Lakshmi: Kindly give the meaning of all 6 paragraphs of “vande mataram”
Swami Ram Swarup: Meaning of Vande mataram is as under-
Vande Matram
Respected Bankim Chatterji wrote the beautiful and true song named Vande Matram. I am afraid most of the people do not know the meaning of such a beautiful poetry. I would like to mention here the meaning of the poem in Hindi as well as in English.
Vande = adore/worship/regard,
Matram = mother.
So the prayer will be, ‘I adore/worship my mother’. In Sanskrit Vande is Atmnepad Dhatu, i.e., verb in singular number. Here ‘I’ is silent, so naturally the prayer is in singular number with soul. The persons who do not agree to regard the mother, they may avoid.
Now question arises in the poem who is mother. So here mother is:
Sujlaam = she gives pure sweet water,
Sufalaam = she gives green trees of fruits, etc.
Malyaj = Malaya is a mountain in south India where sandal trees are found. And ‘ja’ is the tree of
sandal wood. So the meaning of Malyaj is the mountain where sandal wood trees are found.
Sheetlam = she gives coolness i.e., cool air of green trees/greenery, etc. And when a yogi does tapasya on this pious land (mother) he gets permanent peace i.e., salvation. This salvation is only attained on earth which is our motherland.
Shasya = money, food, assets, Corn, vegetables, gold, silver, oil, iron etc. etc., are on this earth.
By agriculture we get crops etc. These all are required to live upon which is given by our motherland to whom I bow and adore.
Shyamlaam = black, dark blue and blue black colours. Another meaning of Shyamlaam is banyan tree which is useful in several medicines and oxygen, etc. So the motherland provides us with such a great tree and land along with above quoted colours.
Shubhra = shining, bright.
Jyotis = light, enlightenment. We see several shining lights of sun, moon and stars etc on our motherland. And so many stones with different shining lights etc.
Pulkit = rejoiced.
Yamineem = happy night.
Full = merry, expanded.
Kusumit = duly decorated by flowers.
Drum = tree or a shinning tree with yellow flowers used for medicinal purposes.
Dul = bunch.
Shobhineem = splendid, shinning, magnificent.
We enjoy the rejoiced night on our motherland. The motherland is full and decorated by flowers and bunch of shinning trees with yellow flowers used for medicinal purposes and look nice. Land is full Kusumit i.e., duly decorated by merry flowers and when we see such greenery on our motherland, our heart is rejoiced, we enjoy with happy nights. Our heart is delighted, expanded with decorated merry flowers and bunch of several shinning trees on the earth.
Suhasineem = utmost laughing, smiling, i.e., sound of laughter.
Sumadhur = of most sweet.
Bhashineem = sweet speech.
So the meaning of Sumadhur Bhashineem is:
The word Bharat itself is the best in pronunciation, and the pronunciation of word Bharat Mata is emotional and heart touching too, due to its eternal meaning in Rigved mantra 10/110/8. Meaning is given below.
Here it is to be noted that Vedas are not sect and emanate direct from God at the time of beginning of earth and thus equally were/are applicable for universe.
The history of Bharat Varsh being old, it has been a tendency of all ancient/present rishi, muni, that they perform name ceremony in accordance with the Vedas. So our pious land has also been named BHARAT from the Vedas when no other religious book existed.
I think there could have been no objection of other name of Bharat if the name was taken (may be any) from other religious books in force at that time. Since the other holy books were not written at that time, naturally the Rishis Munis named this land from Vedas as Bharat. It may be learnt from present times also.
During partition some part of Bharat has been named as Pakistan and thereafter Bangladesh and whole world accepts and gives honour to the name. The citizens of Pakistan and Bangladesh rightly honour their respective country’s name. Therefore, in India too there must not be any problem to regard Bharat Varsh or Bharat Mata as typed.
Why Bharat Mata? The answer is enlightened in Yajurved mantra 25/17. Mantra is:
TANNO VATTO MAYOBHU VAATU BHESHJAM TANMATA PRITHIVEE TATPITA DYAUHU
TAD GRAAVANNAHA SOMSUTO MAYOBHUVASTADASHVINA SHRINNUTAM DHISHNNAYA YUVAM.
