Count your blessings

Just as we have a prayer called Patet Pashemani where the supplicant atones for his or her sins/vices/crimes of omissions and commissions, there is a prayer, also, for Thanksgiving, where the Lord is adored for His unlimited bounties on Zoroastrians (Parsis were unknown, then): The first blessing bestowed upon us is that we are born Zoroastrians and not non-Zoroastrians (juddins) and that we are born Aryans and not non-Aryans. The other blessings which we count in our prayer are:

That we are born straight, and not crooked

That we are born forthright, and not deceitful

That we are born healthy, and not unhealthy

That we are born free, and not (as) slaves

That we are born with a sharp acumen, and not dull-witted

That we are born brave (to defend Iran), and not cowardly

That we are born progressive and forward-looking in our mental make-up, and not regressive

That we are born manly and virile, and not unmanly

That we are born with graceful and honorable children, and not issueless

That we are born lovers of nature, and not its destroyer

That we are born to protect, and not destroy His creation

That we are born as lovers of men and women, and not as misanthropes and misogynists

That we are born rich, and not paupers

That we sit in majestic company, and not in lowly fellowship

That we are clad in golden finery, and not in tatters

The list does not end here but is fairly illustrative of His bounties and a measure of our thankfulness and commitment.

When we look at the fate of many other communities and races, we realize how protected we are, by Him and by the holy fire which we worship.

What is lamentable is that our degree of worship has dimmed over the years, and not many Parsis pray daily. His bounties are in return for our devotion and not because of a racial or a religious label that we carry, or just because we are hook-nosed and Aryan by origin.

Our community’s salvation lies in prayers and genuine thankfulness.

BEHRAM T. DASTUR