Complete Issue
Jun 1970
A
nc9C tnvdium for old wisdom
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Born, 26th April 1833. Died. 23rd April 1908.
SHAMS-L'L-LLAMA SARDAR DASTUR HOSHANG JAMASP, MA., Ph.D., C.I.E.'4
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VOL VI No. 8
Contents :
EDITORIAL
4
JUNE 1970
Page
3
Shams-Ul-Ulma Sardar Dastur Hosang Jamasp, M.A.,Ph.D.,C.I.E.
The Fight against Obscurantism
Parsiana on Obscurantism — P B Warden
The Cult of Fire in Zoroastrianism and in other Religions
— by Sam N Doctor, B Sc.
Gatha*. the Songs that Zarathushtra Sang —by Mahyar Byramji Patel
Managing Editor ; P. B. WARDEN. M.S. ( Bom. ), D.P.M. (Bom. )
ADVISORY BOARD
Dasturji Naorooz D. Minochehr-Homji, M.A., B.Ed.
Major Sohrab R. Bamji F.C.R.A., F.R.S.A., M.B.E.
Major Adarbad Irani R.A.M.C.5 D.O.M.S (Lond); D.O.(Oxon)
Mrs. Gool K. Savakshah
Dr. R. C. Cooper, M.Com., Ph.D. (Econ.), F.C.A.
Mr. Jehangir F. Shroff, J.P.
Prof. Nadir Ardeshlr Mody, M.A., LL.B. *
Dr. Sohrab H. Batliwala, PhX).
Mr. Bejon N. Desai, M.A., B.Ed.
Mr. Fariburz Nariman (Architect)
Mr. Homi Burjor Dhalla, M^A. (Harvard)
Mr. Mahyar Byramji Patel
Single Copy: 50 paise. Yearly subscription for 12 issues Rs. 6.
Sh. 12/3 for U.K. and 2 dollars for U.S A.
Office Address : C/o Warden ’s (Mysore ) Pvt Ltd., 378, Grant Road,
BOMBAY 7.
Inland.
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Published and edited by Editor-Proprietor P. B. Warden from 378, Grant Road, Bombay 7.
and printed by him at Godrej Memorial Printing Press, Gamadia Colony, Tardeo, Bombay 7.t
EDITORIAL
SUPPRESSIO VERI
Two things can be done with truth. Truth can be known.
Truth can be loved. And the two are not the same.
I
Mr. Dara Cama has written to me a letter dated 20th May,
1970 which he has released to the Kaiser-i-Hind of 31.5.70. In that
letter he knows the truth but does not love it. A political wizard
had remarked that “all political parties die at. last of swallowing their
own lies. ” And the way to swallow one ’s own lies is by suppresio
veri, a method of suppressing truth or blocking truth half way and
bringing out a picture which may give quite a new impression of the
original truth. Mr. Behr am Pithawalla has already remarked that
Mr. Dara Cama has a mental facility of distorting truth by giving
out half-truths, which are completely misleading with reference to
the context, even when quoting Gathas.
Writing about the meeting of 1st April 1970 Mr. Cama tells
me “you now confirm this when in your letter (i.e. Parsiana p. 15,
May, 1970 issue) you write that I and my associates were prevented
from entering the meeting hall on the evening 1-4-70”. Cama Seth
conveniently omits the essential qualifying clause which says they
“were obstructed from entering inside the meeting hall for distributing
dirty stuflF’. You did not enter the porch with clean hands and clean
conscience like everybody else You and yours had mischief in your
mind and dirty stuff in your hands, which you wanted to pass on in
the form of leaflets. You were justifiably obstructed from wrong
doing not from entering. You know the truth but do not love it.
Therefore your suppresio veri comes handy to you.
In the same ugly and distorted way Mr. Cama tries to assert
that the meeting was not an open community gathering atfh admission
was reserved. My foot ! All were cordially invited and so were
you and Dhunjishaw Joshi too. But you two did not respect the
dignity and the solemnity of the meeting You tried to use public
meeting for your private whim Q. E. D.
r
You advise the Parsi Punchayet to treat Mr. Nanabhoy
Byramji Jeejeebhoy ’s appeal to put the proceedings of this famous
meeting on record as a scrap of paper. Why ? Just because they
had not called the meeting — so what ? If a handful of “fanatics ”
4
3(you are those fanatics — not we we are the sober, sedate, sensible
“samaj ”) cry hoarse intermittently do you expect that after each
Tamasha of yours the Trustees should come with a FIRST AID BOX
and apply throat-paint or fix mouth-gags on them ? They wait and
watch all that goes on in the Community without digging their finger
into every pie. But whenever some significant event occurs they are
morally bound to take cognizance of it. They need not start every
event but when they come by an important one they must bring it
on record if they are alive to the needs and aspirations of the Commu
nity of which they are the accredited leaders by virtue of their election
as Trustees, a comprehensive term. It is you who complain against
them that they just collect incomes and donations and disburse them
(may be prudently), ignoring significant events. However they were
represented by three sitting Trustees. All the Trifetees must now
take notice of the fact that the aforesaid meeting was a grand event
and enlarge it. They cannot say that they are not in agreement with
the substance of the four resolutions passed, unless they have in
camera passed resolutions against those similar ones already on their
daftar. If there are dissenters no one wants to curb their conscience
but the Trustees must bring the matter on the agenda, pass it unani
mously or by a majority or reject it but they must take notice of the
conscience of the Community. The word Trustee means the Custo
dian of the Funds and the custodian of the welfare for which Trusts
were founded. However, if on your suggestion the Trustees should
wish to bring on record the proceedings of the meeting of 21st April
1970 their task would be easy and quick — just one word “Fiasco ”.
That might terminate Ervad Bode’s “Seven Year Itch” for Question
and Answer meetings which as per reports of Rahnumay Mazyasni
Sabha started in 1963 and is still going weak.
You call outlook of my Parsiana insane because in your opi
nion the mysticism of manthras can achieve nothing. It all depends
upon what you wish to achieve. If it is building a flyover it will not
work;iit will “if it is building a conviction of being so right that it
does not need to convince others by force that it is right ”. Warden
does not suffocate the community ’s throat. You are on the throat
of the community and mine. “No mobed no Parsi ” is a slogan of
sound sense left by Prof. Richard Fry of Harvard University to us.
I have accepted it as worthy and not wishful, as you say. It hurts
you to know that the slogan counters your pet nonsense of universal
rationalism. From my school and college days I have read Bertrand
Russel, then most in vogue, and several publications released through
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the Rational Press Association and you may know the triumph and
the despair of rationalists like Bertrand Russel himself. He admits
that there is a limit beyond which rational outlook ceases to function.
From that point onwards human mind has to dive into mysticism in
search of some fresh vision to work upon.
I
You have a vast, array of rationalists in your camp. Despite
that Jal in Kaiser-i-Hind recently uttered a sigh of despair, feeling
dismayed why they do not write in support of your campaign. How
can they write ? Several of them are already in the grip of mysticism,
provided that is non-Zoroastrian type. Some of them go out at dead
of night to some Pir, some Buwa or some bhuta in some lone Zopra
or some Zoprapatti, change over to Bhagwa kurta, laal lungi and
lili chilam, bov^own in obeissance to their Anthropos God and start
massaging his legs in vain hope of some chance hint that may trans
form, transfer or erase the lines in their palms. Your more decorous
sort listens with awe and gaping mouth some sermon on mysticism
by his fat Pendulum Pandit who swings hither thither in pseudo
trance. This , Sir, is the end-product of your rationalism, namely,
substituting alien mysticism when Zoroastrianism also has its own but
is blocked from blossoming forth by your indiscriminate emphasis on
rationality.
Rationalism is a discipline and not truth. One may reach
truth with mysticism or rationalism and miss truth with either or
both. Don ’t be an addict.
<
Dear Mr. Cama I am thankful to you for your kind concern
and timely warning about my dark future as a dealer in sandalwood
because of your non-convincing campaign in the community and
secondly for your earnest inquiry about my morality. I am happy
that you take so much interest in me. Sir, I assure yqp that I will
be able to eke out a living even in the event of your corrupting
the community. But your chances are remote in that direction.
Uptil now even your crematorium-mongers are craving for last rites.
I feel safe. Apart from being a businessman I had a small practice
and held for many years four retainers and a part time job as medical
officer in industries and offices until I had to retire from time to time
due to age limit applicable in each case but I am still holding a re
tainer.
5For three years Parsiana was losing game thereafter it is paying
its way because my truly Zoroastrian subscribers secured their happi
ness from lofty sentiments derived from mysticism of manthras.
Besides this I can write and paint as free-lance. My own eight oil
paintings were exhibited in Jehangir Art Gallery amongst 54 oil
paintings on Life and Teachings of Prophet Zoroaster. A few were
sold here and the rest of them were sold in England where I had gone
with them in 1968. You great exponent of Zarathushtra you did not
buy any. You were spending your money for corrupting the con
science of the community and lending financial aid to those who could
give you company. Despite our differences, may be, you will be
happy to learn that I am shortly opening Warden Art Gallery for
which a place is secured. It may get me something. You are cor
dially invited to come and spend money in better Aiay.
