SRI AUROBINDO

Translations

from Sanskrit and Other Languages

II. From Bengali

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee

Hymn to the Mother
Bande Mataram

Translation in Prose

Translator’s Note

It is difficult to translate the National Anthem of Bengal into verse in another language owing to its unique union of sweetness, simple directness and high poetic force. All attempts in this direction have been failures. In order, therefore, to bring the reader unacquainted with Bengali nearer to the exact force of the original, I give the translation in prose line by line.

Bande Mataram

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 shout 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 foemen,

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!