There are numerous words in Avestan and Pazand, for example: ‘Yazamaide’, which mean, I revere / I show my reverence and I also attune/ or connect myself with the divinity that I worship. Another Pazand word is ‘Hamazor / Hamazori / Hama Asho Bad / Hama Asho Bed’, means ‘I connect with you in righteousness’; and ‘Paevand’  means – the connect.

 So, How Does One Connect Or Imbibe?

To connect or imbibe or attune, we need to first empty ourselves within to make room for good to come in. In the Hormazd Khodae, in Kasti prayers, we say, “Taroidite angrahe mainyush” – ‘the evil mentality within us be defeated or transformed into goodness’. Hence, we must first remove the Ahriman or Evil from within us. Two words appear frequently in almost all our prayers – ‘Vidaevo Ahuro-takesho’, meaning remove the negativity and fill yourself with positivity. 

Our Kasti ritual is a cleansing ritual. Let me share an analogy – just like we run virus scans on our electronic devices like computers, mobile phones etc., before downloading or updating any programs or apps, similarly, we first cleanse ourselves of any negativity before inviting and housing the goodness or positivity. Here, I do not just mean the physical or external cleansing, but also the emotional, spiritual cleansing that purifies our hearts and minds.

Just as we take showers to cleanse our external body, the kusti ritual cleanses our Astral body. After performing the Kusti ritual, the first prayer we recite is ‘101 names of Dadar Ahura Mazda’ – this is where we are now downloading into our hardware (our body and mind), the qualities/adjectives of Ahura Mazda, by connecting ourselves with the higher consciousness, as we recite or chant the Mathrawani.

What is Mathrawani?

‘Mathra’ = mun – or the sub-conscious mind; and ‘Wani’ means uttering words. The sound frequencies/vibrations of these uttered words reverberate with the universal electromagnetic frequencies, which are the same as our biological frequencies. Hence, when we pray, we need to calm our active minds, get into a passive-active meditative state, , which, in the Ustavad Gatha, is called ‘Tushna’.

 

Then we pray with such determined focus that you become one with the prayer and the divinity, thus creating Oneness of Trinity. You open yourself, become receptive, asking Ahura Mazda to flow through you, “Mazda Ahura, express Yourself through me, I am open to the flow of your spirit, fill me up with your energy, so, there is no room left for anything that is less than good.” You become a magnet of goodness – only good comes to you and similarly, only good goes out of you. Thus, you become Dadar Ahura Mazda’s instrument.

What we seek on the outside, is present within us. In the Atash Niyaeesh, the Enthroned Fire asks the ‘Mobile Fire’ (the fire within you), when you visit the fire temple, “What has my mobile friend, the fire within you, brought for me? “Meaning, have you performed good deeds and come? The Enthroned Fire is the physical manifestation of God – the energy, which is within us and the whole universe. Hence, what we think, speak and act, on an individual basis, affects the whole universe, as we are as much part of the universe as the universe is part of us.

What are the other ways of making connections?  There are many – physical, visual, sound and light energies, and Manthras.

Why do we recite the prayers in Avestan? Many wonder why we can’t simply read and understand the translations. To me, the meanings are just the tip of the iceberg – they are man-made, with due respect to my scholarly friends, which can be interpreted as per a person’s perspective, time, and circumstances. However, what remains constant and pure, are the prayers themselves.

The significance of the prayers is in the sounds, as these create sound frequencies that are immortal, and nothing, absolutely nothing can obstruct or destroy them. They can penetrate mountains and reach the spirit world. When you pray or play the prayer audios in your homes, it brings about good vibrations in your homes. Mathravani has the potential to create maximum impact on us by connecting us with the ultimate powerhouse of good energy. This power of the sound of Mathravani reverberates with the universe created by Dadar Ahura Mazda.

Essentially, there are three types of connections – one is the ‘Direct or a Parallel Connection’ with God, made either through a medium (a priest), and or other divinities. This is when we pray and/ or perform our rituals. The second is a ‘Series Connection’ – that is when we get together and connect our individual selves, making it a cosmos of collective consciousness. And the third is a ‘Compound Connection’ which is a combination of Parallel and Series connections, that come together – like praying together in Humbandagi and or a Gahambar or Jashan, where our collective consciousness connects and merges with the infinite energy – the super consciousness – God, thus creating Oneness of Spirituality in Humanity.

To conclude, I share a quote from the article, ‘Harmony And Concord’, penned by the late revered Dasturji Khurshed Daboo:

“In matters of religious beliefs, there is the possibility, that we know nothing for certain. We have no first-hand knowledge of the unseen world. We may have misinterpreted religious injunctions. So, it is better to live in concord, even if our beliefs are not common. Barriers of cast, colour, sex and creed would not be inseparable if we respect the views of other people. If we combine and appreciate God’s beauty and skill, we have a vast common ground for real worship.”

I thank you for reading this article and I hope you remember that you are very valuable, gifted and talented and you have a special purpose, a mission in life to fulfil. By reciting our prayers with faith in Dadar Ahura Mazda, and following the tenets of our religion, you will be very successful spiritually and physically, as we all are spiritual beings in a physical body. Thus, Ahura Mazda will exceed your expectations!

Atha Jamyad Yatha Afrinami!