USHAO
September-October 2003:
Mah Meher, Fasal Sal 1372
A BLESSING TO
WELCOME OUR NEW INITIATES
May Ahura Mazda bless us, May He sweeten our lives,
May we bless each other, May we sweeten each other’s lives,
May we bless the world in which we live. May we sweeten the lives of all whom we touch.
May He be generous with us, May He instruct through good thinking
May we be generous with each other, The course of direction,
May we be generous with all
living things. May He give us enduring strength to uphold
whatever is true and
right.
And, for our newest
members:
May each of you be an ornament of the Zarathushti Din.
To which you now belong.
Welcome!
[Dina McIntyre]
IN THIS
ISSUE:
05 SHALWAR KAMEEZ – A ZOROASTRIAN
COSTUME: F. Ali
12 MEHER JAMSHED PATEL AWARD: 2003 [Report]:
Thrity Spenser
ZOROASTRIANS IN THE FIRST CENTURIES OF ISLAM
by Jehangir C.
Tavadia
T
he word Parsi means
belonging to Pars, a province of Iran or Persia. The classical name of
this province is Persis and the modern is Fars, the Arabic form of Pars, because
this language has no p-sound. In Old Persian Parsa meant both the
land and its inhabitant and was also used adjectively, ---Persian. It is
this province and this people that produced the most powerful dynasty of Persia,
viz. the Achaemenian which counts among its members men like Cyrus
(Kurush) and Darius (Darayavahush), who hold not a negligible place in the
history of the world.
In his great inscription of Naqsh-i Rustam Darius
proudly proclaims that he is “a Persian, the son of a Persian” and that “the
spear of a Persian man hath gone forth afar” and that “a Persian man fought his
foe far from Persia.” The other great dynasty, viz. the Sassanian,
also came from this province, but its members do not declare any pride about
their worldly connection; they are rather busy in establishing their divine
origin from God Himself. Because of these great dynasties the terms Persia
and Persian went further from their limited signification and began to designate
the whole country and its entire population. Hence it cannot be said that
we come from Pars, only because we are called Parsis, our forefathers might have
as well belonged to some other province. As for their arrival in India
we have a tradition and only a tradition.
It amounts to this: after the unfortunate or one
may say disgraceful downfall of the Sassanians the Persians had to choose either
the Quran or the death; most of them made their choice but a few managed to flee
in order to preserve both their life and religion. History militates
against this tradition. Firstly the choice for the conquered Persians did
not lie between the Quran and the death but between the former and the jizya
or poll tax on the non-Muslims, and the latter was not unjust inasmuch as
the payment thereof exempted the concerned from that of the alms obligatory on
the Muslims. And Baladhuri tells us in his history of the
Mohammedan conquests that the Jews and the Magians (i.e. Zoroastrians) were
averse to Islam and preferred to pay the poll tax.
It is equally incorrect to say that the fanatical
Arabs ruthlessly destroyed the literature of ancient Persia. Those who
have busied themselves with the post-Sassanian literature of Persia, written
chiefly in Arabic know that the contrary is true. Instead of being
destroyed, the literary monuments were studied and admired, translated and
adopted. Any work dealing with the history of Persian or Arabic literature
will show this. Prof. Inostransev has written a special monograph to show
Iranian Influence on Muslim Literature under which title Mr. G.K. Nariman
has translated from original Russian. Even before and after that Mr.
Nariman has drawn the attention to this fact, vide for instance his article on
“Hamza Isphani”, in the Journal of the Bombay Branch of Royal Asiatic
Society. He, however, is wrong, when he says “much that of priceless value
in matters religious from ancient Iran was already annihilated by
Alexander.” No doubt, the Pahlavi writings say the same thing but then
later Parsis also complain about the Arabs. In both cases the results of
one’s own fault and weakness have been attributed to the wickedness and enmity
of others. I do not deny that Alexander and Arabs are the ultimate causes
for the evils, but in that case anybody can be proved to be the ultimate cause
of any crime.
