Sacred Texts
The Avesta
- Also called the 'Zend Avesta', it is the Zoroastrian holy book
- Consists of 5 books called the "Gathas" containing 17 chapters of hymns from the first prophet, Zoroaster's teachings
- Has 5 main divisions (The Yasna, The Khorda Avesta, The Visperad, The Yashts, and The Vendidad)
- Most of its information is lost today, except the portion which talks about sacrificial rituals and prayers
The Yasna
|
The Khordeh Avesta
|
The Visperad
- Considered as a book of supplementary prayers
- Contains 24 chapters
- Recited during a ceremony called the 'Visperad' as part of the Yasna ceremony, celebrated in the duration of six festivals which take place in the six seasons of the year, called the 'Gahambar' festivals
The Vendidad
- This division is the book of laws concerning codes of conduct in contracts, crimes, cleansing of ritual objects, dealing with dead bodies, the punishment and atonement of sins, burning of dead matter, the cutting of hair and nails, menstruation, the killing of animals, funerals, improper sexual conduct, and more
The Yashts
The Sirozas
- Specifically means 'thirty days'
- Contains invocations (a form of prayer invoking God's presence) dedicated to each of the 30 divinities
- This division is grouped in two chapters with 30 chapters each
- The sirozas are read individually to a specific divinity each day in a particular month, as part of a religious ceremony
The Niyeshas
- Contains litanies (a series of petitions for use in religious services, usually recited by the clergy and repeated by the people) targeted to certain beings such as the sun, Mithra (a Zoroastrian angelic divinity), the moon, water, four directions, and water
The Fragments
- This division holds all the incomplete texts that are not included in the Avesta
- There are about 18 or 20 fragments present
- All fragments either don't have a certain name or any name at all
- Those books mostly deal with codes of conduct, religious worship, conversions between Zoroaster and God, and Zoroaster and King Vishtaspa (A King who helped spread and defend the religion)
Zoroaster and King Vishaspa
http://www.hinduwebsite.com/zoroastrianism/literature.asp
-Nadia
-Nadia