Ervad Marzban J. Hathiram, a good old friend, editor of Frashogard.com and the Panthaki at the Jogeshwari Daremehr has written a hard hitting post on religious adultery.
Marzban writes
My apologies for not updating the blog for the last few weeks since I was tied up in the Muktad preparations and prayers in our Daremeher at Jogeshwari. Now that the Muktad are drawing to a close and just one night’s prayers remain, I thought it apt to pen a few words on one of the most auspicious days of the Parsi calendar – Khordad Sal, the birthday of our Prophet Zarathushtra.
Many Parsis are not aware of the exalted spiritual status of the Prophet, and many seem to think of him as a common man, who was somewhat inspired by God to start a new religion. But that view is very far from how the Avesta portrays the Prophet. In our sacred scriptures, Prophet Zarathushtra is given the status of a Yazata – a Divine Being, worthy of worship. His thoughts, words and deeds are described as being of the Highest Inspiration (see Yasna 28.0) and he is venerated by the entire creation as well as the Amesha Spentas.
Every Parsi, at the time of his or her Navjote enters into a Divine Relationship with Zarathushtra. The Fravashi of the Prophet Zarathushtra is present at the time of every child’s Navjote (which is why the Navjote should be done in the early morning in the sacred precincts of an Agiary or Atash Behram and not in a hotel or a open Baug in the presence of non-Parsis), and blesses the child and enters into a lifelong relationship. As the child prays the ‘Jasa me avangahe Mazda’ prayer, he or she gives a solemn vow to the Fravashi of the Prophet Zarathushtra present there. The child undertakes to follow the Mazdayasni Zarathushtrian faith only and promises to uphold and practice the teachings of only our religion. Of course, given the sad state of religious education in our community today, all this is not imparted to the child (although I think it needs to be imparted to the parents first!)
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