Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gadadhara-pandit-dasa/do-we-all-worship-the-sam_b_4210392.html
By Gadadhara Pandit Dasa
I would like to think so. Something tells me that heaven isn’t divided up into a Hindu, Christian, Muslim and Jewish heaven. I would like to think that, up there, we are united regardless of our faith here on Earth.
Sure, while on Earth, we have been given unique ways in which we connect with the Divine. However, even in our differences, there are many similarities. For example, many Hindus express their devotion to God through devotional song and dance, personal and individual prayers and through silent and mantra meditation practices that can go on for hours at a time. Christians also engage in song and prayer as an expression of their devotion to the Supreme. Sufis and some Jewish sects also engage in dance as an expression of joy in worshiping God while the Muslims pray five times a day.
Most of these traditions observe fasting at least once, if not, many times a year. The Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset on Ramadan. Catholics fast on lent and on Good Friday. Jews fast on Yom Kippur. The significance of fasting for all these traditions is the same, which is to reduce the focus on our physical bodies and to concentrate on our spiritual selves and our relationship with God.
There are similarities between the connection of food and the divine. During Mass, Catholics accept bread and wine or grape juice as the body and blood of Christ. This is done in remembrance of the persecution Jesus suffered for his people. Within the Hare Krishna movement, the monotheistic strand of Hinduism, vegetarian foods are offered to Lord Krishna before consumption. Food is purchased and cooked with the intention that it is for the pleasure of God or Krishna. Once the food is offered to God, with prayers of devotion, it is ready for consumption.
It is understood that once the food has been offered, because it was touched and tasted by the Divine, it becomes non-different from God. Those who then partake of such sanctified food, purify their heart and mind of envy, greed, pride, anger and selfish desire.
Even the descriptions of God that are given in the different traditions are somewhat similar to each other. In Judaism, God is known as the “First Being, without beginning or end, who brought all things into existence and continues to sustain them.” In Islam, “God is the All-Powerful and All-Knowing Creator, Sustainer, Ordainer and Judge of the universe.” In Christianity, “God is the divine being from which all things come.” In Hinduism, God is the “the eternal, transcendental, original person, the unborn, the greatest from whom everything emanates.”
I know there are many differences within these same traditions. The age of the universe varies between the Abrahamic traditions and Hinduism. The Eastern traditions and the mystical sects of the Abrahamic faiths believe in reincarnation. A belief that suggests that the current life isn’t an individual’s first life and won’t be the last and that a person gets many chances to correct oneself and achieve the spiritual realm. The Abrahamic faiths believe in only one life, after which, one is either elevated to heaven or descends to hell. The Western traditions are monotheistic while Hinduism comes across as polytheistic.
While no one can deny the stark differences that exist between the traditions, I would like to put greater focus on the similarities. We spend enough time differentiating ourselves from others, which only leads to factions. This mentality makes us want to feel that we have the right way and all others are wrong. One way to have harmony is to pay increased attention to what we all have in common.
It’s not just religion that is practiced differently by people of the Earth. We have different languages and ways in which distinctive cultures communicate. Does it make any sense to make the claim that one language is better than another? Each part of the world has some unique tastes, colors, and smells to their food. It doesn’t make sense to decry the food of any other culture. There are so many differences in the world, and too often these differences are creating quarrel and a need to feel superior.
I’m not suggesting we close our eyes to the differences that exist in our traditions, but am proposing that we maintain a balanced perspective by looking at both with an open and positive mind.
This is good preaching.
But, in a sense, this is wishful thinking…!
In Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 18. Text 66, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna states:
sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.”
PURPORT
The Lord has described various kinds of knowledge, processes of religion, knowledge of the Supreme Brahman, knowledge of the Supersoul, knowledge of the different types of orders and statuses of social life, knowledge of the renounced order of life, knowledge of nonattachment, sense and mind control, meditation, etc. He has described in so many ways different types of religion. Now, in summarizing Bhagavad-gita, the Lord says that Arjuna should give up all the processes that have been explained to him; he should simply surrender to Krsna. That surrender will save him from all kinds of sinful reactions, for the Lord personally promises to protect him.
