Totality of a Religion
“Break down a mosque, break down a temple, and whatever there is besides. But, do not break a human heart, for that is where God himself resides.” – Swami Vivekananda
This is an all time favourite quote of mine. I was again reminded of its depth when recently I was witness to an interesting conversation that transpired between two gentlemen who shared my compartment in the train.
The conversation revolved around the religious faiths the two of them belonged to and the significance of their Gods. Initially, as is always the case with such delicate subjects; what began as a friendly discussion gradually evolved into a heated argument and finally concluded with neither understanding the other’s viewpoint.
Each was trying to make the other feel the omnipotence of the God that symbolised his religion, subtly in the beginning; but when it became obvious that the other was not getting convinced; it became a contest – of superiority and prestige.
This set me thinking. Wasn’t the understanding of the totality of a religion more significant than worshipping a single religious figure?
Can one Krishna or Jesus or Mohammed or Buddha be greater than the collective meaning and essence of the religious institutions they symbolise? Those who go on a rampage trying to propagate the teachings of one master or trying to glorify one figure as God, has really not understood the gist of his/her religion.
If a person can appreciate the universal religion of humanity, he would never confine his/her worship to a single religious figure. I personally feel the collective spirit and philosophy of a religion encompasses individual teachings and it is not a single entity that represents a religion.
And he, who has understood his God, will never try to convince another person to change his religion or convert to another.
Realistically speaking, is it all not man-made; Gods, religions, castes? We, human beings make rules and break them; we build places of worship and ourselves demolish them. What does the power of the unknown (or God) have to do with all this? Ultimately, is God not our ‘conscience’? I am just thinking aloud, that’s all.
This is an all time favourite quote of mine. I was again reminded of its depth when recently I was witness to an interesting conversation that transpired between two gentlemen who shared my compartment in the train.
The conversation revolved around the religious faiths the two of them belonged to and the significance of their Gods. Initially, as is always the case with such delicate subjects; what began as a friendly discussion gradually evolved into a heated argument and finally concluded with neither understanding the other’s viewpoint.
Each was trying to make the other feel the omnipotence of the God that symbolised his religion, subtly in the beginning; but when it became obvious that the other was not getting convinced; it became a contest – of superiority and prestige.
This set me thinking. Wasn’t the understanding of the totality of a religion more significant than worshipping a single religious figure?
Can one Krishna or Jesus or Mohammed or Buddha be greater than the collective meaning and essence of the religious institutions they symbolise? Those who go on a rampage trying to propagate the teachings of one master or trying to glorify one figure as God, has really not understood the gist of his/her religion.
If a person can appreciate the universal religion of humanity, he would never confine his/her worship to a single religious figure. I personally feel the collective spirit and philosophy of a religion encompasses individual teachings and it is not a single entity that represents a religion.
And he, who has understood his God, will never try to convince another person to change his religion or convert to another.
Realistically speaking, is it all not man-made; Gods, religions, castes? We, human beings make rules and break them; we build places of worship and ourselves demolish them. What does the power of the unknown (or God) have to do with all this? Ultimately, is God not our ‘conscience’? I am just thinking aloud, that’s all.
posted by Gayathri Varma @ 10:33 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
Very true. A true believer will never convert, or get converted.
I believe that God manifests in everything and everyone around us. I now understand what Lord Krishna meant when he said, he is the stage, he is the actors and also the director. As a kid I could never understand that, but now I seem to believe the great diversity in that statement. it doesnt mean we are puppets on a string, but that we are acting our our lives on well-laid paths! We have limited maneoverability and should amke maximum use of that.
Hi,
Thanks for you detailed response. I am a believer too, believer in that one& only awesome Creator, whom we are free to give any name and worship in any form. But, i also believe that instead of mutely accepting the religious/spiritual/philosophical conditioning passed down to us by generations, we need to keep questioning, enquiring and challenging age old beliefs, rituals and traditions (in a healthy way) to seek and unravel hitherto hidden interpretations of it. Hence the reason for all my "thinking aloud" sessions.
Leave This
Leave this chanting and singing and telling of beads!
Whom dost thou worship in this lonely dark corner of a temple with doors all shut?
Open thine eyes and see thy God is not before thee!
He is there where the tiller is tilling the hard ground
and where the pathmaker is breaking stones.
He is with them in sun and in shower,
and his garment is covered with dust.
Put off thy holy mantle and even like him come down on the dusty soil!
Deliverance?
Where is this deliverance to be found?
Our master himself has joyfully taken upon him the bonds of creation;
he is bound with us all for ever.
Come out of thy meditations and leave aside thy flowers and incense!
What harm is there if thy clothes become tattered and stained?
Meet him and stand by him in toil and in sweat of thy brow.
I do not think i can express my views better than Tagore, the master himself..but i would however try and give you what you may call a post modern interpretation of the divine in a later comment...
Lost Star
When the creation was new and all the stars shone in their first
splendor, the gods held their assembly in the sky and sang
`Oh, the picture of perfection! the joy unalloyed!'
But one cried of a sudden
---`It seems that somewhere there is a break in the chain of light
and one of the stars has been lost.'
The golden string of their harp snapped,
their song stopped, and they cried in dismay
---`Yes, that lost star was the best,
she was the glory of all heavens!'
From that day the search is unceasing for her,
and the cry goes on from one to the other
that in her the world has lost its one joy!
Only in the deepest silence of night the stars smile
and whisper among themselves
---`Vain is this seeking! unbroken perfection is over all!'
hey gayathri,
there is a quote in the beginning of the movie: mr and mrs iyer:
"show me a heart where god does not reside so that i can plunge my dagger into it." or something to that effect.
religions are just paths set out by few founders (in case of hinduism, by rishis, nature, generations of culture, rituals, and beliefs, etc.).
when will we live in a world where "my god is better than yours" will never be heard or believed?
Hi Abhilash,
You are right. I wonder too when we will live in a wrold where it will be recognised for a fact that there is only one awesome Creator who could be an eptiome of just anything - the earth, the sun, the water, the trees, the birds or the forms we know Him by - anything, but He is just ONE.
Very pretty design! Keep up the good work. Thanks.
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Hmm I love the idea behind this website, very unique.
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