. Myth: Why do we, as a community, waste thousands of rupees year after year on costly firewood, sandalwood, meaningless rituals and prayers to fire instead of praying to Ahura Mazda directly? Are hands that help not holier than the lips that pray? Why can’t monies wasted on maintenance of fire temples be diverted for […]
. Myth # 1: Should we stand or remain seated during the Boi ceremony? Some say that during the Boi ceremony, evil is driven away and if one stands up at the toll of the bell, it tantamounts to paying respect to the forces of evil! Fact: The Boi ceremony is performed by ordained Zoroastrian […]
Though Hong Kong is blessed with very few Parsis, they are a united, warm, friendly and generous lot. The Zoroastrian Club is an imposing structure that does justice to the high socio-economic status Parsis enjoy on this lovely island. Many roads in Hong Kong begin and end in a quiet corner of Happy Valley: the […]
. . . . .
The Saga of the Shahanshas is an attempt by Adi F. Merchant to chronicle Firdausi Toosi’s poetic magnum opus – The Shahnameh, in prose. Shahnameh or the Book of Kings is the world’s longest epic poem written by the Persian poet Firdausi of Toos between 977 and 1010 CE. Any attempt to translate it from […]
As an ethnic community, Parsis have lived in India for over a millennium and myriad myths have been cherished and closeted which require to be brought out and given an occasional dusting. We realised the need for doing this in the course of a recent interaction with some elders of the community. It dawned on […]
Holi signifies Change (from the cold winter to the warmth of spring), Colour (with all Nature awakening from its dull winter sleep to a riot of seasonal colours) and Love (which unfolds with the warmth of bonfires and festivity which foster friendship and bonding). As a spring festival, Holi provides one and all with the […]
પ્રાર્થના અને ધાર્મિક માન્યતા એ છે કે ધર્મ માત્ર તત્વજ્ઞાનથી અલગ પડે છે. પ્રાર્થના અને ધાર્મિક વિધિઓથી આધ્યાત્મિક ઉત્સવનો અનુભવ પ્રાપ્ત કરવામાં મદદ મળે છે. પ્રાર્થના અને ધાર્મિક વિધિઓનો હેતુ સભાન જાગૃતતા પેદા કરવાનો છે, જે બદલામાં, આધ્યાત્મિક વિદ્યાનું સમજણ અને સમજૂતી જાણવા મળે છે. પ્રાર્થના અને ધાર્મિક વિધિઓ પણ એક માધ્યમ પૂરું પાડે છે, […]
Many people regard ‘Ritual’ and ‘Reason’ as being anti-thetical. In reality, both are complementary factors in the process of spiritual growth. Prayers and rituals are born of man’s adoration for that unseen power underlying the mystery of life. Each religion prescribes its own set of practices as a means of adoration or worship or to […]
Lebanese poet philosopher Kahlil Gibran beautifully sums up the essence of relationships with the lines: “Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but […]
શેહેરેવર પારસી કેલેન્ડરનો છઠ્ઠો મહિનો છે અને અહુરા મઝદાના ‘ઇચ્છનીય અધિપત્ય’ નું પ્રતિનિધિત્વ કરે છે. અમેશા સ્પેનતા ધાતુ અને ખનીજોની અધ્યક્ષતા કરે છે અને શહેરેવરના મુખ્ય ગુણો છે તાકાત અને શક્તિ. શહેરેવર અહુરામઝદાની ઈચ્છનીય અધિપત્યનું પ્રતિનિધિત્વ આ દુનિયામાં લાવવા આ બન્ને ગુણોનો ઉપયાગ કરે છે. પ્રમાણિક તથા સારા કાર્ય કરનાર દરેક જરથોસ્તી શહેરેવરને યુધ્ધમાં ઉપયોગ […]