On the eve of 23rd May, 2019, Er. Pervez Karanjia, Panthaky of Sodawaterwalla Agiary, delivered an informative and engrossing talk on the Dinkard Nama, at the Jamshedji Dadabhoy Agiary, at the invitation by Rustom Cooper of the Rahunamae Mazdayasnan Sabha. Parsi Times thanks Er. Karanjia for sharing his learnings and knowledge with our readers…
“The Dinkard Nama is a compendium of nine volumes totally, containing a thousand chapters, written in the Pahalvi language during the 9th century by Adurfaranbag-I-Farrokhzadan, and later edited by Adurbad Emedan. Dasturji Peshotanji Sanjana (1828-1898) commenced translating this encyclopaedia and after his demise, his son Dasturji Darab Sanjana, continued the same. Both, father and son were Yozdathregar – High priests and scholars in the Pahalvi language.
The essence of the Dinkard Nama is that the soul of a Zoroastrian can be permitted to enter Behesht Garothman only by living the tenets of Zoroastrianism, praying only Zoroastrian prayers and never straying outside the Zoroastrian religion either by prayer or ritual.
Primarily, the Dinkard Nama exhorts us to love animals and nature and to revere Dadar Ahura Mazda, His son, Pak Aatash Padshah Saheb, and the Ameshaspands and Yazads who govern our Universe and our lives. Dadar Ahura Mazda ordained us to be born as Zoroastrians, to always wear the Sudreh and Kusti from our Navjote onwards throughout our lives.
The Dinkard Nama also teaches us to practice and recite all our prayers correctly in each Geh, beginning with the Hosh Bam. It interprets the importance of first revering Sarosh Yazad after Dadar Ahura Mazda as Sarosh Yazad takes care of our mortal journey and after our demise, it is He who escorts us to Behesht Garothman.
We also learn from the Dinkard Nama the importance of having four Yajashne and Vendidad rituals each year, but to have at least one performed each year if the costs cannot be borne. It is alright to pray the complete Patet Pashemanum if we are unable to perform even a single Yajashne or Vendidad. The Dinkard Nama deals with every aspect of human behaviour, socially and within the family, marital behaviour between husband and wife, instruction for rearing our children as true Zoroastrians, and our social conduct outside with fellow human beings from other communities.
The Dinkard Nama strictly cautions us to never be devious or malign and defame anybody, either in thought, word and deed, as such an act immediately erases all the good Karma we have accumulated.
The section dealing with post demise rituals does not highlight the importance of the Uthamna held on the afternoon of the second day, which is held for family members and other acquaintances who cannot attend the Chahrum ritual, which is the actual Uthamna before the soul ascends into the spiritual world with Sarosh Yazad.”
Er. Karanjia concluded his much-appreciated talk with a question answer session.
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