The events that followed the Arab supremacy show
that the Zoroastrians were still powerful. They along with other Persians
joined Abu Muslim, whom they considered as a savior, in the Abbasid cause.
Prof. Browne says about the successful issue that, “Kadissiya and
Nahawand were avenged on the banks of the Zab”. op.cit
247. It is true that the Shias were bitterly disappointed and even Abu
Muslim was put to death, but I cannot see how Inostransev could connect the
Parsi emigration with this. His arguments are not at all convincing; they
are made just to support one of the traditional dates of the event, vide The
Journal of the K.R. Cama Oriental Institute 1.33ff. On
the contrary we see that the Zoroastrians contributed their share in the
repeated attempts made during the next century---from the middle of the
8th to that of the 9th century, to overthrow the Arab
supremacy. One of these rebellions was headed by one of their own fold,
Sinbadh (Sampadh), the Magian. It may be noted that Rehatsek suggested the
failure of this rebellion as the cause of the Parsi emigration, vide Journal
of Bombay Branch of Royal Asiatic Society 9.218; but this is a mere
conjecture exactly like that of Inostransev. In the trial of Afshin
Mazyar, the Ispahbandh of Tabaristan, is reported to have said: “his (Mazyar’s)
brother Khash wrote to my brother Ruhyar, saying, ‘none can cause this Most
Luminous Religion to prevail save I, and thou, and Babak’,” Browne, op.
cit. 334. This trial has been handed down to us through not less than
three men of letters and the reader may well read it in Browne op. cit.
330 ff. as well as in Nariman, Iranian Influence etc. 135 ff. The
Mobadh who was one of the principal witnesses in this trial cannot be an
ordinary priest, otherwise his former relation to Afshin has no significance,
nor the remark: “the Mobadh was a Magian who afterwards embraced Islam in
the reign of al-Mutawakkil, one of whose intimates he became.” In Nariman
op, cit. 137 we read “and repented for his previous belief” instead of
the last clause. No doubt, a pious Muslim changed the text. It
should be noted that the word mobadh was used in the sense of the
religious leader, i.e. in its literal and primary sense.
With the reign of al-Mutawakkil (847-861) appeared
the change in policy. The Turkish party came in power. Vexatious
enactments against the Jews and Christians were put into operation, cf. Browne
343. But we are not told that the Zoroastrians too had to obey them,
although those enactments were of the same type forced upon them later on till
recently. We also know that in this reign the Iranian calendar was
reintroduced. Lastly it should be mentioned that in the days of Masudi,
i.e. in the 10th century, there were fire temples almost in every
province of Persia. All this means life and vigor.
The writings of the Zoroastrians themselves do not
give us anything but the same idea. A majority of the Pahlavi books that
have come down to us are composed or complied after the downfall of the
Sassanians. Atur-farnbagh, son of Farrokhvzat, one of the compilers of
Denkart and the author of some works no longer extant flourished in the days of
al-Mamun (813-833). As that small tract Matikan i vijastak Abalish
shows, he used to take part in religious discussions held at the latter’s
court. Manoshchihr, the author of Datistan i denik flourished in
the latter part of the 9th century. He was the Rat or
spiritual pontiff of the provinces Pars and Karman as we learn from the
peroration of that work. His seat was in Shiraz, the capital of the
province (Datistan 1.17; Epistles 1,3.13). We further learn
from the latter work that Sarakhs and Sirakan, Neshahpur and Ragh were
Zoroastrian centers in those days. The Datistan 88.7 refers to
Artakhshahr-khvarrah i.e. Firuzabad as such. The questions in this work
are not restricted to dogmas and ceremonies, religious and other customs, but a
number of them deal with the practical economy of life. They refer not
only to the internal affairs of the community but also to its dealings with the
foreigners and non-Zoroastrians. All this points to some sort of
self-government and power. The Epistles shows that there were other
leaders like the author in his days, viz. for the provinces other than
Pars and Karman; and that they had their own troops. I believe that
Aturpat was one of such leaders and a rival of Manoshchihr. The latter was
very naturally afraid of his power being diminished because of the conduct of
one of his subordinates, Zatsparm, who too was an erudite scholar like his elder
brother, as his extant treatises including a life of Zoroaster
show.
