Parsis welcome sacred albino bull to Atash Behram
An albino bull named Varasyaji has been brought to a fire temple in Mumbai to serve in Zoroastrian rituals due to its all-white appearance. The bull's urine is considered sacred and is used in various religious ceremonies.
Mumbai: On Sunday, members of the Parsi community reverentially greeted an animal and lovingly led it into the Dadiseth Atash Behram in Fanaswadi, Kalbadevi. Known as Varasyaji, the albino bull occupies a sacred space in the community and fits all the prerequisites for this coveted position in the Atash Behram (highest grade) fire temple in South Mumbai.
Bearing the regal Persian name Pourasapa, the albino bull was brought all the way from a farm in Karjat. A cowshed and a pen in the Atash Behram premises are exclusively earmarked for him, and no other animal or person is allowed here. There is also a caretaker to maintain a proper medical record of the bull.
Behram Ardeshir, trustee of the Dadiseth Charity Trust, said that Atash Behram’s old albino bull lived for 23 years. “We got this new albino calf from a farm in Karjat,” he said. “There is a gentleman there who rears cattle. He came to know about our Varasyaji passing away two months ago and donated the bull to us. He also named him.”
Ardeshir said the bull had to be all-white, including his tail, hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. “Previous bulls which came to us had some brown hair amid the white and had to be rejected,” he said. “The waiting period of 15 months is crucial, as the calf may look like an albino when it is born but its colour could change in a few months. We waited a year and a half for the new Varasyaji.”
The Varasyaji is a vital part of Zoroastrian rituals and certain religious activities. “The Varasyaji’s urine is consecrated through certain ceremonies called nirangdin,” said Ardeshir. “Before consecration it is called ‘taro’ and is later consecrated with certain prayers by professional priests in the community. It involves a long and expensive ceremony.”
The matravaani (prayer) is reportedly so powerful that it has the ability to purify the urine and make it bacteria-free. “This sacred nirangdin stays pure for years together,” said Ardeshir. “It is used for wedding rituals, Navjote ceremonies and for new mothers after 40 days of delivery. Even ordained priests go through a purification process with this consecrated urine.”
Khojeste Mistree, a respected religious scholar in the community, told HT that some consecrated urine was sent to England in 1968 and analysed by a Dr Saunders in a petri dish. “He wrote a report, saying that he could not explain how the urine was bacteria-free and purified without adding chemicals,” he said. “The report was also published in a newspaper in India.”
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