Navjote is a very important Talismanic Ritual – Jehangirji Sohrabji Chiniwala
<< Second Tarikat is the performance of the Navjot ceremony in the morning only and not in the evening. The child born is a Mazdyasni and then by the Navjot ceremony it becomes a Zorastrian i.e. the child is enrolled as a soldier of Ahûrmazd with a vow to fight against Ghanâmîn in the interest of himself, his parents, relations, nation and the whole world.

The roll is kept in what is known as ‘Pavmahel’. Vidaevo-dat, the special weapon to check Ganamin from the Pavmahel citadel which is consecrated and talesmanic, wherein is situated the throne of Ahûrmazd, is the special feature of the Zarthosti Daen. Every Zorastrian is a soldier who fights evil from the garrison of this Pavmahel wherein he is enlisted as a soldier by the Navjot ceremony.

The authorized athravan priest in charge of the roll of enlistment enlists the child in the roll by the Navjot ceremony. The authorized athravan priest is himself an instrument out of the 33 instruments of Pavmahel to be used against Ganamin. The priest by virtue of undergoing the priest-making ceremonies of Navar and Maratab has attained his position as an athravan becoming a weapon against Ganamin. He is thus affiliated to the Pavmahel talismanic powers and authorized to keep the register of enlistment to enlist the child in the roll of Pavmahel to be a soldier of Ahûrmazd. Thus he is the proper person to perform Navjot ceremony of a child.

In order to preserve the power of being an instrument of Pavmahel against Ganamin the athravan has to keep his attachment intact with the talisman ofPavmahel. This is done by:

(1) the Barashnum  bath of nine days to be bathed once every six months and by

(2) performing Yazashane ceremony for the awakening of his Ruvan called Khup-e Ruvan every four days. Such an athornan is all attached to the talisman of Pavmahel and hence attached to the throne of Ahûrmazd, being thus a weapon himself against Ganamin.

By the Navjot ceremony, he, the athravan through his priestly powers and attachment with Pav-mahel connects the breath and Khoreh (electro magnetic wave round about the child) of the child with the talismanic powers of Pav-mahel, thus making the child affiliated with the Pavmahel and Vidaeo Dat instrument.

In the Navjot ceremony the child is dressed with Sudreh and Kusti both considered to be the instrument against Satan in virtue of their make and cut, denoting so say the signature of Ahûrmazd. It should be remembered that Pavmahel is not only the talismanic garrison but also the mansion of Ahûrmazd containing His throne where a divine court is held. This mansion of the divine court remains open only in the morning which is one of the reasons why the ceremony is to be performed in the morning.

The above-said authorized athravan through his authority of Barashnum and Khup presents the child before the throne of Ahûrmazd where the child takes the oath of allegiance to Hormazd by putting on Sudra and winding the Kusti round its waist reciting the prayer of homage named Hormaz Khodai. After he has worn the sudra sworn the oath of homage allegiance by wearing the Kusti on waist reciting Hormaz Khodai he is proclaimed as a soldier of Ahûrmazd and an adversary of Ganamin. For this proclamation the child is made to recite afterwards the prayer of Kemna Mazdâ which is a prayer indicating a challenge to Ganamin.

Thus it is that a child puts on Sudra Kusti by Navjot ceremony performed in the morning when the court of Ahûrmazd is open by an authorized athravan the master possessor of Barashnum and Khup. >>[1]

<< In order to explain what I mean I shall have to say a few words regarding the Navjote Ceremony which is the ceremony of initiation into the Holy Zorastrian faith. A Parsee is born with the faith of Zorastrian Religion and that faith is reasserted and ignited by the Ritual of Navjote.

Some of our Iranian Scholars are under the false impression that the Navjote Ceremony is only for the declaration of Zorastrian faith but it is not merely a declaration of faith. Navjote is a very important Talismanic ritual.

The Navjote Ceremony also consists of two parts. The first part is the purificatory ceremony of Nahan, and the second part is a very holy ritual, to connect the Ushtaan i.e. the life-breath of the initiate with the Pav Mahal i.e. an unseen living institution of Zorastrian Religion, for receiving the special blessings of Ahura Mazda, which descends in the form of a Zarthoshti Aura, on account of the association of the Pav Mahal.

This ceremony is performed by priests possessing “Bareshnoom” and “Khupe Ravan” i.e.spiritual power. The ceremony is called “Nav + Jote“ because the initiate becomes the “new associate” of the Pav Mahal”.

A Parsee Zorastrian priest possessing the power of “Bareshnoom”, is himself endowed with particular kinds of Ahuramazda, which descend on him in the shape of a Khoreh i.e. Aura known as “Akhretar Khoreh“.

This is again a very extensive subject and the literature of occultism relating thereto, is not extant. However, in the Jamyad Yasht, there are different kinds of Khorehs spoken of “Kavem Khareno” or “Kaiyan Khoreh”, ”Arepat Khoreh”, ”Akharetar Khoreh”. It is the import of Karda VIII-53 of “Jamyad Yasht” that the priest of the Zorastrian Religion possesses “Akharetar Khoreh” and other Zorastrians can get the benefit of that Aura from him. The priest by performing the Navjote ceremony blesses a Navjoteia i.e. the initiate with holy Manthra, so that the benefit of the “Akharetar Aura” of the priest, is acquired by the initiate and such Aura can only continue to be possessed by the initiate, so long as he or she retains implicit faith in all the commands of Zarthushtra. >> [2]

 

 

Reference:
[1] A Sequel To Essentials of Zoroastrianism (1951) Late Dr. Framroze Sorabji Chiniwala B.A., L.M.&S.page 5&6. Bold fonts and italics are not there in the original book.This book is online at Frashogard Blog. http://www.frashogard.com/

[2] Article written by Jehangirji Sohrabji Chiniwala. Bold fonts, italics added. This article is online. URL given below

http://tenets.zoroastrianism.com/diniawaz33a.pdf

 

Courtesy : K F Keravala