Date: Oct 30, 2007 6:01 AM
Subject: ARZ adverts - distortion of the Zoroastrian scriptures which
prohibit Conversion
To: TZML <TraditionalZarathushtris@yahoogroups.com>
Dear Zarathushti humdins,
cc:
Vada Dasturjis,
Ervad Sahebs,
The Parsee Voice,
Zoroastrian Studies,
Parsi Pukar,
Dini-Awaz,
Prominent Zoroastrians,
TZML
TMYZ officials
The Jame weekly of Sunday, 28 Oct 2007 carried the ARZ advertisement.
ARZ continue their misdirected campaign to mislead the Zarathushi community.
Please read below for an authoritative account by Mrs. Pervin J Mistry
on the mistakes which ARZ make week after week. Mrs. Mistry captures
the essence of the ARZ errors when she writes: "According to the ARZ,
no other religions should exist as none are as good! This is
discrimination towards other religions and communities. Such a thought
which promotes religious superiority, hatred, wars among nations
(Crusades/Jihad) is not mentioned even once in the Sacred Avesta. The
Avesta mentions only the inner, true conversion of vices to virtues.
The word "conversion" meaning to proselyte others from religion to
religion is absolutely non-existent in the Sacred Avesta!"
How does ARZ do what they are doing? Simple. They distort the true
meaning of our Scriptures. Lets look at it further in depth.
ARZ'S LATEST ADVERTISEMENT
"In doaya bad, in khoaha bad; hame andar kasara Zarathushti din shad
bad; aedun bad."
ARZ'S DISTORTED TRANSLATION
"May this benediction be approved, may this wish be fulfilled, may the
Religion of Zarathushtra be chosen by all humans . May it be so."
ACTUAL MEANING / SCRIPTURAL TRANSLATION OF "IN DOAYA BAD…"
"May righteousness and strength for performing righteous acts and the
Law of Ahura be always current and there may not be disturbance of any
kind in them! May the good heroic and beneficent Fravashis of the
righteous bring with them the means of holiness, as wide as the earth,
as extensive as river and as exalted as the Sun, come to this abode.
May peace smite discord! May truth smite falsehood! So that in this
abode through the Holy Sarosh Yazad the Bountiful Immortals
(Ameshaspands) desire eagerly good yasnas and invocations, good gift
and health-giving offering. May the glory, happiness, offspring and
innate wisdom never leave this house!" ( This is what the Doa
Tandarosti in Avestan states, according to Kangaji!)
The meaning of the above is summarised by Mrs. Mistry as: In the Doa
Tandarosti, protection and blessings are sought from the Fravashis of
the righteous people for the house and for the village. The Fravashis
are worshipped so they may bring with them peace, prosperity,
obedience, generosity (charity), reverence, truthfulness, gift of
progeny and innate wisdom. Through Sarosh Yazad a long friendship with
the Ameshaspands is wished for and it is wished that Ashishvangh
Yazad's blessings are also received by the devotee. Reference to "long
enduring predominance of this Religion of Ahura revealed to
Zarathushtra" is the only reference given by Kangaji from Doa
Tandarosti in Avestan because there is NO mention of conversion made
in Doa Tandarosti, or in any prayer that is composed in the sacred
Avestic manthra!
Fellow Zarathushtis, please do not get carried away by over-simplistic
solutions by ARZ. Instead follow the Path of our wise forefathers, who
obeyed our Religious Scriptures when they shunned intermarriages,
shunned juddin naojotes and attempts to convert others into
Zoroastrianism and vice-versa.
Please circulate this email and that of Mrs. Pervin Mistry below to as
many good Zarathushtis you know off.
With best wishes
- TZML Admins
(please see below)
LETTER OF MRS. PERVIN J. MISTRY
In yesterday's Jam-e, 28-10-2007 once again the ARZ repeats its
deceptive advertisement in order to mislead the gullible into
believing that "Zoroastrianism is for All Mankind". The ARZ wants
everyone to believe that everywhere in the sacred Avesta the prime
thrust is on asking the followers of other established religions to do
nothing other than renounce their own religion and convert to
"Zoroastrianism"! This time, the ARZ quotes from Doa Tandarosti (in
Pazand). The same advertisement by the ARZ is also repeated in the
previous issues of Jam-e dated 29-5-2005 and 5-6-2005 to publicize the
faulty opinion that our religion promotes proselytism of all mankind
to the Mazdayasni Zarathushti Religion. According to the ARZ, no other
religions should exist as none are as good! This is discrimination
towards other religions and communities. Such a thought which promotes
religious superiority, hatred, wars among nations (Crusades/Jihad) is
not mentioned even once in the Sacred Avesta. The Avesta mentions only
the inner, true conversion of vices to virtues. The word "conversion"
meaning to proselyte others from religion to religion is absolutely
non-existent in the Sacred Avesta!
