Yato Dharma Tato Jaya: is the motto inscribed under the logo (emblem) of the Supreme Court of India. The sentence ‘ Yato .. Jaya: “ is a Sanskrit shloka which means “ Victory follows, where Righteousness is adhered” is taken from Mahabharat, one of the two celebrated epics of Sanatana Dharma, popularly known as Hinduism. Scholars like Alfred John Hiltebeitel (Columbian Professor of Religion, History, and Human Sciences at George Washington University, Washington DC, USA.) state that this shloka is repeated 11 times by different characters, Vyasa to Kanthari, at various stages. They all reverberate and reaffirm their conviction that in spite of any external temptations or testing circumstances, if one follows the path of dharma, he or she will always be protected and blessed with victory, wealth and fame. The eldest of Pandavas, Yudhishtira is shown in Mahabharata as a standing proof of this principle. He ,known as Dharma Putra was the son of Yama Dharma Raj, that is one who delivers law and justice.
Similar, the hero of the other epic Ramayana, Lord Rama is praised as very embodiment of Dharma (रामो विग्रहवान् धर्मः Aranya Kanda, Ch 37 Sl 13). This is the observation made by an adversary, Maricha who abetted the evil designs of Ravana to covet Sita Mata. Thus Rama had commanded respect of friends and foes equally. Same was the status of Yudishtira in Mahabharata.
Now, one will be interested in knowing what the term Dharma connotes. Dharma is an unique concept of this land, that is, Bharata Varsha. One cannot expect an equivalent in dictionaries of other languages. Therefore, Dharma has been adopted as such in the Western world prominently due to our Swamijis like Vivekananda, Rama Tirtha and Chinmayananda who have established their chapters across the continents. Dharma is a concept which is applicable to an individual to cosmos. Dharma is context dependent and as relevant to the topic on hand, we will consider the following one: “ Dhaarayati iti Dharma “ which means “ That which binds together is Dharma “. The concept is described by Lord Krishna to Arjun in Karna Parva, Mahabharat in the shloka which reads as
Dharanat dharma mityahu dharmo dhara-yate prajaha
Yat syad dharanasamyuktam sa dharma iti nischayaha
Dharma sustains the society. Dharma maintains the social order. Dharma ensures well being and progress of humanity. Dharma is surely that which fulfills these objectives. (Hindupedia)
As said earlier, Dharma prescribes dos and don’ts to an individual (vyaktitva dharma), to the rulers (Raja Dharma), to the community (Samaja dharma) so on and so forth. Same is the function of the Constitution of any country. As we know, the Supreme Court is the august body which interprets the Constitutional provisions, legal enactments by the Centre and the States. Therefore, we feel that the Supreme Court could have adopted the tag line “Yato Dharma Tato Jaya: “ . Supreme Court has followed the foot steps of the founding fathers of our Constituion, members of the Constituent Assembly.
Dharma is the concept, the set of guiding principles and it is manifest through human actions. Dharma, if it is viewed as the foundation, then the collective expression of the people of the land, Bharata Varsham or Bharat, in their lives, in their practices, customs and the civilization thus evolved over the ages could be viewed as the superstructure named Bhartiya. If Dharma is the seed Bhartiya is the magnificent giant tree. Since the Dharma in our mother land is ageless, nobody is able to fix its origin and is living one, time tested, thus Eternal, is known as Sanatana Dharma,
Any student of law, right from day 1 is taught that the long-standing customs, conventions and practices followed by the people of that land, society, state and nation are one of the important sources of life. Hence, very naturally, members of the Constituent Assembly while drafting the constitution did not have any hesitation in drawing from various scriptures and texts of Sanatana Dharma. Our Constitution rests on three pillars, namely, the Legislature, Judiciary and Bureaucracy. In all the institutions built in support. to carry out various functions of the above three pillars, we can witness a similar leaning towards Sanatana Dharma. Just to quote a few examples, we can consider following mottos:
National motto : Satyameva Jayat (Truth alone Triumphs)
CAG: Lokhitrartha Satyanishtha (Dedicated to truth in public Interest)
Archaeological Survey of India: प्रत्नकीर्तिमपावृणु (Let us uncover the glory of the past)
All India Radio: बहुजनहिताय बहुजनसुखाय (For maximum benefit to maximum number of people)
Doordarshan : सत्यम शिवम् सुंदरम (Truth , Happiness and Beuty)
Postal Department: अहर्निशं सेवामे (In the service day and night)
Intelligence Bureau: जागृतं अहर्निशम् [Wide awake day and night]
Life Insurance Corporation: योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम् ( support in obtaining and preserving prosperity)
Another confirmation of the source of inspiration, Bharatiya rooted in Sanatana Dharma is obtained from the drawings and paintings found across in the original handwritten copy of the Constitution of India. It is note-worthy aspect of our constitution as in no other country’s constitution has any such art works. These captivating illustrations were created by Nand Lal Bose and his team from Shantiniketan. They were not mere artistic embellishments but a careful selection to represent the glorious past spread over different eras- Veda kal, Purana / Itihasic kal to Freedom Struggle period. In the same vein, they also show case the rich geographical diversity. Thus, we have would-be Ayodya king Lord Rama of North leading an Army to fight Ravana, the king of Sri Lanka in the southern part of Bharat.
Among those illustrations, two images – Lord Nataraja’s Cosmic Dance and Sculptures of Mahabalipuram mainly the spot known as the Penance of Bhagirata, (also mentioned as Arjuna’s penance) are bound to get special attention of the citizens of Tamil Nadu. Lord Nataraja, Shiva in the dancing pose primarily in Chidambaram and four places namely Madurai, Tirunelveli, Kurraalam and Thiruvaalangaadu. Famous Art Critic Ananda Coomaraswamy (Author of Dance of Siva), Fritjof Capra (Author of The Tao of Physics) and such several writers have extensively written about Lord Nataraja. Regarding Mahabalipuram, we may recall that it was here where our Prime Minister Narendra Modi received Xi Zin Ping, Chinese Premier in 2019. Bhagirata symbolises an act of personal sacrifice not for selfish goals but for the common good of bringing the Holy River of Ganga.
Thus, Constitution of our country is rooted in Bharatiya which in turn has Sanatana Dharma as its seed. Hence, let us renew our sankalpa (resolve) to nurture and nourish Bharatiya and Sanatana Dharma, on the eve of The Constituon Day, November 26.
