Vande Mataram _ translation Anyone
EkMitra
Let me first say many thanks to UVR and Abhay for taking time to write such
educating posts - UVR's post made me think - can someone please translate Vande
Mataram and if they feel extremely generous "Jana Gana Mana' for us mere mortals
- I knwo of a lot of people who are born and brought up here - have taken to the
Urdu Gazals like fish to water and they have also wanted me to translate the
some Bhagvat Gita verses for them - For people who want to know the meaning your
time spent on this would be truly pricess - this 'nacheez' falls woefully short
in trying to make a just translation of Vande mataram - Thank you
U.V. Ravindra
I wouldn't care to translate the National Anthem. It is more than
95% probable that Tagore himself did an English translation. After
all, there *was* a controversy that he'd actually written it in
praise of King George V (who was, quite practically, the 'bhaarata
bhaagya-vidhaata' -- "Decider of India's Destiny" at that time) :)
I have no illusions to being as great as Rabindranath Tagore, even
though I may appear to have been named after him :) :)
I _will_ attempt a translation of 'vande mAtaram', because I simply
*adore* the lyric. Before starting off, I must admit that my knowledge
of Bangla is quite meager, and I might be way off mark in translating
the Bangla part of the lyric of this poem.
The complete lyric of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's poem from his
"Ananda Math" follows. But for a few little modifications, this
is the text of the poem as it appears in the film "Ananda Math"
(MD: Hemant Kumar, this song rendered by Lata Mangeshkar + Chorus)
vande mAtaram!
Means: I bow [to you,] Mother! (or .. maaN! tujhe salaam!)
sujalAm suphalAm malayaja-sheetalAm
shasya-shyAmalAm mAtaram || vande ||
Means: I bow to the one endowed with mountain-born cool sparkling
waters, lush green, copiously fruitioned :)
shubhra-jyotsnA-pulakita-yAminIm
phulla-kusumita-drumadala-shobhinIm
suhAsinIm, sumadhura-bhAShiNIm
sukhadAm, varadAm mAtaram || vande ||
Means: To the night made beautiful by soft clean moonlight
To the one beautified by phully :) blossomed trees
To the one with the beautiful smile
To the one with sweet speech
To the one who gives the boon of happiness!
To that mother, I bow!
ShaShTi-koTi-kaNTha kala-kala-ninAdakarale
dviShaShTi-koTi-bhujairdhR^ta-kharakaravAle
abalA keno maa eto bole
bahubala-dhAriNIm namAmi, tAriNIm,
ripudala-vAriNIm mAtaram || vande ||
Means: 60-crore-throats join together in this [your] cry,
O mother,
and twice-60-crore hands join together.
How can you be called weak, Mother?
To the one with many strengths, I pray,
To the one who emancipates,
To the one who defeats all [my/her] enemies
To that mother, I bow!
tumi bidyA tumi dharma
tumi hR^daya tumi marma
tvam hi praaNa shareere
bAhute tumi maa shakti
hR^daye tumi maa bhakti
tumarI protima gaRi mandire mandire
tvAm hi durgA daSha-prahaara-dhAriNIm
kamalAm, kamala-dala-vihaariNIm
vaaNIm, vidyAdAyinIm, namAmi tvAm
namAmi kamalAm, amalA.nga-atulAm
sujalAm, suphalAm mAtaram
vande mAtaram
shyAmalAm, saralAm, susmitAm, bhooShitAm
dharaNIm bharaNIm mAtaram || vande ||
Means: You are Knowledge, you are Dharma
(I think "Dharma" ought to be an 'atomic' word)
You are the Heart, you are Love/Compassion/Feeling
You, indeed, are the Life in this body
Mother, you are the strength in these arms
And yours is the bhakti in this heart
Yours is the likeness in every temple
To you, O DurgA of the Ten Weapons
To you Kamala, who resides in Lotus petals
To Vani, the bestower of Knowledge, I bow.
I bow to Kamala, exquisitely endowed.
(sujalaam ... refer to 1st antara)
To the dark-skinned one (one with the lovely tan :)
To the one easy to please,
To the one with an alluring smile,
To the beautifully bejewelled one
To you, O Mother Earth, I bow!
All imperfections in word translations are mine. I haven't
translated Sanskrit/sanskritised language in a long time, and
I haven't translated it into English in a longer time. I'd
appreciate any parallel/alternative translations too.
BTW, for the record, it is only the opening lines (mukh.Daa) and the
first stanza (pahalA antarA) of this song that constitute the National
Song, not the rest of it.
--
Ravindra Not Tagore :)
at...@are.berkeley.eud
Here is the translation of the National Anthem.
Cheers,
Atanu
Please change the domain name to edu in my address when replying.
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Jana Gana Mana
Rabindranath Tagore
(English translation by the Author)
Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people,
Thou Dispenser of India's destiny.
Thy name rouses the hearts of the Panjab, Sind, Gujrat and Maratha,
of Dravida and Orissa and Bengal;
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
mingles in the music of the Jumna and Ganges,
and is chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea.
They pray for thy blessing and sing thy praise,
Thou Dispenser of India's destiny.
Victory, Victory, Victory to thee.
Day and night, thy voice goes out from land to land,
calling Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains round thy throne
and Parsees, Mussalmans and Christians.
Offerings are brought to thy shrine by the East and the West
to be woven in a garland of love.
Thou bringest the hearts of all peoples into the harmony of one life,
Thou Dispenser of India's destiny.
Victory, Victory, Victory to thee.
Eternal Charioteer, thou drivest man's history
along the road rugged with rises and falls of Nations.
Amidst all tribulations and terror
thy trumpet sounds to hearten those that despair and droop,
and guide all people in their paths of peril and pilgrimage.
Thou Dispenser of India's destiny.
Victory, Victory, Victory to thee.
When the long dreary night was dense with gloom
and the country lay still in a stupor,
thy Mother's arms held her,
thy wakeful eyes bent upon her face,
till she was rescued from the dark evil dreams
that oppressed her spirit,
Thou Dispenser of India's destiny.
Victory, Victory, Victory to thee.
The night fades, the sun rises in the East,
the birds sing, the morning breeze brings a stir of new life.
Touched by the golden rays of thy love,
India wakes up and bends her head at thy feet.
Thou King of all kings, Thou Dispenser of India's destiny.
Victory, Victory, Victory to thee.
Please change the domain name to edu in my address when replying.
at...@are.berkeley.eud
For translations of the Bhagawat Geeta, I recommend the one done
by Swami Chinmayananda. It is distributed in the US by
Chinmaya Mission West at Langhourne, Penn. I got a copy from
Mumbai, however, since it is less expensive in India.
Regards,
amar joshi
Has somebody put the translation of the Bhagwad Geeta on the net ?