USHAO
Volume III No. 8
October-November 2002: Mah
Aban, Fasal Sal 1371
Gairischa afshtachino yazamaide,
vairishcha avezdanaongho yazamaide,
aspenacha yevino yazamaide,
payucha thworeshtara yazamaide,
Mazdanmcha
Zarathushtraemcha yazamaide.
We revere the mountains, from which the waters flow.
We revere the lakes brimming with water.
We revere the corn.
We revere the protector and the creator.
We revere the great wisdom of Zarathushtra.
[Haptan Yasht:
Karda 8.2]
“The outward forms of
religion go on and will go on in their routine evolution. Our work is to build
our Inner Church, live in it and radiate from it. Our living Church, that
magnificent Temple Within, is our ideal. You have been living in it. You
have been radiating through it for a number of years. Continue that great and
noble work from that living Temple of your own” [Jamshed
Nusserwanjee]
Contents:
CAN RELIGIONS UNITE HUMANITY
Madame Sophia
Wadia…………………………………………………………….. 2
SIGNIFICANT CHARACTER of INSIGNIFICANT NUMBERS
[Excerpt from Dastur M.N. Dhalla’s
“Zoroastrian Civilization”]………………….4
HEROINES of ANCIENT IRAN: Story of Dilafruz –I- Farrukhpai
The Marchioness of
Winchester……………………………………………………..5
PRINCE of PEACE (Poem)
Farida
Bamji……………………………………………………………………………… .7
LINES TO UPLIFT AND HOPE
(Poem)…………………………………………………7
SHAMS-UL-ULEMA DASTUR DR. MANECKJI N. DHALLA
Khorshed
Laskari………………………………………………………………………….…8
THE PRIEST – THE PARSI MODE: Ali
A. Jafarey………………………………………,, 12
CAN RELIGIONS UNITE HUMANITY
Madame Sophia
Wadia
R
eligions as they exist
today and have existed for centuries not only cannot unite humanity, but are
actually forces that breed disunion and cause strife and dissension. They
are not even a unifying force for their own followers. In India bigotry,
in the name of religion, divides the children of the same soil, who should live
in brotherly relations and at peace.
WHAT DEGRADES
RELIGIONS?
The forces, which degrade religions, are the same
as those, which degrade individuals, the three gates of hell spoken of in the
Bhagvad Gita – Kama, Krohda and Lobha. Kama, which
manifests in man as passion, shows itself in religious prejudice.
Krodha, anger, appears in religions as enmity and hatred against
non-believers in that particular creed, prejudice developing as
fanaticisms. Lobha, ambition, masquerades in the arrogant idea of
proselytizing the world to belief in a given religion. From a view as
superficial as the many religions are today, it might be claimed that, since
religions do not unite mankind, they should be done away
with.
RELIGION INDISPENSABLE
But religion is perhaps the most potent factor in
the lives of the human souls. There is beauty, virtue and truth in every
religious faith, so to discard them all would be folly—as well throwing away
wheat needed by the starving, because it is mixed with chaff or has dirt on
it! Humanity needs some faith to guide its steps and if one religion is
destroyed, another comes to take its place. In Europe today the religion
of Nationalism is as sectarian and intolerant as the faiths it has largely
superseded—and as incapable of uniting even its own adherents. Christian
Science, New Thought, atheism all are as narrow and dogmatic as the old
faiths. Each claims to have the only truth and that the others must be
discarded and fought against.
COMPARATIVE STUDY
NECESSARY
There is one movement only in our present
civilization that stresses the necessity for a comparative study of religions,
philosophy and science. Such a study can free us from the arrogant modern
notion that what is newest is the best. The individual who takes up this
comparative study in earnest finds the bonds of his own sectarianism
weakening. He becomes capable of recognizing Truth wherever it may be
found and of incorporating truths outside of his own creed in his daily
practice, a great step in soul evolution. He will discover that underlying
all religions are certain ethical teachings and he will ask, “Where did these
religions originate?”
THE LINE OF TEACHER
No great Teacher ever came to establish a religion
de novo, but always as reformer of a religion which had become
degraded. Having cleared the ground of blind belief, ritualism and
dependence on others. He tries to reiterate the same eternal Truths, cosmic and
universal principles and statements of moral law, but re-proclaimed what their
predecessors had taught.
