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

What is Ilm-e-khshnoom and why?
THE LATE EMINENCE JAMSHED MEHTA OF
KARACHI ON BAHERAMSHAH SHROFF AND
ILM-E-KHSHNOOM.
THIS IS SURELY ZARTHOSHTI DIN….. AND MUCH
BETTER - SOHRAB BULSARA, AN ERUDITE SCHOLAR
In the last issue were enumerated 7 classes of witnesses who testified about Baheramshah Shroff and
Ilm-e-Khshnoom in the "Frashogard : Baheramshah Shroff Memorial Volume 1930." One class consisted of
erudite intellectuals, who looked at Baheramshah objectively and impartially, and were extremely impressed
by the miracle of his life and his amazing knowledge of the Zarthoshti Din and its spiritual Institutions.
One of them was Jamshed Mehta of Karachi.
Jamshed was an eminent personality of Karachi during the first decades of the 20th century. He was the
Chairman of the Karachi Municipal Corporation. Much of the beautification of the then city of Karachi was due
to his sincere exertions. He was a man of saintly disposition, keen intellect and practical wisdom, always
ready to help any person needing it. Inherently he was an ardent lover of spiritual and esoteric sciences with a
heartful of devotion.
Some where in 1918-19, a weekly named Kaiser-e-Hind persistently blasphemed Baheramshah Shroff
with false and malicious allegations. Jamshed Mehta had, at that time, not even seen Baheramshahji, but was
well conversant with Khshnoom, thanks to the Frashogard magazine and other Khshnoomic publications. He
then sent just one article to Kaiser-e-Hind weekly controverting the blasphemy and setting out what spiritual
benefits he had personally derived from Baheramshahji's teachings. The weekly was stunned to silence.
The following is the English translation of Jamshed Mehta's Gujerati article on page 9-100 of the memorial
volume. In 18 short paragraphs written in poetic prose Jamshed cries out his heart at the passing away of
Baheramshahji on 7-7-1927. The article has a simple and silent heading: "ake bhali shakti". It is difficult to
translate it. The word "Shakti" indicates spiritual power and energy and there is no appropriate one word in
English, which is the language more materialistic than spiritual. Just by the 3 words heading Jamshed
describes Baheramshahji as a power house of spiritual energy. He is not described as a normal human being.
He was an Ustad, a Guru, who had guided a number of people on the Zarathushtrian spiritual path, which he
would not have done had he not been an advanced soul himself and had he not been disciple of a far
advanced "Nar-Ashavan". Jamshed's article on Baheramshahji is a necklace of 18 pearls, glittering with
utmost sincerity and devotion towards the Ustad. There is no doubt that Jamshed had himself accepted
Baheramshahji as his Ustad.
Here is the article: (The numbers to paragraphs are given by Jamshed himself).
"(1) Respected Ustad Baheramshah entered this world without any pomp and ceremony, became known
in the same way and passed away in the same peace.
(2) Not any flower-necklaces, not any long newspaper stories, not any pompous show; only the silent
words of those in whose heart he resided.
(3) Ustad Baheramshah was the only person who revealed the Zarthoshti Dharma in its true light.
Only a few recognised the harbinger of that light; world will recognise later.
(4) Ustad was saying verily that the right guide on the Path was his Ustad and that he was only obediently
carrying out the commands of the true and perfect Guide, Sraoshavarez Marzbaanji. That was his mildness
and goodness. Zarthoshti Community has proved unfortunate in realising this.
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