Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – the whole world is one family – is one of the basic teachings of Hinduism. Strong conviction in precepts like these will give us the realization that we are interrelated.
We might not accept or might not like the idea but we are progenies of a single life source and it is into this inexhaustible wellspring that we ultimately merge into. This knowledge generates kinship at all times and a shared emotion during periods of calamity, resulting in people uniting to mitigate the misery and obtain deliverance from the situation.
The practice of Jnana Yoga will lead us to this realisation that culminates in wisdom. A simple analogy will help further drive home this point. The inter-relationship with our fellow beings is somewhat akin to that which exists amongst the different elements that make up the human frame. If the little toe gets hurt, the entire body reacts in pain and the hands instinctively reach out to comfort the injured toe even as cells within reorient themselves to heal it. Practice of Jnana Yoga will have us experience this undeniable connectivity that exists amongst us. Affinity spontaneously gives rise to empathy and supportiveness.
Source – Vedanta Kesari June 2021 Issue page 12 – article by Smt Lakshmi Devnath