Sworn In on the Bhagavad Gita: 17 Leaders Outside India Who Took Their Oath on the Gita

Quick answer: At least 17 office-holders outside India have been publicly reported as taking their oath on the Bhagavad Gita: five in the United States, one in Canada, six in the United Kingdom, three in Australia and two prime ministers of Trinidad and Tobago. They range from the late Basdeo Panday in 1995 to Lord Nagaraju, sworn into the House of Lords on 10 February 2026. Each entry below gives the person's role as of 9 October 2026 and a source for the oath.

What the Bhagavad Gita is

The Bhagavad Gita, "the Song of the Lord", is a 700-verse dialogue in 18 chapters, set within the Mahabharata. On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, the warrior Arjuna loses heart, and Krishna, his charioteer, teaches him about duty (dharma), action without attachment to results, devotion and the eternal self. It is one of the most widely read Hindu scriptures, recited at home and studied in classes around the world. Read it chapter by chapter in our complete Bhagavad Gita guide.

Why an oath on the Gita matters to Hindus abroad

The communities these leaders serve were shaped by two migrations: the indentured labourers taken to the Caribbean, Mauritius, Fiji and South Africa between 1834 and 1917, and the doctors, engineers and students who moved to the USA, UK, Canada and Australia from the 1960s onwards. For generations, Hindu practice in those countries lived mostly in homes and temples.

An oath of office is one of the most public moments in civic life. When a legislator places a hand on the Gita, a text about doing one's duty without selfish motive, it tells Hindu families that their tradition belongs in the national story. Parents in Houston, Leicester or Sydney often point to these photographs when explaining to children that faith and public service go together. The choice is personal, and it says nothing about any person's politics.

United States

Kash Patel

Director of the FBI since February 2025, confirmed as the 9th Director by a 51-49 Senate vote and the first person of Indian heritage to lead the bureau. He took his FBI oath of office on the Bhagavad Gita on 21 February 2025. Source: Deccan Herald.

Suhas Subramanyam

U.S. Representative for Virginia's 10th district since January 2025 and the Democratic nominee for re-election in November 2026. He is the first Indian American and South Asian elected to Congress from Virginia, and a former White House technology policy adviser. He took his oath on the Bhagavad Gita on 3 January 2025. Source: Deccan Herald.

Tulsi Gabbard

Director of National Intelligence from February 2025 until her resignation in June 2026, and U.S. Representative for Hawaii's 2nd district from 2013 to 2021. She was the first Hindu member of Congress and took her 2013 congressional oath on her personal Bhagavad Gita. In 2019 she wrote that she was proud to be "the first Hindu-American to have been elected to Congress". Source: HuffPost India.

Vivek Murthy

The 19th and 21st U.S. Surgeon General (2015-2017 and 2021-January 2025), and on the board of Common Sense Media since October 2025. He was the youngest Surgeon General when sworn in, at 37, and the first Indian American in the post. His April 2015 oath, administered by Vice President Joe Biden, was taken on the Bhagavad Gita. Source: Hindu Press International.

Sri Srinivasan

Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit since 2020, and a judge of that court since 2013, when the Senate confirmed him 97-0. He is the first South Asian American to lead a federal circuit court. NBC News reported that he took his 2013 oath on the Bhagavad Gita, "a Hindu holy text". Source: NBC News.

Canada

Anita Anand

Minister of Foreign Affairs since 13 May 2025 under Prime Minister Mark Carney, and MP for Oakville (now Oakville East) since 2019. Earlier she was Minister of National Defence (2021-2023) and President of the Treasury Board (2023-2024). The Canadian Encyclopedia calls her the first Hindu to serve as a federal cabinet minister, and she took her 2025 oath on the Bhagavad Gita. Source: Tribune India.

United Kingdom

Rishi Sunak

Conservative MP for Richmond and Northallerton since 2015, Prime Minister from 2022 to 2024 and Chancellor before that; since 2025 a senior adviser at Goldman Sachs. He was the UK's first Hindu Prime Minister, swore his Commons oath on the Bhagavad Gita in 2019 and again in July 2024, and told ANI in 2023: "I am a proud Hindu." Source: Siasat (PTI).

Kanishka Narayan

Labour MP for Vale of Glamorgan since 2024 and, since July 2026, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence attending Cabinet, the UK's first cabinet-level AI minister. He is reported as the first ethnic-minority MP for a Welsh constituency at Westminster. He chose to swear his Commons oath on the Bhagavad Gita in July 2024. Source: Siasat (PTI).

Shivani Raja

Conservative MP for Leicester East since 2024, the party's first MP for the seat in 37 years. Of Gujarati heritage, she wrote after her July 2024 swearing-in: "I was truly proud to swear my allegiance to His Majesty King Charles on the Gita." Source: WION.

Lord Sharma (Alok Sharma)

Conservative life peer since August 2024, and before that MP for Reading West (2010-2024). He was President of COP26 (2021-2022), presiding over the Glasgow climate summit, and was knighted in 2023 for services to tackling climate change. He took his Commons oath holding the Bhagavad Gita on 17 December 2019. Source: Swarajya.

Lord Raval (Krish Raval)

Labour life peer since January 2025, Chair of Labour Indians and founder of Faith in Leadership (2007). He received an OBE in 2018 for services to leadership education and inter-faith cohesion. He took his Lords oath holding the Bhagavad Gita in February 2025; Eastern Eye says Hinduism has shaped his life since he attended Bhaktivedanta Manor as a child. Source: iGlobal.

