In 1956, on October 14, Dr. Ambedkar and many of his followers underwent a mass conversion at Deekshabhumi, Nagpur. Dr. Ambedkar lived until December 6, 1956. It is a matter of speculation as to why he waited for 21 years, carrying the identity of being a Hindu, despite having clearly stated his intention to leave Hinduism on October 13, 1935, at a conference held in Yeola near Nashik, Maharashtra.
Whatever the explanation may be, the fact that he continued within the fold of Hinduism for a long period of 21 years—almost one-third of his life—even after deciding to leave it, suggests that he was not feeling suffocated within it. Even during this ‘waiting period’ he continued to carry anger against many practices prevalent during his time, and this is evident in his writings and speeches. He openly expressed his views and remarkably without any apparent serious threat to his life. In all probability, the reason behind his ‘wait’ was that he was hopeful of a positive outcome of his efforts, as he sought to use the freedom available to him as a Hindu to raise his concerns from within.
His expectations were not unfounded, as Hinduism has an extensive tradition of reformers, all of whom have historically been respected, almost without exception, within the Sanatani tradition. He has acknowledged this aspect of Hinduism without mincing words and unequivocally accepts the superiority of Hinduism over Islam in this crucial aspect. In the tenth chapter of “Thoughts on Pakistan” under the title “Social Stagnation” he clearly compares Islam with Hinduism as “The Hindus have their social evils. But there is this relieving feature about them—namely, that some of them are conscious of their existence and a few of them are actively agitating for their removal. The Muslims, on the other hand, do not realize that they are evils and consequently do not agitate for their removal. Indeed, they oppose any change in their existing practices.” He was aware that Buddhism also belongs to one of the Nastika traditions that evolved as a reforming movement within the broader Sanatani belief system and therefore was preferred by Dr. Ambedkar over other religions only to lead the reform. He consciously chose Buddhism—a religion for which Bharat was a Punya-Bhumi—much in agreement with Savarkar, who was no less patriotic and committed to reform within Hinduism.
With this background, when Dr. Ambedkar finally chose to convert to Buddhism in 1956, it is clear that the issues he found unacceptable within Hinduism were comprehensively articulated in the 22 vows he took during the conversion ceremony. Here, I will decode and interpret these vows to understand their meaning, purpose, and underlying thought.
All the vows are listed below. Each vow is followed by an explanation to suggest what he, in all probability, meant—or did not mean—while taking it. This is necessary because many of his followers have, at times, been influenced by extrapolations that have contributed to misunderstandings. These vows have sometimes been used in ways that not only create division and widen differences between the followers of Dr. Ambedkar and those of Hinduism but also push them closer to Islamic and Communist (Hindu-phobic) philosophies, that Dr. Ambedkar had opposed to, throughout his life.
1. I shall have no faith in Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh nor shall I worship them.
Comment: In the true Sanatani Nastika tradition, he did not mean that he will disrespect, vilify or abuse them and their believers or will break their idols or temples. In fact, Buddha himself never wanted his followers to worship him. This is a fair oath that does not justify disrespecting Hindu Gods.
2. I shall have no faith in Rama and Krishna who are believed to be incarnations of God nor shall I worship them.
Comment: Same as the comment to Oath 1.
3. I shall have no faith in ‘Gauri’, Ganapati and other gods and goddesses of Hindus nor shall I worship them.
Comment: Same as the comment to Oath 1.
4. I do not believe in the incarnation of God.
Comment: Thereby, he also meant that he did not consider Buddha as God. A fair oath that allows Rama and Krishna to be considered as great human beings and not incarnations.
5. I do not and shall not believe that Lord Buddha was the incarnation of Vishnu. I believe this to be sheer madness and false propaganda.
Comment: This, yet again, reiterates the earlier oath wherein he did not consider Buddha as God but had the highest respect for him. A fair oath again.
6. I shall not perform ‘Shraddha’ nor shall I give ‘pind-dan’.
Comment: Yet again, he did not mean that he will disrespect his ancestors. He never supported the idea to forget ancestors in his writings. He only stated that he will not follow these methods (rituals) to express his respect for his ancestors. A fair oath for a follower of Sanatani Nastika tradition.
7. I shall not act in a manner violating the principles and teachings of the Buddha.
Comment: Buddha never disrespected Sanatan; instead, he talked of an innovative and fair Nastika tradition that was perfectly possible under the Sanatani belief system itself. A fair and honest admission.
8. I shall not allow any ceremonies to be performed by Brahmins.
Comment: Reading this along with his other writings and his mass movements to gain entry into the temples clearly indicates that he wanted Hindu ceremonies to be performed by non-Brahmins—this shows that he was still concerned with reforms in Hinduism and wanted to pursue the same. This oath lists his unambiguous concern for reforms in Hinduism.
