As a student of Bhagawad Gita, when I reflect on the oath taken by the PM and his Council of Ministers, and all those PMs and Ministers, who have governed Bharat, what struck me was the fact that the oath is based on words frequently used in our ageless Bhartiya scriptures (Upanishads) and elaborated eloquently by many Rishis and Acharyas to communicate ageless wisdom and answer – “What is the purpose of Life”?
I don’t know who authored this oath, but it is surely based on the knowledge & understanding of our constitution makers about our timeless scriptures as well as their expectation of the character, which the makers of our constitution wanted in those who govern Bharat. No wonder pictures from Ramayan and other scriptures have been a part of the original constitution (wish the constitution would be printed as it is with all the wonderful & profound pictures and I could get a copy)
The following words have been used in the oath, respectively in Hindi & English:
ईश्वर - God
श्रद्धा - faith
निष्ठा - allegiance
प्रभुता – sovereignty
अखंडता - integrity
शुद्ध अंतःकरण - conscientiously
अनुराग - affection
द्वेष – ill will
कर्तव्य - duties
With respect to the context most of the Hindi words have the correct English word used, but I think that the 6th word in the above list which is “conscientiously” is not upholding the exact meaning for the Hindi word “शुद्ध अंतःकरण”. The meaning of conscientiously as per the world’s leading dictionaries is:
Oxford - taking care to do things carefully and correctly
Cambridge - feeling a moral responsibility to do your work carefully and to be fair to others
Merian Webster - governed by or conforming to the dictates of conscience
In my understanding (hearing from our great saints & acharyas) the meaning of the term “शुद्ध अंतःकरण” is “inner purity”. Someone whose inner self is free from sufferings and perversions which malign an individual, namely - ignorance, vanity, likes, dislikes, fear of death, lust, anger, greed, attachment, pride and envy.
In my capacity, I think it makes sense to replace this word “conscientiously” with “inner purity” to reflect the true meaning of “शुद्ध अंतःकरण”. The famous line in Hanuman Chalisa “हरहु क्लेश विकार” is an appeal, a prayer, to the Almighty to help one become free from these very sufferings & perversions.
Good Governance must be Inside Out. Narendra Modi ji has very deep knowledge about Bhartiya Scriptures and I hope that this finds resonance with him.
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