Friday, November 7, 2025

Vande Mataram



Celebrating 150 years of the famous song of India, composed on 7 November 1875!

An interesting article:
https://swarajyamag.com/culture/150-years-of-vande-matarams-musical-odyssey-the-melody-and-memory-of-a-nation




वन्दे मातरम् 
सुजलां सुफलां मलयजशीतलाम् सस्यश्यामलां मातरम्

वन्दे मातरम् ।

शुभ्रज्योत्स्नापुलकितयामिनीं
 फुल्लकुसुमितद्रुमदलशोभिनीं
सुहासिनीं सुमधुर भाषिणीं
 सुखदां वरदां मातरम्  ॥ १ ॥

वन्दे मातरम् ।

कोटि-कोटि-कण्ठ-कल-कल-निनाद-कराले
 कोटि-कोटि-भुजैर्धृत-खरकरवाले,
 अबला केन मा एत बले ।
बहुबलधारिणीं नमामि तारिणीं
 रिपुदलवारिणीं मातरम् ॥ २ ॥

वन्दे मातरम् ।

तुमि विद्या, तुमि धर्म तुमि हृदि,
तुमि मर्म त्वं हि प्राणा: शरीरे बाहुते
 तुमि मा शक्ति, हृदये तुमि मा भक्ति,
 तोमारई प्रतिमा गडि मन्दिरे-मन्दिरे मातरम् ॥ ३ ॥

वन्दे मातरम् ।

त्वं हि दुर्गा दशप्रहरणधारिणी
 कमला कमलदलविहारिणी
 वाणी विद्यादायिनी, नमामि त्वाम्न
मामि कमलां अमलां अतुलां सुजलां सुफलां मातरम् ॥ ४ ॥

वन्दे मातरम् ।

श्यामलां सरलां सुस्मितां भूषितां
 धरणीं भरणीं मातरम् ॥ ५ ॥

वन्दे मातरम् ॥



Wikipedia:

Vande Mataram (1909)
by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, translated by Aurobindo Ghose

Bengali-Sanskrit poem from the novel Anandamath (1882) written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. The first 2 stanzas of the original full version have the official status as the "National Song" of the Republic of India. 
Here is the literal translation of all the stanzas of Vande Mataram by Aurobindo Ghose as appeared in Karmayogin, 20 November, 1909.

I bow to thee, Mother,
richly-watered, richly-fruited,
cool with the winds of the south,
dark with the crops of the harvests,
The Mother!

Her nights rejoicing in the glory of the moonlight,
her lands clothed beautifully with her trees in flowering bloom,
sweet of laughter, sweet of speech,
The Mother, giver of boons, giver of bliss!

Terrible with the clamorous shouts of seventy million throats,
and the sharpness of swords raised in twice seventy million hands,
Who sayeth to thee, Mother, that thou art weak?
Holder of multitudinous strength,
I bow to her who saves,
to her who drives from her the armies of her foes,
The Mother!

Thou art knowledge, thou art conduct,
Thou art heart, thou art soul,
For thou art the life in our body.
In the arm, thou art might, O Mother,
In the heart, O Mother, thou art love and faith,
It is thy image we raise in every temple.

For thou art Durga holding her ten weapons of war,
Kamala at play in the lotuses
And speech, the goddess, giver of all lore,
To thee I bow!
I bow to thee, goddess of wealth
pure and peerless,
richly-watered, richly-fruited,
The Mother!

I bow to thee, Mother,
Dark-hued, candid,
sweetly smiling, jewelled and adorned,
the holder of wealth, the lady of plenty,
The Mother!



Translation in VERSE form by Shri Aurobindo

Tuesday, November 4, 2025

King Yadu's generosity

 


In the epic poem Yādavābhyudaya, describing the history of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa beginning with his ancestors, the great poet Vedānta Deśika describes King Yadu and his generosity thus:



देहीति वदतां प्रायः प्रसीदन् प्रत्युवाच सः । 

ललितध्वनिभिर्लक्ष्मीलीलाकमलषट्प्दैः ॥

Let me tell you the story:

The wood-cutter was pensive, unable to feed his folk,
Too old as he was to fetch wood from the jungle deep.

"Let me go and ask our King Yadu, generosity incarnate!
If he won't see me and help, to whom else can I supplicate?" 

Dawned the day when Yadu met his people, 
To listen to their woes and wants. 

The guards felt pity for the old wood-cutter, 
Grimy, in tatters, clearly in desperate need. 

Ushered in and presented to King Yadu, radiant on his throne, 
The wood-cutter raised his hands and tearfully fell down prone.

No words were heard. King Yadu simply gestured,
A picture of compassion, eyes full of assurance.

A large platter heaped with gold was brought
And given to the wood-cutter, now stunned into disbelief.

It was a slow walk back to his hut, 
His bent back carried the bag of gold.

His wonderstruck wife asked, "What did you tell King Yadu?
What were the king's words that came with this bag of gold?"

"I spoke not, neither did our godly king.
All I heard was the sweet humming of bees,
Swarming on the lotuses held by Goddess Lakṣmī. 
Grace incarnate, she's the handmaid of our beloved Yadu!"

(कालिदासकृतं श्यामलादण्डकम्ः 
येन वा भाव्यसे सोऽपि लक्ष्मीसहस्रैः परिक्रीडते ।) 


***







Sunday, November 2, 2025

Prayer to Balaji

In the Sri Venkatesha Suprabhata, there is an interesting shloka in the Mangalashanam section :


 





Glory be to our Lord Venkatesha granting the vision of the
Ambrosia of His divine form to His own devotees
Idefatiguably looking upon Him devotedly, 
Endlessly and
Insatiably! 

आकालमश्रान्तमात्मनामनुपश्यताम् 
अतृप्त्यमृतरूपाय
वेङ्कटेशाय 
मङ्गलम् ॥