Posted on: 11 Feb 2005
The various factors are:
Communal wars based on religious differences
Every religion says that their own God created this entire world. Since there is only one world, there should be one God, who must be impartial to all the children in the universe. That one God must have preached the same spiritual knowledge in different languages and different countries, which were disconnected and had no communication in olden days. At that time, had He preached the true spiritual knowledge to one country only, God would become partial because some generations in other countries would have passed without receiving the communication of that spiritual knowledge. Had they got it, at least some of them might have reached God. Of course today, all the countries are connected with communication and since that special spiritual knowledge is communicated to all the countries, the disbelievers in any country must go to hell. But what about the people of those old generations who went to hell due to the only reason that they were not communicated this knowledge at that time? For no fault of theirs, they went to hell. The assumption that those unfortunate souls can take human rebirth now to hear that special knowledge on this earth is also ruled out since you say that there is no rebirth for the soul. All this makes God partial.
Let us assume that God taught that special knowledge in that old time to a particular country because that country alone contained all the deserving human beings. It is just like an intensive coaching which is given to a special class containing all the topmost students. This is also ruled out because at that time even the worst souls were present in every country. This is proved because at the time when Jesus was giving that special knowledge, there were evil souls who crucified Him. When Krishna gave that special knowledge in His time, several enemies fought with Him. Similarly, Mohammed too had to fight with several enemies to establish His preaching. Therefore, the partiality of God to a special group of deserving people is also ruled out. If you say blindly that God is partial only to a particular country irrespective of deserving and undeserving souls, it would mean that God would have to be blind like you.
Faith is the final part of the path to reach God. But, faith should not be blind. It should be the result of true knowledge, which is the fruit of logical analysis. Science also believes a concept. But that concept must have been established by practical experiments followed by a detailed logical analysis. Such faith stands permanently and will appeal even to the hearts of scholars apart from ordinary people. Such faith alone can be universal. If faith is to be accepted without the logic, a terrorist may come to kill you. His faith is to kill innocent people. Do you respect his faith and get killed by him? No, you will resist him and get him arrested and produce him before the court. The advocates and judge ask for reasons and hold logical arguments. Let the judge and the advocates hold on to their own faiths and let them not discuss the case. Will you be satisfied?
In the scriptures of every religion, the corresponding human incarnation gave statements like “I am the light, I am the path, I and My Father are one and the same, One can reach My Father only through Me” etc. Every fanatic follows that particular human being [prophet or human incarnation] alone quoting only the scripture of his religion. Suppose there is a neutral person. Which religion he should join? Every shopkeeper is shouting that his shop alone is the best shop and invites that one customer. The above concept of one God and one world clearly demands the unity in all the human incarnations and in all the religious scriptures. Statements of those scriptures if properly interpreted can achieve this. The word ‘I’ means the human incarnation in general. It is called ‘Emmanuel’ in the Bible, which means that God comes to live with human beings.
The Gita also says that God enters the human body. The God pervades all over the human body like an electric current pervading all over the wire. The current and the wire become one and the same. This is the interpretation of oneness of Father and the Son. One can experience God only through a common medium in which He is present. Thus human beings can experience God only through the human incarnation. This is the interpretation of the statement that one can reach the Father only through the Son. The human incarnation clearly preaches the special knowledge like a light showing every minute detail. Such interpretations reveal the real universal meaning of the scriptures.
When a mother says to her children “All of you must serve me”, it does not mean that she should be served by all the children in the world. The children residing far away cannot serve her. Her statement should be limited only to her children and you should limit her as the mother of only those children. If you generalise her as any general mother, then it means that every child should serve his or her own mother. Therefore the ignorance and conservatism leads to limitation and generalisation based on the true knowledge makes it universal.
Poverty and Suffering
A poor man suffers in his poverty and the poverty is the punishment given for the previous sin committed by the soul. If such a poor person is helped, it amounts to interference in the administration of God. The punishment is given for a change and you need not sympathise with the poor person. The parental love of the Lord is greater than your brotherly love. Only the grace of God can end the poor man’s punishment forever. Therefore you should preach divine knowledge and devotion and then assist that poor person. The divine knowledge and the devotion will bring a change in him and you have served the purpose of the punishment. Then God is pleased with you and will also show grace on that poor person. His poverty will vanish forever. Therefore social service must be integrated with the spiritual mission. Shankara said the same (Loka sevaka matha khandanam). Mother Theresa did the same. Mere social service is like a simple boarding and lodging given to hostel students without any teaching in the classes, which should be the primary activity. Therefore, the aim of terrorism gives only temporary and apparent relief whereas the spiritual mission based social work is a permanent solution. The discoveries of scientists which lacked any spiritual basis, were expected to serve the society, but have harmed society instead. If one reads, the latest in environmental science, this becomes clear.
Corruption
Corruption is the grabbing of the wealth of others for the sake of the comforts of one’s own body and one’s own family. The body is like a seat in the train and you, the soul are like the passenger. The family members are like just benchmates in the same train. For the comfort of yourself and of your benchmates, you are troubling other passengers in the train and this is corruption. Life is just a matter of a one-hour train journey. Your benchmates will get down at their respective destinations and will not remember you. You too have to leave your seat. After death, you have to leave the family members, who will not recognise you in the next birth. After getting down from the train, you have to face the interview with God, which leads you to permanent happiness or misery. Therefore, you must concentrate on the preparation for this interview even during the journey and not on the comforts of your seat and benchmates. The bonds with the benchmates are temporary and unreal. Shankara says that whatever is temporary must be unreal. The bond, which did not exist before and will not exist in the future, does not exist even in the present time. Such spiritual realization alone can give a permanent control of corruption.
Fight between atheists and theists
Atheists believe in logical conclusions based on practical experience and in things present before the naked eye (perception). The real spiritual knowledge can satisfy all these requirements. The human incarnation of God is before the eyes. All the bonds with family and wealth are before the eyes and liberation from such bonds, called salvation, is also before the eyes. One can experience God through the human incarnation in this world itself and in this very life itself. Infinite love and bliss derived from the special divine knowledge preached by the human incarnation are enjoyed here itself. Enjoyment of love and bliss is the goal of any worldly bond. This is called Jeevanmukti, which means the salvation here itself while you are alive. Whatever one achieves while living, that alone continues with the soul after death. Thus perception is also the basis for the invisible future.