VASUDAIVA KUTUMBAKAM-वसु्धैव कुटुंबकम्

SUBHASHITHAM : 047

The noblest of thoughts about universal brotherhood are widely mentioned in our sastras. One such famous often quoted verse is as follows:

अयं निजः परो वेत्ति गणना लघुचेतसाम् ।      

उदारचरितानां तु वसु्धैव कुटुंबकम् ॥                               

Ayam  nija: parovethi gananaa lagu chethasaam I 

 Udhara charithanam tu Vasudaiva kutumbakam II

 This person is mine and the other person is a stranger is the mentality of the petty minded. The noble minded people, however, consider the whole world as their family. 

The Maha Bharatha contains many gems about an ideal family. Two slokas attributed to Dharma Putra are quoted below:                                                                          

सत्यं माता पिता ज्ञानं धर्मो भ्राता दया सखा  I  

 शान्ति: पत्नी क्षमा पुत्र: षडेते मम भान्धवा:  II

Satyam maata pitaa gyaanam dharmo bhraataa dayaa sakhaa I                                                           Shaanti: patnii kshamaa putra: shadete mama bhandhavaa:  II

Truth is my mother , Knowledge my father, Dharma is my brother , compassion is my friend, Peace is my  wife, forbearance is my son, these six constitute  my family. ( Dharma putra in Mahabharata )

धैर्य यस्य पिता क्षमा च जननी शान्ति: चिरं गेहिनी  I

 सत्यं सूनु: अयं दया च भगिनी भ्राता मन:संयम: |

शय्या भूमितलं दिश: अपि वसनं ज्ञानामॄतं भोजनम् I  

एते यस्य कुटुम्बिन: वद सखे कस्माद् भयं योगिन: ||

dhairya yasya pita kshamaa cha jananee shaantih chiram gehinee I  satyam soonuh ayam dayaa cha bhaginee bhraataa manahsaMyamah  I  shayyaa bhoomitalam dishah api vasanam jnyaanaamrutam bhojanam  I   ete yasya kuTumbinah vada sakhe kasmaad bhayam yoginah  II

A person for whom courage is his father, forgiveness (KshmA) is his mother, calmful mind is his wife, Truth is his son, compassion his sister and control of mind is his brother. And for whom this earth is a bed, the directions (dishA) like the clothes and  knowledge is his food. When all these make up his family, such a person  has nothing to worry in the whole world.

 Very strong views have also been expressed about the responsibility of parents to provide proper education to their children during their formative years:

माता शत्रु: पिता वैरी येन बालो न पाटित: I   

न शोभते सभामद्ये  हंस मद्ये बको यता  II

 Mata satru: pita vairee yena balo na paatita: I Na shobhate sabhamadye hamsamadye bako yataa II

That mother is an enemy and that father is a foe of the son by whom one has not been schooled properly during his early life; for he shines not in a learned assembly just as a crane doesn’t in the midst of swans.

SRI KRISHNAYA THUBHYAM NAMAH