DEV DHARAM.... A SCIENCE GROUNDED RELIGION
The Dev Samaj, a unique religious movement, was founded in 1887 by the Most Worshipful Master Bhagwan Dev Atma. The fundamental object of Dev Samaj is to make us more capable of promoting the life mission of Bhagwan Dev Atma i.e. propagation of Truth, Beauty and Goodness in thought, speech and action, among all classes of people, irrespective of any consideration of caste, creed, colour and country.
“Like the natural laws and education in math, cannot be different for different men, but the universal for everybody, in the same way, true and science grounded religion can only be one and universal for everyman.” These are the words of Bhagwan Dev Atma, the founder of Dev Samaj – A Science Grounded Religion.
Most Workshipful Lord Bhagwan Dev Atma was born on December 20, 1850 at Akbarpur, a town in Kanpur District, in Uttar Pradesh of India exactly at the time of sunrise.
He was born in a strictly religious Brahmin family. From such distinguished ancestors he had inherited in rudimentary from the unique spiritual force of love of truth and goodness and hatred for evil and falsehood. Even in his childhood, it was impossible for Him to compromise with anything that he considered to be against goodness.
After completing his education at his hometown he joined the Thomson Engineering College, Roorkee (now the Roorkee University) in Uttar Pradesh and passed the final examination with great credit winning the college prize.
After remaining in service outside Roorkee for sometime, he taught in the above Thomson Engineering College as Head Surveying Master. Major A.M.Ling, the European Principal of the college was deeply impressed by his extra-ordinay high character. “He promises to be a man of mark” were the remarks the Principal wrote about him in the college report.
In 1873, his services were transferred to Lahore where he served in education department for more than nine years. Even while in service, he tirelessly worked for the upliftment of his countrymen. He launched two journals, one in Urdu and another in Hindi. Inspired as he was with love for truth and goodness his writings had a magical effect on the readers. He was admired as a matchless orator.
In 1882 at the age of 32 years, he resigned his respectable government service and in a mammoth public meeting in Lahore, he embraced his unique life vow as under :
MAY TRUTH, GOODNESS AND BEAUTY
MY FOREMOST AIR REPRESENT;
AND IN THE SERVICE OF THE WORLD
MAY MY LIFE BE FULLY SPENT.
It was a strange co-incidence as this spiritual luminary was destined to illumine the spiritual world with the unique light of a scientific, universal religion that could stand all the tests of logic and experiment and was based on immutable laws and facts of nature. He was born in this world subject to the same natural laws which rule the birth of every other human child. No consideration of any kind would weigh with Bhagwan Dev Atma, even as a child to go against what he believed to be good. Whatever he felt and believed good for him, he felt and believed to be good for others too and hence tried to share those blessings with all.
Dev Atma set himself to apply the scientific methods to the study of soul, which is the central object of religion. Though, he was brought up on the orthodox family of Sanatan Dharam but with the passage of time, he developed the scientific attitude and put the conception of God to a scientific test and that is why Dev Dharam is called a Science Grounded Religion and shifted the focus of religion from God to Man, on scientific grounds, as the existence of God cannot be established in the eyes of science. Nature is the only and alone fountain source of all true knowledge whether physical, mental, ethical or spiritual.
Those who seek knowledge in Nature are more firmly placed than those who look for knowledge in the world of so called God. But the concept of so-called God stands rejected when the matter & force and cause & effect relationship, is understood especially keeping the scientific attitude in mind, which all the time wants scientific proof, to be tested on certain conditions. The truth of a belief does not rest on the number of people who hold it but the Shastras, the believe which means – vigyan, investigation for truth.
Bhagwan Dev Atma puts down his methodology in four Dev Shastras – the true religions books in which the highest teachings and life of Bhagwan Dev Atma are propounded. These are the one, true and universal Dharam for all mankind, Dev Dharma.
The first part of Dev Shastra contains the brief exposition of the various truths about the one real Nature on which, are based all the true teachings of the Dev Dharam about religion.
The second part of Dev Shastra deals with fundamental truths about human personality and life.
The third gives the philosophy of man.
The fourth part consists a study of medidation on inter-personal and infra-human relations. This volume is the practical religion of Dev Dharama in contra-distinction to its abstract philosophy. There are commandments and prohibitions, which gives them a grip over the mind and heart of the reader. In fact, He (Bhagwan Dev Atma) advised the code of conduct for mental harmony and adjustment.
