Amongst all the religions established in the world or all existing religions, the Vedic Āryan dharma is superior and most liberal. The particular excellence of Vedic Āryan dharma is that this dharma ensures the auspiciousness of the jīvas in all kinds of situations. All other religions are suitable for only certain specific conditions of the jīvas. They cannot function in all situations. All the religions that are prevalent in the world can be divided into five categories, namely:
Religion which aims at the eternal happiness of the jīvas.
Religion which destroys the happiness and distress of the jīvas.
Religion that promotes temporary happiness for the jīvas.
Moral religion which increases the collective happiness of the jīvas.
Religion which enhances the material capacity of the jīvas.
Another name for that religion which aims at the eternal happiness of jīvas is bhagavad-bhakti. The religion wherein a jīvā is recognised as eternal and it is understood that eternal bliss is the supreme necessity of the jīva is called bhakti. In that religion, the principal subjects – the nature of Godhead (bhagavad-tattva), the eternality of the jīva, the jīva’s servitude to Bhagavān, the impermanence of that which is in connection with matter, the eternality of the principle of divine love (prīti), etc – are universally accepted. All those religions in which the aforementioned principal subjects are recognised must necessarily be called religions aimed at the eternal welfare of the jīva. Whoever examines all religions, from a scientific perspective, will acknowledge that Christianity, Islam, Brahminical dharma, etc are all focused on the eternal happiness of the jīva. No matter what kinds of false distinctions exist within those religions, at their core, they are fundamentally of the same class.
The religion which destroys the happiness and distress of the jīvas is observed in many forms in the world. Amongst them, Buddhism, Pessimism, and Kevalādvaita Vedānta are foremost. This philosophy has arisen from time to time and has spread to many places in the world. In various countries, its form is different. However, the ultimate conclusion is the same everywhere. All these philosophies can be called religions that destroy the happiness and distress of the jīvas, because according to all these perspectives, the very existence of the jīva is inauspicious. The extinction of the jīva’s existence is considered to be the highest benefit. The elimination of existence is established in two ways. One kind is that the singular entity alone is eternal, possessing no qualities, and devoid of any transformation. The existence of the jīva, being full of faults and distinctions, is thus false and full of suffering. The state in which all these relative distinctions merge into the ultimate principle of non-differentiation is known as mukti, or nirvāṇa. Nirvāṇa alone is the eliminator of happiness and distress arising from duality. The religion through the practice of which that nirvāṇa is attained is called the religion that destroys the happiness and distress of the jīvas.
Scholars advocating nirvāṇa, such as Xenophanes and Parmenides, propagated this viewpoint in Greece. With the European region, this view was propagated in various forms by scholars such as Spinoza, Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel. Scholars such as Schopenhauer and Hartmann promoted this philosophy in the world in a different form, calling it Pessimism. In our country, Jainism, Buddhism, and Kevalādvaita Vedānta are followers of this doctrine. Modern figures such as Nanak, Śiva-Nārāyaṇa, Gorākṣanātha, Āule Cāṅda, and Jagannātha Dāsa* have introduced this philosophy into the community of those who worship God. Whatever form it may take, the doctrine that seeks ultimate dissolution in the form of mukti can boldly be said to be a religion which destroys the happiness and distress of the jīvas.
*Translator’s Note: One can read more about Jagannātha Dāsa here: Ativāḍī Apa-Sampradāya by Swami B.G. Narasiṅgha Mahārāja
Religion promoting the temporary happiness of the jīvas is observed in many forms in the world. This is known as the path of karma. According to this perspective, in some places Īśvara is acknowledged, while in others He is not. Bodily pleasure, pertaining to a divine body and other sensory enjoyments after the material body’s demise – is the tenor of this ideology. Through the gathering of ingredients and specific activities, that goal is achieved. In many ways, this doctrine has also secretly crept into various religions aimed at eternal happiness. In principle, the Muslim religion is indeed a religion aiming at the eternal goal; yet upon examining the sensual nature of the pleasures of its heaven, it becomes clearly evident that a religion focused on temporary happiness has surreptitiously entered into it. Religion striving towards temporary results is not so predominant in the Christian faith, but to say that it is entirely absent there would be incorrect. When the topic of resurrection is carefully examined, our doubt becomes stronger. Similarly, all the ideas concerning the Garden of Eden nourish that doubt.
