Avesta

Avesta is the sacred scriptures of Zoroastrianism, written in the Avestan language. It is the primary liturgical and doctrinal corpus of the religion, preserved by Zoroastrian communities in Iran and among the Parsis of India.

The text is traditionally divided into two major parts: the Gathas, seventeen hymns believed to have been composed by the Prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra) in Old Avestan, and the Younger Avestan (the remaining texts), which are arranged in five linguistic groups: the Yasna, Visperad, Vendidad, Yashts, and Khorda Avesta. The Gathas articulate core theological and moral concepts, including devotion to Ahura Mazda and the dualistic struggle between truth and lie. The remaining texts provide liturgy, ritual instruction, laws on purity and conduct, mythological narratives, and hymns to divine beings known as Yazatas.

Scholars date the Gathas to the early first millennium BCE, with the rest of the corpus compiled and redacted over several centuries, reaching a more or less fixed canon by late antiquity or the early medieval period. The Avesta was transmitted orally before being written down in various scripts; later medieval transcriptions in Middle Persian (Pahlavi) glosses helped preserve the text.

Today the Avesta remains central to Zoroastrian worship and identity, especially among Parsis in India and Zoroastrians in Iran. It is studied by linguists, historians, and theologians for its linguistic features and its insight into ancient Iranian religion and society. The word Avesta can also refer to places sharing the name, such as the town of Avesta in Sweden.