Scholars of sacred music have considered the hymn to be a praising of God and a celebration of victory in Jesus Christ.
Victor C. Sherring, a composer who popularized the song, was born in 1919 in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, and attended Methodist schools in his youth.
[1][Note 1] As the Centennial Choir of India director, he delivered "Jaya Ho" to the United States.
Taiwanese ethnomusicologist I-to Loh, whom Perkins School of Theology professor C. Michael Hawn called the "foremost scholar on Asian hymnody", said the first phrase of the song, "Jaya ho", is the "most common phrase for praising God in the Indian subcontinent, with only slight variations".
[1] The Linguistic Association of Canada and the United States called "Jaya ho" an "exotic melody line".
Professor of sacred music Hawn stated that the song's verses are enveloped by an "exuberant chorus" that articulates the great happiness of triumphing through Christ.