\Samvad

Phalgun Shukla 7, Vik. Samvat 2080, Yugabda 5125 : 16 March, 2024: SM 5024 (For Private Circulation only)


1. FESTIVALS: VARSH PRATIPADA 2. RASHTRIYA SWAYAMSEVAK SANGH (RSS) FOUNDER DR. KESHAV BALIRAM HEDGEWAR'S BIOGRAPHY LAUNCHED IN ENGLISH
3. BHARAT IMPLEMENTED CAA 4. AKHIL BHARATIYA PRATINIDHI SABHA MARCH 15-17, NAGPUR
5. UNIVERSITY OF MAURITIUS CONFERS HONORARY DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF CIVIL LAW ON RASHTRAPATI DROUPADI MURMU 6. CHENNAI LIT FEST 2024 WITH THEME OF RAM MANDIR
7. HSS USA PARTICIPATED IN CAMELLIA PARADE – 2024 8. HSS CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH
9. HSS NEPAL’S SWAMI VIVEKANANDA GYAN PARIKSHA 10. HSS AND SEWA MAURITIUS SERVES DURING MAHASHIVRATRI
11. SEWA TT’S MAHASHIVRATRI 2024 FOOD DRIVE 12. HINDUS IN YOGYAKARTA AND CENTRAL JAVA CELEBRATE GALUNGAN AT PRAMBANAN TEMPLE
13. DEVOTEES SOAK IN FERVOR AT PASHUPATINATH MANDIR AT KATHMANDU, NEPAL ON MAHASHIVRATRI 14. SSUK ORGANISES SHIVOHUM FESTIVAL
15. NEW YORK’S TIMES SQUARE LIGHT UP FOR MAHASHIVRATRI 16. GYANVAPI: THOUSANDS THRONG TO VIYAS JI KA TEHKHANA TO WORSHIP ON MAHASHIVARATRI
17. INDIAN NAVY RESCUED MISSILE HIT CREW IN GULF OF ADEN 18. UNDER MISSION DIVYASTRA BHARAT TEST-FIRED AGNI-V
19. FIRST ALL WOMEN MARITIME SURVEILLANCE MISSION 20. 10,000-YEAR-OLD ROCK ART CARVING FOUND IN MAHARASHTRA
21. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN & FOOD FOR THOUGHT  

Article: HOW THE BHARATIYA WAY OF THINKING IS INFLUENCING THE WESTERN THOUGHT PROCESS


1. FESTIVALS: VARSH PRATIPADA: Varsh Pratipada i.e. Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, Sobhakrt namsamvatsar 2081, Yugabada 5126 and the first day of Chaitra Navratri will be celebrated on April 9 this year. Telugu people celebrate new year calling it Ugadi and the Kannadigas use the term Yugadi for this festival. Maharashtrian celebrate it as Gudi Padwa. The Sindhis call it Cheti Chand. Manipuris also celebrate it as Sajibu Nongma and the people of Odisha celebrate this auspicious day as Maha Vishubha Sankranti.

The Hindus of Bali in Indonesia also celebrate their new year as Nyepi. Ugadi is one of the five Hindu national public holidays in Mauritius.
The birth anniversary of RSS founder Dr Keshavrao Baliram Hedgewar also falls on this very day and swayamsevaks in all shakhas will perform Aadya Sarsanghchalak Pranam during the commencing the shakha on this day.
On the occasion of New Year, several programs, processions and various other related events will be organised all over Bharat as well as in many other countries by Bharatiya Diaspora.
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2. RASHTRIYA SWAYAMSEVAK SANGH (RSS) FOUNDER DR. KESHAV BALIRAM HEDGEWAR'S BIOGRAPHY LAUNCHED IN ENGLISH: RSS Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale, on March 1, launched a biography of RSS founder Dr. Keshavrao Baliram Hedgewar titled “Man of the Millennia - Dr Hedgewar” in English. While speaking on the occasion, Hosabale said that Dr Hedgewar was a person with holistic national thinking. "The feeling of patriotism was innate in him. He dedicated his entire life for the nation. Today's generation takes inspiration from his patriotism and national ideas", he said.