As for the moral side of my life I would answer your inquiry
in two parts. The business morality of Warden ’s is exemplary, scru
pulously honest and strictly regulated. I am throwing a challenge
to you to go out in sandalwood market and collect opinions and then
make further inquiry. If I write about it you will call it conceit.
In Ghee trade my later brother Hirjibhoy, of revered memory,
gave the Bombay Municipality the taste of their folly of accusing us
of adulteration of food stuff. Out of eleven suits they lost six, com
pounded five and entered into consent decree for Rs. 100,000 binding
themselves against further malicious litigation. Hirjibhoy died in
1954 and I became the head of the business. In spite of consent
decree the Municipality tried jne more stunt five years ago substitu
ting the word “adulteration ” by the word “substandard ” under a
changed Act. Justice Tarkunde in the High Court of Bombay gave
a stunning blow to the Municipality saying “The Act may have chan
ged but the Ghee has not changed. You have shown no criminality ”.
Since that decision of the High Court the entire ghee market is freed
from this particular molestation. Warden got the credit but no cash
from ghee merchants towards the expenses of litigation. It was a
good act done free.
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Now about my morality Part II — self as I am now a sane
sober, sympathetic individual accused too late by you as psychopath.
Why in the letter released to the Kaiser-i-Hind have you omitted
your recommendation for psycho analysis to me which you
have mentioned in the letter addressed by you directly to me ? Note
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hereafter that nothing will offend me. I am immune to all the pranks
and I have myself treated cases to whom I have given immunity in
the manner I obtained it. I am a qualified P sychological medicine
man. I have had sittings with Dr. Anbrey Lewis in Maudsley Hospi
tal, London 1931 (now Sir Anbrey and head of the governing body
of the same hospital when I went to England in 1968). Psychopathy
and normalcy are not easy things for lay persons to understand.
be overt
come by what your home background is.
Psychopathy can be overt oi covert and the Analytical
Psychotherapy aims at making the sick mind understand them for
revelation of true self. Normalcy can be disturbed if overburdened
with persistent strain of life and normalcy can be regained by proper
and realistic asalfessment of life at the moment of strife. At this
crucial moment if you throw away your scruples you become unscru
pulous — if you preserve your scruples you suffer but later as the
edge of suffering gets dulled you suffer and be strong. It is a chance
which way you go, who you
Years back in early thirties we had on us (two brothers) heavy
debts Rs. 5,91,000 on family account and further Rs. 350,000 on
company account. We could have thrown away our scruples and
with them thrown away our burden. But we selected the honourable
path with all its strifes and struggles. During that time I lost my son.
I felt myself overpowered. I lost faith. I became anti-man, anti
God, anti-everything. My behaviour deteriorated. I came in conflict
with the police. Yet all the time I had the inner awareness that I had
to struggle to regain my poise. I mustered enough courage to go to
Lady Hirabai Cowasji Jehangir. I told her of my mental state. Lady
Jehangir spoke to Cawasji Petigara who returned assurance that all
was well and he would set right if anything or anybody pestered me.
I felt relieved. From that point onwards my mind began to clear up.
I may have lost faith for a time but I had not thrown awY scruples.
But that too could have happend. But we struggled, we repaid, we
compounded our debts until 1946 wher property market came up. The
unfortunate ones continue to grope in the dark. They fail to see
the way out. That is why I have sympathy for psychopaths. Now
with personal experience, training undergone and going through vast
literature on psychopathology and clinical case histories I am con
vinced that no man is bad, and many a man can be retrieved with
due care. All that he needs is training in identifying a turning point
and arriving there not only see the truth but also love the truth.
4
7trust-worthy ’’ for any amount.
In my medical practice 1 have never taken a false rupee. My
life insurance practice with different companies and later with L I.C. is
labelled by them all as
May I now ask you, Mr. Cama, whether or not you had collected
your lot of hirelings with the help of Mr. Dhunjishah Joshi to keep
a watch on and keep at bay the volunteers of Jashan Committee ?
Do you admit that you were dismayed when you found that your
hirelings had sympathies not for you but for the Jashan Committee
side. ? That they deceived you cleverly, joined hands with the hirelings
or volunteers (as the case may be) of Jashan Committee side and
smashed the meeting of 21st April. And then your sigh of dispair
“Dhunjishah Joshi has let me down ”. Do you now know truth and
love truth ? It is now my turn to ask you what is your morality ?
What is your morality when you are blatantly throwing the
blame of your Fiasco meeting on Jashan Committee? Well, you
were party to the collapse. You were not an innocent lamb; you
were instructing and organising Counter plan. But when your defen
ders of the faith changed the floor what was left for you but despair.
f
Dejected and downcast with the failure of your plan you are
now resorting to persuade, coax, bribe or try other means to secure
signatures with evil intent of harming the interests of your own com
munity. God bless your wisdom.
My dear friend, know it, that there are glorious successes and
and there are highly successful failures, which both are very honou
rable. But it is certainly not honourable that if one cannot do good
one should seek satisfaction in doing harm.
«
1 have come across people who blame you for inducing residents
of Malabar Hill areas to endorse notes written by yourself for newspa
pers about pickings from dokhma thrown in, their house, cte. I expressed
my resentment at such insinuation and told them that my friend Cama
will never stoop to conquer by betraying his own community,
thy faults I love thee ’’ and say once again “ Be good
With all
P.B.W.
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Shams-UI-Ulama
Sardar Dastur Hoshang Jamasp,
M.A., Ph.D., C.I E.
Died 23-4-1908
Bom 26-4-1833
In collaboration with Dr. Haug he pub
lished Old Zend-Pahlavi Glossary, Pah-
Dastur Hoshang was an eminent scho
lar of the Oriental Languages and a true
Dastur in th spirit of Dastoori to which lavi-Pazend Glossary,
he was devoted. He looked upon his collaboration with Dr. Haug and
status as an opportunity to^ initiate the £ yy published Arda Viraf
( ", ’ ¦ ¦’ T'"'" . ........ ...
Pahlavi writings and with that purpose yy^gj. prepared the “Shikand
ed 500 lectures fn Bazfti-i Ruz-i-Behram
which he founded in Poona when he suc
ceeded to the gadi of the Dasturs of the
Deccan,
deli/ery
the excellence of his Religion.
Prior to coming to the Dastoori he was
in the service of the Government
during which period he made acquiantance
with Dr. Martin Haug, with whom he
went to Gujarat for purpose of researches
in Zoroastrian scriptures. In recognition ary of the Pazand language,
of his scholarship he was appointed Pro
fessor of Persian in the Deccan College, ments all his works were published by the
He knew Gujarati, Marathi, Urdu. He Government of Bombay, who conferred
made a special study of Persian and Ara
bic and thoroughly mastered Sanskrit to appointed him first class Sardar of the
Pazend scriptures. From Prof. Haug uf™"® 1890 and got C. 1. E. in 1906.
he learnt Latin and German and smatter
ings of Hebrew. He did not just learn
these languages but utilized them for the
purpose of elucidating the Zoroastrian
scriptures as a whole undivided and not.
compartmentalised. He was having such
In collaboration with Dr. Haug_ and
community into 1 he spirit of Avastan and Gosht-i-Fryan, Hadokt Nask and
with the natural gift of oratory he deliver- Vdar.
Years ago Dr. Spiegel had published
Yasna and Vendidad which were by then
out of print. Dasturji completed these
sive glossary and sent them to Dr. West
for perusal.
He had further prepared Avesta and
Pahlavi Texts of the Yasna, Dinkard
and Khordeh Avasta with translations,
glossaries, etc.
With his unassuming way of
he impressed his audience with with collation of his MSS with comprenen-
of the
and compiled a Diction-
In consideration of his scholarly attain-
on him the title of Khan Bahadur in 1878,
get into the spirit of Avasta, Pahlavi and j^^^can in 1885 and created Sams-ul-
Doctor of Philosophy was conferred on
him by Francis Joseph I of Austria for
his contact with philosophy founded in
Germany.
The Gatha Society of Bombay has com-
comprehensive outlook — same as is des- piled and published Dastur Hoshang
cribed by Geiger in a nut-shell. “The Memorial Volume 1918, which contains
tenents and the principles of the Avesta a number of very learned articles about
are the same as that of the Gathas ” (P. 65 contributed by Parsee and Western
Shroff — Kaiser-i-Hind 7-6-70). scholars.
9
»
«THE FIGHT AGAINST
OBSCURANTISM
This appeared in The Times of India Sunday, May 17, 1970
«
When a gang of jet-set boys, sporting and religion, which, if accepted, would
drainpipe slacks and side-burns recently help liberate a vast majority of their own
broke up a public meeting of Parsis called co-religionists from the bonds of “igno-
to mount a campaign against the irrational rant priets who have been mulcting the
fanaticism and rituals that have crept poor for ages. ”
into Zoroastrianism, eyebrows were raised, p •
Is modern youth so vitally concerned with religion would like anyone to tamper with
challenges to obscurantism as to resist teachings of their prophets.
