What do you think?
Rate this book
On Religion: Selected Writings
Khushwant Singh, one of India’s most original thinkers on a wide range of subjects, remained keenly engaged, all his life, with the nature of belief and faith; with God; as well as the many foibles—some significant, others laughable—of organized religion. And after having intensely, extensively introspected on his own spiritual growth, Singh evolved a personal credo everyone would do well to bear in mind—that each human being must work out their own religion as it best fits their lives.On Religion brings together some of Singh’s most evocative writings. Included in this anthology are his ruminations on agnosticism and how he arrived at it; explorations of the concepts of morality and reason; his unsparing skewering of the many customs and habits which masquerade as religion and faith; and recountings of the delightful encounters he had with the godwomen of his times.Unabashed, free-ranging and delightfully iconoclastic, Khushwant Singh’s On Religion is not to be missed.
- GenresNonfictionIndia
218 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 2, 2014
26 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Khushwant Singh
298 books1,429 followersKhushwant Singh, (Punjabi: ਖ਼ੁਸ਼ਵੰਤ ਸਿੰਘ, Hindi: खुशवंत सिंह) born on 2 February 1915 in Hadali, Undivided India, (now a part of Pakistan), was a prominent Indian novelist and journalist. Singh's weekly column, "With Malice towards One and All", carried by several Indian newspapers, was among the most widely-read columns in the country.
An important post-colonial novelist writing in English, Singh is best known for his trenchant secularism, his humor, and an abiding love of poetry. His comparisons of social and behavioral characteristics of Westerners and Indians are laced with acid wit.
An important post-colonial novelist writing in English, Singh is best known for his trenchant secularism, his humor, and an abiding love of poetry. His comparisons of social and behavioral characteristics of Westerners and Indians are laced with acid wit.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 25, 2020
This book is compilation of various essays written by Khuswant Singh on the concept of religion and other aspects associated with it. The author himself being an agnostic sets out the predictable path in the essays. There hasn't been any novel point raised but yet it is a delightful read.
One advantage over other works is surely the ambience surrounding the essays. I haven't read much about criticisms of Indian religions as compared to other monotheistic religions. Khuswant Singh is able to identify some of the key contradictions within major faith systems of the subcontinent.
A great deal of space is devoted for personal interviews of the author with spiritual leaders from different sects and religions. Some of them were insightful and some were plain arrogance( maybe for the godman who was answering the questions framed by khuswant singh).
"If God is willing to prevent evil, but is not able to Then He is not omnipotent. If He is, but not willing Then He is malevolent. If He is both able and willing Then whence cometh evil? If He is neither able nor willing Then why call Him God?" The author frames most of the questions around this theme.
In one of the chapters the author tries to give way or atleast ideas for a new kind of religion. In doing so he underlines some of the critical issues which needs to be tackled or needs to be incorporated into the new religion.While doing so he happily takes a shot at all the absurd rituals and celebrations which defies the rational sense and civility. Mind you he is taking a shot at most of the religions.
I can easily agree with this assertion made by the author." Most men and women who deny God are to my knowledge more truthful, helpful, kinder and more considerate in their dealings with others than men of religion."
If somebody is looking for a critical read regarding indian religions then this should be a must read I guess. There is nothing new but still remains a delightful read.
One advantage over other works is surely the ambience surrounding the essays. I haven't read much about criticisms of Indian religions as compared to other monotheistic religions. Khuswant Singh is able to identify some of the key contradictions within major faith systems of the subcontinent.
A great deal of space is devoted for personal interviews of the author with spiritual leaders from different sects and religions. Some of them were insightful and some were plain arrogance( maybe for the godman who was answering the questions framed by khuswant singh).
"If God is willing to prevent evil, but is not able to Then He is not omnipotent. If He is, but not willing Then He is malevolent. If He is both able and willing Then whence cometh evil? If He is neither able nor willing Then why call Him God?" The author frames most of the questions around this theme.
In one of the chapters the author tries to give way or atleast ideas for a new kind of religion. In doing so he underlines some of the critical issues which needs to be tackled or needs to be incorporated into the new religion.While doing so he happily takes a shot at all the absurd rituals and celebrations which defies the rational sense and civility. Mind you he is taking a shot at most of the religions.