The Light of Asia describes the wrath of
the Buddha’s kingly father when he came in a garb of a mendicant with a begging
bowl, and his explanation that it was the custom of his race: “Not of a mortal
line,” said the Master, “I spake but of descent invisible, the Buddhas who have
been and who shall be, of these am I, and what they did I
do.”
Jesus declared: “Think not that I have come to
destroy the law, or the prophets. I have not come to destroy but to
fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or
one little shell in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled:
[Matt.V17-18] Yet, Jesus went against the priests and ritualism, it was the true
Law, which he came to fulfill.
Krishna declared that whenever adharma,
lawlessness flourished, He came again to establish dharma,
righteousness.
Zoroastrians, instead of priding themselves on an
exclusive religion, should be proud that Zoroastrianism is part of the eternal
Truth, which is behind all religions. In Chapter II of the Vendidad, Zarathushtra asks: “To
whom did you, O Ahura Mazda, teach this Good Law of your own before you imparted
to me? And Ahura Mazda replies, “O Zarathushtra, I taught that
religion of mine to fair King Yima. He was the first mortal before thee to
whom I taught this religion.”
King Yima was King Jamshed, who before Zarathushtra had the
religion of Mazda –the Wisdom Religion that has been known in all ages and under
all climes. In the Gathas also, Zarathushtra asks what he
can do to keep the Law pure and prevent its corruption, showing that he knew
that religions always suffer corruption in the course of
time.
THE COMMON BASIS
The Dharma of Krishna, the Din of Zarathushtra, the Law of
Jesus is the one bond that can bring men together, by the practice of the
universal precepts and the discarding of all that prevents the followers of one
creed acting as brothers to those in other faiths. The practice of this
true Religion involves the living up to the truths in one’s own creed and
discarding everything in it that all men cannot share. Trying to practice
the highest teachings of all religions makes a person better Christian than the
churchgoer. The Durvand who tries to practice good thoughts, good
words and good deeds is a better Zoroastrian than one who ties and unties the
sacred thread many times a day, but will not practice good thoughts, good words
and good deeds. Practice of Wisdom Religion gives enlightenment to the
mind and inspiration to the heart. The former alone results in materialism. The
latter, alone results in sentimental emotionalism. Together they show one
how to better one’s self, and express compassion and wisdom in the service of
humanity.
NOTE
Everybody belongs to a race and a community
therefore the problem of unity is a universal problem. Unity is tried and
found wanting. It is replaced with integration. Lawyers, politicians,
economists, businessmen, and statisticians sit on judgment, each one with his,
own pet bias of how to correct the malaise. Only the electrician throws
pure light on. Still the picture of integration looks cloudy and is made to look
clearer by calling it emotional integration. If that is the clearest quest
all previously formed committees should be dissolved to make inquiry
bias-free. Lawyer looks at the problem in terms of correction, politician
in terms of party loyalty, economist in terms of how much, businessman in terms
of how much less, and statistician in terms of how many. To assess
evidence correctly is one thing, to assess emotions in terms of repression,
suppression and reaction is another thing. Only a panel composed entirely
of psychoanalysts and psychiatrists is the key to the problem. As long as
man tried to fly Icarus-like with all sorts of wings he failed. Only when
the internal combustion engine came in, did man learned to fly. Let
psychiatrists with empathy record the findings. Buried emotions will be
unearthed to make the world fit to live for and fit to live in. [Source:Parsiana:
December1969]
SIGNIFICANT CHARACTER
of
INSIGNIFICANT NUMBERS
D
astur Dr. Maneckji
Nusserwanji Dhalla published his memorable work ZOROASTRIAN CIVILIZATION
about eight decades ago. In the concluding passages of the book, he
made a mention about his own Parsi community. After a lapse of eighty
years, much of what he wrote about the community holds true today, and
reproduced here under:
“In India, the Parsis have attained prominence,
far out of proportion to their insignificant numbers. They were the
earliest among Oriental peoples to acquire a veneer of modern Western
Civilization. Unlike the ancient Persians, who, as we have seen, looked to
commercial pursuits with disfavor, the modern Parsis have taken to commerce and
industry, and have amassed considerable wealth.
