Talk:Satyameva Jayate

English

How to learn it ?

Harigovindsingh (talk) 07:42, 11 December 2018 (UTC)

Jayati vs Jayate

I recently removed a comment in the Origin section that said the original Upanishad said जयति instead of जयते. This seems to be an unsupported claim, at least seeing the evidence.

The original comment also said that Sanskrit grammar dictates that it should be जयति instead, and "how जयते made it into the emblem is a matter of thought". Which is also unsupported, at least according to the following paragraph:

Why did Mundaka Upanishad say 'Satyameva Jayate' and not 'Satyameva Jayati'? The latter also means truth alone triumphs. Without getting into too many complications of Sanskrit grammar, those verbs are of two types, parasmaipadi and atmanepadi, and there are some verbs that can be both.

A parasmaipadi verb is used when you are doing something for someone else. An atmanepadi verb is used when you are doing something for yourself. There are verbs that can be both and you use parasmaipadi or atmanepadi forms, depending on who the recipient of the intended action is. Cooking - let us ignore the relevant Sanskrit word - is an example of a verb that can be both.

When I cook for someone else, I use parasmaipadi. When I cook for myself, I use atmanepadi. Triumph or win is similar. Satyameva Jayate is used because truth alone triumphs and I am the recipient. Had someone else been the recipient, it would have been Satyameva Jayati.

— Bibek Debroy, Why State emblem 'Satyameva Jayate' has vanished both literally & symbolically

Lammbda (talk) 08:55, 4 June 2020 (UTC)

"Translations"

The table labelled "translations" is actually full of transliterations. It's just the words "Satyameva Jayate" in different scripts. I could rename the table, but I do not see any particular reason for the table to be there at all - after all, the phrase is almost always used in its Sanskrit form in common practice, and everyone knows what it means. W. Tell DCCXLVI (^{talk to me!}/_c) 23:04, 11 December 2022 (UTC)