The compiler of the Great Bundahishn considers
him, and Aturpat, son of Hemit, Asha Vahisht son of Farnbagh Srosh and other
religious leaders as his contemporaries vide the facsimile ed. pp 237 f. This
Aturpat took over the compilation of the latter part of the Denkart after the
death or murder of Zaratusht, son of Atur-farnbagh, vide Madan’s ed. p.466 II,
17 ff. It is to him that we are indebted for the summary of all the Nasks
except two, one of which was not at all accessible to him and of the other he
could not secure a Middle Persian or Pahlavi version. This is enough to
convince anybody how utterly false is the charge that the conquerors have
destroyed the non-extant Nasks; but there are some scholars who would not change
even the idols of the market place. The chief protagonist of the
tradition, Dr. Modi, defended his position in the following words: “The
answer is, that they gave such a detailed account from what they heard from the
lips of learned men who in their turn had heard of them from their
parents. Oral traditions had preserved the knowledge of the contents of
the books. It is very true that the first inroad of the Arabs did not do
all mischief at once. It was a slow and gradual work, and by the end of
the second century after the conquest, the work of destruction was
complete. Hence the necessity for Dastur Adar Farobag and other writers to
collect in the Denkard, at least the details of the contents of lost books,
fresh in the memory of many persons of the time. If the twenty-one Nasks
were all extant at the time when Adar Farobag wrote, whence the necessity for
writing the contents? If zeal for preserving this literature prompted them
to do the work, why did they do it half-heartedly by merely preserving the
contents, and not by making copies and distributing them?” Sir J. J.
Madressa Jubilee Volume Intr. pp. 58 f. The last question is not for
me to reply; and the last but one should not have been put at all. The
contents are given for the sake of easy reference. Is Dr. Modi
unaware of the well-known Fihrist? I need not point out petty mistakes
in his statements and arguments. It is enough to say that the Doctor
ignores what the author himself says on different occasions in the course of his
work; and we have every reason to believe him. This Aturpat may be the
same person of whom Manoshchir was afraid. As for Asha Vahisht we know
nothing further; perhaps we can identify him as the father of Hemat, the author
of a legal work known under the title of Rivayat-i-Hemit-i Asha
Vahishtan.
When I was writing this I found in Nariman
op.cit. 183 the following, a translation of a chapter from Masudi’s
Kitab at-tanbih: “The mobed of the Persians at the moment of writing this
history, that is in the year 364, for the country of Jabal in Iraq and for the
countries of Ajam, is Ammad son of Ashvahisht. Before him these countries
had their Mobed Isfandiyar son of Adarbad, son of Anmid, who was killed by Radi
at Baghdad in 325.” These notices are very important inasmuch as they fill
up the gaps so satisfactorily and help in rejecting West’s remarks about the
successive leaders of the Zoroastrians, vide Grundriss der iranischen
Philologic 2.p. 105. West did not care to see that Aturfarnbagh’s activity
was in Western Persia and that Manoshchihr’s (and before him his father’s)
authority was only in the provinces of Pars and Karman. I see in this
Ammad, which is as will been seen below a misprint for Anmad, no body else than
Hemit, son of Asha Vahisht. Similarly, Anmid is Hemit, the father of
Aturpat. With a view to examine the names and other details, I search the
passage in the original Arabic and I found it in de Goeje, Bibliotheca
Geographorum Arabicorum 8. 104. There, Hemit or Emidh is once written
Anmadh, and another time Anmidh. In both cases n occurs instead of
e, which mistake is quite comprehensible in Arabic where the letters
nun and ya in the middle of a word differ only in the number and
position of points. Instead of Asha Vahisht we find Astavahisht, which the
editor wrongly changes into Ashrahisht, if it is not a misprint for
Ashvahisht. Here I find that I am not the first to notice the connection
between the names, the note “t” shows that Darmesteter has already seen
it but curiously enough his reconstruction of the names is
incorrect.
