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Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Rigved Sooktams - Mantras and English Meaning - Part 1- Sooktams 1 to 50
Rigved - English Translation by Wilson - Vol 1
https://archive.org/details/rigvedasanhita01wils
https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/rig-veda-english-translation/d/doc828864.html
మంత్రం లోని స్వరాలు ఎలా చదవాలి | మంత్రములో స్వర పరిచయం | Vocal introduction in the Mantra | #SVBP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to6i858i6n8
Volume 1
Sooktams will be added one by one over time.
1
अ॒ग्निमी॑ळे पु॒रोहि॑तं य॒ज्ञस्य॑ दे॒वमृ॒त्विज॑म् । होता॑रं रत्न॒धात॑मम् ॥
“I glorify Agni, the high priest of the sacrifice, the divine, the ministrant, who presents the oblation (to the gods), and is the possessor of great wealth.”
अ॒ग्निः पूर्वे॑भि॒ॠषि॑भि॒रीड्यो॒ नूत॑नैरु॒त । स दे॒वाँ एह व॑क्षति ॥
“May that Agni who is to be celebrated by both ancient and modern sages conduct the gods hither.”
अ॒ग्निना॑ र॒यिम॑श्नव॒त्पोष॑मे॒व दि॒वेदि॑वे । य॒शसं॑ वी॒रव॑त्तमम् ॥
“Through Agni the worshipper obtains that affluence which increases day by day, which is the source of fame and multiplier of mankind.”
अग्ने॒ यं य॒ज्ञम॑ध्व॒रं वि॒श्वत॑: परि॒भूरसि॑ । स इद्दे॒वेषु॑ गच्छति ॥
“Agni, the unobstructed sacrifice of which you are on every side the protector, assuredly reaches the gods.”
अ॒ग्निर्होता॑ क॒विक्र॑तुः स॒त्यश्चि॒त्रश्र॑वस्तमः । दे॒वो दे॒वेभि॒रा ग॑मत् ॥
“May Agni, the presenter of oblations, the attainer of knowledge, he who is true, renowned, and divine, come hither with the gods.”
यद॒ङ्ग दा॒शुषे॒ त्वमग्ने॑ भ॒द्रं क॑रि॒ष्यसि॑ । तवेत्तत्स॒त्यम॑ङ्गिरः ॥
“Whatever good you may, Agni, bestow upon the giver (of the oblation), that verily, Aṅgiras shall revert to you.”
उप॑ त्वाग्ने दि॒वेदि॑वे॒ दोषा॑वस्तर्धि॒या व॒यम् । नमो॒ भर॑न्त॒ एम॑सि ॥
“We approach you, Agni, with reverential homage in our thoughts, daily, both morning and evening.”
राज॑न्तमध्व॒राणां॑ गो॒पामृ॒तस्य॒ दीदि॑विम् । वर्ध॑मानं॒ स्वे दमे॑ ॥
“You, the radiant, the protector of sacrifice, the constant illuminator of truth, increasing in your own dwelling.”
स न॑: पि॒तेव॑ सू॒नवेऽग्ने॑ सूपाय॒नो भ॑व । सच॑स्वा नः स्व॒स्तये॑ ॥
“Agni, be to us easy of access, as is a father to his son; be ever present with us for our good.”
Learn Recitation of Rigved
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpVXG-7mLqE&list=RDzpVXG-7mLqE&start_radio=1
Up to sooktam 19
20
20
अ॒यं दे॒वाय॒ जन्म॑ने॒ स्तोमो॒ विप्रे॑भिरास॒या । अका॑रि रत्न॒धात॑मः ॥
“This hymn, the bestower of riches, has been addressed by the sages, with their own mouths, to the (class of) divinities having birth (lit. to the divine or brilliant birth; e.g. Ṛbhus--Ṛbhu, Vibhu and Vāja were pious men, who through penance became divinities).”
य इन्द्रा॑य वचो॒युजा॑ तत॒क्षुर्मन॑सा॒ हरी॑ । शमी॑भिर्य॒ज्ञमा॑शत ॥
“They who created mentally for Indra the horses that are harnessed (carved) at his words, have partaken of the sacrifice performed with holy acts. (śamībhiḥ = ceremonies; i.e. they have pervaded, appropriated or accepted the sacrifice peformed with tongs, ladles, and utensils; an intimation of the mechanical skills of Ṛbhu).”
