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Duty to Mankind is the only duty....
is Dharma, but whether to do it silently or eloquently beating drums is a custom. Worship of God is duty, Dharma; but whether to do it facing the east or the west is a custom. To bow before God is religion, but after or while doing that whether to take off the cap or to bow with cap on, is a (question of) custom. Customs can be many, but religions cannot be many" (the politicians have turned the holy concept of "loving all religions equally" into a strange 'covering of cotton-sheet'.)
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"Now, this cotton-sheet covering or bed of 'love all religions equally' is not of much use. That carpet might now be spread on the occasion of some leader's death- to such a rotten condition has it been transformed. And when I felt that this bed-sheet or a carpet stitched up by joining scraps of those religious sects, does not serve the purpose of a full dress of religion as such, and it is simply a collection of strips (Al-Fatiha) it can be useful only as a mat in the prayer of the final farewell. When any leader dies, I watch this bed or 'Godadi' on T.V. The great, so great leaders give long speeches in big and bigger rallies, set down old dusts and sets up new dusts, and go back. In such bigger and bigger public meetings, of course, sparks of intelligence and wit can be had, but there are no contacts of heart, at all! And this is impossible without personal contacts. There is need for contacts of the masses and that too, frequent ones."
"Someone has said, 'Mercy is the root of Dharma'...I would like to modify it a bit and add that compassion is the offshoot or branch of religion; friendships are the leaves of it, love is the flower of religion and God is the fruit of Dharma." It is the religion which encourages, inspires so as to make the human life happy and develop the virtues of soul. The path of inspiration to mitigate the miseries of each and every living being is the path of religion.