In the Eighth Chapter it was said that only one who has become free from all sinful reactions can take to the worship of Lord Krsna. Thus one may think that unless he is free from all sinful reactions he cannot take to the surrendering process. To such doubts it is here said that even if one is not free from all sinful reactions, simply by the process of surrendering to Sri Krsna he is automatically freed. There is no need of strenuous effort to free oneself from sinful reactions. One should unhesitatingly accept Krsna as the supreme savior of all living entities. With faith and love, one should surrender unto Him.
According to the devotional process, one should simply accept such religious principles that will lead ultimately to the devotional service of the Lord. One may perform a particular occupational duty according to his position in the social order, but if by executing his duty one does not come to the point of Krsna consciousness, all his activities are in vain. Anything that does not lead to the perfectional stage of Krsna consciousness should be avoided. One should be confident that in all circumstances Krsna will protect him from all difficulties. There is no need of thinking how one should keep the body and soul together. Krsna will see to that. One should always think himself helpless and should consider Krsna the only basis for his progress in life.
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As soon as one seriously engages himself in devotional service to the Lord in full Krsna consciousness, at once he becomes freed from all contamination of material nature. There are different processes of religion and purificatory processes by cultivation of knowledge, meditation in the mystic yoga system, etc., but one who surrenders unto Krsna does not have to execute so many methods. That simple surrender unto Krsna will save him from unnecessarily wasting time. One can thus make all progress at once and be freed from all sinful reaction.
One should be attracted by the beautiful vision of Krsna. His name is Krsna because He is all-attractive. One who becomes attracted by the beautiful, all-powerful, omnipotent vision of Krsna is fortunate. There are different kinds of transcendentalists–some of them are attached to the impersonal Brahman vision, some of them are attracted by the Supersoul feature, etc., but one who is attracted to the personal feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and, above all, one who is attracted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead as Krsna Himself, is the most perfect transcendentalist. In other words, devotional service to Krsna, in full consciousness, is the most confidential part of knowledge, and this is the essence of the whole Bhagavad-gita. Karma-yogis, empiric philosophers, mystics, and devotees are all called transcendentalists, but one who is a pure devotee is the best of all. The particular words used here, ma sucah, “Don’t fear, don’t hesitate, don’t worry,” are very significant. One may be perplexed as to how one can give up all kinds of religious forms and simply surrender unto Krsna, but such worry is useless.
(End of Srila Prabhupada’s purport)
As it is, other religions do not reveal who God is…!
Be it in Judaism, in Christianity or in Islam, the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not reveal Himself and remains hidden…
Hence, His worshipers know that He exists but do not know who He is or what He looks like, even though it is said that He created man in His own image:
“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27)
But so far, He only manifested to mankind through these religions, through a Burning Bush, as a Voice, or by sending His son or His prophet.
Thus, only after many lifetimes, when one has come to a certain level of surrender, will one come to know who God is…
bahunam janmanam ante
jnanavan mam prapadyate
vasudevah sarvam iti
sa mahatma su-durlabhah
After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare. (B.g. 7.19)
Moreover,
manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
kaścid yatati siddhaye
yatatām api siddhānāṁ
kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ
Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth. (B.g. 7.3)
PURPORT
There are various grades of men, and out of many thousands, one may be sufficiently interested in transcendental realization to try to know what is the self, what is the body, and what is the Absolute Truth. Generally mankind is simply engaged in the animal propensities, namely eating, sleeping, defending and mating, and hardly anyone is interested in transcendental knowledge. The first six chapters of the Gītā are meant for those who are interested in transcendental knowledge, in understanding the self, the Superself and the process of realization by jñāna-yoga, dhyāna-yoga and discrimination of the self from matter. However, Kṛṣṇa can be known only by persons who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Other transcendentalists may achieve impersonal Brahman realization, for this is easier than understanding Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Person, but at the same time He is beyond the knowledge of Brahman and Paramātmā. The yogīs and jñānīs are confused in their attempts to understand Kṛṣṇa. Although the greatest of the impersonalists, Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya, has admitted in his Gītā commentary that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his followers do not accept Kṛṣṇa as such, for it is very difficult to know Kṛṣṇa, even though one has transcendental realization of impersonal Brahman.
Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the cause of all causes, the primeval Lord Govinda. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ/ anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam. It is very difficult for the nondevotees to know Him. Although nondevotees declare that the path of bhakti, or devotional service, is very easy, they cannot practice it. If the path of bhakti is so easy, as the nondevotee class of men proclaim, then why do they take up the difficult path? Actually the path of bhakti is not easy.
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The so-called path of bhakti practiced by unauthorized persons without knowledge of bhakti may be easy, but when it is practiced factually according to the rules and regulations, the speculative scholars and philosophers fall away from the path. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī writes in his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.101):
śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-
pañcarātra-vidhiṁ vinā
aikāntikī harer bhaktir
utpātāyaiva kalpate
“Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorized Vedic literatures like the Upaniṣads, Purāṇas and Nārada-pañcarātra is simply an unnecessary disturbance in society.”
It is not possible for the Brahman-realized impersonalist or the Paramātmā-realized yogī to understand Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the son of mother Yaśodā or the charioteer of Arjuna. Even the great demigods are sometimes confused about Kṛṣṇa (muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ). Māṁ tu veda na kaścana: “No one knows Me as I am,” the Lord says. And if one does know Him, then sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ. “Such a great soul is very rare.” Therefore unless one practices devotional service to the Lord, one cannot know Kṛṣṇa as He is (tattvataḥ), even though one is a great scholar or philosopher. Only the pure devotees can know something of the inconceivable transcendental qualities in Kṛṣṇa—His being the cause of all causes, His omnipotence and opulence, and His wealth, fame, strength, beauty, knowledge and renunciation—because Kṛṣṇa is benevolently inclined to His devotees. He is the last word in Brahman realization, and the devotees alone can realize Him as He is. Therefore it is said:
ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi
na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ
sevonmukhe hi jihvādau
svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ
(CC Madhya 17.136)
“No one can understand Kṛṣṇa as He is by the blunt material senses. But He reveals Himself to the devotees, being pleased with them for their transcendental loving service unto Him.” (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.234)
Hence,
yesam tv anta-gatam papam
jananam punya-karmanam
te dvandva-moha-nirmukta
bhajante mam drdha-vratah
Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination.
(B.g. 7.28)
PURPORT
Those eligible for elevation to the transcendental position are mentioned in this verse.
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For those who are sinful, atheistic, foolish and deceitful, it is very difficult to transcend the duality of desire and hate. Only those who have passed their lives in practicing the regulative principles of religion, who have acted piously and who have conquered sinful reactions can accept devotional service and gradually rise to the pure knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then, gradually, they can meditate in trance on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the process of being situated on the spiritual platform. This elevation is possible in Krsna consciousness in the association of pure devotees who can deliver one from delusion.
It is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam that if one actually wants to be liberated he must render service to the devotees; but one who associates with materialistic people is on the path leading to the darkest region of existence. All the devotees of the Lord traverse this earth just to recover the conditioned souls from their delusion. The impersonalists do not know that forgetting their constitutional position as subordinate to the Supreme Lord is the greatest violation of God’s law. Unless one is reinstated in his own constitutional position, it is not possible to understand the Supreme Personality or to be fully engaged in His transcendental loving service with determination. (End of Srila Prabhupada’s purport)
Yet, we should not discourage people from sincerely practicing their religion.
Lecture on SB 6.1.1 — Melbourne, May 21, 1975:
Devotee (4): Śrīla Prabhupāda, in Bhagavad-gītā it says that “Out of millions of men, only one may come to know Me, and of millions who know Me, only one can understand.” What are ways…?
