New NCERT Class 9 book links institutional mottos to Upanishads, Mahabharata

The new NCERT Class 9 social science textbook links India's national motto and the Supreme Court's motto to the Mundaka Upanishad and Mahabharata. The book discusses traditional Indian ideas of governance and their continuing relevance to modern institutions

New Delhi: The new Class 9 social science textbook links the mottos of several modern Indian institutions, such as ‘Satyamev Jayate’ and ‘Yato Dharmastato Jayah’, to the Upanishads, the Mahabharata and other texts.

The NCERT book, ‘Understanding Society: India and Beyond — Part 2’, was released on Tuesday, six months after the new academic session began. The first part of the textbook was released in June.

---

According to the chapter ‘Governance and Public Policy’, India’s national motto ‘Satyamev Jayate’ is linked to the Mundaka Upanishad, while the Supreme Court motto, ‘Yato Dharmas Tato Jayah’, has its origins in the Mahabharata.

“Since Independence, Indian institutions have continued to draw upon traditional ideas and values of governance and have adapted them to the needs of a modern democracy. For example, the British-era ‘Order of the Star of India’ used the phrase ‘Heaven’s Light, Our Guide’ as its motto, but after Independence, we have adopted ‘Satyamev Jayate’ (Truth alone triumphs) from the Mundaka Upanishad as our national motto,” the textbook read.

“This reflects the continuing importance of Indian ethical values in public life. The motto of the Supreme Court of India was chosen to be ‘Yato Dharmastato Jayah’. The phrase is taken from the Mahabharata and it means ‘where there is dharma (righteous duty), there is victory’,” it read.

The textbook says the mottos are not just symbolic or superficial but signify the “core values as well as the ideals of our institutions, which have been bestowed along with the responsibility of ensuring good governance.”

The Part 2 textbook is part of the wider transition to revised Class 9 learning material under NCF-SE 2023 and NEP 2020.

NCERT’s published syllabus includes chapters spanning history, geography, political science and economics.