Hosabale said that nobody can understand RSS without understanding Dr Hedgewar. Speaking about the biography, translated in English, he said that the book will prove to be very important for understanding the entire life of Dr. Hedgewar and his working style.
At the same event, chief guest Andhra Pradesh Governor Justice (Retd) S Abdul Nazeer said that today the whole world is taking inspiration from the work of the organization which was founded by Dr. Hedgewar. The Book was published by Suruchi Prakashan and the English translation was done by late Dr. Anil Naine from the original Marathi version, authored by Nana Palkar.
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3. BHARAT IMPLEMENTED CAA: The Bharatiya ministry of home affairs has notified the Citizenship Amendment Act's (CAA) rules on March 11, paving the way for the law's implementation across the country. The CAA rules aim to confer Bharatiya citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants - including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians - who migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and arrived in Bharat before 2014. Applications have to be submitted online through a newly formed portal with citizenship hopefuls declaring the year in which they entered Bharat without travel documents. The government has previously taken steps to address the plight of refugees, including amendments to the Citizenship Rules in 2004 and notifications in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2018. CAA will not apply to regions mentioned under the Sixth Schedule of the Bharatiya Constitution, which include Tribal Areas in the States of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.
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4. AKHIL BHARATIYA PRATINIDHI SABHA MARCH 15-17, NAGPUR: On March 15, Sarasanghackalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat and Sarakaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale inaugurated the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) of RSS in Nagpur. Earlier on March 13, RSS Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar briefed media that the ABPS will be held this year from March 15 to 17 at Reshim Bagh in Nagpur, Maharashtra. During this meeting, all the works and Sewa Karya done by Sangh in the year 2023-24 will be reviewed, and there will also be a wide range of discussion on Sangh's plan for the year 2024-25.
Ambekar further said that along with strengthening the work expansion plan, there will be a discussion on the initiatives for the coming centenary year (2025), current situation of the country and resolutions will also be passed on important issues. Around 1500 representatives from 45 Prants will participate in the Pratinidhi Sabha. Sarsanghchalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat, Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale, all Sah Sarkaryavah, Akhil Bharatiya Karyakarini, Kshetra and Prant Karyakarini, Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi, all Vibhag Pracharak and invited Karyakartas of RSS-inspired Organisations will participate in the ABPS.
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5. UNIVERSITY OF MAURITIUS CONFERS HONORARY DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF CIVIL LAW ON RASHTRAPATI DROUPADI MURMU: The University of Mauritius conferred Honoris Causa Degree of Doctor of Civil Law on the Rashtrapati of Bharat
Smt Droupadi Murmu on March 12. Speaking on the occasion, the President said that universities like the University of Mauritius are not just ladders to the dreams of aspirational youth; they are sites where the future of mankind is forged. She added that she was especially honoured to receive the Honorary Degree from this prestigious University. The Rashtrapati said that the Government of Bharat has made it a priority to educate and empower youth to lead Bharat into the ‘knowledge economy’ of tomorrow. She was happy to note that each year, 400 Mauritians are trained in Bharat under Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme and about 60 Mauritian students receive scholarships to pursue higher education in Bharat. She was on three day visit of Mauritius from March 11. Rashtrapati Murmu also announced during National Day celebrations of Mauritius at Port Louis, on March 11 that Bharat has approved a special provision to grant an Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card to the 7th generation of Indian origin people in Mauritius.
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6. CHENNAI LIT FEST 2024 WITH THEME OF RAM MANDIR: The Chennai Literature Festival had its fourth edition this year from February 23 to 25 at Hotel Savera in Mylapore, Tamil Nadu featuring personalities from the literary, academic and journalistic world across Bharat and also had few book launches and a series of discussions with eminent speakers and authors. It was anchored around the theme of Ram Mandir, a cultural Renaissance bridging the North-South divide bringing to light the footprints of Shri Ram across the Southern parts of Bharat.
