined to be sudden or violent or whether it is gradual or peaceful, the physical mind sees a recap of the events of the entire life, in a few seconds or over a slightly longer period. Slowly, the physical faculties of the body begin shutting down, one after the other and the mind begins wandering or slipping in and out of consciousness. At the moment of death, the Azda breaks down totally and the two heat forces which were keeping the physical body alive, cool down and stop.

At the point of death, the Divine Bodies of Baodangh and Fravashi, which have been alerted and activated, now arouse the Ruvan and its mind. The three bodies, which were residing in the tenth Chakhra near the heart, must now move out of this place, and take up residence in the first Chakhra, located at the top of the head. This is a dangerous journey (although it seems to be hardly a distance between the heart and the head). The danger arises from the arrival of two evil forces – Aeshma Druj and Nasu Druj. Aeshma Druj is the evil force which is created from the imprints of our own evil thoughts, words and deeds, which had been collected in the Aipi through the life time. Nasu Druj is the evil force which arises once the physical body loses its heat and starts decaying. It is the primary reason why the body begins to give off bad odour and starts decomposing. Both these Druj forces put roadblocks in the journey of the Divine Bodies from the 10th Chakhra to the 1st Chakhra.

At this point, it is essential that the Sachkar ceremony is performed immediately, and definitely in the same Gah in which death took place. It is very unfortunate today that the Sachkar ceremony is purposely delayed so that a relative of the deceased can come and touch the body. While emotions must be respected, the Ruvan of the deceased suffers tremendously because of the delay in performing the Sachkar. Unless the Sachkar is performed, the road is not cleared for the Ruvan to complete its journey from the 10th Chakhra to the 1st Chakhra. The relative of the deceased does not gain anything by touching a dead body, the life from which has moved out long ago. But this delay causes grievous hurt to the Ruvan of the deceased. Those who willingly delay the performance of this vital ceremony put such a grave load on the onward journey of the soul that its ill effects cannot be imagined.

Once the Sachkar ceremony is performed properly, the spiritual circuits drawn by the iron nail moving around the body stop the attack of Aeshma Druj and Nasu Druj on the Ruvan. The Divine Bodies now move out of the tenth Chakhra and take up their residence in the 1st Chakhra, where they will reside for the first three days after death.

We shall continue the journey further in the next post.

Ervad Marzban J. Hathiram