Chapter 14
Good and Evil
“Great Teacher, talk to us on the great discourse of good and evil. What are good and evil and where do they come from? Are the Zaravan worshipers justified in believing that in the beginning there was only light and dark? Are they right in upholding that Mazda dwelt in the realm of light whilst Ahriman inhabited the dark and that Mazda was the fount of goodness whereas Ahriman bred evil? They believe that from the very beginning light and dark existed separately as did good and evil until the day when Ahriman penetrated the sphere of light and waged war on the elements of light and on all Mazda’s creation. As of that day there has been an unrelenting war between the two and the elements of light and dark have coexist. Yet one must not lose sight of the fact that in the beginning good came from Mazda and evil radiated from Ahriman. Thus, it is our duty to continue to wage war on evil in defense of good in these difficult days.
We have heard that man is a sinful creature whose banishment from heaven was due to his own sinful nature. As of that day Ahriman has endlessly pursued him in the hope that he might tempt him to further sin. We have also heard that both man and Ahriman were created by God, but how could God who is the fount of goodness create one who is the essence of evil? Why did God impregnate the world with such evil and sin through his creation?
We have heard others who hold that man has no evil but that the evil and sins which he commits are enforced upon him from without—from his family and from the society in which he lives.
From others we have heard that good and evil are the life force of man. All evil arises from the fact that man has not the necessary life force and that in order to attain that force he resorts to deeds which are opposed to his social structure. This creates evil in the eyes of society.
We have heard of many such beliefs and we are greatly confused as to the reality of good and evil. Thus, we ask you, mighty Zarathustra, to explain these elements to us.”
Zarathustra sat where he could see the multitude which had turned to him and he once again lifted his voice in adoration:
Now will I speak to thee o adorers and to thee o wise
sages, I shall speak of the two mighty elements.
I adore Ahura and blessed thoughts!
I worship divine knowledge and the creed of truth.
May you come to grasp the light and arrive at fulfillment
and bliss!
(Gathas, chapter 30, verse 1)
Thus,
Hearken well the finest sayings!
Look to them with radiating thoughts!
Each of you may choose but one of the two paths that
You might be awakened before the great event.
Learn and spread this creed!
(Gathas, chapter 30, verse 2)
“I first say unto you to listen well to all you hear of any problem you face, whether it be that of good and evil or of any other. Scrutinize them through illuminated thoughts so that you may choose the correct path yourselves and avoid blind obedience. To think well seek blessed knowledge and all that is adorned with truth. Strive to be cognizant for it is only through knowledge that you will see the light and illumination which can lead you to righteousness and joy. When you have attained enlightenment teach others that which you yourselves have learnt. Now will I illuminate you with the secrets of good and evil. Listen to my words and scrutinize them:
Those two divine twins first came to exist within thought
and imagination—the one portrayed goodness and the
other evil.
From these two the wise, not the ignorant, choose truth
and rectitude.
(Gathas, chapter 30, verse 3)
To understand this let us look slightly beyond ourselves.
Consider the beasts who graze the pasture, the fowl who wing the sky, the reptiles who crawl the earth! How are you men different from these creatures? What is the disparity among you?
They have body as you do, they have form as you do, they have your need of food and drink, and they sleep, breed and die much as you do. Then what is it that has raised you above these creatures? You are well aware that the only thing which created the difference between you is the power which you have within yourselves and which they lack: the power of reason. It is this power which has made you the noblest of all creatures on earth. It is this very power which causes you to strive to progress. Again, it is this power which has brought you here to me.
When I speak of the divine twins’ I mean the world of good and evil thought and when I speak of ‘good and evil’ I consider them with equal strength. Thus, leave behind all that you have heard of evil and good and their beginning. Forget what you have been trained to accept as their reality for they neither pertain to the realm of light nor dark. They have no beginning other than in ourselves. They both rise from within us and from the seat of our thoughts. He who has divine thoughts will stride along the path of goodness and he who has brooding evil thoughts will walk with evil. Those who believe that evil and good have two creators are mightily mistaken. Ahura Mazda, the Creator of the world, is the fount of goodness and goodness itself is creation. The good and evil within our human lives do not belong to Ahura Mazda but to ourselves and to our thoughts.
Listen:
And they in the beginning when those two divinities
met created life and non-life.
May the vilest temperaments plague the false and
the noblest dispositions come to the followers of
truth through eternity.
