The national motto of India, Satyameva Jayate , is taken from which text?
- A.Mundaka Upanishad
- B.Rigveda
- C.Manusmriti
- D.Arthashastra
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, the Mundaka Upanishad. The line declares that truth alone triumphs, and it was chosen as the motto of the Republic and inscribed in the Devanagari script on the abacus of the State Emblem of India. The emblem itself is adapted from the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath and was adopted on 26 January 1950, with three lions visible, the wheel in the centre of the abacus, a bull on the right and a horse on the left.
Option B is wrong because the Rigveda, although the oldest text, is not the source of this line. Option C is wrong because the Manusmriti is a law book. Option D is wrong because the Arthashastra of Kautilya gives a different motto in use in India, Kosh Mulo Dandah, which belongs to the Income Tax Department.
Read the full article: Mottoes of Indian and International Organisations
Practice Questions
View allNabhah Sparsham Deeptam, touch the sky with glory, is the motto of:
- A.Indian Navy
- B.Indian Air Force
- C.Indian Space Research Organisation
- D.National Defence Academy
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The phrase is drawn from the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, where the cosmic form touches the sky, and it suits an air arm exactly; it appears on the Air Force crest below the Himalayan eagle.
Read the full explanation →Which force has Sam No Varunah as its motto?
- A.Indian Coast Guard
- B.Border Security Force
- C.Indian Navy
- D.Indian Army
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Sam No Varunah is a Sanskrit prayer from the Taittiriya Upanishad that Varuna, the lord of the waters, be auspicious unto us, which is the natural choice for a sea service, and it is written on the naval crest under the anchor.
Read the full explanation →Yato Dharmastato Jayah, where there is righteousness there is victory, is the motto of:
- A.The Supreme Court of India
- B.The Election Commission of India
- C.The Central Bureau of Investigation
- D.The Comptroller and Auditor General
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The line comes from the Mahabharata and appears on the emblem of the Court, which shows the wheel of dharma with the lions of the Ashoka capital.
Read the full explanation →The motto Vayam Rakshamah, meaning we protect, belongs to which organisation?
- A.Central Industrial Security Force
- B.Indian Coast Guard
- C.National Security Guard
- D.Sashastra Seema Bal
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The service was raised in 1978 and works under the Ministry of Defence, guarding the maritime zones, enforcing fisheries and anti smuggling law and running search and rescue at sea, so the plain promise of Vayam Rakshamah, we protect, is apt.
Read the full explanation →Balasya Mulam Vigyanam, science is the source of strength, is the motto of:
- A.Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
- B.Indian Space Research Organisation
- C.Defence Research and Development Organisation
- D.Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
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The DRDO was formed in 1958 and works under the Ministry of Defence, developing missiles, radars, armoured vehicles, torpedoes and other defence systems, and its crest carries this Sanskrit line about science being the root of strength.
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