Ilm-e-Khshnoom - Traditional Zoroastrianism: Tenets of the Religion

WHAT IS ILM-E-KHSHNOOM AND WHY?
QUESTIONS ON “KRIYAKAAM” ASKED BY ERVAD BAHERAMJI
UNWALLA AND ANSWERED BY BAHERAMSHAH SHROFF.
SOME FEATURES OF THE KRIYA OF NIRANGDIN
by N. Kharshedji
We are examining, on recorded evidence, how the late Baheramshah Shroff generated tremendous
impression on different kinds of people. They include: West-oriented scholars of oriental languages and the
Parsi Religion, Modeds, Astrologers, Doctors, Lawyers, Students of mysticism and occult knowledge like
theosophy, unbiased objective truth-seekers, those who were eminent in several worldly fields, and those who
had actually received personal spiritual guidance from him and were his disciples in the real Eastern sense
("Guru-Shishya"). We have gone through the testimonies of Khurshedji Suntoke, an eminent lawyer;
Jehangirji Vimadalal, a leading personality in the Parsi Public life; Manchershah Kekobad, a prominent
educationist and one of the first disciples of Baheramshahji; Sohrab Banaji of a highly philanthropic family and
a keen student of mystical science; Khurshedji Cama, the founder pioneer of west oriented studies of the
Parsi Religion; and Sohrab Bulsara and Khodabux Poonegar, outstanding scholars in that field.
In the July Issue of Parsi Pukar, we have switched over to the testimony of a practising Mobed, Ervad
Saheb Baheramji Jamshedji Unwalla of the holy city of Udwada. In "Baheramshah Shroff (Frashogard)
Memorial Volume (1930)," Ervad Saheb Unwalla expressed his amazement at the knowledge of
Baheramshah on "Kriyakaam" i.e. our rituals and ceremonies; and wrote about the questions he put to
Baheramshah and the enlightening answers he gave. One of the questions was about the hair of Varasiaji
tied on the "Varas-ring" which is used in our major Pav-Mahal ceremonies. Baheramshah's answer referred to
"Khaster", a certain kind of non-physical electricity and how its current continued to run in the Varas ring so
long as Varasiaji was alive.
The second question Ervad Saheb Baheramji Unwalla asked was this: How is it that the nirang i.e. the
urine of Varasiaji and other bulls which passes through the Nirangdin ceremony, remains fresh and
does not decompose or decay, for years together?
To enable my reader to appreciate the question and Baheramshah's answer, let me first say something
about the Nirangdin Ceremony.
This is a Kriya involving elaborate preparation and minute precision. The actual Kriya starts at midnight
and finishes at round-about 7-30 to 8-30 next morning. But before that, the two performing mobeds have "to
sit in Bareshnoom" - a kind of retreat for ten days and then perform certain Yazashney Ceremonies for six
days. Then only they are qualified to perform the final night ceremony.
Like all Kriya's Nirangdin has certain basic requirements viz. the Fire, certain equipments and things like
some kind of utensils, and certain "Manthra"s i.e. the holy scriptures to be chanted by the two performing
mobeds. Nirangdin is different from other major Kriya's in that it is performed on the urine of Varasiaji mixed
with the urine of others bullss. It is actually the Kriya to consecrate the urine, called "nirang". The nirang is
made to pass through the whole ceremony, and at the end the nirang, now sacred liquid with certain spiritual
power and energy, is stored for the use of the Parsis.
The sacred nirang is used in every Navjote Ceremony. The Parsi child is made to touch on his or her
tongue a minute quantity of the Nirang. This is done while "giving the Nahn" (as we call it) i.e. while giving a
bath to the child before the actual Kushti-tying ceremony. Similar Nahn is given before the marriage
ceremony to both the would-be spouses. (That is why marriage is a religious, sacrament.)
The Nirangdin ceremony is a fascinating performance. All our three major holy scriptures viz. Yazashney,
Visperad and Vendidad are recited in certain prescribed order. Yazashney has 72 "Ha"s, Visperad has 23
"Kardeh"s and Vendidad has 22 "Pargarad"s. (These are technical names for 'chapters.') While reciting the
'Manthra's from the Scriptures, certain prescribed 'Kriya's is to be done by the performing mobeds on the
utensils and things spread out before them.
The distinguishing feature of Nirangdin is the placement of two metallic vessels called 'kandhnu' at the
sacred place of the Kriya. (Its lower part is broad: the upper part is narrow. It is used by villagers to draw
water manually from a well.) Of the two, one is filled with nirang and other with water from the Agiary Well.
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