“The greatness of the community cannot be
estimated in terms of its wealth alone. Material prosperity would prove a curse
in disguise, if, along with it, the community failed to show any sign of that
creative genius, which can find expression in literature and the arts,
nourishing the imagination and animating the spirit of its members. Judged
by this standard, we find that the Parsi community has not established its title
to intellectual originality, since it planted its colony in India. No
creative work of world-fame in literature or science stands to its credit. There
is no real Parsi drama, or music, distinctively Parsi in character. Parsi
culture today is imitative and exotic. The name bearers of the ancient Persians,
have, like them, remained receptive and imitative. The period of
apprenticeship to the culture of their neighbors, which began with their
Achaemenian ancestors twenty-five centuries ago, shows no sign of drawing to a
close. When a community adopts the culture of a neighbor, and ceases, at
the same time to create anything of its own, it is bound to find, in the long
run, that its soul becomes atrophied. It will be well for the Parsis, that
they should bestir themselves to combat this evil, which is hanging over their
community.
“Modern Parsis are enterprising and practical,
virile and industrious, generous and benevolent. They are impulsive and
not given to reflection, emotional and not intellectual. They are neither
philosophical, nor rich in imagination. Talented as they are, they are not
endowed with genius.
“Internal dissensions, we have seen, formed one of
the chief causes that contributed to the collapse of the Persian Empire.
Modern Parsis, it seems, have not profited by the lessons of their past history,
and are torn. Disintegrating forces have the community in their grip, and
threaten to dissolve the bond of communal consciousness.
“Let the Parsis emulate the good that the pages
of their history furnish, and eliminate the evil that contributed to the
downfall of the ancient empire, and their future will be bright as their past
has been great”
HEROINES OF ANCIENT IRAN
The Marchioness of Winchester
Story of Dilafruz – i –
Farrukhpai
W
hen Shapur (Sapor II, A.D.
309-379), son of Hurmuzd, had for some time occupied the throne of Iran,
he began to feel some curiosity as to the Kisra of Rum, his army, treasury and
general affairs of state. He therefore resolved to visit the country
disguised as a merchant from Iran. Taking with him many camels loaded with
costly wares, he journeyed into Rum and made his way to the Kisra’s
palace. Saluting the chamberlain, he bestowed upon him rich gifts and
requested him to make his presence known to the King, who, he said, might take
his choice from among his merchandise. His purpose, he explained, was but
to seek protection while on business in Rum. The chamberlain departed with
the message, and, a moment later, Shapur was admitted to the royal
presence. The King received him cordially and invited him to partake of
refreshments.
There was, however, among the Kisra’s courtiers, a
native of Iran, a man of no very lofty attributes, who, having noted the
“merchant” secretly, his looks, speech and bearing, drew the King aside and
asserted that he was none other than Shapur, the King of Kings. The Kisra
was astounded; then he grew wrathful and determined the imposter should not
escape. Therefore, as soon as Shapur arose from the table, his wits
muddled with the quantity of wine he had taken, he was seized by the guard and
carried away to the women’s section of the palace. His hands were then
bound and his body sewn in an ass’s skin. They finally cast the luckless
monarch into a dark and gloomy cell, and gave instructions that he was to be fed
on nothing but bread and water. This, said the Kisra, would bring him a
lingering death, and thus give him time to reflect upon all he had lost.
He then led his forces into Iran, and returned to Rum
victorious.
Meanwhile, Shapur, in his misery, had won the
compassion of a beautiful damsel, who was slave to the Kisra’s wife. All
day long she thought of him with pity, and, whenever possible, contrived to
visit him. On one of these occasions, she begged him to tell her his
story, and, he said he would do so on condition, that she promised
to keep it secret. She swore that she would never betray him, and he
thereupon told her all. He further besought her to bring warm milk at meal
times, with which to soak the ass’ hide, and thus render it supple. The
kind-hearted girl, though fearful of discovery, performed this service
faithfully, so that at the end of two weeks the hide had moistened sufficiently
to allow Shapur to emerge there from. With aching body and full heart, he
blessed the damsel, and vowed she should be exalted over all women and the world
would be at her feet. He then asked her aid in devising some means of
escape, and she told him that a festival was to be held in Rum the next day,
which all would attend. She promised as soon as the Queen had departed, to
have two steeds in readiness; the following night would then be their
opportunity. Praising her courage and resource, Shapur returned to his
solitary cell and eagerly looked forward to the morrow. The damsel proved
as good as her word. Two splendid horses, some weapons and a goodly store
of jewels were in waiting, and full of secret joy the couple rode forth to
safety and Iran. On they sped, night and day, pausing neither for food nor
rest, until at length, overcome with fatigue, they dismounted and sought
hospitality at a gardener’s cottage. The good man opened his eyes wide on
beholding their armor, and inquired the meaning of such a visitation.