Lord Nagaraju (Uday Nagaraju)

Labour life peer created on 29 January 2026 and founder of AI Policy Labs. Born in Siddipet, Telangana, he is reported as the first Telugu-origin member of the House of Lords. He took his oath on the Bhagavad Gita on 10 February 2026. Source: ETV Bharat.

Australia

Daniel Mookhey

Treasurer of New South Wales since March 2023 and a Labor member of the NSW Legislative Council since 2015; he presented the state's 2026-27 budget. ABC News reported him as the first MP in an Australian parliament sworn in on the Bhagavad Gita (2015), and in 2023 he became the first Australian minister to take his oath of allegiance on it. He said the Gita was "an important backdrop to my childhood growing up in western Sydney". Source: ABC News.

Varun Ghosh

Labor Senator for Western Australia since February 2024, re-elected in May 2025, and a Temporary Chair of Committees since July 2025. A Perth barrister who previously worked at the World Bank, he was reported as the first Australian senator sworn in on the Bhagavad Gita, and was welcomed as such by Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Source: WION.

Deepak-Raj Gupta

Labor member of the ACT Legislative Assembly for Yerrabi (2019-2020), the territory's first India-born parliamentarian, now on the national executive of the Australia India Business Council. He received the OAM in 2022. He told WION that, "being a Hindu", he wanted to take his oath on the Gita, and did so with special permission in 2019. Source: WION.

Trinidad and Tobago

Kamla Persad-Bissessar

Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago since 1 May 2025, after her United National Congress won 26 of 41 seats, and previously from 2010 to 2015, when she became the country's first woman Prime Minister. Reuters described her in 2010 as "a devout Hindu", and she was sworn in on the Bhagavad Gita that year. Source: Gulf News (Reuters).

The late Basdeo Panday

Prime Minister from 1995 to 2001 and founder of the United National Congress, he was the first Hindu and first Indo-Trinidadian Prime Minister, and took his oath in 1995 holding the Bhagavad Gita. He died on 1 January 2024 and received Trinidad and Tobago's first state funeral held under Hindu rites. Source: Trinidad Guardian.

Summary table

Other office-holders with public Hindu practice

These office-holders are not reported in our sources as taking a Gita oath, but their public Hindu practice is documented.

• Lord Gadhia (Jitesh Gadhia), UK: life peer since 2016 and a member of the Bank of England's Court of Directors since 2022. Born in Uganda, his family came to Britain in 1972. He swore his Lords oath on the Rig Veda in 2016, reportedly the first peer to do so. Source: Hindu Press International.
• Ashwin Adhin, Suriname: Chair of the National Assembly since 2025 and Vice President from 2015 to 2020. He took his oath as Assembly chair in Sanskrit. Source: Tribune India.
• Raja Krishnamoorthi, USA: U.S. Representative for Illinois's 8th district (2017 to January 2027, not seeking re-election). He read from the Bhagavad Gita at the Bipartisan Interfaith Prayer Service on 6 January 2025. Source: Office of Rep. Krishnamoorthi.
• Ram Ramlal, Netherlands: member of the Dutch House of Representatives (1992-1994), the first Dutch MP of Surinamese origin. Parlement.com says he entered parliament as the CDA's first non-Christian MP, "als Hindoe" (as a Hindu). Source: Parlement.com.
• Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Mauritius: Prime Minister since November 2024. In September 2025 he performed aarti at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya and prayed at Kashi Vishwanath. Source: Tribune India.

Frequently asked questions

Which US officials were sworn in on the Bhagavad Gita?

Tulsi Gabbard (Congress, 2013), Judge Sri Srinivasan (2013), Surgeon General Vivek Murthy (2015), Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (January 2025) and FBI Director Kash Patel (February 2025) all took their oaths on the Gita, according to the sources linked above.

Did Rishi Sunak take his oath on the Bhagavad Gita?

Yes. He swore his House of Commons oath on the Bhagavad Gita in 2019 and again in July 2024.

Who was the first Australian MP sworn in on the Gita?

ABC News reported in 2015 that Daniel Mookhey, now Treasurer of New South Wales, was the first MP in an Australian parliament sworn in on the Bhagavad Gita. In 2024 Varun Ghosh was reported as the first Australian senator to do so.

Has anyone sworn on a different Hindu scripture?

Yes. Lord Gadhia swore his House of Lords oath on the Rig Veda in 2016, reportedly the first peer to do so, and Ashwin Adhin took his 2025 oath as chair of Suriname's National Assembly in Sanskrit.

Do office-holders have to swear on a holy book?

Rules differ by country and office. Many parliaments let members choose a sacred text or make a non-religious affirmation, which is why the choice of the Gita is a personal one.

Editor's note

Editor's note (9 October 2026): Inclusion is based on public statements or reputable reports of each person's Hindu faith and of their oath, linked in each entry. Roles are as of 9 October 2026. Others may also have sworn on the Gita; we list only those we could source. Inclusion implies no view on anyone's politics.

Related guides

• Famous Hindus living outside India in 2026
• Famous Hindu Americans 2026
• Famous British Hindus 2026
• Famous Hindus of the Caribbean
• Gita Jayanti 2026: date and how to read the Gita
• Hindus in Australia 2026: complete guide
• Hindus in Canada 2026: complete guide