Life is Service

Zarathushtra drew the lowly and lonely, the needy and neglected towards him and embraced them in his sympathetic heart. The noblest of men and women have always been willing servants of society. They have given the best of their time and energy and all to serve their fellow human beings. They have thought little of themselves and much of others. With a total disregard of personal comfort and rest, they have worn out their lives in the service of others. Men and women, noble and great, there have always been, who would willingly sacrifice their lives a hundred times over in the service of humanity. They have labored to bring sunshine in the lives of their fellowmen. They have lived and died in the unremitting service of mankind.

Enthuse me, Ahura Mazda, to consecrate myself to a life of service. Inspire me to live my life to sanctify the life of men. Help me to bear the burden of my brethren and relieve their bare needs. Enable me to make any one human life happy by a single hair's breadth between dawn and dusk every day. Strengthen me to bear aloft the light of knowledge, to do ameliorative work to further health, to right the wrongs, to straighten the crooked, to assuage the sufferings, to spread truth, to lessen the sorrow, and gloom of my neighbors, to fight falsehood and injustice, vice and wickedness, disease and death.

Teach me, divine Teacher, to place service before self. Let me wear myself thin in service to thy children, Ahura Mazda. Let my heart go out to all that suffer in thy great and good world. Lead me to deny myself so that my neighbor may not stand in want of anything while I have something I call my own. Let me rejoice in sharing with thy needy what little I have. Let me not live for self alone, but inspire me to live for all. Let my goodness help others to be good. Let me serve with body and mind and heart and soul, for the service of man is thy worship in deeds, Ahura Mazda.

This page was last updated on Friday, February 11, 2005.