(Gathas, chapter 30, verse 4)
When the two divinities met thought was created within Man—both wicked and benevolent thought. Thus, was life and non-life created through good and evil thought. The one was dedicated to the development, growth and advancement of life whilst the other bred non-life, destruction and the annihilation of life. All that was good was embodied in truth and all that was evil took hold of falsehood. Thus, the path which led to truth was knowledge and the path of falsehood was ignorance. Therefore, seek evil and good within yourselves and within your thoughts.
Listen to my hymns and speculate upon them:
From these two divinities the followers of falsehood
will choose the vilest temperaments.
He who has the purest thoughts will be crowned with
light.
He who pleases Mazda Ahura with his adamant belief
and correct behavior will receive truth.
(Gathas, chapter 30, verse 5)
“What is man’s greatest enemy?
What is it that leads him to evil thereby destroying life for him?
Deception.
Deception breeds evil thoughts. Man is led to deception when he lacks strength in his thoughts. Man is first plagued with weakness and the inability to think and then he is deceived.
Hence is he led to evil and from the heart of evil he chooses the vilest sins. He goes on to be overcome by anger and it is his anger which leads him to plunder and destroy.
From the two the evil-minded will not choose truth.
For when they suffer of doubt deception overcomes
them.Thus do they turn to the most evil thought and rush
to anger.
Then do they pillage men’s live.
(Gathas, chapter 30, verse 6)
What is the outcome of benevolence and divine thought?
What will come to he who strides with blessed thoughts?
He will come to a magnificent end: the attainment of divine strength and truth. When man comes to such an end then will he achieve that righteousness which will give him strength and endurance. He who has been gifted with spiritual strength, truth, righteousness and power of thought will succeed in his trials of life for his deeds will be dictated by wisdom. It is this success which will give him happiness and joy in life.
He who chooses the blessed path will attain spiritual
strength, divine thought and truth as righteousness
overcomes his frame endowing it with fortitude and
vitality.
Since thou hast been gifted with them thou wilt
overcome all trials.
(Gathas, chapter 30, verse 7)
“Man’s life is the stage of reward and punishment. Evil and benevolent thoughts give forth their respective fruit much as any planted seed, they breed evil and blessed fortune, virtue and vice, righteousness and destruction. Blessed is he who rids himself of accursed thoughts, punishment and the profligate fruit of a malignant mind through his wisdom, illuminated thoughts and knowledge. Happy is he who is saved from falsehood and turns to the path of truth and light!
When the sinners meet their retribution then will they
See your sovereignty through blessed thoughts, O
Ahura Mazda!
Then will they learn how to flee falsehoods and to turn
to truth.
(Gathas, chapter 30, verse 8)
“Let us ask Mazda Ahura to always invigorate our thoughts and thereby ceaselessly renew the world. May he guide us in the hour when our wisdom is weak that we might be rescued from deception and led to truth. May we approach the world of blessed thoughts and goodness.
O Mazda Ahura,
May we belong to Thee!
May we be amongst those who eternally renew the
world!
May truth come to us in our hour of need to wed our
thoughts unto one another!
(Gathas, chapter 30, verse 9)
If men defeat falsehood through the aid of blessed thoughts and uplift truth then will the wish of the benevolent be fulfilled, for the blessed kingdom of Heaven which we all await will be at hand; it will descend upon the earth and joy, bliss, peace, contentment and righteousness will come to us all.
When falsehoods are destroyed those who have striven
in honor and those who have been known as good
will attain their wishes in the abode of divine Ahuraic
thoughts and truth.
(Gathas, chapter 30, verse 10)
Men must be awakened to the solemn end of being: reward and punishment. They must know that endless pain will come to the dorvand whilst joy and peace will be the reward of the good.
Thus will those who have chosen the gracious path arrive at true happiness and fulfillment.
O Men,
Whensoever, ye do realize that the creed of Mazda will
bring an endless retribution of pain unto the dorvand
and how he will reward the good with boundless joy
and profit then will you come to true joy and fulfillment
(Gathas, chapter 30, verse 11)
“Great Zarathustra, you have shown us the beginning of good and evil and we have learnt how to choose between the two paths. Now we ask you to speak to us of heaven and hell and of the reward for the good and for the wicked.”
