National Symbols of India

The National Song of India

"'Vandē Mātaram" is the national song of India. The song was composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in a highly Sanskritized form of the Bengali language. The song first appeared in his book ''Anandamatha'', published in 1882 amid fears of a ban by British Raj, though the song itself was actually written six years prior in 1876.Though a major aspirant for being thenational anthem of India, Vande Mataram was eventually overtaken by Jana Gana Mana, which was ultimately chosen.

वन्दे मातरं वन्दे मातरम्
सुजलां सुफलां मलयज शीतलाम्
शश्य श्यामलां मातरं वन्दे मातरम्.
सुब्रज्योत्स्ना पुलकित यामिनीम्
पुल्ल कुसुमित द्रुमदल शोभिनीम्
सुहासिनीं सुमधुर भाषिनीम्
सुखदां वरदां मातरं वन्दे मातरम्.

vandE mAtaraM vandE mAtaram
sujalAM suphalAM malayaja shItalAm
shashya shyAmalAM mAtaraM vandE mAtaram.h
subrajyOtsnA pulakita yAminIm
pulla kusumita drumadala shObhinIm
suhAsinIM sumadhura bhAShinIm
sukhadAM varadAM mAtaraM vandE mAtaram.h

The English translation of the stanza rendered by Sri Aurobindo in prose' is:

 

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.