I refer to the interesting letter by Homi Dalal ("The weight of words," Readers’ Forum, Parsiana, May 7, 2017) followed by one by Piroze M. Khan who espouses "One must stay at Doongerwadi for four days till the prayers are over as it is said that it is good for the soul of the deceased…(as) the soul remains at the same place from where the body is disposed…"
On which scripture does Khan rely when referring to "the same place?"
The scriptures only say that the soul is earth-bound for four days after death, and thereafter it transmigrates.
Thousands of Zoroastrian sailors and soldiers died, fighting the Greeks, the Turanians and the Gilans, and in North Africa. Their last rites must have been performed in ancient and medieval Iran, back home, and not at the sites where they fell.
Pseudo-interpreters of our religion need to do some serious homework before pontificating.
B. T. DASTUR
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