For a Quantum Leap in Higher Education

The Purpose of Religion

Religion is perhaps the single most important concept that has influenced human life. But it has been the most misunderstood and abused idea, too. The fundamental question veers around one basic fact – what exactly is the purpose of religion? The answer to this holds the key to understanding religion, its liet motif. But this cannot be possible without unraveling the mystery of nature of religion. For almost the entire humanity, life cannot be imagined without religion, notwithstanding the so called atheists, who comprise a very minuscule minority. There are as many views as there are religions because there is no such thing as the religion. There can only be a religion, each in its own way interpreting the ultimate reality and suggesting its own path, ostensibly the best one, to realize that reality. And here lies the problem. Not because their cannot be many best ways to realize a thing. There can be, and this confusion has been already put to rest in the system’s view of management that proposes the idea of equifinality. The problem is because each of the proposed way or marga  to realize the ultimate reality has a chosen multitude of loyalists who put stumbling blocks in ways of those who opt for the ones. And with the rise in the knowledge and the so called awareness the power of the mankind to reason out on the basis of logic has grown resulting in more die hard  loyalists for whom there is only one best way. The other paths being considered inferior and in most cases not to be allowed to traverse. It is against this that there is a need to think of a reconciliatory approach by understanding the real nature of religion, free of encumbrances. The Indian vendantic  view    is perhaps  the most catholic in this regard in advocating the cardinal principle, that is, – eko satam vipra bahudha vadanti, which says there is only one truth that the wise call by different names. But understanding the importance of this vedantic proposition  requires a higher level of consciousness. For the large majority the idea appears fuzzy. It is this fuzziness that we call ignorance or avidya the ‘unknowledge, the  agyaan that is being masqueraded as gyan in the modern world.

   Religion as advocated in the vedanta belongs to the higher mind of humanity. It calls for effort of higher mind to approach something beyond it, that something which we call by various names ranging from God to Spirit to Truth or Ultimate Reality. For the lesser mortals religion is rooted the in theism and idolatry which is transactional in nature, a quid pro quo. Here lies the roots of conflict between the mundane reality and the divine reality and the future of humanity lies in resolving this conflict. While the commonly traversed path that starts with worship encompassed in ritualism is good to begin with, it can only lead to the goal if it bridges the gap between ritualism and spiritualism. It is in this light that puja or ritualism has to be seen . Puja is a means to dharma but it is not dharma per se. And this subtlety needs to be understood if religion is to lead to the ultimate truth. In fact, the mystics like Kabir have done a better service to the cause of religion then the so called Dharmas in their  worldly avatar have done. The simple words of mystics like Kabir attempt to unravel the mysteries of the divine in the language of mundane. The way religion is interpreted it becomes an obstacle to the spiritual life. It should not and the ritualism of religion must lead to spiritualism.