Manav Kendra

Vishva Mandirs

In order to chisel out the Real Man in human mould, the centre shall provide facilities to develop in him consciousness of a healthy and righteous living before anything else for True Living is essential for attaining Truth. For this purpose the society proposes to set up Vishva Mandirs or Halls of Universal Worship and Prayer, which is, the earth below and sky overhead. These will be sort of all-souls seminaries where everyone will be able to study, discuss and worship freely and fearlessly according to one’s faith and belief side by side with others, with the object of finding within Him the Light of Life, the Spirit and Power of God, the Great Vital Forces creating and sustaining the entire creation.

The scriptures of the various religions of the world agree on the fundamental nature of God. God-in-absolute is an abstraction which nobody has ever seen nor can see. But when the Absolute Power became God-into-expression-Power, that Power manifested itself as Light. All the Sacred Texts are at one on this. He is said to be Jyoti Swaroop – the Father of Light, Noor-un-Ala-noor – Light of the first order or transcendent Light. In the beginning God appeared as Light, and from that Light sprang all the creation. Moses saw God as Light on Koh-i-Noor and God spoke to him in the midst of thunder and lightening. Zoroaster or the Great Star of Persia bears ample testimony to the Light of God. Prince Gautama on realisation became Buddha or the Enlightened One. Saint John, the Prince of the Mystic speaks eloquently of this Light in the Book of Revelations in the Holy Bible. All these Great Teachers talk of this primordial Light and of the melody of the Divine Music coming out of the Light of God. The ancient called It the Music of Spheres, the Vedas speak of It as Vak Devi or Sruti, the Upanishads as Udgit – the Song of the Beyond –, the Zend Avasta as Sraosha. The Mohammedans call It Kalma or Kalam-i-Qadim – the most ancient call. The Sufis sing praise of Saut-e-sarmadi, all of which term are exactly parallel with Akash Bani or the Heavenly Music. The gospels describe It as the Holy Word. The Saints have given It the name of Nad of Shabd. One who has had an actual experience of the reality or the Light and Sound of God can easily explain the apparent diversities in the sacred text matters external like the different modes of worship among different people, the structural formations of the temples and mosques, the churches and synagogues, the pagodas and gurdawaras, and the significance of the ringing bells, blowing of conches, the church organs and the lighting of candles, fire worship, sun temples – Jot-Mayas – in many places in the world. Such a one alone can give a right understanding of the esoteric matters when translated into active practice in many forms and symbols expressive of twin principle of Light and Sound, the Creative Word; the One Life-Principle, now lost and forgotten by the multitudes.

This then is the pearl of inestimable value lying buried under the dead weight of archaic verbiage and terminology of many multi splendoured texts. Again, these texts in so many different ways trying to explain the things on the level of the intellect only, which being just an infinitesimal part of the vast creation cannot grasp even the theoretical aspect of this transcendental Life-Principle enlivening the entire microcosm – beside the macrocosm –, including the intellect itself. How can the part understand the whole or the lesser comprehend the greater? And still it is at the core of our being; we live and move in It and by It. It is lying in the deepest folds of the mind and may be unfolded by a Master-mind Who, having Himself realised the Truth may, by His Grace, make the Truth manifest to others by presenting Him as Evan Brahm – there is Brahman or the Creative Word –, so as to grasp Him and practise Him from day to day.

It shall be the duty of Vishva Mandirs to serve as Truth-teaching and Truth-experiencing institutions, and all the seekers of Truth will learn to live in a maitri or friendly atmosphere imbibing the best from each other.

In order to foster the spirit of Oneness – One God, the basic Truth of the Holy Light and Holy Sound, the primordial expressions of Godhood, as universally acknowledged on all hands, as the origin of all creations, springing from one source – among the people professing various faiths beliefs, the Vishva Mandirs shall have attached to them halls of learning. These will be stocked with valuable and authentic works on all religions, the life and teaching of their respective founders, giving a graphic account of the tone and tenor of the times in which they lived, the socio-economic conditions then prevailing and the temper of the people among whom they had to execute the Divine Mission. In this way, they will be encouraged to make a comparative study of the scriptures of the extant religions, understand the causes underlying the superficial difference in each other’s rites and rituals and in the outer modes of worship and the like.

The underlying idea of the whole scheme is to inculcate in man, Sam-Bhav for Sarv-Dharma or equal regard and respect for all religions. Truth is basically One, but the approach to Truth is essentially individualistic according to one’s own mental make-up and the herd instinct of society in which one is born, bred and brought up. It is only by sitting together and mutual discussion that one is born, bred and brought up. It is only by sitting together and mutual discussion that one learns to sink the so-called differences in the sweet and loving remembrance of God – the Living God in the heart of each individual.

This work of regeneration will be supplemented by lively discourses from the really awakened and enlightened person, thoroughly imbued with the Love, Light and Life of God – God of the entire world and not of this or that sect or country or region. This will automatically result in laying the foundation of University of Religions.

We, living in the 20^th century, are fortunate inasmuch as we have great stock of rich and valuable treasures coming down from our forefathers; and can understand them better than ever before by correct application and diligence directed the right way. Herein lies the value of Vishva Mandirs.