People worship in different ways or in different places. Temples, churches, Mosques and Gurudwaras are some places where people go to pray. You must also know that there are many different religions such as Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Islam and Sikhism. People who follow these religions have different names for God. They worship Him different. By leaning about different religions, you will understand God better.

There no difference

Hemachandra was a great Jain monk. He was learned and wise. He became a great friend of king kumara pal of Gujarat. The king took his advice on all matters. The priests and ministers of the king became jealous of Hemachandra. They were afraid that king would stop listening to them. They wanted the king o be angry with Hemachandra.

So they told the king, `Hemachandra is not a true man of God. He insults our God’s’. The king did not believe them. The ministers said, `O king! If you invite him to the Shiva temple and order him to bow to the idol, you will understand’. They thought that Hemachandra, being a Jain, would not bow to the idol of Shiva. This would surely make the king angry with him.

The king sent for Hemachandra. He said, `come, let us go to the Shiva temple.’ Hemachandra gladly agreed. The priests and ministers too went along. They did not want to miss the fun. King Kumar pal told Hemachandra to bow to the idol.

Hemachandra did not hesitate. He bowed to the idol and said, `I bow to that God who gives love and destroys evil. I see no difference between Vishnu, Shiva and Jina’. King Kumar pal was thrilled. Can you guess how the priests and ministers felt!

Understand

Hemachandra knew that there were many different religions, but that God is one. People call Him by different names, their prayers are different, and they worship in different ways. But whatever you call Him-Allah, Vishnu, Shiva, Jehovah, Jina-God is one. Only the names are different.

Religions help us to understand God. The ways might be different but they all lead to the same place. We must follow our own religion sincerely. But we must also try to understand the religious ways of others, if we do this; we will realize that all religions teach the same lessons- how to be kind, truthful and loving. They tell us how we can become good human beings. By understanding other religions, we come closer to God. We also learn to love and respect our fellow beings. By loving others, we serve God.