ARZ's advertisement: "In doaya bad, in khoaha bad; hame andar kasara
Zarathushti din shad bad; aedun bad."
ARZ's Translation: "May this benediction be approved, may this wish be
fulfilled, may the Religion of Zarathushtra be chosen by all humans .
May it be so."
It needs to be stated that the Doa Tandarosti in Pazand is a later
addition because the Sacred Avesta, contained in the 21 Nasks (based
on the 21 words of the Ahunavar Prayer uttered by Ahura Mazda at the
Dawn of Creation), is entirely composed in Avestan Manthra! The Pazand
portions are added by Dastran-e Dastur Adarbad Marespand and Ervad
Kangaji has further added his own translation to the Pazand verses.
There are two Din-no Kalmo, one in Pazand and the second one in
Avestan; similarly, there are two Doa Tandarosti. The Avestan Doa
Tandarosti is taken from Yasna ha 60, commonly known as Afrin-e
Dahman. This portion of the Avestan Doa Tandarosti is the celebrated
verse beginning with "Tao ahmi nmane jamyaresh………, ending with
"rayamcha khvarenanghamcha."
The translation given by Kangaji of the above mentioned Doa Tandarosti
in Avestan (Ijeshne-no ha 60) is given on pages 392-394 of the
Khordeh-Avesta-Ba-Maayeni (English) and the free translation reads as:
May there be long enduring predominance (or excellence) of this
Religion of Ahura revealed by Asho Zarathushtra be sustained in this
house! May there be eternal increase of cattle in this clan! May
righteousness and strength for performing righteous acts and the Law
of Ahura be always current and there may not be disturbance of any
kind in them! May the good heroic and beneficent Fravashis of the
righteous bring with them the means of holiness, as wide as the earth,
as extensive as river and as exalted as the Sun, come to this abode.
(As to why the Fravashis come to the abode of the righteous is stated
as follows.) 1) For the fulfillment of desires of the righteous, 2)
for withstanding the wicked and 3) for the greater increase of wealth
and fame! Further, it is wished that in this house may obedience smite
disobedience! May peace smite discord! May generosity smite avarice
for wealth! May reverence smite pride! May truth smite falsehood! So
that in this abode (house) through the Holy Sarosh Yazad the Bountiful
Immortals (Ameshaspands) desire eagerly good yasnas and invocations,
good gift and health-giving offering. May this clan protect itself for
a long time! May the glory, happiness, offspring and innate wisdom
never leave this house! May the long friendship of Ashishnavgh which
gives comfort and ease never leave this house! This is what the Doa
Tandarosti in Avestan states, according to Kangaji!
It is interesting to note that in Doa Tandarosti, protection and
blessings are sought from the Fravashis of the righteous people for
the house and for the village. The Fravashis are worshipped so they
may bring with them peace, prosperity, obedience, generosity
(charity), reverence, truthfulness, gift of progeny and innate wisdom.
Through Sarosh Yazad a long friendship with the Ameshaspands is wished
for and it is wished that Ashishvangh Yazad's blessings are also
received by the devotee. Reference to "long enduring predominance of
this Religion of Ahura revealed to Zarathushtra" is the only reference
given by Kangaji from Doa Tandarosti in Avestan because there is NO
mention of conversion made in Doa Tandarosti, or in any prayer that is
composed in the sacred Avestic manthra!
This is a warning to all our Parsi-Irani-Zarathushtis to please read
and prove for themselves if the translations given by any group who
promotes proselytism are correct or not. Today we have many so-called
self-proclaimed scholars who give their personal opinions as factual
and correct. In the absence of real learned exposition of our Religion
and the Sacred Avesta, the community members are at risk to be misled
and get swayed by wrong interpretations and faulty translations.
According to Kangaji, the words "shad bad" in the Pazand Doa
Tandarosti (quoted by the ARZ) merely read as "be pleased". These
words do not suggest "conversion". The translation of "hame andar
kasara Zarathushti din shad bad" does not indicate conversion at all.
It means, "May the Religion of Zarathushtra be pleased amongst all
men" or as stated in the Avestan Doa Tandarosti, these words should
read as, "May there be long enduring predominance (or excellence) of
this Religion of Ahura revealed by Zarathushtra"! May it be so! Atha
jamyat yatha afrinami!
Pervin J. Mistry
(end)
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