Frashogard

Roj Khordad Mah Tir, 1379 Yz.

Over time, the bond between Bahmanshah and Ustad Saheb grew. Bahmanshah used to go everyday to the Master’s house and do whatever work or errands were given to him by Behramshah. We have seen earlier that Behramshah’s children did not live very long. A few days before the first birthday of his girl, Tehmina, the child fell ill and soon developed pneumonia. At this time of crisis, Bahmanshah was at the side of his Ustad, calling the doctor home, getting medicine from the pharmacy and helping out in whatever way he could. Despite the doctor’s best efforts, the child’s health deteriorated until finally one evening the doctor came home, had a look at Tehmina and told Ustad Saheb that it would be all over in a few hours. Behramshah was deeply saddened and went over to his easy chair and sat down dejected. In his times of crisis, Ustad Saheb always used to remember his Master, Sraoshavarez Marzbanji Saheb and ask for his help. As he lay on the easy chair, Ustad Saheb dozed off, only to suddenly wakeup and exclaim: ‘My Ustad says to give the child her mother’s breast!’

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Roj Ardibehest Mah Tir, 1379 Yz.

Bahmanshah Dosabhai Hakim belonged to the famous Bhogiji Hakim family of Surat. Sometime in the 18th century, a famous Armenian Hakim (traditional doctor) called Khwajah Avanes Saheb had come to Surat. One of the ancestors of Bahmanshah had given the Khwajah a place to stay in his own residence in Surat. As a favour, Khwajah Avanes imparted his deep knowledge of traditional medicine to this ancestor of Bahmanshah. After the Khwajah passed away (his grave exists in Surat till this day), the ancestors of Bahmanshah began their practice of the traditional medicine and soon became well known for their cures and remedies. Hence the family surname changed to Hakim from Bhogiji. Over the next generations, the medical practice thrived and the family’s cheap and effective prescriptions, especially their ‘cough remedy’ and ‘fever packets’ achieved great popularity not only in Surat but all over India. Bahmanshah’s elder brother Ardeshir Hakim became the Diwan (Prime Minister) of the Maharaja of Kashmir, while another brother Dr. Dhunjishah studied western medicine and combined it with his traditional knowledge to have a good practice in Surat.

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Roj Hormazd Mah Tir, 1379 Yz.

All this made no difference to Ustad Saheb, who had right from the beginning insisted that the knowledge he had got could not be mass propagated. Seth Choksi requested Behramshah to take the class for the priests on a regular basis. In addition, it was arranged for Ustad Saheb to give regular talks in the Contractor Hall of the Anjuman Atash Behram in Mumbai and in March 1910 the Master gave a series of talks on topics like Sarosh, Atash Behram, Jiram and Meher. The first of the talks in this series was presided over by the then leading Trustee of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet Seth B. D. Petit (later founder of the Parsi General Hospital). These talks left a great impression in the minds of those who attended and at last, as per Seth Choksi’s desire and original wish, a few Mobeds also came under the Master’s influence and began to incorporate his teachings and guidance in their daily practice. In December 1910, Ustad Saheb established the Ilm-e-Khshnoom Institute as a proprietary concern and began printing small handbooks and holding classes.

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Roj Ashtad Mah Khordad, 1379 Yz.

In Mumbai, preparations for the arrival of Ustad Saheb were in full swing. Mr. Khodabux Poonegar sent out a postcard invite to all the major Parsi scholars at that time. The postcard mentioned that a Parsi had appeared in Surat who claimed to have met and stayed with a group of Zoroastrian sages in Iran and had got detailed explanation about the true essence of the religion. Scholars were invited to meet with this gentleman and hear what he had to say. A detailed description of the first meeting (and subsequent meetings) of the scholars with Ustad Saheb is given by Mr. Sorabji Nanabhai Banaji, who was himself an invitee to the meeting in his article published in the Ustad Saheb Memorial Volume.

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Roj Din Mah Khordad, 1379 Yz.

