We are currently observing the month of Amardad as per the Shahanshahi calendar. Amardad (Avesta Ameretat) represents Ahura Mazda’s quality of eternity. Amardad is also the seventh Amesha Spenta (Bounteous Immortal) presiding over vegetation. Green vegetation and freshness go hand in hand. There is an expression in the English language about ‘keeping the memory (especially […]
According to Firdausi’s Shahnameh, during the prehistoric Peshdadian times (i.e., even before the advent of Asho Zarathushtra) Iranian society was divided into four classes or professions – Arthravan or Priest, Ratheshtar or warrior, Vastriyosh or farmer and Hutaos or artisan. This was similar to the ancient Vedic Varna system of Brahmin (priest, teacher, intellectual), Kshatriya […]
A few days ago I got into a discussion with a friend who asked me a simple yet very profound question. The question was pertaining to the Zoroastrian way of life and living and whether it is any different from what persons of other faiths and beliefs follow. I responded briefly and assured him that […]
26th November, 2023, marks Roj Tir of Mah Tir, or the Parab of Tir, as per the Shahanshahi calendar. This auspicious day is observed as the feast of Tirgan. Since the Shahanshahi calendar is not intercalated, this festival of rain now falls during autumn. Regardless, it is a very special occasion to offer thanks to […]
I first visited Iran in 1995. On that memorable trip, I met for the first time a visionary and inspirational retired banker – Coovershah Mehta, with whom I instantly bonded and have since remained inseparably close friends, despite his age being much older than mine. Over the years, along with a few other dedicated volunteers, […]
Diwali is the five-day festival of lights, celebrated by millions across the world. The festival coincides with the Hindu New Year and thus also celebrates new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. Diwali also commemorates Lakshmi, the Divinity of wealth and prosperity. The five days of festivity begin with […]
They say, to live in the hearts of those we love, is never to die. This is the true Zoroastrian essence of the Avesta term Ameretat or Amardad, meaning immortality. The endeavour of human life should be Hauratat or Khordad, which means to live a wholesome life on the path of excellence and let our […]
Fresh water well is mandatory at every Agiary or Atash Bahram. One cannot think of a Parsi Zoroastrian fire temple anywhere in India without fresh water well within the temple compound/complex. Even otherwise, the community considers fresh water well as sacred. In Mumbai, the Bhikha Behram well, for example, is considered sacred and devotees pray […]
Parsi and Irani Zoroastrians are ethnically of Persian (Iranian) origin. Parsis who came to India about 300 years after the fall of the Sasanian Empire (around 10th Century AD) trace their ancestry back to the province of Khorasan, known in ancient times as Parthia. While Parsis appear to have moved to India, our Irani Zoroastrians […]
15th October, 2023, (tomorrow), marks the first day (Roj Hormuzd) of the holy month of Khordad. The third month of the Zoroastrian calendar, Khordad ushers blessings of purity and perfection. Khordad or Avestan Haurvataat is an Amesha Spenta presiding over the purifying waters; it also embodies the quality of excellence and wholesomeness. Khordaad and Ameredaad (Avestan Haurvataat and Ameretaat) are twin concepts representing the goal […]
The narrow plain of Yezd or Yazd is surrounded by mountains and deserts. The climate is harsh with extremely dry and hot summers and searingly cold winters. Since the rainfall is scanty, the plain is partly desert — in some places glittering white with salt, in others, covered by shifting, engulfing sands. Kerman and Fars […]