Test Your Spiritual Quotient: Quiz On Unity in Diversity

1. In a Divine Discourse delivered in 1998, Swami said:

“The Atma is the same in all; irrespective of their name, country, and life style. This Atma is referred to as conscience, which permeates the body from top to toe. The goal of spirituality is to realize oneness of the Atma in all.

“Man, on account of attachment to body, is oblivious of his innate divinity and visualizes diversity in unity. This is due to __________. God incarnates in order to teach the underlying unity in diversity.”

2. In Sutra Vahini, Swami reveals:

“God is the material cause of creation, of the cosmos, of the universe. He is the substance, the basis, the material cause. Like silver in the cup, the cosmos is all God. He has been manifesting Himself as all this. He has willed to become all this. In every thing (padartha), He, the highest Truth (Param-aartha), is immanent. In the absence of this highest Truth, no thing can exist. Each one is sustained by the all-comprehensive Reality.

“This wondrous mystery is beyond one's grasp. The intelligence cannot unravel it. With distorted vision (kudarshan), one sees only the name-form, the appearance. One is deluded into confusion. One is tossed by likes and dislikes, pleasure and pain, elation and depression. One is aware only of the unreal many, parading diverse names and forms.”

According to Swami, what will help release us from this delusion?

3. In a Divine Discourse given in 1990, Swami guides us:

“ Consider every human being as a spark of the Divine. Every man is a child of immortality. Today we are failing to cultivate that sense of unity. All the ills we are suffering from are due to the lack of unity. Union is strength. Lacking unity, we are becoming weak. To promote unity, we have to give up selfishness.

“People talk about spirituality. What does it mean? Is it performance of Japa or sitting in meditation? No. Spirituality means the quest for __________.”

4. In a Divine Discourse delivered in 2003, Swami enlightens us by stating:

“ Man suffers from various ailments, some internal and others external. A doctor can cure the external ailments. The Atmic feeling is the only remedy for all the internal ailments. You should make efforts to know the principle of Atma. The Atma is a synonym for Brahman, which is nothing but the all-pervasive Chaitanya (consciousness).”

According to Swami, what is that Chaitanya called that is present in the human body?

5. In a Divine Discourse delivered in 2001, Swami teaches us on Oneness through the example of Buddha’s teachings:

“ You have to make efforts to understand and experience unity in diversity. Buddha could experience bliss only after understanding this principle of unity. He sacrificed all sensual pleasures. He understood that all that we experience through the senses is useless and leads to bondage. He realized that misuse of the senses destroys the very humanness itself. He left his house and family and renounced the world. Ultimately, he realized Atmic unity and attained the state of Nirvana.”

According to Swami, of all the five senses, using which one can lead to understanding unity in multiplicity?

6. In a Divine Discourse given in 1998, Swami teaches:

“Just as each limb is as important as any other in the body, so also is each individual in the society. All limbs have to work in unison for the effective functioning of the body. Unity is most essential for man. Cultivate the feeling of brotherhood of man and fatherhood of God. People may come from varied cultures, languages and countries, but all are the children of God.

“Since you make distinctions based on country, culture and language, you are unable to comprehend divinity. Everyone is a member of the universal family. Teachers must understand this truth and teach their students.

“Lack of unity can lead a country, community, or society to ____________”

7. In a Divine Discourse given in 1996, Swami teaches us that:

“Seeing a rope at a distance, suspecting that it may be a snake, a man develops fear. Soon another person arrives and assures him that it is not a snake but a rope. The moment he realizes that what he feared was a snake, was only a rope, he gets rid of his fear. During all the stages, the rope was only a rope. Likewise, the ignorant man mistakes the phenomenal world for the Brahman, till a jnaani (wise man) reveals to him that what he thought was Nature is in reality Brahman.

“All that one sees in the entire universe is a manifestation of the Brahman. Some people declare: ‘Where is Brahman and what are we, petty human beings? How can we be equal to the all encompassing Brahman?’ This is not correct. You are that omnipotent, all-pervading Brahman. Because of your ___________, you are not recognizing the Reality.”

8. In a Summer Showers Discourse in 1979, Swami explains:

“In our daily lives, we see that the same object assumes different forms and names. The same seed develops into the trunk, the branches, the twigs, the leaves, the flowers and the fruits of a tree with distinct forms and names and displaying different qualities. Similarly, the same gold takes the form of various jewels and one flame brings into being an infinite number of flames of several hues.

“In the very same manner, the Primal Light of Paramatma is one, but it manifests itself as the Atma in all beings of the universe. It is essential that we discern this unity in diversity.”

According to Swami, what is the cause of the creation of this diversity?

A. God’s Will
B. Insistence of other deities
C. Prayers of devotees
D. God’s Nature

9. Swami often says: “Diversity in creation is an obvious fact. No two human beings, not even twins, are identical. But diversity should not lead to differences and conflicts. We must learn to see the unity that underlies the diversity. This unity is based on the divinity that is present in everything in the universe. The realization of this unity can come, only through firm faith in God.”

In a Divine Discourse in 1993, Swami reveals the reason for the differences: “Though the Divinity that resides in all human beings is one and the same, the capacities and personalities of various individuals are different. Depending on the ripeness of their experience on the cultural practices they have pursued, on the nature of their spiritual disciplines, and on their parental background, these individuals have _________________.”

A. Positive or negative behaviour
B. A wide or narrow outlook
C. Good or evil thoughts and tendencies
D. Liberation or Re-birth

10. In a Divine Discourse delivered in 1996, Swami expounds on what happens when we fill our vision with love:

“ Embodiments of Divine Atma! When you fill your vision with love, the whole creation will appear divine to you. The cosmos appears to you as a manifestation of diversity, but in reality there is no diversity. No one makes any effort to discover the unity that underlies the diversity.

“In every human being, both Divinity and the Maya principle are immanent. How is this to be comprehended? Sath-Chith-Aananda (Truth-Awareness-Bliss) represents the Divine in man. The ______________ which man perceives are expressions of the Maya principle.”

A. Dreams in sleep
B. Permanence of life
C. Names and Forms
D. Chasing after desires

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