Readers' Forum
Move with the times
For centuries it has riled non-Parsi Indians when they are debarred from paying their last respects to the corpse of a dead Parsi after the sachkar is done, even though they may have known the person from five to 50 years.
The ostensible and illogical reason quoted for this is that it makes the corpse impure! It is said to hinder the transmigration of the soul! How extremely absurd! Our prayers are supposed to provide a powerful cordon against the evil spirits believed to be lurking near a corpse. Does a mere sight by a juddin nullify that cordon?
The practice implies that our prayers are very fickle (which they are not), and that our priests are fanatical, opinionated and outdated.
Recently the corpse of one Kersi Shroff from Nanded in eastern Maharashtra was brought to Bombay for being consigned to the tower of silence. A busload of his employees and admirers accompanied his body. All of them were denied the last glimpse, and their bewilderment was boundless.
Just because some religions do not move with the times doesn’t mean that Parsis must ape them. Over two or three years back I had written to the Athornan Mandal to take a categorical stand on the issue. But it is a moribund organization of priests, fossilized in time.
B. T. DASTUR
The ostensible and illogical reason quoted for this is that it makes the corpse impure! It is said to hinder the transmigration of the soul! How extremely absurd! Our prayers are supposed to provide a powerful cordon against the evil spirits believed to be lurking near a corpse. Does a mere sight by a juddin nullify that cordon?
The practice implies that our prayers are very fickle (which they are not), and that our priests are fanatical, opinionated and outdated.
Recently the corpse of one Kersi Shroff from Nanded in eastern Maharashtra was brought to Bombay for being consigned to the tower of silence. A busload of his employees and admirers accompanied his body. All of them were denied the last glimpse, and their bewilderment was boundless.
Just because some religions do not move with the times doesn’t mean that Parsis must ape them. Over two or three years back I had written to the Athornan Mandal to take a categorical stand on the issue. But it is a moribund organization of priests, fossilized in time.
B. T. DASTUR
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