Plaudits, loud and sustained, for your forthright Editorial Viewpoint, "Fighting gender inequality,” (Parsiana, August 21, 2011) on the Goolrukh Gupta matter currently before the Gujarat High Court (GHC). It clearly exposes the state of wholesale denial among the four named arch-dhongis (pretenders) who trumpet themselves as guiding authorities on all cardinal points of the Zoroastrian religion. One would like to know whether the two unnamed high priests abstained from making any pronouncements on this particular issue, or were excluded from doing so by the rubber-stamping four and their minions.
The well-attested divergences and infighting among the unholy six bode ill for the socio-religious guidance of the priests and the laity in India and overseas. It must be widely publicized whether these priests generally have abandoned their religious calling for the low-grade politicking which seems more amenable to them — the divided communities everywhere have a right to know!
What should also be made known by the four-in-denial is whether they continue to pray the Gathas and the Yasna Haptanhaiti unchanged in the course of our Yasna ceremonies; likewise for their performance of the darkness-houred Vandidad. In each and every one of these liturgical texts there is full gender equality, without exception, qualification or contradiction whatsoever.
Therefore, do they understand what they are praying before the fire of truth, the very son of Ahura Mazda? In view of their particular denials, do they follow at all what they pray? Do they count themselves exempt from acceptance of the unvarying precepts on gender equality so openly presented by Zarathushtra and his early priestly successors? Do they neither know, nor care for truth? In accepting asodad (priestly honoraria) do they not proclaim religious truth before their trusting congregations? These are surely not expounders but exclusionists!
The most sacred declaration of gender equality is that made before Ahura Mazda by Zarathushtra himself. It is to be found in Ys. 46.10: "O Mazda Ahura, the man or woman who will grant me (Zarathushtra) those things that are the best for existence — truth for the truth and the governance of good mindedness ...with all these shall I cross the Chinvat Bridge!” Zarathushtra is the chinvant! In the Yasna Haptanhaiti are similarly clear equality passages: "(Ahura Mazda) has established the best salvation for every one of those living in the shelter of truth, in the community of truth, for both physical and spiritual existences” (Ys. 35.8).
Should some persist in disputing these reverential prayers, the same prose text (Ys. 39.2) has: "We revere the souls of truth-possessing men and women, wherever born, whose better religious views will prevail, presently prevail, or have prevailed.” This universal, gender equal unbiased prayer is repeated in the Fravardin Yasht — seven regions are invoked for the past, present, and future.
Falling back to the absurdly criticized matter of women priests, try this para (Ys. 41.2): "... May a good ruler — man or woman — govern us in both existences (the physical and the mental), O Mazda...” It is more explicit even than the Gathic verse Ys. 48.5: "May those of good rule govern us — not those evilly minded — with actions arising from good insight and right-mindedness.”
Your readers may be interested also to know that the current crop of arch-dhongis have deviously managed to fudge every issue strictly pertaining to our unique religion — from calendar to conversion, from dualism to dakhmenashini — using denial and procrastination tactics. They cannot have forgotten that until the last half of the 19th century all education was denied our womenfolk, and that it was their own priestly forbears who helped reverse that noxious trend? Perhaps they are sustained in their ongoing deceptions by the Ahmedabadi fruit-juicer and the Khergam khopris (madcaps) upset by our use of their "Talibanization?”
Should we now not demand to know just who gave the four-in-denial the authority to pervert the true Gathic teachings? If the GHC proceedings are to be supported by religious, and not fake "traditional” precepts, seeing that clerical "views” are being invoked, then the authorities there must be apprised of the devious dodging and diving that takes place under the aegis of dhongi priests manipulated by Khergam hijacking (mis)representatives and their WAPIZ (World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis) mob.
We are certainly unaware of any honest "traditions” whatever that somehow countenance deceit, prevarication and the perpetuation of long recognized errors. Certainly aware is the consensus view that, should this continued fakery be allowed through the disruptive hands of control freaks, then we must bid good-bye to dhongis with their pretend Zoroastrianism and break away.
Shame indeed on these truly renegade "Gathas lead astray” priests in our midst for denying the inalienable birthright of our outmarrieds to attend all religious institutions and ceremonials! Nobody can be deprived of his/her adherence to deeply held religious beliefs on frivolous grounds of out-marriage, perceived apostasy, or even their resultant racial change(!) — this last is a risible absurdity, and those promoting this childish garbage now assuredly must await committal in madhouses of their own making with the imminent arrival of white-coated orderlies. For right-thinking folk it just cannot be too soon!
FARROKH VAJIFDAR
London
f.vajifdar@btinternet.com