(on June 21th, 2026

Yogic Worldview, Truth, Religiosity, Nationalism & Globalization
by Chanakya Ganguly  for International Yoga Day (on June 21th, 2026)
Yogic Education can help understand Diversity from Spiritual Unity to handle
complexity. Nation states were formed based on – one language, sometimes religion,
ethnicity. As per Yoga, it need not be a cause for conflict; it emphasizes on content of
character, than outer looks. Truth & Religiosity comes from Inner Silence & Higher
Consciousness has been given higher priority over identity. Languages are variations
of Latin/Sanskrit with similar grammar so one can learn two or three for integration.
https://medium.com/theherald/review-red-rising-series-7067200c850c
Yoga can help overcome societal conditioning for freedom, flexibility, transformation.
In ‘Red Rising’, Pierce Brown divides society into oppressor & oppressed, rigid roles,
hierarches and proposes an armed rebellion for change. As per Yoga, when the mind
is in its default state of inertia, overactivity, it tends to be fickle – can get conditioned
into obedience by societal pressures, get stuck into a rigid system, thus crumbling
one’s sense of reality; which seems to be the premise of the book explaining politics.
https://www.socratic-method.com/quote-meanings/william-shakespeare-it-is-not-in-the-stars-to-hold-our-destiny-but-in-ourselves
Yoga can help realize Shakespeare’s words, it is not in the stars, but our destiny lies
within. Macbeth is his most violent tragedy, driven by mundane evil motivations like:
ruthless ambition, greed, revenge. Hamlet says, “There is nothing either good or bad
but thinking makes it so.” Yoga says, dualistic thinking creates opposition rather than
harmony thus a culture of the “other”, as in The Merchant of Venice. Hence, suggests
self-control for restraint & not surrender to baser aspirations thus take responsibility
for the demons within; else it leads to destruction, chaos exemplified as in Hamlet.
https://www.higherselfyoga.org/articles/how-dantes-divine-comedy-introduces-the-higher-self-as-a-way-to-transform-human-nature
Spiritual epics like the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Shakespeare’s plays, Dante’s Divine
Comedy trace issues of human crisis with the Monkey Mind distorting values; wealth
from surplus (waste) to deficit (hoard) coming from overactivity, inertia. Yoga suggests
the third trait calm, balance. Dante starts with, ‘Midway in our life’s journey, I went
astray from the straight road to find myself alone in a dark wood’, & elaborates with
‘How shall I say’. One needs to balance Spiritual Self-Discipline with Security in Life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbCEWSip9pQ
(Why should you read Dante’s “Divine Comedy”?)
Washington echoed this spirit of the Constitution and said, without such restraint, the
disorders in warring groups would seek to dominate each other ruining public liberty.
Yoga says, one who during intensest activity finds silence and vice-versa, has learnt the
secret of restraint, work, by self-control; is calm in the city, active in a cave. Yoga can
help reform the human mind to understand governance and rule of law. In the book,
The Authority of the Court and the Peril of Politics, US Justice Stephen Breyer says that
justices try to avoid politico economical influence, but expecting a clean divorce is
unrealistic.  He suggests the revival of civic education for an introspective citizenry.
Yoga says, Laws alone do not build a system; but inner spiritual reform and lifetime
commitment, to translate the letter of the law, to the spirit of the law, does the same.
Yoga can help manifest virtues: Temperance, Silence, Justice, Order
Plato in, “Republic” argues leaders should be philosopher kings, King (Raja)+Sage
(Rishi) as in Yoga. He divided governance into 3 categories: Rulers who govern with
Wisdom, Guardians who defend with courage, Producers who provide in moderation.
Kind of the 4 roles – Bramhins (Spiritual Educators), Kshatriyas (Rulers), Vaishyas
(Merchants), Shudras (Workers), with a common goal to become philosopher sages.
He said each class, who understand that Truth alone should govern, fulfilling their
role, leads to a just society. Democracy, on the other hand, he thought gave power to
people who didn’t understand what was good. Many said his ideas were authoritarian.
https://www.planksip.org/soul-and-society-platos-vision-of-harmony/
But Lee Kuan Yew thought it was the right way to govern. His Singapore model states:
Lee Kuan Yew’s Singapore model states: 1) Governance is about leadership, not ideals
2) Superior performance requires intellectual, moral leadership, as the Yogic System
of King (Raja)+Sage (Rishi) 3) Reward active contribution of mental and physical
labor for success 4) Discipline first. Not promises. Democracy later 5) Emotional
Stability for clarity in life, judgments and decision making so as not to be clouded.
Yogic Practice can help pursue stoic meditative lessons with Higher Consciousness.
It can help develop values of – calm, balance, patience, detachment, temperance &
solitude to pursue eight stoic lessons by Marcus Aurelius. They are being – 1) Focus
on what you can control 2) Life is fleeting, live now 3) Accept change as natural 4)
Maintain objectivity in judgment 5) Cultivate virtue 6) Build inner strength through
adversity 7) Remember mortality (Memento mori) 8) Practice empathy, cooperation.
https://www.laurenleduc.com/blog/yoga-and-polarity
Yoga can help integrate the masculine and feminine sides of a being for completion.
Yogic concept of a complete human being is called Ardha Nareeswara (half man-half
woman) for joy & clarity. Psychologist Carl Jung says emotionally charged content
indicates an active, unintegrated state of the unconscious. Excess of the masculine
can lead to hardness, monstrosity & excess of feminine to group think, fussiness &
risk aversion. Thus, one needs inner integration to make the unconscious conscious.
https://www.westernwellness.com.au/blog/the-benefits-of-yoga-for-mental-clarity-and-focus
Yogic Practice can help increase the ability to stick to a problem/skill for deeper
learning. In any activity in life, it is usually the staying power, ability to stick with a
problem/skill for a long period of time, that usually gives deeper learning & inner
fulfillment. Yoga can help develop Character, Concentration, Higher Consciousness
by turning the senses inwards (sensory celibacy or Bramhacharya) – to be in the state
of Saraswati (Goddess of Learning) or Ganesha (Remover of Obstacles) i.e., Wisdom
coming from Silence. Thus, preventing self-destruction with gradual self-realization.
https://www.yogadistrict.com/where-philosophy-and-yoga-meet/
Yogic Practice can help find the Aristotlean “golden mean” between two extremes.
Aristotle argued that for every virtue like Temperance, there are two extremes. One
that represents an excess of a trait like Intemperance, while the other a deficiency
like Insensibility – overactivity and inertia as in Yoga. His concept of virtue centers
on finding a “golden mean” through habit & reason – like calm, balance as in Yoga.