The Editorial Viewpoint, "The ‘right’ priests?” (Parsiana, February 21-March 6, 2020), makes abundantly clear the effects of early religious conditioning on the minds of the orthodox. It is a wonder how people who can take rational decisions in various aspects of life cannot change where their opinion regarding religion is considered. They simply refuse to listen to any argument which goes against their preconceived notions. Unfortunately, this conditioning comes down through the generations. The orthodox seem to be shackled and chained by their conditioning.
It was heartening to read about Dastur (Dr) Maneckji Dhalla, a man who was steeped in orthodoxy but had the courage to admit that he was wrong after his stint abroad to obtain his doctorate degree. This erstwhile high priest of Karachi who later wrote the classic Homage Unto Ahura Mazda had the moral intelligence to realize that orthodox ritualistic religion did not represent the true aspects of Zoroastrianism. Dhalla is known for the lectures he delivered in Bombay and abroad.
One unfortunate incident cited in the editorial is of Dastur (Dr) Faramroz Bode who was ridiculed and heckled during a visit to Bombay. I remember the incident well. An acquaintance I used to meet at Dadar’s Rustom Faramna Agiary had asked me to join a bunch of hooligans to heckle Bode. When I refused because such behavior is not in keeping with the principles of Zoroastrianism, he became very annoyed with me. Evidently, he was far gone.
In the same issue one religious tutor states that they don’t mind making peripheral changes. I suppose by peripheral changes he means subjective picking and choosing of changes. Take the case of behdin pasbaans. This concept was created only when they could not find mobeds to take care of agiaries in far off places. Until that time no behdin was permitted to perform the duties of a mobed.
It may be asked how, if the conditioning is very deep, can one blame the mobeds or orthodox Parsis? I personally feel one cannot morally lay the blame at their door. What is required to be done to get rid of such conditioning? After all rituals are necessary and mobeds are needed to perform them. It may help if one contemplates the life of Zoroaster who established our religion. Maybe one may change when one learns about the humility, compassion and tolerance of a man who was eons ahead of his time. One may change when one reads about the trials and tribulations he went through before he established this universal religion. But then, this is only my personal opinion. YAZDI KOHIAR
yazdikohiar@yahoo.co.uk