Saturday, May 14, 2011

Spirituality, God and Religion

"For its an unknown torture to me that I am still so far from HIM. Who as I fully know, governs every breath of my life and  Whose offspring I am. I know that its the evil passions within that keep me so far away from Him and yet I cannot get away from them."  M.K. Gandhi

Spirituality, God and Religion are personal issues that one can relate with just oneself. They are potent and hence should be carefully used since its interpretation differs individually. When a child is born into a religion, he is directed by the people surrounding him towards the God they worship, and is led to the path of spirituality which is difficult for even the wisest of men to follow.

I wanted to understand what was all the hype about spirituality. For a mere commoner, spirituality is about seeking God. There are many ways through which one seeks his God.  What I find amazing is how completely opposite these ways are. The ancient Greek sexual ritual Heiros - Gamos and the act of celibacy, both promise you the glimpse of the divine power, and yet they both never fail to contradict each others principles and practices.  For some its meditation and isolation that leads to the almighty and for some its the not the solitude but the satisfaction of carrying out the responsibilities shouldered upon them in this mortal life to the end which allows them to meet their God. 


The three terms, Spirituality, God and Religion all spelled differently, defined differently yet somehow seem linked to me. And who said, they way all of them have been defined is the right definition. Because for me, Religion is not what my ancestors and yours defined and left for us to follow. The way I see it, no two people on this earth follow the same religion exactly. There are versions within versions, and this is because like I said, its all about how you interpret what your religion preaches. I am born a Hindu brahmin  and yet I do no criticize meat-eaters. I respect the right to chose how to live your own life. Hinduism as far as my knowledge goes is based entirely on the concept of Karma, and before I say anything ahead, I must tell you I am one of the sternest believers in Karma. Yet I cannot help but appreciate the beauty of virtues like repentance and submission to God which Christianity and Islam preach. To those who will read my blog, please note, that I nowhere consider my theories to be accurate and applicable to all. They are just concepts evolved out of my own observations and experiences. This is my truth. 


I wondered always, why is it then, if we all belong to unique religions,  do we seek solace under the umbrella of a single religion and call ourselves brothers? During my masters, I stumbled upon a theory of management, called Maslow's Hierarchy of needs which states that after a man fulfills his physiological needs and security needs, he craves for social needs. He needs love and belongingness. A place to go at the end of the day.  Does that infer that the reason we consider ourselves practicing or following a religion followed by our brothers is because we want to belong? Is that why we put up with some ideologies propounded by our respective religions we not exactly agree with? Again, this is not my way of challenging your relationship or your belief in your religion. This is just me, arguing with my own self, because no matter where I go, the truth hounds me like a wolf in a dark night and I have to give up and look into its eye and accept it. I have now come to terms that, like my theory goes, I am of my own religion though shamefully I admit, I belong to my people because the craving to belong is there in me like other men and women. 







1 comment:

  1. seems tat u hav just crossed the boundaries of science. i will suggest you to read 'Patanjali's Yoga Suta', you can find an easy to digest version in first quarter of book 'The Illustrated Light on Yoga' by B K S Iyenger. Don't worry you won't end up with muscle sprains.

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