Our holy wells contain water which is blessed and charged with invisible energies bestowed by Pak Ahura Mazda. Our Zoroastrian religion enjoins the use of flowing water (as opposed to stagnant water) which is open to the rays of the sun, to be used for religious and ritual purposes. Two easily available sources of flowing water […]
Aspandarmad or Spendarmad is the twelfth and last month of the Zoroastrian calendar. It is dedicated to Spenta Armaity – the divinity presiding over Mother Earth. While the term ‘Spenta’ can be variously translated as ‘increasing, growing, good, holy and benevolent’, the term ‘Armaity’ can also be variously translated to mean ‘devotion, piety and peace’. Spenta Armaity is an Amesha […]
The following excerpt shares Zarathushtra explaining the meaning and significance of the omnipotent, ‘Yatha Ahu Vairyo’ prayer. The heart and the core of the Ahunavar or the Yatha Ahu Vairyo prayer is Spitama Zarathushtra, for His life is the living expression of this prayer, which centers around eternal truth, love and service to mankind. Zarathushtra […]
‘Kem Na Mazda’ is the third prayer in the Pak Khordeh Avesta, after praying the ‘Yatha Ahu Vairyo’ and ‘Ashem Vohu’ – two of the mightiest mystic mantras. However, Kem Na Mazda is the first prayer with which our Kasti ritual begins. In this prayer, Zarathushtra asks Ahura Mazda, “Who will give me and my […]
To Zoroastrians Bahman Mah is what Shravan Maas is to the Hindus. Just as Hindus avoid non-vegetarian food during Shravan Maas, Zoroastrians also do likewise during Bahman Mah. However, while Hindus also observe fasting during the month of Shravan Zoroastrians do not. Interestingly in the Zoroastrian calendar of three hundred and sixty-five days there is […]
Immediately after death, when the soul leaves the body, its state is like that of a newly born infant. Sarosh Yazad looks after the soul for the first three days and nights, till the Judgement of the soul takes place on the dawn of the fourth day after death. On the fourth day after death, […]
Ahura Mazda’s own angel, Sarosh Yazad, protects our mortal form and our immortal souls, from birth to divine judgement, after our passing. We venerate Sarosh Yazad as the voice of human conscience and consciousness, as He enables us to have a Good Mind (Vohu Mano). The name ‘Sarosh’ literally means obedience, taken from the Avesta root […]
In keeping with the true Bawa spirit of majha-masti, despite the odds of the lockdown, Salsette Parsi Colony (Andheri East, Mumbai) floated the ‘Salsette Welfare Association’ (SWA), under the Salsette Parsi Association (SPA) umbrella, which comprises trustees of the colony. Launched on 15th March, 2021, after much discussions and complete consent of colony residents and […]
Prayer forms the mainstay of our Mazdayasni Zarathushti religion and reciting the ‘Vispa Humata’ prayer blesses our lives with good health, wisdom, abundance and joy. In the Avestan language, ‘Vispa’ means ‘all’. The Vispa Humata prayer is composed of simple words of the Avestan language, which help us comprehend it easily. The verbatim English translation […]
26th May, 2021 will commemorate the 190th birth anniversary of the saintly Zoroastrian priest, healer, astrologer and alchemist – Dasturji Jamshed Sohrab Kukadaru. He was born in Surat on 26th May, 1831 (Mah Ava, Roj Zamyad) and passed away on 5th September, 1900 (Mah Fravardin, Roj Behram) of the Shahanshahi Yazdezardi calendar. Even after close […]
Parsi Times presents the concluding part of this series. Thou hast built the earthly house of clay for man’s soul. When at death man is taken to his rest, the body that was of earth, returns to earth and the soul soars to the heavenly heights. To immortality will he go, when he departs this […]