RELATING FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES WITH ANCIENT LITERATURES WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO DUTY TOWARDS NATION AND ENVIRONMENT
By Tejashwini Omprakash Tanwar & Manvendrasingh Omprakash Tanwar
Students of LLM programme at IILM, Greater Noida.
Corresponding Author Email: tejotanwar5@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
This paper focuses particularly on duty towards the nation and protecting our environment we live in. It is very necessary to understand that protecting nation and national integrity is not just the duty of the soldiers standing on the borders and protecting motherland from its enemies but also of all the citizens residing in the country as this country is their motherland and belongs to them. Similarly, it is also very important to understand that human existence is completely dependent on the environment and thus needs to be protected and used not just for present generation but also for the upcoming generations.
Keywords- Environment, Ancient Literatures, Ramayana, India, Legislature etc.
I. INTRODUCTION
In India, performing one's duties has been highly valued since ancient times. Prioritizing one's duty over one's rights was regarded as the ultimate goal of life. The citizens of India are able to breathe in independent India today because of the many courageous kings throughout history, like Maharana Pratap, Rana Sanga, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and all the freedom fighters who dedicated their all to the country. Ancient scriptures also lay down stress on fulfilling one’s duty in order to attain salvation (moksha) which is the ultimate goal of all the leaving beings. Bhagavad Gita includes two words “Bhagwat” means Bhagvan or “God” and “Gita” means song thus known as song of God is one such crucial literature, was revealed by Lord Shree Krishna to Arjun on the threshold of the epic war of Mahabharata. The Bhagavad Gita teaches a valuable lesson about karma. Shri Krishna taught Arjuna the Gita after he threw his Gandiva and sat in the chariot. He did not leave the field after that; instead, he stood up and began fighting. Also, there are traces found in ancient literatures that mainly focus on fulfilment of one’s duties. Thus, Gita and other important ancient literatures are for those citizens who will carry out their duties towards the nation, just as Arjuna fulfilled his duty of war by lifting Gandiva after learning about it.
The citizens of India have certain rights and obligations which are law-abiding. In addition to the rights, it is essential to understand and diligently fulfil Fundamental Duties. The eleven Fundamental Duties listed in the Indian Constitution act as a set of rules for all Indian citizens. These obligations include a broad spectrum of tasks and represent the principles and values that contribute to betterment of the nation. This paper mainly focuses and throws light on performance of fundamental duties and connecting it with ancient literatures so as to understand the importance of performance of duty since ancient times.
Our old scriptures are written by such great people and saints who lived their whole life like an ascetic so that they could get true knowledge, and when they attained true knowledge, they preserved them for the coming generations and now the present generations can read them and get invaluable knowledge from them. Moreover, there are many instances from which it is evident that ancient knowledge, which is thousands of years old, is very appropriate even in modern times. Ancient knowledge system is based on scientific grounds. For instance, There is a verse of Hanuman Chalisa in which the exact distance of the sun from the earth has been described.
Old texts describe many types of Ayurvedic medicines, which are constantly proving to be very beneficial in curing many diseases. From this it is evident that the texts mentioned in ancient literatures are trustworthy and if followed gives results that are beneficial to the whole mankind.
This paper also focuses particularly on duty towards the nation and protecting our environment we live in. It is very necessary to understand that protecting nation and national integrity is not just the duty of the soldiers standing on the borders and protecting motherland from its enemies but also of all the citizens residing in the country as this country is their motherland and belongs to them. Similarly, it is also very important to understand that human existence is completely dependent on the environment and thus needs to be protected and used not just for present generation but also for the upcoming generations.
Objective of the study:
· To identify and classify the importance of duties depicted in ancient literature.
· To explain the relevance of ancient literatures in Constitution of India with special reference to Fundamental Duties relating to nation and environment.
· To extend ample scope of research for the interested students of modern time.
· To know about importance of performance of duties since ancient period.
II. INTRODUCTION TO THE FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES OF INDIA
Part IV-A, which deals with Fundamental Duties in the Indian Constitution. It was inserted by the 42nd Amendment in 1976. There are eleven fundamental duties listed in Article 51-A. This part was included in response to the Swarn Singh Committee's suggestions to align the Indian Constitution with Article 29(1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights[1]. Let’s discuss ancient literatures dealing with the fulfilment of duties and relate them with fundamental duties with special reference to the duty towards nation and environment.
