Akrodhena Jayet Krodham
अक्रोधेन जयेत्क्रोधम्
Also known as: akrodhena jayet krodham · akrodhena jayet krodham asadhum sadhuna jayet · conquer anger by calmness shloka · subhashita on anger and self control
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✦ Meaning
Akrodhena Jayet Krodham is a famous Subhashita on self-mastery, teaching that each fault is to be conquered by its opposing virtue. Anger is to be won over by calm, wickedness by goodness, miserliness by generosity, and falsehood by truth. The verse offers a complete ethic of responding to negativity with the higher quality rather than mirroring it.
Origin & Story
Subhashita (Sanskrit niti literature; quoted in the Garuda Purana and ethical anthologies) · Traditional (anonymous wisdom verse) · Classical Sanskrit literature
This verse belongs to the great body of Subhashitas — pithy, polished Sanskrit sayings that distil ethical wisdom into a single elegant couplet. It is frequently cited among teachings on self-conquest, expressing the timeless ideal that the surest victory over a fault is to meet it with its opposite virtue rather than to answer like with like.
✦ As told in scripture
Sages have long held that the one who masters this single verse masters himself — for one who can meet anger with calm and falsehood with truth has conquered the inner enemies that no army can subdue.
The Mantra
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अक्रोधेन जयेत्क्रोधमसाधुं साधुना जयेत्। जयेत्कदर्यं दानेन जयेत्सत्येन चानृतम्॥
akrodhena jayet krodham asādhuṁ sādhunā jayet। jayet kadaryaṁ dānena jayet satyena cānṛtam॥
Meaning:One should conquer anger by calmness, the wicked by goodness, the miser by giving, and falsehood by truth. This celebrated maxim teaches that every vice is best overcome not by its like but by its opposite virtue.
Word-by-Word Meaning
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Benefits of Chanting Akrodhena Jayet Krodham
Offers a clear, practical formula for overcoming the most common vices
Cultivates calmness and emotional self-control in the face of anger
Encourages responding to wickedness with goodness rather than retaliation
Inspires generosity as the cure for greed and miserliness
Reinforces truthfulness as the antidote to deceit and falsehood
A concise daily reminder for character-building and inner discipline
How to Chant Akrodhena Jayet Krodham
Recite the verse calmly and let each line set an intention for the day — to meet anger with calm, ill-will with kindness, stinginess with giving, and falsehood with truth. When you notice one of these tendencies arising in yourself or others, silently recall the corresponding line and respond with its opposing virtue rather than reacting in kind.