Na Dainyam Na Palayanam न दैन्यं न पलायनम्*

There is no reason to believe that any Indian political leader is anti-India. They all mean well and wish well of the country. They all have illusionary visions and Indian spirituality.

The phrase ‘Vasudhaiva Kuṭumbakam’ (Sanskrit: वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्) consists of several words: vasudhā (transl. 'the earth'); ēva (transl. 'is thus'); and kuṭumbakam (transl. 'family').

    अयं निजः परो वेति गणना लघुचेतसाम्। ( ayaṃ nijaḥ paro veti gaṇanā laghucetasām)

    उदारचरितानां तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्॥ ( udāracaritānāṃ tu vasudhaiva kuṭumbakam )

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.

‘Vasudhaiva Kuṭumbakam’ belonged to the world where there was only the Vedic Civilisation and is no more valid in the times of ‘I, me, mine and ours’ ethos. A Hindu may believe that the whole world is ‘one family’ but the rest of the 85 percent of the people of the world may not think so.

Nehru misread China, Shastri misread Pakistan, Indira misread Khalistan, Guljari Lal, Morarji, Charan Singh, VP Singh, Gujaral, Devegowda, and Chandra Shekhar were unable to read anything, Rajiv misread Sri Lankans, Narsinha Rao misread Italians, Vajpayee misread Pakistan, ManMohan did not read anything, and Modi has misread China.

All politicians know and understand that ‘poverty’ is India’s biggest problem. Most of them want to correct it but they do not have it in them to deal with the problem directly. Indian political leadership has conclusively proven itself consistently deficient in its foresight and capability in policymaking and action taking over the last 75 years. 

If India lost the 1962 war with China, due to lack of appropriate weapons and ammunition in the hands of our soldiers, India may lose the 2020-21 war against this virus due to lack of appropriate weapons and ammunition in the hands of our doctors.

A wiser political leader Vajpayee had written:

कर्तव्य के पुनीत पथ को हमने स्वेद से सींचा है,
कभी-कभी अपने अश्रु और— प्राणों का अर्ध्य भी दिया है।

किंतु, अपनी ध्येय-यात्रा में— हम कभी रुके नहीं हैं।
किसी चुनौती के सम्मुख कभी झुके नहीं हैं।

आज,
जब कि राष्ट्र-जीवन की समस्त निधियाँ, दाँव पर लगी हैं,
और,
एक घनीभूत अंधेरा—हमारे जीवन के सारे आलोक को निगल लेना चाहता है;

हमें ध्येय के लिए जीने, जूझने और
आवश्यकता पड़ने पर— मरने के संकल्प को दोहराना है।

आग्नेय परीक्षा की इस घड़ी में—
आइए, अर्जुन की तरह उद्घोष करें:
‘‘न दैन्यं न पलायनम्।’’

A ‘Murali-Dhar’ does not remain a ‘Murali-Dhar’ but goes on to become a ‘Giri-Dhar’ and a ‘Chakra-Dhar’ as the situation requires.

If ‘Maha Upanishad’ gives us, the value of ‘Vasudhaiva Kuṭumbakam,’ ‘Katha Upanishad’ gives the inspiration to Swami Vivekananda to give us ‘Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached. The words "Arise, awake..." can be found in the 1.3.14 chapter of the ‘Katha Upanishad’, where Yama is advising Nachiketa –

उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत, (Uttisthata Jagrata Prapya Varannibodhata)
क्षुरासन्न धारा निशिता दुरत्यद्दुर्गम पथ: तत् कवयो वदन्ति | (Kshurasanna Dhara Nishita Durataya durgama Pathah tat kavayo Vadanti)

Arise! Awake! Approach the great and learn.
Like the sharp edge of a razor is that path,
so the wise say—hard to tread and difficult to cross. 

 

* न दैन्यं न पलायनम् was the motto of my school that I wore on the badge of my barrette cap.

 

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First published 27 April 2021

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