ok.. i will agree that there were several kingdoms. however, there is a caveat in your theory! although there was no concept of India, there has been a concept for bharat for long before the earliest Muslim invasions. there is also a basis for what i'm saying. even though the neighboring kingdoms were vying against each other for farmland and resources, people from villages across borders were still visiting each other and calling each other brothers. there would be weddings across borders, and on occasion when the wedding was in the family of an important figure of the village, kings from both sides would visit the wedding and give their blessings to the couple! so you see, the "division" between the people was only political. in reality, you always had a sense of belonging between people across the entire country! as for "our own good", i think we as indians should start thinking in terms of developing the country, not our religions! if there is something in our religion that is hampering the progress of our Nation, we should change it. i don't mean to be offensive, but i think the days when it was wise to "reproduce and proliferate" are gone. it's more prudent to control our population for the sake of our country and its people. would you be strong enough to make a statement saying "I will accept birth control measures. I shall not be detrimental to my country's development and vow not to produce more than 2 children!"? If yes, then you would be patriotic..
