VASUDHAIVA
KUTUMBAKAM
(Manava Dharma or
Market Forces? – The Choice for
Mankind)
A sublime thought has been
coming down from very ancient times and gathering momentum for centuries
together from this sacred land of Bharat. It was not just a thought but an idea
that was practised in everyday life till it became a culture and a civilisation.
The thought has been beautifully described by the sage who is also a poet in the
famous Sanskrit Subhashita –
Ayam nijab paraiveti, Ganana laghuchetasam,
Udaracharitanamtu, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam
– Men with narrow vision
divide the world into mine and thine whereas the noble hearted look upon the
world as one single family – one’s homestead. This was not just a poet’s fancy.
But the result of an intense realisation of the Ultimate
Truth –Sarvam KhalvidamBrahma – All that exists is only Brahma. The entire
universe is an expression of that truth, one expressing as the many. The entire
history of India has been an attempt to express this experience in the
day-to-day life of every individual and the society. Variety and diversity of
course were there but, at the base, there was unity as well. Hence the dictum –
unity in diversity. This was reflected in every aspect of life right from the
personal to the national level. But, our far-seeing and adventurous forefathers
did not confine this wonderful experience within the frontiers of Bharat. Their
love and concern for humanity was so intense that it took them to the farthest
quarters of the world. The message of unity was spread through practice and
example and the history of the world bears testimony to the fact that the
imprint of Indian cultural ambassadors is visible in every part of the world,
felt, and seen. That was probably the most sublime period of Indian history.
Researchers who are committed only to truth have
discovered through dedicated study that even the western civilizations like the
Greek and Roman, the languages like Greek and Latin had their original home in
India and gradually spread across the continents and reached those distant
lands. It was not through military conquest but through the gradual spread of a
vibrant culture. But later on, the colonial conquerors from the west made history stand on its head and
propagated that the Indian culture and civilization were brought to this
country by the invading alien conquerors. But, let us leave the conquerors alone,
because the truth is slowly but surely emerging victorious and it is bound to establish
itself on its own strength and validity.
After the great imperial days of
Greece and Rome, the west sank into the darkness of the Middle Ages shutting
itself out from the rest of the world. Finally when it woke up on account of the
shock of a renaissant Greek culture and started looking outward spurred by the
fervor of Christian missionary zeal and also by the ambitions of imperial
conquest, the countries of Europe started on a series of invasions subjugating
the continents of Asia and Africa. There was a systematic attempt to demolish and
destroy ancient and peaceful civilizations, existing in those parts of the world.
The devastations caused by these conquerors are writ large
across the continents. The basic cause of this kind of colonial invasions is
the world view which inspired them through their sectarian and intolerant religious
texts. It was totally in conflict with the Bharatiya world view of Vasudhaiva
Kutumbakam. The motivation of the colonisers from the west was trade and religion.
The means they employed was conquest through military power, through cunning and deceit. The last
three to four centuries – the so-called modern history – is replete with
instances of such treacherous and unprincipled conquest and annexation of territories
and people by an alien civilization. The logic of this world view, when put
into practice, has inevitably led to the present situation, where the west is
dominating the world with the slogan – the Global Market. Through military
power, through organized evangelisation, through economic exploitation, and
through intellectual manipulation, the west has established its domination over
the rest of the world. The world has been converted into a global market which
implies the operation of all the market forces with its dire consequences under
which not only the rest of the world but even the west is now reeling.
The world as one family and
the world as a market are the two poles around which humanity stands polarised.
Home and market have widely different laws – not only different but actually conflicting.
The law that governs the home is love whereas the market is driven by the law
of cunning and competition. Home is built upon identity of feelings whereas the
market is built upon conflicting interests. The former seeks peace whereas the later
seeks profit. Home is founded on spiritual values whereas market knows only material
values. Mutual cooperation is the basis of family. Mutual exploitation is the recognised
policy that sustains the market. Market promotes vulgar consumerism whereas
home promotes restrained and value-based consumption. The big question that
faces humanity is – which of the two is the ideal to be followed, the world
view to be accepted, the way of life to be followed. The western experiment has
been tried and is found wanting and inadequate to sustain a peaceful and
prosperous world order. Humanity is at the crossroads. As many great thinkers even
from the west, like Arnold Toynbee have unambiguously pointed out, it is only
the eastern way that can bring about peace and harmony and ensure the survival of
human species on this mother earth. The choice today is between “ManavaDharma”
and “Market forces”, between a global family and a global market. In this, the vision
of India is very clear. It has been strongly and powerfully expounded by all
our renaissance leaders – a galaxy of them – the most famous representative
being Swami Vivekananda. More than 100 years ago, he put it most emphatically –
“the whole of the west is standing on a peak of a volcano. It will burst within
50 years. What will save the west is the message of the Upanishads”. This prophet’s
message unfortunately was not taken seriously and the volcano has been erupting
time and again. Honest thinkers from the west have been expressing their frustration.
Eleanor Stark has expressed this disappointment in the famous book, The Gift
Unopened. The author wrote – “Columbus discovered the soil of America. Swami
Vivekananda discovered the soul of America”. Swami Vivekananda himself at the
end of his “Paper on Hinduism” presented at the Parliament of Religions explained
beautifully what he meant by the soul of America. –
“Hail, Columbia, motherland of
liberty! It has been given to thee, who never dipped her hand in her neighbor’s
blood, who never found out that the shortest way of becoming rich was by robbing
one’s neighbors, it has been given to thee to march at the vanguard of civilization
with the flag of harmony”. (Complete Works Swami VivekanandaVol-1, Page 20).
But then, the history of the world took a different turn with world wars both cold
and hot. America the liberator, herself became the predator of weaker nations. Instead
of upholding the virtues of protecting and promoting democracy and human rights,
she herself started supporting and sustaining authoritarian regimes and
military juntas. In place of religious tolerance and cultural pluralism,
America herself became the biggest promoter of evangelization and also the creator of Jihadi
fundamentalism. With evangelization and marketization and also religious
fundamentalism and terrorism raising their ugly heads, creating chaos and confusion,
the humanity is struggling to find a ray of hope and an alternate way of life.
It is here in this crucial hour that India has to play her decisive role and
assert that it is “Manava Dharma” and not “Market forces” that would lead
mankind to its glorious destiny. But, for this, India has to set a model which
the world could emulate. That is precisely the need of the hour.
P. Parmeswaran
(Late President of Vivekananda Kendra)
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