subhashitawisdomchanakyaniti

Tyajed Ekam Kulasyarthe (Sacrifice the One for the Many)

Tyajed Ekam Kulasyarthe (Sacrifice the One for the Many) in English · English

🕉️ hindu·📿 3× repetitions·🕐 Morning reflection, or when weighing personal interest against a larger good·📜 Chanakya Niti

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हिन्दी / देवनागरी తెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀEnglishසිංහල 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ Meaning

This celebrated verse from Chanakya Niti presents an ascending hierarchy of sacrifice: the individual yields to the family, the family to the village, the village to the nation, and ultimately the whole world is renounced for the sake of the Self. It teaches discernment of proportion — that the greater good must prevail over the lesser — while crowning the scale with the supreme value of one's own spiritual welfare.

Origin & Story

Chanakya Niti · Chanakya (Vishnugupta / Kautilya) · Ancient India (c. 4th–3rd century BCE)

Chanakya, the architect of the Mauryan empire, taught that wise action requires weighing the greater good against the lesser. This verse, among his most quoted, builds a ladder from the individual up to the whole world and crowns it with the Self, reflecting both his statecraft — where the welfare of the nation outranks lesser units — and the deeper spiritual teaching that the Self is the highest value of all.

✦ As told in scripture

Sages cite this verse to explain the conduct of those who gave up everything for a higher calling: the one who truly understands its ladder will neither cling to a small gain at the cost of a great one, nor lose the Self for the sake of the world.

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The Mantra

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tyajed ekaṁ kulasyārthe grāmasyārthe kulaṁ tyajet। grāmaṁ janapadasyārthe ātmārthe pṛthivīṁ tyajet॥

Meaning:For the sake of the family, give up one individual; for the sake of the village, give up the family; for the sake of the country, give up the village; and for the sake of the Self, give up the whole world. Chanakya lays out a rising ladder of values, in which each larger good outweighs the smaller, culminating in the supreme worth of the Self and one's ultimate spiritual welfare.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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tyajet🔊one should give up, abandon, sacrifice

ekam🔊one (individual person)

kulasya arthe🔊for the sake of the family / lineage

grāmasya arthe🔊for the sake of the village

kulam🔊the family, the household

grāmam🔊the village

janapadasya arthe🔊for the sake of the country / the wider region or nation

ātma arthe🔊for the sake of the self (the soul / one's true good)

pṛthivīm🔊the earth, the whole world

pṛthivīṁ tyajet🔊one should give up (even) the whole earth

Benefits of Chanting Tyajed Ekam Kulasyarthe (Sacrifice the One for the Many)

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Teaches discernment between the lesser and the greater good

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Inspires selflessness and willingness to serve the larger community

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Clarifies a wise hierarchy of duties — family, society, nation, Self

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Crowns all worldly values with the supreme worth of spiritual welfare

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A guiding principle for leaders weighing the welfare of the many

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A concise, memorable verse for reflection on sacrifice and priorities

How to Chant Tyajed Ekam Kulasyarthe (Sacrifice the One for the Many)

Repetitions3times

Best TimeMorning reflection, or when weighing personal interest against a larger good

Recite the verse slowly, following its rising ladder: the one for the family, the family for the village, the village for the nation, and the whole world for the Self. Reflect on how to weigh competing goods and where one's ultimate welfare truly lies. It is traditionally studied among Chanakya's teachings on duty and sacrifice.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete Tyajed Ekam Kulasyarthe (Sacrifice the One for the Many) written in the English script — the same Sanskrit/Hindi verses, transliterated character-by-character so you can read and chant comfortably. Tap any line (or the ▶ button) to hear it recited aloud.

Yes — only the script changes; the words and their meaning are the original. The verse-by-verse meaning, benefits and how-to-chant guidance on this page apply exactly the same.

It is a famous niti verse preserved in the Chanakya Niti tradition (and echoed in other classical works), attributed to Chanakya (Kautilya / Vishnugupta), the ancient teacher of ethics and statecraft.

Each larger circle of welfare outweighs the smaller: an individual may be given up for the family, the family for the village, the village for the country, and finally the entire world for the sake of the Self — one's true and ultimate spiritual good.

Because in Indian thought the realization and welfare of the atman (the Self) is the highest aim of life. All external goods, however large, are means; the liberation and integrity of the Self is the final end, for whose sake even the world may be renounced.