sumitsehrawat
April 14th, 2005, 10:42 AM
Religion, which is eternal, is the property of all people. Any attempt to remove its influence from the masses will be only an exercise in futility. Whether one likes it or not, it is soaked in every individual and cannot be removed from him. For instance, one comes across a pavement dweller or a daily wage-earner getting out of the bed and worshipping even a brick to which he or she applies some vermillion powder. For such persons it serves as a symbol of God and as the supreme power.
What is relevant to Hinduism is the basic faith entertained by all that God will certainly come to the succour of those who believe in Him. The intellectuals however visit temples or study scriptural texts and derive the benefit. The world cannot thrive even for a second without religious activity in some way or the other. The common factor in all religions is the belief that there exists in it Transcendental Truth, acceptable by all and applicable to all. This idea will continue to be entertained for all time to come. The purpose of religion is the creation of Divine consciousness.
Hinduism is secular in character giving scope for everyone to follow any of the numerous Gods, before him, in any manner he likes. Vedic religion dins into us that all religions should be honoured. The 'Atharva Veda' points out that there is only one God though He has many forms and there are different paths to reach Him. This is spelt out even in the Bhagavad Gita though Lord Krishna ultimately declares that He alone should be approached.
Hindus are catholic in their outlook as evidenced by the fact that they offer worship in all temples. They desire that unity should be maintained. Is it not a wonder that the Aiyappa cult has spread. No one compelled people to adopt this type of worship. The Yadhavas were firmly attached to Lord Krishna while devotees in Ayodhya and elsewhere swore only in the name of Sri Rama but they do not come into conflict with each other.
The basic feature is unity in diversity. It is a secular religion whose tenets, upheld by all, has to be, "the unity fostered by it maintained, the common factor promoted and the Divinity in each Hindu deity accepted".
January 5, 1991
The Hindu
What is relevant to Hinduism is the basic faith entertained by all that God will certainly come to the succour of those who believe in Him. The intellectuals however visit temples or study scriptural texts and derive the benefit. The world cannot thrive even for a second without religious activity in some way or the other. The common factor in all religions is the belief that there exists in it Transcendental Truth, acceptable by all and applicable to all. This idea will continue to be entertained for all time to come. The purpose of religion is the creation of Divine consciousness.
Hinduism is secular in character giving scope for everyone to follow any of the numerous Gods, before him, in any manner he likes. Vedic religion dins into us that all religions should be honoured. The 'Atharva Veda' points out that there is only one God though He has many forms and there are different paths to reach Him. This is spelt out even in the Bhagavad Gita though Lord Krishna ultimately declares that He alone should be approached.
Hindus are catholic in their outlook as evidenced by the fact that they offer worship in all temples. They desire that unity should be maintained. Is it not a wonder that the Aiyappa cult has spread. No one compelled people to adopt this type of worship. The Yadhavas were firmly attached to Lord Krishna while devotees in Ayodhya and elsewhere swore only in the name of Sri Rama but they do not come into conflict with each other.
The basic feature is unity in diversity. It is a secular religion whose tenets, upheld by all, has to be, "the unity fostered by it maintained, the common factor promoted and the Divinity in each Hindu deity accepted".
January 5, 1991
The Hindu