Bharat Ek Khoj (Discovery of India) Title Track Decoded

Baader-Meinhof phenomenon - a word I recently learned means Frequency Illusion. Which in turn means say for example - you see a movie with fields of daffodils in them, the next day you chance upon a poem on them, a few days later you notice an apartment named The Daffodil or someone sends you daffodil flowers or you overhear a conversation with them as topic! That's, to say your brain picks certain patterns or selective attention or to put it simply - you keep encountering something and with every encounter you become more aware of it.

My frequency bombardment with Bharat Ek Khoj title song happened with the clearance sale at Om Book Shop. I entered the shop to buy some cool books for my 19-month niece, to only notice that they had some major discounts going on. While surfing, I came to the section of Vedas Decoded, Vedas translated etc... beautiful leather bound books at good rates. As a child, I always thought of reading the Vedas in detail (I still do!).. though at that time my practical side took over and told me that they would be just another addition in my library.

This is when I randomly picked a book on Rigveda (English translation) and flipping through verses in it, only made me think of Bharat Ek Khoj title song. Few days later, friends are discussing their fav. childhood serials like Spiderman, He-Man, Chanakya (my fav) when another mentions Bharat Ek Khoj and we all agree we loved the title track. And now a week later, GarbageBin does a cartoon that mentions it too.. which made me search the song and understand it better.

I have loved that song forever, I remember in my pre-teens, my sisters & I trying to decode the meaning of the song, discussing it. We didn't know back then that it was inspired by Rigveda Book 10, Hymn 129 - also known as Nasadiya Sukta or The Hymn of Creation that has been translated, explained by scholars forever and still continues.

Surprisingly I remember my childhood impression of the song, where I marveled on the lyricist talent! (Yes, I had a funny childhood where decoding existential questions kept us busy) In my naivety, I would wait for the title song lyricist name to appear, which it never did! (Now I know why) The songs discussed here should be the work of Vasant Dev as he is acknowledged for all translations from Sanskrit and for lyrics.

The scope of my blog or even my mind (lol) can't really decode the song - which for centuries has attracted the attention of philosophers across the world. To imagine this was written 3000 years back or more or later (which remains debatable) - but definitely a  few centuries old and has questions which the science keep proving right every day. Well - that is one thread of Indian Philosophy or ancient Hindu texts that one can go on forever. Here am sharing the text, translation and few audios that are the clearest clips that I found on Net and can be added to one's playing list.

To begin let's hear it first. Thanks to Archives.org - this was the clearest, most crisp rendition of the recording that I found. (Made into a small video clip by me)

The title track starts with chanting in Sanskrit - that are the first two lines from the 14 lines that make Nasadiya Sukta. The rest is a translation of remaining 12 lines of Sanskrit in Hindi. 

नासदासीन्नोसदासीत्तादानीं नासीद्रजो नो व्योमापरो यत |
किमावरीव: कुहकस्यशर्मन्नम्भ: किमासीद्गहनं गभीरं ||

(Using translation by Prof. Raimundo Panikkar here, what they mean - can be pondered for lifetime)

At first was neither Being nor Nonbeing.
There was not air nor yet sky beyond.
What was wrapping? Where? In whose protection?
Was Water there, unfathomable deep?

These same lines as sung in Sanskrit are then translated in Hindi and the Hindi portion starts.

सृष्टी से पहले सत् नहीं था, असत् भी नहीं
अन्तरिक्ष भी नहीं, आकाश भी नहीं था
छिपा था क्या? कहाँ? किसने ढका था?
उस पल तो, अगम अतल जल भी कहाँ था? 

Here, I would like to bring attention to the fact that that the whole song was translated & sung by Bharat Ek Khoj team. The song posted earlier in the title track only captures two paras. See below for the whole song. Thanks to YouTube Sharbhanu for this rare piece. (Like the earlier clip, audio is picked from Youtube and made a lighter video)  

The song goes like:

नहीं थी मृत्यू, थी अमरता भी नहीं
नहीं था दिन, रात भी नहीं
हवा भी नहीं, साँस थी स्वयमेव फिर भी
नही था कोई कुछ भी, परमतत्त्व से अलग या परे भी।।

There was no death then, nor yet deathlessness;
of night or day there was not any sign.
The One breathed without breath by its own impulse.
Other than that was nothing at all.

