A History of Agriculture in India v1.c24.8

v1.c24.8

The Zend Avesta, the religious book of the Parsis, reflects beliefs dating back to the era of the Indo-Iranian community. Zoroastrianism was characterized by a cult of fire. Zarathushtra, the prophet of Zoroastrianism, condemned the old practice of making large-scale sacrifices and drinking haoma (Persian) or soma (Sanskrit). He directed his prophecies against the old caste of priests who adhered to these rites. These customs were apparently widespread among a certain section of Indo-Iranians in ancient times.