Vendidad 18th Paragad first para says that the one who wears Padan in wrong manner has sinned. It means that there cannot be a Mobed without Padan, just as a warrior soldier has a matted net shield covering his face which acts like a Padan due to which that warrior is able to fight in battlefield. Similarly an Athravan with the help of his Padan is able to keep his passions in check and simultaneously does not get influenced by the bad thoughts of a person near him.
The Kayani and Sassanian emperors during their reign and in their court, could not be approached without wearing a Padan, because a visitor in the court can be evil or pious. Hence it was mandatory for all present in the court to wear Padan. The Shah himself also wore a Padan, simply because the Shah possessed Farreh Yazadi Khoreh within him and had to give unbiased judgment which cannot be negatively influenced by the assorted mixture of good or bad breath forces "Nafs" of Courtesans present in the court. With the help of Padan the Shah used to always remain within their circuit of goodness unaffected from the pollution of outer world.
In Avesta Padan is called as "Paitidan" which literally means a protection in front of “Mohini” or temptation. In Vendidad Paragad 14, para 8th says that those who has killed a seadog or Otter called as "Udra" has sinned and is punishable. The punishment reserved for such sinners is to donate certain Alats to Athornan, and Padan is an Alaat to be gifted by this sinner to an Athornan. Hence as per Vendidad Padan is an Alaat which is a weapon reserved for fight against Ahriman and which will take us nearer to AhuraMazda. Alaat is a Pazend word for weapon and the matching word in Avesta is "Zaothra". Zaothra is a medium with whose help we can go nearer to Dadar.
Hence Alaat is so very essential in our deen, and Mobed's existance is not possible without a Padan. A devotee whilst praying invokes "Asere Roshni" currents in his surrounding atmosphere known as "Aipi", where he is praying. A devotee whilst praying continues to breathe. The life sustaining force present in breathe is called as "Ushtaan" and is Yazatic under currents. Our Breathe also composes of passions and flows freely with it.
Hence a devotee whilst praying is supposed to stop passion flowing breathe force and strengthen Ushtan force in one's breathe. The alaat of Padan helps us in achieving that goal, and does not pollute the kriya that is recited through our breathe force.
Translation by Firdosh K. Sukhia
Beautiful article. thank you.
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