No more monochromes

A multi-faith prayer book is where I found answers to my questions on faith. On the power of prayer. The prayers transported me to the subli...

A multi-faith prayer book is where I found answers to my questions on faith. On the power of prayer. The prayers transported me to the sublime message conveyed to each who believes in this power. I rode through a gamut of emotions, realising how every nuance associated with multi-faith prayers adds depth to the larger meaning of oneness. Of this belief that there is a God. A Supreme Force. A Higher Being. And that He8217;s One to all. We may choose different ways to approach Him, understand Him and believe in Him, but there8217;s every reason for us to be convinced that He8217;s but one.

Why raise an issue to prove that Bhagwan, Allah and God are separate entities, parallel forces? I wonder about a world where many faiths could co-exist as compatibly as prayers and songs in that book do. Like this verse by Guru Nanak: Ik Onkar Satnaam/ Karta purkh nirbhau nirvair/ Akal murat ajuni sebhan/ Gurparsad jap. And this from the Surah Al Ikhlas: Qul8217;u8217;Allahu ahad, Allahu samad/ Lam yilid walam yulad/ Lam yaqullahu quf8217;wan ahad. Both dwell on how God is One.

Like these, none of the prayers held dear by the faithful put the other down. What they do, though, is preach love and togetherness, devotion and gratefulness to God. God, who8217;s the One Force that created this world. Created Love and Compassion in you and me. For, isn8217;t the blood red in a Muslim, a Hindu, a Christian, a Jew, a Parsi? In the high caste and the untouchable? Don8217;t we all have one nose that smells the fragrance of a perfume just like it is and two eyes that see the rainbow with its seven beautiful colours? Have the Hindus seen a rainbow with five colours, the Muslims with four or the Christians with just one? If life treats them all the same, if love is common to all and if all face the agony of death one fine day, why do we waste time in distinguishing?

I may be born a Hindu, in a family that believes in Shiv, Durga and Hanuman. But, at times, I do feel that God has no form. He is all pervading, a Supreme Power who has created this magic called Life. There are also times I cannot imagine a God without some beautiful form. What8217;s wrong if I want to believe that my God has a specific look? Neither is there any harm if I believe in a formless God. I can think of Christ as the ultimate Saviour as much as I may know Brahma to be the Creator.

There are too many questions that crowd the mind. One thought puts them to rest though. If every new-born clings to its mother the same way despite belonging to different faiths, if every man cries at the death of a loved one and if giving love gives us as much happiness as receiving it does, there8217;s one thing clear: That all are One. Children of the Same God.