ever wonderer to know the meaning

Active member

Our National Anthem "Jana Gana Mana" is sung throughout the country. Did youknow the following about our national anthem? I didn't. I have always wondered who is the "adhinayak" and "bharat bhagyavidhata",whose praise we are singing. I thought it might be God!

To begin with, India's national anthem, Jana Gana Mana adhinayaka, was written by Rabindranath Tagore in honor of King George V and the Queen of England when they visited India in 1919. To honor their visit Pundit Motilal Nehru had the five stanzas included,which are in praise of the King and Queen. (And most of us think it is in the praise of our great motherland!!!)

In the original Bengali verses only those provinces that were under British rule, i.e. Punjab, Sindh,Gujarat,Maratha.. etc. were mentioned. None of the princely states were recognized which are integral parts of India now - Kashmir,Rajasthan,Andhra, Mysore or Kerala. Neither the Indian Ocean nor the Arabian Sea was included, since they were directly under Portuguese rule at that time.

The Jana Gana Mana Adhinayaka implies that King George V is the lord of the masses and Bharata Bhagya Vidhata is "the bestower of good fortune". Following is a translation of the five stanzas which glorify the King:

1st stanza - (Indian) People wake up remembering your good name and ask for your blessings and they sing your glories.

2nd stanza - around your throne people of all religions come and give their love and anxiously wait to hear your kind words.

3rd stanza - Praise to the King for being the charioteer, for leading the ancient travellers beyond misery.

4th stanza - Drowned in the deep ignorance and suffering, poverty stricken,unconscious country? Waiting for the wink of your eye and your mother's (the Queen's) true protection.

5th stanza - in your compassionate plans, the sleeping Bharat (India)will wake up. We bow down to your feet O' Queen, and glory to Rajeshwara (the King). This whole poem does not indicate any love for the Motherland but depicts a bleak picture. When you sing Jana Gana Mana Adhinayaka, whom are you glorifying? Certainly not the Motherland. Is it God? The poem does not indicate that. It is time now to understand the original purpose and the implication of this, rather than blindly sing as
has been done the past fifty years.

Nehru chose the present national anthem as opposed to Vande Mataram because he thought that it would be easier for the band to play. It was an absurd reason but today for that matter bands have advanced and they can very well play any music. So they can as well play Vande Mataram, which is a far better composition in praise of our dear Motherland -India.

Wake up, it's high time! Vande Mataram should be our National Anthem.

Active member

u put me into thought Ani ~~~~~~~~~~

Active member

yup, gr8 thing

i didnt know this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yes vande mataram actually represents india------------ our motherland in a better way and this also implies that we got to know more about india and various things associated with our glorious nation.

Active member

do u still respect this national anthem of ours which shows our country lower than that bloody ****** Evil or Very Mad

english men. I have taken a oath not to sing in my life. it is ur turn. do it my friends and spread this message among ur friends to bring change(revolution). our country's future depends on us let us bring the revolution......... Wink

Active member

hmm...i think a bit differently...it might have been composed for anybody...but after all, it is a poem and a poem can be interpreted in many ways....so instead of interpreting it in a negative way, let us interpret it as we were doing until now...be positive!! Smile

Although, I would be very happy to sing Vande mataram as our national song, I will not stop singing jana gana mana,...let the poet bow anybody else, but in the lyrics nowhere is it mentioned about king or queen, so i will regard it as our motherland only...

Active member

Few Days Before I Have Searched Wikipedia To Know The Meaining Of Our National Anthem.I was SURPRISED Same Like You.
But Changing a Anthem Of a Nation Is Not A Matter Of Joke.This Will Create Many Controversies.I Think More Than Half Of Indian Population Does Not Know About It.I Think As There Nothing Mentioned Of Queen Or Something Related To Foreigner We Can Respect And Sing Our National Anthem.

Rabindranath Tagore Who Wrote Our National Anthem,Is A Supporter Of Indian Independence.

I Strongly Feel That He Cleverly Never Mentioned Queen,He Wanted Indian Independence,He Wanted To Refer Mainly To India And Not Them And Fool Them That It Was Praising Them.