Conference on Unity of Religions

Third Session 4 February 1974, evening

The third session which was on Unity of Religions started in the huge Pandal at Ramlila grounds at 5 p.m. under the aegis of Jain Muni Sushil Kumar and chairmanship of Maha Mahdleshwar Swami Ved Vyasansnand Ji Maharaj. The conference was attended by heads of religious formations, social organisations and leaders of public opinion. The vast pandal was, as usual, packed to capacity.

The chairman, Swami Ved Vyasanand Ji said:

It is a gathering of Saints and Sadhus representing different schools of philosophy, sects and formation. There was a time when two sadhus would not sit together. But now we see them all sitting in one line here. The whole credit for this goes to Satguru Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj Who has accomplished the almost impossible task of bringing sadhus together on one common platform.

Continuing he said,

There is a saint who starts a sect or a formation. But his circle is limited. And there is a Saint Who, rising above formations and sects, takes in all God’s creation in His loving embrace. He sees all men from the level of soul. Satguru Kirpal Singh belongs to the latter category of Saints.

Swami Ji made an impassioned plea for inter religious amity and unity. He said,

Religion or dharma is One. The various denominations – Hindu, Moslem, is truth, non violence, love, harmony, service of fellow man, good behaviour etc., which is the base of all religions. Where then is the difference? It is now for us, the heads of various formations, the sadhus and saints, to work whole heartedly for Unity among people professing different faiths.

Muni Sushil Kumar said,

The real cause of all conflicts is rigidity and dogmatism, the inability to appreciate others’ view point. Only the Saints are free from it. The oldest scripture is the Veda and the latest is the Gurbani. Both include the sayings of all Holy Men. If we were to appreciate the viewpoint of the opposite party, most of our problems would be solved. If men of religion were to sit together we would have Unity in no time. The trouble is that while the wrongdoers, the drunkards, the bullies and the others are united the good men have no Unity. Good men are in majority but lack Unity, and organisation.

So all religions will have to join together, otherwise they will not survive. And religion is vital for the very survival of man and his society. It is religion which draws the line of demarcation between a man’s relations with his sister and wife. Religion or dharma in fact is the true nature of soul. Who teaches a dog to wag his tail in gratitude when offered bread and to slink away with his tail between legs when it steals? Dharma is that which the soul naturally adopts. The institutionalized religions with their forms and formularies merely define and interpret the Real Inner Religion.

Baba Bir Singh Namdhari congratulated Satguru Kirpal Singh for having brought together men of religion on one common platform.

The problems besetting religion mainly arise out of the fact that we all verbally profess to be votaries of religion and fail to act up to its teachings,

he said, and added,

The basic tenet of religion is to love and serve one’s fellows, not only one’s co-religionists but all mankind. If we were to act up to this one teaching there would be no disunity or strife between votaries of religion.

Sufi Qadri Baba Shib, speaking in chaste Urdu said,

Sant Kirpal Singh is the one Enlightened Man, Who has sensed the need of the times and organised this grand international meet. Unity is our greatest strength and ending all inequalities our aim. I look forward to the time when four brothers in a family would profess different faiths and yet live together in perfect amity and accord.

Swami Govindanand of Shahinshahi Sshram said,

The Power that sustains the whole creation is dharma and a man of religion is one who is contacted with it. The ethical code of dharma and as it relates to one’s relation with his fellow man is laid down by manu, the ancient Indian law giver in the famous dictum: Do not that in this age of darkness. We are all assembled here in the name of Dharma on the auspicious occasion of the 81^st birth anniversary of Satguru Kirpal Singh Maharaj. May He live long and continue to give the light of dharma to all mankind.

Swami Arvindanand said that all creation came from the one primordial Light and that Light was in each one of us.

Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj gives all seekers an Inner contact with that Light. Only he who is contacted with the Light of God within can think of humanism. Others may talk of it but cannot think of it, much less reflect it in their daily life. It is only those who are One with Him, the elect of God, who feel for their fellows and are moved by compassion, that strive for the Unity of Man. It is the pain of the realisation of men tearing each other like wild beasts that has moved the compassionate heart of Sant Kirpal Singh to organise this great World Conference on Unity of Man.

