From: TZML Admins
Date: Nov 24, 2007 7:17 PM
Subject: IRANSHAH & The Zarathushtis - one of the best articles on
this topic - by Mr. Hanoz M. Mistry
To: TZML <TraditionalZarathushtris@yahoogroups.com>
Dear Zarathushti humdins,
today on 24th November is regarded as (one of) the Salgrehs of Iranshah.
The Salgreh according to Shahenshahi calendar is Adar mah, Adar roj.
On this Salgreh day, we share a very informative and inspiring article
on Iranshah and His relationship to our Zarathushti community.
This is one of the best descriptions on Iranshah's might, His Origins,
His Power, His Suzerainty and the extremely crucial role He plays in
the Zarathushti religion.
We warmly suggest that you preserve this article and read it
especially when things look bleak and hopeless. Remember Iranshah and
ask for a solution, and It will be Delivered (if it is in your karma).
This article also makes us realise how important it is to look after
the current dharmasthan Udvada where He is located today. Looking
after Udvada is like looking after Iranshah.
We wish to thank Mr Hanoz M Mistry for taking the effort and sending
us all a very inspiration and heart-moving account of Iranshah.
Sincerely
TZML Admins
(please see below)
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IRANSHAH & The Zarathushtis
by Hanoz M. Mistry
The Fall of the Sassanian Empire
During the Sassanian Empire, the Zarathushti Religion was passing
through a glorious phase and spirituality abounded. In those days, the
Abedsahebs, saintly souls who were spiritually at a much higher level
than ordinary folk, could move about freely in public. However, with
their knowledge of astrology and their powers to foresee the future,
they knew that Zarathushti rule over Iran was coming to a temporary
stop for a few hundred years. To ensure the practice of the Religion
through those dark times and to safeguard the religion for future
generations, these Abeds accumulated all the implements and Aalaats (a
consecrated implement or living object in which certain higher levels
of spiritual energies are awakened) required for its practice and took
refuge in retreats where no physical pollution or man could penetrate
without their sanction. After the fall of the Sassanian Empire, the
Zarathushtis fell into disarray. Thousands of them were massacred by
the conquering Arabs. Murder, rape and arson were the order of the
day. Hundreds of Atashbehrams and Agiaries were desecrated and our
holy scriptures were destroyed. Many people fled to neighbouring
countries, sought asylum, intermarried and integrated with the local
population. No trace can be found of these people after all these
years. To save their lives and property, many Zarathushtis chose to
renounce their religion and converted to Islam, but many held out
against their invaders and existed for almost another 100 years. But
when these devout realised that they could no longer safely practise
the religion of their forefathers, they consulted the Abedsahebs for
deliverance. They were advised by these Abedsahebs to leave Iran and
settle on the West Coast of India. This was the only way in which the
noble Zarathushti Din would survive and flourish till such time when
it would be re-established in Iran by the future Rainidar (Renovator
of the Faith) Shah Behram Varzavand.
Dastur Neriosang Dhaval, an Ashavan (person who has successfully
mastered the laws of Ashoi and has attained a certain level of
spiritual exaltedness) of a very high grade, was chosen as the leader
of the Anjuman which was to set sail for India. He had with him a
devoted group of 8 other Ashavans, one of them being a lady Ashavan,
by the name of Banoo Tanaaz. He was given the requisite training and
guidance by the Abedsahebs of Demavand. His mission was to settle his
flock on the shores of India, create a new PAV MAHAL (an invisible
spiritual institution which forms the base for creation of other
institutions like Atashbehrams) in India and establish Iranshah
(because of the exalted stature and the absence of a Zarathushti
Monarch in Iran, this Holy Fire was bestowed with the status of a
Monarch.).
