The ''kushti'' () also known as kosti, kusti and kustig is the sacred girdle worn by invested Zoroastrians around their waists. Along with the
sedreh
Sedreh (also called sudreh, sudre or sudra) is the Avestan term for the undergarment worn by Zoroastrians, which is worn alongside the Kushti.
The Sudreh contains a small pocket in the front, which doesn't open, which is supposed to collect one' ...
, the kushti is part of the ritual dress of the Zoroastrians.
Origin
The
Avestan
Avestan (), or historically Zend, is an umbrella term for two Old Iranian languages: Old Avestan (spoken in the 2nd millennium BCE) and Younger Avestan (spoken in the 1st millennium BCE). They are known only from their conjoined use as the scrip ...
term for the sacred thread is ''aiwyaongana''. Kustig is the later Pahlavi term.
The use of the kushti may have existed among the prophet Zarathushtra's earliest followers due to their prior familiarity with practices of the proto- Indo-Iranian peoples, and its
Vedic
upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''.
The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...
analogue, the Yajñopavita. Zoroastrian scripture and texts make various references to the usage of the Kusti. The Avestan ''Yasna'' (10.21) claims that a holy sage by the name of Haoma Frmi introduced it. Contrarily, the ''Dādestān ī dēnīg'' (39.18–19) claims that it was first used by the legendary Pishdadian ruler Jamshed (''Yima xšaēta)'', centuries before Zarathustra was born. Later, Ferdowsi al-Tusi would repeat this story in the ''Shahnama'' . Other myths claim that Zarathushtra himself recommended the practise to those who listened to his sermons (''Rehbar-e Din-e Jarthushti'' ''5)''.
Description and symbolism
The kushti is worn wound three times around the waist. It is tied twice in a double knot in the front and back, the ends of the kushti hanging on the back. The kushti is made of 72 fine, white and woolen threads, which represent the 72 chapters of the ''
Avesta
The Avesta () is the primary collection of religious texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language.
The Avesta texts fall into several different categories, arranged either by dialect, or by usage. The principal text in the litu ...
''. The kushti also has 3 tassels, each with 24 threads, at each end. These 24 threads indicate the 24 chapters of the ''
Visperad
Visperad or Visprad is either a particular Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrian religious ceremony or the name given to a passage collection within the greater Avesta compendium of texts.
Overview
The Visperad ceremony "consists of the rituals of the Yasna ...
'', and the sum of all tassels, which is six, represents the six ''
gahambars The seasonal festivals, called gahambars (meaning "proper season"), occur six times a year. Due to the peculiarities of the ''Shahenshahi'' and ''Kadmi'' variants of the Zoroastrian calendar, in those variants the seasonal festivals are actually cel ...
'' (feasts).
Manufacture
In both Iran and India, the kushti is usually produced by women from priestly duties. It has a dual function of a religious duty but also a necessity to augment the modest income of Zoroastrian clergy. Occasionally kustis, were woven by priests (''mobads'') themselves, though this is now exceedingly uncommon. Since the 1920s, non-priestly (''behdin)'' Zoroastrian women in Yazd province in Iran, were trained in the procedure of weaving the kushti.
Navsari
Navsari is the ninth biggest city in the state of Gujarat in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Navsari District. Navsari is situated between Surat & Mumbai. Navsari is a twin city of Surat. It is located 37 km south of Sura ...
, a former stronghold of Zoroastrianism became very well known for supplying kushtis to other Zoroastrians in India as well as across the diaspora. Zoroastrian students at the Tata Girls’ School at Navsari are still instructed how to weave kushtis. Traditionally Parsi women would be taught the unique skill from their elders, Najamai M. Kotwal, the mother of High Priest (Vada Dastur) Firoze M. Kotwal notably taught Parsi women for almost thirty years.
When the kusti is about 30 cm long during the weaving process, it is taken off the loom and presented to the priest to be blessed and cut. The kusti is given back to the weavers once the ceremony is over so they can finish knitting the remaining portion.
Keeping with Zoroastrian philosophy exalting happiness, the process of weaving the kushti is a joyous activity during which the women sing songs, laugh and share stories, both religious and secular.
initiation
Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformation ...
is traditionally the first time Zoroastrians wear the kushti. Every man and woman who has been initiated into the faith must wear a kusti, according to Zoroastrian praxis. Each boy or girl dons a white undershirt (Pahl. ''šabīg'', Pers. ''šabi'', ''ṣudra'', ''ṣedra'', Guj. ''sudra'', ''sudre''), and ties a kustig over it, which symbolises both the transition to adulthood and acceptance of responsibility for religious deed thereafter. The failure to wear the cord and undershirt is then considered a ''tanāpuhl'' (sin), because it leaves the wearer exposed to evil. The ''Šāyest nē šāyest'' (4.10) and the ''Nērangestān'' (67.11) equate not wearing the kushti to “scrambling around naked”. Ākā Adhyāru in the third of his sixteen slogans, considers it to be a "coat of mail armour" and writing for Hindu audience he compares the act of tying the kusti to "ablution in the ">oly river
Ganges
The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
."