Shapur told him that he was a traveler from Iran and in danger from the
Kisra. He implored the man to be his host that night, assuring him that
his kindness should one day be handsomely rewarded. The gardener
immediately placed his house at the disposal of Shapur and his fair companion,
and promised to inform no one of the circumstances. His wife prepared for
them food and drink and quarters for the night. Passing wine to Shapur,
the good man said: “Drink to whom thou wilt”. And Shapur answered: “My
host” But the excellent man insisted upon his guest taking the lead,
saying:
The man of Grace it behoveth first to drink;
For verily a crown upon thy locks I
scent.
Shapur smiled as he took
the wine, and then asked for news of Iran. His host proceeded to recount
the misfortune of that unhappy land: its population scattered, its crops ruined,
massacre and pillage rife.
“Where, then,” enquired Shapur, “was the
King?” The gardener turned a tragic face upon him as he told of the Shah’s
strange disappearance, adding that the people of Iran were slaves in Rum.
By this time, the worthy man was more than a little suspicious as to the degree
of nobility borne by his guest, and pressed him to prolong his stay for the
space of three days. Thus, he thought, would his humble abode gain fame
for evermore. He was also hoping Shapur might divulge his name when in his
cups.
On the morning of his departure, Shapur requested
his host to fetch him some seal-clay. The man obeyed. Taking the
clay from him, the monarch pressed his signet upon it; then returned it to him
with instructions that he should bear it to the high priest of Iran. The
gardener went promptly to do his bidding, but on his arrival found the portal
barred, and guarded by armed men. He clamored loudly to be admitted, and
finally had his way. When the high priest saw the impress on the clay, he
became greatly excited, and put many questions to the gardener concerning his
guest’s appearance, manner and speech. Satisfied from the man’s answers
that this could be none other than the Shah himself, he immediately gave orders
for troops to be assembled, and, as night approached, soldiers gathered from
every quarter and made for the gardener’s cottage. Shapur received them
joyously; then proceeded to tell them the tale of his suffering, and of the
slave-girl’s heroism. He spoke of her in terms of the highest praise, and
vowed he was henceforth her slave. Then, cautioning the troops to observe
strict secrecy, he began to make plans for an attack on Rum. And so it
came to pass that the Kisra was defeated, and men were wont to allude to Shapur
as “The Victorious Shah”.
Shahpur was Shah all his life, contemporary with
ten Roman Emperors, and was one of the greatest of Sassanian rulers. And
he never ceased to love and cherish the damsel to whom he owed not only his
greatness but also his life. He bestowed on her the name
Dilafruz-i-Farrukhpai, which has the charming meaning,
“Lucky-footed Luster-of-the-Heart”.
PRINCE of PEACE
Farida
Bamji
Amongst us was born a Prince
He’s Asho Zarathushtra,
He tirelessly roamed to spread
The Words:
Humata Hukhta Huvarashta.
“Hear with your ears,
Ponder with a Good Mind”,
From the Path of Asha never veer,
Open your mind and never fear.
Everyone is equal before The Law,
Be, ye Zarathusti, Hindu, Muslim or Sikh.
Ours is an Universal Religion,
There’s no need for or place for
prejudice.
He gave us neither Dos nor Don’ts,
“The Choice is yours”, He said.
“Follow the Path of Good or Bad”,
The Final Verdict is in My
Hands.”
He judges one not,
For the amount of wealth and degrees.
Or occupation one holds,
But the Good Thoughts, Words, and Deeds
In one’s Gareban one
holds.
Lines to uplift and
hope:
“No matter what misfortunes come,
What chores you have today,
What losses, trials, ills and spills,
May somehow come your
way.
In spite of all you must deplore,
Let this be understood,
If you’ve the mind, you will still find,
There’s always something good.
[Author unknown]
SHAMS-UL-ULEMA DASTUR DR. MANECKJI N. DHALLA
[1875 – 1956]
Khorshed
Laskari
I
n September 1909 a young
man of thirty-three years was installed as Dastur (High Priest) of the Parsis of
Karachi. Dr. Maneckji Nusserwanji Dhalla had just returned from Columbia
University, New York, as M.A., Ph.D., in Iranian Languages and Literature.
