Khordeh Avesta

Book excerpt: The oldest Zoroastrian religious scripture, handed down from ancient times, is the Avesta. One section of the holy book is known as the "Khordeh Avesta" or "Smaller (i.e. Selected) Avesta." This is the book of daily prayers of the Zoroastrians, including the most sacred prayers or manthras, as well as graces said over meals and other occasions, blessings, and hymns to spiritual beings. It is a cherished possession of every devout Zoroastrian household. Zoroastrians recite their prayers in a sacred language known as Avestan. The celebrated Avesta scholar and priest (Ervad) Kavasji Edulji Kanga prepared an edition of this prayer book in 1880 A.D., with Gujarati translation. An English edition was first printed in 1993, which has become very scarce. Due to the popularity of Kanga's editions, and the accuracy of its pronunciation, this new printed edition was prepared, correcting the frequent printer's errors found in the 1993 edition.