Consecration of Iranshah
It was indeed a feat to transport the Aalaats required for the
consecration of Iranshah as Aalaats lose their spiritual strength if
carried over water. One of the Ashavans was constantly seated at the
front of the ship carrying the Aalaats, reciting our sacred Manthra
and drawing Kash (magnetic circuits) on the water before the ship so
that the water became temporarily still. This group of about 1,200
Zarathushti men, women and children landed on the shores of India at
Diu and were resident there for about 19 years before moving on to
Sanjan. They later settled in Sanjan with the permission of Jadiv
Rana, the local ruler, and commenced the procedure for consecration
and enthronement of Iranshah.
After his enthronement, Iranshah stayed in Sanjan for almost 300 years
Lay Zarathushtis were not allowed to go near Iranshah. Only those
Zarathushtis who were practitioners of Ashoi were allowed near him.
The Koh in which he was enthroned was dark and the entrance was low so
that the officiating Dastur had to bend his head in reverence before
entering.
The Ashavans had decreed that Iranshah should not be moved from his
place in Sanjan to keep his spiritual prowess intact. However, after
about 300 years, no Ashavan existed in India and the guardians of
Iranshah were of the status of Dregu Mard i.e. a few steps lower in
spiritual stature than the Ashavans but ofcourse, much higher than us
present day Zarathushtis. At one time, when the Muslim invasion was on
and the attacking forces were very close, the priests guarding
Iranshah panicked and in order to safeguard him, they shifted him from
Sanjan to the caves of Bahrot. Iranshah stayed in Bahrot for 12 years
after which he was shifted to Vansda, Navsari and finally settled in
Udvada since the 18th century. Using the Iranshah Fire as the focal
point, the other Atashbehrams and Agiaries were consecrated in India.
Thus, there exists a continuous link between all the consecrated fires
in India and Iranshah and through him with the exalted
Atashbehramsaheb of Demavand Koh.
Facts about Fire
Worship of Fire is one of the seven pillars of the Zarathushti Deen
and the community owes a debt of gratitude to the late Ustadsaheb
Behramshah N Shroff, who had the good fortune of studying the
fascinating knowledge of the Zarathushti Religion (also known as
Ilm-e-Khshnoom) under the benevolent guidance of the holy Saheb Dilans
of Demavand Koh who are the custodians of this knowledge, and thus was
able to throw a great deal of light on the truths in nature about the
existence of fire energies and other matters relating to the status of
our Padshah Sahebs, their consecration procedures, their links with
other fire energies on various planes in nature and their
relationships with other spiritual institutions like the Dokhmas.
Ilm-e-Khshnoom explains that an Atash Padshah is not just the physical
fire that we see before us in the censure but a living and conscious
entity who is in tune with the fire energies which exist in the Minoi
world. He has a yazatic conscience, divine wisdom and the Staotic
vibrations of Sraosh Yazad surround him at all times. He has the
capacity to receive the beneficial forces of Asare Roshni (the divine
energy from the white side of Nature) and combat and minimise the
malefic effects of Asare Tariki (the evil currents emanating from the
dark forces in Nature). He is a Rathestar par excellence. He is also
able to communicate the thoughts of devotees to Dadar Ahura Mazda
himself and in turn communicate Dadar's message through his blessings.
He is the divine Lord of our Karma and is responsible for ensuring
blessings for our good deeds and retribution for our misdeeds.
However, due to the principle of Duality, the forces of Gashak (dark
elements) exist in Nature. This attack of the force of Gashak on the
Padshahsaheb increases if we visit an Atashbehram/Agiary without a
lawful Nahn. There are three pre-conditions for a worshipper to
fulfill when he presents himself before a Padshah saheb. (a) He must
have a Khoreh (aura) which is capable of attracting the currents of
Asare Roshni, (b) the Vanthvo Frado (invisible magnetic currents
emitted from a persons eyes which have a direct relationship with the
vibrationary currents of the religion to which one belongs) emanating
from his eyes must be of an exalted nature and (c) his Mithra
(thoughts) should be clean.
