Was Prophet Zarathushtra murdered?
Roj Avan Mah Dae, 1380 Yz. I still vividly remember that evening more than 20 years ago. I was 18 years old and sitting at Batliwalla Agiary in the evening…
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May 25, 2011
The mystery of Gustad Merwanji Hathiram
Roj Amardad Mah Tir, 1380 Yz. The three men knelt before Pope Pius XI, thanking God for their luck so far, and asking for blessings from the pontiff for their…
November 23, 2010
The illustrious lives of Dastur Mulla Kaus and Mulla Feroze – part 4
Roj Mohor Mah Khordad, 1380 Yz. Meanwhile, when Dastur Mulla Kaus proceeded to Hyderabad, Seth Dadibhai Nosherwanji appointed his son Mulla Feroze as the second Dastur of the Kadmis in…
October 29, 2010
The illustrious lives of Dastur Mulla Kaus and Mulla Feroze – part 3
Roj Sherevar Mah Khordad, 1380 Yz. Thanks to spiritually ignorant Trustees and the glare of modernity, the work of Dastur Mulla Kaus and Feroze was undone, when, in order to…
October 21, 2010
The illustrious lives of Dastur Mulla Kaus and Mulla Feroze – part 2
Roj Jamyad Mah Ardibehest, 1380 Yz. Mulla Kaus and Mulla Feroze returned to Surat on 9th February, 1780. Their sponsor and benefactor, Dhunjishah Manjishah was in Mumbai at that time,…
October 15, 2010
A tribute to Jehangirji S. Chiniwalla
Roj Ashtad Mah Ardibehest, 1380 Yz. Today, 13th October 2010 marks the 37th death anniversary of Seth Jehangirji S. Chiniwalla, the lion of Ilm-e-Khshnoom. A few words in his memory…
October 13, 2010
The illustrious lives of Dastur Mulla Kaus and Dastur Mulla Feroze – part 1
Roj Dae-pa-Din Mah Ardibehest, 1380 Yz. The centuries after the Islamic conquest of Iran were a period of untold hardship for the few Zoroastrians who refused to convert to the…
October 10, 2010
Varasyaji Varzavand is consecrated
Roj Jamyad Mah Bahman, 1379 Yz.
In my earlier post I had informed readers about the sad demise of Shah Behram – the Bhagarsath Anjuman’s Varasyaji in Mumbai and the significance and importance of this majestic religious instrument in our religion. In the same post I had also noted that the Bhagarsath Anjuman had kept a spare white bull to be consecrated as and when the need arose. After the death of Shah Behram, the spare bull, called Varzavand, was expected to be duly consecrated as the spiritual heir to Shah Behram.
Unfortunately, the spare bull developed a skin infection which resulted in some fungus forming on its body. The fungus had the appearance of a black patch. Although leading veterinary doctors were consulted and they opined that the patch would disappear in due course, as a matter of abundant caution, the elders of the Bhagarsath in Mumbai decided to look for another bull which they could initiate.
July 12, 2010
Shah Behram passes away
Roj Amardad Mah Bahman, 1379 Yz.
It is my sad duty to inform readers of Frashogard that the holy Varasyaji ‘Shah Behram’, attached to the Bhagarsath Panth in Mumbai and stationed at the Cama Baug Agiary passed away this morning. The Pak Varasyaji had suffered a fall a few days ago and that led to paralysis. Although the best medical care was given to him at the hospital, Shah Behram could not be revived. Shah Behram lived to the very ripe age of 18 years and was older than the Varasyaji of Udvada who passed away last year. Later this morning, the body of Shah Behram was taken to the Dungerwadi grounds where it was buried, after placing a Sudreh and Kusti over its horns. The Varasyaji is one of the very few holy members of the animal kingdom which is allowed to be buried in the ground. The Anasers (spiritual building blocks which form the basis for DNA and the physical body) of the Varasyaji are so sublime that no pollution is caused in the earth by the burial of its body. Rather the earth eagerly welcomes receiving his body in her. Over many hundreds of years, the sublime Anasers of the Varasyaji will transmute into some precious ore. All other bodies (including humans) need to be exposed to the sunlight for their proper disposal.
June 21, 2010
A murderer, but a true Parsi to the end!
Roj Marespand Mah Amardad, 1379 Yz.
It was a hot and sultry afternoon, that 21st day of April, 1844 as Mr. Mancherji Hormuzdiar Chanddaru left the offices of the popular Parsi periodical ‘Chabuk’ (lit. Whip) near Gunbow Street in the busy Fort area of Bombay. As he walked down passing the well on the main street and entered a small lane, a group of some Parsi boys suddenly emerged and one of them swiftly unsheathed a long knife and dealt a deadly blow to the gentleman. As he fell down bleeding profusely and died, the boys escaped.
January 14, 2010
Happy birthday to Shah Behram Varzavand
Roj Ram Mah Khordad, 1379 Yz.
Fasli Roj Govad Mah Avan, 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.
November 7, 2009
Zoroastrian purity: Finer than a hair
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
October 26, 2009
The miraculous life of our Master – part 15
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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October 22, 2009
The miraculous life of our Master – part 13
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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October 6, 2009
The miraculous life of our Master – part 10
Roj Khorshed Mah Ardibehesht, 1379 Yz.
In addition to the Aksir-e-Azam, the Sraoshavarez gave certain other very valuable gifts to our Master. These included a small silver Taaveez, or amulet, shaped like a betel nut. Inside this was inscribed a powerful Avesta Nirang, which had the effect of discouraging any wild animals, carnivores or any malevolent spirits from getting anywhere close to or attacking the Master during the various travels which he was about to undertake in Iran and India.
Our Master had already been taught Ilm-e-Sezda, whereby he could converse with his Master, the Sraoshavarez Marzbanji Saheb at any time. This Ilm was further strengthened and deepened and even after his arrival in India, whenever the Master was in any doubt, he would always go into this practice and was able to converse with the Sraoshavarez and the other top Abeds of Demavand.
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September 28, 2009