“Ancient secrets of the...”

Berjis Desai’s "Ancient secrets of the faith” (Parsiana, December 21, 2015) brought to mind similar teachings of my maternal grandmother (mamaiji) who inculcated in us the supreme power of Zoroastrian prayers. Religion and science are not normally considered together, but that’s where we err. The words of our prayers, the sounds and supreme power of Dastur Jamshed Kookadaru, can be claimed as religiously scientific – where sound has created healing powers beyond compare.
As a family, with all our modern knowledge and schooling, we still learned to accept and revere this as a Zoroastrian scientific fact.
The heavenly bodies are not occult objects of God. They exude a great divine healing aura for body and mind. Zoroastrians are fortunate that we are not enjoined to perform penance. Good thoughts, good words and good deeds are our canvas to build good lives on. As a Parsi I have learned to live according to my religion, extending a hand to all in need and not feel revengeful toward anyone. MEHER D. DHONDY
Gurgaon, Haryana