Realism in Religion

    ‘ Punarapi Jananam Punarapi Maranam

     Punarapi Jananii Jathare Shayanam

     Iha Samsaare Bahudustaare

    Kripayaa Apaare Paahi Muraare’

This is the 22^nd verse of Bhajagovindham. When strictly interpreted this sloka gives the meaning ‘ Oh Lord Murari ! Please relieve me from the burden of life in this material world, where birth, death, nap in the mother’s womb happens again and again’.

When we were at our kindergarden our teachers would have taught us the English Alphabets in the fashion “ ‘A‘ for ‘Apple’ “ , “ ‘B’ for ‘Boy’ “. The end was to make the students memorise ‘A’. ‘Apple’ was just a means to support their memorisation of the alphabet ‘A’.  At the end of the day, the teachers would have ensured that the alphabet ‘A’ has got established in our mind.

In the similar lines, is it sensible on our part to interpret the words of the Shri Adhishankara so emblematically that the metaphor stands in our mind more alive than the central point.

There arises the question what can it mean more? What else can be its central point?

Can’t we have this way?

Given that none has had the fortune of verifying the thesis of ‘Life after death’, why don’t we construe it perceptibly around human emotions, which very much analogically to the stated metaphor of birth and death undergoes crests and troughs. We feel on cloud nine one day and dismal the other day. This is a cycle, which everyone undergoes regularly.

Why not we interpret “Oh Murare! Rescue me from the upsurge and declension of my emotional cycle and help me stay equanimous in all circumstances”

In fact , Sloka 38, Chapter 2 of Bhagavath gita makes a similar proposition

                           " Sukha dhuke same krithva Labalabhau jayajayouv                            
Thato yudhayayujyasva Naivam paapamavapsyasi

          Treat pleasure and sorrow and gain and loss equally.
 Don't fight for the sake of winning the war.

        By following this path you will not end up with sins.      "

Religions are institutions developed by human beings to facilitate an comfortable life freeing ourselves from the shortcomings associated with the qualities we inherited from our origin, a nomadic savagery. The end goal of every religion is to help peaceful coexistence of beings and sustenance of life through establishing emotional stability. Put simply, to make Man’s living on this earth seamless. To that end, sacred scriptures should be interpreted. Not to complicate things by thinking things beyond comprehension and to miss the practicable lessons for life that could be easily banked on with the help of the great treasures like Vedas and Upanishads.