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Equal Respect for all Religions
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and another or between religions, get automatically calmed down, and a right direction to secure human happiness.
With a view to assembling and uniting all religions, Gandhiji had initiated prayers of all religions (to respect them) everyday. Picking up a little from all the religions, these prayers were conducted. A religious feeling is the special characteristic of man; and this religious feeling is always in the form of intuition, as it were arising from within. The word 'Dharma' is so vast and wide that I have not till today found any similar word in any language, entailing all shades of meaning, covered by this word. Dharma is our four-fold friend. It does the work of a friend with respect to our individual, social, material and 'other-worldly' life. In this context, a synthesis of all religions is a ‘must, and for this purpose, there should be a synthetic study of the main scriptures of all religions. Truly speaking, the books which we regard as 'scriptures' are not found to consist of fully and purely religious ideals. Even the great sacred books have some such parts which, if we put them to a modern test would not be accepted as religious ideas or good thoughts. Hence our inclination should be to learn the morale of it.” .
The above thoughts are those of Saint Vinoba Bhave from the speeches given by him at the time of his “Bhudan movement” to east Pakistan and at the time of 'Kashmir Yatra'. It does not require proof to assert that St. Vinobaji was the exponent of synthesis of all religions and the feeling of equal respect.
Dharma is an everlasting friend and companion of mankind. Dharma makes human being “a man”. In other words, if one wants to live like a man religion would be an inevitable thing. It is said in Manusmruti, “Dharma protects that man, who protects Dharma.” In this way the humaneness in man is safeguarded by Dharma. Moreover, keeping in mind that religion has contributed
