Thus spake Zarathustra. We have all heard this saying before. The prophet founded one of the oldest religions in the world. The beliefs of "good thoughts, good words, good deeds" would be fine if it weren't for the rather unorthodox burial rites of the Parsees.
After an arduous crossing, the followers of the Prophet Zarathustra were glad to finally reach land. Immediately after they had set anchor on the West Indian coast, an ambassador came to greet them. He had a clay jug filled with milk with him. What at first seemed like a nice gesture soon turned out to be the exact opposite: the milk was to serve as sustenance for the onward journey. In other words: you are not welcome here.
The Indian caste system left no room for foreign religions. Legend has it that an elderly refugee used an example to illustrate the benefits for the Indian people. He stood in front of the embassies and put a spoonful of sugar in the milk jug. After stirring it, he asked the Indian envoy: "Can you see the sugar in the milk?" After shaking his head in confusion, the old man explained. The sugar dissolved in the milk and made it even better. This is exactly how Zoroastrians would live in Indian society. Inconspicuous, but an enrichment.
Three values form the core of faith.
The basis of the religion of the Zoroastrians, better known in India as Parsis, is anchored in the ancient scriptures. It can be reduced to three core beliefs: Good thoughts, good words and good deeds. Parsis should do one good deed every day. The 60,000 or so Indian Parsis take this very seriously and donate a lot to charities. The faithful are rather reserved and very trustworthy. This was already evident in the fact that every bank had a Parsi cashier during colonial times.
The main deity of the Parsees, Ahura Mazda, is considered the epitome of light and wisdom. The holy scripture Avesta states that believers must protect this earth together with him. Parsis see human existence as a perpetual conflict between good and evil. By doing a lot of good, they try to prevent evil from gaining the upper hand.
Zarathustra is the prophet of the religion that originated in Iran. To this day, however, scientists cannot agree on whether he ever existed. It could also just be a mythological figure on which this belief is based.
The former refugees have made themselves
The refugees who arrived in India more than a thousand years ago have a good place in Indian society. The Parsis are well educated and economically very successful: some of the largest companies in the country are under their leadership. Another example of a successful career is Freddy Mercury. The singer of the famous band Queen was a practicing Parsee.
To a certain extent, this success could be attributed to the trust between the Parsees and the Christian colonialists. They spent a lot of time together; after all, the English landlords could eat and celebrate together with the Parsees. In contrast to Muslims or Hindus. There are no restrictions in this respect in the holy scriptures of the religious community. This has certainly made it easier for them to reach the boardrooms of some British companies.
And the vultures?
If a member of the community dies, the body is taken to the "Towers of Silence". First, the deceased is laid on the ground during the ceremony. Slokas are then sung by the two or sometimes three priests present. These are sacred verses. They are intended to facilitate the transition across the Činvat bridge. This is where the souls are judged. They are divided up by a helper from the underworld and two dogs: Either they are dragged into the depths of the underworld by the dogs or they are rewarded for all their good deeds on earth.
At the end of the ritual, everyone withdraws and the corpse is left to the natural course of nature. It is important that the elements of creation (air, fire, earth and water) must not be contaminated. Burial in the ground or cremation are therefore not an option. The "work" is then done by vultures or other birds of prey. This is the last good deed of the Parsees. When the soul leaves the body, it serves as food for creatures that are often disregarded or rejected.
These sky burials have been banned in Iran since the 1970s for reasons of hygiene, but they are still practiced in countries such as India. While the deceased lie in concrete graves in Iran, in Mumbai the naked bodies of Parsis are placed on high towers, where they serve as a source of food for birds of prey. They are located in the Indian metropolis of millions right in the city, in the middle of the "Hanging Gardens" of Malarbar Hill. As the birds repeatedly lose body parts in flight, there are already heated discussions about the continued existence of these religious rites.
Source:
https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/vom-leben-und-verschwinden-der-parsen-also-starb-zarathustra-100.html
Fritz Wolff: Avesta. The sacred books of the Parsees. Strasbourg 1910, pp. 430-431,
Mahmoud Rashad: Iran. DuMont Reiseverlag, 1998, p. 32
Photo rights: Ingrid Müller
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