A Hindu can convert to Islam or Christianity. A Christian can convert to Hinduism or Islam. And of course, a Muslim can give up his faith to become an agnostic or Hindu or Christian. Replace any label with any other label, an “X” can convert to “Y”.
When someone converts, then some rejoice, and others fret and fume. One lady once said to me, after revealing to me her previous background “don’t reveal this to anyone, those people, they will kill me if they find out.”. I was quite saddened to hear that someone could be so barbaric as to try and kill her.
Neither is religious conversion of any value, nor should we worry about it. Rest assured, it will have no effect whatsoever. Religious conversion is a farce. It is a political move at best. Why is that?
What is The Purpose of Religious Tradition?
Because, religious traditions, are like universities or other educational institutions. You don’t “convert” from Stanford to Yale, for example. Neither do you “convert” from computer science to mathematics.
Yes, you can transfer credits from one program to another, you can even switch from one university to another, but it is laughable to say that you have “converted” from studying to be, say, a doctor, to studying to be a medical researcher.
No matter if you are a doctor, or a lawyer, or a medical researcher or a mathematician or a software engineer or whatever… ultimately the result of your work is an income, which you use to meet your needs and wants. A religious tradition is similar, in it that you are meant to use your religious tradition to get closer to God! So don’t use your religious tradition for political purposes or any other lesser purpose!
Now, after an academic transfer, if you actually complete the requirements of your new program and put your acquired knowledge and experience to do better than before, then maybe the transfer was worthwhile, otherwise, it is like the farce of enrolling into a program, and doing nothing to actually fulfill the requirements!
Conversions Galore, and Re-Conversions Too!
I come from India, and throughout my history lessons, I studied how, starting about 2,500 years ago, “Hindus” were converting to Buddhism. Then, I read how, as the philosophy of Buddhism was defeated by great Acharyas such as Adi Shankaracharya, Sripad Ramanujacharya, and Sri Madhvacharya… all those former Buddhists reconverted to “Hinduism”.
Then later on, the Muslims invaded India from Central Asia, the Middle East, and those parts of the world… and they “converted” many of the “Hindus” into “Muslims”. Some of those “Muslims” later reconverted to being called “Hindus” while others adopted their new identities.
After a few hundred years, the Christian missionaries came to India, and began to “convert” Hindus, Muslims, and even the remaining Buddhists, into “Christians”. Some convert back, or to something else!
And this conversion roulette continues to be played today.
It is a farce. A person who professes some label, now claiming to profess some other label doesn’t change anything!
Labels Labels Everywhere
If you took some rotten fruit juice and put it into a different bottle labeled something… will the rotten fruit juice be transformed into nectar? No, rotten will remain rotten, maybe even become more so!
You can take an animal, let’s say, a dog, and you can label him a cat, but does he change to being a cat? Can you label a bird as a fish and now the “bird-labeled-fish” will be able to breathe under water and swim around like a fish?
Yes, you could try to indoctrinate the dog all you want… you could tell him “ok, now you are a cat… cats are ‘yours’ and dogs are the enemy”… will it work? No, the next time that dog sees a cat, he will be after it, barking away.
Similarly, if you take a person who is unable to, say, practice the high Brahminical standards… and you convert that person into, say, a Christian. Will there be any transformation in the person based on this conversion? No, that person will still not be able to follow the highest tenets of Christianity!
In this case, the religious conversion was just to avoid following higher standards. In this way, conversion for the sake of some temporary economic benefit, or social pressure, or frustration with the community – these are the signs of a farcical conversion!
Someone may convert to Christianity because of promise of money or a job or some gifts, like a blanket or a pot or a stove… some convert to Christianity to get access to an addiction recovery service.
After all, how many Christians can follow the ten commandments? In fact, most of the Christians were so incapable of following the ten commandments that they had to water them down! And still they are hard to follow for most people who profess Christianity.
Embodying the Essence!
But to a dedicated follower of the Vedic Principles, the ten commandments are nothing, merely common sense, not even some great philosophical revelation! They have no trouble naturally following the ten commandments!
So what is the real deal? The real deal is when a person’s consciousness is transformed, taking it from animal-like consciousness to a divine state of consciousness!