Over the next three days, Ustad Saheb continued his series of talks on Atash at the Bazm. In Manchersha Master’s sharp mind the obvious question arose: ‘where has this man got all this knowledge from’ since in all his years of study of religion, Manchersha had not come across any explanation anywhere close to what Behramshah was expounding. At the end of the third day of talks, Manchersha put across this question very politely to Ustad Saheb. Behramshah answered: ‘All I have learnt has been at the feet of my Ustad, Sraoshavarez Marzbanji Saheb, and I have got this knowledge of Khshnoom from the Abed Sahebs of Demavand in Iran.’ Now Manchersha, being a school teacher had a very good grasp of history and geography and immediately began to ask Behramshah questions about his journey to Iran, the route he had taken, the peculiar geographical features of Iran, in a way to find out if Behramshah really knew what he was talking about. But as Behramshah fluently answered his queries with deep, revealing answers and with the confidence which can only emerge from a spiritually advanced soul, Manchersha realized that he was indeed speaking to a person who was not only speaking the absolute truth but also one who had a depth of knowledge and spirituality which Manchersha had not seen in anybody else in all his life.

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Roj Ram Mah Khordad, 1379 Yz.

Fasli Roj Govad Mah Adar, 1378 Yz. – Birthday of Shah Behram Varzavand

Today is Fasli Mah Ava Roj Govad, which is a day of great spiritual connotation for Parsis, because it is the birthday of the promised saviour, Shah Behram Varzavand. How do we know this? This fact is mentioned in the Zand-i-Vohuman Yasht, more popularly known as Bahman Yasht. As you may be aware, our existing Avesta scriptures have Yashts for many of the Yazatas and Amesha Spentas. However, due to the destruction of the scriptures over the centuries, we have lost some of the Yashts, for example, Bahman Yasht, Sherevar, Spendarmad, Amardad Yashts are all missing. However, some scattered fragments of these Avesta prayers as well as their Pazend parts are available. We are lucky to have the Pazend part of the Bahman Yasht, which is recited by many Parsis with great devotion, especially during the Bahman month.

The contents of the Bahman Yasht are in the form of a conversation between Ahura Mazda and Prophet Zarathushtra, as they discuss the future of the earth and the Zarathushtrian religion. In this Yasht, a detailed description of the events which will happen after the death of Zarathushtra up to the end of a specific time period are given. In this discussion, there are ample sign and descriptions of the various saviours who will come down on the earth to bring back the Zarathushtrian religion to its lost glory. Among those whose names are given is that of Shah Behram Varzavand.

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Roj Adar Mah Khordad, 1379 Yz.

Fasli Ava Parab

Our religion lays great stress not only on ritual purity but also on physical purity in daily life. There is a proverb amongst Parsis: ‘Bawa, aapro Dharam to baal kartaa baarik!’, i.e. ‘Our religion is finer than a hair’. This seems to be a contradiction, since hair is dead matter and hence impure. There are specific instructions in our religion regarding how cut hair and nails should be disposed and why it is necessary to have a bath after cutting hair or nails. However the saying can be traced to a miraculous incident that took place nearly one thousand years ago, in the reign of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni (971-1030 AD), the fierce Afghan ruler notorious for looting various temples of India. Although a strict Muslim, the Sultan was also a lover of ancient Iranian history and it was he who commissioned the poet Firdausi to write the epic Shah Nameh. Here is a drawing of this Sultan in his court.

The fact that the king was enamoured by the stories of the ancient Zoroastrian kings of Iran did not go down well with the more extremist elements of his court. They poisoned the ears of the Sultan, pointing out that in his Islamic state there were still some Zoroastrians who refused to give up the old faith. This was an affront to the strict Muslim king, who believed he was ruling by the will of God. The Sultan summoned the

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Roj Spendarmad Mah Khordad, 1379 Yz.

One evening, somewhere around the end of 1906, on a red-letter day of the Parsi calendar (a Hamkara, when Parsis are supposed to visit the Agiary), Behramshah’s wife told him that though she tried she could not somehow make it to the Agiary that day and since it was a Hamkara, she thought that at least somebody should offer sandalwood to the Padshah on their behalf. But nobody known could be seen that day and as the evening advanced, she requested Behramshah himself to visit the Baug-e-Parsa Adaran nearby and handover the sandalwood and some Chamach money to anyone going inside. It had become time for Behramshah’s normal evening walk too and he agreed and started getting ready to go outside. As he bent down to tie the laces of his shoes, Behramshah suddenly remembered the wise words of the Sraoshavarez Marzbanji Saheb: ‘Behramshah, when you are around 47 years old, and the following planet will enter some house of your horoscope, there will be a sudden and inexplicable series of events which will force you to announce to the outside world where you have been and what you have been taught. It will be the time to teach Parsis the true Zoroastrian knowledge of Khshnoom.’

