Strengthen me to fight Evil, Ahura Mazda

Man harbors within his breast the Good Spirit and the Evil Spirit alike. The ghastly, shadowy forms of his vicious thoughts, sensuous passions, carnal desires, termed Daevas and Draujas, Demons and Fiends, the brood of darkness, fill the atmosphere around him. He carries them on his shoulders.

Angra Mainyu, the Evil Spirit, the sovereign of the infernal world, steals furtive glances at man. He watches him with his eyes as bright and blazing as the burning coals in the dark. He follows at man's heels and like a hound is he on the trail. He is out to bring forward division of man against himself and to wreak his worst upon him.

Just as the cat catches the mouse, puts him down on the ground, lets it move, puts its paw over it, frees it again, lets it run, catches it again and thus amusing herself for some time, she makes a meal of her victim at last, even so does Angra Mainyu decoy man by his beguiling voice, lure him, fondle him, cajole him, until when the beast in man awakens and flares up and he is caught in the snare of the vile hunter. Man then becomes the favorite of the Evil Spirit and bows at his feet at his bidding. When passion rules his actions, he becomes a slave, bound hand and foot, in the bondage of sin. Angra Mainyu becomes his master. Man belongs to him. He is his. No more is he himself. O that he would yet light his beguiler and save himself from the clutches of the Evil One, free himself from his snare, become himself again, his own master and regain his manhood!

Help me Ahura Mazda, to fight and overcome evil in its very first attempt to assail me. Let me not dally with it, lest it conquers me and then regression turns difficult for me. Let me extinguish the spark of evil before it sets my soul on fire. Let me flee from evil as from a wild beast, if I cannot fight it. But better still give me courage to face evil and fight it and overcome it.

I will fight evil thoughts and evil desires and evil passions. I will cast out all evil thoughts from my mind and evil passions from my heart and deliver myself from evil, Ahura Mazda.

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