SUBTERFUGE OF VASUDHAIVA KUTUMBAKAM X-RAYED

SUBTERFUGE OF VASUDHAIVA KUTUMBAKAM  X-RAYED

By Ramakant Tiwari

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam  is one of the Sanatana  ideals revealing primacy of Vedanta Darsana. It narrates discriminatory wisdom of the highest order under the umbrella of Advaita  wherein all Jiva-s converge and amalgamate within the infinite Being of Param Brahmatma. Ostensibly, the state of wisdom is Cetana  of the highest order beyond which precious little remains to be pursued and realised. Over decades, it has been not only diminished and abbreviated into mere two words but also prostituted for nefarious gains, then secularised to invert it into one of most potent weapons to target Hindu-s with. Complete narrative of the sagacity goes as under –

Ayam Nijah Paroveti Ganana Laghucetasam  I
Udara Caritanam Tu Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam  II

This is mine, that is other’s – is the reckoning of lesser ones.
For magnanimous ones, entire earth is one family.

Before we are able to grasp sinister political import of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam  (VK hereafter), we must scrutinise it’s origin and roots dispassionately, then compare with the ideal intrinsic to it to perceive how perverted is the common understanding of VK and it’s damaging impact on Hindu  psyche. The Verse stated above, does not belong to Rg Veda, Mahabharata, Manusmriti  or Purana-s. It belongs to Samskrita  literature viz. Hitopadesa, Pancatantra, Vikrama Caritra, works of Canakya  and Bhratrihari. Quite enigmatically, VK has been invoked variously in all sources identified so far.

Hitopadesa  was authored by Narayana Pandita  during 5^th Century CE in the Kingdom of Magadha  with the sole purpose of educating two princes who happened to be school dropouts being poor in studies. The work was meant to impart basic lessons of life through tale-narration by drawing imaginative situation with animals dwelling in jungles. One cunning jackal befriended a healthy, plump deer residing in a lush green jungle with his sweet, enticing words and succeeded in being innocently invited to deer’s dwelling deep inside the jungle. On the way a crow, an intelligent friend of the deer cautioned him not to entertain or trust anyone unknown to him in his own interest. However the deer shrugged it off being so much enchanted by the excessively charming humility of the carnivore. Then the friendly crow proceeded to narrate a fable of a vulture and birds to convey the message more convincingly. It is at this juncture of reckoning that the jackal narrated the Sloka  of VK to dispel all apprehensions in deer’s mind and assert, he be bracketed with the old friend crow when it comes to well-being and benediction of the deer. VK preacher jackal laid a deadly trap for the deer to be killed but failed as he was foiled in his designs by deer’s friend, that crow who had warned him earlier. Thus we behold, how fatalistic VK was invoked by the intruder with what intentions. 

Pancatantra, authored by Acarya Visnu Sarma  during late Mauryana  period i.e. three centuries before CE, is one of the most travelled and translated ancient Samskrita  work. Hitopadesa  inherited a fable from Pancatantra  to affirm VK deviously. Out of four young Brahmana  brothers, three were erudite in knowledge of scriptures albeit devoid of common-wisdom with the fourth one being an antipodean of the three. In search of livelihood when they decided to move to the closest town, one of them contradicted objection of the eldest one not to allow the unlettered one to escort them, by sermonising them on the platitude of VK. Thus, they all proceeded to the town together. When they encountered a decaying carcass on their way, they were hit upon with the idea of examining their knowledge attained so laboriously, in the sense of VK. Eldest one connected all bones to complete the skeleton, second one added flesh and skin while the third one was poised to add Prana  to it to resurrect it alive. It was at this juncture, they were warned and cautioned by the unlettered one as the corpse belonged to a lion. As his plea was arrogantly rejected by the three invoking the ideal of VK, lion ate all the three after being resurrected as the fourth one had escaped to a tree-top earlier. Thoughtless pursuit of VK in reality, was responsible for their untimely, premature demise. In Hitopadesa  as well as Pancatantra, erudition has been depicted to be worthless in absence of astuteness while the ideal of VK, utterly irrelevant. Unrestrained invocation of VK is certainly disastrous as we beheld.

