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Indian Constitution and Vedanta || Acharya Prashant, at SRCC (2023)
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2 years ago
Vedanta
Constitution of India
Freedom (Mukti)
Self-knowledge
Spirituality
Sovereignty
Upanishads
Bhagat Singh
Description

Acharya Prashant addresses the question of how to reconcile the subjective path of Vedanta with the objective framework of the Indian Constitution. He begins by clarifying that Vedanta does not impose any particular way of life, nor is it a commandment-based belief system with a list of do's and don'ts. Instead, its core is to 'know'—to engage in self-knowledge (Atma-gyan). While individual paths to this knowing are necessarily different, the destination, which is Truth or Atma, is universal. Vedanta encourages one to figure things out on their own, to keep rejecting what is false until the falseness of the rejector itself is realized. This process of self-inquiry is the essence of spirituality. He then connects this spiritual pursuit to the Constitution of India, challenging the notion that it is merely an imported document. He explains that the Constitution was born from the spirit of freedom (mukti), not just political independence, and was crafted by freedom fighters who were deeply spiritual. The ideals enshrined in the Preamble—Sovereignty, Socialism, Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity—are presented as profound spiritual principles. The phrase "We, the people of India... give to ourselves this constitution" is likened to the Vedantic declaration of self-sovereignty, as expressed in the Ashtavakra Gita: "I bow to myself." He asserts that the Constitution is a spiritual document, an Upanishad, that aims to provide the external conditions necessary for internal liberation (mukti). Acharya Prashant concludes that there is no conflict between Vedanta and the Constitution. The Constitution, with its universal human aspirations for justice, liberty, and equality, provides the secure ecosystem in which the purpose of life—self-actualization and liberation—can be pursued. He criticizes those who call the Constitution a foreign document, stating they fail to see its spiritual core. He argues that if one respects the Constitution, they must get close to its heart, which is freedom, and freedom in its highest sense is liberation (mukti), the very goal of Vedanta.