1 st AMENDMENT Freedom speech, press, religion, petition, assembly .
Speech Parliament of World Religion
Transcript of Speech Parliament of World Religion
-
8/8/2019 Speech Parliament of World Religion
1/7
HARI OM
Ellavarkkum Namaskaram.
Salutations to all of you!
First and foremost, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the
organizers for giving me this opportunity to address the Parliament of
the worlds religions.
I consider this a great privilege because it was the very rst Parliament
of the worlds religions that the great Indian spiritual leader His Holiness
Swami Vivekananda addressed in Chicago in the year 1893.
This parliament of the Worlds religions can truly be described as the
Religious Olympics, where the spirit is mutual understanding, acceptance,
friendship and global oneness.
Make a World of Difference: Hearing each other, Healing the earth -
This theme of the current parliament of worlds religions holds great
promise for the world of today and tomorrow. The choice of this theme
makes me particularly happy because it holds special relevance in the
religion or the culture that I represent that is Hinduism which occupies
a mothers place among religions.
-
8/8/2019 Speech Parliament of World Religion
2/7
The term Hinduism was introduced by the British to denote the
religious, philosophical and cultural traditions native to India. In
Sanskrit we call it Sanathana Dharma meaning eternal Law.
Hinduism is a way of life in India. This Indian way of life has been
moulded by the Vedas, which are also known as shruthis.
The Sanskrit word shruthi means that which is heard. hruthi issaid to have no author; rather, it is believed to be a divine recording
of the cosmic sounds of truth, heard by rishis or saints.
The shruthis have thus evolved through hearing. Shruthi is the
very reason that the Upanishads exist. The word Upanishad
when literally translated is sitting at the feet or in the presence
of a teacher. This kind of teaching probably existed in India
ages before it was set down in any written form and was passed
down from the gurus to their disciples only through speaking and
listening. This art of listening cant be more relevant and practical
than in the present situation. Everyone wants to talk and talk but
no one seems to listen anymore. Right from homes to big political
gatherings, everyone wants to voice his or her opinion. Nowadays
listening and mutual understanding is very less and the result is
dissatisfaction which has stemmed and snowballed into wars.
-
8/8/2019 Speech Parliament of World Religion
3/7
A child wants a mother to listen and the mother wants the child
to listen; a husband wants the wife to listen and vice versa; the
employer wants his employees to listen and the employees want the
superiors to listen; When we see the global situation, India wants
Pakistan to listen and Pakistan wants India to listen. The same
thing is true of Iran Iraq and Israel Palestine. The United States of
America wants all these nations to listen to them and all nationsappeal to the US to listen to them.
Todays world is full of talk, talk, talk. Back home in India, I saw
a big advertisement of a telecom company that says, Talk more!
As it is we talk too much, and because we are always talking, we
never listen; What saddens me is that because we never listen, we
miss out a lot of things in our lives especially what Nature is saying
to us. This is another sad consequence of our modern lifestyle. In
ancient times the sages were ne- tuned to Nature- they heard andlistened. Their deep and quiet wisdom was a result of hearing andlistening and this was reected in their hymns and worship. They
heard, they listened and they sang in glory:
-
8/8/2019 Speech Parliament of World Religion
4/7
Om bhadram karnebhih shrunuyaama devaah
Bhadram pashyemaakshabhiryajatraah
Sthirairangaistushtuvaamsastanoobhih
Vyashema devahitam yadaayuh
Swasti na indro vridhashravaah
Swasti nah pooshaa vishwavedaah
Swasti nastaarkshyo arishtanemih
Swasti no brihaspatir dadhaatu.
Om shantih, shantih, shantih!
This shloka was recited by our rishis to nature through which they
appealed, May our ears rejoice from hearing your voices. May
we see what is auspicious.
To the Hindu sage hearing each other means not just humans
hearing humans. It signies hearing the whole universe with utmost
reverence, attention and concentration. When in meditation, one
can hear and see even the quiet blooming of a ower. Every bitof Nature would have much to tell us the seas, rivers, plants and
animals- even the tiny ant. And they would especially tell us how
much they suffer today and how this suffering would spell disaster
for the whole of mankind and the universe.
-
8/8/2019 Speech Parliament of World Religion
5/7
All the Indian scriptures took birth in the forests and among nature, in
the presence of plants, animals and all the forces of nature. Bhagavan
Sree Krishna says through the Bhagavad Gita,
Bhumiraaponalo vayuhu kham mano bhuddhireva cha
Ahankara itiyam me bhinna prakritirashtadha,
Earth, water, re, air, space, mind, intellect and ego, these eight
together constitute my separate material energies.
The 5 basic elements of nature Space, air, re, water, and earth
would have plenty to tell us if only we opened our sense organs.
This indeed, is what is meant by hearing each other. And I sincerely
believe that it is through such a hearing that we will be able to heal
Mother Earth.
Most Indian epics , puranas (mythologies) and scriptures begin with
an appeal for the Divine incarnation to heal and save the Earth. The 5
elements even assumed God like forms and were given names. Why!
Even names like Vishwamitra, which means friend of the universe,
are proof that the ancient wise sages and men respected, worshipped
and loved nature.
-
8/8/2019 Speech Parliament of World Religion
6/7
Lord Krishna, one of the most important incarnations of Vishnu,comes to the world, to spread the message that the purpose of his
incarnation is indeed protection of Nature. Krishnas actions carry this
message. The young Krishna notices that the river Kalindi which owspeacefully through his land is getting polluted. Lives dependant on the
river are dying. Krishna sets out to nd the cause and discovers theserpent Kaliya polluting the waters with poison. In the encounter that
follows, Krishna overpowers Kaliya and then helps him to relocate,
thus restoring the purity of Kalindi.
In another striking instance, Krishna questions those who blindly
worshipped God. He points to Mount Govardhan and asks: Is it not
this mountain that we should worship? It is here that our cattle graze;
it is from here that we get the water that sustains us. Is this not the God
who blesses us and whom we see before our very eyes?
Thus Krishna questions his people and sets them thinking. Krishna
teaches his people that worship of Nature is indeed worship of
the Divine. These are perhaps the earliest and nest examples ofEnvironmental awareness campaigns that took place in India several
thousand years ago.
Campaigns that could make a difference
Coming back to the present: How can this Parliament of the Worlds
Religions help to create a new and different world? This is the most
important question. The only answer I can think of is to worship and
respect nature and listen to mother nature.
-
8/8/2019 Speech Parliament of World Religion
7/7