“Ishwar Allah Tero Naam

Sabko Sanmati de Bhagwaan”

I can still recall how I grew up singing this song in my school. Even today, this bhajan is being chanted in many temples of our country. Mahatma Gandhi, a great supporter of communal harmony, popularized this melodious song which means God, Almighty, Absolute Truth is one, although people call Him by different names. Some call Him as Ishwar while others call Him as Allah, Waheguru, Ram or Krishna. Just as one person is father to someone, husband to the other and son to another, similarly God is one, called differently by different persons. Just as there cannot be two heads of a nation, similarly there cannot be two heads of a universe. Had there been two Gods, there would have been a chaos in the world.

       While creating this universe, the Almighty did not make any difference between different human beings. He treats all equally. For Him, all are equal without any distinction of caste or creed. It is therefore our moral duty to develop a feeling of brotherhood amongst ourselves. We should treat all on equal footing irrespective of the fact whether one is rich or poor, white or black, learned or illiterate. People may have faith in a religion of their choice. One may be a Hindu and others may be Sikhs, Muslims or Christians. But all are the creation of one God. All temples should reverberate to the verses of Quran in their prayers and all mosques should reverberate to the verses of Geeta and Vedas in their prayers. In this way communal harmony will spread amongst people of different faiths.

       Today we find that people have forgotten the old traditions. They have become materialistic. They attach more importance to wealth and wine, than humanity. In the days gone by, people had full faith in God and His doctrines but now they are becoming atheists. This trend is ruining the society. People have started to exploit each other.

         In the event of any disaster all persons irrespective of their religion should come forward to help physically and financially those in distress. But even at such occasions, some mischief mongers take undue advantage  of the situation and exploit the persons instead of helping them. We should condemn such persons with one voice and Government should take strict action against them and give them deterrent punishment.

          We request the Almighty, Absolute Truth to give Sanmati(wisdom) to such persons so that we may see a new era where there is love and happiness everywhere so that we can have a paradise on earth. I hope a good sense will prevail upon the people and they will adhere to the inherent meaning attached to the said song !!!