Different Ways of God Realisation Mentioned in the Quran Explained in the Light of Gita and Upanishads
By S.
Arshad, New Age Islam
14 July
2022
In
Hinduism, Bhakti Yoga, Gyan Yoga, Raja Yoga and Karma Yoga Are Four Ways of God
Realisation
Main
Points:
1. The Quran
also has three ways of God realisation --- Path of Bhakti, Path of Gyan and
Path of Karma.
2. Sufism in
Islam is akin to Raja Yoga --the Path of Spiritual Discipline.
3. The
spiritually inclined can take the path of devotion.
4. The rational
persons can take the path of Gyan as mentioned in the Quran.
5. The
practical persons can take the path of selfless work and good deeds.
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The Quran
asks man to realise his relation with God and, to achieve this realisation, God
prescribes to him different ways or paths. When studied deeply and diligently,
the reader finds that man is given a choice or independence to choose his own
path to God realisation according to his own psychological or mental faculties.
God has created every human being different in temperament and thought process.
Therefore, different men will have different ideas on God realisation. The
Quran keeps this aspect of human nature in consideration while guiding him
towards his ultimate goal ---God realisation. In Quran one finds generally
three approaches towards God realisation. One, devotional, two, rational and
three, karmic (related to deeds). This is similar to the approach mentioned in
Hindu religious literature particularly in Gita and the Upanishads
According
to Hindu scriptures, there are four paths to reach God: Bhakti Yoga (the path
of devotion); Gyan Yoga (the path of rational inquiry); Raja Yoga (the path of
mental concentration) and Karma Yoga (the path of Right Action).
According
to Dr Joseph Fletcher, a theologian belonging to the Episcopal Church,
"The top 10 per cent of the people who are most creative, constructive and
thoughtful, do not have much to do with churches. To them, the canons of reason
come first, making faith secondary and questionable."
These
people believe in the power of knowledge. They believe that they can achieve
Moksha or Nirvana by attaining Gyan of self and the true knowledge of
the universe and its creator through rational inquiry.
But on the
contrary, there are a considerable number of people who are spiritually
inclined and want to remember God in seclusion and derive peace and
tranquillity in the love of God. They crave for spiritual union with God.
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The third
category believes in the power of Karma and endeavours to serve the humankind
because they believe that all the creatures on earth including human beings are
a part of the Supreme Self and so serving them and attaining their pleasure
will earn them the pleasure of God. They believe in selfless work. They do not
crave for worldly possessions and do not have ill will towards God’s creatures.
There is the
fourth category in Hinduism who adopt the Path of Raja Yoga (the Path of mental
concentration). These people take the path of strict spiritual discipline to
obtain mental and spiritual powers through meditation, Japa (chanting of
mantras), Pranayama and Yogic practices and attain magical powers
(siddhis) through them.
Surprisingly,
the Quran also has a similar approach to realisation of God and attaining
salvation. There are a number of verses that suggest the path of devotion
(Bhakti Yog) for the spiritually inclined. Here are a couple of verses:
"That you may believe in Allah and His
messenger and love him and respect him (the prophet) and exalt Him (Allah)
morning and evening."(Al Fatah: 9)
"Always remember the name of your Lord,
and devote yourself to Him whole heartedly." (Al Muzammil: 8)
"And glorify Him morning and
evening."(Al Ahzab: 42)
"Remember your Lord with humility and
reverence and in a moderate tone of voice both morning and evening. And be not
one of the heedless."(Al Araf: 205)
Another approach
to attaining salvation and enlightenment is that of rational inquiry akin to
Gyan Yoga which is suggested in a number of verses of the Quran:
"They are those who remember Allah wile
standing, sitting, and lying on their sides and reflect on the creations of the
heavens and the earth and pray, Our Lord, You have not created all of this
without purpose. Glory be to you, protect us from the torment of fire."(Al-e-Imran: 191)
"We did not create the heavens and the
earth and that between them in vain. That is the thinking of those who
disbelieve. So woe to the disbelievers because of the fire."(Saad: 27)
In dozens
of other verses, the Quran exhorts the human beings with a rational mind-set to
explore the universe with an open mind and intellect and obtain an insight in
the nature of the creations because deep down things, they will achieve the
realisation that the Supreme Self is the life force behind all of them.
Swami
Bhaskarananda writes in his book The Essentials of Hinduism:
"The
first instruction of Gyan Yoga is 'Atmanam Viddhi' or 'Know thyself'.
This instruction is based on the fundamental teaching of the Vedas that
everything in this universe is divine. As divinity is present everywhere, it
must also be present in all human beings. The true self of man or the
indwelling Spirit is this divinity which forms the very core of one's
existence. This true self is not the ego. According to Hinduism, the ego or
I-ness is purely mental; it is an idea only. The true self of man or his
indwelling spirit is different from this ego. The goal of students of Gyan Yoga
is to gain 100 per cent conviction that this true self is divine."
However,
the Quran reiterates the significance of Karma (deeds), as in Karma Yoga, in
the shaping up of man's destiny. Deeds and deeds alone can save man from ruin
and no intercession of any angel will save him on the Day of resurrection. Man
is reminded time and again in the Quran that all the miseries and tribulations
befall him due to his karma (misdeeds) and to avoid them he must abstain from
bad deeds and bad thoughts. He is enjoined to do good to all the beings on
earth and serve mankind to earn the pleasure of God. Here are some of the
verses:
"Believe in Allah and His messenger and
donate from what He has entrusted you with, so those of you who believe and
donate will have a mighty reward."(Al Hadeed: 7)
"And do not crave what Allah has given
some of you over others. Men will be rewarded according to their deeds and
women equally according to theirs."(Al Nisa: 31
"And do not crave what Allah has given
some of you over others. Men will be rewarded according to their deeds and
women equally according to theirs."(Al Nisa: 31)
"Do not let your eyes crave what We have
allowed some of the disbelievers to enjoy, the fleeting splendour of this
worldly life, which We test them with."(Taha: 131)
The Quran
asks man to do good deeds to attain salvation through Karma (selfless work or
deeds done to earn God’s pleasure). At the same time, the Quran asks man not to
indulge in vain desires because all the desires of men are not fulfilled and it
causes spiritual anxiety and a feeling of ingratitude to God. In Hindu
theology, unfulfilled desires cause the cycle of births which is the root of
pain and sorrow. Such a person does not attain Moksha or Mukti.
A verse in Bhagavad
Gits says, “No one can ever stay without doing work even for a moment, "(Bhagavad
Gita 3/5). Work means both physical and mental actions. Even thinking is a
work.
Swami
Bhaskarananda writes:
"The
art and science of performing unselfish work is Karma Yoga or the Yoga of right
action. It is not easy to work unselfishly. A student of Karma Yoga is often
instructed to work for the pleasure of God. If work is done for God, and for
one's own sake, then that work becomes unselfish work."
One wonders
how true it is about the Quran also that tells man that his life and death, his
Namaz, his hajj and his sacrifice, in short, all his deeds should be only for
the pleasure of God.
As for Raja
Yoga, though it is not directly suggested in the Quran but the Sufis borrowed
the practice of Raja Yoga from Hindu and Buddhist scriptures to enhance their
physical and spiritual faculties to attain enlightenment and spiritual union
with God.
This brief
study shows that the Quran, Gita and Upanishads have more or less an identical
approach to God realisation and salvation.
-----
S.
Arshad is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com.
URL: https://newageislam.com/interfaith-dialogue/god-realisation-quran-gita-upanishads/d/127475
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