Ahimsa and Unity: The Two Fundamentals of Harmony in Religions

[Dr. Ravindra Kumar]

Religion –the Dharma, in context of adopting goodness, as it is the real meaning and purpose of it, or in perspective of discharging one’s duty by her or his righteous acts, or in the form of an injunction, the Shasana, is eventually committed to harmony. It is, in fact, the essence of religion –the Dharma. 

All religions established or developed on this planet, from time-to-time, by making harmony as the nuclei of their foremost fundamentals, in one way or the other call their followers to carry out day-to-day practices accordingly. Along with giving a clarion call to followers to make harmony the basis of their activities, at all levels and in all walks of life, religions indicate practical and adaptable pathway to be followed in this regard. In this very process, important, relevant and the most valuable reality is that all religions make human unity, unity of all living beings in a broad perspective, the basis of harmony. It is because in harmony, the consonance is necessary for conduction of practices and their continuity in diversities prevailed in the world as truly and beautifully revealed and explained in the concept of Anekaantavaada, [अनेकान्तवाद] in Jainism in particular, and also due to the realty of ever existing law of change. Along with this, for the construction, development and continuity of harmony, religions make laudable efforts on the strength of the supreme human value of Ahimsa –non-violence, which is, in its finest form, the revelation of pure love and goodwill towards all living beings. Hence, Ahimsa and unity, with Ahimsa remaining as the supreme, natural and eternal value and the basis of unity simultaneously, emerge as the two foremost fundamentals in religions for the development and continuity of harmony.

Further, religion –the Dharma has, through the ages, been directing and impressing the most the life of one and all –general and particular. After passing through numerous stages of changes and development, the role and contribution of religion in life remain important in present. In current perspective when the fields of science, communication and information technology are touching heights, one after the other in particular, and resultantly development at all levels and in all walks of life naturally multiplies every day and for prolonging the progress, harmony emerges as the foremost and sound basis to succeed in real sense. In other words, taking one and all within the ambit of development, a fair analysis and true development of harmony prevailed in religions, which, to repeat influences the life of everyone, on the basis of Ahimsa and unity is necessary and inevitable. From this, not only the importance of harmony in life will become apparent, but its necessity in continuously increasing process of advancement, from local to global levels, when this planet especially seems now converting rapidly into a global village, will also become visible further to pave the way to proceed accordingly.   

 

 

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