“मैं गीता पर हाथ रखकर कसम खाता हूँ के मैं जो कुछ बोलूँगा, सच बोलूँगा और सच के सिवा कुछ और नहीं बोलूँगा”

In Hindi movies, before a person speaks in a Court, he or she has been shown as stating the above words in front of the judge and other Court participants. So, the question arises – did the Court proceedings begin with these lines in the ancient era? But even before accessing this, some doubts do crop up on our own:

1. Why श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता has been singled out when there are so many texts written by ancient India? Why not the वेद itself?
2. Most Hindus probably do not even read the श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता – will their honesty and integrity be valid at all if they are taking oath on a book which they have never read?
3. What are the implications if one does not state the truth?

मनु is seen as the first man and is much older than श्रीकृष्ण Himself who refers to मनु in the श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता. मनुस्मृति is a धर्मशास्त्र and has a section on how Court proceedings must be administered. The blog here captures a few lines uttered by the King before the proceedings of the Court begin – on an immediate reading, on a relative basis, these lines seem more effective than asking Court participants to put their hands on the श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता – do read on. These lines begin from Section 8:79 onwards in the text.

सभान्तः साक्षिणः प्राप्तानर्थिप्रत्यर्थिसंनिधौ ।प्राड् विवाकोऽनुयुञ्जीत विधिनाऽनेन सान्त्वयन् ??   ७९ ॥

यद् द्वयोरनयोर्वेत्थ कार्येऽस्मिंश्चेष्टितं मिथः । तद् ब्रूत सर्वं सत्येन युष्माकं ह्यत्र साक्षिता ॥ ८० ॥

सत्यं साक्ष्ये ब्रुवन् साक्षी लोकान् आप्नोत्यपुष्कलान् । इह चानुत्तमां कीर्तिं वागेषा ब्रह्मपूजिता ॥ ८१ ॥

साक्ष्येऽनृतं वदन् पाशैर्बध्यते वारुणैर्भृशम् । विवशः शतमाजातीस्तस्मात् साक्ष्यं वदेद् ऋतम् ॥ ८२ ॥

सत्येन पूयते साक्षी धर्मः सत्येन वर्धते । तस्मात् सत्यं हि वक्तव्यं सर्ववर्णेषु साक्षिभिः ॥ ८३ ॥

आत्मैव ह्यात्मनः साक्षी गतिरात्मा तथाऽत्मनः । माऽवमंस्थाः स्वमात्मानं नृणां साक्षिणमुत्तमम् ॥ ८४ ॥

मन्यन्ते वै पापकृतो न कश्चित् पश्यतीति नः । तांस्तु देवाः प्रपश्यन्ति स्वस्यैवान्तरपूरुषः ॥ ८५ ॥

द्यौर्भूमिरापो हृदयं चन्द्रार्काग्नियमानिलाः । रात्रिः सन्ध्ये च धर्मश्च वृत्तज्ञाः सर्वदेहिनाम् ॥ ८६ ॥

ब्रह्मघ्नो ये स्मृता लोका ये च स्त्रीबालघातिनः । मित्रद्रुहः कृतघ्नस्य ते ते स्युर्ब्रुवतो मृषा ॥ ८९ ॥

जन्मप्रभृति यत् किं चित् पुण्यं भद्र त्वया कृतम् । तत् ते सर्वं शुनो गच्छेद् यदि ब्रूयास्त्वमन्यथा ॥ ९० ॥

एकोऽहमस्मीत्यात्मानं यस्त्वं कल्याण मन्यसे । नित्यं स्थितस्ते हृद्येष पुण्यपापैक्षिता मुनिः ॥ ९१ ॥

यमो वैवस्वतो देवो यस्तवैष हृदि स्थितः । तेन चेदविवादस्ते मा गङ्गां मा कुरून् गमः ॥ ९२ ॥

नग्नो मुण्डः कपालेन च भिक्षार्थी क्षुत्पिपासितः । अन्धः शत्रुकुलं गच्छेद् यः साक्ष्यमनृतं वदेत् ॥ ९३ ॥

अवाक्षिरास्तमस्यन्धे किल्बिषी नरकं व्रजेत् । यः प्रश्नं वितथं ब्रूयात् पृष्टः सन् धर्मनिश्चये ॥ ९४ ॥

अन्धो मत्स्यानिवाश्नाति स नरः कण्टकैः सह । यो भाषतेऽर्थवैकल्यमप्रत्यक्षं सभां गतः ॥ ९५ ॥

यस्य विद्वान् हि वदतः क्षेत्रज्ञो नाभिशङ्कते । तस्मान्न देवाः श्रेयांसं लोकेऽन्यं पुरुषं विदुः ॥ ९६ ॥

यावतो बान्धवान् यस्मिन् हन्ति साक्ष्येऽनृतं वदन् । तावतः सङ्ख्यया तस्मिन् शृणु सौम्यानुपूर्वशः ॥ ९७ ॥

पञ्च पश्वनृते हन्ति दश हन्ति गवानृते । शतमश्वानृते हन्ति सहस्रं पुरुषानृते ॥ ९८ ॥

