Vice-President Dr G. S. Pathak

A Call for Dialogue

Inaugural Address by Dr Pathak, Vice-President of India / 3 February 1974

I thank Sant Kirpal Singh Ji, sponsor of the inter religious world conference on Unity of Man, organised by Manav Kendra, for His invitation to inaugurate this conference. I congratulate the sponsor on his enterprise in securing this conference. I am sure, his endeavour will be fruitful and achieve the worthy objective of bringing about the spirit of oneness among the followers of different religious faiths and promoting universal well-being.

Man has made many conquests over nature and has acquired knowledge undreamed of, say, twenty five years ago, which he can turn to his benefit or to his own destruction. Crass materialism has grown out of the unprecedented advance of science and technology. Distance has been annihilated and people living in remote regions have virtually become neighbours. Yet, they have not learnt to live like brothers. Conflicts persist, both on the national and international planes. Nations are afflicted internally with evils like parochialism, casteism, stateism, inequalities, intolerance, ignorance, etc. in the international sphere armed conflicts and wars still occur. Their causes, for example, racialism, arrogance of power, chauvinistic nationalism, and political greed, bedevil the affairs of mankind.

However, it is being realised, to use UNESCO’s languages, that

since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed.

But no fruitful effort has been made on an appreciably large scale to change the mind of men and to erect and fortify the Inner Defences of life. Nor are determined and sustained steps being taken to give a clear and definite direction to human thinking and action so that science and technology may be used only for the welfare of humanity and an end may be put to the frightening possibilities of their evil uses. Colossal amounts are spent on armaments every year which could be utilised to remove poverty, illness and ignorance of the less fortunate peoples of the world. No doubt man represents a great advance in evolution. Yet it is manifest that in this evolutionary process he has still greater heights to scale. Something vital is missing in human affairs. There is a cul de sac – a blind alley. Unless the thinking processes are drastically altered, there is no way out.

You must have proper understanding of man and his place in the scheme of nature. By nature I mean here not only the physical universe but also the Inner World, the Kingdom of Heaven. For this it is necessary that there should be a dialogue between different religions in order to rediscover the meaning of man, and to restate it in the idiom of universality.

In this connection I recall to my mind the observation of Prof Parrinder:

The religions of the world face a completely new situation today. Never before this century have they been in such close contact as they are now. The ‘one world’ in which we live with its close communications, make nonsense of religious isolation.

It must be admitted that the Unity of Man must transcend all physical boundaries and override all man made barriers. The realisation of the Unity of Man will impart an element of Spirituality in human thought and action. I am happy to note, UNESCO’s emphasis on the influence of Spiritual Values on political structure and techniques. In this connection organisations like a Manav Kendra and conferences like the memorable event and the rallying point of the fraternity of man, Spiritual Awakening and moral regeneration.

The element of Spirituality which I have spoken depends upon the correct understanding of the evolution of man in the environment of nature – in the wider senses as explained by me above – and the discovering of the True Relationship of man with God or super-consciousness. This effort has been the constant concern of manifested since he attained civilisation. Religion is a relationship, personal and intimate, of man with His maker. It is a part of one’s being and an integral part of one’s emotions and feelings. There is a diversity of races and nations in the world, and a diversity of religions, but the object of all religions’ quest has been essentially the same through the ages. All religions seek to know the Supreme Truth which pervades creation. In spite of the diversity of approaches there is an underlying Unity in the concept of the Supreme Reality. All religions seek to know the Supreme Truth which pervades creation. In spite of the diversity of approaches there is an underlying Unity in the concept of the Supreme Reality. All religions seek to lead man to a common goal. They appear to differ from one another because they were originally preached at different times and in differing environments. A conference like the present one will doubtless promote an understanding and appreciation of the essential Unity of all religions and help us perceive and compared the fact that all of them utter the same Truth, though in their own idiom.

While it is a natural that each individual should cherish a special feeling of reverence for his own religion, it is necessary that every endeavour should be made to appreciate the true meaning and depth of other faiths. This is possible only through a dialogue with one who has personal experience of the particular religious faith which one may try to understand …

Sankara had a comprehensive appreciation of different expressions of the One Truth, even though he spoke of six orthodox systems of religion.

Whether it is Christianity or Hinduism, Islam or Buddhism, Jainism or Sikhism or any other religion, the goal is the same though the paths are different. They light different paths towards the same Ultimate Truth in the words of the Vedantic dictum:

Ekam sat vipra bhuda vadanti.