These facts, which can be supplemented, at least
from non-Zoroastrian writings will give some idea, true though different from
one in vogue, about the Zoroastrians in the first centuries of Islam. I am
not sure whether it is possible to depict their further history in the same
way. In any case we have stopped at a point from which another epoch
begins; it was in the thirties of the tenth century that the ancestors of some
of the present day Parsis landed at Sanjan. That this is the
date, more trustworthy than any other, of the Parsi emigration shown, by Prof.
S. H. Hodivala.
[Source: “Rahnuma”
Quarterly: 1927: Note: The author was a lecturer at Hamburg
University]
SHALWAR KAMEEZ –
A ZOROASTRIAN
COSTUME: by F.
Ali
S
halwar and Kameez though
commonly worn in Pakistan originated in Parthian Iran [248 BCE-224 AD]. The
words Shalwar and Kameez are both from the Pahalvi language, a Middle Iranian
language developed from Old Persian, the language of the Zoroastrians of
Iran. The use of the Shalwar and Kameez as a national Iranian costume can
be seen from Parthian times and the best examples are the bronze statue from
Shami in South Western Iran dated late 1st century BC, and the statue
of the worshipper from Hatra in Iraq, depicting a Shalwar and a belted
Kameez.
Similarly the statue from Bard-i-Nishandeh in
South Western Iran, 3rd century AD, depicts a Parthian personage
wearing Shalwar and Kameez. In fact this early Zoroastrian Iranian dress
became popular that it was later widely adopted by non-Arab countries from
Central Asia to the sub-continent.
If any thing the Shalwar Kameez is a Zoroastrian Iranian national costume, and despite the Arab invasion in the 7th century, the Parthian Shalwar Kameez prevailed as a dress code in most of these countries. This can also be seen by its continuous usage for over 2000 years in the villages of Kurdistan, and of Yazd and Luristan in Iran.
[Source: “Business
Recorder”, Karachi]
ANCIENT PRECEPTS
Hamisheh Hudin-o-Huhim
Baash: Ever preserve firm faith as well as cheerful
disposition.
Ahuramazda Khudai
Senashaad: Recognize the Omniscient Creator as your only
Sovereign-Lord.
Zarathushtra Rad Setayaad:
Adore Zarathushtra as
your spiritual Chief and Sovereign-Lord and Leader
Ahreman Deo
Avshinaad: Abhor Ahreman as a cheat and deceiver.
[Source: “Handbook of
Information on Zoroastrianism”: Dastur Khurshed S.
Dabu]
THE UNIVERSAL
RELIGION of
ZARATHUSHTRA: by Ali A.
Jafarey
K
eeping the two principles
[of good and evil] of Yours [God] in mind, we shall teach the hitherto unheard
words to those who destroy the righteous world by their wrongful
doctrines. No doubt, the two principles will prove the best for those who
are devoted to the Wise One.
“Since it is not easy for the soul to find the
better course, I, whom the Wise Lord knows, come to you all as the leader of the
two parties [the righteous and the wrongful] so that we may live in accordance
with righteousness.
“The happiness You [God] grant has been promised
to the two parties through Your mental fire and righteousness. It is a
matter of principles for the discerning. O Wise One, for our knowledge, speak
with the very words of Your mouth. It will help me guide all the living to
choose [the right religion]”
[Gathas: Song 4, stanzas
1-3: Yasna 31.1-3]
Religion of Right
Choice:
Song 4,
consisting of 22 stanzas, is the song of guidance to enlightenment. The
three stanzas quoted above highlight six points:
The
universality of his message lies at the very core of the above six points.