तक्ष॒न्नास॑त्याभ्यां॒ परि॑ज्मानं सु॒खं रथ॑म् । तक्ष॑न्धे॒नुं स॑ब॒र्दुघा॑म् ॥
“They constructed for the Nāsatyās, a universally-moving and easy car, and a cow yielding milk. (takṣan = atakṣan, lit. they (Ṛbhus) chipped or fabricated, mechanically, the appendages of Indra and Aśvin).”
युवा॑ना पि॒तरा॒ पुन॑: स॒त्यम॑न्त्रा ऋजू॒यव॑: । ऋ॒भवो॑ वि॒ष्ट्य॑क्रत ॥
“The Ṛbhus, uttering unfailing prayers, endowed with rectitude, and succeeding (in all pious acts; viṣṭī = vyāptiyuktaḥ, i.e. encountering no opposition in all acts), made their (aged) parents young.”
सं वो॒ मदा॑सो अग्म॒तेन्द्रे॑ण च म॒रुत्व॑ता । आ॒दि॒त्येभि॑श्च॒ राज॑भिः ॥
“Ṛbhus, the exhilarating juices are offered to you, along with Indra, attended by the Maruts and along with the brilliang Ādityas.”
उ॒त त्यं च॑म॒सं नवं॒ त्वष्टु॑र्दे॒वस्य॒ निष्कृ॑तम् । अक॑र्त च॒तुर॒: पुन॑: ॥
“The Ṛbhus have divided unto four the new ladle, the work of the divine Tvaṣṭā (i.e. devasambandhiḥ takṣana.vyāpāraḥ = divinity whose duty in relations to gods is carpentry; cf. tvaṣṭā tvaṣṭuḥ śiṣyāḥ Ṛbhavaḥ = Ṛbhus are the disciples of Tvaṣṭā; four ladles are an apparent reference to an innovation in the objects of libation for sharing).”
ते नो॒ रत्ना॑नि धत्तन॒ त्रिरा साप्ता॑नि सुन्व॒ते । एक॑मेकं सुश॒स्तिभि॑: ॥
“May they, moved by our praises, give to the offere of the libation many precious things, and perfect the thrice seven sacrifices”
अधा॑रयन्त॒ वह्न॒योऽभ॑जन्त सुकृ॒त्यया॑ । भा॒गं दे॒वेषु॑ य॒ज्ञिय॑म् ॥
“Offerers (of sacrifices), they held (a moral existence); by their pious acts they obtained a share of sacrifices with the gods.”
Learn Recitation of Rigved
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FLFAemv3vU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FLFAemv3vU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sPNAp37p6I
Sooktams 20 to
21
इ॒हेन्द्रा॒ग्नी उप॑ ह्वये॒ तयो॒रित्स्तोम॑मुश्मसि । ता सोमं॑ सोम॒पात॑मा ॥
“Invoke hither Indra and Agni, to whom we desire to present our praise; let them, who are both copious drinkers of the Soma juice, (accept the libation).”
ता य॒ज्ञेषु॒ प्र शं॑सतेन्द्रा॒ग्नी शु॑म्भता नरः । ता गा॑य॒त्रेषु॑ गायत ॥
“Praise, men, Indra and Agni, in sacrifices, decorate them (with ornaments) and hymn them with hymns.”
ता मि॒त्रस्य॒ प्रश॑स्तय इन्द्रा॒ग्नी ता ह॑वामहे । सो॒म॒पा सोम॑पीतये ॥
“We invoke Indra and Agni, for the benefit of our friend (the instrumental tutor of the rite), drinkers of the Soma juice, to drink the libation.”
उ॒ग्रा सन्ता॑ हवामह॒ उपे॒दं सव॑नं सु॒तम् । इ॒न्द्रा॒ग्नी एह ग॑च्छताम् ॥
“We invoke the two who are fierce (to their foes) to attend the rite, where the libation is prepared; Indra and Agni, come hither.”
