If there is one message that rings out loud and clear in every sacred scripture of this world - be it the Bhagavad Gita, the Bible, the Quran, the Guru Granth Sahib, the Avesta or any other holy book – it is ‘serve all men as your own’. And it is this same message that Bhagavan Baba exhorts us to follow when He says, “Love all, Serve all; Help ever, Hurt never.”

This month’s multi-faith quiz takes you through different faiths of the world, and demonstrates how this simple yet profound message is conveyed in so many beautiful and varied ways through various Divine Masters, age after age.

1. In a “Chinna Katha”, a small story during His Divine Discourse, Bhagavan Baba narrates this anecdote from the epic Ramayana.

Lord Rama has vanquished Ravana, rescued Sita and has been coronated Emperor of Ayodhya. Swami continues…

“After the coronation, one day, Sita and the three brothers of Rama met and planned to exclude Hanuman from the seva of Rama and wanted that all the various services for Rama should be divided only among themselves.

They felt that Hanuman had enough chances already. So, they drew up a list, as exhaustive as they could remember, of the services from dawn till dusk, down to the smallest minutiae and assigned each item to one among themselves.

They presented the list of items and assignees to the Lord, while Hanuman was present. Rama heard about the new procedure, read the list and gave His approval, with a smile.

He told Hanuman that all the tasks had been assigned to others and that he could now take rest.”

What happened next?

A. Hanuman said that he would take up ‘yawning service’ for Lord Rama
B. Hanuman left for his brother’s kingdom in a huff
C. Hanuman shrunk himself to the size of a bee and settled on Lord Rama’s crown
D. Lord Rama asked Hanuman to build a bridge up to heaven to keep him occupied

2. What act of service did Lord Jesus offer to his disciple Peter, who then refused to accept it from him?

A. Lord Jesus offered to give him his shoes.
B. Lord Jesus wished to bless him with the Holy Spirit.
C. Lord Jesus offered to wash his feet.
D. Lord Jesus wished to heal him of a skin disease.

3. Eknath was a great saint of India. Once he made a sacred pilgrimage to the Kashi Viswanath temple at Varanasi, and while there, collected water from the Ganges, intending to perform the ritual of Consecration ( abhishek) at the Rameshwaram shrine, thousands of miles away. He set off with the water which he placed in pitchers hanging from a bamboo pole held across His shoulders.

What happened along the way which meant he could not carry out this wish?

A. He was dying of thirst and so drank the water himself
B. A holy monk asked for the water for blessing a nearby King’s new baby.
C. An eagle swooped from the sky and carried off the pitchers.
D. He saw a donkey dying of thirst and gave him the water to save its life.

4. Prophet Mohammed had to contend with the open hostility of the Quraish tribe, who dominated the city of Mecca and who attempted to destroy him and his followers over a twenty year period. Finally the Prophet was able to capture Mecca without any opposition. What did he do to the vanquished Quraish?

A. The Prophet ordered the Quraish to be exiled.
B. The Prophet gave clemency to the Quraish.
C. The Prophet had all the Quraish executed.
D. The Prophet made the Quraish slaves of the Muslims.

5. A young man of only 18, Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, was sent out by his father with a companion with some money to buy merchandise to make a little profit. What did Guru Nanak do when on the way he came across some holy men, wearing only loin cloths?

A. He gave them all his money.
B. He preached to them the value of seeing God in all things.
C. He became their disciples.
D. He asked them to give him a mantra in return for the money.

6.In Judaism, the practice of tzedakah, is the act of charitable giving that is laid down in Jewish law. Every traditional Jewish home has a pushke, a box for collecting coins for the poor, and according to Jewish belief, the spiritual benefit of giving to the poor is so great that a beggar actually does the giver a favor by giving a person the opportunity to perform tzedakah. According to Jewish law what is the minimum percentage of income that should be given?

A. 10%
B. 5%
C. 15%
D. 3%

7. Lord Buddha encouraged His (lay) followers to practice charity and service to all beings saying: “If beings knew, as I know, the results of giving and sharing, they would not eat without having given, nor would the stain of selfishness overcome their minds. Even if it were their last bite, their last mouthful, they would not eat without having shared, if there were someone to receive their gift.” Lord Buddha also taught his followers to develop the inner quality of loving kindness to all beings.

What is the name of the well-known prayer that the Buddha dictated to cultivate love for all beings?

A. Sabbâsava sutta
B. Mahâ-sudassana sutta
C. Metta sutta
D. K etokhila sutta

8. Bhagavan Baba tells us a fascinating story from the life of Lord Krishna:

“ Krishna was known to all as almighty, all-knowing, all-encompassing and all-fulfilling. Yet, the enthusiasm to do service prompted Him to approach Dharmaraja, the eldest of the Pandava brothers, on the eve of the magnificent Raajsooya Yaaga he had planned to celebrate, and offered to take up seva of any kind.”

What was the seva that Lord Krishna suggested He might take up concerning the feast to be held?

A. Serving the guests their food.
B. Cleaning the hall after the feast had ended.
C. Announcing the honoured and distinguished chief guests to the assembly.
D. Playing on His flute to entertain the guests.

9. Jains serve the world by their strict adherence to ahimsa, or non-violence. In which unique way from the following selections do Jain monks and nuns practice ahimsa in their daily life?

A. By sweeping away insects lest they tread on them.
B. By never speaking lest they might swallow insects.
C. By never eating fruit lest they kill small creatures inside.
D. By never using paper lest trees are chopped down.

10. Lord Jesus taught that service to others is a prime requisite for spiritual maturity. What was the name of the parable by which He expounded on this topic?

A. ‘The two sons’
B. ‘The Laborers in the Vineyard’
C. ‘The Sower’
D. ‘The Good Samaritan’

- Heart2Heart Team