Daily rituals
The ritual of untying and tying the kushti is performed several times a day and is called ''nirang-i kushti''. During this ritual, the individual must remain standing in one spot, and may not speak to anyone. If the individual speaks, the ritual must be started again from the beginning.
Owing to its religious significance, the kushti must be worn every day of a Zoroastrian's life. The kushti must be ritually untied and retied with specific prayers following the ''pādyāb'' purificatory ablution. This ceremony, known as the ''pādyāb-kusti'', entails "making new the holy cord" (Pers. ''košti nav kardan'') or "tying the holy cord" (Guj. ''kustī bastan'').
The devotee should look to the east from dawn to midday and west until sunset, (toward the sun) whilst untying and tying the kushti. They can face an oil lamp, a fire, the moon, or stars at nighttime. When there is no source of light, they may face south, as it is believed to be the direction of Ahura Mazda's celestial home. Three sections make up the prayers that are recited during the ritual.
The ''Nīrang ī pādyāb'', or "rite for ceremonial ablutions," is the name of the first section. ''Kə̄m nā Mazdā'' prayer (which has its origins in ''Y''. 46.7, ''Y''. 44.16, ''Vd''. 8.21, that is recited before untying the knots. The second section is known as the ''Nīrang ī kustīg bastan/abzūdan'', or "rite for tying the holy cord," and it is recited as the kushti is retied. ''Ohrmazd Xwadāy'' opening Pazand prayer (up to ''pa patit hōm'')) is a synopsis of the ''Kə̄m nā Mazdā'' prayer that came before it. A brief Avestan stanza that praises
Ahura Mazda
Ahura Mazda (; ae, , translit=Ahura Mazdā; ), also known as Oromasdes, Ohrmazd, Ahuramazda, Hoormazd, Hormazd, Hormaz and Hurmuz, is the creator deity in Zoroastrianism. He is the first and most frequently invoked spirit in the ''Yasna''. ...
and scorns
Angra Mainyu
Angra Mainyu (; Avestan: 𐬀𐬢𐬭𐬀⸱𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎 ''Aŋra Mainiiu'') is the Avestan-language name of Zoroastrianism's hypostasis of the "destructive/evil spirit" and the main adversary in Zoroastrianism either of th ...
concludes this prayer, followed by a line taken from ''Y''. 50.11. This section is completed by reciting one ''Ašǝm vohū'' prayer, two ''Yaθā ahū vairiiō'' (''Ahuna vairiia'', ''Ahunwar''), and an additional ''Ašǝm vohū''. The third section, which starts with the declaration ''Jasa mē avaŋhe Mazdā'', is the Zoroastrian confession of faith (MPers. ''āstawānīh ī dēn''); it also is titled ''stāyišn dēnīh'' “the praise of religion” in Pahlavi. The first line of this prayer is taken from the ''Yt''. 1.27 and the remaining portion from ''Y''. 12.8-9. It is concluded with the repetition of one ''Ašǝm vohū''.
The padyab-kusht ceremony is required to restore the ritual effectiveness of the kusht before engaging in other religious activities like visiting a fire temple, as well as following sexual activity, urinating, and defecating. At the start of the other watches or divisions (MPers. and Pers. gh) of the day, it is untied and retied each morning. Most Parsis, especially those who reside in Western nations, continue to wear the kusht on a regular basis; Iranian Zoroastrians frequently wear it just during religious ceremonies to avoid being picked out for abuse by Muslims.
Funeral
The Kusti is carried in the hand at funerals to create a ''paywand'' or "ritual connection" between two people, such as corpse-bearers, who hold the kusti between them, while the Zoroastrian mourners, also in similar ''paywand'', follow them in procession.
Wider use
There is some evidence to suggest that such girdles were worn by non-Muslims in general, including Christians, as a symbol to mark them out from Muslims. An exception to this would be the Muslim
Mughal Emperor
The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled t ...
Akbar the Great
Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...
, who was invested with a kusti and sedreh by the Zoroastrian Parsi community of
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
.
The kushti (zonnar) is mentioned by
Omar Khayyam
Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Nīsābūrī (18 May 1048 – 4 December 1131), commonly known as Omar Khayyam ( fa, عمر خیّام), was a polymath, known for his contributions to mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, an ...
, thought to have been the son of a Zoroastrian convert.
See also
* Yagyopavit, the sacred thread of Vedic Hinduism
*
Izze-kloth The izze-kloth or medicine cord is a sacred cord worn by Apache medicine men that is believed to confer strength and special powers of healing to the wearer. The ''izze-kloth'' is usually made from strands of animal hide and its length is punctuated ...
, the sacred cord of the Apache Native American tribe
*
Zunnar
The Pact of Umar (also known as the Covenant of Umar, Treaty of Umar or Laws of Umar; ar, شروط عمر or or ), is a treaty between the Muslims and the non-Muslim inhabitants of either Syria, Mesopotamia, or Jerusalem that later gained a c ...