Research on esotericism and the Zoroastrians of India, also known as Parsis, can significantly further our understanding of modern Zoroastrian society. By analysing primary and secondary sources, I reflect on the engagement of Parsis with the Theosophical Society and the emergence of Ilme Kṣnum (‘Science of Bliss’) at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A scrutiny of the...
Abstract: ‘The Teachings of the Master-Hearts’ explores a compelling and often overlooked expression of modern Zoroastrianism: Ilme Kṣnum, or the ‘science of bliss’. Introduced by Behramshah Naoroji Shroff, who claimed initiation from reclusive Zoroastrian sages, the master-hearts (sāheb delān), in the mountains of Iran, this esoteric interpretation of the religion emerged from the entangled...