The Geti Kharid ceremony

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Roj Khorshed Mah Ardibehesht, 1388 Yz.

“One God, one law, one element,

And one far-off Divine event,

To which the whole creation moves.”

These striking words penned by Alfred Lord Tennyson in his famous poem ‘In Memoriam’ greets visitors to the Great Hall of the Library of Congress in Washington DC, where they are inscribed on one of the eight giant pillars supporting the Rotunda. To my mind, these words are also apt for every Zoroastrian place of worship, because they are a  beautiful ...

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The Art of Happiness

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Gatha Ushtavad, 1386

The pursuit of happiness in a never-ending nightmare. We all want to be happy, or in other words, free from suffering. But how? Given the number of books written on this topic, it’s obvious that quite a few seem to know how it works, but given the amount of unhappiness in the world, it’s also obvious that their methods don’t seem to be working. As we step in to the New Year, here are a few of my ...

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A true Zoroastrian Thanksgiving

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Roj Mohor Mah Tir, 1386 Yz.

As our Parsi brothers and sisters in America join many millions of their countrymen in observing the festival of Thanksgiving over this weekend, it seems to be an apt moment to think about what would be a truly Zoroastrian form of thanksgiving. Originally, Thanksgiving was a post-harvest festival celebrated to thank God for the rich and abundant harvest. Over the years, the seasonal and religious aspect has been quietly replaced by the excessive importance to ...

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Can we attend such ‘Navjotes’?

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Roj Jamyad Mah Ardibehesht, 1386 Yz: Baj of Seth Jehangirji S. Chiniwalla

The season for weddings and Navjotes will soon begin. Already the first invites have started trickling in. As is the case, many invites are for functions where, in case of marriages one party is non-Zoroastrian, or in the case of Navjotes, one of the parents is non-Zoroastrian.

What should we do? For many Parsis unfortunately, the question doesn’t even arise today – why, it’s an invite, so we have to ...

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Who are we Parsis?

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Gatha Vahishtoist, 1385 Yz.

 

Tomorrow we mark the beginning of 1386 Yz, or the 1386th year since the last Zoroastrian King of Iran, Yazdegerd Shahryar ascended the throne. In that long period of time, the world has changed a lot. Empires have risen and fallen, countries have arisen and been destroyed, millions of people have lost their lives – all claiming to fight for God and His religion.

Zoroastrianism has reduced from being the state religion followed by nearly 30 million souls ...

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A box of tissues for Mr. Jehangir Patel please!

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Roj Govad Mah Dae, 1385 Yz.

The ubiquity of Whats-app means that even on days when prayer and reflection is necessary, the peace is broken by the incessant beep announcing one more message. When such beeps resound early in the morning, their shrillness seems even more pronounced and urgent…is it some good news, or a harbinger of doom, some calamitous occurrence or a friend on another continent sending a message oblivious of the time difference?

This morning’s non-stop messages from a stream ...

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Is the worship of Paria Mai allowed in Zoroastrianism – part 3

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Roj Khordad Mah Ardibehsht, 1384 Yz.

Those who may still not believe in what is written above or who may still be drawn to these sprites can try one more test. The Sefli Arvahi always impress humans by being able to answer any query about anyone in the past. However, ask any specific question regarding the future – the headlines in next Sunday’s newspaper, the winning numbers of the next big lottery, or any other such query which can have only ...

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Is the worship of Paria Mai allowed in our religion – part 2

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Roj Hormazd Mah Ardibehesht, 1384 Yz.

Readers may question as to why Abed Sahebs and other advanced souls can take the help of the Ulvi Arvahi but not normal Parsis. The answer is that the advanced souls have methods by which they can repay the favour owed to the Arvahi by enhancing their (the Arvahi’s) spiritual development whereas the normal Parsi has no way or method of repaying the obligation to the Arvahi and hence gets trapped on the journey towards ...

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Is the worship of Paria Mai and other Sprites & Fairies allowed in Zoroastrianism? – part 1

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Roj Jamyad Mah Fravardin, 1384 Yz.

The internet is a wonderful thing in the sense that sharing of information about almost any subject has become instantaneous and easy. But the flip side of this ease of access is that almost any information is passed around and believed as reality. Due to the inherent nature of man, conspiracy theories, alleged cures for many chronic and deadly diseases, miracle workers and their wondrous acts, and of course anything relating to religion – all ...

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