After realising his cherished mission of raising Mauryana  Empire, Acarya Canakya  had retired to some place in southern Bharata  and authored his legendary work Arthasastra. He too, depicted VK as a mark of State pusillanimity, minimalistic governance hurtling towards anarchy and he referred to such States rather contemptuously. Dharma  is means to attain the objective of Artha  while Danda  alone sustains it from onslaughts of Matsya Nyaya  i.e. large fish swallowing smaller ones. As wickedness, treachery and inimical foes shall always exist for every State, the Seer cautions from resorting to insipid verbiage like VK to imperil very existence of the State. Romantic indulgence with VK is suicidal so much so that it does not even dawn upon it’s votaries till trapped in an impassable situation. Several other literary works of the Acarya  too carry the same caution about VK quite explicitly.

Vikrama–Caritra  was composed during 11^th CE in the reign of Bhojadeva, a collection of thirty-two folktales that became immensely popular even in faraway Mongolia, Russia and Germany. Out of all six rescensions, VK appears in three separate tales. In one tale, Vikrama  donates his entire treasure in the sense of VK after successful completion of Yajna  in spite of being left struck by penury. In another tale, he jumps into Yajna  in the sense of oblation on behalf of a rival so jealous of his philanthropy !! In Classical Poetics, Bhrartahari’s three Satakam-s do not mention VK though in one text compiled by a Marxist historian DD Koshambi in 1948, it does exist. Emanating from an ardent Marxist, his intentions are immediately suspect. In a lesser known and circulated Upanisad  known as Mahopanisad, VK is mentioned in seventy-second Sloka  of it’s sixth chapter as an intrinsic constituent and not in the form of ‘as said’ as in all other texts. Mahopanisad  is assumed to be the original source of the controversial wisdom of VK predating even Mahabharata. Everywhere thus, we discover in literature that VK is an absurd doctrine peddled by someone naïve enough to be killed by his naivete. Also it is demonstrated categorically that everytime it is enunciated by some ill-intentioned subversionist for the gullible to fall for it, is self-destroyed eventually.

Myopic politicians and devious liberals posing as ‘ancient’ authorities on liberalism and the mirage of internationalism, peddle VK for short-term gains in politics or pandering to overseas vested interests for heavy considerations. Even when sincere scholars proffer VK, it fails to go beyond confines of being a hoax. Encouraged by our “patriotic” politicians, even foreign born and planted political activists like Antonio Maino admired VK in her acceptance speech on the occasion of being conferred upon “Grand Officer Of The Order Of Leopold” (who knows what it means !) by the Belgian Government for her “constructive nationalism and efforts to foster a multi-cultural, tolerant society in India” on Nov. 11, 2006 in Brussels, “…India that once, 2000 years ago, had proclaimed Vasudeva (not Vasudhaiva !) Kutumbakam – the world is one family…”. It is a very well laid out grand narrative to appropriate entire exquisite legacy and heritage of Hindu-s by those wretched ones who never had anything to boot !! Quite pertinently, British Prime Minister David Cameroun had declared, multi-culturalism has failed miserably…If the intention is to confront and negate Samuel Huntington’s iconic Theory o Of Clash Of Civilizations, again it comes a cropper as Hinduism is the only doctrine purportedly and supposedly practicising VK with absolutely no reciprocation received from anyone in any direction so far !! If it is meant to add some aesthetic value to glamourous speeches by cunning politicians, it is again thoroughly impertinent as we behold a jubilant declaration by the then Union Minister Of External Affairs Pranava Mukherjee on Dec. 5, 2007 in Rajya Sabha – “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam  is our foreign policy.” Quite ironically, this proven hoax is literally inscribed in stone atop entrance of nation’s Parliament House probably as an epitaph in anticipation as they intended to liquidate this democracy through that doctrine in due course of time !! Goebbelsian propaganda through decades of our benign existence has successfully convinced Hindu-s to adopt suicidal virtue of VK like ducks take to water !  

Now that even illegal entry of dangerous Rohingyas too, is sought to be justified on the ground of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, I sincerely appeal to you all not to allow yourselves any more to be ambushed by the sinister design of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, come what may.