ता म॒हान्ता॒ सद॒स्पती॒ इन्द्रा॑ग्नी॒ रक्ष॑ उब्जतम् । अप्र॑जाः सन्त्व॒त्रिण॑: ॥
“May those two, Indra and Agni who are mighty, and guardians of the assembly, render the Rākṣas innocuous, and may the devourers (of men) be destitute of progeny.”
तेन॑ स॒त्येन॑ जागृत॒मधि॑ प्रचे॒तुने॑ प॒दे । इन्द्रा॑ग्नी॒ शर्म॑ यच्छतम् ॥
“By this unfailing sacrifice, by you rendered vigilant, Indra and Agni, in the station which affords knowledge (of the consequence of acts), and bestow upon us happiness.”
41
यं रक्ष॑न्ति॒ प्रचे॑तसो॒ वरु॑णो मि॒त्रो अ॑र्य॒मा । नू चि॒त्स द॑भ्यते॒ जन॑: ॥
“The man whom the wise Varuṇa, Mitra and Aryaman protect quickly subdues (his foes).”
यं बा॒हुते॑व॒ पिप्र॑ति॒ पान्ति॒ मर्त्यं॑ रि॒षः । अरि॑ष्ट॒: सर्व॑ एधते ॥
“He whom they heap (with riches), as if (collected) by his own arms; the man whom they defend from the malignant; every such man, safe from injury, prospers.”
वि दु॒र्गा वि द्विष॑: पु॒रो घ्नन्ति॒ राजा॑न एषाम् । नय॑न्ति दुरि॒ता ति॒रः ॥
“The kings (Varuṇa etc.) first destroy their strongholds, and then the foes of those (who worship him), and put aside their evil deeds.”
सु॒गः पन्था॑ अनृक्ष॒र आदि॑त्यास ऋ॒तं य॒ते । नात्रा॑वखा॒दो अ॑स्ति वः ॥
“Ādityas, to you repairing to the sacrifice, the path is easy and free from thorns; no unworthy oblation is here prepared for you.”
यं य॒ज्ञं नय॑था नर॒ आदि॑त्या ऋ॒जुना॑ प॒था । प्र व॒: स धी॒तये॑ नशत् ॥
“Ādityas, guides, may the sacrifice which you come to by a straight path, be to you for your gratification.”
स रत्नं॒ मर्त्यो॒ वसु॒ विश्वं॑ तो॒कमु॒त त्मना॑ । अच्छा॑ गच्छ॒त्यस्तृ॑तः ॥
“That mortal (whom you favour), exempt from harm, obtains all valuable wealth, and offspring like himself.”
क॒था रा॑धाम सखाय॒: स्तोमं॑ मि॒त्रस्या॑र्य॒म्णः । महि॒ प्सरो॒ वरु॑णस्य ॥
“How, my friends, shall we recite praise (worthy) of the great glory of Mitra, Varuṇa and Aryaman?”
मा वो॒ घ्नन्तं॒ मा शप॑न्तं॒ प्रति॑ वोचे देव॒यन्त॑म् । सु॒म्नैरिद्व॒ आ वि॑वासे ॥
“I do not denounce to you him who assails or reviles the man devoted to the gods. I rather propitiate you with offered wealth.”
च॒तुर॑श्चि॒द्दद॑मानाद्बिभी॒यादा निधा॑तोः । न दु॑रु॒क्ताय॑ स्पृहयेत् ॥
“For he (the worshipper) loves not, but fears to speak evil (of any one), as a gamester fears (his adversary) holding the four (dice), until they are thrown.”
42
सं पू॑ष॒न्नध्व॑नस्तिर॒ व्यंहो॑ विमुचो नपात् । सक्ष्वा॑ देव॒ प्र ण॑स्पु॒रः ॥
“Pūṣan convey us over the road, remove the wicked (obsructer of the way). Son of the cloud, deity, go before us.”
यो न॑: पूषन्न॒घो वृको॑ दु॒:शेव॑ आ॒दिदे॑शति । अप॑ स्म॒ तं प॒थो ज॑हि ॥
“If a wicked (adversary), Pūṣan, a robber, or one who delights in evil, points out to us (the way we ought not to go), do you drive him from the road.”
