COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RELIGIONS

Introduction

Definition of Religion:

The concept “Religion” is familiar to us as much as the people of humanity are

religious people. But definition of religion is yet to be found. We talk about
religion but religion is defined differently. In other words a comprehensive
definition of religion is hard to be found but some views have been given by
different scholars. In its etymology the term ‘religio’ refer to four Latin verbs i.e.
relegare, religare, reeligere, relinquere. These approaches influence in one way or
the other, the definitions of scholars. Religion could be defined as a reading of
things over of things or phenomena, which pertain to the worship of God
(relegare), It could defined as a bond, which binds the visible, and the invisible
worlds (religare). It could be taken as a repeated choice of what has been neither
lost nor neglected. Being created (first election) man is chosen again to enter into
relationship with creator (reeligere). Religion is also considered as an act of
leaving certain things in order to be submitted to others, May be to a supreme
being (Relinquere). All these ways are nominal and etymological definitions, they
are important but not sufficient. In this case definitions of religion can be nominal
theological, or historical.

What is comparative study of religion?

Comparative study of religion is called comparative religion (s). It is the branch of

the study of religions that investigate scientifically the similarities and differences
between various religions or religious phenomena, in order not only to arrive at
the comprehensive understanding of its object but also to determine the various
interactions of religions; that is how they relate and influence each other. It a
detailed and objective presentation to world religions where students encounter,
define, analyze and reflect on the major and principle beliefs, doctrines, practices,
rites, found in the major religions. In the field of comparative religions, many
westerners classify the main world religions as Abrahamic and Indian. Abrahamic
religions consist of three monotheistic religions namely Judaism, Christianity and
Islam because the three claim Abraham as their ancestor. Their sacred history
begins with the life of Abraham. The original belief is one God of Abraham, so
they have the doctrine of one God. Indian religions originate from the Indian Sub-
continent; they include Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism.

As Africans we have our religion, African Traditional Religion which to some

extent continues to direct the lives of some Africans. Although many African have
embraced Abrahamic religions, their background remains in the African
Traditional Religions. The ideas of African Traditional religion survive in the hearts
of many Africans. They continue to influence the behaviors as well as attitudes of
many Africans.

Religion has an overwhelming deepest impact on humanity. Religion ensures

hope, fearlessness, tolerance, morality and spiritual development. Comparative
Religion is a systematic, sophisticated and comprehensive studies to yield a
deeper understanding of nature, beliefs, ethics, sacredness, metaphysics,
practices, mythology, spiritual orientation, deliverance and other fundamental
concerns of different religions of the world. In order to enhance inter cultural
exchanges, to bring the world together, to facilitate mutual understanding, to
sustain diversity and for global peace and cooperation,

It is difficult not to notice the high relevance of the study of religion for
understanding contemporary reality. In spite of science and modernity, many
people and a wide spectrum of cultures still define themselves in relation to the
religious tradition they belong to. Religions define human values, the nature of
reality, morality and the value of human behavior, "us" and "them", and much
more. The best way to get millions or even hundreds of millions of people to act
together under one cause is to speak in the name of religion.

Comparative Religion stands as an important intersection for many fields of

knowledge. Religion is connected with philosophy, but no less to sociology and
anthropology, as it provides the basis of a social structure. The best of literature,
philosophy, poetry and art throughout history was created with religious goals
and motivations. Religion is central to human identity and to the way people find
their place in the world, so that religious studies are also intertwined with
Psychology.
Therefore, studies in comparative religion are an excellent way to prepare oneself
for a wide range of professional options, as the stories of the department's alumni
demonstrate. Whether in economics or government positions, or in different free
professions, the studies we provide place our students in a situation where it is
easier for them to understand the human reality before them and to choose how
to act accordingly. Many alumni of the department have also continued in
academic studies in the best institutions in in Kenya or Africa or even in the world
and abroad, making the department a wonderful beginning for academic careers.

Comparative Religion plays a crucial role as religions have strong grip on different
cultures, human mind sets, lifestyles and beliefs. Judaism, Christianity, Islam,
Hinduism, Confucianism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism and Shintoism provides a
bird view of religious state of humankind. On comparison we find that the external
aspect of religions vary within the religion and from one religion to another
religion still the essence of each religion endorses spirituality not exclusivity,
oneness not division, love not hate, creativity not destruction. Religions are meant
to raise humanity to higher plane, where the realization of unity amidst diversity
takes place.

