The Kashi Vidyapeeth founder who wrote of the essential unity of all religions

Empire of the mind

Bhagwan Das was among the early recipients of the Bharat Ratna in 1955. An independence activist, theosophist and educationist, he co-founded the Kashi Vidyapeeth and worked with Madan Mohan Malaviya to establish the Banaras Hindu University. What set him apart was his sagacity as a great synthesiser drawing from eclectic learning in philosophy and spirituality. His synthesis of life’s lesson was simple but profound: “In essentials, in principles, in great things, unity; in non-essentials...liberty; in all things, charity; this should be our guiding star”.

The Essential Unity of All Religions (EUAR) is his most important work, originally published in 1932, and explores the one and only truth that animates all the world’s religions -- the pursuit of a moral life, in its essence, the knowledge of the self. In doing so, Das eliminates the prime cause of discord between peoples -- religious divides that have caused great wars and massacres throughout the ages -- and highlights shared ethical values such as love, compassion, justice, and service. The book is a timeless classic, and in a conflicted world that threatens humanity with terror, war, and worse in the name of religion, it serves “the immediate and exceedingly important practical purpose of helping to create goodwill among men, whence that peace on earth, indispensable to prosperity, for which every sane heart and head is hungering and thirsting all the world over”.

Despite their apparent differences, all religions share a common core of spiritual truths that can be used to build bridges between different faiths and promote greater understanding and harmony between people of different beliefs. The book begins by examining the concept of God and the role that this idea plays in different religions. The author then moves on to explore the nature of human consciousness and the ways in which it can be transformed through spiritual practice. The book also discusses the importance of compassion, love and forgiveness in all religions, and how these values can be used to promote greater unity and understanding. Throughout the book, Bhagavan Das draws on his own experiences as a spiritual seeker and practitioner, as well as his extensive knowledge of different religious traditions. He cites examples from Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and other faiths to illustrate the commonalities that exist between them.

The central theme that we must all draw upon and act on is that minute differences between religions and faiths are already far too overemphasised and acted on, to great harm to mankind; that commonalities and similarities are far too ignored, to our great loss. Even intellectually, what varies with each deserves to be regarded as superficial, and what runs through as a common thread in all must be recognised as the core and essence. In sum then, can religious leaders and the laity begin to practice the essential points, on which all religions agree, and begin to give far more prominence than they have been given hitherto, and all seekers and keepers of the faith regard this as the very heart of all religions?

But this is far from easy, for religion is indeed the opium of the people. The opium metaphor is relevant because opium was until the mid-twentieth century regarded as a beneficial, useful and cheap medicine, especially for the poor, often used to treat melancholy and other ailments. Like opium, religion may be a source of hope, a way of curing an illness, a sigh for a better world; but it is also a result of a world out of kilter and may even be a source of harm in its own right. Therefore, there will be critics of the radical kind, persons of strong belief, of sincere and intense faith. They naturally feel, each, his own particular creed to be unique, ‘the one and only’, the best and the ‘original’, word of God. It is so, in every course of action, in our divided and conflicting world of the present and, menacingly, of the future, where ambitious competition is involved. And where is it not?

All embodied life seems incessant conflict and war, of great and small measure. This is apparent in the life of worldly pursuit, of things of the senses; it is also present, and ever growing, in the common perceptions of the religious life.

EUAR is a must-read for anyone interested in finding ways to promote harmony between people of different faiths and beliefs. At a time when religious extremism and intolerance are on the rise, Bhagwan Das’ emphasis on the shared spiritual core of all religions provides a powerful counter-narrative. He urges individuals to look beyond dogma, toward the universal principles that connect humanity.

This scarce antiquarian book holds out hope that we may yet overcome the miasma of despair that pervades the divisive and contentious religious discourse in our troubled world.