अप॒ त्यं प॑रिप॒न्थिनं॑ मुषी॒वाणं॑ हुर॒श्चित॑म् । दू॒रमधि॑ स्रु॒तेर॑ज ॥
“Drive him far away, apart fom the road, the hinderer of our journey, a thief, a deceiver.”
त्वं तस्य॑ द्वया॒विनो॒ऽघशं॑सस्य॒ कस्य॑ चित् । प॒दाभि ति॑ष्ठ॒ तपु॑षिम् ॥
“Trample with your feet upon the mischievous (body) of that evil-minded pilferer of both (what is present and what is absent), whoever he be.”
आ तत्ते॑ दस्र मन्तुम॒: पूष॒न्नवो॑ वृणीमहे । येन॑ पि॒तॄनचो॑दयः ॥
“Sagacious and handsome Pūṣan, we solicit of you that protection wherewith you have encouraged the patriarchs.”
अधा॑ नो विश्वसौभग॒ हिर॑ण्यवाशीमत्तम । धना॑नि सु॒षणा॑ कृधि ॥
“Therefore do you, who are possessed of all prosperity and well-equipped with golden weapons, bestow upon us riches that may be liberally distributed.”
अति॑ नः स॒श्चतो॑ नय सु॒गा न॑: सु॒पथा॑ कृणु । पूष॑न्नि॒ह क्रतुं॑ विदः ॥
“Lead us past our opponents; conduct us by an easy path; know, Pūṣan, how to protect us on this (journey).”
अ॒भि सू॒यव॑सं नय॒ न न॑वज्वा॒रो अध्व॑ने । पूष॑न्नि॒ह क्रतुं॑ विदः ॥
“Lead us where there is abundant fodder; let there be no extreme heat by the way; Pūṣan, know to protect us on this (journey).”
श॒ग्धि पू॒र्धि प्र यं॑सि च शिशी॒हि प्रास्यु॒दर॑म् । पूष॑न्नि॒ह क्रतुं॑ विदः ॥
“Be favourable to us, fill us (with abundance), give us (all goood things), sharpen us (with vigour), fill our bellies, Pūṣan, know how to protect us on this (journey).”
न पू॒षणं॑ मेथामसि सू॒क्तैर॒भि गृ॑णीमसि । वसू॑नि द॒स्ममी॑महे ॥
“We do not censure Pūṣan, but praise him with hymns; we solicit the good-looking (Pūṣan) for riches.”
43
Ṛṣi : kaṇvo ghauraḥ
Devatā : rudraḥ ;
Chandas: gāyatrī;
कद्रु॒द्राय॒ प्रचे॑तसे मी॒ळ्हुष्ट॑माय॒ तव्य॑से । वो॒चेम॒ शंत॑मं हृ॒दे ॥
“When may we repeat a most grateful hymn to the wise, the most bountiful and mighty Rudra, who is (cherished) in our hearts?”
यथा॑ नो॒ अदि॑ति॒: कर॒त्पश्वे॒ नृभ्यो॒ यथा॒ गवे॑ । यथा॑ तो॒काय॑ रु॒द्रिय॑म् ॥
“By which earth may (be induced to) grant the gifts of Rudra to our cattle, our people, our cows, and our progeny.”
यथा॑ नो मि॒त्रो वरु॑णो॒ यथा॑ रु॒द्रश्चिके॑तति । यथा॒ विश्वे॑ स॒जोष॑सः ॥
“By which Mitra and Varuṇa, and Rudra and all the gods, being gratified, may show us (favour).”
गा॒थप॑तिं मे॒धप॑तिं रु॒द्रं जला॑षभेषजम् । तच्छं॒योः सु॒म्नमी॑महे ॥
“We ask the felicity of Śaṃyu, from Rudra, the encourager of hymns, the protector of sacrifices, possessed of medicaments that confer delight.”
यः शु॒क्र इ॑व॒ सूर्यो॒ हिर॑ण्यमिव॒ रोच॑ते । श्रेष्ठो॑ दे॒वानां॒ वसु॑: ॥
“Who is so brilliant as Śaṃyu, who gratifies like gold, the best of the gods, the provider of habitations?”