During the event, Kerala Governor Dr Arif Mohammad underscored the importance of working towards the advancement of humanity at large, particularly in the context of discussions surrounding the Bharatiya cultural renaissance, epitomised by the construction of the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya. J Nandkumar, Convenor of Prajna Pravah, illuminated the journey of Bharat’s identity, highlighting significant milestones and symbolic gestures that underscore its unity and resilience. The Lit Fest organiser Indoi Samudaya Foundation honoured legal luminary K. Parasaran with the title ‘Shri Rama Ratnam.’ Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi was also present.
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7. HSS USA PARTICIPATED IN CAMELLIA PARADE – 2024: On February 24, volunteers of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh’s Uttar-LA Vibhag marched as Ghosh Gana in the Camellia Parade and represented HSS and Hindu-American community. The parade was a part of the annual Camellia Festival organized by the city of Temple City, Los Angeles County, California. This is HSS’s second appearance in the parade, after a gap of 3 years, due to Covid and weather-related cancellations. A total of 30 Bala Kishores, 3 Yuvas and 8 Tarun Gana karyakartas, from 6 Shakhas of the Vibhag, participated in this year’s parade. Along with Aanak, Vamshi, Panav, Shankh vadaks, a few kishores walked with Patakas.
HSS Ghosh Gana was one among 80 other walking and Band groups that participated in this year’s parade. The group’s synchronization – while walking, and playing energetic Aanak, Vamshi and Shankh rachanas – was received well and was appreciated by the spectators who cheered the youngsters throughout the 2-mile parade route.
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8. HSS CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH: During February 2024, volunteers of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA engaged with and honored African American community leaders to commemorate Black History Month. HSS chapters in Buffalo Grove, IL, Chandler, AZ, Charlotte, NC, Chicago, IL, Cincinnati, OH, Columbus, IN, Parsippany, NJ, Plainsboro, NJ, Sacramento, CA, and Woodbridge, NJ invited distinguished African American personalities as a part of the Black History Month celebration.
Calisa Horton and Marvin Francis from General Electric’s (GE) African American Forum (AAF) participated in the HSS event in Cincinnati, OH.
Public Speaking Champion and Author Ant Blair delivered a powerful speech at the HSS event in Columbus, IN. In Chicagoland’s HSS chapter, Aurora City’s diversity, equity, and inclusion, (DEI) officer Clayton Mohammad presented the ‘Annual Black History Month Lecture’. At the Buffalo Grove, IL Chapter, State Senator Adriane Johnson highlighted the significant contributions of the African American community to American society. At other places also eminent community leaders were invited to share their thoughts on the occasion. These events served as a platform for celebrating the rich history and achievements of African Americans while fostering understanding and collaboration between the Hindu and African American communities.
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9. HSS NEPAL’S SWAMI VIVEKANANDA GYAN PARIKSHA: HSS Nepal’s Swami Vivekananda Gyan Parikshya is an annual competition aimed to test 6th to 10th grade students' knowledge and understanding of the teachings of Sanatan Dharma, Culture and Philosophy. For this Swami Vivekananda Gyan Pariksha Book is a comprehensive guide that delves into various cultural aspects, Dharma, Vedanta, places of significance, national interest, nationalism, and national heroes.
This year examinations were already held at several places like Dhangadi, Dadeldhura, Jumla, Surkhet, Dang (Tulsipur), Dang (Gadhawa), Kapilvastu, Rupandehi, Nawalparasi, Birganj, Janakpur, Saptari, Sunsari, Morang, Jhapa, Dhankuta, Kavre, Pokhara, Kathmandu etc. Every year in Nepal, this exam is held in more than 30 districts, in which about one and a half lakh students from all over Nepal participate in it in the presence of eminent personalities. Prize distribution and cultural programs were also organised after the examinations results.
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10. HSS AND SEWA MAURITIUS SERVES DURING MAHASHIVRATRI: During the Mahashivratri festival in Mauritius, around five hundred thousand of devotees and pilgrims converge to the sacred lake Ganga Talao to offer prayers and seek blessings each year.
