Similar beliefs across religions

In Hinduism, in many Puranas, there are mentions of heaven & hell where the virtuous & vicious go respectively. But the stay in heaven is temporary. After the virtues are worked off, the souls are believed to be reborn on earth. This is true even in the case of those who performed Vedic rituals faithfully. The goal of human life in Hinduism is not heaven but "Moksha", release from rebirth, which is obtained by dispassion in the world & single minded devotion to God. This is explicitly stated in the "Mundaka Upanishad."

But still, most may want to go to heaven, though temporarily, with eventual rebirth, as evinced by the common saying "Usko Swargavas ho gaya!"

In the Qur'an, it is stated that the believers go to "Jannat" (heaven of sensual delights) & the others go to "Jahannum" (hell of eternal torment). It is made clear that Allah is NOT in Jannat. Still most Muslims may prefer to go to  "Jannat" as most Hindus prefer to go to Swarga! The Sufis believe that they attain Allah as revealed by Rabia of Basra, who rejected both Jannat & Jahannum, but wanted to be permeated with love of Allah.

In the Bible, Matthew, (19:24) it is said " It is much harder for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God (NOT HEAVEN), than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle." Also in Matthew (6:24), "You cannot serve both God & Mammon." But still most Christians are obsessed with wealth.

Mary, Mother of Christ, is called "Queen of Heaven," It is evident that this heaven is not a sensual one. Even in Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress", his goal, the Celestial City, is the abode of God. The female Christian Saints' description of their mystical experiences, also envisage spiritual union with Jesus Christ. Rather than the sensual, St.Julian of Norwich's eighth prayer for "shewing" is the opposite, an experience of Christ's Crucifixion!

Another common hankering, cutting across religious barriers, is the insatiable one for wealth. Winthrop Mackworth Praed, a nineteenth century clergyman & poet is famed for the quote "Dame Fortune is Fickle." Incidentally in Hinduism also, Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth is widely known to be fickle. But still, she is more worshipped than her learned sister, Saraswathi, whose blessings last a lifetime.

The commonality across religions is the human tendency to choose the short-term pleasant goal of Swarga or Jannat or the grace of Lakshmi over Moksha, proximity to Allah or the perennial blessings of Saraswathi.

Sacred "Live In" relationships

"Live In" relationships commonly means people living together without marriage. But if one expands the relationship beyond the merely physical, a wonderful world of spirituality beckons.

An outstanding example is Akka Mahadevi, who though nominally married to a king, considered herself the spouse of her "Chenna Mallikarjuna", i.e., Shiva. As she puts it in one of her Vachanas,

If one is hungry, one can beg.

If one is thirsty, there are ponds.

For hot or cold weather,

There are fans & cloths.

For sleep, disused temples;

For my soul's company.

You are there, Channamallikarjuna.

Even earlier, was Rabia of Basra, who when asked about her marriage, said;

The contract of marriage is for those

Who have a physical existence;

I have ceased to exist,

My existence is in Allah,

I am totally His.

Comments Margaret Smith in her pioneering study, "Rabia Basri the Mystic", writes "So like her Christian Sister's in sanctity, Rabia espoused a heavenly Bridegroom."

Speaking of her Christian Sister in Sanctity,  St.Julian of Norwich went so far as to ask for the experience of Christ's Crucifixion as a boon. It was vouchsafed to her in her eighth "shewing", as she describes her vision.

As all these saints, cutting across religious barriers, express basically the same identification with the Divinity, there may be some truth in the assertion that their Bliss was incomparably higher than the utmost human Bliss.

Quantitative analysis of Human & Higher Bliss In Taittiriya Upanishad

Human Bliss(hB) is defined as the highest unit of human Bliss, possessed by a young person, healthy, strong, intelligent, educated with all the wealth of the world at his command. If he/she is also happy, their bliss may be measured as one unit of hB (human Bliss).

The Bliss of Gandharvas (earthly musicians & dancers) is one hundred times hB (human   Bllis) or eG Bliss = hB X 10 squared.

The Bliss of Celestial Gandharvas (cG) (celestial musicians & dancers) is one hundred times eG = hB X 10 to the power of 4.

The Bliss of Deceased Ancestors is 100 times the Bliss of cG or hB X 10 to the power of 6.

The Bliss of Devas is 100 times the Bliss of Deceased Ancestors or hB X 10 to the power of 8.

The Bliss of Karma Devas is 100 times the Bliss of Devas or hB X 10 to the power of 10.

The Bliss of Ruling Devas is 100 times the Bliss of Karma Devas or hB X 10 to the power of 12.

The Bliss of Indra, King of Heaven, is 100 times the Bliss of the Ruling Devas or hB X 10 to the power of 14.

The Bliss of Brihaspathi, the Guru of the Devas, is 100 times the Bliss of Indra or hB X 10 to the power of 16.

The Bliss of Prajapati, Lord of creation, is 100 times the Bliss of Brihaspati or hB X 10 to the power of 18.

The Bliss of Brahma, is 100 times the Bliss of Prajapati or hB X 10 to the power of 20. But no less joy than Brahma has the seer to whom the self has been revealed & who is without craving.

This highest Divine Bliss may be presumed to be enjoyed by seers like Sri Ramakrishna & Sri Ramana Maharshi. The Bliss of these is the highest human Bliss X 10 to the power of 20! Similar comparison of highest human Bliss & Divine Bliss are also explicit in "The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna."

(The exact meaning of terms like Karma Devas & Ruling Devas vary from text to text. They can be inferred to be gradations.)

Abstracted from "The Upanishads" by Swami Prabhavananda.