शं न॑: कर॒त्यर्व॑ते सु॒गं मे॒षाय॑ मे॒ष्ये॑ । नृभ्यो॒ नारि॑भ्यो॒ गवे॑ ॥
“Who bestows easily-obtained happiness on our steeds, our rams, our ewes, our men, our women, and our cows?”
अ॒स्मे सो॑म॒ श्रिय॒मधि॒ नि धे॑हि श॒तस्य॑ नृ॒णाम् । महि॒ श्रव॑स्तुविनृ॒म्णम् ॥
“Soma, grant us prosperity more than (sufficient for) a hundred men, and much strength-engendering food.”
मा न॑: सोमपरि॒बाधो॒ मारा॑तयो जुहुरन्त । आ न॑ इन्दो॒ वाजे॑ भज ॥
“Let not the adversaries of Soma, let not our enemies, harm us; cherish us, Indra, with (abundant) food.”
यास्ते॑ प्र॒जा अ॒मृत॑स्य॒ पर॑स्मि॒न्धाम॑न्नृ॒तस्य॑ । मू॒र्धा नाभा॑ सोम वेन आ॒भूष॑न्तीः सोम वेदः ॥
“Soma, who are immortal, and abide in an excellent dwelling, have regard for your subjects, when at their head in the hall of sacrifice you observe them (engaed in) decorating you.”
44
Ṛṣi praskaṇvaḥ kāṇvaḥ
Devatā agniḥ ;
Chandas: upariṣṭādvirāḍ bṛhatī ;
अग्ने॒ विव॑स्वदु॒षस॑श्चि॒त्रं राधो॑ अमर्त्य । आ दा॒शुषे॑ जातवेदो वहा॒ त्वम॒द्या दे॒वाँ उ॑ष॒र्बुध॑: ॥
“Agni, who are immortal, and cognisant of all begotten things, bring from the dawn to the donor (of the oblation) wealth of many sorts, with an excellent habitation; bring hither today the gods awaking with the morning.”
जुष्टो॒ हि दू॒तो असि॑ हव्य॒वाह॒नोऽग्ने॑ र॒थीर॑ध्व॒राणा॑म् । स॒जूर॒श्विभ्या॑मु॒षसा॑ सु॒वीर्य॑म॒स्मे धे॑हि॒ श्रवो॑ बृ॒हत् ॥
“For you, Agni, are the accepted messenger of the gods, the bearer of oblations, the vehicle of sacrifices; associated with Uṣas and the Aśvins, bestow upon us abundant and invigorating food.”
अ॒द्या दू॒तं वृ॑णीमहे॒ वसु॑म॒ग्निं पु॑रुप्रि॒यम् । धू॒मके॑तुं॒ भाऋ॑जीकं॒ व्यु॑ष्टिषु य॒ज्ञाना॑मध्वर॒श्रिय॑म् ॥
“We select today Agni, the messenger, the giver of dwellings, the beloved of many, the smoke-bannered, the light-shedding, the protector of the worship of the worshipper at the break of day.”
श्रेष्ठं॒ यवि॑ष्ठ॒मति॑थिं॒ स्वा॑हुतं॒ जुष्टं॒ जना॑य दा॒शुषे॑ । दे॒वाँ अच्छा॒ यात॑वे जा॒तवे॑दसम॒ग्निमी॑ळे॒ व्यु॑ष्टिषु ॥
“I praise Agni at the break of day, the best and youngest (of the gods), the guest (of man), the universally-invoked, who is friendly to the man that offers (oblations), who knows all that are born, that he may go (to bring) the other divinities.”
स्त॒वि॒ष्यामि॒ त्वाम॒हं विश्व॑स्यामृत भोजन । अग्ने॑ त्रा॒तार॑म॒मृतं॑ मियेध्य॒ यजि॑ष्ठं हव्यवाहन ॥
“Agni, immortal sustainer of the universe, bearer of oblations, deserving of adoration, I will praise you, who are exempt from death, the preserver of the sacrificer.”
Pub. 15.1.2026
Friday, January 9, 2026
Obligations and Responsibilities of MLAs and MPs (Elected Citizen Representatives Democratic Legislative Bodies)
Professor Jonathan Bendor, Stanford School of Business
Experts — however knowledgeable in their field — aren’t immune to being wrong. As democracies turn to specialists to solve big issues, Professor Jonathan Bendor says non-experts should still hold them accountable.
