‘Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.’- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Above is also echoed in the Hindu Concept of the 5 Sacrifices (Panchayajna).
Honour the price of having this birth by doing the 5 Yajnas. Coincidently the root meaning of the word Yajna means ‘to honour’.
In Hindu concept, it is said that the supreme Goddess like these 5 Yajnas. She is praised as ‘Pancha Yajna Priya ‘ in Lalitha Sahasranamam ( a prayer to praise the Supreme Goddess )
These are the 5 Maha-Yajnas.
The 5 Yajna:
1. Bramha/Rishi Yagna (Honouring Knowledge)
2. Deva Yagna (Honouring God)
3. Bhuta Yagna (Honouring Nature [including the animals and the elements in nature]
4. Manushya Yagna (Serving Humanity)
5. Pitru Yagna (Honouring Forefathers/Own Lineage)
Coincidently these 5 Yajnas can also be mapped into the 5 pillars of Islam.
1. Shahadah (Declaration of Faith ) - > Worship of Knowledge
Meaning: The belief that "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God" is the Declaration of Faith.
[ Mapped into Worship of Knowledge because for their religion Prophet handed out the true knowledge for the benefit of humanity. By believing and acknowledging the true knowledge given to them, they are discharging this duty.]
2. Prayer ( Salat ) -> Worship of Devas
Meaning: Praying 5 times in a day
[ Worship of the Supreme God by daily prayers. Since Islam only believes in One God, they do not worship any other god except for the Supreme God who created all celestial beings. But, even in this monothesist religion, they do acknowledge that there are angels. In other religions such as Hinduism, the angels are worship and honoured too. In Islam, they only acknowledge the Supreme God who given the power to all beings.]
3. Fasting during the month of Ramadan (Swam) -> Worship of Nature
[ Worship of the environment by fasting. By fasting one is conscious of the environment, including the 5 elements and the other living creatures. We cannot deny the fact that human body is made of 5 elements and substances given to use by the environment such as food, clothes, and habitat. By fasting, one is and conscious and gratitude of everything we take for granted. We are honouring the elements of Nature and other living creatures of the eco-system that nurtures us.]
4. Alms Giving (Zakat)-> Service towards Humanity
Meaning: It is an obligation that Muslims give a portion of their income to the service of others in need.
[Manushya Yagna – Service towards Humanity]
5. Pilgramage to Haj -> Honouring Forefathers/Own Lineage
[ Pitru Yagna- Honouring Forefathers.
It is a common sense that children should honour their parents by living with good conduct to protect the family name.
For most Muslims the family custom is the pilgrimage. During Haj they honour the forefather who could have done the same for generations. Definitely, they will remember their forefathers during the pilgrimage. As Muslims who complete this pilgrimage are greatly honoured as HAJII. Inevitably, the Muslims who undertake this pilgrimage will have the responsibility to live in a proper way to protect the family name and honour.]
Every single day is an opportunity to discharge our debts of being born in this world by doing the 5 duties. If we fail to discharge these duties in a daily basis, that is when are starting to deviate from the purpose of our birth. We are missing the mark. As told SIN in its original meaning denotes ‘MISSING the MARK’.
In biblical traditions, as per the Greek translation, sin literally means missing the mark. The word is hamartia. Like an archer who has missed the mark, in this context, sin can be regarded as something going against the mark of one’s true nature, true path and the reality of truth.
Any actions which makes us forget these 5 duties brings us to a life of sins and deviation from the original purpose of the birth.
Disclaimer: Please note that this article is not propagating any religion. It is just stating the connection and helping to connect the dots of the different concepts in different religions to help to understand the ULTIMATE REALITY. We should be matured and open minded to understand that just as NATURE exists as the ONE for everybody, the REALITY is the same for all religions.