Philosophy:Yato Dharmastato Jayah
Yato Dharmastato Jayah (Sanskrit: यतो धर्मस्ततो जयः, romanized: yato dharmastato jayaḥ) is a Sanskrit shloka that occurs a total of 13 times in the Hindu epic the Mahabharata. It means "Where there is Dharma, there will be Victory".[1][2]
Meaning
The phrase comes from the Mahabharata verse 13.153.39.[3] On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, during the Kurukshetra War, when Arjuna tries to shake the despondency of Yudhisthira;[4] he states "victory is ensured for the side standing with Dharma".[5] It occurs again when Gandhari, the mother of Kauravas, having lost all her sons in the war, utters it with the intent: "Where there is Dharma, there is Victory".
Reference in Hindu scriptures
The phrase is often complemented with another shloka in the Mahabharata. [6] Dhritarashtra is warned using this phrase by Vyasa to discourage the unrighteous ways of his sons.[7] It again occurs in the Stri Parva of Hindu Itihasa Mahabharata.[8] It is also told by Bhishma to Duryodhana in Bhagavad Gita Parva. Yato Dharmastato Jayah occurs a total of eleven times in the Mahabharata.[4]
In Karna-Upanivada Parva, Karna while accepting his mistakes in front of Krishna, also said this.
In Vidura Niti, when Dhritarashtra is interacting with Vidura, 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".[9]
Dharma Viveka, a Sanskrit poem composed by Halayudhvi, ends with this phrase.[10]
In studies
In Bala Vihar, an educational activity for children, Chinmaya Mission uses this message to supplement the concept of Karma.[11] Scholar Alf Hiltebeitel takes this up in detail in his study of Dharma and Bhagwat Gita.[4] Before Alf, the scholar Sylvain Lévi is known to have studied this phrase in detail with varying interpretations.[4][12] 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 [India's]".[13] In the study of ethics, it is taken to convey that "ultimate victory is that of righteousness".[14]
See also
- Dharma
- Karma
- Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah, another shloka about dharma
References
- ↑ "Why Justices Broke the Code of Silence - Mumbai Mirror -". Mumbai Mirror. https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/opinion/columnists/miscellanous/why-justices-broke-the-code-of-silence/articleshow/62477133.cms.
- ↑ Joseph, Kurian (2017). "यतो धर्मस्ततो जयः". Nyayapravah XVI (63): 7.
- ↑ www.wisdomlib.org (2021-09-17). "Mahabharata Verse 13.153.39 [Sanskrit text"] (in en). https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/mahabharata-sanskrit/d/doc1036372.html.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Hiltebeitel, Alf (2011) (in en). Dharma: Its Early History in Law, Religion, and Narrative. Oxford University Press, USA. pp. 545547. ISBN 9780195394238.
- ↑ Sharma, Rambilas (1999) (in hi). Bhāratīya saṃskr̥ti aura Hindī-pradeśa. Kitabghar Prakashan. p. 352. ISBN 9788170164388.
- ↑ Sharma, Arvind (2007) (in en). Essays on the Mahābhārata. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 409. ISBN 9788120827387.
- ↑ Pandey, Kali Charan (2011) (in en). Ethics and Epics: Reflections on Indian Ethos. Readworthy. p. 20. ISBN 9789350180334.
- ↑ (in hi) The Mahábhárata: an epic poem. Education Committee's Press. 1837. p. 349.
- ↑ Satyaketu (19 January 2021) (in hi). Vidur Neeti. Prabhat Prakashan. p. 108. ISBN 9789350481615.
- ↑ Haeberlin, John (1847) (in sa). Kavya-Sangraha: a sanscrit anthology. p. 506.
- ↑ Yato Dharmah Tato Jayah. Chinmaya Mission. pp. Chapter 1. https://www.chinmayapublications.com/grade-08-yato-dharmah-tato-jayah.
- ↑ Lévi, Sylvain (1996) (in fr). Mémorial Sylvain Lévi. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 295. ISBN 9788120813434.
- ↑ Verma, Bharat (15 January 2013) (in en). Indian Defence Review: Jul-Sep 2010. Lancer Publishers. p. 32.
- ↑ Pandey, Kali Charan (2011) (in en). Ethics and Epics: Reflections on Indian Ethos. Readworthy. p. 19. ISBN 9789350180334.
 |  |
