From the tiniest creature to the mightiest gods, the entire creation is pervaded by God. Out of Himself, God has created the universe with countless beings in it. Every creature has its own rightful place in the universe, allotted to it by the Lord. The little ant has as much a right, and a need to live, as the great gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara. All this seeming diversity has been created by God, so that each one of us might, through the practice of Truth, Love and Purity, evolve into a consciousness of basic indwelling Unity.

Infinite are the temperaments and infinite are the approaches to the Ultimate Reality. Each one has a place in the Lord’s Creation. The Glory of God lies in the truth that He is the one that underlies all this infinite variety, that He is the Goal that all men owing their allegiance to numberless faiths strive to reach through what apparently look like totally divergent paths.

THE ONE WAY OF ATTAINMENT

A closer examination, however, would instantly reveal that all these apparent differences relate to certain non-essential features of each way of attainment. As fundamentally each man has the same internal physical structure and organism as his brethren throughout the world, though externally no man looks alike or also physically is exactly the same as anyone else in the world, so also there is only one way of Attainment, one-way of reaching the Great Goal, though superficially the Path of practically each man appears to differ from that of others. It is most essential that we should clearly grasp this fundamental principle of creation.

From this it would be obvious that all attempts at creating a One World Religion are bound to fail, for religion is but an external appearance of an inward spiritual process. It is impossible to bring about a race of people who would look exactly like one another, and who would think exactly like one another.

What is right and proper to do, however, is to create in every man and woman, a genuine desire to tread the spiritual path and to realise the goal set before him or her by his or her own religion, or the religion which he or she chooses to follow. Through the various prophets and seers, God has given us ever so many patterns of spiritual life, into one of which each one of us could fit himself.

WHY SO MANY RELIGIONS?

Let us then thank the Lord that He has been gracious enough to give us so many religions. Let us analyse our own samskaras, our own latent tendencies, our own temperaments, and our own mental evolution, and choose our religion. Often, we are likely to find that the religion that we are born in is the one best suited to our evolution! For each religion has the same fundamental characteristics as every religion and allows the true seeker a great latitude within the basic framework, to find his own path to God. No one need have any misgivings about that. If you are a Hindu, by birth or by choice, be a true Hindu. If you are a Muslim, be a true Muslim. If you are a Christian, be a true Christian. Strive to follow the tenets of your own religion. Fix your attention on the fundamentals and incorporate into your daily life as much of the less essential doctrines – rituals, customary practices, etc. as you need for your own spiritual growth. If you are sincere in your search for the Truth, if you are earnest in your aspiration to attain perfection, God Himself will lead you on, will show you your path to Him, either from within you or by the compelling the force of circumstances or through the medium of a Guru. Yield not to cowardice. Be bold. Be adamant in your determination to reach Him. You are sure to succeed.

THE VALUE OF HUMAN BIRTH

Life is short; time is fleeting. The Almighty Lord has graciously given us this human birth so that we might, through intelligent striving, attain Him. Close your eyes for a moment and think: is not the lifespan of even a hundred years but a fleeting moment in Time? And are we not subjected to ever so many distractions even during these years of our life as human beings on this earth? A large part is consumed away by the terrible death-like nightly coma called sleep. Nearly a fourth of this lifespan is spent uselessly in boyhood and adolescence; and manhood is preyed upon by countless anxieties, worries and cares in the earning of daily bread, in breeding and feeding families, and in a thousand other ways. Old age comes on and puts a cruel end to the play of our passions and desires. Ought we then to weep over wasted days? Should we not, even while there is vigour in our limbs, strive to live a truly spiritual life in right earnest and to attain the goal – the conquest over death – and thus put old age and death to flight? Then, come, gird up your loins and plunge yourself in spiritual practices, in selfless service, japa, kirtan and meditation. Realise the Self and be free.

In spirit you are one with the rest of humanity. God, the Ultimate Reality, is your own Self, as He is the Self of all – the Self of every atom of creation. This Truth is veiled from your sight on account of Fundamental Nescience. This ignorance has assumed as many forms as there are beings in this universe. All these beings are consciously and unconsciously striving to tear this veil of ignorance and realise their God. Everyone is progressing towards that Goal. And everyone is bound to reach It.

STRIVE FOR YOUR SALVATION

In this ignorance, however, each Jiva is separate from all the rest. Each Jiva has to independently work its way to the realisation of the God. You may help each other in various degrees. In fact, even this helping each other is a potent sadhana for developing love for each other. But remember this point well, no one else can achieve moksha or the Highest Release, for you. You must do that yourself.

Once you grasp this truth firmly, it will be apparent to you that your duty is to struggle with yourself, with your mind and with the internal enemies of lust, anger, greed and the host of other evils within, to eradicate them, to purify yourself and to evolve into Godhead, or rather realise your Self. All the religions of the world, therefore, preach that Truth, Love and Purity lead one to God. There is no religion in the world that preaches untruth, hatred and immorality as the path to God. The practice of these fundamental virtues cleanses the heart of the accumulated dross, and burns up the veil of ignorance, thus revealing the True Nature of the Self.

THE GOLDEN RULE

To love all is, therefore, the Golden Rule. Universal love is the key to cosmic consciousness or final liberation. The secret of cultivating universal love is ‘to see only good in others’. To be conscious of the defects only in one’s own self, and to be conscious of only the virtues of others, is to see God in all. God is All Goodness. He dwells in all. Therefore, everyone must be good. But why do we see evil? Obviously there must be something wrong in our own mental make-up. Let us then introspect, analyse our own mind, eradicate this habit of finding faults in others, and thus acquire equal vision. The moment man’s gaze is thus turned within himself, and he develops equal vision towards all humanity, that very moment peace, harmony and prosperity are born. It is this lower nature in man that prompts him to reform others while he feels quite happy about the evils that he breeds within himself, that have, in the history of mankind, caused so many wars and dissensions. The mind refuses to think of itself but is ever eager to think of others. If you analyse its vagaries, you will find that it does so only to find others’ faults (or even imagine them) and consequently feel supremely happy in the thought, “I am superior to others”. The wretched ego feeds on such vile thoughts; it grows fatter and fatter and to prove its superiority compels man to challenge others. A fight ensues. Depending on the status of the person in society, the quarrel is between two individuals or two villages, or two nations.

THE CLARION CALL

If, on the other hand, man learns to see only good in others, to think well of others, if he must think of them; and to concentrate more and more on his own self, to find out the evils that lurk within him, and to try to eradicate them, there would be peace everywhere. Every leader of the world today, will become an apostle of peace.

This is the clarion call of all the religions of the world. No religion concerns itself with a study of the defects of other religions. Every prophet, sage and seer, the founder of every religion, has exhorted the followers of that religion to follow the tenets of that religion and to realise the goal set before them in that religion.

A Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian, all of them can reside in the same room and yet live in loving comradeship, if only each of them practises the religion he professes, and leaves ‘the other man’ at peace to practise his religion.

Then would there be peace in the world. Whether we want it or not, religion does and will for ever, exert a profound influence on the inner man, consciously or unconsciously. When man’s religious conscience is tinged with love, tolerance and goodwill, then the other parts of his personality, his thoughts, his speech and his actions are all bound to be loving. He will not be greedy; he will not be swayed by lust and anger; he will not be jealous; he will not be arrogant. He will be a man of peace and love. He will strive to become a saint; and he will be saintly.