A play in the Gathas (Song 2: Ys. 29) portrays the world, which suffered from
aggression and oppression, and wanted a redeemer and leader. The living
world wanted a strong and aggressive person, but instead was introduced to a
weak looking person who believed that only good wisdom; best righteousness and
peaceful actions can bring the desired change. Convinced of the new
doctrine and enjoying the full freedom of choice, the world chose Zarathushtra. The play
is still fresh. Much of the living world is still suffering from
aggression and oppression. It must choose Zarathushtra to truly enjoy
divine serenity and progressive peace.
A perusal
of the Gathas will show that the Zarathushtrian religion is in fact, the
Religion of Choice, and choice alone. Zarathushtra chooses for
himself “the very mentality of God, which is the most progressive.” (Song 3.6:
Ys. 30.6). While some religious leaders advocate force, he says: “We shall
with the greatest thought provoking words, convince the barbarians to choose the
right. (Song1.5: Ys. 28.5)
Many
religions have their initiations with baptism, confession, profession or
conversion. The Good Religion has its initiate state: “I, with my
appreciations and convictions, choose for myself – (fravarane) to be a
worshipper of the Wise One and a Zarathushtrian. I appreciate good
thoughts, I appreciate good words, and I appreciate good deeds. I
appreciate the Good Religion of worshipping the Wise One, which overthrows yokes
yet sheaths swords, teaches self-reliance, and is righteous. Therefore, of
the religions, those have been and shall be, this is the greatest, best, and
most sublime. It is divine and Zarathushtrian. I do attribute all
good to the Wise God.” (Ys. 12.8-9)
This
choice of the Good Religion is in accordance with Zarathushtra’s advice.
It says: “Hear the best with your ears and ponder with a bright mind.
Then each man and woman, for his or her self selects either of the two (the
“better” and the “bad” mentalities). Awaken to this Doctrine of ours
before the Great Event of Choice ushers in” (Song 3.2: Ys.
30.2)
Zarathushtra’s
Mission:
“Wise One, I am who venerates away inconsideration
and evil mind from you; perverse-mind from the family; related wrong from the
community; revile from the fellowship; and extreme evil counseling from the
world-settlements.“ (Song 6.4 Ys. 33.4) Zarathushtra’s foremost task
is to purify every unit in the world. From family, to the smallest, to the
inhabited world, the largest; from the ills that plagues society. Song 6
speaks about his universal mission. He wants to guide humanity on the
righteous path of the highest wisdom. Having formed the nucleus of his
Great Fellowship of his companions, he wants to go beyond this circle, to the
settled people on the earth. He prays for more strength and more
enlightenment for his expanding mission. To achieve his objectives he
dedicates to his God, his life, mind, words, deeds, communion and the very power
and endurance he was asking God to serve the divine cause.
Zarathushtra several times
mentions four units of human society, viz. family, community, fellowship,
and the world; but he never speaks of any particular race, tribe, class,
category, profession, nationality, country or land. He is not concerned
with the artificial, political, economical, and social divisions that divide the
world. His mission is to fuse the units into a wise bond of
universality.
His followers hail his coming, because
“henceforth the Good Religion of worshipping the Wise One shall spread on the
seven regions of the earth” (Farvardin Yasht 94). Thousands of years
later, we still hear Zarathushtrians pray: “May we be co-merited with
all the good people of the seven regions of the earth, and ultimately reach as
wide as the earth is, as long as the rivers are, as high as the sun stands.”
[Persian Paiman –e-Din and Parsi Gujarati
Din-no-Kalmo]
This, of course means that the Good Religion was
the first and foremost missionary religion. However, the texts in Avesta
show that, compared to many later missionary movements, it is a moderate
one. Zarathushtra
addresses the wise only and it is his thought-provoking message that stimulates
one to understand his words. No blind following. No dictating
prescriptions. No aging traditions.
