View source for Ilm-e-Khshnoom

{{Short description|Mystical Zoroastrian school of thought}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
'''Ilm-e-Khshnoom'''{{Pronunciation-needed}}<!-- as IPA --> ('science of ecstasy', or 'science of bliss') is a school of [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] thought, practiced by a very small minority of the [[Zoroastrianism in India|Indian Zoroastrians]] ([[Parsi people|Parsis]]/[[Irani (India)|Iranis]]), based on a mystic and esoteric, rather than literal, interpretation of religious texts.

==Principal belief==
At the core of the philosophy is the belief that faith facilitates a connection to a consciousness that transcends normal experience or critical analysis, and that the prayers of the [[Avesta]], which are to a degree [[Metre_(music)|metrical]], are a means to achieve that consciousness.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}} In contrast with mainstream Zoroastrianism, the beliefs in [[reincarnation]], vegetarianism, spiritual vibrations, and the like are unique to the movement and are heavily influenced by [[Theosophy]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}

==The ''Saheb-e-Dilan''==
In 1875, an eighteen-year-old Parsi named Behramshah Nowroji Shroff left [[Surat]] ([[Gujarat]], [[India]]) for [[Peshawar]] (now in [[Pakistan]]) in search of employment. According to followers of the mystic philosophy, on Shroff's way there, he met a caravan led by members of the ''Saheb-e-Dilan'' ("Masters of the Heart"), who persuaded him to accompany them to their home in the mountains. The ''Saheb-e-Dilan'', according to Shroff, were a group of about 2000 individuals led by 72 Mahgav ([[Magi]]) priests, called the ''Abed Saheb-e-Dilan'', who lived in isolation in the recesses of [[Caucasus Mountains]] (alternatively, in the [[Alborz]] range, around [[Mount Damavand]]). Having accompanied the caravan, say his followers, Behramshah Shroff lived with the ''Saheb-e-Dilan'' for three years, and so obtained an intimate knowledge of their religious practices and traditions which followed a mystic aspect of the teachings of [[Zoroaster|Zarathushtra (Zoroaster)]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}

Upon his return to [[India]], Shroff gathered a following from among the [[Parsi people|Parsi]] community, who in due course began calling themselves 'Khshnoomists' after 'Khshnoom', or spiritual ecstasy, that they believed were embodied in their prayers and ceremonies.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}

==20th Century development==
Around 1909, Behramshah Nowroji Shroff met the Parsi priest and Zoroastrian scholar Phiroze Masani, who, influenced by the [[Temperance movement in the United States|temperance movement of the United States]], had established ''The Parsi Vegetarian & Temperance Society'' in [[Bombay]] two years earlier.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}} The philosophy of the ''Ilm-e-Kshnoom'' had a deep influence on Masani, who in turn began publishing Shroff's teachings in ''Frashogard'' ('renewal'), the society's Gujarati quarterly.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}

In 1917, the society, together with its sister organization, the ''Zoroastrian Radih Society'', bought a large tract of land in Bombay with the intention of establishing a [[Fire temple]] and a Zoroastrian residential complex there. The foundations were laid in 1923 by Behramshah Shroff
himself, but it was not until 2001 that the Fire-Temple, now known as the "Behramshah Nowroji Shroff Daremeher", could be consecrated. The residential complex, now known as "Behram Baug", grew up around it.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}

Behramshah Nowroji Shroff died in 1927.

==Publications==
Phiroze Masani continued to publish the ''Frashogard'' until his death in 1943. In 1947, Jehangir Chiniwalla, the younger brother of Framroze Chiniwalla, one of the more prolific authors of articles in the ''Frashogard'', began publishing the weekly newspaper "Parsi Avaz".{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}

The ''Parsi Avaz'', which remained in print for 27 years, was followed by the ''Dini Avaz'' in Bombay in 1976, and the "Mazdayasni Connection" in the United States in 1983. The ''Parsi Pukar'', founded in [[Bombay]] in 1995, is today the primary publication of followers of the ''Ilm-e-Kshnoom''.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}

==Further reading==
* [https://www.wisdomlib.org/zoroastrianism/book/a-manual-of-khshnoom/index.html "A Manual of Khshnoom" – Readable HTML format with various research functions]
* [http://www.frashogard.com/ frashogard.com: The Journal of Ilm-e-Khshnoom] <!-- todo: check if this page is frequently updated. April 2006 shows 1511 page hits -->
* [http://www.zarathushtra.org/E-books/AManualofKshnoom.pdf A Manual of Khshnoom] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305155122/http://www.zarathushtra.org/E-books/AManualofKshnoom.pdf |date=5 March 2012 }} or [https://www.holybooks.com/wp-content/uploads/A-MANUAL-OF-KHSHNOOM.pdf here]

[[Category:Zoroastrian philosophy]]
[[Category:Zoroastrian mysticism]]
[[Category:Neo-Zoroastrianism]]
[[Category:Zoroastrianism sects]]