Religions too are like this. Each one sees only one perspective and concludes the Truth from that whereas the essence is vast and infinite. The central Truth is so expansive and encompassing that when it is understood, there can be no quarrel. Truth is all-inclusive. Religion is one’s personal experience and it is important to live one’s life without impinging on the others’ right to their own faith.
This story, favourite to Jalaluddin Rumi—the 13th century Persian poet and Sufi mystic—isabout four visually challenged men who go about describing an elephant. One touches the feet and describes that the elephant is like a pillar, the second man feels the trunk and explains that it is in the shape of a hosepipe, the third one touches the tail and explains that it is a stick with bristles, and the fourth person feels the ears and describes them as fans. Thus done with their subjective descriptions, they fight amongst themselves claiming that their personal version of the elephant is indeed the right one. Noticing their agitation, a passerby with clear sight enquires the reason for their fight, then laughs and explains that while each one was correct in their own way, they missed ‘the whole’ completely, the elephant in its entirety.
Religions too are like this. Each one sees only one perspective and concludes the Truth from that whereas the essence is vast and infinite. The central Truth is so expansive and encompassing that when it is understood, there can be no quarrel. Truth is all-inclusive. Religion is one’s personal experience and it is important to live one’s life without impinging on the others’ right to their own faith.
Problems arise because we dare not open our eyes and see; like horses, we wear blinds, which force us to see only in one direction. We must consider different religionsas multi-coloured beads strung together like a ‘maala’ (necklace).During my padayatra, I have visited the OachiraParabrahma Temple in Kerala. Its uniqueness is there is no other temple dedicated to Para Brahman or Universal Consciousness in the entire world. It is a beacon heralding the centrality of human oneness or ManavEkta. We are all fragments of the Supreme and the Supreme soul is present within all of us.
The Father of our nation, Gandhiji, who strived zealously for communal harmony in his time has said: “It is easy enough to be friendly to one’s friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion.”The ability to love and empathise is a true indicator of the maturity of a Yogi. Bhagavad Gita says all human beings are like Kshetra (temple) within which the Kshetrajna [the Parabrahma(Supreme Cosmic Spirit, or Godhead)] resides. We need to love and respect all Kshetras, maintain and take care of them. I am fully convinced about this.
The Holy Bible says: “Know ye not that you are children of God’”. This conveys that all religions have a common essence. Across the infinite world, which is beyond our mind and intellect, we try to build a bridge with our limited senses and mind. The mind has impurities that impede spiritual progression and, therefore, purifying the mind is imperative. Good and kind deeds, contemplation and meditation ensure true progress in the inner realm. This culminates in the realization that one is a small spark of the divine.
