“Moving with the times”

In response to Roda Hakim’s letter ("Moving with the times,” Readers’ Forum, Parsiana, October 21, 2015), I would like to state that some of us have been crying ourselves hoarse for the last few years against the use of dakhmenashini in the absence of scavenging birds.
There seems to be a belief amongst quite a few members of the Parsi community that as per our religion only the dakhma system is permitted. This is not true. Our priests say that the Vendidad is a holy book, and the Vendidad prohibits the use of the dakhma in the absence of scavenging birds as per the paragraphs in Fargard VIII-4(11), 5(14), 8(18) and 9(21). These injunctions clearly state that when there are no birds, the dead body should not be placed in the dakhma and a temporary grave must be used until normalcy returns. There is no presumption that the sun’s rays will do the job!
Actually, no religious angle need be involved in this matter. How a dead body is disposed of is based on the local situation: if a person dies at sea, the body is lowered into the sea. Where dakhmas do not exist, Parsis use burial or electric cremation. And the souls of all these persons must surely be resting in peace!
KERSEE KABRAJI
Poona
kerseekabraji@gmail.com