Traditional African Religion

Apart from Traditional Religion being the ancient religion in Africa, Christianity
and Islam are described also as dominant religions in Africa. Christianity and Islam
are also dominant religions in some other parts of the world.

The title African Religion is given to the religion which the Africans had and
practiced long before the introduction to the continent of the new religions. The
title African therefore corresponds to the titles of other religions such as
Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, etc. In this modern time this religion is still
manifested in different ways and forms. However, there are variations in African
Traditional Religion as it is found from one people to another; each people
practiced the religion separately from other people as part and parcel of their total
national life e.g. Yomba religion, Nuer religion, Karamajong religion, Kikuyu
religion, Chagga religion, Azande religion etc. It must be noted that there are some
similarities in the fundamental beliefs, concepts and practices among all African
Peoples. In this case the term African Religion is singular as we are using in this
course and also as some other writers have used (Parrinder, Idowu, Ranger, Bolaji,
Osabutey, Novelli, Mbiti etc.).

The earliest writings about ATR were from the 18 th and 19th century European
explorers and missionaries. These were inadequate and distorted views. Some
writers considered ATR as primitive/savage religions. Edward Tylor’s work for
instance was titled Primitive culture (1871). He understood ATR as belief in
Spiritual Beings embracing all categories of spirits, including deities. He
understood Africans as animists (the belief in all natural things such as plants,
animals, rocks and thunder have spirits and can influence human events).

Some of the writers also considered ATR as a fetish religion (belief in or recourse
to a fetish for magical purposes). The term was derived from Portuguese word
feitico which meat charm as they sail along the coast of West Africa. Fetish is any
object believed by superstitious people to have magical power. The use of charms
was spread in the Traditional African societies. Such charms were not regarded as
having sacred and divine powers nor were they worshiped or given reverence.
They had the powers of medicine as prescribed by the divine –doctors (Muthea in
Kikamba, Muthaiga in Kikuyu, dawa in Kiswahili. However it was awful to regard
African Traditional religion as fetishism. Other words used were magic, totemism
and idolatry etc.

What came close to religion had different names in different communities e.g.
Kalenjin-Tumwek; Kamba-Kiulumi; Luo-Nyasi; Gusii-Chinyangi; Luhya-
Emulukha or Emisango; Meru and Kikuyu –Mambura. Religion has sacred titles
in East Africa the missionaries borrowed the Kiswahili word dini meaning religion.
Missionaries had to define the word religion because in the Traditional African set
up the word did not exist as a separate institution. It was part of the institutions of
life: individual, social, political and economic. Bolaji Idowu lists elements that
constitute African Religion which include:

1. Belief in God
2. Belief in divinities
3. Belief in spirits
4. Belief in the ancestors
5. Practice of magic and medicine
6. Sacred rites relating to features 1-5 above
7. Rites of passage and other sacred rites relating to the life of individual, the
family and the larger community
8. Religious specialists and their functions
9. Sacred, Social and ceremonial laws and prohibitions (so-called Taboos);
[Link] in the sacraments of inter-personal and kingship relationships;
morality

God in African Religion

Long before the introduction of the new religions mainly Christianity and Islam
in Africa, most African people had a concept of God as the Supreme Being,
Creator, Sustainer, and controller of the universe. He was also experienced and
thought as Almighty, Omnipresent, Omniscient and Eternal.

Some views on God in African Traditional Religion

John Mbiti, Introduction to African Religion (second ed.); Nairobi,

1991:216

According to Mbiti, all Africans believe in God. But exactly did the belief in |
God originated, no one knows. We only know that it is a very ancient belief in
African religious life. There are three possible explanations on its origin 1)
People came to believe in God through reflecting on the universe 2) People
realized their own limitations 3) People observed the forces of nature

Names of God page 45.

