Greetings to our Forces, 1972 - First Day Cover

India Posts & Telegraphs greeted our Forces by issuing a 20P stamp on 15.08.1972. The First Day Cover carried a cachet of the crest of the three Forces. 

The emblem of Indian Navy has the Sanskrit motto "śaṃ no varuṇaḥ" which is taken out from Taittirīyopaniṣad adding the word "no". 

More details are given in the post on Kunhali Marakkar.

The Indian Air Force carried the Sanskrit motto "nabha-spṛśam dīptaṃ" taken from the Bhagavad-gītā, 11.24. It would be interesting to cite the entire śloka (verse) with Śrī Śaṅkara's bhāṣya (commentary) thereon.

नभस्पृशं दीप्तमनेकवर्णं व्यात्ताननं दीप्तविशालनेत्रम् ।
दृष्ट्वा हि त्वां प्रव्यथितान्तरात्मा धृतिं न विन्दामि शमं च विष्णो ॥
nabha-spṛṣam dīptaṃ-aneka-varṇaṃ vyāttānanaṃ dīpta-viśāla-netram
dṛṣṭvā hi tvāṃ pravyathitāntar-ātmā dhṛtiṃ na vindāmi śamaṃ ca viṣṇo

O Visnu, verily, seeing Your form touching heaven, blazing with many colours, open-mouthed with fiery large eyes, I, becoming terrified in my mind, do not find steadiness and peace.  

Tr. Svāmī Gambhirananda