Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah Meaning: the Full Shloka and Its Source
धर्मो रक्षति रक्षितः (dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ) means “dharma protects those who protect it”. It is half a line of a Sanskrit shloka, and one of the most printed Sanskrit lines in India, on our Sambhaji Maharaj and Chanakya posters too. Here is the full shloka, each word, and where it really comes from.
The complete shloka
तस्माद्धर्मो न हन्तव्यो मा नो धर्मो हतोऽवधीत्॥
tasmād dharmo na hantavyo mā no dharmo hato 'vadhīt
Meaning in Hindi and English
English: Dharma protects those who protect it. Keep to what is right, and what is right will keep you; abandon it, and its loss will come back on you. The full verse puts both halves side by side: dharma destroyed destroys, dharma protected protects.
Hindi: जो धर्म की रक्षा करता है, धर्म उसकी रक्षा करता है। नष्ट किया गया धर्म नष्ट करता है, इसलिए धर्म का नाश नहीं करना चाहिए।
Where it comes from
Manusmriti 8.15. The verse comes in a passage on the duty of a judge to speak the truth in the court assembly (8.12–16): a judge who lets dharma be wounded there is wounded by it.
Also in the Mahabharata. In the Vana Parva (3.31.7), Draupadi tells Yudhishthira she has heard from the wise that “राजानं धर्मगोप्तारं धर्मो रक्षति रक्षितः”: dharma, protected, protects the king who guards dharma. The full Manusmriti line also appears in some manuscripts of the Mahabharata, but only in passages the critical edition leaves out.
Not Chanakya's, and not Sambhaji Maharaj's words. It isn't in the Arthashastra or the Chanakya Niti, and it is many centuries older than Sambhaji Maharaj. It is printed with him as a tribute, because it sums up how he is remembered.
The line on our products
For Sambhaji Maharaj's own Sanskrit verses, from the Budhabhushanam he wrote, read Sambhaji Maharaj quotes with meaning. For what Chanakya really wrote, read Chanakya quotes with meaning.
Questions people ask
What does dharmo rakshati rakshitah mean in Hindi?
“जो धर्म की रक्षा करता है, धर्म उसकी रक्षा करता है।”
Who said धर्मो रक्षति रक्षितः?
It is from the Manusmriti (8.15): “धर्म एव हतो हन्ति धर्मो रक्षति रक्षितः”. Draupadi uses the same words in the Mahabharata (3.31.7).
Is it from the Bhagavad Gita?
No. It isn't in the Gita.
Did Chanakya or Sambhaji Maharaj say it?
No. It is older than both, and it isn't in Chanakya's Arthashastra or the Chanakya Niti. It is printed with Sambhaji Maharaj's picture because it sums up how he is remembered, not because he said it.
What is the correct spelling?
धर्मो रक्षति रक्षितः, with the visarga (ः) at the end. धर्मो is धर्मः joined to the next word.
Can I use it as an Instagram bio, WhatsApp status or tattoo?
Yes. It is three words and fits any bio. For a tattoo, have the artist copy the Devanagari exactly.