John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress" from a Hindu Perspective

This is a great masterpiece of English Literature (Bernard Shaw famously compared Bunyan with Shakespeare & with numerous excerpts proved the former greater.) It is also the greatest religious allegory, more popular with the readers than critics. But Bunyan was a dogmatic Calvinist, with its attendant demonisation of Catholics.

In this, arguably the first English novel, there is a "Village of Morality" recommended by a Mr. Worldly Wiseman, inhabited by Mr. Legality & his son Civility. They are quite good, even have a church, but their concerns are purely worldly, so hypocritical to a great extent. It is definitely not the "Celestial City", which is the goal of the protagonist, Christian.

In the Hindu doctrine of Karma & re-incarnation, even good deeds have to be paid for, by being born again & enjoying the good worldly fruits of Karma (along with the collateral discomforts of a human birth.) So good deeds can lead us to a "Village of Morality" at the most. The quintessential Hindu goal of "Moksha" (liberation from the cycle of birth & death) is not attained by good karma alone. "Moksha" can be likened to the "Celestial City" of Bunyan, which can be attained only by Vairagya, as noted in St. Mathew, 19, 29 (for those who have left everything for My sake etc.).

It can also be emphasised that unlike the dogmatic Semitic religions, Hinduism, especially after the advent of Sri Ramakrishna, his near contemporary Sri Shirdi Sai Baba & later saints, always points out the validity of all religions.