This is the text of a talk that I gave during the inauguration of Harmony Club in St.Joseph’s Indian High School, Bangalore, on 10th September 2022.
Right from time immemorial, Hinduism has been a promoter of harmony between variou beliefs, ways of worship and schools of thought. Rig Veda, which is dated to more than 5,000 or even 10,000 years back, says “ekam sat vipraa bhudaa vadanti” – “Truth is one. Wise people call it by various names.” Note that, it does not say “fools”. It says “wise people”. Harmony is a fundamental core of Hinduism.
To understand the Harmony in Hinduism, we need to understand the concept of God in Hinduism. Let us spend some time doing that.
As students of science and biology, you all know that our body consists of a large number of cells. Each cell is a living being of its own right. For example, a red blood corpuscle (RBC) takes birth in the bone marrow, lives for about 120 days and dies. It is a living being, just like an amoeba. When each cell in the body is a living being, they are dependent on the person for their life. If the person dies, all the cells slowly die over a period of time. The cells depend on the “super being”, which is the person, for their life.
Similarly, we are all like “cells” in the “body” of the Supreme Being called God. God is the Supreme Being, whose body is this entire Universe. It is His life that manifests as life in all living beings. It is His thought that manifests in the minds of all living beings. This is the concept of God in Hinduism. The Yajur Veda says, “yat ca kinchit jagat sarvam drishyate shruyate api vaa” – “whatever you see and hear in this Universe is God alone”. “antar bahisca tat sarvam vyaapya naaraayana stitah” – “inside and outside, everywhere is filled with God alone”. The Gita says, “aham vaishvaanaro bhootva praaninaam deham aashritah, praanaapaana samaa yuktah pachaamyannam chaturvidam” – “I am the heat of life in the body of all living beings. I breathe in and breathe out from within all living beings. I digest all kinds of food eaten by all living beings.” There are several such verses in the Vedas, Gita and all the Hindu texts.
As the Universal Being, there can be only one such Being. So, there is only one God. This One God manifests through different saints, prophets and incarnations in different times and cultures in different parts of the world. It is the same God who inspired Prophet Mohammed and Moses, who manifested as Jesus and Krishna. The Gita says, “yadaa yadaa hi dharmasya glaanirbhavati bhaarata, abyutaanam adharmasya tadaatmaanam srujaamyaham. paritraanaaya saadhoonaam vinaashaaya ca dushkritaam, dharma samsthaapanaarthaaya sambhavaami yuge yuge” – “Whenever virtue declines and vice prevails, I manifest in this world. To protect the good and destroy the evil, and to establish righteousness I manifest in every era.” There is no limitation to the manifestation of the Lord. You and I are minor manifestations. A bigger manifestation are the saints. A still bigger manifestation are the prophets. A still bigger manifestation are the incarnations. They are all manifestations of the same God. The same God manifests in different parts of the world in different ages, in the past, in the present and in the future.
This one God responds to the devotees based on how they worship Him. Gita says, “yo yo yaam yaam tanum bhaktah shraddhayaarcitum ichchati, tasya tasyaachalaam shraddhaam taameva vidadhaamyaham” – “Through whichever form, whichever name, through whichever ritual, a devotee worships with faith, that worship comes to Me. I respond back to the devotion through the same name and form, thus strengthening the faith of the devotee.” Thus, you can worship God through any name, form or ritual. God, being omniscient, knows that you are worshiping Him. He will respond back. Also, the same God is worshiped through different forms and names based on the context of the individual worshiper. If you consider yourself as an Indian citizen, the same God is worshiped as “Bharat Maata”. If you consider yourself as a living being on Earth, the same God is worshiped as “Mother Earth”. When you seek knowledge, you worship God as “Saraswati”. When you seek wealth, you worship God as “Lakshmi”. When you start a venture, you worship God as “Ganesha”. If you are a Christian, you worship God as “Jesus”. If you are a Muslim, you worship God as “Allah”. If you are a Hindu, you worship the same God as “Shiva” or “Vishnu” or “Raama” or “Krishna” or “Ganesha” or “Hanumaan”. They are all manifestations of the same God.
Thus, when we understand God as the One Universal Supreme Being of this Universe, who manifests through various saints, prophets and incarnations, who responds to worship through all names, forms and rituals, then there will be natural Harmony among religions. This is the idea of God in Hinduism.