This year, Sewa International Mauritius and HSS Mauritius team conducted Medical Sewa on four consecutive days from March 5 to 8.
The Medical Sewa camp was set up in proximity to the pilgrimage site of Ganga Talao to serve the large gathering facing physical strain and other medical issues during the pilgrimage. The sewa camp was staffed by a total of 16 volunteers which included 6 doctors, 8 health care assistants, 1 holistic nurse and 1 physiotherapist. The volunteers operated on a shift system. The camp provided basic first aid for minor injuries or ailments like blood pressure, blood sugar, etc. The medical camp was also equipped to handle more serious medical emergencies and to stabilize patients before they could be transported to the nearest hospital. Pilgrims were given free medications for common health issues such as headache, flu, hypertension, fever, and muscular pains among others. Physiotherapy sessions and massage service were also included for the needy people.
To raise awareness of the Medical Sewa Service that was offered by Sewa International Mauritius and HSS Mauritius for Mahashivratri at Ganga Talao, the event was communicated to the public through the social media and on the channels of Mauritius Broadcasting Cooperation.
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11. SEWA TT’S MAHASHIVRATRI 2024 FOOD DRIVE: SEWA Trinidad and Tobago organised a ‘Food Drive’ during the week of Mahashivratri festival in the country. During the drive, SEWA TT packed 815 food packages totaling 30,155lbs and those were delivered to families in need across Trinidad and Tobago.
Total 200 Volunteers participated in the food drive devoting around 980 working hours. The food distribution drive reached over 3200 needy beneficiaries during the week-long period.
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12. HINDUS IN YOGYAKARTA AND CENTRAL JAVA CELEBRATE GALUNGAN AT PRAMBANAN TEMPLE: Hundreds of Hindus from the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY) and Central Java took part in the Galungan procession in the Prambanan Temple area, Yogyakarta on February 28. This Galungan moment was held to commemorate the creation of the universe and to give thanks for what has been given by Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa (literally “The Divine Order,” the Supreme God of Indonesian Hinduism.)
This procession is carried out by presenting offerings and prayers from the main zone of Prambanan Temple. During the procession, Hindus offered prayers in the courtyard of Prambanan Temple and cleansed the temple through offerings and sprinkling holy water. This year’s celebration of the Galungan procession at Prambanan Temple was the third since the issuance of the Memorandum of Agreement of Four Ministers and Two Governors regarding the Utilization of Prambanan Temple and Borobudur Temple for the Religious Benefits of Hindus and Buddhists throughout the world. Hindu Community Guide (Pembimas) DI Yogyakarta Didik Widya Putra said that at this Galungan celebration, Hindus commemorate the creation of the universe and its contents. According to the lontar (palm leaf) document Purana Bali Dwipa, Galungan Day was first celebrated on the Full Moon of Kapat (Kliwon Dungulan Buddha) in 882 AD or Saka year 804. According to Didik, this is interpreted as a day of victory for Dharma against aDharma.
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13. DEVOTEES SOAK IN FERVOR AT PASHUPATINATH MANDIR AT KATHMANDU, NEPAL ON MAHASHIVRATRI: Lakhs of devotees from all over the world including Bharat, on March 8, thronged to the Pashupatinath Mandir Kathmandu the capital of Nepal to observe the festival of Mahashivratri. Since early morning, devotees were gathered in nearby rivers, ponds and temples to worship Bhagwan Shiv.
Some 3,000 saints, including naga babas were arrived at the temple premises to pay homage to Bhagwan Pashupatinath during the festival.
Mahashivratri marks the convergence of ‘Shiva’ and ‘Shakti’ and also celebrates the night when Bhagwan Shiv performed the ‘Tandav’–the cosmic dance.
Some 6,000 volunteers which includes HSS Nepal’s swayamsevaks and sevikas and an equal number of security personnel were mobilised to provide security and manage the crowd at the temple.
