Dokhmenashini Controversey

Date

July 15, 2011

Post by

arZan

Noshir H. Dadrawala’s take on the Dokhmenashini controversey.

Thanks for provoking me to respond on the latest controversy surrounding ?Dokhmenashini. I believe this controversy has a time cycle of its own for the past century or more. Nearly a hundred years ago when there were enough vultures to dispose a dozen corpses in a day, a few ?progressive Parsis? had started a movement to establish a ?Parsi Crematorium?. And about a quarter of a century ago Late S. R. Vakil entered a dokhma in Mumbai and warned of an epidemic and public health hazard.To date, there is not a single proven or documented case of an epidemic at Malabar Hill.

Let us assume, just for the sake of argument. that there is not a single bird of prey at doongerwadi. So what? Our Avestan scriptures refer to our system as ?Hvare darasya (Persian: ?khurshed Niganshni) which means exposure to the powerful and purifying, rays of the sun. Agreed, vultures play an important catalytical role. However. IT IS THE SUN WHICH PLAYS The PRIMARY ROLE.This primary source of energy and purification, with the-Grace of Dadaar Ahura Mazda, has NOT? FAILED, How, then, can we say that our time- honoured system of ?khurshed Nagarshini has failed?

You, Sir have alleged that bodies are periodically taken out of the towers and buried in mass graves. This is incorrect. Even a hundred years ago and more, when reportedly, there were more than a hundred vultures at doongerwadi, the contents & the ?bhandar( (central well of the dokhma) had to be periodically emptied of bones and other dried remains. At no point of time, did the vultures devour even the bones.

Even today, the dried remains which are swept into the bhandar (central well) from the ?pavis? (consecrated stone slabs) are taken out after about a year and buried in pits which are lined with stone and layers of salt and lime, The question arises, is this doctrinally tenable?The answer, happily, is in the affirmative. The Zoroastrian tradition distinguish between ?lilo nasu? (green / fresh nasu, with water content, which should be exposed to the Sun for purification and cannot be buried for fear of contamination) and ?sukho naso (dried nasu, which may be buried without fear of spreading pollution).

In ?Vendidad?, Fargard VIII 33(107) Zarathushtra questions, ?0 Maker of the material world, Thou Holy One! Shall the man be clean who has touched a corpse that has been dried up and dead for more than a year? ?34(108) Ahura Mazda answered ?He shall. The dry mingles not with The dry.?

Vendidad. Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 4, translated by James Darmesteter pg. l03 Introduction V (pgXCV) of the aforesaid book states, ?.. wet matter is a better conductor of uncleanness than dry matter, and corpses cease to defile after a year.

Further, on the issue of health hazard, it may interest you to know that the scientific medical reality defies conventional logic. According to a press release of the World Health Organization (WHO) The health hazard associated with dead bodies is negligible.? {Press Release WHO42;20-8-1999 W.H0. warns against Health Misconceptions in the wake of Turkish Earthquake

WHO, Dept of Emergency and Humanitarian Action) in itsTechnical Briefing Note (Geneva, 18-8-1999) states, ?A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CADAVERS AND EPIDEMICS HAS NEVER BEEN SCIENTIFICALLY DEMONSTRATED OR REPORTED.

In Conclusion, l can only state that those who are uncomfortable with the traditional system for the disposal of the dead are welcome to explore other systems. However please allow those who believe in the system to practice what they have been doing for centuries. with peace and dignity.

10 Comments

  1. Meher Gandevia

    This article is like more stale news – writte at least 7 years ago

  2. Parsi Khabar

    Meher….could be. We received this via email today. I am assuming that Noshir is reiterating his stand that he had taken earlier. Thanks for your bservation.

  3. Meher Gandevia

    he has already clarified yesterday on the group. send me your email id and I will send you his mail .

  4. meher

    why does Parsi Khabar want to post this stale khabar f an article written more than 5-7 years ago??

  5. Meher Gandevia

    This article is like more stale news – writte at least 7 years ago

  6. Parsi Khabar

    Meher….could be. We received this via email today. I am assuming that Noshir is reiterating his stand that he had taken earlier. Thanks for your bservation.

  7. Meher Gandevia

    he has already clarified yesterday on the group. send me your email id and I will send you his mail .

  8. T. Ichhaporia.

    Basically there will be  no controversy if Parsees opting for alternate
    methods  are allowed Prayer facilities. This
    need not necessarily be at Doongerwadi.Such offering of Sacraments has nothing  to do with mode of disposal. The Trust Deed of
    Doongerwadi does not permit crematorium at its location and even Municipal
    authorities will never give a permission to set up a chimney belching smoke.

     

    It is an established fact that the rays of the Sun do not
    fall on the corpses for more than four hours. If rays of Sun were adequate, why
    Dadrawalla did not oppose Khojeste  on
    the Aviary project?

    Two question to this author- does Vendidad  allow Solar Panels and the other question, if
    energies of the Sun were omnipotent, why Solar Panels.

    The Community does not heed to what the clergy
    say because they have defied consistency of approach. Those opting for
    alternate methods are not irreligious or lesser Zoros as is made out to be and
    the for a fact are not those who breathe their last abroad are cremated and yet
    Sacraments of first four days performed in Mumbai Fire Temples?. Please do not trample
    on  sentiments and feelings of some who
    are reluctant to be consigned by the failed method. Let us coexist without
    senseless bickering by compromise and by building bridges.