ayaM nijaH paroveti gaNanA laghu-chetasAM
udAra charitAnAM tu vasudhaiva kuTumbhakaM
[“This is my own and that a stranger” – is the calculation of the narrow-minded
For the magnanimous-hearts however, the entire earth is but a family]
If a survey of the saMskR^ita verses most quoted in the modern times were undertaken, the above would certainly secure the top rank. Along with its short form ‘vasudhaiva kuTumbakam’, this shloka somehow finds a massive popularity among the modern Hindus. Of late though, the secular variety seems to have developed quite a fetish for it and the verse has gained a rhetorical note. Apparently it offers them an aesthetic emblem of multiculturalism and universalism, as well as an authority of yore to denounce the nationalistic thought as narrow-minded. Even the most saMskR^ita-phobic ones therefore can be seen reciting this shloka on every sundry occasion.
While we can site several examples of its interesting usage, we shall limit to the following few:
“…India that once, 2000 years ago, had proclaimed vasudeva(sic) kutumbakam – the world is one family…”: Ms. Sonia Gandhi in her acceptance speech on occasion of being conferred the “Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold” by Belgian government for her “constructive nationalism and efforts to foster a multicultural, tolerant society in India”, on November 11, 2006 at Brussels / Bozar.
And:
“In ancient India the liberal perspective was defined by the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam… in contradiction to the ‘Clash of Civilizations’… the theory I don’t agree with. We have to reclaim that liberal space.” : Dr. Manmohan Singh, The Prime Minister of India, Address to the Harvard Alumni Association, March 25, 2006 at New Delhi.
The shloka of vasudhaiva kuTumbakam being sited to propose it as a contrasting paradigm to the Samuel Huntington’s theory of Clash of Civilizations, is both iconic and profound. The shloka is invoked by the speakers to show their liberalist Nehruvian internationalism to be a continuity of the ancient Hindu paradigm; the appeal is made to the Hindu past for approaval and attestation of their ideology; and claim is laid to be the legitimate heir of the continuity of the ancient thought process and legacy.
Had it been limited to the shloka’s popularity among the speech-writers to add some aesthetic value to the speeches, not much harm done. But what is much more profound comes in the following:
Speaking in Rajya Sabha on December 5, 2007, the Union Minister for External Affaires Mr. Pranab Mukherjee made it very unambiguous when he jubilantly declared:
“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is our foreign policy“.
Indeed, VK has also become an unchallenged cornerstone of India’s official policy-making since independence, as has been officially proclaimed so on several occasions. No wonder that as a symbolic reflection, VK has been literally inscribed in stone, on the walls of the India’s Parliament House.
Now, thanks to the continuous rhetoric, traditional Hindus too seem to have taken to this shloka like a duck to the water. vasudhaiva kuTumbakam is often cited by them as an evidence of how the ancient sages had set for themselves, and for generations thereafter, the principles of an unconditional universal brotherhood. It has been generally taken for granted that VK is of unquestionable value, a traditional nIti recommended by wise ancestors of how to deal with the world. We can notice the shloka being quoted uncritically not only by Hindutva ideologues in their writings and speeches but also popular religious leaders in their discourses without getting tired.
However, this prominence to VK in the modern public discourse springs from a superficial or even a perverted understanding. If we study the original sources which recited it in the first place, it becomes amazingly apparent that its popular understanding is simply blundered, and its application in the matters of policy is a height of ignorance and squarely flawed.
That is precisely the objective of this note in which we shall glean through the original sources, recognize the contexts in which the ancient Hindu-s uttered VK, and most importantly, validate whether it was meant by them as a recommendation.
Contrary to the popular myths, the verse is neither located in R^igveda nor in mahAbhArata, neither in manusmR^iti nor in the purANa-s. Thus far, we have seen the verse in the following saMskR^ita sources: hitopadesha, pa~nchatantra, certain compendiums of chANakya and bhaR^trihari, mahA-upaniShadam, certain recensions of vikrama-charita, and finally in the works of the great kAshmIraka poet bhaTTa udbhaTa. While there might be additional sources of the verse as well, which we might identify in future, here we shall make an excursion into these texts identified so far, and understand the proper contexts and true purport of VK in each occurrence.
vasudhaiva kuTumbakam in hitopadesha
That this verse comes to us from the massive web of tales called hitopadesha, this I accidentally learnt while reading the preface of Mahadevi Varma’s collection of autobiographical essays called “Mera Parivar” (My Family). The towering modern-Hindi poetess was a lover of animals and had in her home a curious gathering of different creatures which is what she described as her family in this book. The preface compares her family to ‘vasudhaiva kuTumbakam of the creatures described in pa~nchatantra’ — although the author would have really meant hitopadesha — and that is how I came upon pa~nchatantra and hitopadesha in search for origins of VK.