Meaning:
(ASHVINNA) = O! Preacher
(DHISHNYA) = as earth holds us to nurse, you hold us to preach
(YUVAM) = you
(SHRINNUTAM) = you listen (i.e., whatever you have taught us up till now, please listen from us)
(NAH) = for us i.e., as for us
(VAATAH) = air (pollution free air)
(TAT) = that
(BHESHJAM) = medicine
(MAYOBHU) = pleasure giving
(VAATU) = is procured (i.e., makes available)
(TAT) = That
(MATA) = respected mother
(PRITHIVI) = wide spread extensive earth and
(TAT) = the earth
(VAATU) = is procured (i.e., makes available)
(PITA) = by our father
(DYAUHU) = sun
(TAT) = that
(VAANTU) = is procured (i.e., makes available)
(SOMSUTAH) = the earth which is pleasure giving, providing herbs, shrubs, cereals, etc., by cultivation
(MAYOBHUVAH) = gives merriment
Meaning:
Fundamental law of Vedas states that He is our Father and She is our Mother who nurses us. Sun is our father in the absence of which there will be no lives and Motherland is our respected mother by which we get means of living and She too gives us shelter to build houses etc.
In this mantra, a student states to his Acharya/teacher that O teacher! You are like the earth which holds us and gives all matters required to live upon. Kindly, listen to our chapter which you have taught us before.
The air causes rain, with the result crops, greeneries, herbs, shrubs i.e., vegetation grows. The vegetation is made available to us by our respected Motherland and shining sun. Such vegetation is always pleasure giving, means of living to attain a long, happy life.
The above eternal mantra has a wonderful idea/knowledge that whatever we learn from Acharyas, teachers, lecturers, professors etc., that must be well studied, understood and practised in action. Thereafter the same chapter must be briefed before the said Acharya etc.
That is why, it has been a tradition that the teachers have been taking examination of their students and the eternal said law of Vedas including several laws are still in force traditionally, which may be seen in school, college, universities where teachers take unit tests, half-yearly exams, annual exams and viva, etc. And it is our bad luck that at present there is no preach of Vedas and no Vedas’ examination exists and thus we have lost our eternal knowledge which has ruined our country.
Mostly the people at high posts, politicians, rich people, etc., are habitual to forget their promises made by them to the public etc. Because they are not habitual to brief their promises time and again as is briefed by a student before a teacher. We have also forgotten, in this way, the sacrifices of our freedom fighters, warriors of army, Police, etc., who suffered tortures and even sacrificed their lives’ to make India free and to make it strong. Even we have not been able to educate the Bharatvasee to sing national song.
Bharati is in accordance with Rigved mantra 10/110/8. In The mantra the words are “AA NO YAJYAM BHARTI TISTRO DEVI SARASWATI”. So our country has been named on the base of divine and the most pious word Bharati.
Maharishi Yaska in his book Nirukta 8/13 has stated the meaning of bhaha:
“BHARAT AADITYASTASYA BHAHA” i.e., Bharat means aditya i.e., sun. The meaning of ‘bha’ is light. So the Bharat means sun and its light bha is Bharati. Therefore the lusture (view of) of sun is Bharat and the light of Bharat is Bharati. Bharati means culture. Therefore according to the Vedas the culture of Bharat (Indian culture) is Ved, shastra, Upanishad, Bhagwad Geeta, etc.
So the meaning of Sumadhur Bhashineem is that we speak our ancient and eternal culture of our motherland. So the speech of our motherland is Sumadhur Bhashineem i.e., divine sweet speech (sweet spoken).
Sukhdaam = pleasure giving.
Vardaam = giver of blessings.
Matram = mother.
Our motherland is pleasure giving and giver of unlimited blessings. How? It is very much clear that all our ancient Rishi, munis took birth on this pious motherland. And the public of India who entered here also was/is nursed here.
The rishi, muni, sant, phakeer etc, got and have been getting pleasure and blessings of God and learned rishi, muni, sant, phakeer etc, on this land. That is why this land is pleasure giving and has been giving blessing to every body.
So Vande Matram is – I adore, bow and worship my motherland. The meaning of worship in Sanskrit is to adore, to give regard etc. So whosoever is being nursed on this pious land of Bharat, he is enjoying all as quoted above.
