I am neither a theologian nor a scholar, nor do I have any academic discipline. I am simply a Hindu bhakta of Muktinath. Though I consider myself an ultra-rationalist, I firmly believe there is a place for mysticism. However, this mysticism is not driven by supernatural events, spirits, or angels but is instead a reflection of my own reason—one that acknowledges the limitations of reason itself.
In following Muktinath, I fully believe that he has the capacity—even the power—to adapt himself to my worldview. He can even accommodate certain theological and philosophical perspectives that belong exclusively to Hinduism, perspectives that some might label as unbiblical.
That is why those who read my poems or short articles may see me as a heretic, a rationalist, or simply a Hindu who has never become a Christian. I accept this because I believe that God, in his mercy, is willing to accommodate himself to my needs, reaching out to me as I am and accepting me for who I am. As a digression, let me share one real incident that happened around 30 years before. One Hindu ‘Convert’ after listening to my views, in front of many other Christians, to win their approval or favor, said, ‘what you teach and promote is nothing but Christo-paganism.’ In response, of course with a smile, [which irritated him more than my response] I said, ‘Thank God my ‘paganism’ is at least ‘Christ’ centered. Whereas you are ‘FOLLOWING’ and ‘PROPAGATING’ a ‘Western-Paganism’ in which there is no place either for God or for Reason but emotion and sensation which has now even become ‘commercialization.’
As I found my Guru in Muktinath, to know and understand both His life and teaching, I read both Muktiveda and theological books. But in this, I begin from where I am today. In a sense, this is a backward journey going back in history. However, I cannot understand or accept all that is recorded in Muktiveda. At the same time, I agree with all that is recorded there, with a clear understanding that they all need to be understood and approached in their ‘textual, theological, historical, and sociological’ contexts. Those parts which are not clear or acceptable to me won’t change my bhakti in my Guru, as my own Hindu worldview helps me to accept the ‘Limitation of Scripture’ as it is authored by human beings, of course inspired by the Spirit of God. But my struggle begins when I read any scholarly book which only promotes ‘exclusivism,’ that too with some hegemonic and condescending view on other worldviews, while at the same time also benefiting from them. These books both helped me to deepen my understanding of my bhakti and also challenged it to improve further for a better understanding. So, though I disagree with some of their views, still I ‘accept’ them as they are and thank them for their thankless job.
Though I believe in the existence of some kind of supernatural power or anti-God, I do not give much importance to the devil or demons in my life. They may exist, but they do not concern me. Likewise, my understanding of salvation is not about going to heaven and living there eternally in a monotonous existence. For me, salvation begins here on earth, in the life I live now.
I feel at home in the culture and tradition in which I was born and raised, and I seek to integrate the beautiful thoughts and teachings of various religions and scriptures. However, I do not believe that all religions are the same. Each religion is unique, each scripture is distinct, and I see no value in creating a kind of eclecticism that merges everything into a single, uniform religion for all.
That is why, when I was searching for my Guru and found Muktinath, I began reading the Mukti Veda—not to grasp every theological teaching or to find what was required of me, but to understand the life and teachings of my Guru. In that process, I encountered many things that seemed unreasonable, unacceptable, and highly irrational to me. Yet, I never questioned them, because that was how they evolved, developed, and were written—correct in their own context and time.
However, as a Hindu seeking integration, I never believed in making compromises by completely rejecting what the Mukti Veda says about Muktinath just to fit my own worldview. At the same time, I do not want to confine God to any scripture or tradition, for I believe that God—whether he or she—is willing to incarnate in a way that reaches me according to my need, even accommodating theological views that may not fully align with the teachings of Muktiveda.
That is why, when I was searching for an answer to my question—why I cannot live a perfect life even for a single day—I found a convincing and rational answer in the Mukti Veda. It made it clear that I cannot blame anyone—neither time, nor God, nor karma, nor even the devil. I must take personal responsibility for all the failures in my life. From that realization, I understood that I must work out my own Mukti—my salvation and deliverance from all my struggles through bhakti by the Grace of God.
It was like a diagnosis that revealed my problem, my sickness, and then prescribed the remedy. That is when I decided to follow the teachings of Muktinath, accepting him as my Guru. Over the past forty-three years of my journey, he has never deserted me.
The central moral, spiritual, ethical, and theological teaching I have embraced is this: I must accept personal responsibility for all my failures rather than blaming anyone else. Accept others as they are. You may not and need not agree with them on various issues, but you have to ‘ACCEPT’ them as they are rather than merely ‘TOLERATE,’ as one famous saying goes, ‘I don’t agree with you. But I will die to protect your RIGHT to say.’ Similarly, I have every RIGHT—provided I have personal conviction with a minimum, if not perfect, understanding of my conviction—to share with others. But I have no right to IMPOSE on others at any cost, particularly with a hegemonic and condescending attitude about their views. Pluralism is the reality in life. Whether I like it or not, accept it or not, that is going to be there. I should rather ‘accept’ it than try to promote my own EXCLUSIVISM, with an attitude of ‘my way is the only HIGHWAY.’
This Bhakti in Muktinath taught me one beautiful lesson: my relationship with both God and fellow human beings is important and fundamental to my theology and my Bhakti in the Lord. In my Bhakti, in my relationship with God, He is ready to accommodate Himself as a Father, Mother, Brother, Friend, Companion, even as a Servant. Similarly, in my relation with fellow human beings and Bhakta, it helped me not to discriminate against anyone based on any criteria like birth, caste, race, education, wealth, or appearance. That is the beauty of this new value I found in Muktinath, who helped me to accept myself as I am, accept my moral responsibility, and accept fellow human beings as they are, celebrating human relationships.
Varanasi, 21-2-2025
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