I will not let the evil spirit have dominion over me

Angra Mainyu has sown thistles and thorns in the field of life. Many a flower has a canker-worm at its heart. Let me weed them out. Every sweet has bitter gall mixed with it. All creation groans under heavy ills. Man stands surrounded by temptations. Vice and wickedness press hard all around.

Let me not be enmeshed in the widely woven net of evil that the Enemy of mankind has flung far and wide. Let not the veil of vice encircle my eyes and ears, that seeing, they may see not and hearing, they may hear not. Let me not deceive my own self. Let me not be a slave to my petty self. Let not my mind be bent on evil. Let no guile ever lurk in my eyes. Let not my lips utter falsehood. Let not my heart beat to wickedness.

Angra Mainyu is busy buying souls in the bazar. Woe unto me, if I am out to sell my soul to him. Let him not master me. Let me not belie my origin by going over to him and embracing him and becoming an ally of the forces of evil. Passionately goaded by the love for light, the moth wheels round the flame and flies into it. The lure of flame spells its doom. Let me not blindly fall in the fire of vicious self-indulgence and burn myself.

Human nature is not intrinsically evil. The creator has planted the seed of goodness in man. He is good by nature. It is futile to load Angra Mainyu with man's sins and saddle him with his misdoings. Providence has endowed man with Freedom of Will. It is for him to choose whether he will live his life in the world of goodness or in that of wickedness.

The strength of my righteousness is known when I combat wickedness. Zarathushtra's clarion call rouses me to exert myself to fight valiantly evil within my inner world and in the outer world. Guide me out of evil and strengthen me with thy might in my goodness, my Gracious God.

I will hush the beguiling voice of the Evil Spirit. I will silence the storm of passions. I will smother vicious thoughts. I will sweep the ground of my heart of all impurities, that, then, in the clean and calm and pure atmosphere I can meet thee and greet thee and hear thee speak to me, Ahura Mazda.

This page was last updated on Tuesday, August 01, 2000.