THE WORLD IS ONE FAMILY,BE HAPPY

Two Eternal Mantras of Hinduism

In these trying times, we Indians have to remind the world,the two eternal mantras of Hinduism.

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is a Sanskrit phrase found in Hindu texts such as the Maha Upanishad, which means “the world is one family” .The original verse appears in Chapter 6 of Maha Upanishad VI.71-73..Also found in the Rig Veda , it is considered the most important moral value in the Indian society. This verse of Maha Upanishad is engraved in the entrance hall of the parliament of India.

The full version of this prayer is stated as follows:

अयं बन्धुरयं नेति गणना लघुचेतसां उदारचरितानां तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकं 
ayam bandhurayam neti ganana laghuchetasam udaracharitanam tu vasudhaiva kutumbakam

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.

The Full version of Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu is:

स्वस्तिप्रजाभ्यः परिपालयंतां न्यायेन मार्गेण महीं महीशाः ।

गोब्राह्मणेभ्यः शुभमस्तु नित्यं लोकाः समस्ताः सुखिनोभवंतु ॥

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः |

svastiprajābhyaḥ paripālayantāṁ nyāyēna mārgēṇa mahīṁ mahīśāḥ ।

gōbrāhmaṇēbhyaḥ śubhamastu nityaṁ lōkāḥ samastāḥ sukhinōbhavantu ॥

ōm̐ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ॥

This phrase is from one of the Mangala Mantra often recited after a pooja or religious ceremony . The origin of the Lokakshema, often called the Mangala Mantra, is obscure. While some yoga practitioners and Hindu scholars erroneously point to the Rig Veda or the invocation of the Katha Upanishad, the only written attribution or textual source of “lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu” seems to be stone inscriptions from the Rulers of the Sangama Dynasty (1336 A.D.-1485 A.D.)

See the play on words. Loka Samastha is reversed and Samastha Loka appears in the next sentence.

This is the beauty of Hinduism. Literary dexterity rooted in profundity, it’s never just for effect.

Sukhino Bhavantu (be happy) remains the same in both the lines of this mantra.

Loka samastha means “all the people in the world ” (Lokah has two meanings in Sanskrit, one: people; and the other: world).

Samastha loka takes a leap from the individual to the universal. It means all the worlds. Not just this earth; His abode, even other worlds which are not seen by the ordinary mortal vision.

So it means. Let all the people in the world be happy. Let all the worlds be happy.

What a noble sentiment! Vedic rishi has given to us to uplift us.

This mantra is the Vedic mantra of highest well-wishing, highest inclusiveness, highest blessing. By chanting this mantra, we break our egoistic boundaries and wish the world (s)well. And this is really apt because no one can prosper unless others prosper too. If you alone are happy, your happiness cannot be lasting. Because, if you alone are happy, those around you and farther away from you, who are not happy, will be jealous, covetous, rivalrous. However, if they are happy too, there can be kind feelings towards each other. This is a mantra elegantly embodies maitri (loving kindness) and compassion. A compassionate lens. It reminds us that we are a part of the universe and can positively impact all of creation.

Let us chant this daily.

लोकाः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु, समस्त लोकाः सुखिनो भवन्तु

The Hindu religion which is born out of the principles of the Sanaathana Dharma, considers the whole world as a single family – “Vasudhaiva Kutumbam”.

In a single family, generally speaking every member of the family , desires the welfare and wellbeing of all the members of the family.This is a universal truth all over the world in all continents , among all religions and among all cultures of all races and regions of all people the of the world.

At the end of any function, people generally wish the welfare of a class of people. But the Sanaathana Dharma Saampradaayam wishes the welfare of :All the living beings (both human and non-human /animals of the whole world). It doesn’t end there. It wishes the welfare of :
All mountains, rivers, oceans and every atom in the world. That is the greatness of that slogan :
Lokaah Samasthaah Sukhino Bhavanthu”.