Sri Narayana Guru’s concept of essential unity of all religions

Note by Brp  Bhaskar (http://goo.gl/34DnXL)

Today is Sivaratri. On this day in 1924, an All Religions Conference, said to be the first of its kind inIndia, was held at the Advaita Ashram at Aluva in Kerala at the instance of Sri Narayana Guru by his disciples. Scholars representing Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Zorastrianism, Arya Samaj and Brahmo Samaj as well as Rationalism and Athiesm addressed the conference.


The object of the conference was "To know and to make known, not to argue and to vanquish." These words were written in large letters and displayed at the entrance to the conference venue, on the dais and at other assembly points. Justice T. Sadasiva lyer of Madras High Court presided over the conference.

The Guru was present throughout the conference.

His chief disciple,Swami Sathyavrathan, who would have become the second head of the Sivagiri Mutt if he had not predeceased the Guru, outlined the Guru’s concept of essential unity of all religions, in the welcome address.

He said, “It is universally acclaimed that Bhagwan Sri Narayana Paramahamsa is a most esteemed religious adviser living amidst the people of Kerala with total dedication to spiritual ideals and performing continuous tapas and observing eternal brahmacharya…

“Gurudev was born a Hindu and in the eyes of other people lives as a Hindu. But he has learnt non-Hindu precepts as much as possible. Those who have known him closely do not have to be told that he has realized that the ultimate objective of all religions is the same and that any religion has the power to make a man a noble citizen useful to the world or a mumukshu liberated from earthly bonds and that religious feuds are not about interna lprinciples but about certain rituals and practices, and he has been advising his disciples and followers accordingly. On that basis, the precept given by Gurudev, 'One Caste, One Religion, One God for Man', has now been accepted by his disciples as a motto. Although one cannot be sure if the modern world, where brotherhood and fellowship have been fragmented by differences of caste and religion, besides differences of nationality and language, will accept this sacred precept today or tomorrow, after a century or after a millennium, all those who are capable of thinking can easily understand that the situation arising from caste and religious differences on earth will not end except through acceptance of this advice. Bhagvan Sri Narayana Paramahamsa encouraged us, his followers, to hold such a conference as he knows it will help to bring home to the people how sacred and true this advice is….

“It must be admitted that priests who treat ailments of the mind have the responsibility to answer the question why, when man can unhesitatingly take medicine for physical ailments without inquiring about the religious identity of the physician who prescribes the treatment, the same principle cannot be accepted in the case of ailments of the mind. The Hindus do not hesitate to read the philosophical works of Socrates, Spencer, Kant and Swedenborg because they were Europeans,and Europeans do not hesitate to read the philosophical works of Badarayanacharya and Sankara because they were Hindus. We, disciples of Sri Narayana, wonder why likewise a follower of one religion cannot read the sacred texts of other religions, understand the ideals enshrined in them and try to follow them in practice in his day-to-day life. It is our humble belief that just as educative works of philosophy, science and the arts are considered by followers of all religions as the common property of mankind, regardless of differences of nationality, caste and religion, and use them to enhance knowledge, so also spiritually educative religious texts must be considered the common property of mankind and used to enhance knowledge. We would also like to state here that if anyone can rationally establish that this belief is wrong we are ready to respectfully reconsider the matter….

“Everyone says and believes that religion is a spiritual matter. All founders of religions started instructing their disciples in their religion as a means of salvation. Sage Buddha strictly advised that only he who has abjured all desires will have Nirvana. ‘Leave everything and follow me,’ Christ told his disciples. That there is no moksha except for one who has renounced is an undisputed principle of those in all branches of Hinduism.

“It was the scientist who discovered sulphuric acid.  But it is the capitalist who makes profit by investing money to collect large quantities of it and distribute it all over the world. As with scientific principles, so it is with spiritual principles and means of salvation. They are carried forward not by the mahatmas who discovered them but by clever people who become famous as priests. I don’t say all are like that but many are….

“Just as rulers desire to extend their empires and bring the whole world under one umbrella, so also,it appears, religious leaders want to bring everything under one religious empire. Just as the king’s empire mania leads to war and destruction, the religious chiefs’ empire mania also leads to war and destruction. It is some consolation that since one empire is distinguished from another by determining their boundaries quarrels between countries occur only occasionally. Religious empires have no fixed boundaries.”

16 February 2015 at 21:29 Courtesy @BRP Baskar http://goo.gl/JB2Agj