“Have you ever been faced with pain, anger, humiliation or poverty in life? Have you ever felt the joy of victory, hope, peace, strength, beauty or love? Then, heaven and hell are here in this very world and in our bodies and minds. They are a part of our societies, of our homes and countries—they are a part of our world. Heaven means ‘the best’—the best life—and hell means ‘the worst’—the vilest life.
Let us not wait for them in death but let us seek them in the essence of our world . Let us arise and bring about heaven in our lives, our homes, our cities and our nations. Let us also destroy hell in this world and uproot it from our lives and from our lands!”
“Blessed Zarathustra, we are grateful to you for the manner in which you have portrayed evil and goodness for us to understand. But now we wish you to answer another question: if we accept that the Zaravan believers are wrong in holding that this world is the battleground of Ahura Mazda and Ahriman, and if we accept thoughts as the fount of good and evil then what are the opposites which dictate human life?”
“Indeed the Zaravan worshipers are wrong in their conception of Ahura Mazda and Ahriman! Ahura Mazda is the fount of goodness and nothing but goodness comes from him. If we accept that Mazda Ahura is the Creator of the world and that he created Ahriman then we must accept a misjudgment—namely that the blessed Mazda, Creator of good, is the fount of all evil. Ahriman was not created by Ahura Mazda. The exact meaning of ‘Ahriman’ is ‘evil thought’ for ‘anger’ means evil and ugly and ‘man’ means ‘thought’; thus, ‘Ahriman’ is evil thought which stands in opposition to ‘spentaman’ or blessed thought.
In my opinion the world is not the battlefield of Ahriman and Ahura Mazda but rather it is spentaman and angarman which are at war with one another and that the victory of either one will lead life either to good or to evil. As we have already said you yourselves have met people who suffered the dualities of life, you have also met men who were truly happy. You have met creative beings and you have seen vengeful creatures. You have seen them and you have studied their various temperaments. I hereby state that all evil and good dispositions stem from that which is rooted in the mind.
Look at that mother hen whose chicks follow her! The relationship between man and his words, deeds and feelings with his life are much like the relationship of the mother hen and her chickens. The chickens have hatched from the eggs which the hen has laid. The heat of her body has brought the eggs to a stage at which they can hatch. Then again they follow the lead of the hen in life to feed as she watches over them and keeps them from harm. The human mind acts very much in the same way for whatever you feel brings out your thoughts and your words are rooted in those thoughts as your deeds too take their lead from those thoughts. If your thoughts are creative, right and pure then will all the aspects of your deeds vibrate goodness but if they are bad they will no longer act as the hen and her chickens but they will transform into venomous vipers which will poison your behavior, your feelings and your actions breeding only more vicious vipers.”
“Mighty Zarathustra, tell us how our thoughts can be made illuminating and pure.”
“I have a single answer: instruction.”
O ye seekers of knowledge.
I will show you the unspoken words of instruction.
These words will repudiate those who seek to fill
the world of truth with falsehood.
They are the best of the adorers of Mazda!
(Gathas, chapter 31, verse 1)
These false instructions have rendered the choosing
of the best path difficult.
Thus, do I come unto you as an instructor chosen by
Mazda to teach both groups how to live in truth.
(Gathas, chapter 31, verse 2)
The false instructor misleads and misguides spiritual
instructions through his own instructions.
Thus does he destroy a wise life.
And thus does he deprive men of the advantage of truth
and blessed thoughts.
O Mazda, O truth,
I bring my plaint unto Thee and I seek shelter in Thee
Through my words.
(Gathas, chapter 33, verse 9)
In truth,
The true and conscious instructions of an enlightened
leader is the best path.
O Mazda Ahura,
Thou canst stop those who seek to harm me.
I will strive to guard Thy true lovers and followers against
the malice of the dorvand.
(Gathas, chapter 32, verse 16)
Between the righteous and the dorvand which has chosen
the right path?
The wise illuminated one must arouse men that the
ignorant might not deceive them and bring about their
downfall.
O Mazda Ahura,
Be our instructor of divine thoughts.
(Gathas, chapter 31, verse 17)
Do not listen to the words of the instructions of the
dorvand!
For he will doubtlessly lead the home, the village, the
town and the nation to annihilation.
Thus stand up and wage war against the dorvand.
(Gathas, chapter 31, verse 18)
O Mazda Ahura,
May men listen to the wise one who thinks in truth.