III. ANCIENT LITERATURES AND FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES
SHRIMAD BHAGWAT GEETA
Bhagwat Gita is one of the ancient Hindu Literature which is composed of 18 chapters. It is a dialogue between Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu, the god of the whole universe and his friend and disciple, Arjuna. It inspires to do duty and not to renounce the same. It teaches that action should be based on duty and righteousness and not on personal vendetta. The teachings of Bhagwat Gita play an important role in making one’s life meaningful and fulfilling. This ultimately results into the development of the whole society. It gives an important lesson that when a person performs his duties properly then he doesn’t have to worry about his rights as they automatically come into action. The fundamental essence of the Bhagwat Gita is that it essentially illustrates the significance of carrying out one's duties. The Bhagwat Geeta contains a significant shloka that discusses carrying out one's assigned duties -
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन |
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि || 47 ||
This verse states that individual must have greater faith in carrying out the duties that are assigned to him. The results of deeds should not concern him. He should just focus on performing duties effectively rather than being concerned about the outcome. However, it is to be noted that this verse does not say that the person acting should not have any desire or motive about the outcomes, as without such things no act or duty can be performed. This verse clearly states that the person acting or doing his duty may have vision of certain outcomes of his acts but he should never get attached to that outcome. The person doing his duty must do it with complete dedication so that the outcomes generated would definitely be positive. But, let the outcomes be positive or negative, the person should not rest upon them and keep doing his duty for the betterment of the society. Thus, Bhagwat Gita gives an important teaching of performing one’s duty with a positive approach, complete diligence and wholeheartedly.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
अभयं सत्त्वसंशुद्धिर्ज्ञानयोगव्यवस्थिति: |
दानं दमश्च यज्ञश्च स्वाध्यायस्तप आर्जवम् || 16.1||
अहिंसा सत्यमक्रोधस्त्याग: शान्तिरपैशुनम् |
दया भूतेष्वलोलुप्त्वं मार्दवं ह्रीरचापलम् || 16.2||
तेज: क्षमा धृति: शौचमद्रोहोनातिमानिता |
भवन्ति सम्पदं दैवीमभिजातस्य भारत || 16.3||
The above verses mentions the saintly virtues—fearlessness, purity of mind, steadfastness in spiritual knowledge, charity, control of the senses, sacrifice, study of the sacred books, austerity, and straightforwardness; non-violence, truthfulness, absence of anger, renunciation, peacefulness, restraint from fault-finding, compassion toward all living beings, absence of covetousness, gentleness, modesty, and lack of fickleness; vigour, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, bearing enmity toward none, and absence of vanity.
The Bhagavad Gita also mentions about the values that makes a person an ideal person. This is a comprehensive list of the admirable qualities of an enlighted man leading a spiritual life, one in which he embraces and embodies the twenty principles of life while doing his day-to-day interactions with the actual world. The first quality is fearlessness and it comes when a person has abundance of knowledge. The next quality is that of purity of mind which deals with motives that are pure and purposes that are sincere. This ethical purity at the level of the heart cannot be brought about when the human mind is turned outward in unnecessary chaos. When person becomes unison with the spiritual knowledge it helps him to gain the true knowledge and avoid distractions around him. Other than this all the abovementioned values help the person to become a human being of higher virtues. History has evidence of many such personalities who pursued these qualities. All such personalities and their values are to be cherished which is one of the fundamental duties in the Constitution of India.[2]
RAMAYANA
The Ramayana is another important ancient literature that holds a significant position in Indian scenario. It explains all the responsibilities of relationships and also importance of performance of duty at any cost. An ideal father, son, wife, brother, friend, servant, and king are all portrayed in the epic Ramayana. They are divided into seven kandas. The Ramayana is regarded as a Dharma treatise. The behaviour of several characters, especially Rama, effectively illustrates the idea of Dharma. In Ramayana, Lord Shri Ram said this while expressing his loyalty and love for the motherland which citizens can apply as motivation to fulfil national obligations as outlined in the fundamental duties -
मित्राणि धन धान्यानि प्रजानां सम्मतानिव |
जननी जन्म भूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी ||
In this verse Lord Rama has enshrined the importance of motherland in his heart and soul. He considers motherland even superior to heaven. The proper name of Ramayana is “Ram Charitra Manas” which literally means lake of deeds of Lord Rama. It acts as a guideline for all the human beings as to how a person should live his life in order to make it meaningful and latter attain salvation which is the ultimate goal of human existence. Lord Rama here clearly shows the importance of motherland in the life of every individual. It is the land where all take birth and grow up. It is the land which give citizens their identity as Indians. There is no other country like India elsewhere in the whole world. India’s rich culture and traditions, geographical diversities, rich flora and fauna makes the country unique. Thus, Indians must feel proud of being a part of such a beautiful nation.