Several centuries before Friedrich Froebel proposed the ideas about educating the child through entertaining activities – kindergarten as he called it – teaching young pupils through entertainment must have been a successful practice in India. If the terse instructions are wrapped inside intriguing and memorable tales, not only are the lessons better received by the instructed, but also acquire meaningfulness and longevity of the teaching — arguably the discovery of this principle is to the credit of ancient Hindu-s, and hitopadesha is a shining evidence of the same. It was compiled by nArAyaNa paNDita in roughly 5th century of the CE either in magadha or in bangal, as a textbook for two young princes who being hard at studies were dropouts from the conventional schooling.
Organized into four chapters, hitopadesha is a fascinating loop of one tale inside the other which itself is inside the other tale – going all the way back up to the kathAmukha or the face-tale. Vasudhaiva kuTumbakam makes its sole appearance in its first chapter known as mitra-lAbhaH (‘Gaining of Friends’). A mouse named hiraNyaka relates to his friend laghu-patanaka the Crow, a story about another Crow, the Deer and ksudrabuddhi the Jackal, and inside this story ksudrabuddhi the Jackal would recite VK as a reaction after hearing from this Crow another story known as ‘jaradgava the Vulture and dIrghakarNa the Cat’.
Encapsulated in this intriguing way within three layers of fables is this important message about VK that nArAyaNa paNDita the great teacher of politics relayed to his pupils. To understand the context in which VK is quoted and more importantly the instruction of the teacher about it, let us enjoy these two stories: one in which the VK is uttered; and another in response to which it is uttered. Reproduced in the following paragraphs are both of these in a condensed form.
subuddhi the Crow, chitrA~Nga the Deer, and ksudrabuddhi the Jackal
“Long long ago, in the champakavaTI forest of magadha, there lived two friends – a Deer called chitrA~Nga and a Crow named subuddhi. It so happened that a Jackal named kshudra-buddhi, (the proposer of vasudhaiva kuTumbakam, as we shall soon see), was passing by and his eyes caught hold of the healthy Deer as he was grazing nearby. The lust to devour him immediately arose in the Jackal’s mind, but knowing Deer to be too swift in a chase, he decided to fall back on his cunning – to win first the confidence of the Deer. The VK-preacher therefore approached the Deer, saluted him, and introduced himself as a lonely newcomer with friendly intentions, and proposed a friendship and brotherhood with the Deer. The naive Deer fell for the sweet words of kshudra-buddhi, and not knowing his true intentions, invited him to his own dwellings.
So, they started towards the Deer’s place, and on their way sitting on the branches of a champaka tree was Deer’s old and wise friend subuddhi the Crow. Seeing them passing by, the Crow asked the Deer, ‘O chitrA~Nga, who is this second fellow with you? ‘ ‘A Jackal, my new friend’, answered the Deer. To this, the Crow asked: ‘But, do you know him well enough? One should never extend friendship and shelter to anyone without knowing their real nature and intentions, learning the history of their ilk and giving them a test of time.’ The Deer lightly shrugged this aside, saying, ‘But this Jackal is very friendly’.
Seeing his friend in delusions, the Crow began relating to him a story about how jaradgava a Vulture was killed by unwisely trusting an impostor (that story reproduced later below). He warned the Deer against trusting the Jackal without learning more about him.
So far the Jackal had kept quiet, and it is at this juncture that he opened his argument with the famous shloka of vasudhaiva kuTumbakam, demanding the Deer to not be of a narrow mind by considering the Crow a friend and himself an alien. The vasudhaiva-kuTumbakam discourse successfully put to rest all doubts that had arisen in the Deer’s mind, and dismissing the Crow’s wise council he went ahead in bringing the VK-preacher into his home.”
The remainder of the story can be summed up in two sentences. The cunning VK-reciting Jackal started dwelling with the naive Deer, and as soon as the opportunity arose, pushed him into a deadly trap. However before he could kill the Deer, our wise hero subuddhi the Crow devised a clever trick by which not only the Deer was rescued but also the VK-reciting Jackal was slain.
Now, that is the context in which VK is recorded in the hitopadesha by the great paNDita of politics nArAyaNa, and he is unambiguously clear about its application when he assigns this shloka to come from a brotherhood-preaching shrewd subversionist. It gives a clear warning against blindly welcoming any idea, individual or group without due diligence of studying their history, nature and intent.