For having admission in Dev Samaj, the society is marked by its unique constitution which makes it obligatory and pre-condition that one should have given up the following eight sins at least three months previous to the admission and pledge to refrain from them in the future.
i) taking of all intoxicants;
ii) taking flesh or eggs;
iii) gambling or abetting others to gamble;
iv) theft or its abetment;
v) bribes taking;
vi) suppressing debts;
vii) adultery or its abetment or marrying again during the life time on this earth of a husband or wife;
viii) Knowingly by killing any sentient being except when obliged to so in case of self preservation or defence.
By refraining from the major and initial eight sins, Dev Dharam takes the individual on the path of perfection. Ralization of basic values is the minimum condition for a higher moral life. In fact, Dev Samaj does the job of Evolution of high feelings and feeling itself is a reality. Bhagwan Dev Atma did not believe anything on the basis of certain circumstances or on the basis of a particular belief. Nothing can be true before him simply on the basis that it has been told as truth in the books. The things which are true on the basis of scientific test, are truth for Him and believable.
The divine influences of Bhagwan Dev Atma have brought about metamorphic higher changes in human souls, have redeemed them from sinful life and evolved in fit souls altruistic feelings of reverence, gratitude and selfless service of others.
The great and illustrious founder of Dev Samaj, Bhagwan Dev Atma was deeply stirred by the suppression of women in Hindu Society. He made women education as one of the chief planks of Dev Samaj’s contribution. He wanted to regenerate mankind and transform the society through education of women. Now, the Dev Samaj Society is running a network of twenty four educational institutions in the country mainly for the enlightenment and character building of girls/women. Prominent institutions are located at Firozpur, Ambala, Chandigarh, Moga and Delhi.
In the first issue of Science Grounded Religion – monthly English journal, the first line of the first issue was that For the first time in the history of mankind, Science and Religion shook hands together and exchanged their choicest gifts.
Because of His unique, fundamental and scientific theory, He is right to say,
“I have in me a New Light for you; commune with me and get the Light that is with me.”
“I want to make this world a paradise. I want to usher in the system of Dharma, here in this world, that would sound Death-knell of all sins and evils and make people so truthful and trust worthy in their relations…..That human life becomes fully Sweet and Blissful. My mission is to infuse new life in man, to redeem him from evil life and so to purify his relation with others that he becomes an heir to the blessings of the true life of the Dharma.”
Dev Samaj Atheism strongly believes that every big or small organized existence belong to the four kingdoms, has the right to live happily in the universe but our lower desires, passions, egoistic power, false belief, ungratefulness forced us to move downward path of our life and degenerate soul life. Despite all the technological advancement and in the presence of so called gods and universally accepted religions look at the pathetic condition of the world. In each and every corner of the world, we can witness disharmony in relations. No respect for the lift of others. Go through the newspaper and you will find maximum news items on war, rape, dacoity, killings, kidnapping, extortions and caste religion based violence. What is the reason for it ? Lakhs of people in the world don’t believe in the existence of God but can they set an example of higher virtues from their life for the younger generation to make their life more meaningful and beautiful? No, they cannot set the examples of higher consciousness and true life because of the absence of their strong and pious character and the feeling of great attitude reverence, respect, forgiveness, kindness and passion for truth and justice. Man is not only degenerating himself but also endangering the humanity and the very existence of mankind.
Dev Samaj Atheism is different from others that they emphasize on the harmony, sweetness and utmost honesty in inter-personal relationship. It is good to get rid of superstitious beliefs but more important is to live a pure and altruistic life by getting rid of lower desires, lustful life, lower thinking and sinful deeds. Being a science based religion Dev Samaj claims that by following the laws of Nature in inter-personal relationship with four kingdoms – vegetation, animal, cosmos and human being – we can create a real heaven in this world for the present and future generations. Dev Samaj has been working very hard and sincerely since 1887 to help the people to live a pure altruistic and pious life. Thousands of people who were drug addict, alcoholic, non-vegetarian, brutal, criminal and involved in many sinful acts, completely changed themselves and started living a pure altruistic life after coming in the fold of spiritual atmosphere of Dev Samaj.
The Unique philosophy of Dev Samaj cannot fail to be of utmost interest and benefit for all fit souls, as that is the only type which the humanity must follow. The philosophy of Dev Atma deserves a global appreciation. It has all the elements to bring about a new era of peace and harmony in the world by coming out of the happiness based low-loves and low-hates, which march man straight to untold miseries, absolute disharmony in all relations soul darkness and soul annihilation.
-HARISH K. MONGA
