On the metaphysical meaning of major religious symbols for a globalized world

Abstract

Two running themes of this paper are as follows: (1) there is an underlying unity - which in fact is 'identity' of the substance - of all major world religions, and (2) different modes of Universe and the unification of cognitions therein are expressions of answer to various metaphysical questions. The present endeavour in this way keeps the unity of human society - a step towards realizing 'vasudhaeva kutumbakam' - 'Whole of Earth is a family' - as its ultimate goal. This paper envisages the realization of this objective through arriving at the common metaphysical structure of religions that constitute the core of humanity's beliefs. The endeavour in this sense is essential for a globalized world since a globalized world of twenty-first century will be awfully susceptible to cataclysmic possibilities in the absence of knowledge of existence and understanding of such a common metaphysical structure, unlike as in the non-globalized world of nineteenth or even that of twentieth century, for example.