Zoroaster — "I who have set my heart on watching over the soul, in union with Good Thought, a…"
I who have set my heart on watching over the soul, in union with Good Thought, as I praise and proclaim you, O Wise Lord.
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More from Zoroaster
"The evil shall be cast into darkness, but the righteous shall walk in light."
"The inner fire of wisdom and truth must be kindled in every heart."
"I am aware of my weakness, grant me the affection which a lover in the radiance of righteousness."
"All flows out from the Deity, and all must be absorbed in Him again."
"Hear with your ears the best things; behold with a clear vision the two paths, the better and the worse, which the Wise One has declared."
About Zoroaster (c. 1500-1000 BCE (debated))
Iranian prophet who founded Zoroastrianism, the first major religion of cosmic dualism between good (Ahura Mazda) and evil (Angra Mainyu). Closely associated with The Buddha (near-contemporary Eastern moral-cosmological revolutionary). For an intellectual contrast, see Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher of 'beyond good and evil' — Nietzsche appropriated Zarathustra's name for Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1883) precisely to invert the original's moral cosmology — the historical Zoroaster founded the good-versus-evil framework Nietzsche's character announces the end of.
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Understanding this quote
What it means
The speaker commits personal attention to guarding the inner self, aligning with clear, constructive thinking while honoring a supreme wise deity. It frames spiritual life as a partnership: the individual takes responsibility for their soul, cooperates with good intentions, and openly acknowledges a higher intelligence. Devotion here is not passive worship but an active vow to think well, act consciously, and speak honestly about what one believes is true.
Relevance to Zoroaster
Zoroaster founded a faith built on Ahura Mazda, the Wise Lord, and on Vohu Manah, Good Thought, one of the divine attributes he preached. As a reforming priest who rejected older ritualism, he emphasized personal ethical choice, inner purity, and praise through honest speech. This verse mirrors his Gathas, hymns he composed himself, where he repeatedly pairs soul-care, good thinking, and proclamation as the core duties of a follower.
The era
Zoroaster lived in ancient Iran, likely around 1500–1000 BCE, among pastoral Indo-Iranian tribes who worshipped many nature gods through animal sacrifice and intoxicating rituals led by hereditary priests. Cattle raids, tribal violence, and priestly corruption shaped daily life. Against this, he preached a single Wise Lord, moral responsibility, and truth versus the lie, offering one of history's earliest ethical monotheisms and laying groundwork for later Persian, Jewish, and Christian thought.
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