What are we coming to as a nation. A person who does not even understand what is meant by this mantra, where it came from, etc., has filed a petition in the highest court of the land challenging the recitation of this mantra in Kendriya Vidyalaya morning prayer meetings as being unsecular and unconstitutional.
How can a generic prayer that is every humans wont, irrespective of personal beliefs; a wont of wanting to know the truth, to have knowledge and to free oneself from this cycle of mortality to immortality, be considered religious. At best it can be termed as the highest spiritual/ philosophical yearning of every human being.
The worst is that the SC has accepted this petition, and wants a bigger bench to adjudicate on this petition.
This negates the very basis of our original constitution that has 'Satyameva Jayate' on its cover. The Constitution is illustrated using depictions from gurukuls, Ramayana, Mahabharata, etc, covering the entire known period of unbroken ancient civilisation that we have been, and right up to the envisioning of a Bharat to flourish as a modern and model nation state in the future.
Our founding fathers designed our Constitution to be the link between what we were, what we are, and where we need to go, going forward. It thus stands solidly on the foundation of our ancient heritage, a worthy & desirable past, but is critical of our shortcomings and is designed to show us the way forward that would bring glory to India and all its citizens. For more details on our original constitution, please read my blog at Original Constitution of India, and Us
An understanding of what this prayer is all about is important before coming to any conclusions on the subject. I have done a google search and have tried to put the easiest transliteration of the lyrics and meanings of words for the benefit of every one. As copied from the google search.......
Asatoma Sadgamaya is a Shanti Mantra (Mantra of peace), it is taken from Brihadaranyaka Upanishads (1.3.28). It is used as a prayer in Indian schools, during spiritual/ religious gatherings , social events and other times; it is believed that the recitation of these verses bring peace.
Sanskrit Lyrics | Lyrics transliterated in english | Meaning in English |
असतोमा सद्गमय ।
तमसोमा ज्योतिर् गमय ।
मृत्योर्मामृतं गमय ॥
ॐ शान्ति शान्ति शान्तिः ।।
|
asato mā sadgamaya
tamasomā jyotir gamaya
mrityormāamritam gamaya
Oṁ śhānti śhānti śhāntiḥ
|
From ignorance, lead me to truth;
From darkness, lead me to light;
From death, lead me to immortality
Om peace, peace, peace
|
Words and their meanings
| Word | Meaning |
| Asat | Unreal, non-existence, untruth, ignorance |
| Ma | me |
| Sat (sad) | Reality, truth, |
| Gamaya | gam means movement, gamaya means move or lead |
| Tam (tamas) | darkness, ignorance |
| Jyoti (jyotir) | Light, clarity, purity |
| Mrityu (mrityor) | Death |
| Amrita (amritam) | Deathlessness, ambrosia |
| Om | holy ghost as in Christian trinity, holy word, word of creation, holy vibration, god |
| Shanti | peace |
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