UPSC Mains 2025 GS4 Q10 — Duty and ethics
"One who is devoted to one's duty attains highest perfection in life." Analyse this statement with reference to sense of responsibility and personal fulfilment as a civil servant. (Answer in 150 words)
Question Decoded — examiner's intent
- Directive verbs
- Analyse
- Scope keywords
- devoted to one's dutyhighest perfection in lifesense of responsibilitypersonal fulfilmentcivil servant
- Implicit sub-parts
- How does a strong sense of responsibility translate into administrative excellence?
- What is the psychological link between fulfilling professional obligations and 'highest perfection' (personal satisfaction)?
- How does duty-centeredness prevent ethical burnout and provide a sense of purpose?
- Real-world application: Can duty lead to perfection even in the face of political or systemic resistance?
- Common pitfalls
- Treating 'perfection' as a literal flawlessness rather than a state of self-actualization or integrity.
- Ignoring the 'civil servant' context and writing a generic philosophical essay on Karma Yoga.
- Failing to link 'duty' to 'fulfilment', leading to an answer that only discusses hard work without the internal satisfaction element.
- Overlooking the conflict between personal ethics and organizational duty.
- Dimensions required
- Deontological (Duty-based) ethicsPsychological (Self-actualization)Professional (Accountability and public service)Moral (Integrity and conscience)
- Marks allocation hint
Spend 30 words defining the relationship between duty and perfection. Use 60 words to explain how responsibility leads to professional excellence (external). Use 60 words to connect this duty to personal fulfilment and inner peace (internal), concluding with a brief civil service example.
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