North American Zoroastrian Religious Tele – Class  –  Sunday September 23rd 2012 11 AM EDST  – Ervad Soli P. Dastur

 A Zoroastrian Religion Class was held by Telephone onSeptember 23rd 2012 by Jo Ann Dastur & Ervad Soli P. Dastur. Usually, this class is conducted from their home, Hira Villa, in Sarasota, Florida. The last Tele Class, at the kind invitation of our own Dinyar Mehta, Perzid Ichhaporia and other Orlando Z friends, the class was conducted from a conference room of Dinyar’s Wingate Hotel in Orlando.

This time, at the kind invitation of our friends in ZAF, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale/Boca Raton and surrounding areas, the Tele Class was broadcasted from a conference room in Quality Inn, Sawgrass Conference Center, 1711 N University Drive, Plantation, FL 33322.

There were about 25 ZAF friends in the conference room. Also, about 40+ people joined in by calling a Tele-meeting phone number. The people were from both Canada and USA, from NY to Dallas, Montreal to Miami. The class material was a PowerPoint Presentation sent ahead of time to all participants in PDF format.

This Tele Class covered the details of the Parsi and Irani Wedding Ceremonies. Ervad Dastur pointed out in the first slide that this whole month is auspicious in the sense that all our 3 Zoroastrian Calendars have same Roj (Day)! Reference books for Parsi and Irani weddings were covered. A new book on Persian Wedding by Bijan Moridani was found and acquired by Soli through Internet. The book covers very detailed descriptions of current customs and ceremonies of the Zoroastrian Irani weddings in Iran as well as those in the ancient times. He then pointed out that the oldest reference in our scriptures about weddings is given in his own poetic verses by none other than our own Asho Zarathushtra in his Vahishtoishti Gatha Yasna 53.3 – 7 at the auspicious occasion of the wedding of his youngest daughter Pouruchisti to Jamaspa Hvogava! He then covered details of Parsi wedding customs and ceremonies using Roshan Bharucha and late Mrs. Perin Hormusji’s Gujarati booklet translated by Mrs. Sharda Deshmukh on behalf of the FKS Foundation, available from the Parsiana Book Club.

The Customs and Ceremonies of the Irani Weddings were then discussed. He was greatly helped by respected Dasturji Mobed Mehraban Firouzgary of Tehran and his nephew Mobed Ramin Shahzadi and his wife Mobedyar Parva Namiranian. Dasturji has been helping Soli over a long period in many subjects related to our religious practices in current Iran. He gave a detailed description of the Irani wedding and Ramin and Parva sent photos and video clips of their wedding performed by Mobed Mehraban. I am deeply indebted to them for helping me in this Tele Class. Ashirwad Prayers of Parsi and Irani wedding ceremonies were described and their meaning in English were also covered.

Finally, as it is becoming our custom, the permanent question: “We do not understand what we are praying in our daily prayers” was answered by suggesting some alternatives. Before we all recited the prayer, Soli presented the first part of the Atash Nyayesh performed by our own Mobed Ervad Kobad Jamshed in his sonorous voice together with the pealing of the bell! The final prayer in English, from Dr. Dhalla’s book: Homage Unto Ahura Mazda: “Ashirvad sanctifies the union of two hearts”, was recited by all together ending with our signature Zoroastrian greeting of: “Hamaa Zor, Hamaa Asho Bade” (May we be united in righteousness) performed by all attending the Class, a cyber Hamaa Zor all over North America!

May the Flame of Fellowship, Love, Charity and Tolerance burn ever eternal in our hearts so we can do HIS work with humility, diligence and eternal enthusiasm!

Essence of Various Ceremonies before a Parsi wedding

20120923 NA Tele Class Parsi Irani Weddings

20120610 NA Tele Class 10 Prayer Dhalla Homage Unto Ahura Mazda Ashirvad

Dhalla Homage Unto Ahura Mazda background

Ashirvad Pazand Masani English Transliteration and Translation

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In one of the 5 attachments, I presented to you all the Pazand Ashirwad Prayers with its line by line English translation, translated by me from Ervad Masani’s original Gujarati Pazand Ashirwad.

