When we look closely at the epics of different religions, we find some common principles expressed in diverse ways. One such principle is ‘the world is one family’. In the Maha Upanishad, this is expressed in the following shloka: ayam nijah paroveti ganana laghuchetasam, udaracharitanam tu vasudhaiva kutumbakam.
This is mine, that is his; thus calculate the small-minded, The large-hearted believe that the entire world is a family. This shloka is engraved in the entrance hall of the Parliament of India. It is one of the most influential shlokas in the Hindu philosophy and has been included in the logo and theme of the 2023 G20 presidency that the country holds.
Apostle Paul gave a sermon on Mars’ hill in ancient Athens. At that time, Christianity was in its nascent stage and people were divided into several faiths, with Epicurean and Stoic being predominant. The different faiths loved to debate the differences in their approaches. When Apostle Paul arrived in Athens, they invited him to give a sermon. In that sermon, Paul gave the message of universal brotherhood: “God hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth.”
In Judaism, there was a prophet called Malachi who wrote what is called The Book of Malachi, a part of the Old Testament. He wrote to the Israelites who had returned to the promised land after 70 years of captivity in Babylon. In the book, he rebuked the people for breaking faith with each other. He said, “Have we not all one father? Hath not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?”
It is said once a funeral passed by Prophet Muhammad. When he stood up to pay his respects, someone remarked that it was a Jew. The prophet replied, “Was he not a soul?” The Hadith says Prophet Muhammad, at the end of each Namaz, said, “O God, I bear witness that all human beings are brothers of each other.” What is notable here is that he did not call all Muslims brothers of each other, but proclaimed them as brothers of all human beings, irrespective of their faith.
The Sioux native American tribe has a saying that sums up this feeling of universal brotherhood: “God is the Father, Earth the Mother. With all things and in all things, we are relatives.” People living in different regions of the world look different, dress differently and speak different languages. Yet we must never forget that we are all of the same blood. We are all one big family.