UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD
BY : Dr. K.S. Raju, I.A.S. (Retd.)

  Almost all scriptures  of different religions in the world unanimously state that Love is the first creation of God. But Hindu and Sikh scriptures are categorical on this issue. The Puranas mention specifically that when God willed to have company, He created the body of man and summoned gods to put 'light' into it, so that it became alive and moved. 33 crore gods ventured, one by one, but their efforts did not fructify. Then God Himself seated in the heart of man and he instantly moved and became alive. Guru Amar Das Ji affirms this view when he says:

      'The Lord put His light into thee:

      and then didst thou come in this World.'

It was out of sheer love that God created man as his beloved son. Not only this. He made man Supreme in the whole of His creation. Guru Arjun Dev Ji says:-

      'Other creatures are thine water-carriers
      In this World, thine is the sovereignty.'

Bible goes to the extent of saying: 'God created man in his own image.' Holy Quran, too, affirms this by saying, man is 'Ashraful Makhlookat'.

With this background the entire humanity constitutes one 'Brotherhood' and mutual bonds of brotherly love and remembrance of God, the Father, ensure perfect peace and heavenly bliss. Guru Nanak Dev Ji went to Sumer Parbat and met the Yogis, the most powerful spiritual sect of that time, and questioned their retirement to the Himalayan caves when whole of India was 'ablaze'. Guru Nanak Ji was only 40 years old at that time and the Yogis were enjoying life beyond 100 years and were having miraculous powers. Still, they were very much impressed with the arguments of Guru Nanak Dev Ji during their dialogue with him. They, therefore, requested him to embrace their highest sect, called 'Aeey'. But Guru Ji advised them to embrace the highest sect of 'Universal Brotherhood':-

'Make the brotherhood with all, the highest sect of Yogic order, and deem the conquering of self, the conquest of the World.'

Guru Gobind Singh Ji was the pioneer to forecast the need of one global religion and declared 'Humanity' as the religion of all races. I am happy to note that Shri C.L. Gulati, in his beautiful write-up, entitled 'Wiping Out Intolerance' (Sant Nirankari, September, 2001), advocates a single religion as a wonderful remedy to wipe out religious intolerance. He writes: 'If one can easily acknowledge the concept of one God for all, it should not be difficult to accept the idea of one religion for all, i.e. the religion of man, a religion that can suit the whole human race.'

All theists believe that man is the most beloved son of God and the human heart is His abode. According to the Sikh Gurus there is one Father and we are all His children. So believe the Christians and the Muslims. All the saints of the world declare at the top of their voice that God resides in all. But, unfortunately, man like a spoilt child is totally alienated from God. The remedy lies in coming of man closer to man and union of man with God. Human hearts should come closer to each other. An Urdu Poet has aptly suggested:-

'Dilon Ka Fasla Kutch Kam Kar Lo Aiy Khuda Walo
Nimaze Zindagi Kirdar Ke Siva Aur Kiya Hai.'

(O believers of God, bring hearts closer to each other. True worship is nothing but noble conduct.)

The Sant Nirankari Mission, all seers, savants, Gurus, Prophets and the holy scriptures are unanimous in conveying this message to man. But man, engrossed in mutual enmity, strife, lust, wrath, worldly love, falsehood, sin, excessive greed and deceit, is suffering the pangs of 84 lakh incarnations.

Then what is the remedy. One and the only one remedy is of 'Mutual Love'. Milton, an English poet of eminence, also says that 'Mutual love is the crown of all bliss.' Mutual love, social equality and religious toleration is the need of the hour. Guru Arjun Dev Ji had tendered this advice about 400 years ago:-

Join and meet together, my brethren; dispel duality and imbibe love for your Lord.

But the pity is that instead of understanding this golden message of the Guru and acting upon it, we are forgetting it. C.L. Gulati writes: 'The Nirankari Mission does not convert anyone to a new faith, but reverts the seekers to their respective faiths with added firmness. They are advised to understand and acquire a deeper understanding of their holy scriptures, so that they can live together in a spirit of peaceful and harmonious co-existence.'

India being the land of Rishis, Munis, saints and seers, having faith in One God, can lead the world in attaining this noble goal and fostering universal brotherhood and knitting the humanity with universal love. But this most cherished miracle can happen if all the seers of all faiths sit together and declare that basically all the religions are one and that all humans are children of one and the same father, that is, God.