Prabhupāda: Hmm? What is that?
Madhudviṣa: He’s speaking about the verse, “Out of millions of men who try for the path, only one may know Me, and out of those who know Me, only very few know Me in truth.”
Prabhupāda: That is stated in Bhagavad-gītā also.
manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
kaścid yatati siddhaye
yatatām api siddhānāṁ
kaścin vetti māṁ tattvataḥ
(BG 7.3)
Where is Bhagavad-gītā? Find out this verse. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu: “Out of many millions of men.” The human life is meant for understanding God. Then… He can understand, but the attempt is not there. They are after sense gratification. Nobody is interested to understand God. Everybody is interested in cats’ and dogs’ business, sense gratification.
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Therefore out of many millions of men, one can understand that “My life is meant for other purpose.” That is called siddhi, perfection, “How I shall make my life perfect?” This desire arises in one man out of millions. And they are simply engaged, how to satisfy senses perfectly. But that will never be done. A sane man thinks that “I have done it so many lives. I have not been satisfied. I have not become perfection. Then where is perfection?” That inquisitiveness makes him eligible. Just like ādau śraddhā. I have already explained. So after becoming siddha, perfect… Perfect means one must know that “I am not this body; I am soul,” ahaṁ brahmāsmi. That is perfection of knowledge. So Kṛṣṇa says, yatatām api siddhānām: (BG 7.3) “Those who have become perfect, out of many millions of them, one can understand what I am.” It is not so easy to understand God. But if you take the process as is recommended in the śāstras by saintly person, then it is easy. Otherwise it is not easy. If you speculate to understand God, that is not possible. Then you go on and many, many years speculating. You will never understand God. Either you take the shelter of Lord Jesus Christ or Kṛṣṇa, if you follow his instruction—this is the way of understanding—then you will understand. But if you don’t care for his instruction, then you will never understand. This is the process. Hmm. (End of Prabhupada’s comment)
Thus, one may take the example of a mountain…
Many paths head towards the top of the mountain… But, as one makes progress forward, there are lesser paths and they come closer to each other till they merge into one unique path, where “sarva dharmam parityaja”, one gives up all these religions which were like so many paths elevating the soul, and just surrender unto Krishna, so that one may ultimately reach His divine lotus feet…
“Then the plant bhakti grows, grows, grows, grows; regular watering must be there, sravana and kirtana. It then penetrates the Brahmananda, then it goes to Viraja and goes to Brahman effulgence and then it reaches Paravyoma, the Spiritual Sky. This creeper goes, goes, goes, then tabe yaha tad-upari ‘goloka-vrindavana, reaches Vaikuntha, then last is Goloka-Vrindavana.” – Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Maharaja, Bhubaneswar, 1991
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Therefore out of many millions of men, one can understand that “My life is meant for other purpose.” That is called siddhi, perfection, “How I shall make my life perfect?” This desire arises in one man out of millions. And they are simply engaged, how to satisfy senses perfectly. But that will never be done. A sane man thinks that “I have done it so many lives. I have not been satisfied. I have not become perfection. Then where is perfection?” That inquisitiveness makes him eligible. Just like ādau śraddhā. I have already explained. So after becoming siddha, perfect… Perfect means one must know that “I am not this body; I am soul,” ahaṁ brahmāsmi. That is perfection of knowledge. So Kṛṣṇa says, yatatām api siddhānām: [Bg. 7.3] “Those who have become perfect, out of many millions of them, one can understand what I am.” It is not so easy to understand God. But if you take the process as is recommended in the śāstras by saintly person, then it is easy. Otherwise it is not easy. If you speculate to understand God, that is not possible. Then you go on and many, many years speculating. You will never understand God. Either you take the shelter of Lord Jesus Christ or Kṛṣṇa, if you follow his instruction—this is the way of understanding—then you will understand. But if you don’t care for his instruction, then you will never understand. This is the process. Hmm. (End of Srila Prabhupada’s comment)