UNIVERSAL RELIGION OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

Religion plays a vital role in society that is impossible to ignore. Even in twenty-first century where science and technology are transforming the way we live our lives, religion continues to hold paramount importance in our everyday existence. Religion, primarily, is the principle of integration and harmonization as is pertinent from its etymological meaning, which is ‘to bind the individual of society'. However, in present times we can witness the negative impact of religion on our society as it is misunderstood and misinterpreted by people for their benefits, thereby causing conflict in society and resulting in religious extremism and fanaticism. In present day scenario, we have numerous kinds of religions in the world with their different kinds of beliefs, rituals, philosophy, and practices. In such diversity of religions, we often have to deal with differences, conflicts, and violence based on the existing religious plurality. The main problem beneath all kinds of religious differences is the conflict of truth claims where the adherents of each religion try to establish the superiority of their religion over other religions by claiming their religion as the only true religion in the world. The concept of religious exclusivism originates from such conflicts of truth claims, where each religion claims its components as the truth and excludes all the other religions by marking them as false and nonsense. Such attitude of exclusion is the main issue that gives rise to different kinds of religious conflicts. Therefore, to solve such differences and problems concerned with religious diversity, which at many instances resulted into disastrous consequences, many thinkers, scholars, and philosophers put forth different solutions like religious inclusivism and religious pluralism. However, Swami Vivekananda is one such thinker who has shown the limitations of these models while making a case for the idea of universal religion that he has derived from Sankara's Advaita Philosophy. In this paper, I will discuss the importance of Swami Vivekananda's idea of universal religion in twenty-first century while showing the limitations of religious inclusivism and religious pluralism against his idea of universal religion that is rooted in the non-dualistic philosophy of Sankara. Swami Vivekananda's notion of universal religion not only provides the solution for resolving the differences and conflicts between different religions but also gives a practical model for the better sustenance of the world. The idea of universal religion is something that is beyond the boundaries of all world religions but also assimilates all the religions in it at the same time, which provides the best way for the realization of the ultimate reality. In other words, universal religion transcends all the religions of the world as well as also encompasses all of them at the same time. While showing the underlying unity of all religions of the world, the idea of universal religion works around two important domains: firstly, respect for each religion of the world, and secondly, the acceptance of the religious diversity that we have in this world. These two things are very much necessary for the establishment of peace and harmony in the world. Universal religion has the potential to accommodate all the individuals by accepting differences. It is capable enough to provide comfort and solace to all the individuals of different religious sects by superseding the conflicts and differences of different religions.