A LATTER DAY RESPONSE TO SWAMIJI'S 'PAPER ON HINDUISM' READ OUT BY HIM ON 19 SEPTEMBER, 1893 AT THE CHICAGO WORLD PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS ... 1

A LATTER DAY RESPONSE TO SWAMIJI'S 'PAPER ON HINDUISM' READ OUT BY HIM ON 19 SEPTEMBER, 1893 AT THE CHICAGO WORLD PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS ... 1

Unity in diversity is the characteristic of Nature as is much clamoured about by anti-Hindutva secular people, and yet it is only the Hindus 🕉 in history who have consistently adopted this principle both philosophically and in practice. The religions of the Abrahamic tradition, especially, Christianity ✝️ and Islam ☪️, have never recognised it, rejecting it as contrary to their scriptural principles and in consequence deluging the world 🌎 in blood while wiping out civilisation after civilisation from the face of the earth 🌎 in their bid to impose their narrow doctrinaire view of life. Hinduism, on the other hand, recognises the whole gamut of religious, social, cultural and spiritual experience -- as Swamiji rightly pointed out before the most august assembly of the world in Chicago, 1893 -- and allows the gradual evolution of the groping soul towards eventual perfection through the myriad maze of manifold Maya. Such catholicity of spiritual vision, such breadth of universal acceptance, such depth of unitary understanding underlying the multiplicity of approaches of the evolving soul to Truth is recognised by Hinduism alone. The Bible rejects this catholic view and prescribes hell-fire for non-believers. The Qur'an goes further to make life itself hell for infidels before the Islamic Allah casts them into hell to roast for evil on earth 🌎 done in denying him. The Hindu 🕉 in divine contrast only professes love and showers blessings on those of other faiths, bidding them Godspeed, not realising that it is heaven they wish to ascend to and not experience spiritual oneness with God. The Hindu's 🕉 goodness and gullibility have cost him dear and the price he will keep on paying till he arms himself with knowledge of the scriptures of Islam ☪️ and Christianity ✝️ and takes a fresh guard in self-defence.

Written by Sugata Bose