Even though no practitioner of any
4
gurus
and maharishis, they forget that most
religions came into existence between the
last two and seven thousand years and the
them and is modern youth ranged on the
side of the traditionalists bent on protec
ting their vested interests ?
Two meetings called by “The Kaiser- precepts and practices that have grown
,i-Hind” Forum in Bombay to urge that around all these religions were first innu-
Parsis must give up some of the meaning- ciated under circumstances that have no
less rituals that are today clearly outdated, bearing on conditions in the modern
brought to the surface the vehemence world or in present-day society. A sla-
with which unquestioning faith and blind vish human metality continues to prac-
adherence to tradition enslaves human tice with irrationally unquestioning faith
minds. preceptsand rituals which political, econo*
The president of the meetings. Soli n»ic and social changes have outpaced
Pavri, progressive educationist and social centuries ago.
worker, faced rotten eggs, tomatoes, cat
calls. and boos and stomached a lot of into the twentieth century who have been
insults and threats but would not yield witness to human achievements in outer
his right to state his views. The meeting space and modern technology should
ended in confusion and the eminent and have come forward to defend outdated
scholarly speakers listed for the meeting concepts and anachronistic beliefs^ is
—Dr. Rustam B. Daruvalla, journalist difficult!
Jal E. Hirjibehedin and Dastur Framroze ...Dastur Framroze Bode, who has been
Bode ^re not even given the courtesy demanding that many of the meaningless
of a hearing. rituals and prejudices among Zoroastrians
More ’s the pity because some of the must go, first ran into trouble with the
views they have so far expressed in public traditionalists in the community when
underscore a commonsense view of life last year, he married the conductor Zubin
And to imagine that young men born
11the Hindu view of the therapeutic quali
ties of ‘‘go-mutra ” might have had some
relevance. Is the use of bull ’s urine
necssary now ?
The present system of disposal of the
body and the four-day ceremonies that
follow, cost, on an average, Rs.
Couldn ’t all this heavy expenditure and
the problems that the present system en-
Mehta to a non-Zoroastrian under Zoro-
astrian rites. Bode, along with Soli Pavri,
Dr. Daruvalla, Hirjibehedin and others,
has been demanding that the method of
disposal of the Parsi dead should change
from throwing the body to the vultures
at the Towers of Silence to cremation.
They also want the funeral rites and cere
monies to be simplified and made less
expensive. In short, they want religion tail be avoided if the body is cremated, at
to be freed from rituals so that the religion
of Zarathushtra is true to itself.
Under the historical circumstances in
which the Parsis came to India to escape ceremonies only ensures
persecution, it was perhaps necessary for salvation of the priest not the spiritual
them to import Towers of Silence and salvation of the dead. And the priests?
prohibit the entry of non-Parsis into the a vast majority of them are ignorant, re
Fire Temples. But according to Soli Pavri, quiring no special qualifications for their
the cobwebs that today insulate the job except birth as sons of priests.
Parsis, creating lagoons in the social life
of the country, should be swept away.
In an age when Towers of Silence were
located in isolated areas in towns, vultures
feeding on the bodies placed in them
posed no problems. But as skyscrapers
grew around them as in Bombay, new
problems arose. The sacred birds around
the tower would at times drop their pick- jq community,
ings on rooftop gardens and terraces in
the vicinity, leading not only to civic
problems but vehement public protest,
The reformists also ask, “Is it necessary
to use bull ’s urine (tara) at some of the
religious ceremonies of the Parsis ?
2,000.
a cost of Rs. 23, which the municipal
electric crematorium charges ?
Acording to Soli Pavri the present costly
the economic
They know their prayers by rote with
out understanding their significance or
meaning and are unable to explain them.
The present class of priests, the reformists
assert, are men devoid of any missionary
spirit, mere mercenaries. What is needed
is a service-minded priestly class and not
a sect divorced from any sense of service
While the reformists plead that many of
the present customs and usages must go,
for sheer economic and social reasons,
they find no adherents, much less hearers. <
But some of the changes they advocate
an age when antibiotics were unknown, find echoes in other religions.
In
Replies to Times of India from Public 31-6-70
I am surprised that a paper of your hopelessly one-sided and biased article,
reputation and standing should have dee- “The Fight Against Obscurantism ”. (May
med fit to publish P. K. Ravindranath ’s 17), the first half of which projects a dis-
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»torted picture of some of the controversial
customs of the Parsi community and is
littered with untruths.
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While the hooliganism at the meetings
sponsored by “The Kaiser-I-Kind ” For
um deserves to be condemned, the writer
has forgotten to mention that a very large
ly attended meeting called by various
Parsi associations to counter the insidious
propoganda of some of the so-called re
formists, not only proved to be a slap in
the face of the latter-day pseudo-Luthers,
who try to find a facile and short route
to Paradise by suggesting all kinds of
inane and ludicrous methods and trotting
out fatuous expressions like, “obscuran
tism ”, “slavish minds ” and bigotry ”, but
also conclusively established that the
majority of young people present at the
meeting, are against any slipshod tinkering
with some of their main religious precepts
and practices.
Mr. Ravindranath should know that
the persons whom he mentions as “emi
nent and scholarly ” have neither the au
thority nor the qualifications to demand
that religion be freed from ritual.
The reference to vultures dropping
“their pickings on roof-tops... ” is absolute
balderdash. If I remember well, in a suit
filed in Bombay in the beginning of diis
century, it was satisfactorily argued that
because vultures have hook-shaped beaks,
it is virtually impossible for them to fly
with any pickings in their beaks.
The. four-day post-mortem ceremonies
do not “on an average ” cost Rs. 2000.
Far cheaper schemes have already been
worked out and are in use for the last
»5
few years. Isn ’t it hypocritical on the part
of the reformists, whose voice Mr. Ravin-
dranath has echoed, to ask for a scrapping
of ceremonies and rituals on the one hand,
and to plead for a “sevice-minded priestly
class ’, on the other ?
Obscurantism, dogmatism and perver
sity are bad. But a fanatical zeal to intro
duce change for the sake of change and
novelty and, above all, to impose it with
out any basis on an unwilling majority is
worse and should be deprecated.
Adi F. Doctor
It is not possible to conceive how any
seasoned and reasoning journalist could
write the tripe that has been published in
the article referred to above. Almost
every single fact mentioned in the first
dozen paragraphs is not only inaccurate,
but dangerously misleading — it was
obviously fed to someone gullible, by
Heerjibehdin or Pavri.
Let me make one thing clear, What the
so-called Orthodox element is protesting
against is not new ideas, or chnge, but the
deliberatie denigration of our religion
by people who do not understand the
principles of their own religion, and un
happily have never tried to. Heerjibehdin
and Bode are crying piteously for publi
city. Soli Pavri has somehow been swung
into their whirlpool after he had agreed
to preside at their meeting.
Men like these do not seem to be deter
red from issuing statements which are
sheer falsehoods. Take for example their
claim that the vultures of the Towers of
Silence “drop their pickings on roof-tops
and terraces in the vicinity. ” For many
13
4years, I have lived in sky-scrapers at vari
ous places on Malabar Hill, and have
never heard or seen such a thing. My
friends living along Warden Road, Napean
Sea Road, Little Gibbs Road and Kemp ’s
Corner, laughed when I discussed your
article with them, saying “Rubbish! We
didn’t even know that your Towers are
so close. There ’s no smell or gruesome
sight or anything.
59
Mrs, F. K. Sidhwa.
This is to protest against the false state
ments in the article P. K. Ravindranath
should have verified the material he has
written. He has presented prejudiced
opinions which happen to be absolutely
unfounded. This article has gravely hurt
our feelings.
I live opposite the grounds of our Tow
ers and can assure you that the remarks
made about them are incorrect. People
like Mr. Heerjibehdin and Mr. Pavri have
been known to advocate views which have
no foundation.
F. Pavri
I read your article, “The Fight Against
Obscurantism ” (May 17) with great indi
gnation. It has tried to blacken and
ridicule the customs of the Parsees which
are most practical and sensible.
different As a Muslim, interested in
religious practices. I had taken the trou
ble to inquire into them and was surprised'
to discover how expeditiously and hy-
gienically a body can be disposed of, in
this manner. Mr. P. K. Ravindranath
has presented the facts in a most ignorant
light. Surely it is his business to gather
news and views correctly.
We have resided at Napean Sea Road
for many years and have nev^ had rea
son to consider the neai^by Parsee Towers
a nuisance.
N. D. RADWAN
It was most surprising to read a num
ber of misleading and incorrect state
ments made by Mr. P. K. Ravindranath.
Several eminent foreigners have found
our mode of disposal to be scientific after
making a thorough study of the same.
Well-known personalities who have been
living in this vicinity have never complain
ed of any sort of nuisance created by the
birds. My house touches the grounds of
the Towers of Silence, and I would like
to say, with all the emphasis at my com
mand, that the birds have never dropped
their pickings near my house. Several
non-Parsi friends of mine have also not
complained about any type of nuisance.
