07-26-2005, 04:49 AM
I give below some of the thoughts of Sri Ramakrishna on different religions:
"God can be realized through all paths. All religions are true. The important
thing is to reach the roof. You can reach it by stone stairs or by wooden
stairs or by bamboo steps or by a rope. You can also climb up by a bamboo
pole.
You may say that there are many errors and superstitions in another religion.
I should reply: Suppose there are. Every religion has errors. Every one thinks
that his watch alone gives the correct time. It is enough to have yearning for
God. It is enough to love Him and feel attracted to Him. Don't you know that
God is the Inner Guide? He sees the longing of our heart and the yearning of
our soul. Suppose a man has several sons. The older boys address him
distinctly as 'Baba' or 'Papa', but the babies can at best call him 'Ba' or
'Pa'. Now will the father be angry with those who address him in this
indistinct way? The father knows that they too are calling him, only they
cannot pronounce his name well. All children are same to the father.
Likewise, the devotees call on God alone, though by different names. They call
on One Person only. God is one, but His names are many."
"It is not good to feel that one's own religion alone is true and all others
are false. God is one only and not two. Diferent people call on Him by
different names, some as Allah, some as God, and others as Krishna, Siva,
and Brahman. It is like water in a lake. Some drink it at one place and call
it 'jal', others at another place and call it 'pani', and still others at a
third place and call it 'water'. The Hindus call it 'jal', the Christians
call it 'water', and the Mussalmans 'pani'. But it is one and the same thing.
Opinions are but paths. Each religion is only a path leading to God, as
rivers come from different directions and ultimately become one in the one
ocean."
"I see people who talk about religions constantly quarrelling with one
another. Hindus, Mussalmans, Brahmos, Saktas, Vaishnavas, Saivas, all
quarrel with one another. They haven't the intelligence to understand that He
who is called Krishna is also Shiva and the Primal Shakti, and that is He
again, who is called Jesus and Allah. There is only one Rama and He has a
thousand names."
- Sri Ramakrishna
"God can be realized through all paths. All religions are true. The important
thing is to reach the roof. You can reach it by stone stairs or by wooden
stairs or by bamboo steps or by a rope. You can also climb up by a bamboo
pole.
You may say that there are many errors and superstitions in another religion.
I should reply: Suppose there are. Every religion has errors. Every one thinks
that his watch alone gives the correct time. It is enough to have yearning for
God. It is enough to love Him and feel attracted to Him. Don't you know that
God is the Inner Guide? He sees the longing of our heart and the yearning of
our soul. Suppose a man has several sons. The older boys address him
distinctly as 'Baba' or 'Papa', but the babies can at best call him 'Ba' or
'Pa'. Now will the father be angry with those who address him in this
indistinct way? The father knows that they too are calling him, only they
cannot pronounce his name well. All children are same to the father.
Likewise, the devotees call on God alone, though by different names. They call
on One Person only. God is one, but His names are many."
"It is not good to feel that one's own religion alone is true and all others
are false. God is one only and not two. Diferent people call on Him by
different names, some as Allah, some as God, and others as Krishna, Siva,
and Brahman. It is like water in a lake. Some drink it at one place and call
it 'jal', others at another place and call it 'pani', and still others at a
third place and call it 'water'. The Hindus call it 'jal', the Christians
call it 'water', and the Mussalmans 'pani'. But it is one and the same thing.
Opinions are but paths. Each religion is only a path leading to God, as
rivers come from different directions and ultimately become one in the one
ocean."
"I see people who talk about religions constantly quarrelling with one
another. Hindus, Mussalmans, Brahmos, Saktas, Vaishnavas, Saivas, all
quarrel with one another. They haven't the intelligence to understand that He
who is called Krishna is also Shiva and the Primal Shakti, and that is He
again, who is called Jesus and Allah. There is only one Rama and He has a
thousand names."
- Sri Ramakrishna