Angola ---------------------Kalungu, Nzambi, Suku

Burkina Faso ---------------- Na’angmin

Burundi ---------------------------Imana

Cameroon-------------------- Njinyi, Nyooiy

Central African Republic ------------------ Nzapa, So, Mbori

Botswana -------------------------------Modimo, Urezhwa

Ethiopia -------------------------------- Arumgimis, Yere, Tel

Ivory Coast ---------------------- Nyame, Onyankopon

Kenya ------------------------- Mungu, Akuj, Ngai, Nyasae,Tororut, Mulungu

South Africa -------------------- Inkosi, Modimo, Unkulunkulu

Sudan ----------------------- Ajok, Bel, Kalo, Mbori

Tanzania ------------------- Enkai, Kyala, Mulungu, Murungu, Mungo, Ruwa

Uganda ------------------- Akuj, Katonda, Kibumba, Ori, Rugaba, Ruhanga

Nigeria -------------------- Ondo, Chuku, Olodumare, Olorun, Osowo,

Mbiti further states (pp. 49-52) that African people believe that God does many
things in the universe: God is the creator of all things, God sustains his creation,
God provides for what he has created, God rules over the universe. Mbiti
continue to say that since God is carried out by people, people picture God as if
He has human characteristics… God as Father, Mother and parent, God as a
friend etc. African people agree that nobody has seen God. Hence nobody can
real describe Him, yet through their religious insights, they have formulated
certain ideas about the nature of God, God is good, God is merciful, God is
Holy, God is all powerful, God is all knowing, God is everywhere, God is
limitless, God is self-existent, God is the first cause, God is Spirit, God never
changes, God is unknowable.

J.N.K. Mugambi, The African Heritage and Contemporary Christianity,

Nairobi, Longman, 1989, 218 pages

African scholars have not yet come into consensus regarding the use of title
‘African religions or African religion’. Mugambi affirms that the cultural and
religious homogeneity of African peoples justify their being studied and an
entity, this study has avoided the use of Traditional African Religion (s) instead
use the term African (religious) heritage is preferred and considered sufficiently
descriptive.

The old prejudice against the African religion remained entrenched among this
generation of missionary anthropologists. Edwin Smith, for example believed
 that African people had concept of God but his was a God who created the
world and then disappeared from it. Therefore, he maintained, the Christian
faith had come to teach Africans that God had not disappeared from the world,
that he was still active in it. Missionary anthropology was a means to an end. It
was a means to indentifying the weaknesses of the African culture and religious
heritage in order to justify the missionary enterprise. The African concept of
God as portrayed by this generation of missionary anthropologists are being
increasingly criticized by African Scholars, including African Christian
theologians. John Mbiti has shown that the immanence of God was not taught
to Africans by missionaries from Western Hemisphere. It was integral part of
African religious traditional beliefs. S.G. Kibicho has come to the same
conclusion and emphasis that God was known to African peoples, contrary to
the view of most of the western anthropologists that Christianity has been
introduced to teach Africans to know God.

Judaism

Judaism is a religious tradition with origins dating back nearly four thousand years,
rooted in the ancient near eastern region of Canaan (which is now Israel and
Palestinian territories). Judaism traces its heritage to the covenant God made with
Abraham and his lineage — that God would make them a sacred people and give
them a holy land. The primary figures of Israelite culture include the patriarchs
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the prophet Moses, who received God's law at Mt.
Sinai.

Judaism is a tradition grounded in the religious, ethical, and social laws as they are
articulated in the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. Jews refer to the
Bible as the Tanakh, an acronym for the texts of the Torah, Prophets, and Writings.
Other sacred texts include the Talmud and Midrash, the rabbinic, legal, and
narrative interpretations of the Torah. The contemporary branches of Judaism
differ in their interpretations and applications of these texts. The four main
movements within Judaism today are Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and
Reconstructionist, respectively ranging from traditional to liberal to religiously
progressive in their application of Torah.

While diverse in their views, Jews continue to be unified on the basis of their
common connection to a set of sacred narratives expressing their relationship with
God as a holy people. Judaism tends to emphasize practice over belief. Jewish
worship is centered in synagogues, which completely replaced the Second Temple
after its destruction in 70 C.E. Jewish religious leaders are called rabbis, who
oversee the many rituals and ceremonies essential to Jewish religious practice.

Sacred Texts: Tanakh is an acronym of Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim. Torah is the
name given to the first five books — Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and
Deuteronomy — also called the Pentateuch. The Nevi'im and Ketuvim are the
books of history, prophecy, poetry, and other sacred writings. The Talmud is also
called the Oral Torah, and is comprised of rabbinical commentary and
interpretation on the Torah.

