History of the Parsis : including their manners, customs, religion and present position : with coloured and other illustrations : in two volumes

160 HISTORY OF THE PARSIS. (CHAP. III.

two chapters. It enforced upon the mind of its readers the advantages of saying prayers and practising virtue.

2. Varshtamansar (literally, excellent law), twentytwo chapters. It treated of piety and faith in the Zoroastrian religion.

3. Bako or Bag (God), twenty-one chapters (twenty according to the Ravayet). It treated of the advantages of prayers, piety, religion, laws, and virtue, and of those of shutting against oneself the road to hell and Satan, but opening that to the world of eternity and heaven.

4, Damdad (creation) or Dvazdeh Hamast, thirtytwo chapters. From the description of its contents, as given in the Ravayet of Burzo Kamdin, it appears that it treated of metaphysical questions and scientific subjects. On one hand it treated of resurrection, future existence, the return to be met with in the next world for good or bad actions committed in this, and other questions of a like nature. On the other it dealt with an explanation of physical objects like earth, water, fire, sky, trees, quadrupeds, ete.

5. Nadar or Akhtar (star), thirty-five chapters. It treated of the stars, planets, and the different constellations, and of the influence which they exerted upon the destinies of mankind. In short, it discussed astronomical and astrological subjects. The Ravayet