Question to Swami Dayananda:
You have been condemning all religions through and through.
Every religion is good from its own point of view.
We should not speak ill of any.
What special thing do you point out?
And supposing you point out some special thing, was there no men equal to you or above you?
Or will there be none in future?
It does not behove you to be proud.
In this universe of God, one man is greater than another and so on.
It is not proper for any body to be self conceited.
Answer given by Swami Dayananda:
Every religion is good from its own point of view.
We should not speak ill of any.
What special thing do you point out?
And supposing you point out some special thing, was there no men equal to you or above you?
Or will there be none in future?
It does not behove you to be proud.
In this universe of God, one man is greater than another and so on.
It is not proper for any body to be self conceited.
Answer given by Swami Dayananda:
Do all men have the same religion (dharma) or different?
If different, are they similar or dissimilar?
If dissimilar, there ought to be only one right religion.
If similar, then difference is meaningless.
Therefore, there is only one righteousness (dharma) and only one unrighteousness (A-dharma).
We have been all along emphasizing this point.
If different, are they similar or dissimilar?
If dissimilar, there ought to be only one right religion.
If similar, then difference is meaningless.
Therefore, there is only one righteousness (dharma) and only one unrighteousness (A-dharma).
We have been all along emphasizing this point.
[Ref: Satyarth-Prakash (or THE LIGHT OF TRUTH): 11th Chapter, English translation: by Pt. Ganga Prasad Upadhyaya.]
Swami Dayanada’s definitions of “DHARMA” (righteousness) & “A-DHARMA” (unrighteousness) are also worth noticing. He has defined these terms as follows in the last chapter of the same book:
“Righteousness (Dharma) is the name of unprejudiced, just way of living (e.g. truthfulness), which might not be against the order of God and the Vedas. Similarly, unrighteousness (A-Dharma) is prejudiced and unjust way of living (e.g. falsehood), disobedience of God and insurgence against the Vedas.”
