Harmony & Peace for Development & Growth

I was thinking, and that is perhaps natural human tendency, about what I collated and posted last related to critical attribute of ‘tolerance’, having seen some reactions.

And that reminded me of another post titled “Political polarisation and it’s effect on social groups” (http://atulmankad.blogspot.com/2020/06/political-polarisation-and-its-effect.html).

Thinking about polarization, tolerance or absence of the same led to thoughts about ‘Harmony’, which is one of my top five innate themes. And thinking about ‘harmony’ took me to the verses of Rig Ved, Mandal 10th, Hymn 191, captioned ‘Samjñāna Sūkta’ (संज्ञान सुक्तम्). These verses are particularly of interest to me as they focus on harmony and unity in society, and family as well as workplaces are subsets of society.

Logical next step was to seek help and dive deeper. Here are the verses with their analysis, as I captured:

संगच्छध्वं संवदध्वं
सं वो मनांसि जानताम्
देवा भागं यथा पूर्वे
सञ्जानाना उपासते || 10.191.2

Translation: "Meet together, talk together, Let your minds comprehend in harmony; In like manner as the ancient gods Concurring, accepted their sacrificial portions."

Context: This verse emphasizes collective dialogue and understanding. Its core message is about:

• The importance of open communication ("talk together")
• The value of reaching shared understanding ("minds comprehend in harmony")
• Drawing wisdom from tradition, referencing how even the gods worked in concert

Contemporary relevance: In our increasingly polarized world, this verse reminds us of the fundamental importance of genuine dialogue and the effort to understand different perspectives. It's particularly relevant for conflict resolution, whether in international diplomacy, workplace disputes, or community and family relations.

समानो मन्त्र: समिति: समानी
समानं मन: सहचित्तमेषाम्
समानं मंत्रम् अभिमन्त्रये व:
समानेन वो हविषा जुहोमि || 10.191.3

Translation: "Common be your prayer, Common be your end, Common be your purpose, Common be your deliberation. Common be your desires, Unified be your hearts, United be your intentions, Perfect be the union among you."

Context: This verse builds on the previous one by outlining the elements of unity:

• Shared goals and aspirations
• Collective decision-making
• Emotional and intellectual alignment
• The pursuit of common good

Contemporary relevance: This speaks directly to modern challenges in team building, community organization, and democratic processes. It's particularly applicable to:

• Corporate culture building
• International cooperation on global challenges like climate change
• Multi-stakeholder initiatives
• Community development projects

समानी व आकूति: समाना हृदयानि व: |
समानमस्तु वो मनो यथा व: सुसहासति || 10.191.4

Translation: "Common be your purpose, Common be your hearts, Common be your thoughts, So that there may be thorough union among you."

Context: This final verse reinforces the message of unity with emphasis on:

• Shared purpose (again highlighting its importance)
• Emotional connection ("common hearts")
• Mental alignment ("common thoughts")
• The ultimate goal of complete harmony

Contemporary relevance: This verse speaks to:

• The importance of alignment in organizational leadership
• The need for emotional intelligence in relationship building
• The value of shared vision in any collective endeavor
• The role of empathy in building lasting connections

The Sukta’s Overall context and purpose:

These verses are part of a larger hymn focused on samjñāna (harmony/ consensus). They were likely used in:

• Community gatherings
• Conflict resolution
• Religious ceremonies
• Social bonding rituals

The overall message of these verses is remarkably relevant to contemporary society because they address universal human challenges:

1. How to build consensus in diverse groups
2. The importance of both intellectual and emotional alignment
3. The need for shared purpose in collective endeavors
4. The value of tradition while working toward unity

Let us build a unified and harmonised family, society, nation and the world, in that order.