Can Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (VK) be compared with Global Village?

Can Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (VK) be compared with Global Village?

Marshall McLuhan compared Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam as Gobal Village in his theory.

Can we consider this comparison as correct to the eastern or even Hindu essence of the term?

Understanding Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (From "vasudhā", the earth; "ēva" = indeed is; and "kutumbakam", family;) is a Sanskrit phrase which means "the world is one family". Probably, Gandhiji must have been inspired by this concept that lead him to practice lokasamgraha.  It is Universal welfare for him. But Tilak differs a bit as it is Public Good for him. We are not dealing into Gandhi and Tilak right now. But if necessary as we go deeper into the concept, it is probably enlightening to look at them. It will gives lights on what was the thinking in the twentieth century and how relevant is it now? Do we need to reinterpret the concept for the youth of 21^st century?[1]

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 'lakṣana' (characteristics) and behavior of great men who are elevated to the coveted brAmhI sthiti (one who has attained Brahman while still alive). The above says:

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.[2]

Global Village Origin

Global Village is a term closely associated with Marshall McLuhan,[1] popularized in his books The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man (1962) and Understanding Media (1964). McLuhan described how the globe has been contracted into a village by electric technology and the instantaneous movement of information from every quarter to every point at the same time. In bringing all social and political functions together in a sudden implosion, electric speed heightened human awareness of responsibility to an intense degree.

Marshall McLuhan predicted the Internet as an "extension of consciousness" in The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man thirty years before its commercialization.

The next medium, whatever it is - it may be the extension of consciousness - will include television as its content, not as its environment, and will transform television into an art form. A computer as a research and communication instrument could enhance retrieval, obsolesce mass library organization, retrieve the individual's encyclopedic function and flip into a private line to speedily tailored data of a saleable kind.(3)

VHP 'ghar wapasi' ― a comparative view of Parable of Prodigal Son

Above parable renders different meanings depending on the situation. Let us look at the same and understand how it is interpreted and its relevance in today’s context:

Parableof Prodigal Son

The parable begins with a young man, the younger of two sons, who asks his father to give him his share of the estate. The implication is the son couldn't wait for his father's death for his inheritance, he wanted it immediately. The father agrees and divides his estate between both sons.

Upon receiving his portion of the inheritance, the younger son travels to a distant country and wastes all his money in extravagant living. Immediately thereafter, a famine strikes the land; he becomes desperately poor and is forced to take work as a swineherd. When he reaches the point of envying the food of the pigs he is watching, he finally comes to his senses:

But when he came to himself he said, "How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough to spare, and I'm dying with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.'"

— Luke 15:17-20, World English Bible

He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran towards him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

— Luke 15:17-20, World English Bible

But he answered his father, "Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this, your son, came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him."

— Luke 15:29-30, World English Bible

"But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found."

— Luke 15:32, World English Bible

Now let us look at VHP ghar Wapasi action plan from a practical perspective in terms of the above parable:

Reason 1: Prodigal son wanted to come back and his father was happy to receive.

Reason 2: His father desired from the core of his heart for the return of his younger son.

Reason 3: Experiencing the poverty and hardness of life brought him to the realization which prompted him to act practically.

Reason 4: It was not the love towards his father or brother that took him back to his father.

Reason 5: It was for his own survival that he decided to go back to his father’s house.

Reason 6: Prodigal son thought of giving a fair try before trying out some other place.

Reason 7: Love towards his own very existence was questioned, the young man decided to give a shot before he tried anyone else.

Reason 8: It was the prodigal son’s need for survival that took him back to his father’s house.

Reason 9: Very existence of prodigal son was questioned.

Why do one needs to go back to Hinduism, if he/she doesn’t have any advantage to own very existence.

Is there anything come in the world for free?

If conversion is free who wants it?

Let conversion be with advantages.

I am a Christian by birth. I had no idea that when I was baptized. I had no idea what religion would be? I had no idea what the practices are or what the privileges are if at all any.

If I had a choice then I would never have allowed myself to be baptized. My Christian fraternity should not misundstand me for saying the above statement. Christianity is a beautiful religion and I admire Christ who is one of my role models in life.

Certainly, you must be thinking I am trying to put blame on my parents. No way, they did their duty to give a good individual to the world and wonderful human being to the earth.

I was baptized because my parents where Christians. What can they do? Just have to follow the tradition. They did their duty and the net result was…

Who could be blamed?

I blame no one. Not even me.

But what can I do today…

That is what I am doing today.

So, today I remain a Christian on the paper and not at the heart.