Mr. P. K. Ravindranath would do well to
study facts, and not merely depend on the
warped opinions of a handful of people.
These gentlemen are trying their utmost to
misguide people, and cause disunity in
our community.
Mr. Ravindranath states : “The present
system of disposal of the body, and the
four-day ceremonies that follow, cost on
an average, Rs. 2,000. This is a lie. The
Trustees of the Tarsi Punchayat have made
arrangements, for the ceremonies to cost
only Rs. 225/- and those who cannot
afford this amount pay only Rs. 10/-.
1
It is a shame that your paper should,
publish statements which hurt our feelings
and create misunderstanding among other
communities. I would request you to
approach the Trustees of the Parsi Pan-
chayat to furnish you with the correct in
formation instead of depending on certain
people, who have been creating dishar
mony in our community, and have been
twisting facts to serve their own ends.
A. N. Mogrdia
14
IkParsiana on Obscurantism
<
Dastur.
a
Soli Pavri is the hail-fellow-well-met
with personal loyalty to Framroze Bode
as Trustee of Boys ’ Town of which Soli
Pavri was the head-master. He is old
friendship dragged into dispute.
Jal Hirjibehedin runs the inherited press
of his father. The world knows to its
In the panoramic survey of obscurant!- was asked to go away years ago, but he
sm in India in The Times of India of falsely continued to pose as
Sunday, 17th May, 1970, one Shri Ravin- Because of his other antecedents, the pri-
dranath has treated the so-called obscur- est class, as a whole, refuses to join hands
autism of the Parsis with facts, which are with him in prayers,
more fictions harped upon by a handful
of upstarts and borrowed by him from
them. The fact that our religien is an
cient and, therefore, super-annuated means
nothing whatever to sensible persons.
What matters is the ancient wisdom we
still trace and find in it and we adhere to
it staunchly because it has proved good
and useful to us in forming our character regret the havoc wrought to it by cheap
and directing our life along the right path, fast printing. Jal, I admit, has also
as our records in India show. done some good to the Community in
*
done some good to the Community in
its housing scheme.
Who is this Dr, Rustam Daruwalla ?
No one knows him and everyone wonders
which Jack-in-the-box throws his head
To talk in terms of vested interests
(whose in our case ?) and enslaved minds
are present-day fashion parades of the
immature intelligentsia. They take away
our sources of inward happiness and give out.
no substitutes. The world is side and
sorry because of them. Our young men,
the author of the article referred to above
calls “jet-set ” boys, have not forgotten
this lesson and they justly discard false
lead. They know that their happiness
lies in the old wisdom and adhere to its
tenets, rituals and ceremonies which cause
nobody any harm.
He, with a handful of his
Is it any wonder that youth refuses to
take lead from persons who have not
made out their case as leaders ? It looks
ridiculous to read Framroze Bode de
manding
stooges, makes noise and some people
believe that a noisy man is always in the*
right and our boys don ’t. They prefer
to break up such Insanity Fairs, and right-
Who are the mushroom much vaunted ly so. Actors cannot be allowed to run
leaders whom the author expects the the world. They must limit themselves
youth to follow ? Will Mr. R. correct to the theatres for entertainment. As in
his misnomer ? Dastur Framroze Bode the theatre, so in the world, some hide
is no more a Dastur. He must have the themselves behind the screen. They are
Dastoori of some religious institution. He called Prompters.
15
«Now let us see our problems face to pter behind the screen, who talks of ima-
face. For safety and preservation of our ginary inter-communal bickerings where
small community, we do not convert none exist. What good are non-Parsis
and, therefore, do not encourage inter- expecting by entering our Fire Temples
marriages. Throughout the world, no or giving a last bow to our dead ones ?
matter what society may be referred to — They understand custom. We trust them
conservative or sophisticated — inter- and they trust us. No non-Parsi feels
marriages are never encouraged. They hurt because he understands that we are
are tolerated and then accepted as fait not keeping him out but we are keeping
accompli. Just because Zubin Mehta is ourselves aloof. We know the supposed
an international maestro and could afford foul birds who drop their pickings from
fantastic fees to Bode (who was then in our Towers of Silence on the roofs and
American) to dramatise his wedding, the terraces around. They are not winged
Community cannot connive at inter- birds; they are “featherless bipeds ” of our
marriage to accommodate Zubin and own Community —the men behind the
make exception of him. If this was acce- screen type. Disgrace to them and to
pted, Bode intended to establish a prece- their hide-outs. Disgrace to their intelli-
dent. Judicial, civil or social law cannot gence perverted to score an argument.
be made dependant on social or financial
status of parties involved. We cannot
stop inter-marriages, but we can refuse to g^uie. Despite that, our grumpy ones do
welcome them for reasons given ^bove.
To attack the priest class is an old
not know how to play it. There are about
1,000 practising priests in 45 Fire Temples
in Bombay. Soli Pavri laments that the
death ceremiony “of first four days costs
on an average Rs. 2,000/-”. The official
Mr. R. again writes, Pavri, Daruwalla
and Hirjibehedin are demanding changes
in the method of disposal of the dead.
Who are they to demand anything ? If
they prefer cremation to Tower of Silence, charges by the Panchayat do not exceed
well, they can go. There is not a single Rs. / 00/- for four days. On an average,
case on record where a Parsi corpse car- let us take just two deaths per day, though
ried to cremation is intercepted on the there may be more. It works out, after
way. Whom are they posing themselves some deductions, to an average income of
against? Rs. 1,20 .................................... per month'
We are a law-abiding and peace-loving to each priest only from death ceremonies;
race. We never intrude into other peo- and what about additional income from
pie’s affairs and expect others to leave propitiation, marriage, navjote and other
us alone in our aloofness. Aloofness is ceremonies ? Will Soli Pavri cudgel up
good for us. Aloofness is safe fw us. It his brain, shake up his head or at least
is so mce of all other communities to have comb his hair ? When every where the
left us alone for centuries. It is the foul cry is that priests are in bad plight. Soli
bird tfhat defiles its own nest — that prom- writes fat cheques for the priests.
16«
*
*
scurantism unless by that term the up
starts mean tracing down unrepealed laws
Looking to all that is said above, the
lament of Mr. R. is misplaced when he
writes about the upstarts that “they find of the Scriptures when they play Blind
no adherents, much less hearers”. This is
the proper answer to a handful of upstarts
who think that they can lead the Com
munity by the nose. We have belief country, working earnestly for inter-com-
which we voluntarily adhere to or can munal emotional integration. Pray that
voluntarily reject. Our society is so resi- such vehicle of integration shall help us
lient that at every stage there is room for maintain ours and not hinder it at the
any belief and there is facility for jettison
ing any coercion without the processes
being noticeable. We are socially and
culturally evolved high enough to reject
any lead by the nose. We have no ob-
I have received Mr. Shiavux Vakil’s letter. I went to hIs office on
Thursday 11 th inst. with it for discussing the subject. I was informed by
his secretary that Mr. Vakil was out of Bombay and will return In current
week,
in this issue due to breakdown of the linotype;
it on press to press level,
may request Jam-e-jamshed for its early appearance.
Man ’s Buff in the public.
I am impelled to write all this because
the Times of India is a living force in the
instance of upstarts wanting to come into
notice this way, when better ways are
open.
(P. B. WARDEN)
I submitted the letter to the press on Friday. It could not come
Kaiser-i-Hind may verify
My answer will appear in the next Issue or I
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17THE CULT OF FIRE IN ZOROASTRIANISM
AND IN OTHER RELIGIONS
by
1
Sam N. Doctor, B.Sc.
Fire is the earthly sign (symbol) and
physical manifestation of the Divine
Spirit of Light. It represents nature at
its highest level. Hence the cult of fire,
in one form or another, permeates all
religions. Fire, however, dominates the
theologico-ritualistic scene in the religion
of Zarathushtra.
This monograph sets before the readers
the role of the fire-cult in Zoroastrianism
at various stages of its development &
history. I shall then proceed to treat the
same cult as it prevails in other religions.
f
In Zoroastrianism fire has two distinct
aspects the first is the material or earthly
*aspect and the second, the more impor
tant, is the spiritual aspect. The latter
is to be conceived in the sense of the spi
ritual or inner light, the “Flaming Fire of
Thought ”, whether in man or in Ahura
Mazda Himself. In the Avesta, fire is
Atar. In the purely spiritualized Gathas
of Zarathushtra (which are the oldest ex
tant Avestan writings containing the pro
phet ’s own words as handed down to us
by some of his immediate disciples) fire
or Atar always stands spiritualized, and
even when figuring, as it does in some
Gathic passages, apparently as elemental
or physical fire, is to be interpreted in the
, eschatological sense as the fire of molten
metal through which souls in the other
tell us, O Mazdah,
or
world have to pass. The following pas
sages will make the point clear : In the
Gathic Yasna 31-3, Zarathushtra says
“What Thou through the Spirit of Thy
Flaming Fire givest for the two kinds of
men as rewards
what is the lot assigned to the faithful ”,
in Yasna 51-9 “Of the reward that Thou
wouldst bestow upon the two kinds of men
with Thy Fire, O Mazdah, and with Thy
molten metal... evil for the follower of false
hood, good for the follower of the Law ”.