In order to make the people wise, it is Zarathushtra who started the
first “literacy” movement to teach people to become wise first and then seek the
truth with a bright, discerning mind. His followers advise that one should
first acquire wisdom, practice its virtues, and then teach others what they have
learned so that they too practice and preach. (Haptanghaiti Song 1.6:
Ys.35.6). It was through this zeal that the Good Religion spread far and
wide, and became the leading religion until the fall of the Sassanian Empire in
the 7th century CE
Let
us join the fellowship, Learn to discern and choose. Practice and spread
goodness. Teach others to do the same. All through wisdom, good
thinking, righteousness and dedication to the divine cause.
[Source: “Spenta” – The
Zarathushtrian Assembly]
ETERNAL WAYS: by Shahriar
Shahriari
A few years ago, I read a book called In Tune With the Infinite by Ralph Waldo Trine. In it there was a poem that began like this:
I stay my haste I make delays
For what avails this eager pace.
I stand amidst eternal ways
And what is mine shall know my
face.
For some reason over the last few days, these
verses have been coming back to me. As I was reflecting upon them, the
words “eternal ways” acquired a special attraction. At first glance, one
may consider this to refer to destiny – a pre-determined fate that is eternally
written on a star. Yet deeper meditation reveals a different dimension of
this destiny. Eternal ways are not necessarily immutable dictates of
fate. The word “eternal” could also refer to a timeless quality – a
quality that transcends time. An eternal way is a way that is independent
of time or circumstances. It is a way that one could be, whether one is
four years old or forty; a way that can be available in any country or clime; a
way to be, with any individual or group. An eternal way is what Abraham
Maslow called a “B-Value” or “Being-Value”. It is a way of being which
automatically inspires us into action – a kind of action that is not
eternal. An action that is very much dependent of time and
circumstances. And is relevant and appropriate to
both.
Back to the poem, I realized what Ralph Waldo
Trine was saying was that perhaps what is written upon stars are our core
values, our natural and divine ways of being. And should we choose to –
yes we have the choice regarding our fate – should we choose to stand amidst
“eternal ways”, without haste and without forcing action, then what is ours –
the actions that are naturally inspired by these eternal ways of being shall
come to us and through us. Perhaps this is the way of bringing the divine
to the earth – by constantly standing amidst our eternal values, and unfolding
our destiny, with unshakable faith in our fate.
A DIFFERENT
VIEW of
ZOROASTRINISM: by David Brock
A
Zoroastrian scholar several
years ago indicted that my view was of “late” Zoroastrianism, while it was based
on the “developed” stage of Zoroastrian theology (200 BCE). It was also
based on a view that the Jews, during their Babylonian captivity preserved some
of the lost knowledge (nasks). After coming in contact with Zoroastrian
priests --such knowledge was preserved in the system called Cabala.
Similar to the Bundahishin, Ahura Mazda (or Yahwe)
“created” a cosmos of several levels, including the material world, out of its
own substance. These levels are called sephiroth (sphores) --
various books, and websites can explain this knowledge in greater details for
those interested.
What is important to understand is that Ahura
Mazda’s subordinates do have a life/reality. According to David Conway, in
The Complete Magic Primer, it is best to treat all thought forms
as if they are real in themselves. Indeed, as many of them have been
created by the pictorial imagination of whole racial and religious groups.
They can be said to have acquired a reality of their own.
The forces created by Ahura Mazda are given forms
by the Zoroastrians of the past, such as Mithras who is clearly described in the
Mihr Yasht. Those who read such description maintain the forms. And
through proper invocations and rituals (such as the Cabalistic mester rituals in
Conway’s book), including Yashts and Niyashesh. These beings can indeed
aid us and Ahura Mazda’s just cause, leading towards a better world in the
future.
It should be noted that the very alien levels of
Ahriman also exist; such inhabitants are very hateful of human and other
life. Unfortunately certain deluded people think it is ok to have contacts
with such “not-life”. This delusion is definitely a part of the
Druj! It is very important to maintain a spiritually healthy
household to keep such “negative entities” from infiltrating it, which they can
do if “invited” via such things as music with “satanic”
lyrics.