I can easily agree with this assertion made by the author." Most men and women who deny God are to my knowledge more truthful, helpful, kinder and more considerate in their dealings with others than men of religion."
If somebody is looking for a critical read regarding indian religions then this should be a must read I guess. There is nothing new but still remains a delightful read.
August 27, 2018
This is a 3.5 for me.
Being an agnostic, Khushwant Singh spent a large number of years of his life in the pursuit of demystifying and understanding God and religion. In the process he happened to engage in deep studies of all the major religions in the world. This book is a compilation of his thoughts on various religions apart from chapters dedicated to the various Godmen he encountered. It is an insightful and interesting read. Must surely not miss this.
Being an agnostic, Khushwant Singh spent a large number of years of his life in the pursuit of demystifying and understanding God and religion. In the process he happened to engage in deep studies of all the major religions in the world. This book is a compilation of his thoughts on various religions apart from chapters dedicated to the various Godmen he encountered. It is an insightful and interesting read. Must surely not miss this.
January 20, 2021
आज पहली बार एक नॉन-फ़िक्शन (यानी अकाल्पनिक या कथेतर) क़िताब पूरी की। बता दूँ कि मुझे वो क़िताबें कम ही पसंद आती हैं जिनमें कहानियाँ नहीं होती। स्कूल, कॉलेज की क़िताबों की बात इतर है। वो तो पढ़ाकू होने की वजह से पूरी की पूरी चाट जाती थी। हाँ, अपनी मर्ज़ी से शायद ही कभी कोई नॉन-फ़िक्शन पढ़ी हो। पढ़ना शुरू भी की, तो ख़त्म नहीं कर पाई। वजह एक ही थी, प्रवचनों की भरमार।
मुझे आज तक कभी भी किसी के प्रवचनों में दिलचस्पी नहीं रही। शायद इसलिए क्योंकि कभी बचपन में माँ-बाप ने प्रवचन नहीं दिए। जब से सोचने-समझने की शक्ति आई, तब से ही उन्होंने प्रोत्साहित किया ख़ुद सोचने को और अपने फ़ैसले लेने को। मदद का हाथ हमेशा आगे रहा, लेकिन वो मदद कभी दखलअंदाज़ी में नहीं बदली।
मैं एक हिंदू-पंजाबी परिवार में पैदा हुई। जहाँ माँ भगवान में विश्वास करती है और थोड़ा बहुत पूजा-पाठ करती है, वहीं पापा एक आस्तिक से नास्तिक बने और फिर उन्होंने अपना सुकून बौद्ध दर्शन में पाया। अब न तो माँ ही कट्टर दर्जे की धार्मिक रही और न ही पिताजी ने बुद्ध को उनके दर्शन से परे एक भगवान के रूप में देखा।
मैं हमेशा से ही तर्कों पर चलने वाली, हर विषय में कुछ-कुछ संशयवादी रही। मगर धर्म के मामले में मैं किसी भी एक विश्वास को लेकर आगे बढ़ने में ख़ुद को असमर्थ पाती। विज्ञान पढ़ा है मैंने, लेकिन उतनी ही कला में भी रुचि है। प्रकृति से बड़ी ताक़त मुझे कोई और नज़र नहीं आती। भगवान है या नहीं, इस बारे में ठीक-ठीक कहना मेरे लिए हमेशा से मुश्किल रहा।
ख़ैर, बात करते हैं क़िताब की। पिछले कुछ महीने से अपनी धार्मिक/आध्यात्मिक मान्यताओं और विचारधारा को ढूँढने की कोशिश कर रही थी। तो जिस वक़्त में मैं अपनी मान्यताओं को टटोल रही थी, तभी अचानक ही मेरे सामने एक शब्द आया, अज्ञेयवाद या अग्नॉस्टिसिज़्म। अज्ञेयवाद कहता है कि इंसान की दिमाग़ी और तार्किक क्षमता इतनी नहीं है कि वह कभी भी पता कर पाए कि भगवान हैं या नहीं। यानी यह भगवान के होने या ना होने में से किसी भी बात पर विश्वास नहीं करता। अगर इनमें से किसी के लिए भी कोई तर्क मिले, तो शायद उस बात को क़ुबूला जा सकता है।