Headquarters: While Jerusalem remains the center of Jewish spirituality, the lack
of a Temple or any administrative or jurisdictional authority prevents it from being
an organizational center.

Teachings and beliefs: From Philo of Alexandria 20 -50 BC: Jews have the belief
in God, that there is only one God, the belief that God created the world but the
world is eternal; the belief that there is only one universe; the belief that God cares
for the world and all its creatures. “Hear,O Israel, the Lord our God is One. And
you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your might. And these words which I command you this day shall be in
your hearts ‘YHWH=Elohim’”

God is the creator of all, He is One; incorporeal; God is eternal; God alone is to be
worshipped; God communicates to humans through the medium of prophesy;
Moses was the greatest of the prophets to whom God communicated in the most
directed manner; The whole of the Torah was revealed to Moses by God; The
Torah will not be changed or supplemented by another revelation by God; God
knows of the deeds of mankind and is concerned about them; God reward and
punishes people for their good or evil ways; the Messiah, descendent of the line of
David, will usher in the Messianic age; Resurrection of the dead.

Among the most famous Jewish teachings are the Ten Commandments, which are
contained within the Hebrew Bible. Many Jews and Christians identify them with
the two stone tablets which, according to the Hebrew Bible, God gave to Moses
along with other religious instructions. Religious Jews see the Ten Commandments
as a notable summary of how God wants Jews to live.

Jewish sages have provided guidance as to the most important Jewish teachings.
According to the Talmud, a man challenged Hillel, one of Judaism’s most revered
sages and the highest ranking jurist from 31 BCE through 9 CE, to teach him the
whole Torah in the time he could stand on one foot. “What is hateful to yourself,
do not do to your fellow man. That is the whole Torah; the rest is just commentary.
Go and study it” The Jews believe and teach that:

 There is only one God and God provides standards of right and wrong that
people should follow. Judaism introduced this belief, called ethical
monotheism, to the world. This belief differs from other ancient religions,
which believed in many gods. Jewish ethics flow in large measure from this
idea; Judaism teaches that there is such a thing as “right” and “wrong” and
that people have an obligation to do what is right.
 Treat others well. The Hebrew Bible contains broad principles such as “Be
kind to strangers” and “Love your neighbor ” as well as specific
instructions to ensure others are treated fairly. The Talmud states, “Charity is
equal in importance to all other commandments combined.” Since the
Hebrew Bible states that all people are created in the image of God, Jews
believe that every individual is important and deserves to be treated with
respect.
 Honor the Sabbath. Judaism teaches that Jews should spend one day a week,
the Sabbath, focusing on things other than work and material concerns. This
is the origin of the idea of a weekly day of rest that is part of many religions
and is widely followed in many parts of the world.
 Judaism teaches that people can communicate with God through prayer.
Traditionally observant Jews have daily prayers in the morning, afternoon,
and evening, and also pray before and after meals, before beginning a
journey, when they see a natural wonder, and at other times when they need
help or want to express thanks.

Views of God in Christianity

Christianity affirms God’s existence, makes known His nature and attributes; it
explains who He is in a way that we might know, love him and look for him.
Christians believe that God is the creator of heaven and earth; he guides the world,
loves the world and directs it to himself. How do we know that there is God? And
if there is God, what is the like? Perhaps the Christian creed could be used to
answer these questions. It says what He is and He is not. “We believe in One God
Father Almighty and the maker of all things visible and invisible. This is what is
found in first sentence of the Bible: In the beginning, when God created the
heavens and the earth…. (Gen. 1:1). The expression “then God said” tells us that
he is the creator of all that exists (Gn: 1:30).

The prophets proclaimed about this one God. Matthew wrote: and concerning the
resurrection of the dead, have you read what was said to you by God: I am the God
of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?. He is not the God of the
dead but the living. (Mt 22:31-32).

God in Christianity is one in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Sometimes
this is not well understood by non-Christians. The belief is in one God, the Lord of
the Old Testament and of the Jewish people to this day.

God is simple: Thomas Aquinas speaks of God’s simplicity for many reasons.
According to him, the simplicity of God is both a denial and an affirmation. It
denies the fact that God has any composition. Therefore he has nobody, matter or
any form or accidents. The essence of God is the same as His existence. The
absolute simplicity of God may be seen in many ways: there is neither composition
of quantitative parts in God, since He is not a body; nor composition of form and
matter (Summa Theologiea, part 1, question, 3 article 7). If God was a matter; He
would not be first mover from whom all movements come, He would be subject to
the principles.