My comment on the above post.
I Agree. The experts have to convince representatives of people with their reports and presentations. Representatives in turn have to communicate with their constituency people about reports prepared by experts. Approval people is necessary in a democracy.
January 4, 2018
Each MP has to be asked to submit investment plan of his constituency showing public investment and public policies that are required to support the investment. MPs have to conduct formal meetings with all agricultural, manufacturing and service business associations of their constituency and ascertain their plans and requirements every year during the budget preparation period.
4.1.2026
THE NEGLECTED ASPECT IN DEMOCRACIES
The communication between elected representatives and citizens is a neglected aspect in democracies. The elected representatives must be persons interested in collecting and analyzing public opinion in their constituency formally as well as informally and present it in the legislative body. They must ask written communications from their citizens on all bills on which they will present their opinion and vote. Even within party channels they must be made free to present the opinion of their constituency people through written documents which must be public.
SOVEREIGN IN DEMOCRACY – THEORY AND PRACTICE by Dr. K.V.S.S. Narayana Rao
Sovereign in Democracy – Theory and Practice
Dr. K.V.S.S. Narayana rao
Retd. Professor, IIM Mumbai
Article published in EKATMA VIKAS PATRIKA
Volume II, Issue 3 September-Dec. 2025,
The concept of sovereignty is one of the most controversial ideas in political science and international law. It is closely related to the difficult concepts of state and government and of independence and democracy. Derived from the Latin superanus through the French souveraineté, the term was originally understood to mean the equivalent of supreme power.
The thinker who did the most to provide the term with its modern meaning was the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679), who argued that in every true state some person or body of persons must have the ultimate and absolute authority to declare the law. The theories of the English philosopher John Locke (1632–1704) and the French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–78)—that the state is based upon a formal or informal compact of its citizens, a social contract through which they entrust such powers to a government as may be necessary for common protection—led to the development of the doctrine of popular sovereignty that found expression in the American Declaration of Independence in 1776 (Britannica).
The democratic ideal is closely related to the principle of popular sovereignty according to which ‘the people’s unified will is the supreme authority in the state’ (Espejo, 2015). For the people to be the supreme authority, they have to participate in the making of collective decisions directly or through elected representatives. The sovereign people must also be the body that authorizes the institutions and procedures through which collective decisions are made. The people is the ‘constituent power’, the body that authorizes and creates the ‘institutional arrangements through which they are governed’ (Kalyvas, 2005). In other words, the powers of the people are superior to those established by the legal and political system and that are exercised by the officials that populate it. The affirmation of the sovereign people entails the ‘subordination of the state to the popular will’ (Post, 1998, p. 437). The people are the ‘the master’ of the state.
Rule by the people is premised on the popular authorization of laws and rules that apply to them. More precisely, the standard understanding of the democratic ideal posits that the people subject to the state should enjoy equal and adequate opportunities for participation in the process whereby laws are created, revised or abolished (Dahl, 1989). Law is the product of decisions made by the people or their representatives. Yet, law also conditions the powers exercised by the people. Collective decisions are made by procedures that are defined in the constitution. The procedures incorporated in the constitution play a constitutive role in democratic decision-making. Following Andreas Kalyvas, the sovereignty of the people demands that the people ‘determine the constitutional form, the juridical and political identity, and the governmental structure of a community in its entirety’ (Kalyvas, 2005, p. 226). Thus, the people should be able to determine not just the rules that impose legal rights and duties but also the rules that confer legal powers and immunities and that define the procedures for collective decision-making. Rule by the people, following the idea of the sovereign people, should permeate the legal system as a whole.
In the 19th century the English jurist John Austin (1790–1859) further delved into the concept of sovereignty by investigating who exercises sovereignty in the name of the people or of the state; he concluded that sovereignty is vested in a nation’s parliament. A parliament, he argued, is a supreme organ that enacts laws binding upon everybody else but could change these laws at will. Austin recognized that the sovereign is the same as the ‘the electors’ in a representative political system (Hart, 1962). Austin offers the theoretical basis for the claim that sovereign peoples are ‘master of states’ in democracies. In conjunction with the claim that any decision made by judges and public officials is just implementing the will of the people, it appears that the supreme authority of the people is able to prevail even in legal system in democracies (Beckman, 2021).