खुशवंत सिंह की यह क़िताब भी इसी बारे में बात करती है। मज़े की बात ये है कि ये क़िताब मेरे पास अक्टूबर, 2019 से थी, लेकिन इसे पढ़ने में उसी वजह से जोर आ रहा था जो मैंने सबसे पहले बताई। मगर जब अज्ञेयवाद के बारे में पढ़ा, तो लगा कि अब आख़िरकार इसे पढ़ डालना चाहिए। इसमें वक़्त काफ़ी लगा, लेकिन इसे पढ़ना अच्छा रहा।
खुशवंत जी कई धार्मिक ग्रंथों को पढ़कर, उनके कुछ अंशों की इसमें व्याख्या की है। साथ ही बताएँ हैं अपने अनुभव, जो इस क़िताब को और दिलचस्प बनाते हैं। भारतीयों के लिए महत्व रखने वाले हर धर्म की इसमें बात की है और यह भी बताया है कि धर्म किस तरह हमारे जीवन को प्रभावित करता है।
इस क़िताब के ज़्यादातर हिस्से मुझे पसंद आए। आख़िर के कुछेक अध्याय पढ़कर थोड़ी निराशा हुई। मैं समझ नहीं पाई कि तर्कों पर चलने वाला इंसान किस तरह धर्मगुरुओं से मिलकर अभिभूत हो सकता है। इसके लिए मेरा यही तर्क काम किया कि हर इंसान की कुछ न कुछ कमज़ोरी होती है।
तो अगर आपको भी अपनी धार्मिक विचारधाराओं और मान्यताओं को लेकर कुछ शक़ है, तो ये क़िताब ज़रूर पढें। इससे कम से कम आपको अलग-अलग धर्मों की उन बातों को जानने का मौक़ा मिलेगा, जिनके बारे में आपको कुछ मालूम नहीं था। और मिलेंगे सोचने लायक कुछ मुद्दे।
मुझे आज तक कभी भी किसी के प्रवचनों में दिलचस्पी नहीं रही। शायद इसलिए क्योंकि कभी बचपन में माँ-बाप ने प्रवचन नहीं दिए। जब से सोचने-समझने की शक्ति आई, तब से ही उन्होंने प्रोत्साहित किया ख़ुद सोचने को और अपने फ़ैसले लेने को। मदद का हाथ हमेशा आगे रहा, लेकिन वो मदद कभी दखलअंदाज़ी में नहीं बदली।
मैं एक हिंदू-पंजाबी परिवार में पैदा हुई। जहाँ माँ भगवान में विश्वास करती है और थोड़ा बहुत पूजा-पाठ करती है, वहीं पापा एक आस्तिक से नास्तिक बने और फिर उन्होंने अपना सुकून बौद्ध दर्शन में पाया। अब न तो माँ ही कट्टर दर्जे की धार्मिक रही और न ही पिताजी ने बुद्ध को उनके दर्शन से परे एक भगवान के रूप में देखा।
मैं हमेशा से ही तर्कों पर चलने वाली, हर विषय में कुछ-कुछ संशयवादी रही। मगर धर्म के मामले में मैं किसी भी एक विश्वास को लेकर आगे बढ़ने में ख़ुद को असमर्थ पाती। विज्ञान पढ़ा है मैंने, लेकिन उतनी ही कला में भी रुचि है। प्रकृति से बड़ी ताक़त मुझे कोई और नज़र नहीं आती। भगवान है या नहीं, इस बारे में ठीक-ठीक कहना मेरे लिए हमेशा से मुश्किल रहा।
ख़ैर, बात करते हैं क़िताब की। पिछले कुछ महीने से अपनी धार्मिक/आध्यात्मिक मान्यताओं और विचारधारा को ढूँढने की कोशिश कर रही थी। तो जिस वक़्त में मैं अपनी मान्यताओं को टटोल रही थी, तभी अचानक ही मेरे सामने एक शब्द आया, अज्ञेयवाद या अग्नॉस्टिसिज़्म। अज्ञेयवाद कहता है कि इंसान की दिमाग़ी और तार्किक क्षमता इतनी नहीं है कि वह कभी भी पता कर पाए कि भगवान हैं या नहीं। यानी यह भगवान के होने या ना होने में से किसी भी बात पर विश्वास नहीं करता। अगर इनमें से किसी के लिए भी कोई तर्क मिले, तो शायद उस बात को क़ुबूला जा सकता है।
खुशवंत सिंह की यह क़िताब भी इसी बारे में बात करती है। मज़े की बात ये है कि ये क़िताब मेरे पास अक्टूबर, 2019 से थी, लेकिन इसे पढ़ने में उसी वजह से जोर आ रहा था जो मैंने सबसे पहले बताई। मगर जब अज्ञेयवाद के बारे में पढ़ा, तो लगा कि अब आख़िरकार इसे पढ़ डालना चाहिए। इसमें वक़्त काफ़ी लगा, लेकिन इसे पढ़ना अच्छा रहा।
खुशवंत जी कई धार्मिक ग्रंथों को पढ़कर, उनके कुछ अंशों की इसमें व्याख्या की है। साथ ही बताएँ हैं अपने अनुभव, जो इस क़िताब को और दिलचस्प बनाते हैं। भारतीयों के लिए महत्व रखने वाले हर धर्म की इसमें बात की है और यह भी बताया है कि धर्म किस तरह हमारे जीवन को प्रभावित करता है।
इस क़िताब के ज़्यादातर हिस्से मुझे पसंद आए। आख़िर के कुछेक अध्याय पढ़कर थोड़ी निराशा हुई। मैं समझ नहीं पाई कि तर्कों पर चलने वाला इंसान किस तरह धर्मगुरुओं से मिलकर अभिभूत हो सकता है। इसके लिए मेरा यही तर्क काम किया कि हर इंसान की कुछ न कुछ कमज़ोरी होती है।
