"Janani Janmabhumishcha Swargadapi Gariyasi" (; , ) is a

hemistich A hemistich (; via Latin from Greek , from "half" and "verse") is a half-line of verse, followed and preceded by a caesura, that makes up a single overall prosodic or verse unit. In Latin and Greek poetry, the hemistich is generally confined to ...

of a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the la ...

shloka Shloka or śloka ( sa, श्लोक , from the root , Macdonell, Arthur A., ''A Sanskrit Grammar for Students'', Appendix II, p. 232 (Oxford University Press, 3rd edition, 1927). in a broader sense, according to Monier-Williams's dictionary, is ...

from

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages ...

, and the national motto of

Government of Nepal The Government of Nepal ( ne, नेपाल सरकार) is the federal executive authority of Nepal. Prior to the abolition of the Nepali monarchy in 2006 (became republic in 2008), it was officially known as His Majesty's Government. T ...

Translation

"''Mother and motherland are superior even to Heaven.''"

Origin

The verse might be present in certain recensions of the Hindu epic

, though it is not present in its Critical Edition. Further, at least two versions of the shloka are prevalent. In one version (found in an edition published by Hindi Prachara Press, Madras in 1930 by T. R. Krishna Chary, Editor and T. R. Vemkoba Chary the publisher at 6:124:17) it is spoken by

Bharadwaja Bharadvaja ( sa, भरद्वाज, IAST: ; also spelled Bharadwaja) was one of the revered Vedic sages (maharishi) in Ancient India. He was a renowned scholar, economist, grammarian and physician. He is one of the Saptarishis (seven great ...

addressing

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bei ...

: मित्राणि धन धान्यानि प्रजानां सम्मतानिव ,
जननी जन्म भूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी , ,
Translation: "Friends, riches and grains are highly honoured in this world. (But) mother and motherland are superior even to heaven." In another version, it is spoken by

Lakshmana Lakshmana ( sa, लक्ष्मण, lit=the fortunate one, translit=Lakṣmaṇa), also spelled as Laxmana, is the younger brother of Rama and his loyalist in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He bears the epithets of Saumitra () and Ramanuja (). ...

:
अपि स्वर्णमयी लङ्का न मे लक्ष्मण रोचते ,
जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी , ,
Translation: "Lakshmana, even this golden

Lanka Lanka (, ) is the name given in Hindu epics to the island fortress capital of the legendary asura king Ravana in the epics of the ''Ramayana'' and the ''Mahabharata''. The fortress was situated on a plateau between three mountain peaks known ...

does not appeal to me. Mother and motherland are superior even to heaven."

References

{{Reflisthttp://www.lawcommission.gov.np/np/archives/846 Government of Nepal National symbols of Nepal National mottos Sanskrit mottos

Translation

Origin

See also

References