The Parsees practice also five kinds of "sacrifice," which term, however, is rather to be understood in the sense of a sacred action. These are, the slaughtering of animals for public or private solemnities; prayer; the Darinis sacrament, which, with its consecrated bread and wine in honor of the primeval founder of the law, Horn or Heomoh (the Sanscr. Soma), and Dahman, the personified blessing, bears a striking outward resem- blance to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper; the sac- rifice of Expiation, consisting either in flagellation or in gifts to the priest ; and, lastly, the sacrifice for the souls of the dead. The purification of physical and moral impurities is effected, in the first place, by cleans- ing with holy water (Nirang), earth, etc. ; next, by prayers (of w^hich sixteen, at least, are to be recited ev- ery day) and the recitation of the divine word; but other self-castigations, fasting, celibacy, etc., are consid- ered hateful to the Divinity. The ethical code may be summed up in the three words — purity of thought, of word, and of deed ; a religion " that is for all, and not for any particular nation," as the Zoroastrians say. It need hardly be added that superstitions of all kinds have, in the course of the tribulations of ages, and the intimacj- with neighboring countries, greatly defiled the original purity of this creed, and that its forms now
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vary very much among the different communities of the present time.
There are two sects of Parsees in India, the Sken- soys and the Kudiiiis, both of whom follow in all points the religion of Zoroaster, and differ merel}' as to the pre- cise date for the computation of the a;ra of Yezdegird, the last king of the ancient Persian monarchy. The only practical disadvantage which arises from this chro- nological dispute is that there is a month's difference between them in the time at which they observe their festivals. The Kudmis are few in number, but several of the most ^vealthy and influential of the Parsees be- long to this sect. About thirty years ago a keen dis- cussion, known among the Parsees by the name of the Kubisa controversy, was carried on in Bombay, and though argued with the greatest earnestness and acri- mony on both sides, the contested point in regard to the rera of Yezdegird has not yet been satisfactorily set- tled. The difference was tirst observed about two hun- dred years ago, when a learned Zoroastrian, named Ja- masp, came from Persia to Surat, and while engaged in instructing the Mobeds, or Parsee priests, discovered that there was a difference of one full month in the cal- culation of time between the Zoroastrians of India and those of Persia. It was not, however, till 1746 that any great importance was attached to this chronolog- ical difference. In that year the Kudmi sect was formed, its distinguishing tenet being an adherence to the chronological view imported by Jamasp from Per- sia, while the great mass of the Parsees in India still retained their former mode of calculation. At first sight this might appear a matter of too small iinportance to give rise to a theological dispute, but it must be borne in mind that when a Parsee pra3's, he must repeat the year, month, and day on which he offers his petition, and this circumstance lends to an observable difference between the prayer of a Kudmi and that of a Shensoy, and the same difference of course exists in the celebra- tion of the festivals which are common to both sects.
Something like a very serious schism has lately bro- ken out in the Parsee communities, and the modern terms of Conservative and Liberal, or, rather, bigot and infidel, are almost as freely used with them as in Eu- rope. The sum and substance of these innovations, stoutly advocated bj' one side and as stoutly resisted by the other, is the desire to stop early betrothal and mar- riage, to suppress the extravagance in funerals and wed- dings, to educate women, and to admit them into soci- ety, and especially to abolish the purification by the Nirang — a filthy substance in itself— as well as to reduce the large number of obligatory prayers. The task of the pious Parsee in prayer, is certainly no small one. He has to repeat his devotions sixteen times at least every day. First on getting out of bed, then during the Nirang operation, again when he takes his batli, again when he cleanses his teeth, and when he has fin- ished his morning ablutions. The same prayers are repeated whenever, during the day, a Parsee has to wash his hands. Every meal — and there are three — begins and ends with prayer, besides the grace, and before going to bed the work of the day is closed by prayer. Two counter alliances or societies^the '• (iuides of the Worshippers of (iod" and the "True Guides" re- spectively— are contending for the objects of their dif- ferent parties.
The literature of the Parsees will be found noted under Pkhsia and Zknd-Avksta. Besides the latter, which is written in ancient Zend, and its Gujarati translation and commentaries, there are to be men- tioned, as works essentially treating of religious mat- ters, the Zerdushl-X(ime/i, or Legeiulary History of Zoroaster; the iSddder, or Simmiarv of Parsee Doc- trines; the Ihdmtan, or School of JNIanners; the Dcmi- tir, Sacred Writings, etc. All these have been trans- lated into English and other European languages. The Guebres had lost all knowledge of the literature con- nected with their religion, and were altogether steeped