*Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: A Need of Our Times*

“Relationship with Nature” is not just a feeling – it is a science-based survival strategy; prayer must be followed by action

December is the month of endings.

Around this time, each one of us instinctively turns back and looks at the year gone by—

What did I gain this year?

What did I lose?

Health, relationships, work, money, fulfilment…

A personal balance sheet starts forming in the mind.

But there is one question we almost never ask:

*What did we gain and lose this year as a society?*

Because the balance sheet of society cannot be measured in money.

It is measured in

air, water, soil, forests, rivers and lakes, biodiversity,

and the integrity of our interdependence.

And today, that balance sheet is ringing an alarm bell.

This is not merely a discussion about “the environment.”

This is a discussion about the very roots of

• our food security,

• our health,

• our economy,

• rising waves of

migration,

• and growing

conflict.

At the end of the year, all of us make personal resolutions for the new year—

about health, exercise, food, reading, work, money habits…

But if we are honest,

most of these resolutions last only a few days.

We are already running a separate series on how to make resolutions actually last,

how to turn them into a lifestyle.

Yet this year, we need to pause for a moment

and ask ourselves a larger question:

Are resolutions only for myself enough anymore?

Because today’s crisis is no longer just about

“individual discipline.”

It has become a crisis of our collective way of living.

That is why, now more than ever,

we need resolutions for society,

and even for this planet as a whole—

and we need to honour them with utmost sincerity.

In this context,

*Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam*– the world is one family –

cannot remain just a beautiful Sanskrit slogan.

It has to become the direction of our life.

*1) Earth’s “Balance Sheet”: We are Living on Ecological Credit (Overshoot)*

Modern science is holding up

a hard but honest mirror in front of us:

Humanity’s use of natural resources

has overshot the Earth’s capacity to regenerate them.

This is called Ecological Overshoot.

The Global Footprint Network announces

“Earth Overshoot Day” every year –

the date on which humanity has already used up

all the natural capital that Earth

can regenerate in that entire year.

For 2025, this day falls on 24th July.

That means, for the rest of the year,

we are living in “ecological deficit”—

• depleting local resource stocks, and

• overloading the atmosphere with carbon.

The 2025 press release of this campaign

states something shocking yet crystal clear:

“Humanity is currently using nature

at a rate about 1.8 times faster

than Earth’s ecosystems can regenerate.”

This is not a sermon.

This is an accounting statement.

Exactly as in a household—

when expenses keep exceeding income,

you can survive on loans for a while,

but then interest mounts, stress rises—

In the same way,

when we keep living on Earth’s ecological credit,

its consequences start showing up in society

as crises of food, water, health, economy, migration,

and conflict.

*2) The Collapse of the Web of Life:*

When Nature Grows Weak, We Grow Weak (Biodiversity)

We often think of “environment” as

a matter of “love for nature.”

In reality, the environment is a condition for survival.

Pollination, water purification,

fertility of soil,

balance of diseases and pests,

stability of climate—

all of these depend directly

on the health of ecosystems.

According to WWF’s Living Planet Report 2024,

over the 50 years from 1970 to 2020,

the average size of monitored vertebrate wildlife populations

has declined by about 73%

(as per the Living Planet Index).

This does not mean

“73% of animals are extinct.”

It means that the populations of many species

have shrunk drastically,

in other words,

the threads in the web of life

are growing thinner and weaker.

At the same time,

a global assessment by IPBES warns that

around one million species

face the risk of extinction—

many of them within the coming decades

if the main drivers are not addressed.

These numbers are not meant to frighten us.

They are here to tell us calmly but firmly:

*When nature becomes weak,*

*humanity too becomes weak.*

*3) Climate Change: Delay has a Very Heavy Price*

UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report 2025

gives two stark messages:

1. A 1.5°C overshoot is “very likely”

within the coming decade.

