Yato Dharmastato Jayah ( sa, यतो धर्मस्ततो जयः) is a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

shloka Shloka or śloka ( sa, श्लोक , from the root , Macdonell, Arthur A., ''A Sanskrit Grammar for Students'', Appendix II, p. 232 (Oxford University Press, 3rd edition, 1927). in a broader sense, according to Monier-Williams's dictionary, is ...

, which occurs a total of eleven times in the

Hindu epic Mahākāvya (lit. great kāvya, court epic), also known as ''sargabandha'', is a genre of Indian epic poetry in Classical Sanskrit. The genre is characterised by ornate and elaborate descriptions of scenery, love, battles and so on — in short, eve ...

, the ''

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the s ...

'', and means "Where there is Dharma, there will be Victory".

Meaning

The phrase comes from sa, यतः कृष्णस्ततो धर्मो यतो धर्मस्ततो जयः on the battlefield of Kurukshetra War when Arjuna is trying to shake the despondency of

Yudhisthira ''Yudhishthira'' (Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira'') is the eldest among the five Pandava brothers. He is mentioned in the ancient epic Mahabharata. He was sired by King Pandu of the Kuru Dynasty and his first ...

. He says that "victory is ensured for the side standing with Dharma, where

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

is, there is victory". It occurs again when Gandhari, the mother of

Kauravas ''Kaurava'' is a Sanskrit term which refers to descendants of Kuru, a legendary king of India who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the epic ''Mahabharata''. Usually, the term is used for the 100 sons of King Dhritarashtra and his w ...

, having lost all her sons in the war, utters it with the intent: "Where there is Lord Krishna there is Dharma, and where there is Dharma there is Victory".

Reference in Hindu scriptures

The phrase is often complemented with another

in the ''Mahabharata'' which conveys, "Where there is Dharma, there is Krishna".

Dhritarashtra Dhritarashtra ( sa, धृतराष्ट्र, ISO-15919: Dhr̥tarāṣṭra) was a Kuru king, and the father of the Kauravas in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He was the King of the Kuru Kingdom, with its capital at Hastinapura. He was ...

is warned using this phrase by

Vyasa Krishna Dvaipayana ( sa, कृष्णद्वैपायन, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana), better known as Vyasa (; sa, व्यासः, Vyāsaḥ, compiler) or Vedavyasa (वेदव्यासः, ''Veda-vyāsaḥ'', "the one who cl ...

to discourage the unrighteous ways of his sons. It again occurs in the Stri Parva of

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

Itihasa Mahabharata. It is also told by

Bhisma Bhishma ( Sanskrit: भीष्‍म, , ), also known as Pitamaha, Gangaputra, and Devavrata, played an integral role in Mahabharata. He was the supreme commander of the Kaurava forces during the Kurukshetra War mentioned in the Hindu epi ...

to Duryodhana in ''Bhagavad Gita Parva''. Yato Dharmastato Jayah occurs a total of eleven times in the ''Mahabharata''. In ''Vidura Niti'', when Dhritarashtra is interacting with

Vidura Vidura (Sanskrit: विदुर, lit. ''skilled'', ''intelligent'' or ''wise''), also known as Kshatri, plays a key role in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is described as the prime minister of the Kuru kingdom and is the paternal uncle ...

, he uses this phrase. He says, "though I know that victory lies on the path of Dharma, even then I cannot forsake my son Duryodhana". ''Dharma Viveka'', a

poem composed by Halayudhvi, ends with this phrase.

In studies

In ''Bala Vihar'', an educational activity for children,

Chinmaya Mission The Chinmaya Mission is a Hindu religious and spiritual organization engaged in the dissemination of Vedanta, the science of the self as expounded in the Vedas, particularly the Upanishads, and other Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita ...

uses this message to supplement the concept of

Karma Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...

. Scholar Alf Hiltebeitel takes this up in detail in his study of '' Dharma and

Bhagwat Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700- verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (c ...

''. Before Alf, the scholar

Sylvain Lévi Sylvain Lévi (March 28, 1863 – October 30, 1935) was an influential French orientalist and indologist who taught Sanskrit and Indian religion at the École pratique des hautes études. Lévi's book ''Théâtre Indien'' is an important ...

is known to have studied this phrase in detail with varying interpretations. In an article of the ''Indian Defence Review'' journal, it is characterized as "best sums up the Indian thought", here meaning, "If we are righteous, then victory will be ours ndia's. In the study of

ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concer ...

, it is taken to convey that "ultimate victory is that of righteousness".

As Motto in Jaipur State Coat of Arms

This phrase was written as the Motto in the Coat of Arms of former Jaipur State under

Rajputana Agency The Rajputana Agency was a political office of the British Indian Empire dealing with a collection of native states in Rajputana (now in Rajasthan, northwestern India), under the political charge of an Agent reporting directly to the Governor ...

. Also this motto was used by several other small estates related with former Jaipur State.

References

{{Indian philosophy Mahabharata Words and phrases with no direct English translation Hindu philosophical concepts Sanskrit mottos

Meaning

Reference in Hindu scriptures

In studies

As Motto in Jaipur State Coat of Arms

See also

References