However, let us also read the other story, in response to which the VK is uttered in hitopadesha, which would leave absolutely no room for any doubts in this matter of how hitopadesha treats vasudhaiva kuTumbakam:
jaradgava the Vulture and dIrghakarNa the Cat
While warning his friend against trusting the Jackal, subuddhi the Crow thus addressed the Deer:
“There, on the banks of the mighty bhAgIrathI is a cliff called gR^idharakUTa, and upon it grew a great fig-tree. In the shelter of its hollow lived an old Vulture named jaradgava, who due to old age had neither any eyesight left in his eyes nor nails in his claws. The other birds that lived on that tree were friendly to him, and out of pity used to donate from their own food small portions to him, and this way the poor fellow was passing his days. In return, jaradgava used to guard the little offspring of the birds when the parent birds were away.
One day, when the older birds were gone, a Cat called dIrghakarNa (‘Long Eared’) came there to make a meal out of the nestlings; and those tiny birds alarmed at seeing him, created noise that roused jaradgava from his slumber. ‘Who comes there?’ demanded jaradgava. Now dIrghakarNa, on noticing the big Vulture, aborted his meal plans, but as a flight was not possible he resolved to trust his destiny and to approach tactfully. ‘Arya,’ he responded, ‘my salutes to you!’ ‘Who is that?’ asked the Vulture. ‘A Cat,’ answered dIrghakarNa. ‘Lay off, Cat, or I shall slay you,’ shouted the Vulture. ‘I am ready to die if I deserve death,’ said the Cat, ‘but first let me be heard.’ ‘OK then, tell me first your purpose of arrival.’ asked jaradgava.
‘I live,’ melodramatically began dIrghakarNa, ‘on the banks of ga~NgA, bathing daily, performing the penance of chandrAyaNa vrata, strictly being a vegetarian like a bramachArI. The birds that come there, speak very highly of you as the one firmly established in dharma and worthy of all respects. So with my curiosity greatly aroused about you, I decided to drop by Sir, to learn from you about nIti and dharma.’
‘You appear like so deep gone in learning,’ he continued, ‘and still Sir, I am surprised that your sense of dharma tells you to be ready to slay a guest! Doesn’t the nIti say unambiguously about what a man’s dharma is towards his guests?’ The Cat then went on delivering an elaborate speech, quoting eloquently from the shAstra-s about the dharma and cut quite an impressive lecture on peace and non-violence.
Shrugging that onslaught of quotations from shAstra-s aside, wise jaradgava interrupted, ‘Listen, I know only this, that you are a cat and the cats eat meat. Since here are young birds that I am given to protect, I warn you one last time – leave immediately.’
Upon this, dIrghakarNa intensified his drama, and touching the ground with his two claws and then his ears, invoking all the Gods, he said, ‘I have overcome all the passions by practicing the chandrAyaNa vrata; I have learnt the shAstra-s; and I am a follower of the religion that is called non-violence itself. And so he went on.
Such prolonged drama of the Cat finally silenced the old Vulture, who at last allowed him to live in the hollow of the tree with himself.
With the passage of days, and having gained more confidence of the Vulture, the Cat slowly began picking the nestlings for his meal. After devouring them one by one, the cunning fellow would drop their bones near the hollow of jaradgava, who being blind did not notice it.
One day, alarmed at their children going missing, the parent birds began investigating. The shrewd cat quickly made his escape, and the birds soon discovered the bones near the hollow of jaradgava. They at once inferred that their children had been eaten away by the old Vulture in whom they had placed their trust. Thus enraged the birds swiftly executed jaradgava in no time. Although being innocent and a true well-wisher of the birds, he paid for the folly of giving shelter to the wrong kind.”
Above story is which evokes the vasudhaiva kuTumbakam from the cunning subversionist in hitopadesha.
We should be by now convinced that the ancient AchArya of politics nArAyaNa paNDita was not teaching the policy of universal and blind brotherhood to his pupils. Quite to the contrary, he is actually warning precisely against this tendency of blind application of this brotherhood in the matters of policy, as is being apparently taught and believed by the modern powers that be of India and the gullible preachers and scholars.
Next Part: The Hoax Called Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – 2: in Panchatantra and Chanakya Niti
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भारतेन्दु 
The Hoax Called Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – 1: Hitopadesha
by Sarvesh K TiwariIf a survey of the saMskR^ita verses most quoted in the modern times were undertaken, the above would certainly secure the top rank. Along with its short form ‘vasudhaiva kuTumbakam’, this shloka somehow finds a massive popularity among the modern Hindus. Of late though, the secular variety seems to have developed quite a fetish for it and the verse has gained a rhetorical note. Apparently it offers them an aesthetic emblem of multiculturalism and universalism, as well as an authority of yore to denounce the nationalistic thought as narrow-minded. Even the most saMskR^ita-phobic ones therefore can be seen reciting this shloka on every sundry occasion.
