Satyameva Jayate

For other uses, see Satyamev Jayate (disambiguation).

Satyameva Jayate (Sanskrit pronunciation: [sɐt̪jɐmeːʋɐ d͡ʒɐjɐt̪eː]; lit. 'Truth alone triumphs') is a part of a mantra from the Hindu scripture Mundaka Upanishad.^[1] Following the independence of India, it was adopted as the national motto of India on 26 January 1950, the day India became a republic.^[2][3] In the national emblem of India, it is inscribed in the Devanagari script below the Lion Capital of Ashoka and forms an integral part of the emblem. The emblem, including "Satyameva Jayate", is inscribed on one side of all Indian currency and national documents.

National Emblem of India contains the phrase Satyameva Jayate.

Translations of
Assamese	সত্যমেৱ জয়তে
Bengali	সত্যমেব জয়তে
Bhojpuri	𑂮𑂞𑂹𑂨𑂧𑂵𑂫 𑂔𑂨𑂞𑂵
Hindi	सत्यमेव जयते
Kannada	ಸತ್ಯಮೇವ ಜಯತೇ
Malayalam	സത്യമേവ ജയതേ
Marathi	सत्यमेव जयते
Meitei	ꯁꯇ꯭ꯌꯃꯦꯋ ꯖꯌꯇꯦ
Odia	ସତ୍ୟମେବ ଜୟତେ
Punjabi	ਸਤ੍ਯਮੇਵ ਜਯਤੇ
Tamil	வாய்மையே வெல்லும்
Telugu	సత్యమేవ జయతే
Gujarati	સત્યમેવ જયતે
Glossary of Hinduism terms

Origin

The origin of the motto is the mantra 3.1.6 from the Mundaka Upanishad, which reads:

In the Devanāgarī script

सत्यमेव जयते नानृतं सत्येन पन्था विततो देवयानः।
येनाक्रमन्त्यृषयो ह्याप्तकामा यत्र तत् सत्यस्य परमं निधानम्॥^[1]

Transliteration

satyameva jayate nānṛtaṃ
satyena panthā vitato devayānaḥ
yenākramantyṛṣayo hyāptakāmā
yatra tat satyasya paramaṃ nidhānam^[4]

In English

Truth alone triumphs; not falsehood.
Through truth the divine path is spread out
by which the sages whose desires have been completely fulfilled,
reach to where is that supreme treasure of Truth.^[5]

The phrase is composed of the words satyam ("truth"), eva (emphatic particle, ~"indeed"), and jayate ("conquers").

Popular connotations

Popular connotations also include:

• 'Truth stands Invincible'
• 'Truth alone conquers, not falsehood'
• 'The true prevails, not the untrue'^[6]
• 'Veritas Vincit', a direct Latin translation.
• 'Truth alone conquers, not untruth'^[7]
• 'Truth Alone Triumphs, not that against Sacred law (Rta)
• Vaymaiye Vellum (Tamil: வாய்மையே வெல்லும்)

The slogan was popularized and brought into the national lexicon by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya in 1918 when serving his second of four terms as president of the Indian National Congress.^[8]

See also

• List of Indian state mottos, for mottos adopted by individual states of India
• Truth prevails, the national motto of Czech Republic that has the same meaning