As we journey the last few days of 2019, let us begin with the last prayer to complete our daily farajiyat (mandatory daily prayer recitation) – the ‘Dua Naam Setayeshni’. The following is the translation of the ‘Dua Naam Setayesh’ comprising the loftiest thought forces, the Mithra! The last ‘Raenidaar’ – Dasturan Dastur Aderbad Marespand composed this wonderful prayer, which contains the very essence of Zoroastrianism and provides in a nutshell the ‘Mithra’ and benedictions that are found in the ‘Yashts’ and ‘Nyaishes’.
“Joy and glory be to Ahura Mazda in the name of the Merciful, the Forgiving and the Compassionate Lord, I pray. Praise be to the Holy name of Ahura Mazda. Who forever was, forever is and forever will be. His name is the Lord Beneficent, the Spirit even among Spirits, His Essence is one and His name is Ahura Mazda. The Greatest Lord, the Able, the Wise, the Creator, the Nourisher, the Protector, the Virtuous, the Merciful, the Forgiver and the Almighty of perfect judgment.
Amongst the living beings, I thank Him, the Great Eternal Being, Who, with His unrivalled Power and Wisdom, created the Six Exalted Ameshaspands (the Holy Immortals), many wonderful angels, the Resplendent Heaven, the Abode of Songs, the orbit of the Universe, the Radiant Sun, the Luminous Moon and the Stars with the potentialities of creation, the Air, the Wind, the Water, the Fire and Earth, the Vegetation, Animal and Mineral kingdoms and Mankind.
Homage and obeisance unto Him, the Lord, who works through Right, who gave superiority to man amongst all creations, by the gifts of speech and inventive faculty and gave him the governance of time and everything to enable him to give battle to all evil forces!
Obeisance unto the All-knowing Lord, Who gave us through Righteous Zarathushtra, knowledge and discriminating belief in religion, who gave us innate wisdom and wisdom acquired by the ear who gave us sovereignty over all creations and who gave us the teaching of teachings, the beneficent Divine Message – the Saviour of the Soul, which shall make the soul cross over to the shining and fragrant Best Existence, the goal of Eternal Goodness of the good.
At Thy behest, O Lord God! At Thy command, O Lord Supreme, at Thy wish, O Righteous Lord, I accept, meditate upon, speak and act according to the principles of Thy Good Faith. I am steadfast in all righteousness and am rid of all sins. May I preserve pure my Self and my innate character, may I protect the six pure forces of life, Thought, Word, Action, Mind, Intelligence and Wisdom. To propitiate Thee to the best of my ability, O Righteous Lord, I shall render worship to Thee, with good thoughts, good words and good deeds. I shall thereby open the path of light and the woes of evil existence shall not be my lot. May I attain to the Best-Abode, full of fragrance, full of light, the abode of Supreme Happiness.
All praise for the forgiving Lord, who blesses those who obey His command and fulfill his pleasure, and who in the end gives salvation even unto the wicked, and saves them from the worst existence and organizes the entire creation in Eternal Goodness. Praise be unto Ahura Mazda – the All-Powerful, and the All-Knowing Lord, unto the Seven Ameshaspands, unto Behram Yazad, the Victorious and Destroyer of evil, and unto the Virtuous Angel Ama, I invoke them all unto my aid.”
And while this is the last prayer that we recite, I must draw your attention to the few words that we must carry with us, into the New Year, “Manashni, Gavashni, Kunashni, O Veer, O Hosh, O Kherad,” translated, “May I preserve pure my Self and my innate character, may I protect the six pure forces of life – Thought, Word, Action, Mind, Intelligence and Wisdom.”
In keeping with this injunction here are a few practices that we must try and inculcate in our daily lives so that we stand strong against the forces of evil and we can forever live with the gentle grace of Vohu Mano (the Good Mind).
- Begin your day with one Ashem Vohu as soon as your feet touch the ground and send out good thoughts to all around you.
- Eat at least one meal with your family – even if it’s just breakfast. Talk to people around you and share one thing which will make them all smile.
- When you come in contact with people who are in your life fleetingly, like a cab-driver or fellow passenger on a bus or train, or someone next to you at a shop, send them blessings mentally. This positive thought that goes out from you will reverberate in your sphere and bring you deep joy.
- Play games – carrom, chess, snakes and ladders, Monopoly, Pictionary – the best things in life are shared experiences. They need not be expensive outings or vacations.
- Visit the Fire Temple – you need not sit and pray for hours. Just stand before the shining Grace of Atash Padshah Saheb for even a brief moment. Say hello to Him before you begin your day. The changes that you will experience within and around you will be transformational!
- Stop feeding ourselves negativity – whether it comes from a news channel on TV or from a Whatsapp forward or social media. One needs to be aware of the world’s ongoings, but the graphic detail need not be humoured. These negative images form imprints on our minds, which generate bad vibes. Make a conscious decision to ignore negative graphic content and messages that predict that some calamity is imminent. Forward only those messages which will make the receiver smile.
- Make an active decision to lead a life that is environment-friendly. We worship all aspects of Nature and in our prayers, we are taught to respect them all. The essence of God’s greatest creations is found within us. We must protect this essence for our own wellbeing and for the wellbeing of those around us.
Life can be challenging sometimes, so don’t focus on how great your troubles are, focus on how mighty our Ahura Mazda is, with faith that he will see you through it all! Have a joyous New Year!
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