Avesta
Also called: Zend Avesta · Topic: India, a Home to Many: Diasporas and Refuge · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 5 "India, a Home to Many"
Meaning
The Avesta is the holy book of Zoroastrianism, the faith of the Parsis. It is written in Avestan, an old language that is closely related to Vedic Sanskrit. The two languages share word roots and grammar. Both traditions believe in a cosmic order, meaning a right order of the universe, and both give great importance to fire worship. This shared background is a common exam topic.
Example
Many words are cognates, meaning words that share the same origin: soma = haoma (the divine drink), hotar = haotar (priest), yajna = yasna (sacrifice). Some meanings are reversed. In the Vedas, devas are good gods, but in the Avesta, daevas are evil beings. Ahura is the chief god in the Avesta, while in later Indian texts asuras are harmful demons.
Don't confuse with
- Vedas: these are the sacred texts of the Vedic Indians in Sanskrit. They are related to the Avesta but are separate texts.