While we can site several examples of its interesting usage, we shall limit to the following few:
And:
The shloka of vasudhaiva kuTumbakam being sited to propose it as a contrasting paradigm to the Samuel Huntington’s theory of Clash of Civilizations, is both iconic and profound. The shloka is invoked by the speakers to show their liberalist Nehruvian internationalism to be a continuity of the ancient Hindu paradigm; the appeal is made to the Hindu past for approaval and attestation of their ideology; and claim is laid to be the legitimate heir of the continuity of the ancient thought process and legacy.
Had it been limited to the shloka’s popularity among the speech-writers to add some aesthetic value to the speeches, not much harm done. But what is much more profound comes in the following:
Speaking in Rajya Sabha on December 5, 2007, the Union Minister for External Affaires Mr. Pranab Mukherjee made it very unambiguous when he jubilantly declared:
Indeed, VK has also become an unchallenged cornerstone of India’s official policy-making since independence, as has been officially proclaimed so on several occasions. No wonder that as a symbolic reflection, VK has been literally inscribed in stone, on the walls of the India’s Parliament House.
Now, thanks to the continuous rhetoric, traditional Hindus too seem to have taken to this shloka like a duck to the water. vasudhaiva kuTumbakam is often cited by them as an evidence of how the ancient sages had set for themselves, and for generations thereafter, the principles of an unconditional universal brotherhood. It has been generally taken for granted that VK is of unquestionable value, a traditional nIti recommended by wise ancestors of how to deal with the world. We can notice the shloka being quoted uncritically not only by Hindutva ideologues in their writings and speeches but also popular religious leaders in their discourses without getting tired.
However, this prominence to VK in the modern public discourse springs from a superficial or even a perverted understanding. If we study the original sources which recited it in the first place, it becomes amazingly apparent that its popular understanding is simply blundered, and its application in the matters of policy is a height of ignorance and squarely flawed.
That is precisely the objective of this note in which we shall glean through the original sources, recognize the contexts in which the ancient Hindu-s uttered VK, and most importantly, validate whether it was meant by them as a recommendation.
Contrary to the popular myths, the verse is neither located in R^igveda nor in mahAbhArata, neither in manusmR^iti nor in the purANa-s. Thus far, we have seen the verse in the following saMskR^ita sources: hitopadesha, pa~nchatantra, certain compendiums of chANakya and bhaR^trihari, mahA-upaniShadam, certain recensions of vikrama-charita, and finally in the works of the great kAshmIraka poet bhaTTa udbhaTa. While there might be additional sources of the verse as well, which we might identify in future, here we shall make an excursion into these texts identified so far, and understand the proper contexts and true purport of VK in each occurrence.
vasudhaiva kuTumbakam in hitopadesha
That this verse comes to us from the massive web of tales called hitopadesha, this I accidentally learnt while reading the preface of Mahadevi Varma’s collection of autobiographical essays called “Mera Parivar” (My Family). The towering modern-Hindi poetess was a lover of animals and had in her home a curious gathering of different creatures which is what she described as her family in this book. The preface compares her family to ‘vasudhaiva kuTumbakam of the creatures described in pa~nchatantra’ — although the author would have really meant hitopadesha — and that is how I came upon pa~nchatantra and hitopadesha in search for origins of VK.
Several centuries before Friedrich Froebel proposed the ideas about educating the child through entertaining activities – kindergarten as he called it – teaching young pupils through entertainment must have been a successful practice in India. If the terse instructions are wrapped inside intriguing and memorable tales, not only are the lessons better received by the instructed, but also acquire meaningfulness and longevity of the teaching — arguably the discovery of this principle is to the credit of ancient Hindu-s, and hitopadesha is a shining evidence of the same. It was compiled by nArAyaNa paNDita in roughly 5th century of the CE either in magadha or in bangal, as a textbook for two young princes who being hard at studies were dropouts from the conventional schooling.
Organized into four chapters, hitopadesha is a fascinating loop of one tale inside the other which itself is inside the other tale – going all the way back up to the kathAmukha or the face-tale. Vasudhaiva kuTumbakam makes its sole appearance in its first chapter known as mitra-lAbhaH (‘Gaining of Friends’). A mouse named hiraNyaka relates to his friend laghu-patanaka the Crow, a story about another Crow, the Deer and ksudrabuddhi the Jackal, and inside this story ksudrabuddhi the Jackal would recite VK as a reaction after hearing from this Crow another story known as ‘jaradgava the Vulture and dIrghakarNa the Cat’.