Behramshah realized that indeed, he had passed the age and in his mind he wondered what would happen next. Having got ready, Behramshah took the sandalwood and the Chamach money from his wife and began walking towards the Baug-e-Parsa Adaran, a short distance away from his house in Machlipeeth, Surat. As he neared the entrance of the Adaran, Behramshah saw a Mobed standing there, so he performed his Kusti and then handed over the sandalwood and the Chamach money to the Mobed Saheb. As he turned around to continue his walk, he saw a group of youngsters and middle aged men sitting in the verandah next to the Adaran, discussing something. Always curious to know more, Behramshah went near the verandah and heard an elderly man talking about Atash to the assembled group. Behramshah stood there silently, listening to the man. The person delivering the talk was Manchersha Master and the group was the Bazm, in its monthly meeting. Manchersha saw the very tall and dignified personage of Ustad Saheb and politely requested him to take a seat and listen to the discussions. Behramshah sat down and listened and soon thereafter, Manchersha Master finished speaking on the topic of the day – Atash Vohufrian.

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Roj Asishvangh Mah Ardibehesht, 1379 Yz.

The change of century – from 1899 to 1900 brought far reaching changes all around the world. It was a time of great scientific and medical progress, ‘rationalism’, becoming ‘modern’ and throwing out all that was considered ‘old fashioned’. The English Raj was at its peak and India was being systematically bled by the British who used their divide and rule tactic to take over all of India. At the same time, a more sinister movement was afoot. Hordes of Christian missionaries of all kinds – Catholics, Protestants, Presbyterians, Irish and many more were descending in the cities and villages of India with a single purpose – to rid India of her ‘pagan’ religions, to ‘redeem’ Indian souls and send them to heaven by the only way possible – by making them Christian! In their unholy haste to convert India, the missionaries used many tricks and tools – education, literacy campaigns, medical help, welfare societies and good old ’scholarly studies’. The Hindu scriptures were ’studied’, faults found and then compared to the pristine Bible. How could anybody reach heaven without accepting that Christ was the only Saviour?

Within the Parsi community also, there were great changes happening. Always at the forefront to adopt anything from the British, the leading Parsi families of that time began aping the British at all levels. Fancy mansions, non-Parsi cooks and butlers, giving up the practice of segregation, abandoning the Parsi dress and wearing the British coat and tie – all these and more were being picked up by members of our community. The British, known for the shrewd behavior, encouraged this aping, heaping awards and titles of Rao Bahadur and Khan Bahadur on prominent Parsis, the walls of whose houses were adorned with the photographs of the King and Queen Victoria!

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Roj Fravardin Mah Ardibehesht, 1379 Yz.

Finally, Behramshah reached Surat and met his dear mother who had waited all these years for him. Behramshah was a very changed person from the stammering adolescent which his mother had last seen him as. Behramshah narrated to his mother all the incidents which had happened in his life and his great fortune to meet the Abed Sahebs. The mother was overjoyed to see her son and listened to all his adventures with great delight and admiration. One of the first clarifications which Behramshah sought from his mother was regarding the incident of Rashidji and the fake telegram. Behramshah was curious to know what had transpired on that day.

His mother explained that on her Roj birthday, she and Behramshah’s sister were sitting in their house in Surat having the traditional birthday lunch of Dhan-Dal, curd and fish when a very tall Mobed, dressed in the priestly robes suddenly walked right into their house and up to the very table where the mother and daughter were seated and began asking ‘where is Behramshah?’ The two of them were very surprised and a bit alarmed and Behramshah’s sister got a little annoyed and spoke sharply to the Mobed: ‘how can you suddenly walk into our house like this, there is no Behramshah or anyone else here!’ Hearing this, the Mobed turned around and walked out of the house! Behramshah’s mother immediately asked her sister to call the Mobed back so that they could get some information about her missing son from him. But there was no sign of him and he seemed to have vanished as quickly as he had appeared!

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