For he is the savior of men’s lives.
He is firm and strong in his words of truth.
In the illumination of your light he upholds the seat of
each group.
(Gathas, chapter 31, verse 19)
“I have said all I needs must say of benevolent and wicked instructors in my hymns. All things arise from the manner of instruction. Whichever way thoughts are led in that direction will they bloom. They will embody the instructions they have received. An ignorant unschooled mother will raise an equally ignorant hapless offspring whereas a knowledgeable mother will raise honorable successful children. Societies are very much the same; the fate of each society lies in the hands of its instructors and it is the instructor who shapes the destiny of the society.”
“Wise Zarathustra, teach of good and evil instructions. Tell us which instruction develops thoughts and leads them to advancement and bloom!”
“We have gathered here to study the elements of good and evil and to delve into their secrets. Thus, it is our discussion which has led us onward, therefore you must begin your manner of instruction from here: instruction comes from contact, the trading of thoughts and discussion. It is through these processes that thoughts take flight and soar. There is no limit to the power of thought—the more room thoughts are given in which to grow the further they will develop.
Look there at that man who is cutting down that tree. Watch how easily he swings his heavy axe to strike at the very spot he wants on the tree trunk! Look at his strong hands and well developed biceps! Soon that tree will not be able to withstand his blow and it will fall before him.
What has given the woodcutter his strength?
Exercise—physical exercise!
He did not have the strength he has today in the beginning. It was only through constant physical exertion that he has become as strong as he is today. Likewise, if you take up your thoughts to work them, exercise them and develop them they will become as strong as the woodcutter’s arms and they will be able to overcome any obstacle just as the woodcutter overcomes the ungiving tree. Thoughts need a particular condition without which they will never soar: Freedom.”
O Mazda,
In the beginning Thou didst gift us with body, reason and
understanding in Thy wisdom.
Thou breathed life into us.
Thou gave us the gift of speech and action.
Thou wishes for us to freely choose our belief.
(Gathas, chapter 31, verse 11)
O Mazda Ahura,
Purity, righteousness, divine wisdom are Thine!
Thou hast given man the freedom of choice that he might
choose his true leader and evade the false one.
(Gathas, chapter 31, verse 9)
Thus will all men, whether they be truthful or false, wise
or ignorant, speak and reveal their thoughts.
Then when thoughts fall to questioning, wandering and
doubting a righteous one will aid the mind and guide it.
(Gathas, chapter 31, verse 12)
In truth it is only through freedom that thoughts can develop.
Watch the bird who wings the air!
See how easily it bends the air to its every whim!
Compare it to the slimy worm that crawls in the pit of the swamps. The difference between them comes from the fact that the fowl has the power to climb the air but the worm is powerless to do so. The intellect which is allowed to soar the horizon as boundlessly as the bird will come to mirror the limitless flight of the fowl and the bound intellect will copy the worm for it will be ever limited by fetid mire in the heart of the swamp—there it will live, stagnate and die.
Thoughts have one other deadly opponent: prejudice. Behold our company gathered here today. We have been sitting here for several hours each of us with his own particular set of beliefs yet all this time no anger, irritation nor malice has taken hold of us. We have spoken freely and easily and we have heard one another’s beliefs in the same way. In the future we will gather again and talk and come to develop alongside one another. Our lack of prejudice aided us all along—none of us held onto our creed with bigotry otherwise our very first discussions would have ended in anger and enmity.
I warn you to be wary of prejudice for it is a mighty evil which eats at the root of thought like termites chewing away at wood.
Beware of antiquated frigid beliefs!
Be wary of those who cling to such beliefs!
Oft times such people leech onto these beliefs to bleed others to their own advantage through such creeds. They prevent the development of new thoughts in this way.
Look at the manner of the karapans and see how they attack anything which opposes the total worship of Mithra! They attack with their very soul all that might threaten the unique sovereignty of Mithra. They hate us as ardently as they do for we uphold a new creed in opposition to their crusted beliefs. They despise the road of novelty I have opened to men.
Once again I warn you: never fail to value thought and blessed wisdom. Think wisely and uphold learning. Choose freedom to grow and bloom thoughts in. Keep away from prejudice, stagnation, aged putrid creeds and frigid unrelenting followers of antiquated beliefs. I call you to my new creed—blessed thoughts, words and deeds.”