It is only when every citizen realises the importance and beauty of the country, they will have the feeling to respect and protect it at any cost. Now the question arises as to what can a citizen do to protect its nation? The Preamble to the Constitution begins with the wordings “We the PEOPLE of India….” This clearly states that it is the people of India who possess the real powers and with powers comes responsibilities. All the citizens are aware about the diversities in the nation but it is everyone’s responsibility to keep the feeling of oneness and always remain united. This small step will help in resolving many problems and ultimately will result in protecting the integrity and unity of the nation.
ANCIENT LITERATURES ON ENVIRONMENT
Environment is one of the key aspects in the human life. It is a divine gift for our survival. Life would have been impossible without environment. There is a moral principle which states that “One does not have the right to destroy things which he cannot create.” One of such aspect is environment. It is gifted to humankind and it is our responsibility to keep it safe and forward it to the upcoming generations. There are certain ancient literatures that specifically deals with the importance of environment and the need for its protection. Some noteworthy provisions are discussed as under:
द्यौः शान्ति॑र॒न्तरि॑क्ष॒ꣳ शान्तिः॑ पृथि॒वी शान्ति॒रापः॒ शान्ति॒रोषध॑यः॒ शान्तिः॑। वन॒स्पत॑यः॒ शान्ति॒र्विश्वे॑ दे॒वाः शान्ति॒र्ब्रह्म॒ शान्तिः॒ सर्व॒ꣳ शान्तिः॒ शान्ति॑रे॒व शान्तिः॒ सा मा॒ शान्ति॑रेधि॥१७॥[3]
The literal meaning of the above verse is that let there be peace in heaven, Let there be peace in the atmosphere, Let there be Peace on Earth, May the waters and medical herbs bring peace, May the trees give peace to all beings, May all the Gods be peaceful, May the Vedas spread peace everywhere, May all other objects everywhere give us peace, And may that peace come to us and remain with us forever. This particular verse talks about the balance in the environment which can be created by maintaining peace throughout and in between various elements of the environment. It is evident from the above verse that the people in the ancient times were well acquainted with the importance of environment and were very closely related to it. All the aspects of environment from above sky to below land and under and everywhere are included in this verse. The growth and development of the nation is possible only when a harmonious balance is created between different elements of the environment and humans. As far as the fundamental duty is concerned, it is noteworthy that there existed no such duty in those times when this particular verse was drafted. The inner consciousness of mind developed this temper in the minds of the ancient people and they protected the environment. Similarly, even though we are having a fundamental duty which state that we must protect our environment, the need is to develop inner consciousness about the same. Citizens should have the feeling of respect and love towards the nature and the natural environment which will automatically make them protect the environment. Protection of environment will not just be beneficial for the citizens and the upcoming generations but also for the nation as a whole.
From this Vedic message it is clear that environment belongs to all living beings, so it needs protection by all, for the welfare of all.
IV. CONCLUSION
Hence, we can conclude that Duties and its fulfilment has played an important role in the life of Indians since ancient times. We had also discussed various ancient literatures that focus on fulfilment of duties. We are also aware about the fact that Constitution is the supreme Law of Land. It discusses fundamental duties in its part IV-A. People are always aware about their rights nowadays and are least concerned about their duties. One of the main purposes of this paper is to create an awareness regarding performance of duties along with the enjoyment of rights. It is vital not only for the country's progress but also for individual and spiritual development.
References:
1. ISKCON Bhagavad Gita As It Is in English Language by A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada from Bhaktivedanta Book Trust Original translated form His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
2. Bhagwat Gita, The Song of God, https://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/
3. ved.com - https://xn--j2b3a4c.com/en/yajurveda/36/17
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[1] Art. 29(1) “Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.”
[2] To cherish and follow the noble ideals that inspired the national struggle for freedom
[3] Yajurveda » Adhyay:36» Mantra:17