वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम् (vasudhaIva kuTumbakam) - The whole world itself is (their) family

One of the most quoted statements from Hinduism’s corpus, vasudhaIva kuTumbakam is often given as the compelling argument for Hinduism’s inclusive nature. I’ve recently (and with some sadness) also come across “explanations” of this phrase that take away the unqualified nature of its acceptance, and impose conditions on it. This group of people seem to believe that the unqualified nature of the phrase can be construed as a weakness of the philosophy, and hence the need to trammel it so as to not show Hinduism as a weak religion.

To me, nothing could be further from the truth. When we look at the full verse as it appears in mahOpaniShad 6.71, the broad sweep of its all encompassing embrace is quite apparent.

अयं बन्धुरयं नेति गणना लघुचेतसाम् ।

उदारचरितानां तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम् ॥

ayam bandhurayam nEti gaNanA laghuCEtasAm |

udAraCaritAnAm tu vasudhaIva kuTumbakam ||

“This is a kinsman, and this is not” is enumerated by small minded people;

for the large hearted ones, the whole world is verily their own family.

Yes, the subsequent verses in the upaniShad talk about realized souls, and overcoming desires, but this verse as it stands is unambiguous; it talks about human interrelations, and how different types of people view them.

While this is the original source of the phrase vasudhaIva kuTumbakam, the verse as stated the hitOpadEsha * (which is slightly different in the phraseology of the first part) is more popular. Be as it may, it means and exhorts the same message.

Wise folks had the concluding phrase engraved in the entrance to the hall of the Parliament House, and political leaders of all hues have claimed this phrase to be India’s worldview; nay, even foreign policy. But, as we mark another anniversary of the adoption of our constitution, could we also look at the first part of the verse that exhorts us that it is a sign of small-mindedness to segregate people as “us” v/s “them”?

* hitOpadEsha, 1.3.71:

अयं निजः परोवेति गणना लघुचेतसाम् |

उदरचारितानां तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम् ||

ayam nijah parOvEti gaNanA laghuCEtasAm |

udAraCaritAnAm tu vasudhaIva kuTumbakam ||