THE STRENGTH OF OUR RELIGION

It is ONE that is conceived as three, and then as thirty-three, and then as thirty-three crores signifying an infinity of forms in which the ONE can manifest itself and be worshipped according to the tastes and the capacities of the worshippers, and according to the innumerable varieties of functions of Divinity. The forms may be different; the names may be different, but the ultimate Truth that is Divinity, is ONE.

Because two People worship different manifestations of the One Supreme Being, there is no warrant for their quarrelling with each other. The Siva Puraanas extol Siva and the Vishnu Puraanas extol Vishnu. But a proper understanding will remove the misconception. The praise of a particular manifestation in a puraana is to be understood in its context and not as absolute.

How can there be a higher or lower, superior or inferior when in reality there are not two, but it is only One God manifesting differently? We must not forget that there are works, which proclaim the oneness of Siva and Vishnu, of Hara and Hari. It has been declared that the enemies of Siva are the enemies of Vishnu too and vice versa.

Among us there is the concept of the ishtadevataa, of the particular form of God which one chooses for his worship and meditation. To get at the one supreme, you must start from some manifestation. As each progresses in his devotion and concentration, he will be led on to the one where the differences disappear. That has been the experience of great sages and saints. A true siva bhakta has no quarrel with a true Vishnu bhakta.

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