तो अगर आपको भी अपनी धार्मिक विचारधाराओं और मान्यताओं को लेकर कुछ शक़ है, तो ये क़िताब ज़रूर पढें। इससे कम से कम आपको अलग-अलग धर्मों की उन बातों को जानने का मौक़ा मिलेगा, जिनके बारे में आपको कुछ मालूम नहीं था। और मिलेंगे सोचने लायक कुछ मुद्दे।
March 16, 2023
I have always been a fan of Khushwant Singh because he is quirky, controversial and not the type to mince his words. In this book, he ruminates on agnosticism and how he arrived at it. He has unabashedly declared that he is an agnostic and that he doesn’t know whether God exists or not.
The very opening line of this book is, "Have you seen God? No. I have not." He has discussed about all the major religions like Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism. He has shed light on the basic teachings and tenets as well as codes of conduct of these religions. He has expressed his views on what he thinks about these teachings.
As I was reading, I came across a beautiful couplet by Bulleh Shah, a Punjabi Sufi poet:
"Masjid ddhaa dey, mandar ddhaa dey
Ddhaa dey jo kuch ddhenda.
Ik kisey da dil na ddhavein
Rabb dilan vich rehndaa "
"Break down the mosque, break down the temple
Break down whatever there is besides;
But never break a human heart
That is where God himself resides."
This books is something which makes you think about the basis of religion. According to me, humanity is the most important religion, helping people and having empathy for others is the best religion. We should not discriminate people based on the colour of their skin, the kind of religion they follow, their food habits, nothing. These are all man made labels and we should look beyond that and treat everyone equally.
All in all, this book is a very interesting read and can be read by everyone since it gives a different perspective on religion. Except I don’t know, some religious fanatics and overtly sensitive people who get offended at the smallest things should stay away from it maybe.
Happy reading!!!
The very opening line of this book is, "Have you seen God? No. I have not." He has discussed about all the major religions like Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism. He has shed light on the basic teachings and tenets as well as codes of conduct of these religions. He has expressed his views on what he thinks about these teachings.
As I was reading, I came across a beautiful couplet by Bulleh Shah, a Punjabi Sufi poet:
"Masjid ddhaa dey, mandar ddhaa dey
Ddhaa dey jo kuch ddhenda.
Ik kisey da dil na ddhavein
Rabb dilan vich rehndaa "
"Break down the mosque, break down the temple
Break down whatever there is besides;
But never break a human heart
That is where God himself resides."
This books is something which makes you think about the basis of religion. According to me, humanity is the most important religion, helping people and having empathy for others is the best religion. We should not discriminate people based on the colour of their skin, the kind of religion they follow, their food habits, nothing. These are all man made labels and we should look beyond that and treat everyone equally.