He was destined to serve his community for nearly fifty years with zeal, ability
and intelligence, as a true Minister of the Zoroastrian faith. Dr. Dhalla
was a luminary of rare brilliance who shed the light of learning not only on the
Parsis but the whole world.
Dastur Dr. Dhalla was gifted with the power of the
spoken as well as the written word. His books are a monument to his genius
and a priceless legacy to his community. His eloquence and oratory will be
remembered ever by those who heard him speak. Blessed with a pleasant,
dignified personality. Dastur Dhalla was a commanding figure in the most
august assemblies. Dressed in the spotless white cotton robe and the
turban of a Parsi priest, with a shawl denoting the rank of a Dastur he
impressed every gathering---communal or cosmopolitan. When he rose to
speak, he held the audience spellbound.
It is a delight to open Dr. Dhalla’s books at any
page. There is not a dull sentence anywhere. Within their covers lies a
hoard of hidden treasure for the reader to discover. He saw humor
everywhere and mocked the ridiculous wherever he encountered it. He faced
discomfort and difficulties without undue annoyance, and even with
wit.
Most of Dr. Dhalla’s books are naturally concerned
with his coreligionists. They present before the mind’s eye a glorious
panorama of the Zoroastrian way of life, from its beginning in prehistoric Iran
to the present day Parsis of the subcontinent and elsewhere. All aspects
of their existence---religious and secular---were reconstructed from hundreds of
scattered sources traditional and historical.
When a youth of twenty-six, his promise was
recognized by a learned Bombay Parsi, and was sent to that city to study Iranian
languages at the Sir J.J. Madressa. Dr. Dhalla made full use of his stay
there in the early years of the century, alive with the stirrings of patriotism
and thoughts of independence. He came into contact with Parsi
stalwarts---Dadabhoy Naoroji, Pherozeshah Mehta, Dinsha Watcha, and the great
industrial family of the Tatas. Inspired by such intelligence and
brilliance all around him, he cherished high ideals and aspirations. He
became self-confident and began to realize his own latent
capability.
Dastur Dhalla confesses in his autobiography that
he started life as an extreme orthodox and recounts having to sit for his
narrow-minded thinking and practices. Extreme orthodoxy, however, did not
prevent him from seeking knowledge on advanced scientific lines. He was
apparently not bothered by the loss of the vision of one eye in childhood.
The gradual complete loss of hearing in later life was a great trial for a man
in public life, having to sit for hours at meetings without hearing a word of
what went on.
The Parsi community enabled young Maneckji Dhalla
to acquire scholarship of the highest order. He was sent to New York in
1905 to study Iranian languages and literature under Professor A.V.W. Jackson at
Columbia University. As in Bombay, he plunged into the intellectual life
of the city and gained extensive experience.
About the religion of ritual, Dastur Dhalla says
that the improper understanding of the message of Zoroaster leads the Parsis
towards ritual and alien superstitious beliefs and practices. He gives
examples of how remote the daily life of many of them remains from the preaching
of the Prophet. In spite of the efforts of reform societies the community
in general refutes to believe that man’s good deeds in this world will alone
lead to eternal salvation. Dr. Dhalla initiated an annual Zoroastrian
Conference in Bombay in 1910 to thrash out various problems. Lacking
support from the masses the Conference closed down in 1919. He had
ardently suggested the compilation of a Zoroastrian
Encyclopedia.
Dastur Dhalla respected the wishes of the
majority, and honored the rules laid down by the Parsi Panchayats, refraining
from doing anything unconstitutional as a priest. However, in his books,
he is quite frank in expressing his personal views and
convictions.
According to the prevailing Parsi custom of his
times Dastur Dhalla had been married in childhood. He was eight and his
little bride Cooverbai was five! It turned out to be the happiest of
marriages. They were blessed with six children. After his student
days, Cooverbai accompanied him on all his travels. There were four more
visits to publish his books. They also went to England, China, Iraq and
Iran --- giving lectures everywhere.
Dr. and Mrs. Dhalla had the supreme happiness of
celebrating their Diamond wedding in 1942. His Gujarati autobiography
EK ATMAKATHA ---was timed to appear on this occasion being
dedicated to his beloved life partner. Four months later Cooverbai, who
had suffered ill health for several years past, suddenly passed away. Her
bereaved husband sustained a great shock, but managed to regain his sanity and
balance. He continued his life’s work for fourteen more years until he
left this world on May 25, 1956.
