Sunday, June 27, 2021

Vande Mataram

 Vande Mataram (IASTVande Mātaram, also pronounced Bande Mataramtransl. Mother, I bow to thee) is a poem written in Sanskrit by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1870s, which he included in his 1882 Bengali novel Anandamath.[1][2] The poem was first sung by Rabindranath Tagore in the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress.[1][3] The first two verses of the song were adopted as the National Song of India in October 1937 by the Congress Working Committee prior to the end of colonial rule in August 1947.[4][5][6]

An ode to the Motherland, it was written in Bengali script in the novel Anandmath.[7] The title 'Vande Mataram' means "I bow to thee, Mother".[3][8] The "mother goddess" in later verses of the song has been interpreted as the motherland of the people –– Banga Mata (Mother Bengal)[9][10][11][12] and Bharat Mata (Mother India),[13][14] though the text does not mention this explicitly.

It played a vital role in the Indian independence movement, first sung in a political context by Rabindranath Tagore at the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress.[15] It became a popular marching song for political activism and Indian freedom movement in 1905.[3] Spiritual Indian nationalist and philosopher Sri Aurobindo referred it as "National Anthem of Bengal".[16] The song and the novel containing it was banned by the colonial government, but workers and the general public defied the ban (with many being imprisoned repeatedly for singing it in public); with the ban being overturned by the Indian government after the country gained independence from colonial rule in 1947.[17][18]

On 24 January 1950, the Constituent Assembly of India has adopted "Vande Mataram" as national song. On the occasion, the first President of India, Rajendra Prasad stated that the song should be honoured equally with the national anthem of India, "Jana Gana Mana".[19] However the Constitution of India does not have any mention of "national song".[20][21]

The first two verses of the song are an abstract reference to mother and motherland, they do not mention any Hindu deity by name, unlike later verses that do mention goddesses such as Durga.[22][23] There is no time limit or circumstantial specification for the rendition of this song unlike the national anthem "Jana Gana Mana" that specifies 52 seconds.[24]

Etymology[edit]

The root of the Sanskrit word Vande is Vand, which appears in Rigveda and other Vedic texts.[25][note 1] According to Monier Monier-Williams, depending on the context, vand means "to worship, to praise, celebrate, laud, extol, to show honour, do homage, salute respectfully", or "deferentially, venerate, worship, adore", or "to offer anything respectfully to".[25][26] The word Mātaram has Indo-European roots in mātár- (Sanskrit), méter (Greek), mâter (Latin) which mean "mother".[27][28]

Lyrics of the Song[edit]

The first two verses of Vande Mataram adopted as the "National Song" read as follows:

Bengali script[29]Bengali phonemic transcription          Devanagari scriptIAST transliteration[15][30]

বন্দে মাতরম্৷
সুজলাং সুফলাং
মলয়জশীতলাম্
শস্যশ্যামলাং
মাতরম্!
বন্দে মাতরম্৷.

শুভ্র-জ্যোৎস্না
পুলকিত-যামিনীম্
ফুল্লকুসুমিত
দ্রুমদলশোভিনীম্,
সুহাসিনীং
সুমধুরভাষিণীম্
সুখদাং বরদাং
মাতরম্৷৷
বন্দে মাতরম্৷

Vônde matôrôm
sujôlang suphôlang
môlôyôjôshitôlam
shôsyô shyamôlang
matôrôm
vônde matôrôm

shubhrô jyotsna
pulôkitô jaminim
phullô kusumitô
drumôdôlôshobhinim
suhasining
sumôdhurôbhashini
sukhôdang bôrôdang
matôrôm
vônde matôrôm

वन्दे मातरम्।
सुजलाम् सुफलाम्
मलयजशीतलाम्
शस्यश्यामलाम् मातरम्।
वन्दे मातरम्।

शुभ्रज्योत्स्नाम्
पुलकितयामिनीम्
फुल्लकुसुमित
द्रुमदलशोभिनीम्
सुहासिनीम्
सुमधुर भाषिणीम्
सुखदाम् वरदाम्
मातरम्।।
वन्दे मातरम्।

vande mātaram
sujalāṃ suphalāṃ
malayajaśītalām
śasyaśyāmalāṃ
mātaram
vande mātaram

śubhrajyotsnām
pulakitayāminīm
phullakusumita
drumadalaśobhinīm
suhāsinīṃ
sumadhura bhāṣiṇīm
sukhadāṃ varadāṃ
mātaram
vande mātaram

(Sanskrit)





বন্দে মাতরম্ (Bengali Script)Latin transliteration (IAST)वन्दे मातरम् (Devanagari transliteration)

বন্দে মাতরম্ ৷
সুজলাং সুফলাং
মলয়জশীতলাম্
শস্যশ্যামলাং
মাতরম্ !

