Are we Religious?

“I have always been a religious person in the sense that I maintain a working partnership with God.”
        -A.P.J.Abdul Kalam

Who is a religious person?  One may claim to belong to some religion and may even be an active member of that organisation.  He may regularly attend his temple, church or mosque and religiously observe the ordained rituals.  He may also constantly wear the hallmarks of his religious sect.  Are these enough to call him a religious person?

Religion is the link man establishes with his God.  One has to build this personal relationship and maintain and nurture it with zeal as a sacred trust.  This bond enables him to discover the trust purpose of religion and make life a joy and fulfilment.

Religion is not a ticket to Heaven and religious life is not for ensuring a place in Heaven after death.  Religion is a way of life and is for establishing the Kingdom of Heaven on earth and for experiencing the glories of Heaven in life.  So religious life has two aspects—one is relation with God and relation with man.  Like the obverse and reverse of coin, both these are complementary and together constitute the religious life.  Religious life has negative and positive features.  Both are of equal importance and are inseparably mixed.

The negative aspect consists in not yielding to the craving of the body, to the desires and emotions of the mind, or the temptations of life.  Life is guided and controlled by the self, the atman, acting as the conscience, but not led by desires, fear, anxiety dictating from within, or the changing circumstances influencing from without.  Religion is to resist and fight sin without hating the sinner, to destroy selfishness but not the selfish person, to overcome temptation and evil but have no animosity towards the tempter and evil doer.  Religion enjoins to forgive the wicked and the guilty without harbouring ego or rancor. A religious person does not differentiate persons by birth or position but loves all as God’s children and so his own brothers.

The positive aspect of religious life is to be constantly with God.  It is to discern the benevolent Divine scheme in all happenings and events of life, good and bad, joys and sorrows, prosperity and adversity.  It is a realisation that an intelligent and merciful power is shaping his life protecting, supporting and gently gilding to the ordained destination.  Religion is the soul’s pledge to seek the Divine and surrender willingly to it. All experiences and events of life are seen as the play and glory of BRAHMA KRUPA.  Adversities, failures and disappointments are only stepping stones and primary necessities before perfection could be attained.  A strong faith that God’s help is always at hand to overcome obstacles and steer through storms of life never leaves even in the worst of times.  Gandhiji writes in his autobiography, ‘ My Experiments With Truth” – “ When every hope is gone, ‘ When helpers fail and comforts flee’, I find that help arrives somehow, from I know not where.”

A religious person is in constant communion with God through prayer and meditation. To quote Gandhiji, “Supplication, worship, prayer are no superstition; they are acts more real than the acts of eating, drinking, sitting, or walking,……prayer is no flight of eloquence; it is no lip-homage.  It springs from the heart.  Prayer needs no speech.”

A religious person desists from immoral acts and keeps the mind free of impure thoughts and agitations.  “He, who has not ceased from evil deeds, and who has not achieved a tranquil and composed mind, can never attain the Divine by knowledge and intelligence alone” is the teaching of Katopanishad.

While abstaining from evil deeds is important, doing the routine work perfectly and with a Godly attitude is equally necessary.  God is All-pervading.  He is in everything moving and unmoving.  So all relationships are Divine, all dealings are with God, and every work is sublimated into a Divine act.  No person or work is too small to be despised of, or too big to be enamoured about.  Krishna’s advice to Arjuna in Bhagavadgita is

“YATH KAROSHI, YAD ASNASI, YAJJUHOSHI, DADASI YAT,
YAT TAPASYASI,KOUNTEYA,
TAT KURUSHWA MAD ARPANAM.”

“Every work you do, eating, giving, receiving, drinking, thinking, etc., perform as an offering to God.”  This is the central theme of religious life.  The whole life becomes an offering to God.  An act becomes an offering to God only when it is done for the welfare of others.  One realises that God is helping him and working through him in ensuring the welfare of humanity. “SO ASNUTHE SARVAN KAMAN SAHA BRAHMANAA VIPASCHITHAA”—-“Such a person realises all his desires by God at his side” says Taittireyopanishad.  

Some posses this trait from birth; but ALL can cultivate it by constant practice and perseverance.  An intense aspiration is necessary to regulate life with a Godly attitude.  It is  profitable to make effort in three directions.

Study such literature which promotes spiritual thoughts and diligently avoid those which cater to sensual titillation.  Study includes what is seen on T.V., cinemas or pictures and what is heard in songs, speeches and dialogues.  Our thoughts and way of life are influenced  by what we constantly see and hear.  Input decides the output.  “O, Gods in Heaven, bless us to see only auspicious things with our eyes and hear only auspicious words with our ears,” is the prayer in Mundakopanishad.

Associate always with like minded people who share a common ideal, a common spiritual bond, who see themselves as co-pilgrims seeking God in their life and work.  Sankaracharya says in Vivekachudamani- “DURLABHAM TRAYA ME VAITHE, DAIVANUGRAHAHETHAVAHA MANUSHYATHWA MUKSHATWAM, MAHAPURUSHA SAMSRAYAHA.”
“To be born as a human, to develop an aspiration to seek the divine, and to be able to enjoy the company of spiritually minded people are three gifts of God”.  So having been bestowed with the first of the three, man should continuously strive for the other two.

Spend sometime regularly everyday in communion with God through prayer and meditation.  This is the sine qua of religious life.  Prayer is not what one says or sings.  More than words heart should be with God.  Silent prayer is more effective to still the agitated mind. Prayer is to express gratitude to God for the gift of life and the gifts in life.  Prayer is not to putting a demand list before God.  He knows our needs and what is good for us than we do.  Prayer is to remind ourselves of the need of the God in our life and to evolve our nature more and more to Divine nature.  Jesus Christ was asked, “How to worship God?”—“Worship with all your heart, all your body and all your mind” he replied.  Word, deed and thought, all must be Godly.  Prayer is the concentrated form of the religious life; life is the expanded form of the thoughts expressed in prayer. Alfred Tennyson says, “More things are wrought by prayer than man can think of,” Belief in God is no consequence if it does not stimulate communion with Him and if life’s events are not related to Him.  Religion is to be lived; and a religious life is that where communion with God is constantly maintained.

Added to this one must cultivate humility.  Humility is not helplessness; it is not weakness; it is not lowliness or position due to worldly circumstances; it is not submission before the arrogance of might and power.  Humility is meekness of the spirit where every trace of ego is abolished. Without this religious life becomes vain and conceited. Religious life is not for material benefit, or for publicity or fame.  It is for fulfillment of life.  “Most of the religious persons I have met are politicians at heart. I, who wear the garb of a politician, am a very religious man.” said Gandhiji. God is the way for religious man, the only way.