Encapsulated in this intriguing way within three layers of fables is this important message about VK that nArAyaNa paNDita the great teacher of politics relayed to his pupils. To understand the context in which VK is quoted and more importantly the instruction of the teacher about it, let us enjoy these two stories: one in which the VK is uttered; and another in response to which it is uttered. Reproduced in the following paragraphs are both of these in a condensed form.
subuddhi the Crow, chitrA~Nga the Deer, and ksudrabuddhi the Jackal
The remainder of the story can be summed up in two sentences. The cunning VK-reciting Jackal started dwelling with the naive Deer, and as soon as the opportunity arose, pushed him into a deadly trap. However before he could kill the Deer, our wise hero subuddhi the Crow devised a clever trick by which not only the Deer was rescued but also the VK-reciting Jackal was slain.
Now, that is the context in which VK is recorded in the hitopadesha by the great paNDita of politics nArAyaNa, and he is unambiguously clear about its application when he assigns this shloka to come from a brotherhood-preaching shrewd subversionist. It gives a clear warning against blindly welcoming any idea, individual or group without due diligence of studying their history, nature and intent.
However, let us also read the other story, in response to which the VK is uttered in hitopadesha, which would leave absolutely no room for any doubts in this matter of how hitopadesha treats vasudhaiva kuTumbakam:
jaradgava the Vulture and dIrghakarNa the Cat
While warning his friend against trusting the Jackal, subuddhi the Crow thus addressed the Deer:
Above story is which evokes the vasudhaiva kuTumbakam from the cunning subversionist in hitopadesha.
We should be by now convinced that the ancient AchArya of politics nArAyaNa paNDita was not teaching the policy of universal and blind brotherhood to his pupils. Quite to the contrary, he is actually warning precisely against this tendency of blind application of this brotherhood in the matters of policy, as is being apparently taught and believed by the modern powers that be of India and the gullible preachers and scholars.
Next Part: The Hoax Called Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – 2: in Panchatantra and Chanakya Niti
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Posted on August 29, 2008 at 11:03 pm in Commentary, History, Scripture, Tradition | RSS feed | Reply | Trackback URL
52 Responses to “The Hoax Called Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – 1: Hitopadesha”
August 31, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Sarvesh-ji,
Wonderful!! I am eagerly waiting for Part 2.
Thanks,
September 1, 2008 at 11:21 am
This is truly wonderful. Showing up all those placid VK-quoting babas and politicians for the mindless fools they are.
September 3, 2008 at 1:27 pm
One of the best articles I have read in a long while, shows that not all Hindus have become mindless zombies believing anything and everything because some swami said so.
Waiting for part 2.
September 6, 2008 at 11:09 pm
1. Bharat, that is India, stands for certain Eternal values: Satya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema, and Ahimsa.
One of the greatest ideals of Bharat is Prema, the Love. Prema was the emotional bond, which held together the diverse elements that constitute the man and environment. From this holistic philosophy, flowed the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbhakam, the Universe/World is one family.
Shanti-priya (peace-loving) people everywhere have expressed/expressing their desire to be Global citizens, Earth citizens, World citizens. But it is easier said than done. Reason, the world we live is more Real than the ideal VK concept. The day one’s Visa or Resident Permit expires, he/she become unwanted object in that land.
2. Origin: Although the phrase was not found in Vedic sastras (Veda, Upanishads, Itihasas), ideals are existent. An example, read the Bhumi Suktam (Prithvi suktam) of Atharva Veda, it espouses the concept eloquently.
The phrase may have been developed in later period. Hitopadesh, Panchatantra are old writings too, they are written atleast 2500 years ago. Chanakya’s Nitisastra have several similar sayings as Hitopadesha, which is written around 2300 years ago.
3. Samskrit is a very elastic language. One can derive multiple meanings of a concept depending on the context. To me, the VK ideal is beautiful without doubt. But one need to use the statement with fullest understanding of its meaning and significance, and practice in its entirity in real life.
4. However, it is more often used to deceive itself, simply to deceive others. It has become deceptive tool in the hands of politicians of Bharat.
Here, an example of self-deception.
“…It is an India that over two thousand years ago had proclaimed:,– Vasudhaiva Kutumbhakam:”: the world is one family”.
http://www.aicc.org.in/president-speech-detail.php?id=62
Bharat
=====
October 17, 2008 at 3:41 pm
How is this a hoax dumbass?
October 22, 2008 at 2:35 pm
How about u post with ur real name “test” the wanker?
Did you even read the article retard?