The simplicity of God shows that his essence and existence are the same. The first
mover must be simple. God is who he is; he is above time and space. Things that
are within time and space are temporal; they can be and become something else
because they are in constant change. Basically man changes (having both potency
and act) but God never changes because He is simple.

The power of God: Christianity acknowledges the power of God and He has it to
the highest degree. He is all powerful. The power of God flows from His
simplicity. God is powerful because He is not a body, which can have some
defects. That is why we say He is Omnipotent, God can do all things, and He is the
highest level of active power. His existence is infinite, not limited by anything that
receives it (creatures).

The Unity of God:The unity of God is strongly affirmed in Christianity. The

oneness of God is stated, professed and explained. God is one because, since he is
simple, His nature is incommunicable with anyone else. So there is no doubt that
God is one, this can be shown through His simplicity.

The Goodness of God: The goodness of God and its meaning have a great
importance in Christianity. If God’s goodness is denied there would be nothing left
for Christian faith or Christian mysteries, the denial would be a heresy. So God is
goodness and what belongs to the essence of goodness befits God. It belongs to the
essence of the highest good to communicate itself in the highest manner to the
creature (Thomas Aquinas).

Some Views of God in Islam

The formula “La ilahillaallah, Muhammad rasul Allah” (There is no god save
Allah and Muhammad is his prophet) is the most concentrated profession of faith
of the Islamic belief in one God. It is called the Shahada. Islam is one of the
monotheistic religions in the world. The Muslim’s God (Allah) is the one and only
deity. Islam is a monotheistic religion. Muslims worship only one Supreme Being
who is the creator of heaven and earth. This is what the Qur’an teaches.

In the Qur’an the unity of God is noted almost in all chapters (Sura); in order to
see its importance in Islam. At the beginning of the 7 th century Christian Era,
precisely from 610-632, Muhammad claimed to have received the revelation from
Allah and started proclaiming the word of Allah as he claimed to be told. A
Muslim tradition tells us that Sura XCVI (96) was the first to come down to the
prophet Muhammad; so the mission entrusted to him is this first sura, ‘is thy Lord,
Creator of man, the very generous, who teaches man that which he knew not”.

The existence of God is affirmed in all suras. The Islamic formula “In the name of
Allah, most Grecious, most merciful, “Bi-smi-llahiar-Rahmaniar Rahim, which is
placed before all the suras except sura 9, shows that the God that Muhammad
proclaimed not only exists but is the most Gracious and most merciful. Muhammad
believed in the Living God., that is why he praises him “Praise Allah, the Cherisher
and Sustainer of the world” sura 1:2. The existence of God has not been proved in
Islam instead there are attributes of God. One dogma, One God,: the Qur’an
repeats this in many places.

The unity of God (tawhid)

“La ilahaillaallah, there is no god save Allah” is the digest of the Islamic unity.
This is the first article of the Islamic creed, which describes the God in whom
Muhammad believed. It is called the Shahada. When Muhammad contemporaries
asked him to explain about his God, Muhammad said, “He is God”, One, hence
Muhammad had a monotheistic conception of God.

The Transcendence of God: The Islamic Monotheism also includes the

Transcendence of God. God is one and Transcendent, being the Creator of all
things, god is not only different from all creatures but he is above all, Sura 112:4
“And there is none like unto Him”

Hinduism

Hinduism is believed to have existed somewhere between 2300 BC -1500 BC. It is

one of the oldest world religions

Beliefs –general

Most Hindus worship one Being of ultimate oneness (Brahman) through infinite
representations of gods and goddesses. These various manifestations of gods and
goddesses become incarnate within idols, temples, gurus, rivers, animals, etc.
(Infinite manifestation God of)

Hindus believe their position in this present life was determined by their actions in
ba previous life. Followers of Hinduism believe that certain laws
govern the universe. Hinduism therefore provides a possible
explanation for suffering and evil in this life. If a person’s behavior
before was evil, they might justifiably experience tremendous
hardships in this life. Pain, disease, poverty or a disaster like a flood is
deserved by that person because of their own evil actions, usually
from a previous lifetime.

