Celebrate Diversity

Courtesy: Sri.Sunder Hattangadi

This is a verse from Mahabharata:
 
 
Mahabharata 12:72:20 
 
Shanti Parva : Rajadharmanushasana parva : 20
 
 
  mālā kāropamo rājan bhava māṅgārikopamaḥ |
  tathāyuktaś ciraṃ rāṣṭraṃ bhoktuṃ śakyasi pālayan  || 20 || 
 
 
From Ch. 59 on, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira on the duties of a king.
 
 
"...thus equipped you will for long be able to enjoy and protect your
 
kingdom...." 
 

In this article, Rajiv Malhotra explains :
 
 
http://creative.sulekha.com/the-root-of-india-pakistan-conflicts_103245_blog
 
".......The Garland Making Worldview
 
"Be like a garland maker, O king; not like a charcoal burner." --Mahabharata, XII.72.20
This famous statement from the Mahabharata contrasts two worldviews. It asks the king to preserve and protect diversity, in a coherent way. The metaphor used is that of a garland, in which flowers of many colors and forms are strung together for a pleasing effect. The contrast is given against charcoal, which is the result of burning all kinds of wood and reducing diversity to homogeneous dead matter. The charcoal burner is reductionist and destroys diversity, whereas the garland maker celebrates diversity. 
 
Garland making and charcoal burning represent two divergent worldviews in terms of socio-political ideology. The former leads to pluralism and diversity of thought, whereas the latter strives for a homogenized and fossilized society in which dogma runs supreme. 
 
India represents a long and continuous history of experimentation with garland making. A central tenet of dharma is that one's social duty is individualistic and dependent upon the context: 
 
* To illustrate the context-sensitive nature of dharma, a text by Baudhayana lists practices that would be normal in one region of India but not appropriate in another, and advises that learned men of the traditions should follow the customs of their respective districts.
* Furthermore, the ethical views applicable also depend upon one's stage in life (asramadharma).
* One's particular position in society determines one's personal dharma (svadharma). 
* The dharma has to be based upon one's personal inner nature (svabhava). 
* There is even special dharma that is appropriate in times of distress or emergency (apaddharma)........."