December 15, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Great research, thanks. Of course this misinterpretation is one of the Gandian blunders.
January 6, 2009 at 5:52 pm
The issue is can we have Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam when the other side says “kill the idolators where ever ye find them” (Kuran 9:5).).
One can find a discussion of this issue at dharmaveer.blogspot.com
January 26, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Great research and great article. Keep it up. This proves our leaders are blind and will sooner or later lead us all into the pit.
February 22, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Great research & conclusions. Thanks for a well written piece.
Could you possibly give references to the published versions / translations of Hitopadesha from which you sourced?
This website is certainly one to which one can return for more.
Thanks
March 22, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Good research, definitely,
But I think that the shloka is the last hope for the survival of the world!
Beacuse if we are not going to stop fighting and accept universal brotherhood(which is emphasized by Vasudaiva Kutumbakam).. we are going to blow up ourselves before.. the earth gets too hot to live.
SO only the concept of Vasudaiva Kutumbakam can unify us and fight against our BIG problems and not against each others!
I hope you get my point!
Have a nice day everyone!!
March 22, 2009 at 9:32 pm
Obviously ravi kiran is too dumb and/or senile, or he would have understood the essence of the topic at hand. Since he hasn’t, he continues to perpetuate the hoax. People like him will eventually meet the fate of the vulture.
March 23, 2009 at 4:26 am
I probably am dumb/senile..
or people are just too nationalistic to accept the facts ars they are…
I will choose to remain silent
March 24, 2009 at 3:34 pm
What facts you moron. even in the face of this article, you keep churning out the same crap. ppl like you need to be beaten with chappals.
yea thats right, better remain silent.
May 19, 2011 at 11:07 am
I think Ravi Kiran was generalizing the principle alittle too much. As a person who understands the crux of the matter, you(the vidya punde and “ravi kiran’s father”) should not make fun of him, but actually help him comprehend the idea better. Naming yourself his father doesn’t exactly reflect your maturity level either, I hope. That would be sad.
And Ravi Kiran does have a point. Even if it is not directly relevant. That is, if everyone is mistrusting of another, the world is going to be quite a hostile place to live in. And that isnt too much fun. To fight the bigger problems confronting us all, if we dont trust each other and see ourselves as part of the larger human family, we will always keep disagreeing and we as a race will make no progress in fighting common problem! Things will turn out like they did in KobenHavn,
But of course, it is absurd to accept EVERYONE as you would a family member. there are opportunists, as was demonstrated nicely by the hitopadesha! So, like in most other debates, it may be best to have a balance. I.e it may be for the best to not trust everyone naively, but not distrust them entirely either.
p.s: I hope i wont get screamed at for saying this! Or have chappals thrown at.
October 8, 2013 at 6:47 pm
The original verse is contained in the Mahopanishad VI.71-73. Subsequent ślokas go on to say that those who have no attachments go on to find the Brahman (the one supreme, universal Spirit that is the origin and support of the phenomenal universe).
udāraḥ pēśalācāraḥ sarvācārānuvṛttimān |
antaḥ-saṅga-parityāgī bahiḥ-saṁbhāravāniva |
antarvairāgyamādāya bahirāśōnmukhēhitaḥ ||70||
ayaṁ bandhurayaṁ nēti gaṇanā laghucētasām |
udāracaritānāṁ tu vasudhaiva kuṭumbakam ||71||
bhāvābhāva-vinirmuktaṁ jarāmaraṇavarjitaṁ |
praśānta-kalanārabhyaṁ nīrāgaṁ padamāśraya ||72||
eṣā brāmhī sthitiḥ svacchā niṣkāmā vigatāmayā |
ādāya viharannēvaṁ saṁkaṭēṣu na muhyati ||73||
(Mahōpaniṣad- VI.70-73)
The above text is describing the ‘lakṣaṇa’ (characteristics) and behaviour of great men who are elevated to the coveted brAmhI sthiti (one who has attained Brahman while still alive. The above says:
”अयं बन्धुरयं नेति गणना लघुचेतसाम् | उदारचरितानां तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम् || ”
ayaṁ bandhurayaṁ nēti gaṇanā laghucētasām | udāracaritānām tu vasudhaiva kuṭumbakam ||
Discrimination saying “this one is a relative; this other one is a stranger” is for the mean-minded. For those who’re known as magnanimous, the entire world constitutes but a family.
The above verse is also found V.3.37 of Panchatantra (3rd century BCE), in the in 1.3.71 of Hitopadesha – (12th century CE).
The statement is not just about peace and harmony among the societies in the world, but also about a truth that somehow the whole world has to live together like a family. This is the reason why Hindus think that any power in the world, big or small cannot have its own way, disregarding others.