This refers to the soul of a sinner who
suffers terrible agony (though not without
end — such is the wisdom of the prophet)
when passing through the stream of mol
ten metal, while the pious man feels the
pleasurable warmth of a tepid bath. cf.
also Yasnas 31-19, 34-4, 46-7, 43-9. Thus,
the fire of the Gathas is the DIVINE
ESSENCE ITSELF, as immaterial as the
spirit with which it is associated ! (Vide
paper entitled Notes on the History of
the Sacred fires of Zoroastrianism By A.
Pagliaro, in Oriental Studies in honour,
of Dastur Cursetji Pavry). The prophet
in the Gathas frees Atar or Fire of anthro
pomorphic traits or attributes, in which
it was worshipped by the Indo-Iranians
prior to his times. Thus observes the
same writer : “At such a period
conception must already have been em
bodied in an intricate series of manifesta
tions, at times anthropomorphic or ritual-
this
19Fire in the Gathas also bears close istic. Zarathushtra preserved the symbol
only. ” (ibid). The Gathas are marked by relation to the two Ameshaspentas, Vohu
the total absence of all anthropomorphic Manah & Asha, (this relation implies no
traces that so abundantly permeate the personification). In this connection. Dr.
later Avesta. Louis H. Gray makes the following ob
servations in his paper, ‘The foundations
of the Iranian Religions ’ in the Journal of
the K. R. Cama Oriental Inst., Vol. 15:
"‘Like Vohu Manah, Asha is a mediator
in the Gathas, recalling the similar role
of the Vedic Agni
fire (passages from the Bundahishna are
cited by the author) and has as his parti
cular auxiliaries Atar, Sraoshaand Vahram
......The close association of Asha (Right
eousness, Divine Law & Order) and Atar
in the Gathas & in the Younger Avesta,
and Asha ’s rank as third in the triad of
Ahura Mazda, Vohu Manah & Asha, and
his function as a mediator, suggests that
he represents the fire-god, and may thus be
the Iranian counterpart of the Vedic Agni.
In the Gathas Ahura Mazda ’s Fire has
strength through Asha (Yasna 53-4), while
in the Haptanghaiti (a body of 7 Yasna#
intermediate in point of time, between the
Gathas & the later Avesta) Asha is ‘bright ’
(Yasna 37-4). The original distinction
between Asha & Atar would seem to be
that the former was the divinity oL sac
rificial, the latter of ordinary (esp. house
hold) fire, corresponding to the (later)
Pazend distinction between Adar & Ata-.
sh.” This physical distinction does not
The metaphorical significance embodied
in allusions to the passing of the souls
through a stream of molten metal in later “
times assumed concrete or physical form.
The renowned scholar, J. C. Tarapore,
in his paper 'Trial by ordeal in ancient
Iran ’ (in Prof. Jackson Memorial Volume)
alludes to several passages in the
Avesta & later Pahlavi writings in which
mention is made regarding actual or phy
sical fire-ordeal (the origins of which
practice can be sought in the above cited
Gathic passages) and observes that, fire
ordeals, among other kinds of ordeals,
were commonly employed in ancient Iran
as a mode of trial. Further, the much
later Pahlavi treatise of Bundahishna
gives a detailed account of the final or
deal that will be performed at the time of
the universal resurrection. “The dead
who shall rise at the time will be made to
Pass through a bath of molten metal. The wide-
ked will feel the effects of heat...while
the good will feel as if they were having
a bath of warm milk. All will then be
purified spiritually and evil will be finally
annihilated.
g
He watches over
95
Fire, the emblem of light, is symbolis
of Truth & Purity. It is symbolic of the proceed from the prophet, as the referen-
Good Principle of Light as opposed to the ces & allusions are to times preceding &
Evil Principle of Darkness in the ethical
dualism of Zarathushtra, But the two
opposing powers or Spirits, one of which
fire symbolizes, are both the creations of later Avesta & Pahlavi writings, we find
the one Supreme Ahura Mazda, and hence that in the Younger Avesta, Atar figures
the theology of Zoroaster is not dualistic, prominently in several of the Yashts,
following those of the prophet.
Coming down from the Gathas to the
t
20t
t
<
mainly as a Yazata or a personified celes
tial being or divinity, bearing anthropo
morphic traits. Atar in the Pahlavi wri
tings is Ator, from which source the
words Atash & Adhar are derived. In
the Avesta, Zoroaster is termed an
Athravan or Fire-priest. To Atar in the
Avesta is accorded the exalted distinction
of bdng ‘Puthro Ahurahe Mazdaoi’, the
symbolic son of Ahura-Mazda (a meta
phorical personification). Parallel to
this we find in the Vedas, that lightning
(fire) bears the appellation of ‘son of
Asura-Varuna’. “What, indeed, can be a
more natural & more sublime represen
tation of Him, who is Himself Eternal
Light, than a pure, undefiled flame ?”
writes Sir Rustom Masani in his ‘The
religion of good life’. Or, as R. C.
Zaehner observes in his ‘The Dawn &
Twilight of Zoroastrianism ’: “The fire
which Zoroaster made the centre of his
cultus, because in its power to destroy
darkness it is the symbol of Truth itself
* whose brilliance too destroys the darkness
of error ”. Thus fire is the dispeller of
darkness, of evil. It is the Light which
will finally burn up the Lie or ‘druj ’.
>
the Avesta, in one passage, the Sun
is called the body of Ahura Mazda. In
another it is called the eye of Ahura-
Mazda« “This must not be understood
too materially, for that would clash essen
tially with the spirit of Avesta religion in
general. ”
In the primitive Indo-Iranian religion of
nature-worship as well as in the post- pro-
hetic religion of the Avesta are featured
a number of myths & legends pertaining
to various major & minor celestial divini
ties or Yazatas, but “not one has any con
nection with Atar. The symbolical mean
ing of fire, not denied by Zarathushtra,
continues to be vividly felt' even in the
later development of Zoroastrianism, and
this has certainly prevented the forming
of anthropomorphic myths around it. ”
The worship of fire rose to highest pro
minence and even in a er tain sense degene
rated by absorbing foreign elements or
accretions in the times of the Median
priests, the Magi (several centuries after
the passing away of Zoroaster) as can be
learnt from the following extract from a
paper by Dr. Charles Ogden in Tndo-
Iranian Studies ’ where the author quotes
the words of the Greek historian Agathias:
“The Persians have many other gods
whom they call by name and propitiate,
as the Greeks do. They practise sacrifi
ces and purifications & divinations, like
wise a Greek custom...The Magi guard it
(the fire) without letting it be extinguished,
in certain edifices that are quite sacred
and set apart. It is to the fire that they
direct their gaze when they celebrate their
sacred rites & inquire concerning the
future. This usage, I think, they derived
from the Chaldeans or from some other
race,since it does not agree with the rest. ”
The A vesta distinguishes five species of
fires. They are 1. Barezisavah, the fire
of the earth, or Pahlavi Buland-Sut, the
name of the fire of an Atash-Behram; 2.
Vohu-frayana, the fire in the human &
animal bodies; 3. Urvazishta which ani
mates the vegetable kingdom, the fire
which proceeds from wood; 4. Vazishta,
the fire of lightning; 5. Spenishta, the
eternal fire or the fire of Ahura Mazda
i
21Himself, or ordinary fire according to the venerated fire as the behest & most
later Bundahishna. (Vide Dr. Harlez ’ perfect symbol of the Diety. The worship
Introduction to the Avesta, & Poure D a such elements as Sun & fire in Zoroas-
voud ’s Gathas of Zarathushtra). “Thus, trianism served as adjuncts to the primary
in the vase before him in the fire-temple, Mazda-worship, the monotheistic worship
a Parsee sees in a purified state a collec- of One God. Fire serves best as a sym-
tion of fires taken from the houses & bol & aid to worship & concentration,
workshops of different grades & profes- When dne contemplates & concentrates
sions. This reminds him that men of upon the beams of fire, the upward motion
different positions & ranks hold the same of the flames towards heaven, signifying
high position in the presence of Ahura spiritual progress, one is reminded of the
'Mazda, provided they have, like the fire versatile nature & the exalted position
in the fire-sanctuary, gone through the occupied by fire among the four elements
process of purification.”
in Zoroaster & Zoroastrianism). The warmth or heat. There is fire in our body,
tending of the hearth-fire becomes the fire in air, in vegetation, fire in the very
duty of every master^of a house. Especia- core of the atom. Fire possesses purifica-
lly during night does fire by its light drive tory powers. The Sun, a ball of fire is
away the demons & evil spirits and for that symbolic of divine manifestation, the
reason probably, even prayers are sup- source of very life on earth. “Time, Space
posed to be more effective by night. (Dr. & light are invoked by the Parsis, because
W. Geiger in Civilization of the Eastern they invoke all that they conceive
Iranians in ancient times. Vol. I.) as existing & good. But they are not
personified. They are not spirits”, writes
De Harlez. One may pray before (facing) ‘
the Sun (emblematic of fire) but the pra
yers should be addressed directly to
?