हन्ति जातानजातांश्च हिरण्यार्थेऽनृतं वदन् । सर्वं भूमिअनृते हन्ति मा स्म भूमिअनृतं वदीः ॥ ९९ ॥

अप्सु भूमिवदित्याहुः स्त्रीणां भोगे च मैथुने । अब्जेषु चैव रत्नेषु सर्वेष्वश्ममयेषु च ॥ १०० ॥

एतान् दोषानवेक्ष्य त्वं सर्वाननृतभाषणे । यथाश्रुतं यथादृष्टं सर्वमेवाञ्जसा वद ॥ १०१ ॥

“The investigating Judge shall question the witnesses assembled in the court, in the presence of the plaintiff and the defendant, gently exhorting them in the following manner

What you know of the mutual transaction between these two persons regarding this suit,—all that may you declare freely; since you are witnesses in this matter

The witness, telling the truth in his evidence, attains irreproachable regions, also unsurpassable fame; such speech is honoured by ब्रह्मा Himself.

Stating the असत्य in his evidence, he becomes firmly bound in the पाश (fetters) of वरुण, helpless during a hundred births. One should, therefore, give true evidence

By सत्य is the witness purified, by सत्य does धर्म grow: hence the सत्य should be spoken by witnesses of all वर्ण

The आत्मा itself is the आत्मा’s साक्षी, and the आत्मा itself is the आत्मा’s refuge; do not disregard your (own) आत्मा, the best साक्षी of human being.

The doers of पापकर्म  indeed think that “no one sees us”; but the देवताs see them, as also their own inner personality.

स्वर्ग, पृथ्वी, आप, हृदय, चंद्रमा, सूर्य, अग्नि, यम, वायु, रात्री, the two संध्या, and धर्म know the conduct of all living beings.’

Whatever लोक (in नरक)  have been assigned to the slayer of the ब्राह्मण, to the murderer of women and children, to the betrayer of (one’s own) friends and to one who is a कृतघ्न (ungrateful person) —those same shall be yours if you speak असत्य.

Whatever पुण्य, O good man, you may have acquired since your birth, would go to the dogs, if you speak असत्य.’

You think yourself, O blessed man, that “I am alone”; but there ever sits in your हृदय the silent watcher of पुण्य and पाप.

The देवता, यम, the son of वैवस्वत, who sits in your हृदय,—if you have no quarrel with Him, you need not visit the गंगा, nor the कुरू (meaning कुरुक्षेत्र)

He who gives false evidence shall go for begging – with a piece of a cup/ earthen-ware pot, to the house of his enemy— naked and shorn, tormented with hunger and thirst, and blind

On being interrogated in the course of a judicial investigation, if one answers the question falsely, one will fall into नरक in the blindness of darkness

He who, having entered the court, bears testimony to what is contrary to facts and what he has not seen, swallows fish along with the bones — just like a blind man (meaning one will face difficulties similar to what one faces when one tries to swallow bones of a fish accidentally)

‘The देव do not regard any person in this world as superior to him, whom his own आत्मा (क्षेत्रज्ञ:) does not distrust, while he is speaking

Listen now, gentle friend, in due order, how many relatives, by number, one destroys by giving false evidence, in what cases.

He destroys five (relatives) by false evidence regarding animals; he destroys ten by false evidence regarding cattle; he destroys a hundred by false evidence regarding horses, and a thousand by false evidence regarding men (this gives a sense of hierarchy of crimes and making a person realize that giving of false evidence will mean impacting to close family too arising from one’s action)

Deposing falsely in regard to gold, he kills the born as well as the unborn; by false evidence regarding land, he kills all; never tell a lie regarding land.

That concerning water they declare to be similar to that concerning land; as also that relating to (giving false evidence on) the sexual enjoyment of women, and to gems, water-born as well as granitic.

Having noticed all these evils proceeding prom perjury, speak out directly everything exactly what you have seen and heard.

What is interesting in the above lines?

1. There is no reference to any book or any शास्त्र – also, there is no reference to परमात्मा, शिव, विष्णु or जगन्माता – could it be because मनु preceded the time when these ideas came forth or is it because these words represent परमार्थ स्थिति which is one’s own highest स्थिति and therefore meaningless in this context?
2. The idea of the whole universe being a witness is fascinating – one is never alone and the entire universe is immersed in देवताs who are operating both within and outside and witness all our actions.
3. Fear has been also created in terms of reference to नरक as well as possible कर्म that may arise when one goes against धर्म
4. Person is being conveyed that any wrong action will not be “individual” indiscretion alone but will impact the wider family too – so, one should be cautious and not spoil the family name by lying.
5. Align one’s आत्मा to सत्य is a key message and it exhorts an individual that when one’s आत्मा is aligned to सत्य, such a one is the most superior person and even देवताs – this is a positive exhortation as against a negative fear based exhortation alone.

To me, these lines are far more effective (these can be modified to current times) rather than asking people to take an oath on a book they have never read.

ॐ तत् सत्