zoroastrianism ancient and modern - Hindu Temple of Greater ...

148 RECIPROCAL BLESSINGS EFFECTED BY CEREMONIALS.
kindred shall not forget them. They seek their praise and prayer, sacrifice and
invocation. They come down flying from their heavenly abode to the earth on the
last ten days of the Zoroastrian calendar, which are specially consecrated to them
and interest themselves in the welfare of the living.” -
as quoted from the Fravardin Yasht §§ 49, 50.
There are many points in this passage worth noticing. In the first
place the Fravashis or Farohars of the departed souls yearn for rituals. Now
whether the souls and the Farohars are mutally related or not, the writer
does mean to say that the rituals are desired by the departed ones. Hence to
say that the ceremonials performed after the third day do no good to the
dead as on pp. 347 -348 will be quite inconsistent with saying that the
Farohars of the dead long for rituals.
Secondly, the Farohars of the dead are eager for establishing a
communication with their relations who are still living on the earth, and
the eagerness points out the law of reciprocal good i.e., good done to
the departed souls by the living relations by means of the ceremonials,
and the blessings showered upon the relations by the departed souls
who get the benefit of the rituals through the agency of their own
Farohars. This law of reciprocal blessings is corroborated by the
heading of the next paragraph on p 148 viz, " Fravashis bless if satiated,
but curse when offended." Thus we learn from the writer's own words
that the ceremonial benefit is longed for by the Farohars of the departed
souls from their relations on the earth who are blessed in return by very
happy thoughts by the souls from the unseen world. The Farohars
actually seek the ritual and invocation performed for them, and if they
do not get a response to their requirement from their living relations, the
former curse the latter with neglect of their grave and important duty
towards the departed ones. Hence it is a duty of all living ones to
perform ceremonials for their dear departed ones who are awaiting with
eagerness such a beneficent force of ritual.
Thirdly, the manner of coming of the Farohars flying to this earth
gives us an idea of the force emanating from the soul