(R. H. Mistry of nature. Fire is the source of light, life &
written an excellent paper on Parsis &
fire-worship which appears in the •Dr.
Fire in the Avesta rose to be the most
powerful & most helpful of the Yazatas.
In some passages the sacred elenlent came
to be clearly personified, which constitutes Xhura Mazda. Mr. M. N. Kuka' has
a deviation or change over fro'm strict
monotheism : Fire elKhorts men to rise
(Vendidad 18), He (personification imp- Memorial Volume. Therein he
lied) destroys the creation of evil spirit
(Vd. 8); he is opposed to Angro Mainyu
& to Azi, (Yashts 13.77, 19.49). Azi,
creator of thedaevasis his personal
enemy & seeks to surprise & extinguish
him.. (Vd. 18.).
There is no religion entirely void of all polation introduced in Firdausi s original
symbolism, though, of cdurse, excessive regards the sentimental repu-
symbolism & overmuch ritualism de gene- diation by the Parsis of the denomination
rates a religion. It is true that Zoroaster ‘fire-worshippers ’ applied to them, Mr.
cites the following couplet appearing in
the Shahnamah. : “Say not that they'
(the Parsis) are fire-worshippers. Nay,
they were the worshippers of the Holy
God. ” But the said author regards the
couplet, among others, as a later inter-
text.
*
22J
Kuka explains the term & related impli
cations, and concludes that “When a Parsi
prays before the fire & recites the Atash-
Niyayish, he is giving utterance to words
conveying a request to the fire to give to
the adorer certain blessings such as longe
vity, strength,... etc. This does constitute
of fire-worship in spite of what sentiment
alists may say, & no Parsi, who understands
what he is reciting in the form of prayers,
can conscientiously aver that he is not a
fire-worshipper. ”
t
Before leaving the Zoroastrian scene I
shall briefly touch upon the Three Sacred
Fires of Zoroastrianism ‘ As I have earlier
stated the influence of the Median priests,
the Magi, had already reached its peak of
development in the Iran or the Medo-
Persian Empire of the times of the Achae-
menians. So had the fire-cult attained
full development, & Zoroastrianism had
for the first time come to be accepted as
the official religion of the vast empire
under the Achaemenides. ‘^Masudi &
Shahrastani fell of some ten different Py-
raea or places of fire-worship which exis
ted in Iran before Zoroaster’s times
Among all the fires there seem to be three
which stand in the later times of the Sas-
sanians, as the threefold representative of
the sacred element, corresponding to the
division of the community into 3 classes,
priests, warriors & labou ring men. The
names of the 3 great fires are : (1) Atar
Farnbag, the fire of the priests, (2) Atar
Gushnasp (Gushasp), the fire of the war
riors, (3) Atar Burzbin Mitro or Burzhin
Mihr, the representative of the labouring
. class.”
(Vide A. V. W. Jackson ’s Zoroas
ter, the prophet of ancient Iran, chapter
9.). Tradition has it that the 3 sacred
fires were from the beginning of things
created by Ormazd. Yima (Jamshid)
established the Farnbagh fire in a temple
in Khvarizm. The Gushnasp fire is said
to have protected humanity until the reign
of Kay Khusrav, while the Burzin
Mihr protected similarly until the reign
of Vishtaspa, contemporary & patron of
Zoroaster. With these observations I
close the subject of Zoroastrian fire cultus.
I shall now briefly tseat of the cult of
fire as it prevails in other religions. Fire
cult and fire-worship, as is well known,
was universal since prehistoric times,
and remnants of fire-veneration, if not of
elaborate worship, are to be found among
nearly all nations & sects, in all climes &
religions. The cult as it prevailed among
the Vedic Indians approaches closest to the
Zoroastrian cult, as they both stem
from a common Aryan source. Fire is
Agni in the Vedas, the Vedic counterpart
of the Atar, to which, in connection with
Asha, I have already alluded in a fore
going paragraph. The importance of the
Vedic Agni in the Vedic pantheon is at
once evident from the fact that no less
than 53out of 191 hymns of the first book
of the (Rig Veda)are addressed to him either
solely or with others. ” Agni, in the Rig
Veda bears such epithets as ‘Born of Holy
Order ’ and is portrayed as a combination
of a number of Vedic divinities, e.g., we
have “Thou Agni art Indra, thou art
Vishnu, the wide-stepping,...Agni, when
kindled, is Mitra. Or again, “Thou Agni
art born Varuna, Thou art Aryaman. ”
Agni is even styled Asura (Avestan ‘Ahu
ra ’) and frequently bears the epithet of
A
23‘All possessing ’. In his lowest manifes- quenched ”. Or when we have Moses
tation Agni is ordinary earthly flame, beholding fire at his first divine commu-
while in his highest, is identical with Var- nion at Sinai —God appeared to Moses in
una himself. (Cf. compound Asura- the ‘Burning Bush ’ which, though aflame
Varuna.) with fire, was not consumed. He is a
‘Consuming fire ’. (Old Testa. * Is. 29.6,
30.3, & c).
The cult of fire had a prominent place
in the ritual of • Celtic Christianity, and
Celtic fire-ritual “was taken over almost
intact into Christianity as represented in Christ has also been spoken of as the pro
Kildare, Ireland where Brigindu (origi- phet of fire. John the Baptist (who
rially a form of the fire-god) or Brigit baptised with water) was the foreteller
became a femaWsaint & the vestals be- of fire (Christ). He saw in the messiah,
came nuns of the Church...In Slavic be- soon to appear, the master of flame,
lief, ‘holy Ugnis ’ is a male Agni (fire-god). Regarding Christ, John says “He will be
but he became ‘Our Lady ’, who gives a baptizer who will baptize with fire ”,
prophetic omens.
paper entitled ‘The cult of fire in Chris- following words of maledidtions :
tianity ’ in Oriental Studies.) generation of vipers, you Pharisees &
Saducees, you are haughty statues of stone
A celebration of the Spring festival of ¦vvhich only fire can conquer since water
lights with a blessing of fire was recogni- js quickly dried up. ”
Zoroaster was the first prophet of fire.
(E. W. Hopkins in John reproached the Pharisees with the
“O
sed in Jerusalem as early as the fourth
century, and this had spread to the West
by the fifth century, where the prayer for
the blessing of lights followed St. Brigit ’s
day of February 1st. This became Cand
lemas, 2nd February, another festival of
candles, (ibid). In the present times, cand
les, oil-lamps & electric lamps (all primari
ly symbolic of fire or light) adorn the
images of Christ & Virgin Mary in Chris
tian churches.
(Papini in ‘Life of Christ ’)
“So was the fire-vase brought into the
Holy of Holies (the holiest sanctuary of
the Jews) on the atonement day by the
officiating high-priest. It was the very
central act performed on that solemn
occasion. . .From Zoroaster to 'Moses, from
Ezekiel to the humblest worshSppew of
to-day, wishmg to picture to himself the
Divine Presence, the pious wfll realize it
under the em^em of a ‘bush in the flames,
We have in the Bible (Old Testament' —ever burning & never consuming’
several allusions & references to the wor- (O. Test. Exod. 3-4.). One may say that
ship & veneration of fire ; ‘So in the Mo- it is idolatrous, heathen, sacrilegious; vain
riah Temple ” ordained Levit. 6.6” an sentimentalism ! But it is human, it is
eternal fire shall burn there , never to be effective, it is solemn & worshipful. ”
Owing to Unavoibablc Circumstances we regrat that publication of Parsiana
has ' been delayed by a week.
Ed.
t
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41H 341441, 5lic4l tlio^^iSli
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ties, 414 4lS»il€tHi «/4l Hll4l 441 <§^£41^1 §011
4^41.
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M’lB ¦«i^l
^«1R4«^1<1 wilJi’ ^”.
(^) rt^rt fittM »ilH d ; “
«iya;j ‘ I:-"! H 9/i^ii 4 ISJI*”-
“tMi Hl al4 d, H H 4«n Hix ^WHl
HR ^HlHi«y. Wl HR ^«iHi ^«Hi
h 5i He^ H6R 4«ft ”—h 5?Ii ^¦^l^l-
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s4151 Hl 3X1X1^’ '^XX’Z ^ Hl 4'^4®/ 3>x^ S, ’J1 4^14 4(6
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>
»5,ni »iHi <-ii9t ^n Xl’^ XVJ orxidl »”.
X^ w :
ai^laiil aieil«ft 51 rienxixi xid ’K' d4l.
