Maharashtra HSC Avesta-Pahlavi (MSBSHSE) study plan

Maharashtra HSC Avesta-Pahlavi (MSBSHSE) · Give each week a clear focus.

8 weeks · About 7 hours per week

Week 1

Avestan language: script, phonology and grammar & Translation, comprehension and applied language skills

Write out the full Avestan alphabet in the standard order, naming each letter and its numerical value, from memory.
Transliterate 30 short Avestan words from the script into Roman transcription, marking doubtful readings.
Pronounce and classify the Avestan vowels (short, long, nasalised, epenthetic) and give one example word for each.
Identify the main ligatures and variant letter forms used in liturgical manuscripts and explain when each occurs.
Read aloud a short Yasna opening formula, matching written form to sound.

A handwritten Avestan alphabet chart with transliteration and sound values, plus a 30-word transliteration exercise with corrections.

Week 2

Parse 25 Avestan nominal forms for case, number and gender, covering a-stems, ā-stems and i-stems.
Conjugate the present stem of 'to be' and one thematic verb in all persons and numbers.
Explain the sandhi and phonological changes that occur at word boundaries in Avestan compounds.
Translate five short Avestan phrases, justifying each case ending used.
Distinguish Old Avestan (Gathic) from Younger Avestan forms in a set of paired examples.

A one-page paradigm summary (nouns and verbs) plus a marked translation of five Avestan phrases with grammatical notes.

Week 3

Outline the structure of the Yasna, naming the main sections and their ritual position.
Identify the Gathas within the Yasna by chapter numbers and state the traditional attribution of each.
Summarise the content and scholarly debate on the Gatha Ahunavaiti in your own words.
Explain the role of the Yasna in the daily ritual and how the recited text maps onto ritual action.
Compare two translations of one Gathic stanza and account for the differences.

A structured summary of the Yasna with a Gatha chapter map and a two-translation comparison of one stanza.

Week 4

Write out the Pahlavi script in its standard book-Pahlavi form, distinguishing the common ligatures and heterograms.
Transliterate 25 Pahlavi words, marking heterograms and giving their Middle Persian reading.
Explain the phonology of Middle Persian, including the fate of Old Iranian consonant clusters and final vowels.
Parse 15 Pahlavi nominal and verbal forms, identifying the main endings and stem types.
Read a short Pahlavi passage aloud and transcribe it into a standard transliteration system.

A Pahlavi script and heterogram reference sheet plus a 25-word transliteration and reading exercise.

Week 5

Identify the main genres of Pahlavi literature that translate or comment on Avestan texts.
Explain how the Pahlavi Yasna and Pahlavi Videvdad comment on the Avestan original, with examples of glossing technique.
Translate a short Pahlavi commentary passage and compare it with the Avestan lemma it explains.
Describe the role of the Zand in preserving and interpreting scripture.
List the principal Pahlavi books and state what each contains in one sentence.

A translation of one short Pahlavi commentary passage with a side-by-side Avestan lemma and a glossary of ten terms.

Week 6

Explain the core Zoroastrian ethical framework and the meaning of good thoughts, good words and good deeds.
Describe the main rituals, including the Yasna, Vendidad and purification rites, and their purpose.
Outline the history of the Zoroastrian community in Iran from the Sasanian period to the present.
Trace the migration and settlement of the Parsi community in India and the main internal debates that shaped it.
Compare the religious institutions of the Iranian and Indian communities.

A comparative timeline of Iranian and Indian Zoroastrian history with a one-page note on ethics and ritual.

Week 7

Translate a selected Gathic stanza independently, annotating grammar and vocabulary.
Compare your translation with two published renderings and note where interpretation differs.
Translate a short Pahlavi text that comments on an Avestan passage and explain the commentary's logic.
Answer three comprehension questions on an unseen Avestan or Pahlavi passage under timed conditions.
Build a personal glossary of 50 high-frequency Avestan and Pahlavi terms.

A timed translation and comprehension set (one Avestan, one Pahlavi passage) with self-marking and a 50-term glossary.

Week 8

Synthesise the major themes of Zoroastrian scriptural interpretation across Avestan and Pahlavi sources.
Explain how scripture, ritual and community history interact in the Zoroastrian tradition.
Complete two full mock papers under exam conditions and mark them against the syllabus weighting.
Review all weak areas identified in mock marking and rewrite corrected answers.
Recite and explain the meaning of one short liturgical formula from memory.

Two completed mock papers with a correction log and a one-page synthesis of scriptural interpretation, ritual and history.

Week 2: Can read and transliterate a short Avestan passage without aids and parse its main nominal and verbal forms.

Week 4: Can transliterate a short Pahlavi passage, identify heterograms, and parse its basic grammatical forms.

Week 6: Can explain the main Zoroastrian rituals and ethics and outline the history of the Iranian and Indian communities.

Week 8: Scores at least 60% on both mock papers and has a written correction log covering all missed items.