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14. SSUK ORGANISES SHIVOHUM FESTIVAL: On March 9, the Sanatan Sanstha of UK (SSUK) organised its maiden Shivohum Festival in London. The event brought together a diverse community to celebrate the auspicious occasion of Mahashivratri in a grand manner that London has never witnessed before. It also brought a new level of creativity and devotion blended during ‘The First Shiva-Festival’. On the occasion SSUK Founder and President Abhi Yogi informed about the various initiatives of SSUK and its mission to spread Sanatan Dharma. Nearly 500 people attended this event, filled with cultural performances including bhajans by children.
The ceremonial lighting of the lamp was performed by esteemed guests Kelly Saini, Param Nandha councillor, including representatives from various community groups of London like Sutton Mitra Mandal (SMM), IDUK Madhuresh Mishra from UPCA and others. Interactive sessions engaged children and participants in understanding the significance of Shivratri, while a unique Jalaabhishek ceremony done by Swami Surya Prabha (Bharmarishi Ashram) provided attendees with an opportunity to partake in the sacred ritual, enriching their spiritual experience.
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15. NEW YORK’S TIMES SQUARE LIGHT UP FOR MAHASHIVRATRI: Mahashivratri celebrations have not just gripped Bharar or Nepal but also several parts of the world. New York’s Times Square was lit up on March 4 night with chants of ‘Shiv’ and ‘Shambhoo’ echoing in the air.
Bharatiyas along with people from around the world were seen dancing to the beats of ‘Har Har Mahadev’. Founder of Isha Foundation - Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev - also shared the video of the fervour in Times Square on X.
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16. GYANVAPI: THOUSANDS THRONG TO VIYAS JI KA TEHKHANA TO WORSHIP ON MAHASHIVARATRI: In a remarkable event that unfolded after more than three decades, devotees gathered in massive numbers at Vyas ji ka Tehkhana beneath the Knowledge Seat (Gyanvapi) in Varanasi, following the auspicious Mangala Aarti at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple on the occasion of Mahashivratri on March 8. The sacred darshan at Vyas ji ka Tehkhana, renowned as the seat of Sage Vyas, was made accessible after an extensive wait, witnessing an overwhelming attendance of thousands of devotees.
Devotees gathered to witness the divine murti and seek blessings, creating a spiritually charged atmosphere. According to temple authorities, by 9 a.m., a staggering 388,006 devotees had already received darshan.
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17. INDIAN NAVY RESCUED MISSILE HIT CREW IN GULF OF ADEN: Once again the Indian Navy responded swiftly to a distress call from the Gulf of Aden where a merchant vessel caught fire after being hit by a missile, and rescued 21 crew members, including one Bharatiya national. The Navy said Barbados Flagged Bulk Carrier MV True Confidence was hit by a drone/ missile on March 6, resulting in a fire onboard and critical injuries to some of the crew members forcing the crew to abandon the ship.
INS Kolkata, deployed for Maritime Security Operations arrived at the scene and rescued 21 crew members from the life raft using its integral helicopter and boats. The rescued crew, including the critically injured personnel, were evacuated to Djibouti. Earlier, INS Kolkata responded to another distress call from a Liberian-flagged container vessel, MSC Sky II which was attacked by a drone or missile in the southeast of Aden.
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18. UNDER MISSION DIVYASTRA BHARAT TEST-FIRED AGNI-V: On March 11 Bharat successfully conducted the first flight test of the indigenously designed Agni-5 missile capable of deploying multiple warheads. The nuclear-capable missile named ‘Divyastra’ can hit targets at range of more than 5,000 kms including China.
Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi congratulated Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)scientists for the feat. “Proud of our DRDO scientists for Mission Divyastra, the first flight test of indigenously developed Agni-5 missile with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology,” PM Modi said on ‘X’. The mission was headed by a woman scientist. With the latest achievement ensuring that a single inter-continental ballistic missile(ICBM) can deploy multiple warheads at different locations, India has joined the select group of nations having MIRV capability.