2. To align with the Paris Agreement pathways by 2035,

global annual emissions need to be reduced,

compared to 2019, by about:

• 35% for a 2°C pathway, and

• 55% for a 1.5°C pathway.

In simple words,

the “we’ll see a little later” option

is shrinking rapidly.

The more we delay, the more damage we lock in—

and the harder, more expensive and more painful

it becomes to undo, if at all.

*4) The Fundamental Illusion: “Nature and I Are Separate”*

Behind all of this

lies a deep mental software bug:

We consider ourselves separate from nature.

Then, nature becomes a “resource”,

and we become “users” or “owners”.

Progress starts to mean

more consumption, more speed, more comfort.

But when nature’s limits are breached,

the very foundation of these comforts begins to crack—

and at the level of society,

this cracks open as

instability, anxiety, insecurity, and conflict.

Here, a crucial message

from Sadguru Shri Wamanrao Pai

shines with great relevance:

“Vikasālā vivekāchī jōḍ havī.

Vikasālā vivekāchī jōḍ nasal,

tar vikas hā bhakās hoतो.”

Progress must be coupled with wisdom.

Without wisdom, progress becomes decay.

“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” in this light

is not just a spiritual statement;

it becomes a practical direction.

If Earth is our family,

we cannot chase “gain for a few”

by causing “loss for many.”

Because, eventually, that loss returns to us,

in the air we breathe,

the water we drink,

the food we eat,

and the future we hand over to our children.

Sadguru also points to

one of nature’s most important laws:

“Kriyā tasī pratīkriyā” –

As the action, so the reaction.

In the realm of ecology,

this reaction is often

magnified and multiplied many times over.

*5) Prayer Must Not Remain Verbal – It Must Take Form in Action*

In our prayers we say—

“Deva, sarvāñchā bhaḷḷa kar…

kalyāṇ kar… rakṣaṇ kar…”

“O Divine, bless everyone…

bring well-being… grant protection…”

This prayer is beautiful in its language,

and profound in terms of inner psychology.

Because it gently moves us out of

the narrow frame of “me and mine,”

and into the wider circle of “all beings.”

But we must accept one hard truth:

If our words are not supported by action,

prayer remains merely verbal;

it does not fully descend into reality.

Prayer is not just a request of “Give me.”

It is a decision about our inner attitude.

If that decision does not shape our behaviour,

it remains only a sound,

not a lived commitment.

We might recite “rakṣaṇ kar”

108 or even 1000 times a day—

“protect all, protect all”

but if, at the same time, we:

• keep choking the

air,

• keep wasting

water,

• keep generating

piles of waste,

• keep disturbing

the balance of

ecosystems,

then a deep conflict begins

between our words and our way of living.

Prayer goes outward,

but our lifestyle moves in the opposite direction.

That is why

the time has come now

to bring our prayers down into action.

And such action

does not begin with grand declarations;

it begins with small but consistent decisions.

*6) “Bhalla – Kalyān – Rakṣaṇ”:*

A 3-Point Action Pledge Hidden in the Prayer

Let us give the three words from our prayer

three clear gateways of action:

*1) Bhalla kar* = Reduce (Do Less Harm)

Bhalla – “do good” –

is not only about sweet wishes.

It also means:

reducing the burden

we place on other beings and on nature.

• Reducing energy

wastage,

• Cutting down

unnecessary

travel,

• Putting discipline

on over-

consumption—

these are the first steps of

“Bhalla kar – Do good.”

*2) Kalyān kar =* Regenerate (Help Life Rebuild)

Kalyān is more than

“doing less damage.”

It means actively increasing life.

• Composting wet

waste,

• Planting native

trees and

nurturing them,

• Conserving water

through small,

local measures—

these become our way

of repaying the Earth.

*3) Rakṣaṇ kar =* Protect with Systems (Protection + Systems)

Rakṣaṇ is not just an emotion.

It is rules, discipline, and continuity.