Austin’s notion of legislative sovereignty did not entirely fit the American situation. The Constitution of the United States, the fundamental law of the federal union, did not endow the national legislature with supreme power but imposed important restrictions upon it. The Supreme Court of the United States asserted successfully in Marbury v. Madison (1803) its right to declare laws unconstitutional through a procedure called judicial review. This judgment vests the sovereign power in the fundamental document itself, the Constitution. This system of sovereignty in USA is more complex due to the fact that the authority to propose changes in the Constitution and to approve them was vested not only in Congress but also in states and in special conventions called for that purpose. Thus, it could be argued that sovereignty continued to reside in the states or in the people, who retained all powers not delegated by the Constitution to the United States or expressly prohibited by the Constitution to the states or the people (Tenth Amendment). The theory of popular sovereignty—the theory that vested sovereignty in the people of the United States may be accepted, but this sovereignty need not be exercised on behalf of the people solely by the national government. It was divided on a functional basis between the federal and state authorities.
The doctrine of state sovereignty on behalf of the people was attacked in the 20th century by those political scientists (e.g., Léon Duguit, 1911, and Harold J. Laski, 1919) who developed the theory of pluralistic sovereignty (pluralism) exercised by various political, economic, social, and religious groups that dominate the government of each state. According to this doctrine, sovereignty in a society does not reside in any particular one institution but shifts constantly from one group (or alliance of groups) to another. The pluralistic theory further contended that the state is but one of many examples of social solidarity and possesses no special authority in comparison to other components of society.
Indian Democracy
Indian democracy has been emphasised in the constitution preamble. It used the term “Sovereign Democratic Republic”. The preamble tells the unity of nation while promoting fraternity among all the citizens of India. It suggests the idea of constructing a nation with “one voice and one will”. It also expresses that the constituent assembly was formed by the Indian citizens on 26 November 1949. The preamble clarified that “Sovereignty” is associated with each people of India, and there does not exist any rooms for princess, crown or similar rank. All the people of India have been marked as one body in the preamble of the Indian constitution.
Sovereign in Democracy – Analysis and Synthesis by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya.
Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya presented his thesis on Integral Humanism, in a series of speeches given in Bombay to intellectuals and political party members during 22rd to 25th April, 1965. In the third lecture, he discussed the controversies regarding the democratic system that is in use in many countries of the world. Indian constitution also is based on democracy. Pandit emphasized that democracy, giving respect to public opinion was in practice in India since days of ancient scriptures (Pandit, 1965).
In India, We have always vested sovereignty in Dharma. In the controversy, whether the Parliament is sovereign or the Supreme Court, the answer is that both are the limbs of the State with distinct functions to perform. In their individual sphere, each is supreme. Dharma is higher than both. People also will have to act according to Dharma in democratic activities. Even the general or collective will cannot go against Dharma. If a decision is taken not conforming to Dharma by majority opinion in the country and majority in the parliament it will lead to undesirable consequences and loss to the society. It has to be corrected at a later date. Majority Is Not Always Right and there are many examples in history where earlier laws and decisions have to be reversed. Elections and majority decide the party or group who will form the government. The truth cannot be decided by the majority. Truth is truth even if only one person is behind it.
What is Dharma?
Dharma is made up of principles of ethics. Dharma is not necessarily with the majority of people. Dharma is eternal. It is not enough to say, while defining democracy, that it is the government of the people. It has to be a government for the good of the people. What constitutes the good of the people? It is Dharma alone which can decide. Therefore, a democratic government, Jana Rajya, must also be rooted in Dharma. In the definition of democracy, viz. “Government of the people, by the people and for the people”; ‘of’ stands for independence; ‘by’ stands for democracy; and ‘for’ indicates Dharma. The constitution which sustains the Nation is in tune with Dharma. In other words, the constitution of a Nation cannot be contrary to the natural laws. Dharma sustains the Nation. Hence we have always given prime importance to Dharma, which is considered sovereign. All other entities, institutions or authorities derive their power from Dharma, and are subordinate to it.
