“My way is the only way.” This is the exclusivist credo of some religionists. In disarming contrast, Krishna declares in the Bhagavad-gita (04.11): “All people are on my way.”
To understand this inclusivist spirit, consider the metaphor of a dining table that serves not physical food, but spiritual truth – truth about God and his glories. Religious exclusivists claim that they own the truth table.
However, God does not belong to any religion – all religions belong to him. It is he who infuses religion with the truths that they convey. So, God alone owns the truth table.
As God loves all living beings, he reveals himself in different ways according to what will best attract different people to him. Thus, God has many invitees at the truth table, with different people relishing different helpings of the truth. In fact, whatever truth anyone has perceived is the helping God has served that person. In that sense, everyone is on his way.
How can one get a greater helping of the truth?
By increasing one’s devotion to God, for the same Gita verse states that Krishna rewards revelation in proportion to surrender.
The Gita’s non-exclusivist, non-competitive spirit is elaborated by the philosopher-saint Bhaktivinoda Thakura: “When we have occasion to be present at the place of worship of other religionists at the time of their worship, we should stay there in a respectful mood, contemplating thus: 'Here is being worshiped my adorable highest entity God, in a different form than that of mine … I bow down before His emblem as I see here and offer my prayer to my Lord who has adopted this different emblem so that He may increase my love toward Him in the form that is acceptable for me.”
Explanation of article:
Thank you Pr for post this article…,
Hare Krishna Prabhuji
Please accept my humble obeisances.
very great words prabhuji.
Desiring to serve.
himanshu ramdeo
Hare krishna prabhuji!
What a beautiful view and enlighting explanation to clear our mind from confusing various different religions and different aproches to reach the Lord !
Thank you very much.
Excellent Sir
Wonderful explanation of the facts Prabhuji..When krishna can have millions of incarnations, its actually not very unexpected that krishna has opened up many religions or pathways to reach him by many kinds of people of the world. No other religion has a clear concept of who that god is, they only say there is some god. Only Sanatana dharma or so-called hindu religion has a very very utmost clear conception that that very god of everyone is lord shri krishna..krishnas tu bhagavan svayam..and krishna svayam samabhavat in brahma samhita. hare krishna