• Keeping events

plastic-free,

• Enforcing proper

waste

segregation,

• Conducting basic

energy or water

audits in our

homes and

institutions—

through such systems,

“Rakṣaṇ” stops being a word and becomes a living practice.

*7) Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – The New Year Pledge*

9 Measurable Resolutions for Society and the Planet

For the coming year,

let us frame nine concrete resolutions

that go beyond the purely personal

and embrace the planet as family.

*1. Energy Resolution*

Reduce household / institutional electricity use

by at least 10% –

by tracking meter readings every month.

*2. Water Resolution*

“Zero leakage” at home / office

• reducing unnecessary water use.

*3. Waste Resolution*

Segregate wet and dry waste at source

• compost wet waste wherever possible.

*4. Plastic-Free Resolution*

In programmes / satsangs,

avoid single-use plastics—

use steel, refill systems, and reusables.

*5. Mindful Purchase Resolution*

Before each purchase, ask:

“Is this a need or just a habit?”

And reduce unnecessary buying

by at least 20%.

*6. Repair Culture Resolution*

Give priority to Repair–Reuse

instead of “use and throw.”

*7. Local Support Resolution*

Prefer local and seasonal food and products

to reduce invisible “food miles.”

*8. Biodiversity Resolution*

Plant at least one native tree

and care for it for three years,

or create a small “biodiversity corner”

with flowering plants and a water source

for birds and insects.

*9. Community Action Resolution*

Once a month,

participate in at least one collective

*environmental yajna*

such as a cleanup drive,

water conservation work,

tree-care activity,

or awareness campaign.

*8) “Not All at Once” Does Not Mean “Never”:*

The Michelangelo Insight

It may not be possible to implement

all of these changes

at once, everywhere, immediately—

and it is not even reasonable

to demand that.

But “not all at once”

does not mean “never.”

True change is rarely

“one giant leap.”

It is usually

“many small, firm steps.”

Here, the Michelangelo insight

becomes deeply relevant.

The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

was not painted in a day.

Its grandeur emerged

day by day, section by section,

through hundreds of small “giornatas” –

a day’s work at a time.

If we truly want to live

“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” today,

we have to embrace the same process:

• One decision at a

time,

• Followed

consistently.

One home – one concrete resolution…

One institution – one clear rule…

One community – one shared action…

If this begins to happen,

“World-wellbeing”

will no longer feel like a distant dream.

*Conclusion: Not a Slogan – A Way of Life*

Today, humanity stands at a fork in the road.

We really have only two choices:

1. Continue as we are…

and allow nature’s accounting

to teach us lessons the hard way.

2. Or consciously change direction…

and create a safer future

for the generations to come.

We often chant the phrase

“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”

with a sense of feeling and devotion.

But now, it cannot remain

just a Sanskrit sentence.

It must become

a strategy for civilization.

If Earth is truly our family,

then our choices too

must be for the well-being of this family—

in energy, water, waste, plastic,

consumption, travel…

None of these is “purely personal” anymore.

Every habit is a contract

we sign with the environment.

And the outcome of that contract

is finally written

in our breath, our water, our food,

and our health.

That is why

the meaning of prayer

deepens in our times.

“Deva, sarvāñchā bhalla kar…

kalyān kar… rakṣaṇ kar…”

“O Divine, bless everyone,

bring well-being, grant protection…”

These words are beautiful,

and powerful in their inner science.

But without the support of action,

they do not fully manifest.

If “Rakṣaṇ kar – protect all”

comes out of our mouth,

then protection must also come out of our hands.

So let this be

our most meaningful resolution this year:

Along with my personal resolutions,

I will also take resolutions

for society and for this Earth—

and I will strive to honour them fully.

I will do good.

I will foster well-being.

I will protect.

This, in essence,

is what it means

to live “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.”

*The Secret of Sankalp Siddhi –*

*Jayant Joshi* 🌍✨