Avesta is the highly revered text of
Parsis, the followers of
Zoroastrianism. It contains the religious writings written in Old Iranian language and a younger language called Pahlavi. The scriptures represent the work of numerous religious scholars over several centuries. The contents were originally passed down the generations orally. They were later converted into written form.
The Avesta is also referred by the term Zend Avesta. The meaning of the word ‘avesta’ is believed to be ‘law’, while ‘zend’ means ‘commentary’ or ‘translation’. The oldest portion of the Avesta is believed to have been written by Prophet Zoroaster. Gathas, the prayer songs of the Parsis, belong to this portion. The later additions to the holy text contain a comprehensive approach to the Zoroastrian thought and the rituals and rites pertaining to the religion.
Today, Avesta exists only in partial form. Most part of the collection has been lost during the centuries owing to invasions and natural disasters.
