Ethical values from Indian Cultural Heritage
Objectives:
• To focus on Indian cultural heritage
• To understand the importance of ethics expressed through Indian culture
• To learn from the ancient Indian wisdom
• To inculcate core ethical values in our contemporary life
• To actively engage with rich Indian cultural heritage and instil its richness in one’s
life
1. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (Sanskrit:
वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम. from “vasudha”, the
earth; “iva”, is ; and “kutumbakam”,
family) is a Sanskrit phrase that means
that the whole world is one single family.
So, here the Vedic sages are saying that
the entire world is truly just one family.
The world is like a small, tightly knit,
nuclear family.
2. The words वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्
(vasudhaiva kutumbakam) come from
the mantra in Ch. VI-72 in Maha
Upanishad which belongs to samaveda
tradition. The mantra reads:
अयं बन्धुरयंनेति गणना लघुचेतसाम्
उदारचरितानां तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम् ॥
• Chapter 6, Verse 72 of Maha Upanishad says: only small men discriminate saying: one is a
relative, the other is a stranger. For those who live magnanimously, the entire world
constitutes but a family.
• Being under delusion is like being a Dhritarashtra, blind. In that blindness, the Oneness is
missed. “I-you”; “mine-his” separations are (imaginarily) perceived. The separations are
the seeds for conflict, both mental and physical. That’s the reason in the very first shloka in
the Bhagavadgita, Dhritarashtra asks, ‘What is it they are doing – my sons and those of
Pandu’ (mAmakAH pANDavAH ca), viewing his own kids separate from his brother’s and
all of them separate from himself.
• The great Indian tradition exhorts us to see clearly that the apparent differences and
separations are like ‘virtual image’ in a mirror. You cannot demolish the virtual image.
Have your ever tried bull-dozing a mountain reflected in a mirror?
If you are able to see through the falsity of multiplicity, you will see Oneness. That is
smyagdRRiShTi (perfect perception). This dRRiShTi of Oneness leads to the
understanding that vAsudeva (‘Beingness’) is the innermost of all (once the illusory layers
of coverings are pierced through)
Meaning: The distinction “This person is mine, and this one is not” is made only by the
narrow-minded (i.e. the ignorant who are in duality). For those of noble conduct (i.e. who
know the Supreme Truth) the whole world is one family (one Unit).
(The meaning of words like ‘family’ etc. should be understood in the context of what the
Upanishad is talking about. It is describing the quality of a man who understood the Truth,
transcending the multiplicity of the world).
• The context of this verse is to describe as one of the attributes of an individual who has
attained the highest level of spiritual progress, and one who is capable of performing his
worldly duties without attachment to material possessions.
• Dr N. Radhakrishnan ("Gandhi In the Globalised Context"), believes that the Gandhian
vision of holistic development and respect for all forms of life; nonviolent conflict
resolution embedded in the acceptance of nonviolence both as a creed and strategy; were
an extension of the ancient Indian concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.
References In The Modern World:
• India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi 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 Upgraha.(Satellite)."
• It was used in the logo of the 7th International Earth Science Olympiad, which
was held in Mysore, India in 2013. It was designed to emphasize on the
integration of the Earth’s subsystems in the school curriculum. It was designed by
R. Shankar and Shwetha B. Shetty of Mangalore University.
• The theme and the logo for India’s G20 Presidency from December 1, 2022, till
November 30, 2023 has a mention of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth-
One Family-One Future”. The logo was selected after scrutiny of 2400 pan-India
submissions invited through a logo design contest.
The logo for the 7th International Earth Science
Olympiad has: Number 7 (representing the 7th edition
of IESO)
The Earth’s imagery from space (signifying Astronomy)
The clouds and oceans in the imagery (representing
Atmosphere and Hydrosphere)
The Earth’s cross section in number 7 (representing
Geoshpere)
The national flag of India, the host country, in number
7.
The slogan: Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (from ancient
scriptures; Maha Upanishad VI.7173). It means, “The
Earth is indeed one family”, which is what IGEO has been
striving to achieve: integration of the Earth’s subsystems
in the school curriculum.
Designed by R. Shankar and Shwetha B. Shetty,
Mangalore University.