9. I shall believe in the equality of man.
Comment: He considered all - including Brahmins and other categories of Sanatanis - as equal. He neither excluded the elites, the learned, nor the Brahmin—in this equality.
10. I shall endeavour to establish equality.
Comment: He considered all - including Brahmins and all categories of Sanatanis - as equal. He neither excluded the elites, the learned, nor the Brahmin—in this equality.
11. I shall follow the ‘noble eightfold path’ of the Buddha.
Comment: He vowed to follow the path of Buddha and did not intend to either worship or disrespect (abuse) anyone, including Buddha—in line with the traditional ‘Nastika’ Sanatani belief system.
12. I shall follow the ‘paramitas’ prescribed by the Buddha.
Comment: He vowed to follow the path of Buddha and did not intend to either worship or disrespect (abuse) anyone, including Buddha—in line with the traditional ‘Nastika’ Sanatani belief system.
13. I shall have compassion and loving kindness for all living beings and protect them.
Comment: He vowed to have compassion and loving kindness towards all (including Brahmins and Sanatanis)—in line with the traditional Sanatani belief system.
14. I shall not steal.
Comment: He considered stealing as unacceptable behaviour irrespective of whether it was done to harm non-Buddhists or others.
15. I shall not tell lies.
Comment: He wanted no one to tell lies and considered this unacceptable behaviour irrespective of whether it was done by a Buddhist or a non-Buddhist—in line with the traditional Sanatani belief system.
16. I shall not commit carnal sins.
Comment: He considered sexual misconduct as completely unacceptable behaviour whether it was done with non-Buddhists or otherwise—in line with the traditional Sanatani belief system.
17. I shall not take intoxicants like liquor, drugs, etc.
Comment: He considered consuming liquor and drugs as unacceptable habits.
18. I shall endeavour to follow the noble eightfold path and practice compassion and loving kindness in everyday life.
Comment: The eightfold path includes Right Understanding, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration—and all these are in line with basic traditional Sanatani thoughts.
19. I renounce Hinduism, which is harmful to humanity and impedes its advancement and development because it is based on inequality, and adopt Buddhism as my religion.
Comment: In this particular oath, he states unambiguously that ‘inequality’ is harmful to humanity and creates hurdles in the path of its advancement and development. Since he himself has admitted that Hinduism has a unique tradition of carrying out reforms sincerely from within itself, this oath must not be considered a complete rejection of Hinduism, but rather an expression of his concerns about the features he wanted to correct. Instead of viewing this as a reflection on Hinduism in its entirety, it should be seen as his view on a specific aspect associated with Hinduism—‘inequality’—about which he had an uncompromising concern.
20. I firmly believe that the Dhamma of the Buddha is the only true religion.
Comment: At first glance, this appears to be the strongest of all the vows, as it clearly runs counter to the traditional Sanatani belief system, which firmly believes in the equality of religions and ways of worship. Quite strangely, such an oath aligns with the prevailing Semitic religions, such as Islam and Christianity. This may explain why, unlike mainstream Buddhists, who are rarely seen in serious confrontation with Hinduism, Ambedkarites are generally perceived as having a more confrontational attitude towards Hinduism. Such an attitude is normally absent in religions that originated in Bharat. In this sense, this oath seems to have been formulated under the influence of other intolerant and unaccommodating Semitic religions.
An honest submission is that one must believe in one’s own belief system. Having said that, even in this oath, unlike in other Semitic religions that claim that those who do not follow them must either be converted or eliminated, there is no hint of hatred towards those who do not believe in the Dhamma of the Buddha.
21. I believe that I am having a rebirth.
Comment: He believed in the idea of rebirth similar to the traditional Sanatani belief and made it incompatible with the Semitic beliefs like those of Islam and Christianity.
22. I solemnly declare and affirm that I shall hereafter lead my life according to the principles and teachings of the Buddha and his Dhamma.
Comment: He declared that he would follow Buddhism but did not explicitly announce that he would dedicate himself to converting others into the Buddhist fold. In the true Sanatani tradition, he only hoped that his followers will consider converting to Buddhism voluntarily.
Of all the 22 oaths, only the 20th oath can be seen as being influenced by Semitic beliefs. It does hint at a departure from the traditional belief system of Bharat, in which he chose to be exclusive rather than inclusive. Despite this, unlike other Semitic beliefs, even in this oath, he did not ask his followers to hate non-believers of Buddhism. None of his oaths, therefore, can be misused to justify the hatred, abuse, and vilification of Hindu Gods that are presently being practised by his followers.
