The Parsees of India by G. A. Burrus

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Michigan · Apr 22, 1902

The Parsees of India

By G. A. Burrus

G. A. BURRUS

The Parsees of India are descendants of the ancient Persians. When Mohammedanism overspread Persia, those who would not yield their faith fled to India, and for nearly a thousand years have formed in the midst of the Hindus a separate nation, peculiar in race, religion, and social life.

The religion of the Parsees is called Zoroastrianism, from their prophet Zoroaster, who is supposed to have lived about three thousand years ago. They believe that life is governed by two opposing principles, good and evil. All that is good comes from the former, and all that is bad from the latter. The history of the world is the history of the conflict of these two principles.

Their religion is essentially one of works. Their prophet says, 'Your good thoughts, good words, and good deeds alone will be your intercessors.' They believe in the immortality of the soul, and in heaven and hell. There is a bridge in the unseen world dividing heaven and hell. If a man's good actions outweigh his bad ones, he is allowed to pass over the bridge to heaven. If his evil actions outweigh his good ones, he is not allowed to pass over the bridge to heaven, but is hurled down into the abyss of hell.

The Parsees are often called fire worshipers, from their reverence for fire as the most perfect symbol of the divine glory. They are absolutely non-smokers, it being considered sacrilege by them to pollute the air, which is a manifestation of Deity, with tobacco smoke. To the Parsee, the four elements—earth, air, water, and fire—are sacred. For fear of polluting any of them by the touch of death, they neither burn nor bury their dead, but give them to the vultures.

The place where the corpse is exposed is called the tower of silence. It is a large, low, circular building of solid granite, with a sloping platform within, invisible from without, on which the dead body is laid. The moment the corpse bearers withdraw, hundreds of waiting vultures swoop down into the tower, and in a few minutes strip every particle of flesh off the corpse, reducing it to a bare skeleton. The skeleton is left two or three weeks exposed to the sun, when the bones are reverently gathered and placed in a well within the tower, where Parsees of high and low degree are left to turn into dust without distinction.

The Parsees are called the French of India. They are well educated in English, clever and successful business men, and by far the most progressive class among the peoples of India. The Parsee ladies, unlike the Hindus, are well educated, and free to go about just as they choose.

As yet, but very few Parsees have accepted Christianity. Mr. Wilder, in his 'Appeal for India,' writes: 'Their prosperity, their energy, and the prospect of advancement have made many of the younger men materialists. Workers among them should be well educated, and should have a strong personality to pierce the crust of indifference and worldliness. The ranks of Parseeism are unbroken, save in very few instances.'

As we were returning to India, three Parsee gentlemen were passengers with us on the boat from Marseilles to Bombay. One had been traveling in America for a number of months, and the others in Europe. During our two weeks' voyage, we became friends, and had many interesting talks together.

At first they seemed much opposed to Christianity, and did not wish to hear anything from the Bible. One day one of our company was talking with one of these gentlemen in regard to the Jewish people. The Parsee remarked that a very friendly feeling existed between the Parsees and the Jewish people on account of some kindness shown the Jews by their ancestors. They have a legend that many, many years ago, before their nation was broken up, one of their kings had married a Jewish maiden, and that in some way through her connection with the throne, she had been able to confer some great favor upon the Jewish people. He could not remember the legend exactly, but that was the substance of it. The sister said to him, 'We have an account of that in our Bible. Would you not like to read it?' He assented very eagerly, and did not rest until he had read the entire book of Esther. Then he wanted to know if there was anything else in the Bible about his people, and thus an opportunity was given to take up the book of Daniel with him. During the voyage he read the story of Daniel from beginning to end, and expressed himself as much pleased with it. What the result will be, we cannot tell, but I believe impressions were made on his mind that will never be effaced.

Another of these gentlemen was a doctor connected with one of the largest hospitals in Bombay. He had been traveling in Europe for a year and a half, visiting all the leading hospitals, seeking to increase his medical knowledge. This gentleman said that if we opened up mission work in Bombay, he would gladly co-operate with us in treating free any poor people we might find in our work, although he had frankly told us at the beginning of the voyage that he hated missionaries, and could see no reason whatever why they should go to India. These men expressed themselves as thoroughly in sympathy with our efforts to uplift humanity through the medical missionary work, and it is largely through this avenue that this class must be reached.