Unity in Diversity

Born and brought up in India has given me chance to know and experience this idea which is known as Unity in Diversity. A very popular and new phrase in India but the idea is as old as the Rig Vedic civilization or even before that. But before getting into all this; let's start from the beginning.....

The term Unity in Diversity first coined by  Swami Sivananda in his visit to America to explain the strength of Indian Civilization and Philosophies. It can be also found in the different lectures of Swami Vivekananda but he didn't use this phrase actually but he meant the same thing.

While preparing for UPSC Civil Services I need to go through the compulsory books of History of Ncerts (National Council of Educational Research and Training) class 11 and 12 and in the first chapter of the class 11th book of history this topic is covered.

Their publishers of that book identified this as an essential part of the Indian subcontinent and civilizations emerged here or settled here. Different people belonging to different ideologies and systems; believe different religious orders came here and created correlation with people already living here and thus slowly and gradually this idea came into being. This is what NCERT said about Unity in Diversity.

But as I mentioned earlier that this idea has also crafted in the Vedas. There is a famous mantra in the Rig Veda...

एकम सत विप्रा बहुधा वदन्ति||

Pronunciation:- Ekam sat Vipra Bahudha Vadanti.

Meaning:- That Truth is one, intellectuals differ in their descriptions.

There is another Sloka in the Srimad Bhagavad Geeta Chapter 13 sloke number 5.... Which is...

ऋषिभिर्बहुधा गीतं छन्दोभिर्विविधै: पृथक् |

ब्रह्मसूत्रपदैश्चैव हेतुमद्भिर्विनिश्चितै: ||

Pronunciation:-

ṛiṣhibhir bahudhā gītaṁ chhandobhir vividhaiḥ pṛithak|

brahma-sūtra-padaiśh chaiva hetumadbhir viniśhchitaiḥ||

Meaning:- Rishi means the person who does research on a particular subject or topic. And Bahudha gitam chhandobhir vividhaih prithak means sung in different melodies, but the same thing which is written in the book named as Brahma Sutra (Written by Srimad Maharishi Bhagavan Krishna Dwaipayan Ved Vyas).  In one of the lines, it means the same gesture which is proclaimed by the Rig Mantra previously. There are many more such types of Mantras and Slokas present in the Vedic literature but for now, these two Slokas are enough and clear examples that Vedas acknowledge Unity in Diversity.

So, It is possible to build and live in a society that supports both Unity and Diversity at the same time. But it has its own consequences too... Like...

Diversity always encourages Chaos in Society because of its.....

1. Freedom of Expression, 

2. Freedom of Thoughts, 

3. Freedom to choose the standards you follow in your life, 

4. Freedom to Believe or Reject the Existence of God.

That's why people who believe in Unity in Diversity must accept few conditions which will help them adopt this idea and live within this sort of ecosystem.

1. You need to be well-educated and open-minded.

2. You need to be curious about new things.

3. You need to accept Change that supports positive growth and development in society.

Vedas suggest that the Truth in its truest form is Achintya. This Sanskrit word Achintya means "beyond the thought process of humans". It clearly means that it is impossible for any human to know the entire truth in his life span, whatever you know or whatever effort you show to know something new you always end up knowing just a portion of the entire picture. That's why Diversity always remains in existence. Actually, It is the reality of Nature; so discouraging it, is a foolish idea. And we behold this all around us in different forms of lives of different species.

The Makers of the Current Indian Constitution added a thing called "Preamble of Constitution" in it. I truly believe that this part of the Indian Constitution expounds the idea of Unity in Diversity, that too in a loud and clear sound in front of the world.

       "Preamble of Indian Constitution"

I believe that the Preamble of the Indian Constitution does not just show us What is Unity in Diversity looks like in a written form but also tells us that How can we celebrate this in reality. Both the theory and practical application of it.

In the end, I just want to point out one thing and that is Unity in Diversity is the only ideology that welcomes its opposition also with whole heartedly. It means if you discourage Diversity you are still part of it and indirectly promoting it. This is the strength and beauty of this philosophy.

Thank You 🙂