ONE GOD ,ONE RELIGION,ONE NATION-AN INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR HELD AT TIRUNALVALEY -KEY NOTE SPEACH OF Dr.KESIRAJU RAMPRASAD

I attended International religious conference held at Tirunavali in Tamilnadu. When I received the invitation from Kishore Eluru, I puzzled and bewildered for some time. “How an educational psychologist and counselor address the religious conference as a keynote speaker.” Then I remembered Lord Krishna is the first counselor, who inspired Arjun in the battle field. So I decided to attend the meeting.
The conference is organized by Sri Lahari Krishna Organization. I don't anything about the organization. So I got some books from Lahari Krishna Organization. I read Lord Lahari Krishna biography. His original name is Paul Assir. He is popular known as Lord Lahari Muttukrishna. His arrival was in advance scripted in Muttukuti Swami (a sage near Kanyakumari) scriptures. His preaching are wonderful and exemplary. I am impressed. His sons Devaseer Upasana Raja and Devaseer Leo Raja are organizing the ashram. The devotees are very simple and humble. Their services in the organisation are highly appreciable.
The theme of the International conference is “One God, One Faith and One Nation” It is a great concept. The title “One God, One Faith, One Nation” impressed and inspired me. It is not utopian concept. It is the need of the hour. I understand one thing after reading many religious book. The essence of all religions is “One” just like god is One. I have noted some important points which I want to share with you all.
The oneness of God refers to the fact that 'God” is one and there is no other. God alone should be worshiped. Only God is Lord overall. He has no helpers or intercessor he alone rules all creation and forgive sins. For Christians, the oneness of God is maintained even they believe in the Trinity. Trinity is 3 persons in one God not 3 Gods.
In Islam God has 99 names and attributes belonging only at him.
The Quran surah1/2:1-4 says, “He is Allah, the one, Allah the self sufficient Master upon whom all depends, is none who is comparable unto him. In Islam it is call Tawhid.
Egypsians 4:5 explains “one Lord, on faith and one Baptism.
John 10-3- says, “I and the father are one.”
7.7 Bhagavad-Gita says “God is one.”
Rig-Veda 1-16,4-46explains that “Ekamsat Vipra Bahuda Vadanthu “ explains the Truth is one. But people thought of different ways. They believe is in different ways.
Yazurvedam 32.3 explains “the truth is God.”
Sikhism says that “One universal God. The name is Truth. He is Creative, Being personified, No Fear and No Hatred. The Image of the Timeless one, Beyond Birth, Self Existent.”
The Baha’i concept of God, “They belief in one God means that the universe and all creatures and forces within it have been create by a single supernatural Being. We may pray to him in different languages and call him by different names- Allah, or Yahweh, God or Brahma nevertheless; we are speaking about the same God. We have understood him clearly.
''There is none to compare with him. There is no parallel to him, whose glory verily is great” (Yazurvedam 32.3). The concept of the oneness of God is put in a Nutshell is Omnipotence, there is nothing outside God.
God is everywhere. The Story of Prahlada indicates in Hinduism when the father of Prahlada asks. “Where is the god “.He replies, “God is everywhere?” The conversation of Avvayyar (Tamilnadu) with Lord Murugan also says that God is everywhere.
God is oneness, one without second, pure being, not separate.
It explained in every religion in one way with their uninterpretatuibs.
Why we have religious clashes, wars, turmoil’s and enmity since ages. Of course in olden days the people are not educated and may have certain dogmas. What about now. Why certain fundamentalist and orthodox are dominating in the religion. Why people are not raising their voices against them. These fundamentalist are causing great danger to the world. The world is in the clutches of Terrorism in one way or the other. So the educated youth in all religions has to raise their voices against these fundamentalists. We should not allow them to dominate.
Religion is purely personal matter of an Individual. He or She may practice any religion according to his interest and faith. Most of the nations are Secular. But most of them are Sudo Secular. The government has to take strict and stern action on those who violates secular concepts.
We fail to understand when god created this world, why the believers of God are destroying Gods created World. Is it not Curse ?The one creator from that all this wonderful creative stuff has transpired in that transition from “one to 'many' and back to one” So God is evolving, and not some static being that just sits there and waits for everybody to catch up. God is experiencing on evolution with us. Every religion believes this
“Deho Devalaya prokto, Jeevo, Deho sanatana” means the God is in every human being. Everybody is a temple of god. So there is no difference. The world is the certain of God. He is everywhere in the world. We should not destroy the world or nature. We have to understand it. Respecting nature means Respecting God and obeying him.
The concept of unity has various names, in Hinduism, Advaita, In Christian mysticism, Solipsism both mean “not two's”. Who worships different Gods born again and again who worships One God reaches that God ultimately and become part of him.