শুভ্র-জ্যোত্স্না-পুলকিত-যামিনীম্
ফুল্লকুসুমিত-দ্রুমদলশোভিনীম্,
সুহাসিনীং সুমধুরভাষিণীম্
সুখদাং বরদাং মাতরম্ ৷৷

সপ্তকোটীকন্ঠ-কল-কল-নিনাদকরালে,
দ্বিসপ্তকোটীভুজৈধৃতখরকরবালে,
অবলা কেন মা এত বলে !
বহুবলধারিণীং
নমামি তরিণীং
রিপুদলবারিণীং
মাতরম্ ৷

তুমি বিদ্যা তুমি ধর্ম্ম[a]
তুমি হৃদি তুমি মর্ম্ম[b]
ত্বং হি প্রাণাঃ শরীরে ৷
বাহুতে তুমি মা শক্তি,
হৃদয়ে তুমি মা ভক্তি,
তোমারই প্রতিমা গড়ি মন্দিরে মন্দিরে ৷

ত্বং হি দুর্গা দশপ্রহরণধারিণী
কমলা কমল-দলবিহারিণী
বাণী বিদ্যাদায়িণী
নমামি ত্বাং
নমামি কমলাম্
অমলাং অতুলাম্,
সুজলাং সুফলাং
মাতরম্

বন্দে মাতরম্
শ্যামলাং সরলাং
সুস্মিতাং ভূষিতাম্
ধরণীং ভরণীম্
মাতরম্ ৷

Bande[c] Mātaram.
Sujalāṃ suphalām
Malayajaśītalām
Śasyaśyāmalām
Mātaram.

Śubhra-jyotsnā-pulakita-yāminī
Phullakusumita-drumadalaśobhinī,
Suhāsinīṃ sumadhurabhāṣinīm
Sukhadāṃ baradāṃ[d] Mātaram.

Saptakoṭīkanṭha-kala-kala-ninādakarāle
Dbisaptakoṭībhujaidhṛtakharakarabāle,[e]
Abalā[f] kena mā eta bale[g]!
Bahubaladhārinīṃ[h]
Namāmi tarinīṃ
Ripudalabārinīṃ[i]
Mātaram.

Tumi bidyā[j] tumi dharma
Tumi hrṛdi tumi marma
Tbaṃ[k] hi prānāḥ śarīre.
Bāhute[l] tumi mā śakti,
Hṛdaye tumi mā bhakti,
Tomārai pratimā gaṛi mandire mandire.

Tbaṃ[m] hi Durgā daśapraharanadhārinī
Kamalā kamala-dalabihārinī
Bānī[n] bidyādāyinī[o]
Namāmi tbaṃ[p]
Namāmi kamalām
Amalāṃ atulām,
Sujalāṃ suphalām
Mātaram

Bande[q] Mātaram
Śyāmalām saralām
Susmitām bhūṣitām
Dharanīṃ bharanīṃ
Mātaram.

वन्दे मातरम्
सुजलां सुफलाम्
मलयजशीतलाम्
शस्यश्यामलाम्
मातरम्।

शुभ्रज्योत्स्नापुलकितयामिनीम्
फुल्लकुसुमितद्रुमदलशोभिनीम्
सुहासिनीं सुमधुर भाषिणीम्
सुखदां वरदां मातरम्।।

सप्त-कोटि-कण्ठ-कल-कल-निनाद-कराले
द्विसप्त-कोटि-भुजैर्धृत-खरकरवाले,
अबला केन मा एत बॅले
बहुबलधारिणीं
नमामि तारिणीं
रिपुदलवारिणीं
मातरम्।।