What you are is,

That your heart is.

Never mind, you are eager to know what my heart is…

I am not a Hindu either, though the VHP claims that being an Indian my origin must be Hindu.

I doubt if there was a Hindu origin in my family?

Just imagine, if all my ancestors were to be monkeys or homo sapiens…

Could it be possible that monkey had religions that time?

At least in whatever experience as a being on earth

Have you ever found any monkey who claims to have religions?

Only a religious monkey can have religious descents…

I asked many monkeys and tried to gather from them that if they have atleast something called religion.

None of them seems to have heard the word religion either.

And they did not even understand what I was trying to communicate…

They were busy with scratching their heads and belly while chewing some nuts.

Since I have no trace of my ancestors being converted from Hinduism to Christianity,

Why should I undergo a reconversion?

I am potential fresh candidate for religious people.

Imagine when a MIT/IIT student almost completes his graduation,

The next process is campus placement.

The student will get many offers from different leading companies.

He will choose the firm that offers him the best package.

Of course, the package suits the best of his dreams…

I do have dreamt of a package for conversion:

1. A fully furnished Bunglaw of 5000sq… with two maids, one cook and a driver

2. Either a SUV of Benz or BMW

3. 1 cr in the bank account

4. 1 lakh per month as religious conversion salary

5. Free stay and accommodation at different pilgrim centers of the joined religion

6. Free air tickets to those pilgrim centers.

7. Free medical care in case of sickness or oldage

8. No force on attending the religious rituals

I am offering my candidature for as a potential candidate for conversion to Islam, Hinduism, Jainism, Budhism, Judaism, Sikhism, Confucianism or any isms which exists anywhere on earth.

If not let me live my life…

Just as a human being…

Leave me alone…

Leave me alone to LIVE my life.

Loka samastha suhinobhavantu (Listen to Chant)

by Dr. Joji Valli

Disclaimer: It is my personal opinion and not to attack or hurt the feelings of any religion or religious groups. My intention is to bring awareness in the society about the idea of divine and human aspiration for having faith as faith is absolutely a personal or rather private agenda. Any means of force to covert is therefore, i believe is a violation privacy and intrusion into ones personal life. So let us make use of our time to fight against terror, poverty and even a clean India rather than setting fire to religious sentiments which create disharmony in the society.

"Open up more ashrams to control population explosion thereby reducing poverty and suffering – a great CSR agenda"

In India, there is its magnificent lineage of noble ancestors, the great men and seers who have protected and enriched the nation through their spiritual practices and wisdom.
In the midst of controversial book ‘Holy Hell’ by 20yrs personal attendant of the godwoman a.k.a Amma and sexual scandal by another godman Asaram Bapu as it sets the religious sentiments of the ardent followers on fire, I would unhesitant to say that India needs more ashrams not for spiritual well-being and enlightenment, rather for the single cause controlling population explosion. I am not underestimating the population of India as one of our strengths. But when you go for a job hunt and have to compete with a hundred thousand instead of few hundreds of candidates, I am sure, the same population that we just said as strength turns your chances of life miserable and keep you an educated beggar on the street and in life. Similarly, when you travel by bus or car and not able to reach your destination on time due to heavy traffic, don’t blame your destiny. Instead, think about the population explosion that is around in the country which sucks your time, life, opportunities and even energy.
We are almost hitting 1.3 billion soon. So imagine your chances of making your life comfortable is getting lesser and lesser. If we consider every young couple is thinking of having just one or two kids, it is going to escalate the population in the next 10 years to a 20 or 25% more than what it is now. And certainly, one of the major reasons of misery, poverty, suffering, pollution that India undergo today is nothing other than over population itself.
In the 70s, Sanjay Gandhi had envisioned the catastrophe and started with compulsory sterilization which was criticized all across that time. You may read more about it from the sources on the internet.
So I think, one of the ways to bring down the ever escalating population is to have more ashram in India. Let youngsters take the call and be in the ashram to experience the call of their biological freedom in the name of spirituality without making kids. It may be against the Indian culture and tradition. But if most of the ashrams are a place for sexual gratification and making money then why not try it out convert the problem into a productive solution for the ever challenging problem. Probably, that is one of the ways through which the undisputed Indian tradition or legacy can save India in the 21st century. Be it any religion, sect or cult, encourage more and more ashrams where youth can remain single and yet live there life.
Om Shanti...

(Comment if your insight and vision can enrich and enhance the acute social problem of over population and poverty Or else remain with folded hands as a numb onlooker.)