KATHAM️
About 4️⃣ (average of claims from 2️⃣ to 6️⃣!) millennia after their traditional founding in Persiā (currently Irān 🇮🇷), just about a lakh followers of 🔥 Zāra-thu-strā survive today in the entire world 🌍. Not surprisingly, most of those survivors (~50%) live in an all-inclusive Bhārat 🇮🇳, for more than a millennium as Pārsīs & for a couple of centuries as Irānīs, having escaped centuries of religious persecution in their own source country. The beauty of Bhārat’s symbiotic relationship is that the Pārsīs have integrated themselves beautifully into our ancient salad 🥗 culture, which sincerely 👍 & wholeheartedly 💓 celebrates 🎉 diversity 🎊, rather than merely tolerate/let such refugees relish their traditions in 👄 lip-service secularism as an euphemism for minority vote-bank 🗳 appeasement.
This freedom that Bhārat so bountifully showers 🌧 on one & all has been best utilised with utmost gratitude by the enterprising Zoroastrian community to thrive both in business (3 of Bhārat’s 10 wealthiest 💰 citizens) & hold on... philanthropy too, as strongly recommended by Zāra-thu-strā. This despite only about 1️⃣ out of 5️⃣ lakh Indians being a Pārsi/Irāni, fast declining due to their ageing population preferring to remain single & childless, perhaps indicating their focus on creating wealth & jobs, thus serving society at large rather than nepotism. Even GoI schemes to counsel young Zoroastrian couples & medically enhance their fertility haven’t helped much & they’re quickly 💨 heading towards becoming legally classified as a tribe, rather than their current status as a community.
Talking of populations, the human body is precious both for Zoroastrians & native Indians alike. While the former ensure that even their dead 💀 bodies are utilised by being fed to vultures on towers, the latter ensure that the generous interest-free loan of material provided by Mother Nature = {🌏 ,💧, 🔥, 🌬, 🌌 } is returned entirely to her 5️⃣ elements in a way that her top soil is thoroughly replenished for her own fertility.
It’s only for the relatively short duration while we’re embodied that an evolutionary transition is possible. This transition is from Point A (coordinates of which are our current initial conditions) to Point B (coordinates of our immediately next moment, just an infinitesimal time step away). Point A is acting out our compulsive tendencies <samskārās> due to wrong identifications 🆔, predominantly with our own robotic 🤖 🧰 toolset of 5️⃣ sensors 👃👂👅🧏♂️ + 5️⃣ actuators 💪🦵👄** + 1️⃣ PID controller (manoh 💓 buddhi 🧠 ahankārā 🆔). Point B is being & living with a conscious discrimination <vivekā> of the real/permanent from the unreal/impermanent, thus experiencing everything & everybody as they’re & life itself as it is, without 🌶 seasoning it🧂with our feelings 💔/ 💝, thoughts 💭/💡 & emotions 😭/ 😆 , however intellectual & profound they may seem to ourselves & our sycophants/cronies!!!
As we’ve seen in many past posts in katham, Pradosham is most auspicious for our infinitely-patient & consciously-still state of 🧘♀️ meditativeness 🧘🏽♂️ <Nandi> to blissfully enjoy waiting for our own nothingness 🕳 <Shi-va>, with absolutely no anticipation whatsoever! Exceptionally, the proof of the pudding here is in the waiting, & not in the eating 🍽!!! Trust the waiter in any fine-dining restaurant worth its name to test your Nandi-ness!
On the other hand, the 1.5 hrs/day Rāhu Kālam is most auspicious for the associated brilliance <adhi-devatā> of the ascension of our mind <Rāhu>, namely the ♾ power <Shakti> of nothingness, in its manifestation as an impregnable fortress <Durgā>.
While Saturday/śani pradoshams are given a lot of prominence, the Sunday/ravi pradosham such as the one occurring this evening, is also extraordinary for a different yet unfortunately unexplored reason! The simultaneous occurrence of a pradosham & Rāhu Kālam, which can only happen on a rare soulful Sunday, creates a fertile temporal field for 👩🌾us👨🌾 to recognise that, within the dicotyledonous seed🥑 of our own spirit, is the union of nature <prakriti> & the primordial <purusha>; creation <brahmāndā> & the creator <Brahmā>; the universal <parama-atmā> & the individual <jiva-atmā>; the divine <bhagvan/kada-vul> & the devotee <bhaktā>; the 👧feminine <ida> & the 👦masculine <pingala> nature/channels within everyone of us, irrespective of our gender; the 👩 female & the 👨 male of all species; perception👀 & knowledge 🧠; thoughts 💭, words 🗣, actions 🎬 & memories of our past & current lives; the pregnant lady🤰🏻 & her foetus 👶🏻, as we explored in detail in an earlier post. So let’s utilize this ripening period to unravel hitherto unknown possibilities.
🕉 namah Pārvati pataye har har Mahādev! Shambho Shankara Umā Maheshwara Gowri-Priya Sadā-Shi-vā!
Srinivasan A.V
Thanks for the brilliant write-up about Pradosham and its significance. Let today’s rare Ravi Pradosh brings tons of blessings to the devotees for a healthy and long life. Let us pray that this unique event brings now the decline of COVID 19 across the globe.
Asha Raghavan
Lots of information. The contribution of the Parsis to the country is invaluable. I always look at Raahu kalam as inauspicious, will try to change my mindset. My salutations to Atalji( born on 25th dec) for his countribution to the country , specially transport.
Priya V Kumar
Blessed to hear about shani pradosh vrat and offerings to Lord Shiva. Sincerely worshiping of lord Shiva and seeking his blessings on shani pradosh one can get rid of the malefic effects of shani. It is believed that one can eliminate all their sins this day and also one can fulfil wishes and desires by fasting and praying to lord Shiva. Very interesting to learn about the history of Parsis and our tolerance.