THE NAVJOTE CEREMONY

Today i shall share my knowledge about the zorastrian ceremony of NAVJOTE to u.
Long ago in ancient Iran, the voice of God SRAOSHA whispered into the ear of king JAMSHED..."Great kind, let every man, woman and child in your kingdom wear the sacred shirt SUDREH, and tie the sacred girdle KUSTI, over the sudreh and the kusti be the national badge of all Iranians"
So king Jamshed called his people and told them what Sraosha had whispered in his ear, and they gladly obeyed.
Several hundred years later, Zarathushtra, the messenger of God, was born in Iran. He taught the people about one God, AHURA MAZDA lord of life and wisdom.
Then ZARATHUSHTRA said:
"LET THE SUDREH AND THE KUSTI BE THE BADGE OF SERVICE TO AHURA MAZDA. LET THE PEOPLE CHOOSE TO SERVE AHURA MAZDA AND PUT ON THE SUDREH AND KUSTI FOR THE FIRST TIME AT THE NAVJOTE. LET THIS CEREMONY BE HELD BETWEEN THE AGES OF SEVEN AND FIFTEEN YEARS,AFTER THE PERSON HAS LEARN THE MEANING OF THE KUSTI PRAYERS AND CAN RECITE THEM BY HEART. LET THE NAVJOTE BE THE NEW BIRTH, AN ENTRY INTO A NEW LIFE LIVED FOR THE LOVE OF AHURA MAZDA. LET THE SUDREH AND THE KUSTI BE WORN NEXT TO THE SKIN ALL THROUGH LIFE, TO REMIND EVERYONE OF HIS PROMISE TO AHURA MAZDA TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND MAKE OTHERS HAPPY."
The navjote ceremony is as under:

The child is taken to the fire temple by his parents,relatives and all. There the priest MOBED,makes the child recite special prayers. Then the child is given a pomegranate leaf to chew and spit out. In ancient Iran the pomegranate was considered the fruit of wisdom. He is also made to sip the yellow-green juice of the HAOMA plant mixed wid a little water. Formerly in Iran, people believed this juice kept the person young and beautiful forever. Today we know the haoma plant as EPHEDRA, from which the medicine EPHEDRINE is made.
The mobed now gives the child a sacred bath called the NAHN. A day before the water is drawn from the well near the firetemple and blest. Just as clean water washes away all dirt from the body, the child must keep his heart pure and his mind full of good thoughts.

After the bath, the child is taken to the hall wher in the centre is the the AFARGHAN or the fire-censer about a foot high resting on a metal tray.
Then the mobedji recites prayers along wid the child while makin him wear the sudreh and makin him tie the kusti round his waist.

The sudreh is a kind of a vest sort of clothing made out of white muslin cloth. The word SUDREH means the pure and straight path to AHURA MAZDA. The ancient Iranians called it VOHUMANIK VASTRA, the clothing of AHURA MAZDA'S good and loving mind.
All parsis have to wear the sudreh and kusti all the time except during bath. It makes us feel as if the lords love is wrapped round our heart. The white cloth of sudreh stands for purity. Our sudreh is made of 9 seams which have their own significance:
1. THE GAREBAN IN FRONT IS A SQUARE INCH POCKET WHERE ONES GOOD DEEDS ARE STORED DURING ONES LIFETIME.
2. THE GIRDO IS A SEMICIRCULAR SEAM AT THE NAPE OF THE NECK WHICH SIGNIFIES THE LAW OF ASHA.
3&4. THE 2 SLEEVES SIGNIFY THE TWO PRIMAL FORCES OF SPENTA AND ANGHRE. THE RIGHT SIDE SIGNIFIES GOOD WHILE THE LEFT SIDE SIGNIFIES EVIL.
5&6. THE 2 SIDE SEAMS SIGNIFY THE 2 WORLDS THE MATERIAL(GETI) AND SPIRITUAL(MINOI).
7&8. THE TRIANGULAR TIRI ON THE LEFT FOR LADIES AND ON THE RIGHT FOR GENTS SIGNIFIES THE TRINITY OF HUMATA, HUKHTA AND HUVARASHTA...GOOD THOUGHTS, GOOD WORDS, GOOD DEEDS.
9. THE SINGLE VERTICAL TIRI ON THE RIGHT FOR LADIES AND ON LEFT FOR MEN SIGNIFIES THAT THERE IS ONE GOD-AHURA MAZDA.
THE FRONT OF THE SUDREH REPRESENTS OUR PAST
THE BACK OF THE SUDREH REPRESENTS OUR FUTURE.
THE DEVOTEE WEARING SUDREH REPRESENTS THE PRESENT.

The kusti means a waist-band. It is woven of seventy-two threads of the finest sheep's wool which represents humility and gentleness. 3 rounds represent MANASHNI, GAVASHNI, KUNASHNI.
THE 4 KNOTS REPRESENT:
1. THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD, AHURA MAZDA.
2. I AM A FOLLOWER OF HIS PROPHET, ASHO ZARATHUSTRA.
3. VIDAEVO, I AM FIGHTER AGAINST DEVAS, EVIL.
4. AHURA TAKAESHO I WILL DO WHAT IS PLEASING TO GOD.

The prayers that we recite during the kusti ceremony that we do everyday after having bath, has such great strength that if done with a true heart it protects us from all the evils. The kusti is like a protection wall built around us. The purpose of me explaining the sudreh kusti significance is that very few people these days wear it..if through this post i can inspire even one to wear it and follow gods true path of good thoughts, good words and good deeds then i shall consider myself blessed.

I am a true ZARTHOSTI, a follower of ZARATHUSHTRA, choosing the good and turning away from the bad. I know that AHURA MAZDA wants me to love and serve the DRIGHU, who are the poor and homeless, the sick and the sad.
By looking after them i build the KSHATHREM-CHA AHURAI the kingdom of AHURA in this world.