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19. FIRST ALL WOMEN MARITIME SURVEILLANCE MISSION: A maiden all-women maritime surveillance mission was undertaken by the Andaman and Nicobar Command on the 40th anniversary of INAS 318 and International Women's Day on March 8. The crew based at INS Utkrosh comprised Lt Commander Shubhangi Swaroop, Lt Commander Divya Sharma and Lt Vaishali Mishra. The occasion highlighted the crucial role played by women combatants in all the walks of the Naval Air Arm, which included pre-flight briefing, meteorological briefing, medical check-up and Air Traffic Control (ATC) briefing, all of which were conducted by women officers.
INAS 318 is the elite Naval Air squadron in the Andaman & Nicobar Command, continuously engaged in surveillance role since its commissioning on March 8, 1984.
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20. 10,000-YEAR-OLD ROCK ART CARVING FOUND IN MAHARASHTRA: An anthropologist has unearthed eight ancient geoglyphs, potentially dating back around 10,000 years, in Ratnagiri district. Among these, seven have been uncovered in Umbarle village within Dapoli taluka, with one measuring approximately 17 feet in length. The eighth geoglyph was found in Borkhat village situated in Mandangad taluka. Geoglyphs represent a type of prehistoric rock art carving, and numerous clusters of them span over 900 kilometres along the Konkan coast in Maharashtra and Goa.
According to UNESCO, geoglyphs not only provide evidence of early human settlements but also illustrate how ancient communities adapted to wetlands in dry, arid plateaus. Additionally, they shed light on fauna that have since gone extinct and contribute to ongoing research on human resilience.
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21. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Visitors:

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Independence can be meaningful only if it becomes an instrument for expression of our Culture.- Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya
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JAI SHRI RAM
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HOW THE BHARATIYA WAY OF THINKING IS INFLUENCING THE WESTERN THOUGHT PROCESS
PANKAJ JAGANNATH JAISWAL

The globe has begun to consider the underlying causes of the difficulties we face in the twenty-first century.
Many countries around the world have seen various permutations and combinations of ideologies, including socialism, communism, secularism, feminism and fascism. They are adequate for fixing specific problems, but full and integral answers can only be discovered by investigating humanity’s moral, social, and spiritual ideals.
Economic and fiscal policies are only tools for achieving the social needs and ends. A study of Bharatiya approaches to these ideals will be beneficial for this activity.
Swami Vivekananda, who had previously highly praised the achievements of Bharatiya intellectuals, also condemned intellectuals for imposing some obsolete practices on Bharatiya society. Swamiji had explored the Western world with open eyes and an open heart. He remarked, “The West has studied mostly outwardly, while Bharat has studied mostly inwardly.” Cultural philosophy and ideology principles are interior manifestations of minds. The main difference between the approaches of the West and the East is that the West perceives things outwardly, whereas the Bharatiya mind sees things from both within and outside.
Consequently, the Bharatiya approach has always been holistic. The technique begins with an individual and progresses in a spiral pattern to family, society, nation, world, and finally, universe. So it includes the individual (Vyashti), society (Samashti), nature (Shrushti), and the Almighty (Parmeshti). It thinks that the Almighty (Parameshti) is a common thread that connects everything in one string.”

Deendayal stated, “The first attribute of Bharatiya culture is that it views life as an integrated totality. It takes an integrative approach. The West’s bewilderment stems mostly from its tendency to divide life into chunks and then try to glue them together. We acknowledge that there is diversity and plurality in life, but we have always sought to identify the unity that underpins them. This endeavor is completely scientific. Today, we understand that the entire cosmos is simply a type of energy. Philosophers are basically scientists.” Western philosophers advanced to the principle of duality. Hegel proposed the principles of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. Karl Marx used his principle as the foundation for his analysis of history and economics. Darwin sawthe idea of ‘Survival of the Fittest’ as the sole foundation of life. In contrast, Bharatiyas saw existence as fundamentally interconnected. The roots, trunk, branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits of the tree all grow from seed. Projections differ, but living fundamentals are the same. All of these have unique shapes and colours, as well as, to some extent, unique properties. We realise their connectedness with one another.
