The Importance of Vendidad in the Zarathushti Religion by Ervad Behramshah Hormusji Bhard……………
 

A few years ago an event took place which very clearly demonstrated the power of the prayer of Vendidad and which I would like to present below. In the township of Deolali (State of Maharashtra, India) there was a Panthaky by the name of Ervad Peshotan P. Antia, B.A.. The township, a military camp, was under the command of an Englishman who arrived with his family and was in search of living quarters.

 

Eventually he found a bungalow which was however not for hire since the local residents believed that the house was haunted and frequented by evil spirits. In spite of this warning the Commander-in-Chief hired the bungalow. Every night after retiring to bed he would hear a lot of banging noises coming from the upper floors and the roof as if someone or a group of people were trashing the premises. However upon investigating this personally, with his gun at the ready, he would find that everything appeared to be undisturbed. This happened every night and ultimately ruined his sleep and that of his family members.

 

After due consultation with the locals he sought the help of the resident Christian priest, Hindu Brahmins/Sadhus, etc but to no avail. It was then suggested that he should seek the help of a Zarathushti priest in this matter. At the Deolali Agiary he met a mobed, Jamshed N. Sidhwa, who was also a Yozdathregar Mobed from Udvada who volunteered to pray the Vendidad at this persons bungalow. He arrived early in the evening and washed one room by himself and thereafter brought a small Afarganyu for Atash, Diva, Sukhad-Loban, etc from the Agiary and ordered that no one enter the room. He was fully aware of the power of Vendidad prayers from his own experience.

 

After thoroughly purifying himself, he arrived at the bungalow in the evening and entered the room prepared previously and which he had cordoned­ off from the rest of the bungalow by building a “pavi” with washed river sediment/sand. He started by lighting a diva and then started the Atash in the Afarganyu. This was followed by Kusti and Farazyat prayers, Atash Niyaesh and then the Vendidad prayer.

 

At this time the mobed, and the English gentleman sitting outside the room, heard the same “noises” from the roof as before. At one point when the mobed was praying with great religious force/determination there was a tremendously loud thunderclap whereupon all the lights in the bungalow and outside were extinguished but the diva burned on brightly unaffected. The mobed continued to pray in the light of the diva until just before dawn when he finished the Vendidad prayers.

 

This astonished the Englishman and simultaneously brought him great joy since after the last thunderclap all ” noises” ceased permanently.This true story is known to quite a few people who then congratulated that mobed with great enthusiasm and who is still alive today. The above mentioned example serves to enlighten us regarding the awesome power of the Vendidad prayer.>>[1]

 

 

Courtesy : Keki Pardiwalla