The idiom ‘the devil is in the details’ means that while a certain idea or theory may seem simple and attractive at first glance, the hidden snags, drawbacks, and complications usually lie within the smaller, intricate particulars. It’s the same when it comes to understanding the idea of the Devil or the Evil Spirit or negativity – however one terms it. In this specific context, one could rephrase the idiom as “the devil is in the details of understanding the fundamentals of Zoroastrian theology.”

Most religions see the Devil or Satan as the antithesis of God and all that is good. Although this archfiend features in some form or the other in almost every religion, many scholars aver that concepts such as the final judgment, heaven and hell, Satan (as the ultimate adversary), and the apocalypse were shaped by Zoroastrian thought, especially where the three Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam are concerned,

Asho Zarathustra’s Original Thought Versus Later Doctrine

Asho Zarathushtra makes no reference to a personified embodiment of evil (Ahriman or Satan) in the Gatha. The concept of Shaitan (Satan) or the devil evolved centuries after Zarathushtra, more categorically during the Sassanian dynasty (224 – 651 CE.)

What Asho Zarathustra conceptualized was Angra Mainyu – evil or dark mentality. (Ahriman being a Pahlavi / middle-Persian term, while Angra Mainyu is Avestan). The Gatha suggest that Angra Mainyu can be kept away by following Spenta Mainyu or Good Mentality. Zarathustra only refers to the two mentalities (Angra and Spenta) in the Gatha.

Under the Sassanian dynasty, Zoroastrianism underwent a major theological revival. Priests consolidated, standardized, and recorded the oral traditions, ultimately writing down the sacred text. During this period, the philosophy grew and crystalized into a staunch cosmic dualism. Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu were viewed as locked in a great cosmic battle that would ultimately conclude with the triumph of good, the arrival of a saviour (Saoshyant), and the resurrection of the dead.

Angra Mainyu – A State Of The Mind

Angra is viewed as destructive, chaotic, disorderly, and inhibitive. One of the chief manifestations of Angra is destruction which arises from anger (a state of mind). Mainyu is translated as ‘Spirit’ or an abstract energy or ‘Mind’. Thus, Angra Mainyu is a destructive, chaotic, disorderly and inhibitive state of the mind which often manifests into anger and destruction of all that is good.

In Yasna 30.3 there is reference to Aka Mainyu. Aka is Avesta for ‘evil’ or ‘deficient’ and is the antithesis of Spenta which is good and bounteous. Thus, while the earlier Avesta texts refer to Angra Mainyu in the abstract, the later Middle Persian or Pahlavi texts refer to a more personalized embodiment of evil by the name Ahriman. However, the common binding factor is that Angra Mainu or Ahriman are in eternal conflict with all that is good and bountiful.

Is Ahriman Real or Non-existent?

Theologically, Angra Mainyu is limited to material space and time and at the end of time, Angra Mainyu will be finally defeated or simply disappear because Angra Mainyu is akin to a shadow. A shadow is simply the absence of reflected light. It’s impossible to prove shadow as a standalone object. Thus, if Truth is light and the mind is the disorderly obstructive object, what is seen in the background of life is the shadow of the devil. But, let the light of truth shine through a mind attuned to that light (of Truth) and there would be no obstruction and no shadow would be seen in the background of life. There would be just light! Little wonder that certain Pahlavi texts view Ahriman as ‘nonexistent’!

The Book of Arda Wiraz (Ardā Wiraz Namag) is a Zoroastrian religious text of the Sasanian era written in Middle Persian or Pahlavi. It describes the journey of the soul of a devout (Wiraz) Zoroastrian priest in a state of trance (induced by a form of wine mixed with various herbs) to the other world. What is of significance in this book is the reference of the narrator Arda Wiraz to “the reality of Ahura Mazda and the Amesha Spenta and the non-reality of Ahriman and his horde of demons.” This concept of “non-reality” is also expressed in other Pahlavi texts, such as the Denkard (written during 9 AD) which assets that Ahriman: “has never been and never will be”.

The Devil In Various Religions

There is no direct equivalent to the devil even in the Vedic or Hindu tradition; instead, there are Asura and Rakshasa, which are powerful beings often in conflict with the Deva (Gods) but they are not personifications of absolute evil.

Evil in Hinduism is often understood as originating from internal failings and not as an external adversarial force. There are six such negative qualities which are referred to as the Arishadvarga and which can manifest in anyone, whether a Deva or an Asura.  These internal failings are Kama (lust/desire), Krodha (anger), Lobha (greed), Mada (arrogance/vanity), Moha (delusion/attachment), and Matsarya (jealousy).

In Buddhist folklore the ‘evil one’ is referred to as Mara who also tries to disturb Siddhartha before attaining enlightenment and becoming Buddha (the enlightened one). In Judaism, Satan is viewed as a metaphor for yetzer hara, or ‘evil inclination.’ This concept of ‘evil inclination’ is quite similar to the Zoroastrian concept of Angra Mainyu or ‘evil mentality’ and the Vedic concept of Arishadvarga.

During the Hajj ritual, Muslim pilgrims throw pebbles at three walls (formerly pillars), called jamarat, in the city of Mina just east of Mecca. It is one of a series of ritual acts that must be performed during the Hajj. It is a symbolic reenactment of Abraham’s hajj, where he stoned three pillars representing the temptation to disobey God.

In the Bible the Devil or Satan initially emerges in the book of Genesis as a serpent who tempts Eve who in turn tempts Adam to eat the forbidden fruit from the legendary ‘tree of the knowledge’ in the mythical Garden of Eden. Satan also appears in the New Testament (the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke) wherein after being baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus fasts for forty days and nights in the Judean Desert and Satan tries to tempt Jesus, but fails.

Both Christianity and Islam view Satan as a ‘fallen angel’ or one who was originally good but rebelled against God. However, if one deeply studies the allegories enshrined in Christianity and Islam, what really emerges is the struggle within the human mind in exercising the choice between good and evil.

The devil is essentially a state within the human mind. What everyone should exorcise (eliminate) is not any external devil in possession of one’s body or mind but the metaphorical ‘devil within’ in the form of all negative emotions and dark human qualities. Essentially, Ahriman or Satan or Mara is ‘evil mentality.’