Practice
In practice, sovereignty of the people is exercised through various institutional mechanisms and civic actions:
Elections: The primary way citizens exercise their sovereign power is through regular, free, and fair elections. By voting for representatives, the people delegate their law-making authority to legislative bodies like Parliament, Congress, Assembly or Council.
Representative Bodies: Elected representatives make decisions and create laws on behalf of the citizens, but remain accountable to the electorate. If they disregard the will of the people, they can be removed from office in the next election.
Constitutionalism: The constitution acts as the supreme law, providing the legal framework for governance and ensuring that all governmental actions are in accordance with the law. In some countries and states, the people, through constitutional conventions or referendums, are often involved in creating and amending their constitution.
Civic Engagement: Citizens exercise sovereignty through ongoing civic engagement, such as peaceful protests, public discourse, contacting elected officials, joining interest groups, and participating in local governance and jury duty.
In essence, while the theoretical sovereign is "the people," and the guidance of natural justice or dharma has to be utilized, the practical exercise of that sovereignty is mediated through the rule of law and representative democratic institutions.
The Neglected Aspect
The communication between elected representatives and citizens is a neglected aspect in democracies. The elected representatives must be persons interested in collecting and analyzing public opinion in their constituency formally as well as informally and present it in the legislative body. They must ask written communications from their citizens on all bills on which they will present their opinion and vote. Even within party channels they must be made free to present the opinion of their constituency people through written documents which must be public. In the legislature meeting of a party consensus opinions may be formed and approved through voting. This consensus resolution must be the basis for voting by a party member in legislative bodies. Pandit Deendayal explained a good candidate and elected representative with statement, “An ideal candidate is the one who, along with representing his political parties in the assemblies, also recognizes the pulse of the people he represents. As an individual he should be loyal to his people. He should also follow the discipline of the party that he represents.” The good candidate is to be equally dedicated to his party and his people (BJP, 2015). Even in the legislative body meeting, the elected representative must be free to present the opinion of his constituency through written document. The document submitted to the party and legislative body can be same. The discussions within the legislative body provide more nuanced analysis by the legislators in forming a consensus and approving a bill. The written documents provide the foundation for further detailed analysis of the issue for future actions. This intensive communication will increase participation of people in political decision making.
Conclusion
People are the sovereign in democracies. Their participation is through elected representatives in legislating bodies. But they also express their opinions through civic groups and protest movements. There is scope to increase communication between citizens and elected representatives. Similarly, the communications between elected representatives and party authorities has to be made free and public through written documents. This will increase inner party democracy. In a legislature meeting, elected representatives must freely communicate the opinion of their constituency and their analysis of it. Then only legislative party leaders have to step in and summarize the public opinion and present their analysis and consensus resolution for discussion. The Elected representatives must be persons who are interested in maintaining communication channels between themselves and public and also between themselves and party management and other legislators in legislative bodies. All entities related to democracy have to be familiar with the provisions of Dharma and adhere to them in their law making and decision making.
References
Beckman, Ludvig (2021). Popular sovereignty facing the deep state. The rule of recognition and the powers of the people, Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 24, 954-976.
BJP (2015). Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, New Delhi, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Prasikhan Mahabhiyan
Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/sovereignty (Accessed on15/11/2025).
Dahl, R. (1989). Democracy and its critics. New Haven; Yale University Press.
Duguit, Leon. (1911). Traité de Droit Constitutionnel, Paris; Fontemoing and Company.
Espejo, P. O. (2015). Popular sovereignty. In M. T. Gibbons (Ed.), The encyclopedia of political thought. Hoboken NJ; Wiley-Blackwell.
Hart, H. L. A. (1962). The concept of law. Oxford; Clarendon Press.
Kalyvas, A. (2005). Popular sovereignty, democracy, and the constituent power. Constellations, 12, 223–244.
Laski, Harold J. (1919). Authority in the modern state, London; Yale University Press.
Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya (1965). https://www.dri.org.in/ebook/Integral_Humanism.pdf (Accessed on 23.11.2025).
Post, R. (1998). Democracy, popular sovereignty, and judicial review. California Law Review, 86, 429–443.
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