Knowledge leads to unity but ignorance leads to diversity. So long as God seems to be outside and far away there is ignorance. But when God is realised within, that is the knowledge.
- Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
Once a householder-devotee requested his guru to grace his house and accept performance of 'pada puja' (worship of the lotus feet of a god, guru, parents with veneration). The guru accepted and was received by the householder with garlanding and sprinkling of flowers on the path outside his house.
Upon entering into the main hall, the guruji was offered seat in a special sofa. A large plate was brought in and the guruj's feet were gently placed in the plate on the floor. First the feet were washed by pure water, then by milk and again by pure water, feet wiped by a towel, anointment of feet by sandal paste, dotting by turmeric and kumkum followed. Lastly the feet were decorated with flowers, lighting of incense sticks and performance of Aarati completed the ritual. All the devotees beginning
with the householder's family including neighbourhood prostrated one after another before the guruji's feet and had his blessings. Guruji started off with a spiritual discourse about gruhastha ashrama dharma (rights and respomsibilites of a house holder). At the end, he welcomed the audience to clear their doubts if any. For this the householder came out with a question , "guruji, we here in this apartment have as many as twenty families with different faiths and castes. We never had any problem what so ever in our social relations and even exchanged special food items with each other on festive days. But I am unable to comprehend what makes some on this globe to think on extreme lines and go on intimidating people of other faiths and making them restless.?"
Guruji paused for a while and started, "Every thing depends how one takes about his religion. You know that, when you enter a garden what would you expect? From end to end only one type of plants with a single coloured flowers? If such is the case, you get bored and immediately cone out of the garden. But if you see different flowers like roses, lilies, chrysanthemum, hibiscus, dahlia, jasmine, china rose - then you enjoy the garden as a feast to your eyes. Every flower has its own charm. Your magnanimity lies in respecting different flowers equally. Same is the case with all faiths on this globe. Each has its own way of enlightening its followers towards that Supreme Being which is One and only One. The problem lies in interpretation of what their religious scriptures exhort. But over period of time one can expect awakening with proper pursuing by their religious elite."
Guruji stopped for a while and asked the house holder to fetch a cloth about 4'x6' in dimension. Then he took it into his hands, folded lengthwise, twisted and wrapped around his head and asked, what was it called now. People answered instantly, 'turban'. Then he took it into his hands and folded it in to shorter length and placed on his left shoulder and asked again what was it called now. People attending replied, 'angavastram or uttariyam ( a shoulder piece)'. Again the guruji took it into his hands and spread out this time and wrapped around his waist. Without waiting for his question, the public shouted ' Lungi'. He then spread it on the floor asked some to lie down on it . Pat came the answer,'bed sheet'. He turned to the house holder and said, " Is it not wonderful that a single piece of cloth manifested diversity of functions and attributed with multiple names? That is the beauty of diversity. When we come to understand the basic nature of one plain cloth in many forms, we can live happily and harmoniously with diverse faiths like a 'kadanba mala' - a garland of variegated flowers; with a single thread passing through and binding them all, called 'unity'!
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