Though texts like the Bundahishin have poor
science, for example the size of the stars, but it is useful in understanding
the cosmology of our ancient spiritual ancestors based on their unaided
observations, and perhaps in an imperfect way. The situation as it exists
in the spiritual battle, I do not agree that any animal or plant is a creation
of Ahriman – this is dualism carried to an extreme, and can lead to killing of
useful predators who hunt at night.
Hopefully, Zoroastrians will come to understand
the spiritual battle against Ahriman’s human acolytes in greater detail so as to
obviate any unfortunate eschatological consequences. Zoroastrians are
already enlisted in Ahura Mazda’s “Army of Light” fighting the spiritual “Dark”,
and hopefully they will be as active as Ahura Mazda requires!
One-line
philosopher:
“People who think they know every thing are a great annoyance to those of us who do.”
[George
Wood]
SIMILIARTY of WORSHIP: by Virasp
Mehta
About one hundred fifty years ago a pamphlet
“Zoroaster and Christ” by a Roman Catholic bishop of Bombay, in
few succinct sentences mentioned similarities of the Zarathustrian and Christian
religions:
“Zoroaster restored not only the unity of
God, but also the most ancient and characteristic Aryan form of divine service,
THE WORSHIP OF FIRE, as the most suitable representative of God,
corresponding to their high idea of God as Eternal Light…. A
pure and undefiled flame is certainly the most sublime natural representation of
Him who is in Himself Eternal Light.
“A glance at the ritual of the Church
shows, then, that the very same position which our Aryan ancestors, following
the light of reason, assigned to fire and light in their divine worship in order
to represent God’s divine majesty and His presence among His worshippers, is
likewise and largely, given to the same convenient and delightful creature as
symbol of God’s sublime splendor and living presence among His
beloved children.
“On this landing let us rest a while.
We have before us the sanctuary of the Parsi Fire-temple and the sanctuary of
the Christian Church. In both we see A PERPETUAL FLAME INDICATING THE
PRESENCE OF GOD: there the omnipresence of God the Creator: here the
omnipresence of the Redeemer.
“I am unable to express in words the deep
and vehement feelings which move my heart when I kneel in the sanctuary of my
chapel and think of the Parsi Fire-temple a few yards off in which fire is
burning like the flame in our sanctuary lamp. Here is one of the
similarities justly said to exist between the Parsi and Christian
religions.” [Source: The Message of Zoroaster Pages 81,82:
Professor A.S.Wadia]
So fellow Zarathushtrians, let’s be like the good
bishop who saw in the rising sacred flames the sublime truth---the living
presence of the Creator. And also every time we happen to gaze the
sacred Fire, remember the words of great Tolstoy: “I SEE GOD ONLY THROUGH THE
LIGHT IN THE FIRE”
FASTING
Fast from criticism, and feast on praise;
Fast from self-pity, and feast on joy;
Fast from ill temper, and feast on peace;
Fast from resentment, and feast on contentment,
Fast from jealousy, and feast on love;
Fast from pride, and feast on humility;
Fast from selfishness, and feast on service;
Fast from fear, and feast on faith.
[Bishop Arthur Lichtenberger]
GLEANINGS FROM “GOLESTAN” of
SHEIKH SA’DI: by Sohrab
H. Batlivala
[Rendered in English
Verse]
E
very child attending a
school in Iran reads Golestan or “The Rose-Garden” of
Sheikh Sa’di and every non-Iranian who has even an elementary knowledge of Farsi
must have read some of the stories from this classic work on ethics. It is
in prose, but interspersed with fragmentary verses. Here under are two
verses rendered in English with a slight deviation from their strict literal
meaning, but giving more forcefully their general sense.
He Jests at Scars that
Never Felt a Wound
The healthy ones do not with fellow feelings turn to those in illness.
And hence, in all my pains,
I weep for hearts that burn for me in stillness.
To speak of snakes and how the human heels they sting is useless talking,
To those whose footfalls
never suffered such a thing in all their walking.