EK ATMAKATHA was enlarged into a
second edition in 1946. Besides describing his personal life, the autobiography
deals with important matters relating to the spiritual and worldly welfare of
the whole Parsi community. The author explains each problem clearly and
throws the light of wisdom upon its solution. Dr. Dhalla writes at length
of the careful study in preparing his books and speeches.
Dastur Dr. Dhalla wrote nine principal books. The
first was “Nyaishes or Zoroastrian Litanies” (1909). This was
his Dissertation for the Ph.D. degree. It became Volume VI of the Columbia
University Indo-Iranian Series. The next was “Zoroastrian Theology”
(1914), providing a complete history of the religious beliefs of the
Zoroastrians from the pre-Gathic times to the present. It illustrates “the
gradual process of development of the Zoroastrian theology from its early
simplicity to the complexity it exhibits at present.” As a modern scholar,
Dr. Dhalla conducted an independent inquiry. He says, “Though conscious
of the fact that I write as a minister of the faith of Zoroaster, I have not
allowed clerical zeal to supercede the impartiality of a scholar. I have
not resorted to sophisticated arguments to defend apologetically dogmas and
doctrines that have clustered round the pristine teaching of Zoroaster.”
An enlarged edition of this book came as “History of Zoroastrianism”
twenty- four years later in 1936.
In 1922 Dr. Dhalla published “Zoroastrian
Civilization”. It is a very interesting comprehensive account of
civilized Zoroastrian life in all departments---public and private—during the
six eras of the ruling dynasties of Iran. The book was written after
meticulous research.
Dastur Dhalla had noted the great paucity of
devotional literature in the Zoroastrian scriptures as compared to other
religions. He believed that knowledge and devotion should be wedded to
each other. He decided to write a book of short prayerful passages based
on ancient literature. “Homage Unto Ahura Mazda”---Part I was
placed before the Parsi public in 1942 shortly after the autobiography. It
would have come out a year earlier but the first proofs were sunk on the sea
voyage from America during World War II. Two more parts of the “Homage
Unto Ahura Mazda” followed, one including a Gujarati version.
“Ancient Iranian Literature” (1949)---a
book of 200 pages surveys the Zoroastrian scriptures as a whole. Dr.
Dhalla says, “In this work I have described in brief the characteristics of
Avesta, Old Persian, Pahlavi and Pazend languages with free rendering of their
important passages”
“The Gathas of Zarathushtra are the
kernel of Avestan literature. These devotional, ethical, eschatological
hymns are expressed in pithy, often enigmatical style. They are replete
with metaphysical, abstruse and pregnant thoughts. They are
preponderating, subjective and personal. The personality of the prophet,
his movements, his hopes and despairs, trials and tribulations, joys and
sorrows, fears and anxieties, zeal and courage, his attachments to friends, his
dealings with the foes of his religion, come out most vividly and conspicuously
in his holy Hymns. Zarathushtra in the GATHAS
is human and historical—not a myth and legend as the later Avestan and Pahalvi
writers make him.” (Introduction to “Ancient Iranian
Literature”)
Three of Dr. Dhalla’s books contain the same
messages, and may therefore, be grouped together---though the first was written
twenty years earlier. These books are “Our Perfecting World”
(1930), “Mankind Wither Bound?” (1950) and “World’s Religion in
Evolution” (1953). “Our Perfecting World” is sub-titled
“Zoroaster’s Way of Life”. In the introduction, Dr. Dhalla outlines
the scope of the work---“We hope to show that our universe is unfolding
towards an aim and that the life of man imperfect in all its phases has
throughout the period of human history been slowly but steadily progressing
towards perfection through the inexorable laws of co-operation with good and
conflict with evil, which is the message of hope Zarathushtra brings to
mankind.” Comparing or rather contrasting Zoroaster and Nietzsche in
“Resistance to Evil”, Dr. Dhalla says, “Zoroaster’s ideal is righteousness,
Nietzsche’s power.”
“Mankind – Whither Bound?” is a sequel to
“Our Perfecting World”. The author says, “Whereas in the first
book, human civilization was explained from sociological angle.
“Mankind Wither Bound? is a tabloid of world history. It is a
survey of 7,000 years of history in which we see mankind great in goodness and
terrible in evil. “Mankind needs the substance of Religion. It has generally
received the form instead.”
“Religion and culture---will teach the individual
that his loyalty is first to the world. HE MUST BUILD ONE COMMON HUMAN FAMILY
WITH ONE RELIGION IN ONE UNITED WORLD.”
