RELIGIOUS HARMONY

SAT SRI AKAL

What is the significance of religion? It suddenly started to flalsh in my mind soon after going through my daily routine of reading sikh news in the sikh net. As a gesture of appreciation, Indian shia moslems will construct a gurudwara in Bagdad. In a divded world, with more and more religious polarisation, this may have a huge significance. Coming back to my question, religion was for moulding the man and making him a compassionate, useful existence to his fellow beings.Contrary to this , however, with the emergence of dominant ego of " the largest proportion" , meaning of religion was entirely lost. Lives were lost enmasse in the name of salvation of others. Missionaries started to spread like a cancer. Today, it is sad to hear that it infests the Punjabi sikh villages, the craddle of great sikh civilization. Sikhism was egoless and always it promoted the principle of discarding ego.A person who at least to a certain extent has manged to be egoless, knows the taste of it. Sikhism never wanted forceful conversion. Those who found solace in gurubani rushed in search of the tranquility of it. Tasted the nectar( AMRIT) of it. Buddhism also preached the detachment of ego. It never thought of forceful conversion. Tolerated the other faiths.But the same tolerance brought the downfall of buddhism in India.

In such a world, repaying debt to the sikhs by shia moslems should be seen as a good move towards religious amity. I always believed that sikhs created a bridge between Hindus and Moslims. Guru Arjan dev ji once told " I am not a hindu nor I am a moslem." It is the proclamation of soverinity and independence. But still lot of things connected us. It reminded our blood line. We saw truth in Bhagavad Gita. But we rejected polyatheism, caste system. Bhakti movement of sufi's inspired founders of our religion. This tells us that there could be things that are common while the reality being our difference,independence. Diversity is always beautiful. But unity in diversity is difficult. Sikhs in Patiala, going by the TRUE SPIRIT embedded in sikhism, have returned the tomb of eighth imam to shia followers. It has yielded rich dividends. Shiites will be in Baghdad to construct a GD in honouring Guru Nanak Dev ji. If this amity prevails everywhere is n't that a testimony to the presence of the influence of omnipresent SATGURU .

Sri Guru Granth Sahib Page 6, Jap

Chitr and Gupt, the angels of the conscious and the subconscious who record actions, and the Righteous Judge of Dharma who judges this record sing.

Shiva, Brahma and the Goddess of Beauty, ever adorned, sing

Indra, seated upon His Throne, sings with the deities at Your Door

The Siddhas in Samaadhi sing; the Saadhus sing in contemplation.

The celibates, the The Pandits, the religious scholars who recite the Vedas, with the supreme sages of all the ages, sing.

fanatics, the peacefully accepting and the fearless warriors sing

The Mohinis, the enchanting heavenly beauties who entice hearts in this world, in paradise, and inThe celestial jewels created by You,

and the sixty-eight holy places of pilgrimage sing the underworld of the subconscious sing

The brave and mighty warriors sing; the spiritual heroes and the four sources of creation sing

The planets, solar systems and galaxies, created and arranged by Your Hand, sing.

They alone sing, who are pleasing to Your Will. Your devotees are imbued with the Nectar of Your Essence

So many others sing, they do not come to mind. O Nanak, how can I consider them all

That True Lord is True, Forever True, and True is His Name

Picture ( courtesy -Hindustan Times)