Moral religion which increases the collective happiness of the jīvas which relies upon material science, has become favoured by many scholars. Materialism, positivism, socialism, and all such atheistic religions are included within the moral religions that promotes communal pleasure. It is not that moral religion for increasing collective happiness cannot exist within the three aforementioned religions. When the doctrine of collective happiness becomes independent of the above religions and beckons mankind, then it becomes materialism, positivism, or socialism. Religion aimed at the temporary happiness of the jīva always acknowledges religion which improves general pleasure. The reason for distinguishing them is this – in some cases, religion aimed at the temporary happiness of the jīva is not always a religion which seeks collective happiness; but the doctrine of collective happiness will, in all circumstances, be aimed at temporary happiness. In many ways, karma-kāṇḍa is considered as a religion of collective happiness. According to the doctrine of collective happiness, the ātmā has no eternality; the results of whatever actions a jīva performs are received by the aggregate jīvas. Some say that it is energy alone which is the driver of all these results. Some say that it is only fate which grants those results. Some say that the principle known as apūrva causes the jīva to enjoy those results.*
*Translator’s Note: According to karma-kāṇḍa, karma gives rise to a principle known as apūrva (that which is exceptional), which calculates and distributes the result of one’s karma.
Various kinds of religion that enhance the material capacity of the jīvas is observed in different countries. In some countries, one finds advice solely for increasing the scientific potential of the material body. In some countries, or according to some philosophies, one finds specific instructions for manifesting the hidden capacity of one’s previous physical body, or of the subtle or astral body. All kinds of tantrika, mechanical, mūdra-based, yogika religious practices prevalent in various countries are included within this philosophy. Ṣaḍaṅga Yoga, Aṣṭaṅga Yoga, Buddhist yoga, and Theosophy – all these are included within this doctrine. Although Theosophy has some connection with religion which destroys the happiness and distress of the jīva, its own foundation belongs to religion which propagates material potential.
If it is examined more deeply, it must be admitted that all types of religion that have been prevalent and can be prevalent are included within these five kinds of dharma. It must also be acknowledged that all types of religion that have been prevalent up to the present either belong to one of the aforementioned five, or exist based upon one of them. Apart from Vedic Āryan dharma, no other dharma shows the presence and harmony of the above five kinds of religion. Rather, within it, only one is acknowledged as dharma, and all other religions are rejected. In such a situation, no religion ensures the welfare of the jīvas in all circumstances. Therefore, except for the Vedic Āryan dharma, no other dharma is complete.
In Vedic Āryan dharma, proper guidance and harmony of the aforementioned five kinds of religion are present. Whatever state a living being may be in, in the Vedic Āryan dharma, when a particular state requires committed practice, proper guidelines are provided for temporarily suspending or adjusting that practice according to one’s eligibility. Is there any doubt that in Vedic Āryan dharma, the jīva achieved true auspiciousness? Many stages are observed from the jīva’s entirely material state up to the attainment of the pure spiritual state. If one does not follow the steps to reach the highest point, one will certainly never achieve perfection in one’s activities. In other religions, only a single step is shown, but they do not indicate how the lower steps are to be crossed. The result is that a religion becomes a single, isolated object of practice. By no means is the true natural propensity of life achieved. As long as religion does not become the very life of a religious person, it remains like a transient guest in one’s home. In that case, what benefit will the jīva attain? Materialists remain materialists, karmīs remain karmīs, and jṣānīs remain jṣānīs. They do not achieve a higher positions. In Vedic Āryan dharma, all those philosophies have been taught in various places, however, to perform practices according to one’s eligibility, guidance has been repeatedly given. That person who does not quickly achieve the highest progress of supreme prema by following Vedic Āryan dharma is most unfortunate. The greatness of Vedic dharma is that through it, the welfare of many is possible, whereas in other religions, welfare rarely occurs. This is because in those religions, in particular circumstances, the religion itself becomes an obstacle to the jīva’s advancement.
