True Religiousness

By Vipin Kumar Tripathi

The central purpose of various religions is to enable human beings overcome their pride or ego — be it in the name of status, wealth, power, intellect, geographical location, religion, ethnicity, or any other factor. All of these are forms of the assertion of self, and we need to acquire control over this.

True religiousness must inspire us to search for Truth. Truth is not something that we inherit at birth or that we can acquire simply by reading some books. Realization of Truth is a gradual process, which continues till one’s last breath. It happens step by step, one step after another. If you find something is true, follow it. As you march ahead, the path clears up and the next step appears before you. This is how you move ahead in the journey of discovering and living out Truth.

True religiousness lies in becoming human. It is not about wearing a particular sort of dress or simply performing some rituals. Religiousness is the ethical quality of one’s life. The degree to which conduct reflects Truth is the measure of a person’s true religiousness.

The soul is eternal. But our conduct can uplift or degrade our soul. If one walks the path of Truth, the soul is elevated. If one causes injustice and pain to others, the soul falls into the pit of degradation.

True religiousness recognizes the Oneness of the Creator of the universe and also the oneness of all living beings. It teaches the inherent equality of all beings. It has no room for any discrimination based on religion, caste, ethnicity, and so on. It stresses the importance of earning one’s livelihood through one’s own efforts. It opposes the exploitation of other peoples’ labour. It also opposes the exploitation of religious sentiments to promote hatred and social divisions. If we overcome the ego, true religiousness teaches us, we can be one with the whole world.

A measure of true religiousness is compassion, feeling the pain of others, or empathy. May we help alleviate the pain of others without any distinction and become gentle.

(The author is associated with Sadbhav Mission, which focuses on issues such as education and communal harmony. He can be contacted on tripathivipin@yahoo.co.in)