Predictions of Ustadsaheb Behramshahji
Before his demise in 1927, Behramshahji had predicted many events
which are gradually coming true. One such prediction was that many
Agiaries and Atashbehrams would face closure and hardly one Dokhma
would be functional in a rundown condition. All this is seen to be
true today. So many Agiaries have been shut down and their Padshahs
shifted. The Dokhmas are in an equally delicate state with the
vultures having gradually disappeared, the people in authority having
taken various wrong decisions thus causing more damage and controversy
after controversy erupting about their future. The main reason for
this downfall is that it is all but forgotten that these spiritual
institutions are consecrated in nature and there are TALESAMS
functioning in each of them. A Talesam is a place where benevolent
Yazatic currents descend and are preserved.
The unfortunate state of affairs today
It is a common sight nowadays to see Zarathushtis flocking to
Atashbehrams and Agiaries on certain days because they have heard by
word-of-mouth that such and such Atash Padshah is known to grant some
boon to his devotees especially if the worship is offered on certain
days in certain Gehs. To place faith in our holy Padshahsahebs is the
duty of every Zarathushti but what is objectionable is the manner in
which the worshipper presents himself before the holy Padshah,
treating him like some merchant with whom some bargain has to be cut
and the emergence of a cultic ritual in these places of worship.
Religious ignorance seems to be ruling the roost and it is very easy
for people in this materialistic world to get swayed by
disinformation. The present day Zarathushtis also have a penchant for
running to Iranshah at the drop of a hat - some making it a weekend
picnic place and some going on every Behram Roj. Many do not even
bother to bathe before steeping into the precincts of Iranshah
claiming that they have bathed before their departure from Mumbai.
Going before Iranshah in a physically unclean condition results in
taking with us all the impurities and putridities of the outside world
before his holy presence and imperiling his sanctified stature. This
is a CARDINAL SIN.
Our Holy Atashpadshah Iranshah is presently in a very delicate stage
having completed about 1200 years of his lifespan. If we as a
community are to survive these perilious times till the advent of Shah
Behram Varzavand, we must make an all out effort to safeguard and
maintain the spiritually exalted condition of Iranshah. Implicit faith
in him is a MUST. But beyond just faith, we as a community must make a
disciplined effort to create the right conditions for his survival in
the near future. Given the way in which most of us lead our daily
lives without a thought for the observance of the daily spiritual
Tarikats and without observing the rules of Druj-Parhezi (abstinence
from pollution), it is best that we keep our distance from Iranshah.
The practice of walking in and out of Iranshah at frequent intervals
as if it were a railway station must be stopped. It is not suggested
that we stop going to Udvada, but we must try not to crowd around his
Koh all the time.
It would be in order to pray from the place where we presently remove
our footwear in the main hall of Iranshah. It would be equally fine if
people just stood in the Dadgah premises and offered worship to
Iranshah. It is extremely important for devotees to observe strict
rules of physical cleanliness. Taking a Nahn before stepping into
Iranshah is a necessity. However, as that is not always feasible,
application of Taro (Gaomez - fresh urine of Varasiaji or a cow) all
over the body before bathing is a necessity. Thereafter, we must wash
ourselves thoroughly from head to toe. Next, we must put on freshly
washed clothes preferably white which should be worn exclusively to
Iranshah.
It is very commendable to pray Atash Niyaish 9 times before Iranshah,
reciting the "Usmoi Ujareshwa" para 3 times in each Niyaish. If that
is not possible, it would be very beneficial to pray Atash Niyaish at
least 3 times. A little effort from our end will go a long way in
preserving our holy fire till the advent of Shah Varzavand. It is
decreed that after the advent of Shah Varzavand, Iranshah will be
rejuvenated and enthroned in our ancient motherland Iran.
Incidentally, during his stay in Demavand Koh, Ustadsaheb Behramshahji
was allowed by the Magav Sahebs to have a faraway glimpse of their
holy Atashbehram Padshah and that too after taking 3 Bareshnooms of 9
nights each. In fact, Ustadsaheb never went before Iranshah all his
life saying that his Khoreh was too polluted for him to go before
someone as exalted as Iranshah
- Hanoz M. Mistry
(end)
