I created, O Spitama Zarathustra! the stars, the moon, the sun, and the red burning fire, the

dogs, the birds, and the five kinds of animals; but, better and greater than all, I created the

righteous man who has truly received from me the Praise of Asha in the good Religion.

But without any reason men adhere to that evil guide, Passion, created by the demons; so that

they do not think of Fate,

And by the bent of their nature they forget death.

They do not keep in mind the working of Time and the transientness of the body,

They ever go wandering about on the way of desire,

They are tossed in doubt by evil Passion,

They clothe themselves with spite, in the course of strife, for the sake of vanishing goods;

They are intoxicated with pride in their youth,

And shall be full of regrets at the end of their time.

For if one say: 'On this earth of the seven Karshvares there is somebody going to die,'

everybody ought to think: 'Perhaps it is I,'

Had he sense enough to know that every creature that has been created and has had existence

shall die, and that the unseen, deceiving Astivihad comes for every one.

verses 30-40 in the Aogemadaeca, found in the Avesta (Zoroastrian Religion)

…I have sought reunion with Thee,

O my Master,

yet have I failed to attain thereto

save through the knowledge of detachment from aught save Thee.

I have yearned for Thy love,

but failed to find it

except in renouncing everything other than Thyself.

I have been eager to worship Thee,

yet have I failed to achieve Thy adoration,

except by loving those who cherish Thy love.

No one do I recognize,

O my God,

except Thee.

Thou art incomparable and hast no partner.

Thou alone knowest our shortcomings and none other hath this knowledge.

I beg Thy forgiveness for whatever doth displease Thee….

- Selections from the Báb, page 202.

…Whosoever taketh his hands from his pockets and followeth his selfish passions,

casting the Cause of God behind his back,

hath removed himself from the shadow of Providence,

though he dwell in the vicinity of the shrine of God.

Whoso submitteth to his base desires and attributeth this to God

hath forfeited the garden of His loving-kindness,

and whoso faileth to detach himself from all who are in the heavens and on earth

shall never be able to enter the kingdom of heaven.

For he who hath in his heart aught else but the love of God

shall never step foot in His city…. From Baha’u’llah’s commentary on His “Ode of the Dove”

No man shall attain the shores

of the ocean of true understanding

except he be detached

from all that is in heaven and on earth.

Sanctify your souls, O ye peoples of the world,

that haply ye may attain that station

which God hath destined for you

and enter thus the tabernacle which,

according to the dispensations of Providence,

hath been raised in the firmament of the Bayan.

THE essence of these words is this:

they that tread the path of faith,

they that thirst for the wine of certitude,

must cleanse themselves of all that is earthly--

their ears from idle talk,

their minds from vain imaginings,

their hearts from worldly affections,

their eyes from that which perisheth.

They should put their trust in God,

and, holding fast unto Him,

follow in His way.

Then will they be made worthy

of the effulgent glories

of the sun of divine knowledge and understanding,

and become the recipients of a grace

that is infinite and unseen,

inasmuch as man can never hope

to attain unto the knowledge of the All-Glorious,

can never quaff

from the stream of divine knowledge and wisdom,

can never enter

the abode of immortality,

nor partake

of the cup of divine nearness and favour,

unless and until

he ceases to regard the words and deeds of mortal men

as a standard for the true understanding and recognition

of God and His Prophets.

…When a true seeker determineth to take the step of search

in the path leading to the knowledge

of the Ancient of Days,

he must, before all else,

cleanse and purify his heart,

which is the seat of the revelation

of the inner mysteries of God,

from the obscuring dust

of all acquired knowledge,

and the allusions

of the embodiments of satanic fancy.

He must

purge his breast,

which is the sanctuary of the abiding love

of the Beloved,

of every defilement,

and sanctify his soul

from all that pertaineth to water and clay,

from all shadowy and ephemeral attachments.

He must

so cleanse his heart

that no remnant of either love or hate

may linger therein,

lest that love blindly incline him to error,

or that hate repel him away from the truth.

Even as thou dost witness in this day

how most of the people,

because of such love and hate,

are bereft

of the immortal Face,

have strayed far from

the Embodiments of the divine mysteries,

and, shepherdless,

are roaming through

the wilderness of oblivion and error.

That seeker must at all times

put his trust in God,

must renounce the peoples of the earth,

detach himself from the world of dust,

and cleave unto Him Who is the Lord of Lords.

He must never seek to exalt himself above any one,

must wash away from the tablet of his heart

every trace of pride and vainglory,

must cling unto patience and resignation,

observe silence,

and refrain from idle talk.

For the tongue is a smouldering fire,

and excess of speech a deadly poison.

Material fire consumeth the body,

whereas the fire of the tongue devoureth

both heart and soul.

The force of the former lasteth but for a time,

whilst the effects of the latter

endure a century.

That seeker should also

regard backbiting as grievous error,

and keep himself aloof from its dominion,

inasmuch as backbiting

quencheth the light of the heart,

and extinguisheth the life of the soul.

He should

be content with little,

and be freed from all inordinate desire.

He should

treasure the companionship

of those that have renounced the world,

and regard avoidance of boastful and worldly people

a precious benefit.

At the dawn of every day he should

commune with God,

and with all his soul

persevere in the quest of his Beloved.

He should

consume every wayward thought

with the flame of His loving mention,

and, with the swiftness of lightning,

pass by all else save Him.

He should

succour the dispossessed,

and never withhold his favour from the destitute.

He should

show kindness to animals,

how much more unto his fellow-man,

to him who is endowed with the power of utterance.

He should

not hesitate

to offer up his life for his Beloved,

nor allow the censure of the people

to turn him away from the Truth.

He should not wish for others

that which he doth not wish for himself,

nor promise that which he doth not fulfil.

With all his heart should the seeker

avoid fellowship with evil doers,

and pray for the remission of their sins.

He should

forgive the sinful,

and never despise his low estate,

for none knoweth what his own end shall be.

How often hath a sinner,

at the hour of death,

attained to the essence of faith,

and, quaffing the immortal draught,

hath taken his flight

unto the celestial Concourse.

And how often hath a devout believer,

at the hour of his soul's ascension,

been so changed

as to fall into the nethermost fire.

Our purpose

in revealing these convincing and weighty utterances

is to impress upon the seeker

that he should regard all else beside God as transient,

and count all things save Him,

Who is the Object of all adoration,

as utter nothingness.