Animal Sacrifices

                     Are They Mentioned In The Pak Avesta?

The word ‘sacrifice’ means giving up or forsaking of a thing, a quality, and it could also mean the killing of an animal.

Our Mazdayasni Zarathushti Religion is fundamentally based on the purity of body, mind and soul. It emphasizes Universal Brotherhood (Ardafravash) and extends it to all the Kingdoms of Nature which include, most importantly, the animal kingdom, and the plants, minerals as well as the elements that are within us and without us such as the elements of fire, water, air and earth. Subsequently, great care and importance is given to the preservation of the sacred elements of Nature, namely, fire, water, air and earth. These elements are to be safeguarded from being polluted because their care and purity is responsible for the physical as well as the spiritual good health of mankind. All the kingdoms of Nature are interdependent and all must progress towards the Divine Event, called Frashogard, when all creations will be once again united with Ahura Mazda. For this reason, great emphasis is paid to the Universal Brotherhood of Ardafravash over which mankind is appointed as the custodian. Life on Earth is holistic and therefore we need the other kingdoms of Nature to sustain Life on Earth and in return, these kingdoms need us to look after their well-being. It follows that by not conserving the mineral, plant and the animal kingdom, we harm ourselves.

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Pervin J. Mistry

October 8, 1989

(This article was posted repeatedly on the networks. An edited version appeared in an issue of the Jam-e Weekly previously.)