A Hindu's goal is to become free from the law of karma...to be free from
continuous reincarnations. Only the soul matters which will one day be free of the
cycle of rebirths and be at rest.

Hinduism gives a person freedom to choose how to work toward spiritual

perfection.
There are three possible ways to end this cycle of karma:

1. Be lovingly devoted to any of the Hindu gods or goddesses

2. Grow in knowledge through meditation of Brahman (oneness)...to realize that
circumstances in life are not real, that selfhood is an illusion and only Brahman is
real

3. Be dedicated to various religious ceremonies and rites.

Hinduism opposes killing, violence and revenge, in line with the principle of
ahimsa (non-violence). India still retains the death penalty. Hindus believe that the
soul is immortal and on the death of the body it transmigrates to a new life on
earth. Whether this life is better or worse than the previous one depends on the
amount of good or evil done in the previous life. This is the law of Karma.

Most Hindus believe that humans are in a cycle of death and rebirth called
samsara. When a person dies, their atman is reborn in a different body. Some
believe rebirth happens directly at death, others believe that an atman may exist in
other realms.

Common features of Hindu faith and practice

 Brahman or Ultimate Reality is both personal and impersonal and appears in

many forms;
 It is accessible through a variety of paths (margas): knowledge (jnana yoga),
devotion (bhakti yoga), and action (karma yoga); and
 It is realized by those sages who have attained union or communion with
that Reality.
 On the other hand, creation and the phenomena of worldly life are temporal
and partial; they conceal the total Truth and its realization.
 Hindus further hold the doctrine of karma, which says that each thought,
word, and action brings appropriate recompense, thereby upholding the
moral government and ultimate justice of the cosmos;
 The doctrine of reincarnation, understood as a dreary round of continued
suffering or a continuous series of fresh opportunities to improve one's lot.
Inequality of endowment and fortune is explained as the working out of
karma and not as the result of some discrimination by God. Hindus also
uphold
 The authority of the Vedas;
  The traditions of family and social life, with its four stages of student,
householder, spiritual seeker, and ascetic who renounces all for the sake of
spiritual progress and the welfare of all;
 The four goals of life: righteousness (dharma), economic wealth (artha),
pleasure (karma), and spiritual freedom (moksha)
 The validity and viability of the ideal social order and its attendant duties,
which have degenerated into the caste system. It is a social hierarchy passed
down through families, and it can dictate the professions a person can
work in as well as aspects of their social lives, including whom they can
marry. The many sects of Hinduism, with few exceptions, share these
features in common. Those Indian faiths which protested several of these
features, such as Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism, soon became
distinguished from the Hindu fold.

Salvation by devotion

These movements are known as Bhagavata (devotionalism) i.e. emotional

attachment to personal gods like Krishna and Shiva. Devotees (Bhaktas) continue
to claim that such devotion is a way of salvation or self-realization that is superior
to sacrifice or intellectual mediation. Bakhit devotion is higher than external
observations and activities and higher than philosophical mediation. It demands
submission on man’s part, it also implies divine grace. Bhakti is considered to be
lower or imperfect if it is motivated by worldly concerns like sickness, danger or
the desire for some favour such as the birth of a male child. Higher Bhakti, one has
to be completely selfless, single hearted, attachment to God, all other affections
have been destroyed, there is purity, grace and liberation.

Bhakti system in Hinduism

The Krishna Bhakti started in 4 th century BC, human hero, supreme God, who can
save worshipers, also believed to be an incarnation (avatar) of Vishnu. Ways of
salvation (Gita) –Bhakti highest teaching:

a) Ethical problem of war, one must do one’s caste duty, and there must be the
killing of the soul
b) The valid ways to wisdom and realization, which are sacrifice, mediation,
and action without attachment to its results.
c) The divinities unveiled countenance, the devotee Arjuna is given a mystical
vision by Lord Krishna who tell Arjuna that the best way (Marga) is love of
Krishna, and he Krishna loves his devotees in return.
The Rama Bhakti: Rama is said to have married Sita after archery contest, but then
got separated and demon ravana carried Sita away. It happened that Rama was
very brave; he hunted and killed ravana, hence rescued Sita. This has made many
Indians to worship Rama, hence Rama and Sita are the ideal couple.