February 14, 2014 at 2:11 pm
I did not find this article convincing in any way. Hitopadesha and panchatantra does not have much spiritual value as the upanishads, where this phrase first appears.
In its true sense, it does indeed mean that for the enlightened one, the whole world is one family.
But due to some pseudo-scholars , it is now being denigrated and swallowed by other gullibles.
I repeat, for the enlightened one, the whole world is one family, because there is no duality for him anymore. He does not live in a world of error.
October 3, 2014 at 3:00 am
The introductory paragraphs of this article have been re-posted on Bharata Bharati (http://wp.me/pEi6D-iO1), with links back to the original articles.
May truth win over self-deception and falsehood!
November 20, 2014 at 4:38 pm
The upanishads were written for the jnanis, yogis and pious brahmanas and not for kings. Thus the sloka is apt for them in the Upanishads for the world view. ie. for those who are selfless and seekers of Self.
The Hitopadesa and Panchatantra as well as Chanakya’s works are all for the Kings / Kshatriyas / politicians. Thus they speak about guarding about treachery of an opponent king who might quote Vasudhaiva Kudumbakam and stab from the back.
Thus both are relevant rightly to the context.
When it comes to the business class (vysyas), it is about charity and philanthropy.
When it comes to the service class (sudras), it is above love and respect for everything in this Earth.
Therefore there is absolutely no contradiction anywhere except that it could seem so in case of politics and foreign policies.
November 30, 2016 at 2:25 pm
The original verse is contained in the Mahopanishad VI.71-73.The text has been influential in the major Hindu literature that followed it. The popular Bhagavata Purana, composed sometime between 500 CE and 1000 CE, the most translated of the Purana genre of literature in Hinduism calls the Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam adage of the Maha Upanishad, as the “loftiest Vedantic thought”. Narendra Modi, India Prime Minister used this phrase in a speech at World Culture Festival, organized by Art of Living, adding that “Indian culture Is very rich and has inculcated in each one of us with great values. We are the people who have come from Aham Brahmasmi to Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. We are the people who have come from Upanishads to Upgrah (Satellite).”
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasudhaiva_Kutumbakam
May 28, 2017 at 9:15 am
So, the “vasudhaiva kuTumbakam” is, upon your valued research into fiction, contradiction of the Narayana Pandit.
But it’s easy for people to mean and what they mean…to be better off without the “hitopadesh” connotation.
As you wish to corelate, indians or hindus were not known to be aggressors or transgressors. So, give or take a rogue neighbor state mechanism or two, still all is well with VK. Commending your investigation of matter but then would you rather remove “The hoax of” part of the blog header … and make changes in equal measure?
:}
September 25, 2017 at 2:35 am
The Cat reminds me of one Karamchand Gandhi!
October 6, 2018 at 3:39 am
Therefore there are two conclusions.
That the verse was very popular in those times, but cheats used it for their selfish interest. Not that the verse was wrong, but people were exploited quoting the verse. The teacher wanted to convey to and make the uneducated princes beaware of such words used by coming people. The king is supposed to be a guardian of the entire kingdom and therefore, he should be able to think of the negatives as well.
Thus, simply because it was used in a story for education in the negative context, doesn’t make the verse itself fallible.
People will see this blog also as part of such learning from negative.
October 6, 2018 at 3:41 am
Therefore there are two conclusions.
That the verse was very popular in those times, but cheats used it for their selfish interest. Not that the verse was wrong, but people were exploited quoting the verse. The teacher wanted to convey to and make the uneducated princes beaware of such words used by cunning people. The king is supposed to be a guardian of the entire kingdom and therefore, he should be able to think of the negatives as well.
Thus, simply because it was used in a story for education in the negative context, doesn’t make the verse itself fallible.
People will see this blog also as part of such learning from negative.
February 13, 2019 at 8:44 am
Namaskar,
This is exactly where Sanatana Dharma differs from the indoctrinated and dogmatic belief systems.
In the world of politics without principles, this maxim Vasudaiva Kutumbakam may not be relevant. But, in other aspects of life, for those having another role to play, the maxim could still be relevant.
We Sanatanis do not go by the book, our scriptures point us the way to Buddhi and Viveka, and we use them to decide our course of action based upon our svadharma 🙏🏼
June 5, 2019 at 3:40 am
It is not clear that the Hitopadesa reference is the oldest.( Maha Upanishad might be older.)
It could be taken as a wicked person quoting the scriptures for his own devious ends.
