Vedic scriptures like Bhagavad Gita explains what true religion is. A practitioner of true religion is the most compassionate person in the world. He will not indulge in any activity which brings miseries to others. Those who are spreading terror in the name of religion are not practicing true religion. They are not lover of God, but they are enemies of humanity. They are religious extremists, fanatics who have no knowledge about God.
Religious fanatics are human viruses. They are as deadly as Coronavirus, sometimes even more lethal. These misguided people can kill anyone because they believe that people of other faith do not have right to live. They consider their religious doctrines to be supreme. In the garb of religion, they spread terror in the world. Infants, children, women, elderly people, men, they can harm anyone because for them no one’s life is sacred. But that is not true religion. It is fanaticism.
You cannot say you love God and kill all
Practice of true religion makes one saintly. It removes the impurities from the hearts of the practitioners and make them a civilized human being. He develops love for God, and he sees everyone as children of same God. Such an enlightened person lives and let others also to live.
But if people start considering irreligion to be religion, then irreligious people in the garb of religion indulge in irreligious and impious activities. This is what is happening at many places in the world today. It is the responsibility of the leaders to control the religious or rather irreligious extremists and put them behind bars.
It is also equally important that teachings of bona fide religious literatures like Bhagavad Gita is spread far and wide. When people start reading these authentic books then they get to know what it means to be religious and what it means to love God. You cannot say you love God and kill children of God.
This is why spiritual leaders like Bhaktivinod Thakura, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, Srila Prabhupada worked extremely hard to spread the teachings of Vedic scriptures like Bhagavad Gita.
It is because of Srila Prabhupada’s vigorous preaching that today millions of people all over the world have understood the transcendental teachings of scriptures like Bhagavad Gita. Their life has got transformed.
Children of same God
Every student of Gita understands that every living being in this world is children of same God. So, they love all, serve all. They do not inflict pain on others. And they do not discriminate people because of caste, creed, gender, religion, nationality. For them rich and poor, black and white, men and women, Hindus and non-Hindus, Indians and non-Indians all are same.
You go to any Iskcon temple or Iskcon centre in any part of the world, no one will ask you about your caste, your religion. No one is going to discriminate you because you are black or white, men or women, rich or poor. You will be treated equally. During the kirtan devotees hold each other’s hand and dance together. Of course, men and women dance separately because in civilized spiritual society men and women are given equal respects, but they do not mix freely.
Devotee has no enemy
In Bhagavad Gita 11.55, Lord Krishna says that one of the important qualities of a devotee is that he is nirvairaḥ i.e. “without an enemy.” A devotee does not have any enemy because he is friendly to everyone. He does not harm anyone not even in his thoughts. He always tries to serve others and always prays for others happiness. We see that Hiranyakasipu gave so much suffering to Prahlada but little Prahlada prayed to Lord Nrsimhadeva to forgive his father of all the sins and give him benediction. Srila Prabhupada risked his life to make people devotees of Krishna. The devotees of the Lord always look for ways to serve the humanity. And the best way to serve others is by connecting them to Krishna, the Supreme God.
Once a person becomes a devotee of God, he develops godly qualities. Developing godly qualities does not mean that a person becomes God. It means that a devotee of the Lord, like Lord becomes best well-wishing friend of all.
Qualities of a devotee according to Bhagavad Gita
In Bhagavad Gita 12.13-12.19, Lord Krishna explains in detail about the qualities of a devotee.
- One who is not envious but is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor and is free from false ego, who is equal in both happiness and distress, who is tolerant, always satisfied, self-controlled, and engaged in devotional service with determination, his mind and intelligence fixed on Me – such a devotee of Mine is very dear to Me. Bhagavad Gita 12.13-12.14
- He by whom no one is put into difficulty and who is not disturbed by anyone, who is equipoised in happiness and distress, fear and anxiety, is very dear to Me. Bhagavad Gita 12.15
- My devotee who is not dependent on the ordinary course of activities, who is pure, expert, without cares, free from all pains, and not striving for some result, is very dear to Me. Bhagavad Gita 12.16
- One who neither rejoices nor grieves, who neither laments nor desires, and who renounces both auspicious and inauspicious things – such a devotee is very dear to Me. Bhagavad Gita 12.17
- One who is equal to friends and enemies, who is equipoised in honor and dishonor, heat and cold, happiness and distress, fame and infamy, who is always free from contaminating association, always silent and satisfied with anything, who doesn’t care for any residence, who is fixed in knowledge and who is engaged in devotional service – such a person is very dear to Me. Bhagavad Gita 12.18-12.19
True religion means to spread peace and bliss everywhere
According to Bhagavad Gita, true religion is that which teaches the followers to develop above attributes. True religion means to spread peace and bliss everywhere.
While the government of the world should take care of the law and order situation, the devotees of Krishna should try their best to make this world a better place by transforming the hearts of people by sharing the transcendental teachings of Bhagavad Gita.
Once people understand Bhagavad Gita, they will understand what true religion is. It will save the humanity from gliding towards the path of degradation and self-annihilation.
We should also beg Krishna to give sanity to the insane people who are killing people in the name of religion.
