Dastur, mobed, ervad defined

Excerpts from A guide to the Zoroastrian Religion edited and translated by Dastur (Dr) Firoze M. Kotwal and James W. Boyd, sponsored by Harvard University Center for the Study of World Religions, printed in 1982.

Q. What is the meaning of mobed?

Dastur Erachji Sohrabji Meherjirana: ‘Mobed’ means ‘he who understands much.’ A mobed is a wise man and sage, who always says Avesta and performs the yasna ceremonies (the Persian Rivayat of Nariman Hooshang and Burhan-e Qate).

Dastur (Dr) Firoze M. Kotwal: The titles mobed, dastur and ervad are used somewhat loosely nowadays, but the traditional differences between them are as follows: An ervad is one who has undergone a nawar ceremony (the first initiation ceremony for a priest) and can perform common ceremonies, i.e. afrinagan (blessings), stum (praise) and farokhshi (praise of the fravashis). Such a person could make his living by being a priest or doing some other business. A mobed is at a stage beyond the ervad. He has undergone the maratab (second initiation) ceremony and is a full-fledged priest. He can perform high liturgical (paw-mahal) ceremonies. He must lead a life of self-control to retain his ritual power (amal). The priesthood is his vocation.

A dastur is in a sense a chief mobed. The previous stages are preconditions for becoming a dastur. He is a seasoned priest, well-versed and experienced in the intricacies of ritual, and can supervise others with competence. Such a position was highly respected in ancient times. The titles are derived from Avestan words.

Q. Who is an ervad?

Meherjirana: Ervad means one who becomes ervad by learning Avesta. A person who has become an ervad is also spoken of as one who has done navjote, and in every work has become worthy of becoming a zot (chief officiator; priest), which is also called nawar and maratab. The meaning (of the term) ervad is "one who serves fire, who keeps purity and piety.” It also means one who gives his undivided attention to God and says prayers (bandagi), (the Persian Rivayat of Nariman Hooshang and Burhan-e Qate.)

Kotwal: Philologically the term ervad means the ‘master of scriptures,’ i.e. one who has learned the scriptures by heart. Erachji is describing qualities that make a good ervad rather than giving an exact meaning of the term itself. Erachji also seems to make the terms nawar and maratab synonymous with ervad, when in fact they refer to two different ceremonies which qualify priests to perform various types of liturgies. Navjote, in India, is used to mean the ‘new initiate’ (lit. ‘new priest’), and is the ceremony which qualifies a person to enter the religious life of the community, wear the sudreh-kusti and say prayers (bandagi).

Q. Who is a yozdathregar?

Meherjirana: A yozdathregar is one who makes purity. He is a priest (athravan) who speaks the truth and always piously performs high liturgies such as the yasna and vendidad in the ritual precinct of fire temples or dar-e mihr (Vendidad 9).