Swami Chetnanand Chidakashi said that looking at this vast concourse of men of all faiths and strata of society from all over the world one has a living realisation of the world family of man. No temporal power of government of a king minister can bring an Inner Change in man. It is only Saints like Satguru Kirpal Singh Who can do it, through radiation. That is why we contemplate on the Holy Face of the Saints for with that we absorb the uplifting currents of Everlasting Life. Rare fortunate ones are those who have the golden opportunity of doing that. I have myself seen in Sawan Ashram the devotees of the Living Master Sant Kirpal Singh Ji sitting still in meditation for four to five hours at a stretch.

And let me tell you that your Manav Sammelan or Man Conference should really be a congregation of Saints for They emit the radiation of Spirituality which unites you with your fellows and with God. The impressions, sanskaras, one gets from the learned scholars of religion create rifts and divisions for they themselves are divided in their interpretation of scriptural texts. Saints are the great reconcilers Who come to unite man with man and with God.

Amongst others who addressed themselves to religious integration and the ideals of peace and Unity were the veteran philosopher Kaka Saheb Kalelkar, who stressed the need for Love and for non-violence and felt that the time has come when all leaders of religious faiths should become members of one family, so that every religion could say fearlessly that man was One; all religious leaders should themselves work and teach man to work for the millions of poor people, uplifting them culturally, economically and spiritually, bringing hope in their lives. This could be done by spreading the cult of Universal Love which was the essence of all religions. He said that he was convinced that Love was the one thing that made man fearless, and, with fear gone, Unity was a reality.

Reverend Kushak Bakula, head Lama of Laddakh, stressed that Buddhism had taught man to love and the Dharma laid great emphasis on Unity of Man. In essence all religions taught the same values of life and if man only understood the Eternal Truth, doing good and being good, our ideal would be achieved and happiness would rule the world.

Raja Mahendra Pratap, the old revolutionary and thinker, gave an exposition of how Love was the greatest gift of the Supreme Power, the Creator and Sustainer of all that is. It was He Who sent Prophets from time to people who needed emphasis on a particular ill besetting them, and we must, therefore, respect all religions, and whatever our religion, we must be true to it. All religions have taught humanism and our need today is for man to cleanse his mind and bring about a revolution of thought through thought force.

Satguru Kirpal Singh Ji, speaking at the end said:

You have been listening to the wise men these two days expounding to you the True Purpose of life. Some of you may have listened with one ear and let it out with the other, retaining nothing inside. Some others may have memorised what they heard to talk to others. This will not do. The true benefit of listening is that you digest it and then act up to it.

Lord Krishna explained to Arjuna the various aspects of religion that fill the 18 chapters of Gita and even manifested his Virat Swaroopa – the all pervading form of Kal or Negative Power – before him and in the end what did he say?

Oh Arjuna did you hear?

These three words have great significance.

Did you hear? If you did, how far has it dispelled your doubts and delusions?

The real benefit of listening is to the extent it becomes part of your life and you act upon it. All mankind is One. We have to translate into action that we are all One. Remain in your own formations and retain your distinctive labels and badges. These only indicate the particular school one has joined to know oneself and to know God. Manifested come from time to time and give us right understanding. We have been studying their teachings and enquiring about the Godway. What we lacked was action.

Why ask the way when you do not take to the Path? How can you reach the Home of the Beloved by mere talk?

A spoon may move in a pot of pudding from morning till evening but it cannot enjoy the sweet taste of the pudding. The taste can be enjoyed only when you eat it. We are fortunate to have this great gathering here of enlightened men by the Grace of God and it is He Who speaks through them in diverse ways for our instruction and guidance. Now ask yourself what have you understood and to what extent your doubts and delusions have been dispelled? At least know this that we are all One. There is no difference between man and man. All have the same immortal soul essence and pray to the same God by different names. All men are born equal – no right, no low. Who among men is the highest?

The lowest of the lowly, the chandala is the highest, when he has realised God in his heart.

He who has realised God in the man-body is the highest of all men. The Masters come from time to time. They come to make men see who do not see. They open the Inner Eye, variously called as the Single Eye, the Third Eye, Shiv Netra, decide for yourself – what you have understood and how you are going to follow it up in action? You have my best wishes. May the Grace of God be with you. If we were to digest what we have heard and act up to it there would be peace and happiness on earth.