________________
Duty to Mankind is the only
Duty or only Dharma
Swami Shrekant, lamenting upon the fact that the vested interests and the leaders have misused the ideal of “equal respectful love to all religions”, as a result of which, much harm has been done to the work of synthesising all religions (regretting this), has said that :
“Only a pilgrim like me can realise how many mental agonies have to be undergone by a person who searches for a track or a footpath in the midst of dark, dense forests full of strange beliefs of various religious sects. Touring widely through the forests of all religions, right from the homeland of one's own religion, I have arrived here in the vast and well-lighted arena of“relinquishing all religions...” commandment of the Geeta. The more speedily the forests of beliefs began to crack, the more warmly I have been saluting to them and making further and further progress. At last, today, I have come to that decision, that “religions are not at all many; the customs and traditions are many.” “Purity is our duty (Dharma), but to take bath three times in a day or to wash hands and mouth three times, is a custom developed according to the situation. The final rites or Samskar are Dharma but to arrange funeral or a burial for the deceased is a custom. To pray to God
164