In order to clearly demonstrate that in the Vedic Āryan dharma, proper guidance exists for the aforementioned five kinds of religion in their respective places, the following Vedic statements are quoted. No particular consideration can be made here. There are statements from the śruti regarding religion aimed at the eternal happiness of jīvas, such as:
tad vijṣānena paripaśyanti dhīrā
ānanda-rupam-amṛtaṁ yad vibhāti
(Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 2.28)
The meaning of this is – “The Supreme Truth, which is in the form of bliss, immortal by nature and eternally manifest, is perceived by the wise through their knowledge.”
There are statements from the śruti regarding religion that eliminates the pleasure and pain of the jīvas, such as:
na bhayaṁ sukha-duḥkhaṁ ca tathā mānā-pamānayoḥ
etad-bhāva-vinirmitam tad grāhyaṃ brahma-tatparam
There is no fear, pleasure and pain, and honour and dishonour – that which is devoid of these states should be firmly understood as the Supreme Brahman. (Teja-Bindopaniṣad 14)
And in the Bhāgavata, Third Canto, Chapter 25 it is stated:
yoga ādhyātmikaḥ puṁsāṁ mato niḥśreyasāya me
atyantoparatir yatra duḥkhasya ca sukhasya ca
The system of yoga concerning the ātmā which benefits the living beings is approved by Me. Through that, there is detachment from material happiness and distress. (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.25.15)
In regards to religion aimed at the temporary happiness of jīvas, the śruti states:
svarga-kāmaḥ aśvamedhaṁ yajeta
One who desires Svarga should perform the aśvamedha-yajṣā.
yāvajjīvam agni-hotraṁ juhūyāt
One who desires offspring should perform the agni-hotra sacrifice.
Men desiring the temporary pleasures of Svarga should perform yajṣas such as the āśvamedha. Regarding religion which promotes the collective welfare of the jīva, it has been stated as follows:
tad etat satyaṁ mantreṣu karmāṇi kavaye
yātanyapaśyaṁstāni tretāyāṁ bahudhā saṁjṣāni
tānyācaratha niyataṁ satyakāmā eṣa baḥ panthāḥ svakṛtasya loke
(Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.1)
“In Treta-yuga, the ṛṣis saw that when actions prescribed by the Vedas were performed properly, they inevitably yielded results. If all those actions are performed, the collective welfare of you all will be attained. This alone constitute your sole path.”
Regarding religion which enhances the material capacity of the jīvas, it has been stated in the Amṛtabindu Upaniṣad of the Kṛṣṇa Yajur Veda as follows:
anena vidhinā samyan-nityam abhyasataḥ kramāt
svayam utpadyate jṣānaṁ tribhir māsair na saṁśayaḥ
“If one practices according to the proper rules of yoga for three months, all material knowledge becomes manifest.” *
- Translator’s Note: This śloka is actually 29 of the Amṛtanāda Upaniṣad.
Upon considering all of this, it appears that all kinds of atheistic or theistic religions, which have been propagated in the world under various names, have been scientifically examined and discussed within Vedic Āryan dharma. The arrangement for religion can be seen as necessary for all people, according to their different qualifications. Therefore, the Vedic Āryan dharma is the only religion that is beneficial to the jīva.
The Vedic Aryan dharma is called Hindu dharma. Nowadays, people ignorantly condemn such a liberal religion. Our prayer is that, without taking any specific person into account, no one should criticise any religion.
