“Real religion means to love God. That is real religion”

Srila Prabhupada: “Real religion means to love God. That is real religion”

Lectures : October 21, 1974 : 741021SB.MAY:

Religion is one. There cannot be two religions. If God is one… And what is religion? Religion means the law given by God. That is religion. This is a simple definition. “What is religion?” If somebody says… They will say, “Religion means this; religion means that.” No. The simple definition of religion is “the law of God.” Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam [SB 6.3.19]. Just like law. Law means the order given by the state. That is law. Your order is not law, or my order is not law. But when the state orders, state orders, “Keep to the right,” you must keep your car to the right side. Or the state orders that “Keep your car to the left side.” In Europe, and some, somewhere, it right side coming to left side. So, so, the, according to the state… You cannot say, “Why sometimes it is left side, sometimes right side?” No. It may be whatever it is, but because it is the state order, you have to abide by it. You cannot say that “I was driving my car in India to the left side. Why shall I drive on the right side?” Sometimes they feel inconvenienced. But no, you have to because that is the state order.  

Montreal, July 24, 1968 : 680724IN.MON:

So anywhere the four prime religions of the world, namely Hinduism, Christianism, Mohammedanism or Buddhism, directly or indirectly, they are accepting God. And without accepting God there is no meaning of religion. That is not religion. According to Bhāgavata, dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam [SB 6.3.19]. Dharma, what this dharma, religion means, the codes given by God.

Letters: Los Angeles 14 January, 1970 : 70-01-14
Religion cannot be manufactured by man or anyone superior to man. Religion is the law of God only. The basic principle of religion is truthfulness, and the ultimate goal of all religions is, to satisfy the Lord also called devotional service.

Room Conversation August 31, 1973, London : 730831rc.lon:

Take for example, in every religion there is acceptance of God and religion means to abide by the order of God. So how there can be two religions? There cannot be two religions. “I believe like that, we believe like that.” These are man-made. But actual religion is that God is one and religion means the orders, the law given by God. That’s all. Simple definition. Just like state is one, government is one, and to become good citizen means to abide by the laws of the government. That’s all. Those, one who is abiding by the laws of God, he is perfect religionist. It doesn’t matter whether he’s a Hindu, he’s a Muslim or a Christian. Whether he has got proper sense what is meant by God and what is the order of God. Then he is religionist, perfect religionist.

Essays and Articles: EA 10: Religion is Godly Life:

No religion of the world is without any connection with God. The principal religions of the world are 1. Hinduism, 2. Islam, 3. Buddhism and 4. Christianity. And all of them have some sort of direct or indirect connection with God. Such religions are made and propagated by God Himself or by His authorised agents. So far Hinduism is concerned and the Bhagavad-gita is accepted, all sects and subsects of the Hindu population take up the cause of the Bhagavad-gita and it is directly preached by God Himself in the Form of Lord Krishna. So far Islam is concerned and the Koran is accepted, all Islamic population accept Hazrat Mohammad as the authorised agent of God and the faith is propagated by Him. So far Buddhism is concerned, all the people of the world professing faith in Buddhism obey Lord Buddha as God or the greatest authority. Lord Buddha advented Himself in India and He took up the cause of the poor animals who were being slaughtered unhesitatingly on the plea of Vaidic yajá¹£a and therefore Lord Buddha was compelled to disregard the principles of Vedic sacrifice just to establish the principles of nonviolence. The Hindu scriptures especially the Vaishnava literatures of the Vedas accept Lord Buddha as the incarnation of God. It is said that He preached His philosophy amongst those who had practically no faith in the existence of God but by His propaganda such men become faithful to Him and therefore indirectly they accepted God. So far Christianity is concerned, there is open acceptance of God because Lord Jesus declared Himself as the son of God. So all the religions of the world have direct or indirect connection with God and therefore we can take it for acceptance that religion means to learn obedience to the Laws of God as it may be compared with Nationalism means obedience to the laws of the state.

The first-class Religion

Any religion is first-class religion provided it gives you opportunity to develop your dormant love of God. That’s all.” You follow any religion; it doesn’t matter. Either you become a Hindu, Muslim, or Christian, or Buddhist, or so many other religions there are, but the test is that whether your religious principle is first class or third class or second class, the test will be whether you have developed your dormant love of God. That’s all. If you are lacking in that, that you have not…, instead of developing your dormant love of God, you are developing your love for so many other things.

