Once, a man went into a forest and saw a strange animal sitting on a tree. When he returned, he told another man that he had seen a beautiful red-coloured animal on the tree. The other man replied, “No, you are mistaken. I have also seen that animal, and it was green.” A third person disagreed with both of them and said that the animal was yellow. Soon, more people joined the argument, each insisting that the animal was red, green, yellow, blue, violet, or grey. Each person believed that what he had seen was the complete truth. Finally, they went to a man who lived under that very tree and asked him which of them was correct. The man replied, “I live here under this tree and know the animal very well. All of you are correct. Sometimes it is red, sometimes green, sometimes yellow, sometimes blue, violet or grey. It is a chameleon, and it keeps changing its colour. Sometimes it even has no colour at all.” Sri Ramakrishna used this simple story to explain the nature of God. Just as the people had seen only one colour of the chameleon and believed that their experience was the whole truth, human beings often experience the Divine in different ways and then believe that their own understanding is the only truth.

This simple story carries a profound message for our modern world.

Today, people are divided in the name of religion. Many believe that their own religion, their own God, their own sect or their own way of worship is the only true one, while others are wrong. From these differences, division grows, and from division, hatred can emerge. And here comes the teaching of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, who showed us a different way of looking at the Divine. We may be born into a particular religion, sect, caste or tradition, and there is nothing wrong with respecting and following the path into which we were born. We should understand our own religion, live by its good teachings and follow the path that genuinely brings us closer to God. But following our own path should never become a reason to reject, insult or spread hatred against another religion.

One person may see and worship God as Jesus, another as Allah, another may look towards Yahweh, while another may worship Krishna, Rama, Shiva, Kali, Durga, Waheguru or another form of the Divine. Some may worship God through a particular form, while others may understand God as formless, beyond any name, image or physical description. The forms and names may be different, but the Divine cannot be limited to any one form.

The way you see and pray to God may be one form for you, while for another person, the same Divine may be understood through another form. One person may pray in a temple, another in a mosque, another in a church, another in a gurdwara, and another may seek the Divine through meditation and silence. The paths may appear different, but that does not give us the right to declare that everyone else’s path is false.

That is why Sri Ramakrishna said, “Joto Mat Toto Path” “Jitne Math, Utne Path” — “As many faiths, so many paths.” He taught that people may follow different paths according to their faith and understanding, yet sincerely seek the same Divine Truth.

And today, 11 September, this message becomes even more meaningful. On this day in 1893, Swami Vivekananda stood before the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago and spoke about the harmony of religions. Following the spiritual vision of his Master, Sri Ramakrishna, he reminded the world that people may approach the Divine through different paths. Different religions may have different forms, teachings and ways of worship, but this difference should not become a reason for hatred or division. His message was not that everyone must follow the same religion, but that we should learn to respect the different paths through which people seek Truth.

More than a century later, we still need to hear that message.

Respect your religion. Respect your sect. Respect your traditions. But respect other religions equally. The purpose of religion should not be to make us proud of being different from others. It should make us better human beings. It should make our minds purer, our hearts kinder, our actions more truthful and our lives more compassionate. The real question is not, “Which religion is superior?” The deeper question is, “What has my religion made me?”

Has it made my mind pure? Has it reduced my ego, greed, anger and hatred? Has it made me more compassionate towards another human being? Has it brought me closer to Truth?

God is nearer to the person who has a pure mind, a pure heart, pure actions and a sincere soul. Mere religious identity, arguments, labels or claims of superiority do not make a person closer to God. Sri Ramakrishna’s message is therefore especially relevant today: follow the path that brings you closer to the Divine, but do not hate another person because they walk a different path.

We should not spend our lives fighting over the colour of the chameleon when the Truth is far greater than the limited colour we have seen.