Universal Courage & Righteousness Upanishadic Verse
The Upanishad verse behind India’s national motto: truth alone wins, not falsehood. Sanskrit text, transliteration and meaning in simple English.
Sanskrit
सत्यमेव जयते नानृतं सत्येन पन्था विततो देवयानः ।
येनाक्रमन्त्यृषयो ह्याप्तकामा यत्र तत् सत्यस्य परमं निधानम् ॥
Only the first three words, “satyam eva jayate”, are used as the national motto. The verse goes on, and the full verse is shown above.
Transliteration (IAST)
satyam eva jayate nānṛtaṃ satyena panthā vitato devayānaḥ |
yenākramanty ṛṣayo hy āptakāmā yatra tat satyasya paramaṃ nidhānam ||
Meaning
Truth alone wins, not falsehood. By truth the path of the gods is opened wide. By that path the seers, whose desires are fulfilled, climb to where the highest treasure of truth is.
Source / Textual Reference
Mundaka Upanishad 3.1.6 (Mundaka 3, Khanda 1, verse 6)
The Mundaka Upanishad belongs to the Atharvaveda. India adopted the first words of the verse as its national motto along with the national emblem.
The usual meaning of the opening words is “truth alone triumphs, not falsehood”. Some scholars read the grammar differently, as “only truth is reached, not falsehood”; the usual meaning is used here.
Traditional Significance
The first three words, “Satyameva Jayate” (“truth alone triumphs”), are written in Devanagari under the national emblem of India. This is the verse they come from. The whole verse says more: truth is the way by which the wise reach the highest goal.
The “path of the gods” (devayāna) is, in the Upanishads, the way of those who go toward liberation.
Traditional Practice
The verse is read, studied and widely quoted. It has no fixed time or number of repetitions.
Related Content
- Asato Ma Sadgamaya, from untruth to truth
- Purnamadah Purnamidam
- Satyam Vada Dharmam Chara, speak the truth
- Uttishthata Jagrata, from the Katha Upanishad