Forlorn fire temples

Once upon a time, there lived and prospered a good number of Parsi Zoroastrian families in several small towns of Gujarat in particular, and other parts of India in general. To cater to the spiritual needs of these persons, atash adarians or atash dadgahs were established there. Since the past 30 years or so, the Parsi population in these towns has been dwindling drastically. Not having lucrative avenues in these small towns, most of the youngsters have migrated to mega cities of India or abroad, in search of fresh pastures. Therefore, for want of sufficient patronage, these fire temples, reserved exclusively for worship by Parsis only, are in very poor shape. Several have no priests at all. Many lie locked up. Some which are kept open are very poorly maintained, if at all, by the very few aged and infirm remnants of the community still lingering in these towns.

The condition of these abandoned agiaries is not likely to improve as long as we stick to our present practice of prohibiting non-Zoroastrians from praying in front of our altars.

Fire worship is not a monopoly of Zoroastrians only. Fire is being worshipped in one form or another by the followers of all the different faiths. The orthodox clan amongst us argues that if a non-Zoroastrian person were to pray in our agiaries, that person will defile our specially consecrated fire by merely gazing at it. Not only that, but such non-Zoroastrians will dilute the efficacy of the prayers chanted by our priests and other lay-Zoroastrians. Such a belief does not form part of the good thoughts on which the Zoroastrian religion is based.

They fail to appreciate that fire is an element of nature that can never get defiled. It rather purifies whatever that comes in its contact. If Adar Yazad can be polluted by the mere gaze and presence of a non-Zoroastrian, what about Khorshed Yazad, Mohor Yazad, Tir Yazad, Avan Ardvisur Banu, who all stand exposed to non-Zoroastrians? No one ever enters any holy place of worship with a deliberate intent of defiling it. It is only the abiding faith in a particular deity that attracts people to seek its blessings. The efficacy of a prayer is based on the piety of the person reciting it. This piety can never get diluted if a non-Zoroastrian prays alongside a Zoroastrian.

The solution for improving the sorry state of affairs in our abandoned agiaries lies in the hands of our minuscule community. Either keep the Adar Yazad imprisoned without nourishment, in a locked-up cell, or let the Adar Yazad be loved, respected, and worshipped by all humanity. Judicious action is called for immediately, and the nature of the action taken will measure the extent of love and respect we hold towards our dear Adar Yazad.

FARAMARZ B. SETHNA

Gandhidham (Kutch)