UP PCS Mains-2024

Introduction

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is a sanskrit phrase found in Hindu texts such as the Maha Upanishad, which means “The World Is One Family”. In Vedic tradition, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam means all living beings on the earth are a family.

The theme of India’s G20 Presidency is also inspired by the idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam or “One Earth · One Family · One Future”. This theme affirms the value of all life – human, animal, plant, and microorganisms – and their interconnectedness on the planet Earth and in the wider universe.

Body

The following aspects of Indian society manifest the idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam:

• Belief in Humanism: The Indian tradition is based on Tulsidas’s idea of ‘Parhit Saris Dharm Nahi Bhai, ’ where welfare of entire humanity has been emphasized and Vivekanand’s idea of service to mankind is service to God. This spirit is reflected in India’s humanitarian assistance and disaster relief programme.
  • E.g., Operation Dost’ to aid Syria and Turkey, after an earthquake, Vaccine Maitri, where India distributed vaccines to least developed nations.
• Spirit of Tolerance: The spirit of tolerance is rooted in the Indian society. In ancient age Ashoka’s Policy of Dhamma talked about tolerance among different religious sects and abandoned the policy of war and conquest.
  • Similarly, during medieval age, Akbar’s policy of Sulh-i-Kul advocated for universal peace. These policies reflect the spirit of India where it sees world as one family.
• Commitment to International Peace: Article 51 enshrined in the Indian Constitution talks about international peace and security and respecting international laws and treaties. This reflects India’s commitment to international peace and order.
• Focus on Spiritualism: At the Parliament of the World’s Religions (1893), Chicago, Swami Vivekananda highlighted the need to blend the materialism of the West with the spiritualism of the East to create harmony and happiness for mankind.
• Concern for Global Challenges: India has answer to the common global challenges like racial hatred, terrorism, poverty and human rights violence. India has always been vocal for disarmament, ending apartheid and decolonization.
  • Whether it was Martin Luther King Jr, who was one of the most prominent leaders in the American civil rights movement or Nelson Mandela, who fought against apartheid in Africa, both were inspired from the Gandhian movement.
• Climate Change: Indian’s ancient practices where we worship nature as mother also provides solutions to the most pressing issue facing the humanity in the form of climate change.
  • India has witnessed several environmental movements like Narmada Bachao Andolan and Chipko Movement which shows the spirit of India in the field of nature conservation.
  • At global platforms, India has taken various initiatives in the form of International Solar Alliance and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure to deal with climate changes.
• A message of Unity in Diversity: In the present scenario there is rising intolerance and extremism around the world and civil wars are going on. Indian model of unity in diversity, where despite having huge religious, cultural and linguistic diversity, people live in harmony with each other, shows the right path for the world peace.
• ‘Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah; Sarve Santu Nairaamaya’: This idea advocates happiness and well-being of every human being on this planet. It is based on the principles of compassion, assisting those in need, building capacities of smaller nations.
  • E.g., India’s humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in the Indian Ocean Region through its SAGAR initiative.

Conclusion

In today’s context, when the world is facing common global challenges like terrorism, extremism, racial hatred, climate change, refugee crisis, religious fundamentalism and pandemic, the idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam seems relevant.