World as one family

Love for one’s country is patriotism. If patriotism is based on an ideology, it becomes nationalism. If nationalism is coupled with awareness of something unique that one’s country can offer to the rest of the world, nationalism merges seamlessly with internationalism. That is the type of nationalism Sri Aurobindo adopted and practised. What India can offer to the world is timeless spiritual wisdom that lays the foundation for a meaningful life, full of love, peace and fulfilment.

From a spiritual angle, we are all diverse manifestations of the one Divine. Spiritual wisdom can create a sense of fraternity, a sense of universal brotherhood and sisterhood, on which can be founded global unity on the psychological plane. The outer expression of a sense of psychological unity can be a World Government. World Government based on psychological unity will respect diversity. Thus, in Sri Aurobindo’s vision, Indian nationalism was the fountainhead of internationalism and, for this to happen, an independent India was a prerequisite. Thus, he wanted India to be free.

Like Gandhiji, Sri Aurobindo kept his windows open to ideas from everywhere. This has been our tradition since the Vedic times. ‘Let noble thoughts come to us from every side,’ says Rig Ved 1.89.1. India’s nationalism has never stopped it from treating the world as one family, vasudhaiva kutumbakam, which it repeated recently with corona vaccine.