The eternal nature of the soul is one of the key principles defined by Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. Even in recent management literature, the concept of a soul is gaining popularity. In his book The 8th Habit, Stephen Covey advises professionals to listen to their “inner voice.” When introducing the entire person paradigm, he discusses the four dimensions of a person: spirit, body, heart, and mind.
A careful investigation of our ancient Bharatiya scripture, which includes the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Arthashashtra, yields a genuine treasure trove. This jewel offers the best instructions for how an individual should behave towards his family, society, and colleagues. Hindu texts are a corpus of knowledge that guides people in understanding the divine nature of the “ultimate truth” and mapping their own path to self-realisation. They are fully spiritual knowledge that teaches spiritual principles using numerous analogies from the temporal cosmos and the natural world around us. The Bharatiya scriptures provide extensive knowledge in science, spirituality, psychology, and management. A single person’s well-being and activities can have an impact on the overall success of an organisation. The Bhagavad Gita discusses current (Western) management themes such as vision, leadership, motivation, work excellence, goal achievement, purposeful work, decision-making, and planning. There is a considerable difference. While Western management theory typically addresses challenges at the material, external, and peripheral levels, the Bhagavad Gita addresses issues at the fundamental level of the human mind. When a person’s basic thinking improves, so do the quality of his actions and the outcomes.
Workshop by a think tank at Devon (UK)
A workshop hosted by a think tank for ‘Holistic Economics’ in November 2007 in Devon (UK) was a significant step toward such a study. The following passage from the report on the ‘think tank’ attests to their work: “We need Renaissance. We must reconsider everything we now take for granted, beginning with our fundamental ideals. We don’t need to ‘wipe the slate clean’, but we do need to take stock of all we have and start over withwhatever is good and worth preserving, while letting the rest go; we don’t need to waste time on philosophies, institutions, and technologies that are clearly failing. Above all, we must think ‘holistically’, that is, consider everything in relation to everything else. This is what the world is now failing spectacularly at.
“The current economy is purposefully geared to generate wealth, with the seeming notion that if we have enough money, we can always buy our way out of difficulties. Political leaders aspire, above all, to enhance the Gross Domestic Product. However, GDP is only a measure of the overall economy in circulation and has no direct bearing on human well-being. However, our entire society is committed to the concept of personal accumulation and overall economic progress. Economic growth will almost certainly be most effectively achieved through a profit-making economic system. That system is neoliberalism, and that is what we have.
“We need an economy that operates on its own terms while remaining firmly founded in moral, spiritual, and social values, as well as being in tune with the physical realities of the Earth. There are plenty of suggestions, but many have already been implemented and proven to be effective.”
Professor Colin Tudge at Devon
“Today’s politicians enjoy arguing, and some genuinely feel that they are acting in the best interests of the people. They want to maximise total happiness, yet they are committed to the concept of maximising GDP,which has little to do with happiness. It is easy to imagine societies in which GDP is maximised by destroying the environment; wrecking local societies (the people who rely on the forest or fish in the rivers); and all new wealth ends up in the hands of the (hawkish) minority, who then use it to make changes that cause even more havoc for the poor majority. Indeed, such examples are all around us. We should measure success interms of Gross National Happiness rather than Gross Domestic Product. Bhutan has already established this as a principle”.
“There’s one final irony. The Schumacher workshop that explored these concerns came to this conclusion –Gross National Happiness rather than GDP – by abandoning utilitarian ethics in favor of virtue ethics. But let us take a closer look at the current economy. It serves us so poorly because it is inherently materialistic and competitive. However, its failings are exacerbated by several fundamental structural problems, which, sadly, few people comprehend, including many of the world’s leaders.”
The entire spiral of individual, family, community, nation, universe, and almighty, as well as their interconnections, needs in-depth analysis and action. The book “The Key to Total Happiness” discusses all of these factors in length and how they must be interlaced using sanatan principles that have previously been successfully tested and confirmed. That is why the world is gradually shifting toward Hindutva philosophy inorder to make the world a better place to live, and communists, urban naxals, the world’s few wealthy families who practice communism, and capitalists must comprehend this better and sooner. Otherwise, their downfall would be much faster. - Organiser, 3 March 2024
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