तुमि विद्या, तुमि धर्म
तुमि हृदि, तुमि मर्म
त्वम् हि प्राणा: शरीरे
बाहुते तुमि मा शक्ति,
हृदये तुमि मा भक्ति,
तोमारई प्रतिमा गडी मन्दिरे-मन्दिरे।।

त्वम् हि दुर्गा दशप्रहरणधारिणी
कमला कमलदलविहारिणी
वाणी विद्यादायिनी,
नमामि त्वाम्
नमामि कमलाम्
अमलां अतुलाम्
सुजलां सुफलाम्
मातरम्।।

वन्दे मातरम्
श्यामलाम् सरलाम्
सुस्मिताम् भूषिताम्
धरणीं भरणीं
मातरम्।।

Translation[edit]

Cover of a 1909 issue of the Tamil magazine Vijaya showing "Mother India" (Bharat Mata) with her diverse progeny and the rallying cry "Vande Mataram".

The first translation of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel Anandamath, including the poem Vande Mataram, into English was by Nares Chandra Sen-Gupta, with the fifth edition published in 1906 titled "The Abbey of Bliss".[31]

Here is the translation in prose of the above two stanzas rendered by Sri Aurobindo Ghosh. This has also been adopted by the Government of India's national portal.[15] The original Vande Mataram consists of six stanzas and the translation in prose for the complete poem by Shri Aurobindo appeared in Karmayogin, 20 November 1909.[32]

Mother, I praise thee!
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
bright with orchard gleams,
Cool with thy winds of delight,
Dark fields waving Mother of might,
Mother free.

Glory of moonlight dreams,
Over thy branches and lordly streams,
Clad in thy blossoming trees,
Mother, giver of ease
Laughing low and sweet!
Mother I kiss thy feet,
Speaker sweet and low!
Mother, to thee I praise thee. [Verse 1]

Who hath said thou art weak in thy lands
When the swords flash out in seventy million hands
And seventy million voices roar
Thy dreadful name from shore to shore?
With many strengths who art mighty and stored,
To thee I call Mother and Lord!
Thou who savest, arise and save!
To her I cry who ever her foeman drove
Back from plain and Sea
And shook herself free. [Verse 2]

Thou art wisdom, thou art law,
Thou art heart, our soul, our breath
Thou art love divine, the awe
In our hearts that conquers death.
Thine the strength that nerves the arm,
Thine the beauty, thine the charm.
Every image made divine
In our temples is but thine. [Verse 3]

Thou art Goddess Durga, Lady and Queen,
With her ten hands that strike and her swords of sheen,
Thou art Goddess Kamala (Lakshmi), lotus-throned,
And Goddess Vani (Saraswati), bestower of wisdom known
Pure and perfect without peer,
Mother lend thine ear,
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
Bright with thy orchard gleems,
Dark of hue O candid-fair [Verse 4]

In thy soul, with bejeweled hair
And thy glorious smile divine,
Loveliest of all earthly lands,
Showering wealth from well-stored hands!
Mother, mother mine!
Mother sweet, I praise thee,
Mother great and free! [Verse 5]

Apart from the above prose translation, Sri Aurobindo also translated Vande Mataram into a verse form known as Mother, I praise thee!.[33] Sri Aurobindo commented on his English translation of the poem that "It is difficult to translate the National Song of India into verse in another language owing to its unique union of sweetness, simple directness and high poetic force."[34]

Translation into other languages[edit]

Vande Mataram has inspired many Indian poets and has been translated into numerous Indian languages, such as Tamil, Telugu, Kannada,Odia, Malayalam, Assamese, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi Urdu and others.[35][note 2]

Arif Mohammad Khan translated Vande Mataram in Urdu.[37] It can be read in Urdu (Devanagari script) as:

तस्लीमात, मां तस्लीमात
तू भरी है मीठे पानी से
फल फूलों की शादाबी से
दक्खिन की ठंडी हवाओं से
फसलों की सुहानी फिजाओं से
तस्लीमात, मां तस्लीमात
तेरी रातें रोशन चांद से
तेरी रौनक सब्ज-ए-फाम से
तेरी प्यार भरी मुस्कान है
तेरी मीठी बहुत जुबान है
तेरी बांहों में मेरी राहत है
तेरे कदमों में मेरी जन्नत है
तस्लीमात, मां तस्लीमात[

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