O friend, do not discourse upon my burning blain, with foe or stranger,
His sordid hand is full of
gall and salty grain, my mortal danger.
Let Bygones Be
Bygones
My days of joy have passed away,
My mind in sorrow reels,
My life then felt its warmth in May,
Now chill November
feels.
As lion’s claws, were strong my grips,
But weaker gets their hold,
So like a lynx I smack my lips,
And lick the butter
cold.
A hag had dyed her filament
As black as pith and tar,
I cried in wild astonishment,
To catch her ears from
far.
“You brightly dyed your hair so black,
To capture youths devout,
But know you not your crooked back,
Your age has given
out?
[Source: “The Iran League
Quarterly”: April 1959]
MEHER JAMSHED PATEL AWARD
– 2003 [Report]: by Thrity Spencer
T
his award created by
Informal Religious Meetings in 1989 perpetuates memory of the late Meher Jamshed
Patel, one of its oldest coworkers, a trustee of its fund and a guiding
light. It’s an annual award to encourage children to develop their
aptitude in various arts. For this year it was a talent competition for
school going children. Actively supported by the Child Welfare Committee
of the Karachi Zarthosti Banu Mandal, the competition was held at the Mandal’s
hall on 16th August 2003.
Participants were divided into three categories:
1] Children up-to 8 years, 2] Children from 9 to 12 years, and 3] 13 years and
above. The mandatory provisions were that each participant must perform
solo, in any talent, which should not exceed three minutes. The over
all-best performer would be the winner of the award. Vying for the award
were twenty-six enthusiastic children almost evenly divided in three
groups. Poetry recitation seemed to be the most popular talent performed
by fifteen children. There were seven dances mostly western style copies
of popular tunes from TV. One tiny tot dressed in a typical desi
village girl charmed the audience with a dance reminiscent of a scene from an
Indian movie. Two children from the first group sang songs and a girl
entertained the audience with a magic show.
But the girl who stole the show was a ten-year-old
Charlene Irani who entranced all with her mimicry, playing simultaneously the
role of a boy and a girl, carrying out an amusing conversation. She did
this by making her left side look like a girl complete with dress, hairdo,
makeup and all; and making her right side look like a boy, down to the smallest
detail of a moustache and short hair. Every time she spoke as a girl, her
left side faced the audience, and each time the boy answered she subtly turned
and displayed her right side. Both the roles were amazingly performed with
clarity and confidence, for a girl of such a young age. And for that she
was declared the Award Winner for the year 2003.
Prize Winners: 1] Up-to 8 years: 1st Prize Ruksheen Kaikhosrowzadah for Indian dance: 2nd Prize Nadir Bharucha for poetry recitation; and 3rd Prize Tie a) Anahita Katila & b) Charmene Irani Both for poetry recitation.
2] 9 to 11years: 1st Prize Delara Katila for prose recitation: 2nd Prize: Almitra Mavalwala For Western dance; and 3rd Prize Tie a) Deenish Bhesania for jokes, b) Farah Noshirwani for singing.
3] 12 years &
over: 1st Prize Tushnamaiti Mistry for Indian dance;
2nd Prize Cyrus Irani for poetry recitation, and 3rd Prize
Adil Bhesania for poetry recitation. Those who couldn’t make it but made the
event a success were given participatory prizes.
My fellow judges Mahrukh Bhiladwala, Rubina Patel and I had a tough time deciding the winner. But it was a delightfully entertaining morning that ended with everyone agreeing that it was a great way of building confidence and ‘stage grace’ among our talented children. Fortunately we had Rubina Patel, Meher’s daughter, who gave away the prizes and said that her mother would have been ecstatic to see so many children putting in their talent and it was like her dream ‘come true’
Published for Informal Religious Meetings Trust Fund, Karachi by Virasp Mehta, 4235 Saint James Place, Wichita KS 67226: E-Mail: viraspm@yahoo.com