<P> Other than Zurvanism, the Sassanian kings demonstrated their devotion to Ahura Mazda in other fashions . Five kings took the name Hormizd and Bahram II created the title of "Ohrmazd - mowbad" which was continued after the fall of the Sassanid Empire and through the Islamic times . All devotional acts in Zoroastrianism originating from the Sassanian period begin with homage to Ahura Mazda . The five Gāhs begin with the declaration in Middle Persian, that "Ohrmazd is Lord" and incorporate the Gathic verse "Whom, Mazda hast thou appointed my protector". Zoroastrian prayers are to be said in the presence of light, either in the form of fire or the sun . In the Iranian dialects of Yidḡa and Munǰī, the sun is still called "ormozd". </P> <P> In 1884, Martin Haug proposed a new interpretation of Yasna 30.3 that subsequently influenced Zoroastrian doctrine to a significant extent . According to Haug's interpretation, the "twin spirits" of 30.3 were Angra Mainyu and Spenta Mainyu, the former being literally the "Destructive Spirit" and the latter being the "Bounteous Spirit" (of Mazda). Further, in Haug's scheme, Angra Mainyu was now not Ahura Mazda's binary opposite, but--like Spenta Mainyu--an emanation of Him . Haug also interpreted the concept of a free will of Yasna 45.9 as an accommodation to explain where Angra Mainyu came from since Ahura Mazda created only good . The free will made it possible for Angra Mainyu to choose to be evil . Although these latter conclusions were not substantiated by Zoroastrian tradition, at the time Haug's interpretation was gratefully accepted by the Parsis of Bombay since it provided a defense against Christian missionary rhetoric, particularly the attacks on the Zoroastrian idea of an uncreated Evil that was as uncreated as God was . Following Haug, the Bombay Parsis began to defend themselves in the English - language press, the argument being that Angra Mainyu was not Mazda's binary opposite, but his subordinate, who--as in Zurvanism also--chose to be evil . Consequently, Haug's theories were disseminated as a Parsi interpretation, also in the West, where they appeared to be corroborating Haug . Reinforcing themselves, Haug's ideas came to be iterated so often that they are today almost universally accepted as doctrine . </P> <P> Some scholars (Kuiper . IIJ I, 1957; Zimmer . Münchner Studien 1984: 187--215) believe that Ahura Mazda originates from * vouruna - mitra, or Vedic Varuna (and Mitra). According to William W Malandra both Varuna (in Vedic period) and Ahura Mazda (in old Iranian religion) represented same Indo - Iranian concept of a supreme "wise, all - knowing lord". </P> <P> In Manichaeism, the name Ohrmazd Bay ("god Ahura Mazda") was used for the primal figure Nāšā Qaḏmāyā, the "original man" and emanation of the Father of Greatness (in Manicheism called Zurvan) through whom after he sacrificed himself to defend the world of light was consumed by the forces of darkness . Although Ormuzd is freed from the world of darkness his "sons", often called his garments or weapons, remain . His sons, later known as the World Soul after a series of events will for the most part escape from matter and return again to the world of light where they came from . Manicheans often identified many of Mani's cosmological figures with Zoroastrian ones . This may be in part because Mani was born in the greatly Zoroastrian Parthian Empire . </P>

Ancient persian god ahura is similar to the vedic god