As our soul may have travelled various regions over time, it makes sense to conclude that we have within us a confluence of God manifestations and their Prophets, all owing allegiance to one Supreme Power, says OSWALD PEREIRA
There’s a little bit of Krishna in my life ― also a little bit of Christ, Allah and Buddha. Within me, there are many bits of various avatars, prophets, sages and saints. These little bits have touched my life ― in this and my many previous births. And all these converge into one whole, springing from one Source or Supreme Being.
God is the most neutral name for this Supreme Being, though the Supreme goes by various other names like Brahmn, Bhagwan, Father, Allah, Akal Purakh, or Yahweh. God, didn’t claim to have any name. For when Moses asked God by what name should he refer to Him to Israelites, God simply said, “I am who I am.”
But in the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna addresses the Supreme, Krishna, by 41 different names including Achyuta, Bhagwan, Govinda, Hari, Ishvara, Janardana, Kesava, Madhava, Purushottama and Yogeshvara as well as Vasudeva and Vishnu.
Well, from my birth name, I am identified as Christian or more specifically, Catholic. But I believe confining my identity to Christian, would be the most un-Catholic thing to do. Catholic means all-embracing, including a wide variety of things. So, being Catholic, why should I do an un-Catholic thing, like claiming that my faith is the ultimate truth? Wouldn’t it be more Catholic to believe that there are many truths and faiths abounding in this vast, diverse universe?
Each truth or faith may seem unique with an identity of its own. But if we look beneath the surface, it will become clear that the only uniqueness of faith is its oneness with all things good, beautiful and loving.
Human beings may be from different regions, yet deep down they are all so similar. But if we strip ourselves of our so-called unique identity and merge ourselves with the common identity, the Supreme Being, then we all would be one.
If there is one universal truth, because there is one God, then why did God appear on earth in various incarnations with different names, at different times and in different regions? God perhaps followed the simple axiom that there’s a time and place for everything.
Avatars descended on earth, depending on the need of the people and the region. The names assumed by avatars were also region-based; more like Supreme Intelligence seeing the sign of the times. Krishna says, “For protection of the good, for destruction of evil, and for the establishment of righteousness, I come into being from age to age.” (Gita 4:8) The Bible gives us many reasons why Jesus came to the world, among the important ones being to destroy evil, free people of the fear of death, and save the world.
Prophet Muhammad, the final Prophet of Allah, taught people to worship the One God and to live a morally upright life. Prophet Zoroaster talked about one universal, transcendent, Supreme God. He advised people to have good thoughts, speak good words and do good deeds, following the path of truth.
Don’t all avatars and prophets teach us to be good and shun evil? And if we believe in rebirth ― that our soul may have travelled various regions over time ― doesn’t it make sense to conclude that we have within us a confluence of God manifestations and their Prophets, all owing allegiance to one Supreme Power?
Oswald Pereira, a senior journalist, has also written eight books, including The Newsroom Mafia, Chaddi Buddies, The Krishna-Christ Connexion, How to Create Miracles in Our Daily Life and Crime Patrol: The Most Thrilling Stories. Oswald is a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, and practises Kriya Yoga.
Fundamentally a post after intense exploration. When one’s heart learns oneness of universe such songs are sang.
Oswald ji though a Christian by religion, goes beyond that to taste this unique oneness. That vivacity i have observed in each of his spiritual blogs. Yogananda inspires him and his broad mind allows him to wander in this true field of existence.
No matter which religion one belongs to the spirit of all is same, a fraction of supreme soul. Our journey in this universe makes the pure soul as embodied soul. We walk the journey in various lives in our pursuit to transform the embodied soul to pure soul and the journey ends.
But this sense of oneness…. Similarity amongst we all…. is not a small realization.
Such experience one really receives at a heightened state.
I shall not only as gree but more agree with your inference Oswald ji.
A nice post.
Manas Das Jee, thank you so much for your outpouring of love and kindness.
Indeed, we are all one…with the Supreme…the Truth that is within us all.
Man made differences are but temporary. Ultimately will come the Realization of our unity and universality of religion, practised by great yogis like Sri Ramakrishna, Vivekananda and Yogananda.
Indeed Oswald ji, we are descendants of Oneness, carrying in our soul the essence of the entire universe ; we are too a confluence of Avatars carrying in ourselves the fragrance of the legacy of Krishna and Jesus, Buddha and Mohammed…and all the prophets who have descended upon earth to remind the original blessing of Oneness.
Our origin is One, Our genesis is One, Our essence, Our fragrance is One…but it is discernible to those who have the graceful acumen to trace back to the source which is the primordial womb of All of us.
Kabir ji has sung the thrill of this realisation in a very simple verse:
“आए एक ही देश से, उतरे एक ही घाट ।
हवा लगी जू संसार की, हो गये बारह बाट ॥”
We all have descended from the land of Oneness, destined to land on the mooring of Oneness 😃…but alas! midway what happened with all of us, it is multifarious influences only that dispersed us away in Dharm and Panth, followings and paths🥲
And yet, it is in the confluence of this fateful dispersion only, once again we can regain the original blessing of Oneness which we have lost midway and yet, seeking unaware…this is what Seers of Humanity always keep reminding us. This can of course happen but only by cleansing our perspective and reorienting our path.
And to that end divergence can never help, for, as the Seers of humanity who have explored the height and depth of realisation say, convergence is the path.
In fact we share One fraternity, this is the irrefutable truth about all of us but clouded by memory lapse. However, blessed we are to have the legacy of teachers of humanity who relentlessly keep trying to make our course correction and remind us of our Oneness. In heeding them lies the hope of humanity which is now fighting with various force of divergence threatening to torn us apart.
Fantastic post. Your message of oneness is the need of the hour when medusan forces of communalism are rearing their ugly heads. The idea that our journey represents a confluence of various God manifestations is so liberating and all encompassing. Thank you for this wonderful read.