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»{lS1^ (?.Mtnd,
C. Blessed are the pure and pious! They who are devoted to,
work f or, and are friendly towards the Kingdom of Ahura-Mazda are
progressing in the right direction. They are active participants
in building the prosperity of the Good Creation. They live
righteously and labour lovingly ! They are inspired with the
Awakened — Conscience. Each one of us has got to contribute
our mite towards the good of all! Zarathushtra detests the idler
34
*1
and the parasite ! These drones devour the fruits of other peo
ple’s sweat and toil without contributing anything of their own.
We must all of us work to the best of our abilities, and occupy .
ourselves with work that is most suited to our particular talents.
That is an important way in righteous living, This sort
of living tends to develop our minds too, and we
gradually widen our circle of sympathies. Starting
interest of the selfish-self, we progress towards the greater good
of more and more, till we at last reach that stage of mental
development where we regard all creation with an equitable
concern ! This is the condition in which the Universal-Mind
unfolds itself, and we learn to look upon all that we ^ee with the
Eyes of God !
important way in righteous living,
our minds too, and
g
from the
VERSE 4.
A.
?
Ye Thwat, Mazda ! asrushtim
Akemcha mano yazai apa;
Khvaeteuj^c^a taremaiOm,
Verezenakhwyacha nazdishtam drujem,
Airyamanasctaa nadento,
Geushcha vastrat achishtem niantum. (76)
»
t
B.
C.
Therefore from Your Own, O! Mazda, disobedience
And Evil thoughts will I pray away;
From the firm of spirit all perverseness.
From the co-worker all innate opposition
From the friend all slander.
And from the field of Creation the most wicked-minded ones.
Zarathushtra prays to Ahura-Mazda that his Faithful followers
may receive melximum
tiiat there should be ntoi indiscipline or rebellion in the ranks of
his devotees. There should be no thought or desire in the minds
of his followers that arises from the seed of an Evil-Mind.
Those firm of spirit should be blessed with Faith and not with
perverseness. All his co-workers should unite in Truth
and not in opposition ! All those that call him friend should
be worthy of Praise and not be Slanderers. It is the Prophet ’s
guidance and protection ! He pleads
3536
ardent desire that the world should be rid of all those with an
evil bent of mind. He envisages a world that is free of all base
desires and impulses ! The virtuous must flourish with ample
¦ scope to practise their pieties
VERSE 5.
A.
B.
C.
Yaste vispe-mazishtem
Seraoshem zhaya avanghane,
• ¦
Apano darego-jyaitim
A — khshathrem Vangheush Manangfao,
• •
Asliat a erezush patho
Yaeshu Mazdao Ahuro Shaeti. (77)
Therefore Your mightiest
Inner-Voice-of-Intuition shall I invoke for the final goal,
Acquiring a life of long-duration .......
Reaching upto the Kingdom of the Good-and-Loving-Mind,
Through the straight paths of Righteousness .
Where Mazda Ahura rules.
Zarathushtra depends upon Ahura-Mazda to answer him through
his Inner-Voice-of-Infallible-Intuition. All spiritual pursuits are
aimed at aw^ening the Inner-Intuition! Once this is achieved,
all the closely guarded secrets of Nature reveal themselves to
Nothing can ever remain hidden from the glance of its
deeply penetrating eyes. All prophesies and premonitions pro
ceed from the voice of this omniscient monitor. This great and good
gift of pure Intuition is bestowed upon us by Ahura-Mazda
when we begin to live righteously, and listen attentively to the
promptings of the Good-and-Loving-Mind within us ! They that
pursue the paths of spirituality shall also be blessed with long
and fruitful lives. The Realms of Ahqra-Mazda are where all
these virtues and blessings abide.
VERSE 6.
Ye zaota Asha erezush, •
Hvo Manyeush a Vahishtat kaya,
Ahmat ava Manangha-
us.
*
A.
*?
1
?
>
Ya verezyddyai manta vastrya;
Ta-Toi izyai, Ahura
Mazda! darsbtoishcha hem — parshtoishcha. (73)
B. Therefore as an invoker sincere in Righteousness,
Do I beseech from the Highest Spirit this
That such a Mind —-
May help me fulfil my work on Earth as You decreed;
Therefore from You I desire this, O ! Ahura
Mazda, Vision of You, and speech with You.
C. Zarathushtra is very earnest about his Heaven-sent mission ! He
has taken to the path of Righteousness in all sincerity. He
implores Ahura-Mazda, Who is the Highest Spirit that can be
conceived of, to awaken the voice of Intuition in him so that he
may successfully carry out the task of Prophethood allotted to
him. Ahura-Mazda is no mere abstract principle to Zarathush-
••• tra, but is a living, personal God, quite capable of manifesting
Himself to His true devotee! Therefore, Zarathushtra beseeches
Ahura-Mazda to appear before him and converse with him.
This shows us the degree of intensity with which Zarathushtra
had got himself absorbed in Ahura-Mazda, for nothing short
of the beatific vision and direct perception of his Beloved would
ever satisfy him ! This statement need not mean that Ahura-
•Mazda is an anthropomorphic entity. Zarathushtra only beholds
and converses with Him in Spiritual Realms !
VERSE 7.
A. A—ma aidum Vahishta,
A^Khvaithyacha, Mazda! dareshatcha,
Asha Vohu Manangha;
Ya sruye pare Ma gauno,
Avish — nao antare faentu
NemakhvaJtish chithrao ratayo. (79)
B. Come to me, O! You Who are Best,
Appear in Your Essence, O ! Mazda, and show Yourself,
To the Righteous with the Good-and-Loving-Mind;
37
ISo that I may be heard beyond.the immediate Congregation.
May it be manifest to us
The path of duty, dedicated to You.
C. The Prophet pours himself out in love to his Beloved ’ Nothing
would satisfy him now, but the vision of God ! Ahura-Mazda
is the only object of his veneration ! He loves Him to distrac
tion ! He yearns to behold Ahura-Mazda in the vision of his
mind ’s eye ! He knows that Aliura-Mazda does appear before
|'|Fj?those who are Righteous and have fully developed their Good-
and-Loving-Minds ! He does not, cannot withhold Himself
from His true lovers ! The Prophet has his faithful band of
followers around him. The Magha are the members of his con
gregation. There is no distinction of caste or class between them.
But the Prophet aspires that his message should spread and reach
far beyond the present gathering. The Word of Ahura-Mazda
should be broadcast over ail the seven regions of the world.
He is impatient that all humanity should receive his message !
He desires to become perfectly cognizant of the path of duty
laid down for all mankind by the Absolute Creator of all, so that
he may bring about a Universal Salvation. AU humanity should
realise Mazdayasna the worship of the one God, the only God,
Ahura-Mazda ! All should dedicate their lives to Him alone !
VERSE 8.
4
A. Fro — moi fravoizdum aretha,
Ta ya Vohu shyavai Manangha,-
Yasnem, Mazda! Khshmavato,
At va Asha sfcaomya vachao;
Data ve Ameretaoscha,
Utayuiti Haurvatas draono. (80)
B. Make known to me Your purpose true.
So that my Awakened Conscience may pursue it,-
I would worship, O ! Mazda, one like You,
Because I sing praises of Rectitude;
Do You grant me Immortality, .............
And the powerful blessing of Perfection.
38f
C. In order to act in conformity with the Will of Ahura-Mazda,
• one must first be made perfectly aware of what His Will is!
Upto the time of Zarathushtra, the Laws of Nature were a shut
book to the people. They were groping in the dark, with wild
speculations about the essence of things. Rules were laid down
in that remote past, which we would now only regard as primi
tive, superstitious and unrealistic beliefs. It was the part of
Holy Zarathushtra to change all this, and give us a perfect code
of conduct, along with a rational explanation of hitherto unknown
mysteries of creation. Zarathushtra acknowledges Ahura-Mazda
to be a Righteous God, and extols Him because of it ! His mind
finds the concept of Ahura-Mazda most agreeable. The Cosmic
and Moral Laws of Ahura-Mazda are Universal in application,
and are founded on Equity, Justice and Truth ! Our Prophet is
quite confident that those that live righteously, develop their
minds progressively, believe rationally and faithfully, and work
with the courage of selflessness, are sure to be blessed by Ahura-
Mazda with the twin rewards of Perfection and Immortality !
VERSE 9.
A. At Toi, Mazda! tern mainyum;
• Ashaokhshayantao saredyayao
Khvathra maetha maya;
Vabishta baretu Manangha
Ayao arm hhkurenem,
Yayao hachinte urvano. (81)
t
B. Truly Yours, O! Mazda are these spirits two;
They are the consequences of Righteousness
Radiantly rewarding with the light of Your Wisdom;
May the Most Exalted Mind shower on us
From high above the blessings of these two,
Whose souls in sympathy are one.
C. Ahura-Mazda showers the rewards of Perfection and Immorta
lity upon the Righteous ! These two rewards are inseparable.
