He or she is then asked to sip a consecrated liquid. Traditionally this has been nirang, bull’s urine that has been ritually prepared, although pomegranate juice is often used today. The drink ritually cleanses the body and soul within. Then the initiate recites a series of prayers, including the Ashem Vohu, the “Principle of Righteousness,” in a prescribed order. He or she then goes for a ritual bath, or nahan. These actions symbolize inner and outer purification.
After the nahan the initiate returns to the room where the ceremony will be held, dressed entirely in white and wearing the white cap that Zoroastrians always wear during prayer. The offi ciating priest recites the Patet, or “repentance,” prayer, which represents a turning away from sin. After that the initiate and the priest stand facing each other, holding the sudreh together. Together they recite the Din No Kalmo, or “Declaration of Faith.” Next the priest puts the sudreh on the initiate. In taking the sudreh the initiate symbolically accepts the responsibility of working for good and helping to bring about the final renovation of the world.
The priest then stands behind the initiate and ties on the kusti according to prescribed ritual, while the two pray aloud together. The kusti is circled around the initiate’s waist three times and knotted four times. The three circles around the waist represent Good Thoughts, Good Words, and Good Deeds. The exact symbolic meaning of the knots is not known, but one explanation is that the first represents one God, the second that Zoroastrianism is the word of God, the third that Zarathustra is the Prophet of God, and the fourth is a reminder that the wearer is bound to the religion forever. Zoroastrians are to wear the kusti at all times, tying and untying it and reciting the basic prayers and according to tradition on getting up, after using the bathroom, before daily prayers, after a bath, and before meals.
Monasticism, Spirituality and Sense of Peace in Christianity
