Spiritual unity is engendered by the concept of divine unity. We are all creations of God. God is the greatest reality in the universe. As a result of acknowledging that there is only one great reality, all other creations gain the characteristic of unity. Although physically all human beings appear to be different, spiritually they are one. The main aim of all religions basically is to encourage this spiritual unity within man and between man and man.
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is a Sanskrit phrase found in Hindu texts such as the Maha Upanishad, which means “the word is one family”. Quran says, O men have fear of God who created you from a single soul, from that soul he created its mate, and through them, he scattered the earth with countless men and women. This means that men and women have been created from the same substance.
Prophet Muhammad(S) said that all human beings are brothers. That is to say that when all human beings in this world are virtually blood brothers, they must, as brothers in spirit too. In 1893, Swami Vivekanda went to Chicago to participate in the Parliament of religions. On that occasion, all speakers at the conference followed the common practice of addressing the audience as “Ladies and gentlemen” but when Swami Vivekanda took the stage, he addressed the assembly as “Sisters and brothers of America”,
No sooner than the words came out of his mouth, the hall resounded with a long burst of applause of all the delegates at the conference. Swamiji received the greatest standing ovation. The form of address, “ladies and gentlemen”, produces a sense of alienation and strangeness whereas the phrase “Sisters and Brothers” introduces a note of closeness and familiarity.
By using this phrase, Swami Vivekanda struck a chord in the hearts of those different creeds and colours. Their natural feeling of unity was awakened, they began to feel what they really were and for that moment, physical divisions disappeared and were replaced by a rare spiritual unity. The Bible clearly says spiritual unity means relating to peoples thoughts and beliefs, rather than to their bodies.