That is the test. When someone tells me “I am X” or “I am Y”… I look at whether the person has actually developed a love for God, a love for their fellow beings, and not just humans of a certain label. I look for qualities like compassion, cleanliness, truthfulness, punctuality, honesty, and so on. In fact, these are the qualities I try and cultivate within myself…
kṛpālu, akṛta-droha, satya-sāra, sama
nidoṣa, vadānya, mṛdu, śuci, akiñcana
sarvopakāraka, śānta, kṛṣṇaika-śaraṇa
akāma, anīha, sthira, vijita-ṣaḍ-guṇa
mita-bhuk, apramatta, mānada, amānī
gambhīra, karuṇa, maitra, kavi, dakṣa, maunīSYNONYMS
kṛpālu—merciful; akṛta-droha—not defiant; satya-sāra—thoroughly truthful; sama—equal; nidoṣa—faultless; vadānya—magnanimous; mṛdu—mild; śuci—clean; akiñcana—without material possessions; sarva-upakāraka—working for the welfare of everyone; śānta—peaceful; kṛṣṇa-eka-śaraṇa—exclusively surrendered to Kṛṣṇa; akāma—desireless; anīha—indifferent to material acquisitions; sthira—fixed; vijita-ṣaṭ-guṇa—completely controlling the six bad qualities (lust, anger, greed, etc.); mita-bhuk—eating only as much as required; apramatta—without inebriation; māna-da—respectful; amānī—without false prestige; gambhīra—grave; karuṇa—compassionate; maitra—a friend; kavi—a poet; dakṣa—expert; maunī—silent.TRANSLATION
”Devotees are always merciful, humble, truthful, equal to all, faultless, magnanimous, mild and clean. They are without material possessions, and they perform welfare work for everyone. They are peaceful, surrendered to Kṛṣṇa and desireless. They are indifferent to material acquisitions and are fixed in devotional service. They completely control the six bad qualities—lust, anger, greed and so forth. They eat only as much as required, and they are not inebriated. They are respectful, grave, compassionate and without false prestige. They are friendly, poetic, expert and silent.
In fact, the Bhagavatam goes on to say this…
ŚB 5.18.12
यस्यास्ति भक्तिर्भगवत्यकिञ्चना
सर्वैर्गुणैस्तत्र समासते सुरा: ।
हरावभक्तस्य कुतो महद्गुणा
मनोरथेनासति धावतो बहि: ॥ १२ ॥yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā
sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ
harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā
manorathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥSynonyms
yasya — of whom; asti — there is; bhaktiḥ — devotional service; bhagavati — to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; akiñcanā — without any motive; sarvaiḥ — with all; guṇaiḥ — good qualities; tatra — there (in that person); samāsate — reside; surāḥ — all the demigods; harau — unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; abhaktasya — of a person who is not devoted; kutaḥ — where; mahat-guṇāḥ — good qualities; manorathena — by mental speculation; asati — in the temporary material world; dhāvataḥ — who is running; bahiḥ — outside.Translation
All the demigods and their exalted qualities, such as religion, knowledge and renunciation, become manifest in the body of one who has developed unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva. On the other hand, a person devoid of devotional service and engaged in material activities has no good qualities. Even if he is adept at the practice of mystic yoga or the honest endeavor of maintaining his family and relatives, he must be driven by his own mental speculations and must engage in the service of the Lord’s external energy. How can there be any good qualities in such a man?
In the purport, Srila Prabhupada clarifies more…
The Qualities of an Advanced Spiritualist
In the Ādi-līlā of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Chapter Eight, there is a description of some of the qualities of devotees. For example, Śrī Paṇḍita Haridāsa is described as being very well-behaved, tolerant, peaceful, magnanimous and grave. In addition, he spoke very sweetly, his endeavors were very pleasing, he was always patient, he respected everyone, he always worked for everyone’s benefit, his mind was free of duplicity, and he was completely devoid of all malicious activities. These are all originally qualities of Kṛṣṇa, and when one becomes a devotee they automatically become manifest. Śrī Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja, the author of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, says that all good qualities become manifest in the body of a Vaiṣṇava and that only by the presence of these good qualities can one distinguish a Vaiṣṇava from a non-Vaiṣṇava. Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja lists the following twenty-six good qualities of a Vaiṣṇava:
(1) He is very kind to everyone.
(2) He does not make anyone his enemy.
(3) He is truthful.
(4) He is equal to everyone.
(5) No one can find any fault in him.
(6) He is magnanimous.
(7) He is mild.
(8) He is always clean.
(9) He is without possessions.
(10) He works for everyone’s benefit.
(11) He is very peaceful.
(12) He is always surrendered to Kṛṣṇa.
(13) He has no material desires.
(14) He is very meek.
(15) He is steady.
(16) He controls his senses.
(17) He does not eat more than required.
(18) He is not influenced by the Lord’s illusory energy.
(19) He offers respect to everyone.
(20) He does not desire any respect for himself.
(21) He is very grave.
(22) He is merciful.
(23) He is friendly.
(24) He is poetic.
(25) He is expert.
(26) He is silent.
So let us all, with every means offered to us by our own religious tradition, strive to inculcate these qualities.
Let us not be a disgrace to our teachers, prophets, saints, philosophers, Gurus, Acharyas, Rabbis, Mullahs, Imams, Priests, Mentors, Pastors, Sangomas, and so on.
In fact, it will be an even bigger disgrace if we ourselves are in such a respectable position as to advise others, and we ourselves have none of the transformation, none of the qualities mentioned above.
Let us all be converted in the only way that matters, develop pure Love for God.
Hare Krishna!
Freedom through Genuine Spiritual Progress 