Prabhu Shree Ram Wall Poster – ‘यतो धर्मः ततो जयः’ | Bharatvarsh Arts

Yato Dharmastato Jayah Meaning: Where There Is Dharma, There Is Victory

यतो धर्मस्ततो जयः (yato dharmas tato jayaḥ) means “where there is dharma, there is victory”. It is the motto of the Supreme Court of India, and a line we print on our Prabhu Ram posters as यतो धर्मः ततो जयः: the same words, written apart. In the old texts sandhi joins धर्मः and ततः into धर्मस्ततो.

The line comes up again and again in the Mahabharata. Here are two of the complete shlokas, and who says it.

Arjun, before the battle

त्यक्त्वाधर्मं च लोभं च मोहं चोद्यममास्थिताः ।
युध्यध्वमनहंकारा यतो धर्मस्ततो जयः ॥
एवं राजन्विजानीहि ध्रुवोऽस्माकं रणे जयः ।
यथा मे नारदः प्राह यतः कृष्णस्ततो जयः ॥
tyaktvādharmaṃ ca lobhaṃ ca mohaṃ codyamam āsthitāḥ
yudhyadhvam anahaṃkārā yato dharmas tato jayaḥ
evaṃ rājan vijānīhi dhruvo 'smākaṃ raṇe jayaḥ
yathā me nāradaḥ prāha yataḥ kṛṣṇas tato jayaḥ
“Give up adharma, greed and delusion, take up effort, and fight without ego: where there is dharma, there is victory. Know this, king — our victory in battle is certain. As Narada told me: where Krishna is, there is victory.”
अधर्म, लोभ और मोह को छोड़कर, उद्यम का सहारा लेकर, अहंकार-रहित होकर युद्ध करो — जहाँ धर्म है, वहीं विजय है। हे राजन्, जान लो कि रण में हमारी विजय निश्चित है; जैसा नारद ने मुझसे कहा था — जहाँ कृष्ण हैं, वहीं विजय है।
Mahabharata · Bhishma Parva 6.21.11–12 · Arjun to Yudhishthira, before the battle

Bhishma, to Duryodhana

राजन्सत्त्वमयो ह्येष तमोरागविवर्जितः।
यतः कृष्णस्ततो धर्मो यतो धर्मस्ततो जयः॥
rājan sattvamayo hy eṣa tamorāgavivarjitaḥ
yataḥ kṛṣṇas tato dharmo yato dharmas tato jayaḥ
“O king, he (Krishna) is pure goodness, free of darkness and passion. Where Krishna is, there is dharma; where dharma is, there is victory.”
हे राजन्, ये (कृष्ण) शुद्ध सत्त्वमय हैं, तमोगुण और रजोगुण से रहित। जहाँ कृष्ण हैं, वहाँ धर्म है; जहाँ धर्म है, वहाँ विजय है।
Mahabharata · Bhishma Parva 6.62.34 · Bhishma to Duryodhana
Word by word
यतः (yataḥ)
“where”, literally “from where”.
धर्मः (dharmaḥ)
dharma: what is right.
ततः (tataḥ)
“there”, literally “from there”.
जयः (jayaḥ)
victory.
धर्मस्ततो
धर्मः + ततः joined in sandhi. So यतो धर्मः ततो जयः is the same line, written word by word.

Meaning in Hindi and English

English: Where there is dharma, there is victory. Victory follows what is right. In the epic it is both a promise and a warning: Gandhari, asked by her son Duryodhana for a blessing of victory, would only answer “where there is dharma, there is victory”, and would not bless the wrong side.

Hindi: जहाँ धर्म है, वहाँ विजय है। विजय उसी की होती है जो धर्म के साथ खड़ा है।

Where it comes from

The Mahabharata, about a dozen times. Arjun says it to Yudhishthira before the battle (Bhishma Parva 6.21.11); Bhishma says it to Duryodhana (6.62.34); Drona says it (6.41.55); Karna says it to Krishna (5.141.33); and Gandhari, over Duryodhana's body, recalls that it was all she would say when he asked her for victory (11.17.6).

It isn't in the Bhagavad Gita, and Krishna never says it. It isn't in the Ramayana either; it is on our Ram posters because it fits Shri Ram's story, but the words are the Mahabharata's.

The line on our products

Prabhu Shree Ram Wall Poster – ‘यतो धर्मः ततो जयः’ | Bharatvarsh Arts
Our “यतो धर्मः ततो जयः” Prabhu Ram poster.
See the poster →
Prabhu Shree Ram Wall Poster – ‘यतो धर्मः ततो जयः’, vs Ravan | Bharatvarsh Arts
Our Prabhu Shreeram vs Ravan poster, with ‘यतो धर्मः ततो जयः’: जहाँ धर्म है, वहाँ विजय है।
See the poster →

For Arjun's other words in the Mahabharata, read Arjun quotes with meaning. For Shri Ram's own words in the Valmiki Ramayana, read Ram quotes with meaning.

Questions people ask

What does yato dharmastato jayah mean in Hindi?

“जहाँ धर्म है, वहाँ विजय है।”

Who said “yato dharmas tato jayah”?

Several people in the Mahabharata: Arjun (Bhishma Parva 6.21.11), Bhishma (6.62.34), Drona, Karna and Gandhari among them.

Is it from the Bhagavad Gita? Did Krishna say it?

No. It isn't in the Gita, and Krishna never says it. Bhishma's version links the two: “where Krishna is, there is dharma; where dharma is, there is victory”.

Is it from the Ramayana?

No. It is from the Mahabharata. It fits Shri Ram's story well, which is why it is on our Ram posters.

Is it “यतो धर्मस्ततो जयः” or “यतो धर्मः ततो जयः”?

Both are right. The texts join the words in sandhi (धर्मस्ततो); written apart, it is धर्मः ततो. The meaning is the same.

Is it the Supreme Court of India's motto?

Yes, यतो धर्मस्ततो जयः is the Supreme Court's motto.

Can I use it as a bio, WhatsApp status or tattoo?

Yes. It is four words and fits any bio. For a tattoo, pick one spelling and have the artist copy the Devanagari exactly.

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