The Bhāgavata says sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoká¹£aje [SB 1.2.6]. You follow any kind of religion, that doesn’t matter. But the test will be how much you have developed God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the test. If that is lacking, then you have simply wasted your time.

Lecture to Technology Students (M.I.T.) — Boston, May 5, 1968
Prabhupāda: Yes. That I have already explained. That technique is best by which you develop your love of God. That is the test. If by following Christian religion or Muhammadan religion or Hindu religion you actually develop your transcendental love for God, that is the best technique. If you have no love for God, simply you follow the technique, then it is simply laboring. That’s all.

The Cheating Religion

General Lecture — (location & date unknown) : 000000LE.UN :

The human society has manufactured in Hindu society, Muslim society or Christian society, and there are so many… Buddha society… So, but Bhagavad-gÄ«tā says that “You can give up sarva-dharmān, all sorts of religious principles. You simply surrender unto Me.” This is the position. Kṛṣṇa said in the beginning that “I come here to reestablish the religious principle.” And what is that religious principle? To surrender unto Him. To surrender unto Kṛṣṇa. This is real religious principle.

Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.3 — Hyderabad, April 15, 1975 : 750415SB.HYD :

Prabhupāda: There is no religion. This is manufactured religion. Real religion is to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Sarva-dharmān parityajya [Bg. 18.66], therefore it is advised that you give up all these so-called religions, sarva-dharmān. You become surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. That is real religion. All others, cheating religion, that’s all. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam [SB 6.3.19]. Just like there may be so many laws, but the real law is what is given by the government. Similarly, there may be so many so-called religious system, but the real religious system is what is spoken by God Himself. That is real.

Bhagavad-gita 2.9 — London, August 15, 1973 : 730815BG.LON :

Therefore Bhagavad-gÄ«tā is the preliminary study of ÅšrÄ«mad-Bhāgavatam. Bhāgavata begins, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavaḥ atra: “Now, in this ÅšrÄ«mad-Bhāgavatam, all cheating type of religions are rejected, projjhita.” So there is link. Real religion means to love God. That is real religion. Therefore Bhāgavata says, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoká¹£aje: [SB 1.2.6] “That is first-class religion.” It doesn’t mean that you follow this religion or that religion. You may follow any religion. It doesn’t matter, either Hindu religion or Christian religion or Mohammedan religion, anything you like. But we have to test. Just like a student who has passed M.A. examination. Nobody inquires, “From which college you have passed your examination? You have passed M.A. examination? That’s all right.” And we are concerned, whether you are graduate, postgraduate. That’s all. Nobody inquires, “From which college, from which country, from which religion, you have passed your M.A. examination?” No. Similarly, nobody should inquire, “To which religion you belong?” One must see whether he has learned this art, how to love God. That’s all. That is religion. Because here is the religion: sarva-dharmān parityajya māṁ ekaṁ Å›araṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]. This is religion. Bhāgavata says. Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavaḥ atra: “All cheating type of religion is kicked out from this Bhāgavatam.” Only nirmatsarāṇām, those who are not envious of God… “Why shall I love God? Why shall I worship God? Why shall I accept God?” They are all demons. For them only, ÅšrÄ«mad-Bhāgavatam, for them only those who are actually serious to love. AhaitukÄ« apratihatā yenātmā samprasÄ«dati. (More…)

Bhagavad-gita 4.3 — Bombay, March 23, 1974 : 740323BG.BOM :

So Kṛṣṇa comes here again… Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata [Bg. 4.7]. Dharmasya glāniḥ. Glāniḥ means when it is distorted, So people are manufacturing, in the name of so-called religion, “This is our religion. This is…” “This is Hindu religion.” “This is Muslim religion.” “This is Christian religion.” Or “This is Buddha religion.” And “This is Sikh religion.” “This is that religion, that religion…” They have manufactured so many religions, so many religions. But real religion is dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam [SB 6.3.19]. Religion means the codes and the laws given by the Lord, given by God. That is religion. Simple definition of religion is: dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam [SB 6.3.19]. Just like law is given by the state, by the government. You cannot manufacture law. I have repeatedly said. Law is made by the government. Similarly, religion is made by God. If you accept God’s religion, then that is religion. And what is God’s religion? (aside:) If you stand, you come stand here. Other people are seeing. God’s religion is… You’ll find in the Bhagavad-gÄ«tā, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ Å›araṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]. This is God’s religion. “You give up all these nonsense religions. You become a devotee, a surrendered soul unto Me.” That is religion.