Readers' Forum
“Gatha talk”
In his letter "Gatha talk” (Readers’ Forum, Parsiana, January 21, 2012) Kersee Kabraji laments the fact that Parsi priests are so focused on ceremonies and rituals that they virtually turn a blind eye to the Gathas and the true teachings of Zarathushtra. It profits our priests to keep the lay flock in happy ignorance by not preaching the religion of Zarathushtra — and by religion I mean Zarathushtra’s true message; not the unintelligible prayers that are understood by a microscopic percentage of the Parsi population and have been so adapted over the centuries that they probably bear little relation to Zarathushtra’s intentions.
After all, the priests have cleverly positioned themselves as the sole intermediaries between average Parsis and their Prophet. According to them, the long winded rituals they readily perform — for suitable remuneration, of course — are not just the preferred, but the only means available to lay Parsis to convey their hopes and desires to Zarathushtra. And it suits ordinary Parsis as well. They can salve their conscience and feel good about fulfilling their religious obligation through the simple expedient of shelling out a few hundred rupees and a few dozen sticks of sandalwood. Why waste time and effort in trying to locate and understand even the gist of Zarathushtra’s message? As long as they are fed feel good fables about our ancestors’ heroic flight from Islamic persecution and the sugar-in-milk fairy tale, they imagine themselves as a master race and are content.
In my opinion, the underlying reason our priests and traditionalists are so vehemently opposed to admitting "outsiders” into the religion has very little to do with diluting ethnic purity. The reality is that those who express a desire to be converted into the Zoroastrian faith have generally made an effort to study the religion and could pose a real threat to the "religious” monopoly of the priests. As Kabraji rightly points out, Zarathushtra and the other great prophets took birth on this planet with the express purpose of spreading the message of the one God to as wide an audience as possible. And the word of God is universal. Only the interpretation differs. The belief that one’s own religion is somehow exclusive and superior to others inevitably gives rise to fundamentalism. Therefore, to exclude others from Zarathushtra’s faith — and to bar those born in it because they have married "outside” — is counter productive and contradicts the fundamental tenets of Zoroastrianism.
The greatest gift God has given to humans is free will. It is a shame that so many Parsis choose not to exercise it in the matter of their religion, preferring instead to be led like docile sheep.
FIROZE HIRJIKAKA
aban_hirjikaka@yahoo.com
After all, the priests have cleverly positioned themselves as the sole intermediaries between average Parsis and their Prophet. According to them, the long winded rituals they readily perform — for suitable remuneration, of course — are not just the preferred, but the only means available to lay Parsis to convey their hopes and desires to Zarathushtra. And it suits ordinary Parsis as well. They can salve their conscience and feel good about fulfilling their religious obligation through the simple expedient of shelling out a few hundred rupees and a few dozen sticks of sandalwood. Why waste time and effort in trying to locate and understand even the gist of Zarathushtra’s message? As long as they are fed feel good fables about our ancestors’ heroic flight from Islamic persecution and the sugar-in-milk fairy tale, they imagine themselves as a master race and are content.
In my opinion, the underlying reason our priests and traditionalists are so vehemently opposed to admitting "outsiders” into the religion has very little to do with diluting ethnic purity. The reality is that those who express a desire to be converted into the Zoroastrian faith have generally made an effort to study the religion and could pose a real threat to the "religious” monopoly of the priests. As Kabraji rightly points out, Zarathushtra and the other great prophets took birth on this planet with the express purpose of spreading the message of the one God to as wide an audience as possible. And the word of God is universal. Only the interpretation differs. The belief that one’s own religion is somehow exclusive and superior to others inevitably gives rise to fundamentalism. Therefore, to exclude others from Zarathushtra’s faith — and to bar those born in it because they have married "outside” — is counter productive and contradicts the fundamental tenets of Zoroastrianism.
The greatest gift God has given to humans is free will. It is a shame that so many Parsis choose not to exercise it in the matter of their religion, preferring instead to be led like docile sheep.
FIROZE HIRJIKAKA
aban_hirjikaka@yahoo.com
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