“Faithful-friendly”

"Faithful-friendly” (Editorial Viewpoint, Parsiana, March 21, 2014), about religious education for Zoroastrians, was an eye-opener but unfortunately too little and too late.
I too say my prayers but I do not know the meaning of all that I pray. However, I feel that this was preplanned so that the palav-daar Parsis don’t get wise to what the Parsi padres are up to. I am sure I am no exception, nor are the students who were put to some kind of test and came out croppers. That is how priests have held sway over the community for centuries and why only a priest’s son can become a priest. Various customs, tenets, reet-reevaj, beliefs, and all kinds of dos and don’ts were foisted on the ignoramus bawas.
In fact, the Zoroastrian religion suddenly became the Parsi Zoroastrian religion meant only for Parsis. The community has become more superstitious, more ignorant, and more into all kinds of absurd beliefs. Anything can be touted as custom in the name of religion, ritual, decreed by the prophet or the Gathas, and what have you.
Zoroaster was against all kinds of rituals and sacrifices and put forth a simple religion which all mankind could follow. It is the priests and scholars who, to safeguard their own selfish interests, have come up with all kinds of fabrications in the name of God and religion.
Merely demonstrating certain ceremonies and rituals is no solution to the problem. The lay bawa is not going to, nor will he be allowed to, perform such ceremonies which form the bread and butter of the Parsi padres.
The need of the hour is to have these prayers in a language which lay people can understand, so that they can realize and follow the religion which is not the monopoly of the bawas of Bombay.
The Bible is published in English, Marathi, Hindi and various other languages so that the lay people can read and understand it. In this manner the Christians increase their numbers and spread the religion far and wide, whereas palav-daar Parsis are out to destroy their religion by preventing it from spreading.
All the ceremonies, rituals, and customs are foisted on the ignorant Parsis only for their mental satisfaction. In reality God doesn’t want or demand anything from humans. As the song goes: "Moké kahas dhoondogé bundé? Mai hu téré paas mé. Naa mai mandir, naa mai masjid, naa Kaaba Kailash mé (Where will you search for me? I am with/within you. I am not in any mandir or masjid or in any Kaaba or on the Kailash mountain).”
But then, bawas are bawas.
BEHRAM AGA
behram_r_aga@yahoo.co.in