“World Religions In Evolution” (1953) is
Dr. Dhalla’s last book---a slim volume of 74 pages. Giving a rapid survey
of religious thought from primitive times to the present day. Dr. Dhalla
makes some of his most trenchant and outspoken observations. They are an
epitome of all his writings. “God has ordained that religion should be the
greatest cohesive factor for the unity of mankind. Priests and their
intolerant followers have made religion the greatest divisive factor among all
people in all periods of history. Fanatic zeal and intolerant spirit have
always divided the followers of religions into innumerable sects.”
“GOD’S UNIVERSAL RELIGION IS IDEAL.”
The cogent remarks in the final chapters make
“World Religions In Evolution”, Dr. Dhalla’s important contribution
towards the regeneration of mankind and the perfection of the world for which he
had striven throughout his long and immensely fruitful
life.
In 1929 Dastur Dhalla was awarded the honorary
degree of Lit.D. by Columbia University on the occasion of its 175th
anniversary. He was one of the former students who made outstanding
contributions towards the furtherance of literature and science during the past
twenty- five years. In 1935, the British Government of the time bestowed
the title of Shams-ul-Ulema upon Dr. Dhalla in recognition of his vast
scholarship.
Dr. Dhalla’s valuable private library is now
preserved in the Department of the Government of Pakistan at Karachi. It
is classed as the “DHALLA
COLLECTION”1
The Dastur Dr. Dhalla Memorial Institute
set up by Karachi Parsis holds regular meetings to preserve the memory of
this great Dastur2 whose equal cannot be found. In 1975 the
Institute published the English translation3 of Dr. Dhalla’s Gujarati
autobiography.
[Source: “Morning News
Magazine”, Karachi. Friday May 23, 1986]
Addendum:
1. Though originally the
“DHALLA COLLECTION” was housed in the Department of Museums and
Archeology of the Government of Pakistan at Karachi. In the autumn of
2000 AD, Dastur Dr. Dhalla Memorial Institute through good efforts of its
President Mr. Byram D. Avari succeeded in acquiring it. Since then
the COLLECTION has been housed at the Sazedegah building in Dinshaw B.
Avari Colony, Karachi.
2. Dastur Dr. Maneckji
Nusseranji Dhalla was born in the city of Surat on 27th September
1875, the day being Amardadsal (Shensahi) of that year. In 1878
he came to Karachi, where he lived all his life and died on 25th
May 1956.
3 Dr.Dhalla’s autobiography, – EK ATMAKATHA was translated into English by Gool and Beheram S. Rustomji.
Cyrus P. Mehta
Harlow, England
26th August
2002
“Be sure to learn from
yesterday, live for today and hope for
tomorrow.”
THE PRIEST ---- THE PARSI MODE
Ali A.
Jafarey
I
n India and in all other
countries where Parsis are residing, only the sons of priests or the members of
the priestly families can become priests. Any male member of the priestly family
can revive the right though his immediate ancestors may not actually have been
priests. A descendant up to the fifth generation can revive the
right. It then dies and can no longer be exercised. In order to be a
thoroughly qualified priest, one has to go through two grades of initiations and
their ceremonies. They are (1) the Navar and (2) the
Martab.
At present, there are two ways to become a priest
among the Parsis.
In this second way, the candidate does not recite,
as mentioned by the late Ervad Dr. J.J. Mody in his “Ceremonies &
Customs of Parsis”, the entire Yasna but a part of it. There are some who
recite only eleven sections (has) and there are others who do only
seven has. One is called “Eleven-ha” Ervad and the
other “Seven-ha” Ervad. The accompanying gewra priest
recites remaining 61 or 65 sections of 72-ha Yasna. The majority of the
“non-professional” Parsi priests belong to the category of “Eleven or
Seven ha” class. Unless they pursue their religious studies to a
desirable height, they tag Ervad to their names
only.
The entire course for initiation into priesthood,
Navar or Martab, is to learn to recite the Avesta and Pazand texts
by rote and to perform the rituals by practice. They are not taught the
two scriptural languages, and they do not understand the true significance of
what they do. It is at the university level that one learns the Avesta and
Pahlavi languages and literature. [Source:
Zarathushtrian Assembly]
Please send your articles and queries to: Virasp Mehta
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Published for Informal
Religious Meetings Trust Fund, Karachi