Ramakrishna was a mass of love and, so, he could harmonise conflicting faiths in the light of his realisation of their essential depth-unity despite the abiding surface incongruities. The sage of Dakshineshwar had in his person realised the essence of all the divergent sects of Hinduism and even those of two of the Semitic faiths, Christianity and Islam. At the end of his spiritual odyssey he came to the conclusion that all religions if practised with sincerity, one-pointed concentration and perfect purity lead to the Truth transcendental. He averred that all religions have their shortcomings but are valid paths for devotees having different temperaments and, so, different requirements.
Ramakrishna categorically stated that religion is not God but is merely the avenue to godhead. Differences in religions are only superficial on account of their divergent locations of inception and flourishing which give them divergent cultural content. Moreover, the difference in the personalities of the founders of religions give them their distinctive original and developing character. But the essence of religion is transcendental perception of Truth and herein lies the uniformity in eventual realisation of it for all of humanity across the global spectrum if the limits of realisation are pushed far enough to cross sensory barriers of all kinds. Truth at the transcendental level shines in peaceful harmony of the disparate terrestrial elements battling blindly for a futile supremacy. And Ramakrishna realised this to pronounce his epic aphorism : Jato mat, tato path. (As many faiths, so many ways.)
End of Part 1
To be continued ...
Written by Sugata Bose
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