Bahujana sukhaya bahujana hitaya cha

Gautama Buddha in the fifth century BCE suggested his disciples to work for the welfare and happiness of the masses under the dictum Bahujana sukhaya bahujana hitaya cha.

Bahujana sukhaya bahujana hitaya cha (translates to "for the happiness of the many, for the welfare of the many")[1] is a dictum or aphorism enunciated in the Rigveda in Sanskrit.[2]

Hinduism defines five basic traditional philosophical concepts and the fifth concept enjoined to be followed is the concept of "welfare of the many, the happiness of the many".[3]

Gautama Buddha in the fifth century BCE suggested his disciples to work for the welfare and happiness of the masses under the same dictum.[4] Numerous others such as the nineteenth-century Hindu monk Swami Vivekananda[5][6] and Indian nationalist, freedom fighter, philosopher Sri Aurobindo also spoke on this aphorism.

This aphorism is the motto of the All India Radio (AIR) a National Public Service Broadcaster and its emblem depicts the motto.[7]

  1. ^ Coleman 1973, p. 27.
  2. ^ "Governance in Classic India" (PDF). Transparency India organization. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  3. ^ Singh 1999, pp. 81–82.
  4. ^ Madan 1999, p. 47.
  5. ^ Vivekananda 1993, p. 38.
  6. ^ Ghosh 2008, p. 118.
  7. ^ "All India Radio". Official government website of All India Radio. Archived from the original on 20 September 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.