If the religion sow seeds for he-tread or if the religion transmits poisonous references or if the religion paves the way for destruction then we don't want the religion at all. Religion is meant for peaceful co-existence. We have to worship the god without any desires or desires of destruction or construction. The God has incardinated into human life because to save people. In Geeta Lord Krishna says “To save innocent and to destroy the evil he wants to born again and again.” Every drop is God and every drop is the whole ocean. That is totality i.e., unity. Gods by very name is peaceful all prevoding. He is beyond time and space. There is a story in Siva Purana “Once the Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma want to explore the beginning and ending of a Siva Linga. It a big, But they unable to find out the beginning and ending in spite of a lot of effort. God is beyond description. This is the Hindu concept of oneness of the god.
Differences in religion are due to approaches in preaching, culture, practice and beliefs subservient to the main universal belief.
The concept of oneness of God implies that there is only one God. This statement can be understood in two ways. One is all the other Gods except my God is false. The second is the form of worship, scripts, practices, beliefs, hymns and teachings, has been Godly inspired to the needs and suits of different races and folks. They all worship one God under different names. This second thinking is more apt and gives peace to nations as a whole. God is all inclusive and nothing other than god. If an ocean is thought of as a collection of millions of drops, then the next stage is to imagine skins referred each drop and differences between them. In reality, the ocean is real but the drops are a derivation, there is only one undivided drop. Just so the universe is God seen, “sub species acternitates”. The mind is flamed, like a kaleidoscope; we pop the motion 'God' into it. God is everything but everything is not god.
The knowledge of God means the knowledge of attributes and qualities of God, not a direct knowledge of his essence. There are nine ways to pray God. They are prayers, thinking, reading holy scriptures, meditation or any other node etc.
Islam rejects the idea of a chosen people that favored by god over others because of their race, color or origin. So these are a direct relationship between God and open to all alike. It is also same in all religions.
In the meanwhile some atheists believe that no creator no God. Everything in this life proves the existence of God; can you accept the existence of a building without a constructor? Can we imagine the existence of Air-conditioner without a manufacturer? Or the existence of a wheat without a farmer?
The Quran 2:256 says “There shall be no concoction in matters of faith”. It is the words of every religion. But why there are religious wars. It is not the fault of god it is fault of the religious leaders or rulers and land lords and rich people who mis-interprets them. They are spending trillions of rupees in the propagation of religion and for bribery in changing from one to another religion. Some religions are creating confusion in the minds of innocent people. Some preachers are adding Ghee or petrol into the Fire. We hate the sin but not the sinner. Le them understand the meaning of God.
In this contest we have to remember the words of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad “The unity of man is the primary aim of religion. Every prophet delivered that mankind where in reality one people and one community and that there was but one God for all of them and on that account they should serve him together and live as members of one family. This is the message every religion delivered. But what sort of practice are they doing.
“The real religion is the devotion to God and lead righteous living. Who follows it is the follower of God and salvation was his reward.”
The real meaning of Islam is peace. Are we binding real peace internally or externally in them?
Quran accepts the existential differences of human behavior and instead of wishing them away it reminds men of different faiths that will all return to god. It is a recurrent theme of the Quran. Muslims, Christians and all other religion people try to understand the greatness of god instead of spreading it in any way believe in oneness of god.
Gandhi says “Eswara, Allah Tera nam,” signifies god is one whatever the name you are praying.
Bhagavad-Gita 7-20 says those whose discrimination (jnana) has been subverted by various desires, influenced by their own nature, worship other gods and follows precepts relating to them. Their discrimination has been led astray of desires of this world as well as the next one. It means that instead of applying discrimination for God realization, they remain engaged in, satisfying their desires. They have desires for worldly pleasures and prosperity and ultimately or at the old age they want create for heavily pleasure. It is not correct concept. We have to give top priority to serving or praying god. There is a story in Mahabharata. Lord Krishna wanted to test the charity of Karana. Krishna went to his house and found him that he was taking his dinner. He went in and asked his golden teeth. Karana gave it without any hesitation by injuring himself. He donated it with blood to Krishna without cleaning hands. Krishna shouted at him. Karana replied coolely “I want to donate it in the second itself. I don't know anything about the next moment. I may change my mind in due course of washing my hand and mouth, or anything may happen. So I decide to give you on the spot”. Krishna appreciates his charity. So Karana is known as “Dana Karana”. So as we have to give priority to worship god also. We should not postpone.
Bhagavad-Gita 7:23 says who worships of the gods reach the gods.
9:25 says those who adore the evil spirits, join the evil spirits. But those who worship the God attain the God alone.
Bhagavad-Gita 10-10 says a devotee of the lord, has no desire to gain wisdom or equanimity or anything else besides the Lord. They ever remain absorbed in him so this whole responsibility devolves on the lord. So the lord confers the yoga of wisdom, on them.
It is also accepted by all the religions. “: All men approach me, so I receive them. All Path.” God is not the god of particular people or the god of this or that religion. God is the god of all. So we have not discriminated God to a particular religion. We should have tolerance. We should understand the significance of the above lines in different religions.
Respecting other religions is nothing but respecting God only.
So Live and Let Live Others.
Dr.Kesiraju Ramprasad
Educational Psychologist and Counselor
kesirajuramprasad@gmail.com