New Year (Yazdagardi saal 1395) will soon be here, providing us with an opportunity to pull ourselves out of the gloom of the past. A large part of 2025 has seen multiple global disasters including earthquakes, accidents, floods, wildfires, tsunamis and wars. As if the long-drawn battle between Rusia and Ukraine was not enough, Israel decided to get into serious conflict with Iran, sending tremors across the Middle East, bringing nations almost close to World War III.

In India we witnessed a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela, saw one of the worst aviation disasters in Ahmedabad and observed a terror attack in Pahalgam leading to conflict with Pakistan. The loss of innocent lives was nerve wrecking. Whether it was devotees who went to the mela with religious fervour, or the families with little children and big dreams who flew on that ill-fated flight to London or holiday-makers and couples on a honey-moon in Pahalgam, the common thread was, they were all innocent! What had they done to deserve this? Was it ‘an act of God’? Was it ‘human error’? Was it just ‘destiny’?

Whatever be the reason, witnessing the innocent suffer usually evokes a strong sense of doubt, frustration and helplessness. Words alone offer scant solace, yet our community is responding with remarkable resilience. Support groups, prayer vigils and skill-building workshops have emerged, helping individuals confront economic hardship and emotional strain. Perhaps this is an opportune time to hope and to pray for a better future and to explore new paths and opportunities, embrace positive change, and finding meaning in past events to fuel future growth.

Divine Wrath?

Fortunately, natural calamities are generally understood and accepted as the result of natural processes and not divine punishment. Natural disasters – from earthquakes and volcanic eruptions to tsunamis and ice ages – are intrinsic to Earth’s dynamic systems, driven by geological and atmospheric forces rather than divine displeasure. Scientific research shows that these events, while often destructive, reshape landscapes, alter ecosystems and create evolutionary pressures that favour certain traits or species over time. In fact, mass extinctions triggered by extreme upheavals have historically led to bursts of biodiversity, and the last Ice Age played a pivotal role in the rise of Homo sapiens.

Today, over 1,500 active volcanoes worldwide emit some 200 million tons of CO₂ annually, while tsunamis claimed more than 230,000 lives across 14 countries in 2004. Although human activities such as deforestation and unsafe construction can worsen disaster impacts, the root causes remain natural phenomena – plate tectonics, climate cycles and extraterrestrial impacts. Understanding disasters as essential elements of our planet’s evolution helps communities prepare more effectively and underscores the importance of respecting Earth’s ongoing, ever-evolving processes.

Unlike natural disasters, man-made disasters result from human action or inaction. Often, man-made calamities are a result of human negligence. However, once again, looking at the bigger picture, Divinity has little to do with the wrong actions, inactions or negligence of human beings. In-fact, man-made disasters can sometimes be predicted or prevented through improved safety protocols, better regulation, and continuous monitoring of risk factors. The response to these disasters requires specialized crisis management and strategies to address both, the immediate effects and the recovery processes.

The Enigma Of Evil

The enigma of evil refers to the profound philosophical and theological problem of understanding the existence of evil in a world believed to be created by a benevolent and omnipotent Divine Force. It grapples with questions about the nature of evil, its origins, and its compatibility with divine goodness.

Evil, both – natural and moral, poses a puzzle: how can it exist in a world created by an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good God? Frankly, our limited intellect can’t measure the depths of this mystery. Instead of asking why calamity strikes some but spares others, Gautam Buddha’s arrow analogy offers guidance: when wounded, our priority is to remove the arrow, not debate its origin.

Similarly, between stimulus and response lies a critical space – our freedom to choose how we react. Facing adversity with a negative attitude guarantees no positive change. Winning or losing battles is secondary; what truly matters is how we fight them. The ultimate reward of a hard-fought struggle isn’t the outcome, but the person we become in its wake.

Author, Rabbi Harold S. Kushner, rightly says, “The question we should be asking is not, ‘Why did this happen to me? What did I do to deserve this?’ That is really an unanswerable, pointless question. A better question would be, “Now that this has happened to me, what am I going to do about it?”

Vedic philosophy views evil not as an opposing cosmic force but as part of samsara – the cycle of birth, death and rebirth, arising from ignorance and attachment. Negative emotions like anger, greed and delusion represent internal evils, while harmful actions by others or supernatural influences are external. Both stem from choices and yield suffering through karma. The ultimate aim is moksha – liberation from this dualistic cycle. The Bhagavad Gita clarifies that God does not inflict suffering but permits it as a consequence of free will and past actions. Through enduring and learning from suffering, individuals cultivate growth and progress toward spiritual freedom.

Zoroastrian Perspective Of Evil

From a Zoroastrian perspective, Ahura Mazda is the Lord or the Creator of Wisdom. Ahura Mazda is neither an ‘Angry God’, nor a ‘Testing God’ nor a ‘Vengeful God.’ In fact, Asho Zarathushtra addresses Ahura Mazda as Friya (Sanskrit Priya) – a Beloved Friend. As intelligent human beings, we have been given the freedom to choose and what we reap is the fruit of our individual and collective choices – good or evil. We must not blame the Divine or assign calamities to Divine wrath. The sum total of humanity’s collective thoughts, words and deed (actions) lead to reactions. It’s a scientific law. Zoroastrians believe that human beings find happiness or sorrow according to moral and ethical choices made at an individual and collective level.

A school of thought also emerged during Sassanian times, postulating the theory that Ahura Mazda is ‘all good’ and ‘very powerful’ and Ahriman or the evil spirit/mentality is not a creation of Ahura Mazda and at the end of time, the latter will be completely vanquished. Thus, Ahura Mazda cannot be blamed or held responsible for death, disease, accidents, suffering or pain in this ‘perfecting world’.

There are two mentalities Angra Mainyu (negative mentality) and Spenta Mainyu (positive mentality). As human beings, we have the freedom to choose positive or negative mentality. What we individually and collectively reap, is the consequence of our choices.

Vanquish Evil With Prayer

Prayer provides strength and comfort during difficult times, helping individuals endure hardship and maintain hope. In Zoroastrian tradition, of several healing prayers, the best is the Ardibehest Yasht. While the Mah Bakhtar Nyaish offers mental peace, the Vanant Yasht helps vanquish all negative and evil forces. The powerful Vanant Nirang affirms that all calamities may disappear.

Chanting the 101 names of Ahura Mazda is also very beneficial, especially chanting the 34^th Name (Ya Beshtarna) which affirms Ahura Mazda as ‘vanquisher of all kinds of afflictions and diseases’; and 35^th name (Ya Taronish) which upholds Ahura Mazda as ‘victorious over all evil.’

Let us welcome Yazdagardi saal 1395 with faith and hope and embrace new beginnings with trust in a higher power and optimism for the future. Let us also acknowledge the past year with gratitude for its lessons and look forward to the possibilities of the year ahead with a positive outlook.