In the Buzorgaan Aafrin, I mistakenly translated the original Pazand word – Ambari – as Rosary.

This was pointed our to me after the class by two eagle eyed Tele Class supporters, Nancy Daruwala and Dolly Dastoor.

Here is what I presented to you all:

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Pazand by Ervad Masani Translation by me from his Gujarati translation

 

Hazār sāl zindgāni umar drāj bād.	May they all achieve thousand years of long lives!
Ez ān buyegān khush mast-ash kunad.	So that they keep their subordinates joyful and happy!
Pa khizashne va pāk sparm ambarivāzned khush-vinihā.	And after achieving an exalted position, like joyfully observed a pure Sweet Basil and rosary, may they be well known!
Nar asho frazand zāyād, ke airān dārād, nām barād, dushman zanād,	May there be righteous male children born to them who will keep Iran immortal, be well known, defeat enemies
Va dud afrozād va darud.	and enhance the family and peace!
Atha jamyāt, yatha āfrināmi.	May it be so as I pray!

 

 

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The Aafrin in Pazand is originally published by Ervad Masani with Gujarati word by word translation.

 

The sentence in question is:

 

Pa khizashne va pāk sparm ambari vāzned khush-vinihā.

 

And after achieving an exalted position, like joyfully observed a pure Sweet Basil and rosary, may they be well known!

 

 

What is the meaning of the word: Ambari

 

 

Ervad Masani translated it in Gujarati as: Kerbaa

 

 

Which I translated it as Rosary, the beads that our Mobeds used to carry to count Yatha and Ashem when they were praying

*** The word ambari in the original Pazand prayer was translated in Gujarati by Ervad Masani as Kerbaa. Many of the Parsis and Iranis use a string of beads made from Amber (also known as Kerbaa) to count Yathas and Ashems during their daily prayers. Amber is fossilized tree resin (not sap), which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty. Valued as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects. Since kerbaa is also made from tree resin, Ervad Masani may have translated amber as Kerbaa. Here we will use amber as the meaning of the Pazand word Ambari.

 

So, with thanks to Nancy and Dolly and Dasturji Peshotan Mirza and Dasturji Mehraban Firouzgary and Dr. Ervad Ramiyar Karanjia, who all helped me straighten out this word’s meaning, I have corrected my WORD file for this Para as follows:

 

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Hazār sāl zindgāni umar drāj bād.	May they all achieve thousand years of long lives!
Ez ān buyegān khush mast-ash  kunad.	So that they keep their subordinates joyful and happy!
Pa khizashne va pāk sparm ambarivāzned khush-vinihā.	And after achieving an exalted position, like joyfully observed a pure Sweet Basil and amber***, may they be well known!*** The word ambari in the original Pazand prayer was translated in Gujarati by Ervad Masani as Kerbaa. Many of the Parsis and Iranis use a string of beads made from Amber (also known as Kerbaa) to count Yathas and Ashems during their daily prayers.Amber is fossilized tree resin (not sap), which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty. Valued as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects. Since kerbaa is also made from tree resin, Ervad Masani may have translated amber as Kerbaa. Here we will use amber as the meaning of the Pazand word Ambari.
Nar asho frazand zāyād, ke airān dārād, nām barād, dushman zanād,	May there be righteous male children born to them who will keep Iran immortal, be well known, defeat enemies
Va dud afrozād va darud.	and enhance the family and peace!
Atha jamyāt, yatha āfrināmi.	May it be so as I pray!

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I have highlighted the updated sentences in RED.

I have attached the updated WORD file for the same to this email.

I apologize for any misunderstanding and confusion I may have caused for this.

Love and Tandoorasti, Soli

Ashirvad Pazand Masani English Transliteration and Translation