They come to us as the crowning glory of lives lived well! Those
who live according to the tenents of our beloved Prophet are
sure to acquire these twin blessings right here and now ! The
39
I
i
i,Perfect are Immortal ! They are the most-longed-for rewards of
the virtuous. They manifest themselves as the highest manifes
tation of Ahura-Mazda ’s Radiant Wisdom ! Zarathushtra knows
that these two rewards are one like the obverse and converse
sides of a single coin. May they descend upon the faithful. He
knows that these two blessings are the greatest of boons. How
could one ever improve upon that which is Perfect? How
could one ever conceive of Eternity more lasting than Immorta
lity ? Only He Who is Divine can ever dispense the Nectar of
Perfection and the Ambrosia of Immortality !
VERSE 10.
A. Vispao — stoi hujitayo,
Yao — zi aonghare, yaoscha henti,
• •
Yaoscha, Mazda! bavainti;
• Thwahmi hish zaoshe abakhshohva;
• •• Vohu ukhshya Manangha,
Khshathra Ashacha ushta tanum. (82)
B. All pious lives belong to You,
Those which have been, those which are.
And those, O! Mazda which shall be;
Yours is the Grace which metes out their rewards;
Elevate these through the Good-and-Loving-Mind,
Through the Power-Divine and through Righteousness upto the
life of bliss.
C. Ahura-Mazda is the repository of all that is good ! From Him,
spring all the pious ones that have passed away, that are now
in existence, and those who will appear in the future. From
Him they come and to Him they return. Their rewards are dis
tributed to them by the grace of Ahura-Mazda. He is munifi
cent with His Bounty, when He rewards the Righteous! The
virtues to which we aspire, and the very desire for them, awaken
in us at His command ! He elevates us by transforming our
gross and selfish minds to a sublime condition ! He strengthens
us by imparting to us His Divine-Power-of-Detachment ! He
brings salvation to us by inspiring us to tread the path of Righteous
ness ! Finally, He blesses us with the Life of Bliss, which passes
all understanding !
I
»
40A.
f
.O
B.
VERSE 11.
Ye Sevishto Aliiiro,
Mazdaoscha, Annaitishcha,
Ashemeha, fradafc-gaethem,
Maiiascha Vohu, Khshathr^cha,
Sraota — moi, merezhdata — moi,
A^i kahyakhit paid. (83)
You are the Almighty Lord-of-Spirit,
And the Creator-of-Matter, Yours is reasoned Faith,
And Righteousness, which blesses all Life,
You are the source of the Good-and-Loving-Mind and the
Divine-Power-of-Detachment,
C.
»
Pray hear me, take pity on me,
When You distribute their deserts to one-and-all,
Ahura-Mazda alone is the Creator of all ! He fashioned us and
breathed life into us ! He gave us Faith to sustain us ! He
showed us the path of Rectitude to guide and shelter us ! He
awakened the Good-and-Loving-Mind within us so that we might
be wise, loving and true ! He imparted to us His Divine-Power
in order to enable us to carry out the behests of our moral con
victions ! He is our sole support and refuge ! To Him alone
we pray, ask for guidance, open out our hearts, pour forth our
thanksgivings and our complaints, submit our atonements,
beg for mercy, and depend upon for the final saving Grace!
He is the Loving Father to every prodigal son! None are so
lost that they might not throw themselves upon His Mercy !
None are so secure that they need not fear His Wrath !
VERSE 12.
A. Us — m^ uzareshva, Ahura!
Armaiti tevishim dasva;
Spenishta Mainyu, Mazda!
Vanghuya zavo ada;
Asha hazo emavat,
Vohu Manangha feseratum. (84)
t
41
iB. Arise from within me, O! Ahura,
Through reasoned Faith give strength to my soul;
Through Your Purest Spirit, O! Mazda,
Grant me the good reward for my prayer ’
Through Righteousness impart undeviating strength to me,
And through the Good-and-Loving-Mind bestow spiritual
domain.
»
¥
C. It is only when we stop searching for God in the external world,
and turn our eyes inward that we finally re-discover Him within
our own selves ! Ahura-Mazda, the embodiment of Highest
Bliss is elusive to our comprehension until we seach for Him
within ourselves ! But we have to undergo rigid self-discipline
before we find Him there. 'We have to convert our bodies into
veritable shrines of God before we find Hhn residing there!
Our Prophet Zarathushtra has wisely given us the most perfected
spiritual discipline that will enable us to attain this Divine desire.
Faith in the Prophet ’s teaching is of paramount importance !
We have to believe in him implicitly before w'e start our quest.
We must start with the absolute conviction that we shall succeed
in our mighty attempt to unveil the Purest Spirit that is Ahura-
Mazda ! We must pray for that blessing with sincere devotion,
to the exclusion of all other desires. We must purify ourselves
in our thoughts, words and deeds. This will impart the necessary
strength to sustain us in our quest. We must also learn to purify
our gross minds till they reach the stage of Perfection. The
Mind, Manas must evolve into the Awakened-Conscience, Vohu-
Manah, and then must proceed till it becomes the Uiiiversal-
Mind, Vahishtem-Mano ! When we reach this stage of spiritual
enlightenment, all the veils shall have fallen apart, and we shall
come face to face with the object of our quest ! We shall then
find ourselves blessed with the twin reward of a life made per
fect and a soul made immortal !
VERSE 13.
A. Rafedhrai vounichashane,
Doishi — moi ya — ve abifra —•••
Ta Khshathrahya, Ahura!
•Ya Vangheush ashisfa Manangho —
I
42
I
i?
Ik
Fro Spenta Armaite!
Asha Daesnao fradokfashaya. (85)
B. For my incomparable joy and far-reaching vision.
Reveal to me those priceless gifts of Yours —
That Divine-Power-of-Detachment, O! Ahura,
Which is the blessing showered on the Good-and-Loving-Mind —
Disclose to me, O! Holy Faith,
Through Righteousness the Religion of Self-Realization.
C. True Religion leads one to a life of Highest Bliss ! The Self-
Realized are always happy! There is no pessimism in the mes
sage of Zarathushtra. Everywhere, and in every utterance of his,
the Prophet radiates unbounded optimism : How can we
ever mourn, if in every incident we see the Will of Ahura-Mazda
unfolding itself ? Zarathushtra is greatly elated with the rewards
that Ahura-Mazda showers upon him and his followers. Living
an ethical life, the rewards to be expected have to be ethical too !
• The Paradise which Holy Zarathushtra holds out before us is a
• condition of life in which unbounded opportunities exist for
doing unlimited good! The greatest reward for a life '^^ell-lived
is to have lived it, just as the greatest punishment for a life
miss-spent is to have wasted it ! Zarathushtra has a vision that
reaches far beyond our life of immediate wants. The Religion
he propagates will have an enduring effect upon us for all time
to come. He knows that only moral values will prevail in the
end, and" so exhorts us to draw upon ourselves God-like virtues
such as living righteously, thinking wisely and lovingly, enduring
faithfully, sustaining powerfully and developing inwardly ! This
will lead us to the highest reward conceivable, the state of
Self-Realization !
VERSE 14.
A.
I
At ratam Zarathushtro
TanvascWt khvakhwyao ushtanem;
Dadaiti paurvatatem
Mananghascha Vangheush Mazdai;
• •
43
iSbyaothanahya Ashai yacha,
Ukhdha^khwyacha Seraoshem KMathremclia. (86)
B. Therefore as consecration Zarathushtra offers
The vital breath of his whole life;
He dedicates the first fruits
Of the Good-and-Loving-Mind to Mazda;
He offers the best deeds of Righteousness too,
And the best of his words inspired by Inner-Intuition, with all
his Strength.
C. Zarathushtra dedicates himself, body and soul, to Ahura-Mazda !
He lives for Him, and would gladly die for Him. He works for
the splendour of His Glory ! His mind is undistractedly absorbed
in His service ! He has grown full in Love and Wisdom ’ He
utilizes his Enlightenment for the service of his Beloved 1 He sets
out to do Universal good with the best fruits of bis achievement 1
He lives Righteously according to the dictates of the Cosmic
and Moral Law revealed to him by Ahura-Mazda, through his
Inner-Perception. He spreads the Divine Message fa- and wide
in an effort to bring Illumination to all mankind throughout all
the seven regions of the world. He pays great and constant
attention to the Inner-Voice-of-Infallible-Intuition which guides
him continually. He serves Ahura-Mazda with all the strength
at his command ! He is untiring in his zeal and effort to carry
out the Prophetic work assigned to him. The message that he
• •• imparted to our distant ancestlors, many thousands of years ago,
• continues to astonish and iUuminate us with its eternal-freshness!
His voice continues to speak to us, and instructs us authoritatively
through the teachings of all the Masters of 'Wisdom who have
succeeded him ! All their words are but mere distant echoes of what
he first spoke ! To him alone goes the glory of having uttered
the ‘agushta-vachao ’,— words unheard-of before ! ; The values
that he gave us have remained unchanged in ai) otherwise inde-
f
I
I
4<
Iterminate world, forever moving in a state of flux! His
original edict of Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good
Deeds has rever been surpassed by any! It has not even ever
been equalled! Thus it shall continue to remain for all time
to come, till we reach beyond the confines of space, and cross
over the barriers of time!
(To be continued)
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