‘Religion is so personal’
“Das recollects his favourite session with inmates of Tihar jail. He led a lilting kirtan session but found that most prisoners were unresponsive, when the DIG informed him that they were Muslims. “I asked them, do they not believe in Allah, who corresponds to the Hindu Krishna and Christian God? They said, ‘yes’. Then I explained to them how similar all religions were — if Islam had jannat and jahanum, Christianity had paradise and hell, and Hindus had the concept of swarag and narak, were they not all the same? I pointed out that the life source, energy, was provided by what Hindus call Surya, Muslims call Suraj and Christians, Sun, all the same, is it not? They said ‘yes’. And while Islam talked of Ruh, Hindus of Atman, Christians called it Soul, is it not? They said ‘yes’. Then what was the difference, I asked, were we not all addressing the same thing? We are all souls in different bodies — Krishna only says ‘you are all part of me and I am the Supersoul.’ After, that, all barriers were broken and everyone joined us in singing,” says Das.
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