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

168 ATSTORY OF THE PARSIS. [CHAP. Iv.

3. The Visparad is, as its name implies, an invocation to (Vispa ratus) all lords, z.e. to the chiefs of spiritual and terrestrial creation. It is written in the ordinary Avesta language, and is made up of twentytwo ‘‘kardas” or sections. It also, like the Yasna, forms a part of the Mazdayasnan liturgy. Unlike the Yasna, it is never recited alone. Interspersed in the various chapters of the Yasna, it is recited on the occasions of the six Gahambars, that is, the six periods commemorating, according to the opinions of some authorities, the six season festivals of the year, and according to others, the creation of heaven, the waters, the earth, the trees, the animals, and man in their order. Interspersed with the Yasna and the Vendidad it is recited after twelve at midnight. In the words of Dr. Spiegel, the contents of the Visparad “are almost exclusively an invitation to Ahura Mazda, the good genii, and other lords of purity to be present at the ceremonies about to be performed. This liturgy bears noresemblance whatever to the Jewish or Christian liturgies, because it was to be recited for the most part by the priests alone, during the performance of certain religious ceremonies, and the presence of the laity was neither required nor expected.”

Now we will speak of the Khordeh-Avesta, or, as its meaning implies, the small Avesta. It contains all the remaining portions of the Zend-Avesta. It