December 29, 2019 at 12:31 pm
Vasudev refers to Krishna, all pervading divine. Phrase means entire creation is governed by the same divine principle. Or, the butterfly effect. We are all bound by karmic laws. This should be kept in mind constantly.
December 29, 2019 at 7:13 pm
Non violence of cat ?
December 20, 2020 at 5:11 pm
I had read it in my childhood but was soon taken over by the bombardment of secular narrative foisted on us by fake Nehruvian ecosystem. Moreover, the shrewed #ChristoIslamic agents in govt, media and academics made it sure that these stories were taken off from school textbooks in the name of secularism!! High time Hindus realised their folly and asked the govt to reintroduce these stories which are full of wisdom!
March 4, 2021 at 7:14 am
This blog is good example on how mere ability to read and write English does not make one educated. Hitopdesha story is meant for children. To teach them about what is good and what is evil. This story is to teach that someone who utter lofty word may have bad purpose. One should always guard against evil intention and not get carried away by utterances of lofty word. My sincere request to the blogger not to be an iconoclast for search of quick fame, get himself educated before commenting on a subject.
March 24, 2021 at 2:09 pm
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam narrates discriminatory wisdom of the highest order under the umbrella of Advaita wherein all Jiva-s amalgamate within infinite Being of Param Brahmatma. It has been not only diminished but also prostituted for nefarious gains, then secularised to invert it into one of most potent weapons to target Hindu-s with. Acarya Canakya referred to it rather contemptuously. It is inevitably self-destructive too as even infiltration of dangerous Rohingyas is sought to be justified on the ground of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.
SUBTERFUGE OF VASUDHAIVA KUTUMBAKAM X-RAYED
By Ramakant Tiwari
https://niratishaya.wordpress.com/2019/06/30/subterfuge-of-vasudhaiva-kutumbakam-x-rayed/
March 31, 2021 at 3:46 am
Although a great piece of intelligent information, yet looking at some comments below tells me that people disregard Babas & Swamis as something to be avoided – making fun of our own culture ! While most abrahamic faiths have their priests, rabbis & moulvis enjoying trust from their followers, why do we need to keep all Swamijis in a veil of wrong intentions ?
Every culture has learned beings & it’s our own choice & intelligence to listen to SOME Swamiji for guidance in various times of life. Let us all learn together without demeaning the existence of powerful beings for our own good, like Adi Shankaracharya, Swami Vivekanand, Ramakrishna Paramahans, Sadhguru, Osho … our list is endless 🌿🐂🇮🇳🙏🏼🚩🕉🛕🪔🌳 🙂
April 22, 2021 at 9:17 pm
READER, BEWARE OF THIS ARTICLE!!
This is a clear indication of how a learned person can suffer from his own learning and it’s relatable and funny for the writer to quote story about four friends from hitopadesha: “Three of these were fools, although very erudite and deep gone in learning of shAstra-s”, as that is exactly what appears to be the case here. The article is written cleverly to give the false sense of “hoax” around Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. However, in the last paragraph of the 3 page long article the writer mentions mahopaniShada (6.72) and mentions that mahopaniShada is the true origin of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and has inculcated Hinduism ever since. If the article was properly written with no bias towards Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam being hoax, the writer would have started the article quoting mahopaniShada (6.72) but instead chose to precede it with three pages of content to prove this hypothesis. And that is the reason I ask readers to beware of this article since today’s generation with such a short attention span wouldn’t even bother going past the title, let alone the first page, especially when this article is coming up in the first few searches on Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam on Google.
You have to consider the applicability of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam in any given time and currently times couldn’t be more appropriate for the implementation of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam then ever before. Indeed in the medieval times the notion of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam wouldn’t have easily survived as those were the crazy times when the barbarians attacked Bharat and multiple cultures were clashing and competing. You’d indeed be a fool to implement Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam at that time where you couldn’t trust anyone but your own people. But it is the faith in humanity and optimism that has brought us to the present times when people can live much more harmoniously. Ultimately, it is the way you look at the world that gives Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam it’s true meaning and the more people believe in Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam the closer we come to universal brotherhood. In fact in my belief Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam has a compounding or exponential effect on the spread of the notion like a spark of fire. For policymakers to say the same goes towards just that. Surely in the times of Chanakya Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam wouldn’t have been possible as Chanakya’s policies were catered towards making his kingdom foster. Good will always prevail over evil. Satyamev Jayte!
NOW GO WRITE UP A TEN PAGE ARTICLE ON WHY “SATYAMEV JAYTE” IS A HOAX TOO!
April 24, 2021 at 9:40 am
Author is right. VK is an utter hoax to capture and loot the nation. You have to open windows of your brains to understand gravity of the article.
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