International Year of Shelter for the Homeless, 1987 - First Day Cover

The United Nations General Assembly declared 1987 as the International Year of Shelter for the Homeless. It has called particularly for improved living conditions for the poor and disadvantaged in developing countries. The UN is working with Governments, involved organizations and local people to develop, communicate and put into practice the best methods for meeting this most fundamental of human needs.

  

India Post issued a commemorative stamp on 05.10.1987 to mark the occasion along with an FDC and Brochure. The stamp on FDC is post-marked with a cancellation which has a motto in Sanskrit taken from the Vedas --

यत्र विश्वं भवत्येकनीडम् 

The first verse of the text of the mantra alone is quoted here. Minor variation and transposition is seen in Yjurveda-Kāṇva-Saṁhitā 35.35, Yajurveda-Mādhyaṅdina-Saṁhitā, 32.8 (nihitaṃ guhā sat), Atharva-veda, 2.1 (rūpam).

वेनस्तत्पश्यन् विश्वा भुवनानि विद्वान्                                                                     

यत्र विश्वं भवत्येकनीडम्  .....

venas tat paśyan viśvā bhuvanāni vidvān 

yatra viśvaṃ bhavatyekanīḍaṃ.....

                      -- Mahānārāyaṇa-Upaniṣad, 1.14.

         

In the above Upaniṣad, a Gandharva named Vena* declared having seen that Paramātman: He in whom the universe finds a single place of rest ....

This is India's vision - an unique tradition of not having attacked any other country (other than inside politrics!!).

Unwanted Notes:

 

Etymological interpretations of the word "Vena" are many. The term is applied to Indra, Sūrya, Prajāpati, Gandharva. and so on. Nīḍa is a resting place, a bird's nest where the young ones live together. The word "Nīḍa" is permitted to be pronounced as "Nīḷa" in Yajurveda (ḷa in place of  ḍa - like, Agniṃ-īde and Agniṃ-īḷe).