He is One without a second, but Sages comprehend Him differently and call Him different names.

… The Sufi, Rumi, said:

The lamps are different but the Light is the same.

Mahatma Gandhi realised the Universality of religion and invoked God by the various names by which different religions call Him. Toynbee rightly held that

The missions of the higher religions are not competitive: they are complementary. We can believe in our own religion without having to feel that it is the sole repository of Truth.

The principle religions of the world reveal a large degree of Unity in certain of their tenets. Toynbee observes that all the religions agree; that our universe is mysterious as the phenomenon that we see must be only a fragment of universe that is spiritually greater than man; that knowledge is but a means to actions leading to the goal of human endeavours; that man’s goal is to seek communion with the presence behind the phenomena with a view to realising harmony with it.

Describing the attributes of God, the Holy Quran says:

He never dies. There is no God but He … God is ubiquitous and He knows all. God is infinite and omniscient … God is the Truth.

According to Sikh scriptures:

There is but One God, the Eternal, the All-pervading, the Creator, the Supreme Being.

In the words of Max Muller, the Vedantic philosopher declared that

In the beginning there can have been but One, as there will be but One, in the end, whether we call it Atman or Brahma.

The Upanishads say,

Ekam eva advitiyam.

One only without a second …

A close observation and study of the phenomenal universe around us will lead to the realisation that the One God is manifested everywhere and that His law rules everything. There is Unity in the laws of nature which is but the manifestation of the Divine. This Unity was inevitable as the Maker is One. It is known that release of immense energy in the sun is the result of the hydrogen atom. The fission of the hydrogen atom in the laboratory results in the same spectacular release of energy. It is evident that the manifested of the Divine Law is the same in the macrocosm as in the microcosm. I am mentioning this expression to support the concept of an all pervasive Divine Power which regulates and orders all happenings in creation with the same even hand.

An excessive materialism which has seized hold of the mind of man is said to have grown out of the blind advance of technology and science; it may be relevant to speak of the relationship between science and religion.

In his essay on science and religion, Einstein says:

Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.

This indicates Einstein’s faith in the humanising influence of religion on science.

There is no anti thesis between religion and science. Indeed they are complementary. Religion is concerned with the law of the Inner Man perceived by extra sensory means. Science is concerned with physical laws governing the material world. Science and religion together complete the relationship with Divine Consciousness. A search and religion together complete the relationship with Divine Consciousness. A search for the laws of nature by scientific method, according science as an anti religious endeavour but the modern expression of man’s search for God.

If the process of the erosion of moral and ethical values continues unabated, the world peace is in jeopardy, might becomes right and only the aggressive, the wealthy and the strong can survive on earth. It is necessary that religion should temper the peace of the materialism and technological advance and make it possible for the good and gentle, the meek and the poor also to survive and lead their own lives in peace, quite and safely. All religions proclaim the brotherhood of man. Islam emphasises it and so does Christianity. The message of Sikhism is contained in the words:

We are the sons of the same one father: Thou art my Great Lord.

Jainism, Buddhism for other faiths are the necessary corollaries. Only by a synthesis of the values help aloft by our great religions can we safeguard the security and happiness of the people and ensure peace and goodwill on earth.

In the words of Dr Radhakrishnan:

It is the aim of religion to lifts us from our momentary meaningless provincialism to the significance and status of the eternal, to transform the chaos and confusion, of life to that pure and immortal essence which is its ideal possibility. If the human mind so changes itself as to be perpetually in the Glory of the Divine Light, if the human emotions transform themselves into the measure and movement of the Divine Bliss, if human action partakes of the creativity of the Divine Life, if the human life shares the purity of the Divine Essence, if only we can support this higher life, the long labour of the cosmic process will receive its crowning justification and the evolution of centuries unfold its profound significance …

He concluded by quoting Swami Savanna who had dreamt of the realisation of Unity of Man thus:

There is one caste, the caste of humanity. There is only one religion, the religion of Love or the religion of vedanta. There is only one dharma, the dharma of truthfulness. There is only one law, the law of cause and effect. There is only One God, the omnipresent, the omniscient, omnipotent. There is only one language, the language of silence or the language of the heart.

I have now much pleasure in inaugurating the World Conference on Unity of Man and wish your deliberations all success.

Jai Hind.