Questioner: What is religion? Every religious cult has explained it in different ways. Every person has different definition of religion, so what is religion, in fact?
Pujyashri: To give even little happiness to others is religion, by giving slightest suffering to others is considered non-religion. By whatever method, if you are not hurting someone, or you are giving happiness, counts as religion. If you steal, thereby causing suffering to another; one person gets happiness but the other is unhappy, so that is non-religion. In case of doing charity you feel happy as well as the receiver also feels happy, so that is religion. When you tell lies and you get caught and feel hurt-that is not religion. But if you speak the truth, then both the persons are happy, so that is religion. Wherever you have caused suffering to others, all that is non-religion. Dadashri used to explain in one sentence: “You make a decision that with my mind, speech and action, I do not want to cause any type of suffering or unhappiness to anybody. Thus, the extract of all religions will be covered.” Certain group of people decide to do Puja (rituals) in a particular manner, of a certain God, they consider that as religion. Jain religion, Vaishnav religion, Swami Narayan religion, are all religions on large scale. How to avoid giving unhappiness to each other and how to liberate oneself from all sufferings are indicated by various paths. Beyond all these religions is what is known as Atma Dharma, which means self-realisation, that is to know your real self: who you are really Are you Manthan or is your name Manthan?
Questioner: My name is Manthan.
Pujyashri: Who are you then? You are saying that your name is Manthan but then who are you? That realization of the ‘self’ is Atma Dharma. Therein there is no good-bad. Only one has to remain in awareness of true spiritual knowledge. You have to realise the world in its true form and that is Atma Dharma.