न मृत्युरासीदमृतं न तर्हि न रात्र्या अह्न आसीत्प्रकेतः ।
आनीदवातं स्वधया तदेकं तस्माद्धान्यन्न परः किञ्चनास ॥२॥

The 5th & 6th lines of 14 line sukta, or the third couplet of 7 couplets that form The Hymn of Creation - few claim have been sung by Discovery of India team - but I could not find any version of that. However, still sharing these lines though they not in recording shared on this blog. 

अंधेरे में अंधेरा-मुँदा अँधेरा था
जल भी केवल निराकार जल था
परमतत्त्व था सृजन-कामना से भरा, ओछे जल से घिरा, 
वही अपनी तपस्या की महिमा से उभरा ।।

Darkness was there, all wrapped around by darkness,
and all was Water indiscriminate, Then
that which was hidden by Void, that One, emerging,
stirring, through power of Ardor, came to be.

तम आसीत्तमसा गूहळमग्रे प्रकेतं सलिलं सर्वाऽइदम् ।
तुच्छ्येनाभ्वपिहितं यदासीत्तपसस्तन्महिनाजायतैकम् ॥३॥

From 4th - the song follows the regular pattern 

परम मन में बीज पहला जो उगा
काम बनकर वह जगा
कवियों ग्यानियों ने जाना
असत् और सत् का निकट संबंध पहचाना ।।

In the beginning Love arose,
which was primal germ cell of mind.
The Seers, searching in their hearts with wisdom,
discovered the connection of Being in Nonbeing.

कामस्तदग्रे समवर्तताधि मनसो रेतः प्रथमं यदासीत् ।
सतो बन्धुमसति निरविन्दन्हृदि प्रतीष्या कवयो मनीषा ॥

फैले संबंध के किरण धागे तिरछे
परमतत्त्व उस पल ऊपर या नीचे?
वह था बँटा हुआ, पुरुष और स्त्री बना हुआ
ऊपर दाता वही भोक्ता, नीचे वसुधा स्वधा हो गया ।।

A crosswise line cut Being from Nonbeing.
What was described above it, what below?
Bearers of seed there were and mighty forces,
thrust from below and forward move above.

तिरश्चीनो विततो रश्मिरेषामधः स्विदासीदुपरि स्विदासीत् ।
रेतोधा आसन्महिमान आसन्त्स्वधा अवस्तात्प्रयतिः परस्तात् ॥

सृष्टी यह बनी कैसे? किससे? आई है कहाँ से?
कोई क्या जानता है? बता सकता है?
देवताओं को नहीं ग्यात, वे आए सृजन के बाद
सृष्टी को रचां है जिसने, उसको जाना किसने? ।।

Who really knows? Who can presume to tell it?
Whence was it born? Whence issued this creation?
Even the Gods came after its emergence.
Then who can tell from whence it came to be?

को अद्धा वेद क इह प्र वोचत्कुत आजाता कुत इयं विसृष्टिः ।
अर्वाग्देवा अस्य विसर्जनेनाथा को वेद यत आबभूव ॥

And then the famous para...

सृष्टी का कौन है कर्ता? कर्ता है वा अकर्ता?
ऊँचे आकाश में रहता, सदा अध्यक्ष बना रहता
वही सचमुच में जानता, या नहीं भी जानता
है किसी को नहीं पता, नहीं पता, नहीं है पता ।।

That out of which creation has arisen,
whether it held it firm or it did not,
He who surveys it in the highest heaven,
He surely knows - or maybe He does not!

इयं विसृष्टिर्यत आबभूव यदि वा दधे यदि वा न ।
यो अस्याध्यक्षः परमे व्योमन्त्सो अङ्ग वेद यदि वा न वेद ॥

While doing this post, I was sharing the song with a friend, and he happened to mention listening to it might just put him in a trance! which is interesting - as isn't that what chanting also does. This song is a simple clear chant, and that's why may be it induces relaxation and awareness at the same time, pure pleasure.