All in all, this book is a very interesting read and can be read by everyone since it gives a different perspective on religion. Except I don’t know, some religious fanatics and overtly sensitive people who get offended at the smallest things should stay away from it maybe.
Happy reading!!!
April 5, 2025
Khuswant Singh's book talk about religion, how it spread and people accept it, and how religions are forging paths for extremism.
He presents his arguments based on logic. According to him all religions are based on 4 to 5 principles, that can easily be traced in all religious values.
First is the concept of God, who is all powerful and omnipresent. All religions preach that their religious God has power of life and death and he is not liable to answer for his actions.
Second is prophet, who tells us about invisible God and advocates that we can acquire success only if we adhere to his god. Otherwise he/she will be demolished and considered corrupt.
Third is holy place, although all religious people believe that the whole world belongs to god yet god keep some places of prayer superior than other. And if we offer our prayers there we would be rewarded more. This thing makes god racist who keep something closer than other. If we take our argument further from here, then the God is injust because he didn't see all the places equally.
Codes of prayers ; there are some codes of prayers in every religion and every religion code of prayers is different from the other. Yet they preached for harmony, how ironic.
There are some chapters and passage which are conflict with Singh's own thoughts and thesis of the book. He although says that he doesn't believe in any religion and criticizes all religions. However, there are a few chapters which are purely designated for Sikhism in Which he appreciates and praises history and practices of his religion, that according to him makes him nominal Sikh.
He presents his arguments based on logic. According to him all religions are based on 4 to 5 principles, that can easily be traced in all religious values.
First is the concept of God, who is all powerful and omnipresent. All religions preach that their religious God has power of life and death and he is not liable to answer for his actions.
Second is prophet, who tells us about invisible God and advocates that we can acquire success only if we adhere to his god. Otherwise he/she will be demolished and considered corrupt.
Third is holy place, although all religious people believe that the whole world belongs to god yet god keep some places of prayer superior than other. And if we offer our prayers there we would be rewarded more. This thing makes god racist who keep something closer than other. If we take our argument further from here, then the God is injust because he didn't see all the places equally.
Codes of prayers ; there are some codes of prayers in every religion and every religion code of prayers is different from the other. Yet they preached for harmony, how ironic.
There are some chapters and passage which are conflict with Singh's own thoughts and thesis of the book. He although says that he doesn't believe in any religion and criticizes all religions. However, there are a few chapters which are purely designated for Sikhism in Which he appreciates and praises history and practices of his religion, that according to him makes him nominal Sikh.
December 26, 2023
This is a forgettable book that doesn't need a lot of analysis. I did not learn anything new about religion or god from it. It seemed like a litany of complaints by a disillusioned devotee. The only difference is that the writer is popular and well-known. Hence, anything he writes gets published. I would use the term uncle talk for this style of writing. I picked it up because of a book club recommendation and had no intention to learn anything new about faith or god.
October 19, 2020
A compelling read !
This book is yet another fantastic compilation on theological thoughts from over the globe, wrapped and embellished in the eclectic writing style of the famed author.
This book is yet another fantastic compilation on theological thoughts from over the globe, wrapped and embellished in the eclectic writing style of the famed author.
September 8, 2017
classic as always
December 24, 2021
Delightful and evocative.. Khushwant Singh's rumination on agnosticism and how he arrived at it. On Religion is not to be missed.
October 26, 2017
# Kushwant Singh, explores the necessity and evolution of Sematic and Hinduism linked religions.The concept of Universal God, polyestheism, rituals and paraphernalia to decide the devoutness of followers.He argues, that NOT all people who follow rituals are righteous and vice versa.Not all people who do devious acts are paid squarely by Him. Why bad things happen to good people? Does your misfortune is explained by wrongdoing in past life? Who knows from where we have come, what's our purpose and where will we be going after we depart this world? He strongly argues to use rational logical thinking before accepting things written or told as Truth.Let each intelligent man make his own religion based on what he thinks as moral and righteous and reject the bigotry and superstitions.
August 3, 2016
Brilliant
March 17, 2022
Quirky and on point.
As good a Khushwant Singh book as any. Full of satirical anecdotes that get the reader thinking. A must read for unbelievers!
As good a Khushwant Singh book as any. Full of satirical anecdotes that get the reader thinking. A must read for unbelievers!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews