Jai Bhaarti vande Bhaarti
Posted on: December 18, 2023
This article is written by Arunkumar Deshmukh, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a contributor to this blog. This article is meant to be posted in atulsongaday.me. If this article appears in other sites without the knowledge and consent of the web administrator of atulsongaday.me, then it is piracy of the copyright content of atulsongaday.me and is a punishable offence under the existing laws.
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Today’s song is from an inspirational religious film Jagadguru Shankaracharya-1955.
In Mahabharat, there is a dialogue between Lord Shri Krishna and Arjun. The legend says that when Kauravas and Pandavas stood opposite each others for a war on Kurukshetra, Dhritrashtra,the blind father of Kauravas asked Sanjay- who had the divine power of seeing the war at Kurukshetra- to describe him the war happenings. Sanjay starts and in the course of his reporting, the entire Geeta too is narrated.
Without going into the details further, enough to stress that Lord Shrikrishna explains to Arjuna that, whenever there is a decline of Dharma and righteousness, He takes birth from age to age (sambhavami yuge yuge), to protect the virtuous, destroy evil-doers and to reestablish Dharma and righteousness.
This is described in the IV chapter, stanzas 7 and 8 in Bhagvadgeeta thus-
“Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya
Glanirva Bhavathi Bharatha,
Abhyuthanam Adharmaysya
Tadatmanam Srijami Aham”.
Bhagavad Gita (Chapter IV-7)
“Whenever there is decay
of righteousness O! Bharatha
And a rise of unrighteousness
then I manifest Myself!”
“Praritranaya Sadhunam
Vinashaya Cha Dushkritam
Dharamasansthapnaya
Sambhavami Yuge-Yuge.”
Bhagavat Gita (Chapter IV-8)
“For the protection of the good,
for the destruction of the wicked and
for the establishment of righteousness,
I am born in every age.”
In the film Prabhu Ki Maaya-1955, Hemant Kumar has sung a song which is almost a transalation of above shlokas – ” Jab jab hota nash dharam ka aur paap badh jaata hai, tab lete avtar prabhu, yeh Vishva shanti paata hai “.
From time to time, India has faced such situations, when, inspite of being in majority, Hindus suffered from attacks on their country and distruction of their Mandirs etc. Luckily at all those times Saints and Holy men emerged and saved the Hindus.
Similarly the birth of Jagadguru Shankaracharya took place when this need arose to save and reestablish Hindu dharma. It was almost like a case of Renaissance of our religion.
The period of 1300 to 1600 AD, a time frame of 300 years or thereabouts, was when most saints were active in India. This was the period when several outside rulers invaded India and established their rules. This was the time when the culture and religion of India had to be saved from annihilation. The saints of India played an important role in this and maintained Unity and Oneness of Indian culture from getting destroyed. But for them, there was a danger of the whole nation getting converted to Islam or Christianity. India will forever be grateful to the saints for this .
Tha Bhakti Movement was India’s own way to combat foreign attackers, cruel rulers and the sleeping people of India. It started from the South first. The movement from 1300 to 1600 AD produced many religious Saints and social reformers from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and from Assam to Gujarat. The Indian culture is such that that the advise given by a religious saint is more acceptable than that given by a social reformer. Thus, in this hour of need, India’s Saints tried to teach message of reforms such as removal of Untouchability, freedom from Varnashram life styles, importance of education, Women’s emancipation and other such matters, through their poems, dohas, Abhangs and writings as well as keertans. They tried to make the masses wake up against the ill effects of social practices that were being observed those days.
Saints appeared in ALL areas of India, during this period. However, due to language problems, knowledge and information about Saints in other regions trickled down very slowly. States which shared the use of Devanagari script were aware about them in a better way. Thus, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and the Northern Hindi belt states exchanged their knowledge about their saints more frequently than other regions such as Bengal, the Eastern states or the southern states where the scripts were different. Andhra and Karnataka were closer as their scripts are similar, except perhaps the alphabet ‘K’. Tamil and Malayalam scripts have Dravidian origins and were not easily accessible for the rest of India
The period of 1300 to 1600 AD, a time frame of 300 years or thereabouts, was when most saints were active in India. This was the period when several outside rulers invaded India and established their rules. This was the time when the culture and religion of India had to be saved from annihilation. The saints of India played an important role in this and maintained Unity and Oneness of Indian culture from getting destroyed. But for them, there was a danger of the whole nation getting converted to Islam or Christianity. India will forever be grateful to the saints for this .
Some of the saints have done monumental literary works for the masses, bringing what was available only in Sanskrit, to the doorsteps of the common people. Out of the many saints and reformers of Maharashtra, few stand out for their additional contribution towards literary works. For example, Gyaneshwar wrote ‘Gyaneshwari'(translation of Geeta into Marathi), Tukaram wrote Abhangs, Namdeo contributed to Punjabi language, Sikh culture and Guru Granth Sahib, Ramdas wrote ‘Dasbodh’ to teach people how to balance between Bhakti and Bhog(family life), and Tulsidas translated Sanskrit Ramayana into Avadhi language which is called Ramcharitamanas. Then there were Kabir, Rahim and many others too.
Indian spiritual Gurus set themselves as Role models for the masses. Whether it was Ramkrishna Paramhansa or Shankaracharya all of them have guided their followers to achieve peace of mind through spirituality. Religion is a way of life in India and most Gurus taught their followers how to follow the right path even while looking after their families.
In such conditions was born the Greatest of the advocates of Vedic Dharma and Advaitism- Adi Shankaracharya. It was as if God had deputed one of his assistants to set things right in India. The existence of Vedic Dharma in India today is due to Shankara. The forces opposed to Vaidik religion were numerous and powerful in those days than today. Still, single handedly, and within a short life span of just 32 years, Shankara overpowered them all and restored the Vedic Dharma and Advait vedant to its pristine Glory and purity.
The weapons he used was only Knowledge and spirituality. The previous Avatars like Rama and Krishna used physical force as opposition to vedic Dharma in those days was by physical obstruction and molestations by Asuras.
In Kaliyug, the obstacles are more Internal than External, more Mental than Physical. The seeds of Adharma were in minds, so a weapon of Knowledge and self purification was necessary. For this purpose Sankara took birth in Brahmin varna and entered Sanyasashram early in life. Previous Avatars like Rama and Krishna were Kshatriyas, as they had to wield military weapons to restore Dharma.
Shankara was born in Kaladi in present day central Kerala, the ancient Tamil kingdom of the Cheras. According to lore, it was after his parents, who had been childless for many years, prayed at the Vadakkunnathan temple, Thrissur, that Shiva appeared to both husband and wife in their dreams, and offered them a choice: a mediocre son who would live a long life, or an extraordinary son who would not live long. Both the parents chose the latter; thus a son was born to them. He was named Shankara (Sanskrit, “bestower of happiness”), in honour of Shiva (one of whose epithets is Shankara). His father died while Shankara was very young. Shankara’s upanayanam., the initiation into student-life, had to be delayed due to the death of his father, and was then performed by his mother. As a child, Shankara showed remarkable scholarship, mastering the four Vedas by the age of eight.
At the age of 8, Shankara was inclined towards sannyasa, but it was only after much persuasion that his mother finally gave her consent.Shankara then left Kerala and travelled towards North India in search of a guru. On the banks of the Narmada River, he met Govinda Bhagavatpada the disciple of Gaudapada at Omkareshwar. When Govinda Bhagavatpada asked Shankara’s identity, he replied with an extempore verse that brought out the Advaita Vedanta philosophy. Govinda Bhagavatapada was impressed and took Shankara as his disciple.
The guru instructed Shankara to write a commentary on the Brahma Sutras and propagate the Advaita philosophy. Shankara travelled to Kashi, where a young man named Sanandana, hailing from Chola territory in South India, became his first disciple. According to legend, while on his way to the Vishwanath Temple, an untouchable accompanied by four dogs came in the way of Sankara. When asked to move aside by Shankara’s disciples, the untouchable replied: “Do you wish that I could move my everlasting Atman (“the Self”), or this body made of flesh?” Realizing that the untouchable was none other than god Shiva himself, and his dogs the four Vedas, Shankara prostrated himself before him, composing five shlokas known as Manisha Panchakam.
At Badri he wrote his famous Bhashyas (“commentaries”) and Prakarana granthas (“philosophical treatises”). Adi Shankara then travelled with his disciples to Maharashtra and Srisailam. In Srisailam, he composed Shivanandalahari, a devotional hymn in praise of Shiva. The Madhaviya Shankaravijayam says that when Shankara was about to be sacrificed by a Kapalika, the god Narasimha appeared to save Shankara in response to Padmapadacharya’s prayer to him. As a result, Adi Shankara composed the Lakshmi-Narasimha stotra..
He then travelled to Gokarna, the temple of Hari-Shankara and the Mookambika temple at Kollur. At Kollur, he accepted as his disciple a boy believed to be dumb by his parents. He gave him the name, Hastamalakacarya (“one with the amalaka fruit on his palm”, i.e., one who has clearly realised the Self). Next, he visited Sringeri to establish the Sarada Pitham and made Suresvara Karya his disciple.
After this, Adi Shankara began a Dig-vijaya “tour of conquest” for the propagation of the Advaita philosophy by controverting all philosophies opposed to it. He travelled throughout India, from South India to Kashmir and Nepal, preaching to the local populace and debating philosophy with Hindu, Buddhist and other scholars and monks along the way.
With the Malayali King Sudhanva as companion, Shankara passed through Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Vidarbha. He then started towardsKarnataka where he encountered a band of armed Kapalikas. King Sudhanva, with his Nairs, resisted and defeated the Kapalikas. They safely reachedGokarna where Shankara defeated in debate the Shaiva scholar, Neelakanta.
Proceeding to Saurashtra (the ancient Kambhoja) and having visited the shrines of Girnar, Somnath and Prabhasa and explaining the superiority of Vedanta in all these places, he arrived at Dwarka. Bhaskara of Ujjayini, the proponent of Bhed-abheda philosophy, was humbled. All the scholars of Ujjayini (also known as Avanti) accepted Adi Shankara’s philosophy.
He then defeated the Jainas in philosophical debates at a place called Bahlika. Thereafter, the Acharya established his victory over several philosophers and ascetics in Kamboja (region of North Kashmir), Darada and many regions situated in the desert and crossing mighty peaks, entered Kashmir. Later, he had an encounter with a tantrik, Navagupta at Kamarupa.
Adi Shankara visited Sarvajñapitha (Sharada Peeth) in Kashmir (now in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir). The Madhaviya Shankaravijayam states this temple had four doors for scholars from the four cardinal directions. The southern door (representing South India) had never been opened, indicating that no scholar from South India had entered the Sarvajna Pitha. Adi Shankara opened the southern door by defeating in debate all the scholars there in all the various scholastic disciplines such as Mimamsa, Vedanta and other branches of Hindu philosophy; he ascended the throne of Transcendent wisdom of that temple.
Towards the end of his life, Adi Shankara travelled to the Himalayan area of Kedarnath- Badrinath and attained videha mukti (“freedom from embodiment”). There is a samadhi mandir dedicated to Adi Shankara behind the Kedarnath temple. However, there are variant traditions on the location of his last days. One tradition, expounded by Keraliya Shankaravijaya, places his place of mahasamadhi (leaving the body) as Vadakkunnathan temple in Thrissur, Kerala. The followers of the Kanchi kamakoti pitha claim that he attained videha mukti in Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu). (Bio adapted from wiki, goverdhanpeeth.org, sanatandharma.com and my notes with thanks).
Film JAGADGURU SHANKARACHARYA-1955 was a Celestial pictures, Bombay presentation, directed by S.Fatelal (of Prabhat film fame). The music was by Avinash Vyas with assistant Sanmukh babu Upadhyaya. There were 9 melodious songs by Rafi, Manna Dey, Hemant kumar, Geeta Dutt, Asha and Lata. The cast was Abhi Bhattacharya, Sulochana Chatterjee, Ramesh Sinha, Baby Nanda etc. The story was-
Shankara was born in a Brahmin family in the village of Kalti in Malabar. Before he was eight, Shankara completed the study of the Vedas and the Shastras! After leaving the Gurukul, Shankara found that all around him was spread the heresy and hypocrisy in the grab of religion! Shankara vowed to destroy the heresy and hypocrisy and to receive the ancient vedic religion. These revolutionary ideas of Shankara frighten his mother Sati, and to bring him to his senses, she decided to get him married. For the wedding he started to go across the Purna river with her son. What Divine intervention, what miracles forced the mother to give her unwilling permission to her son to become a Sanyasin, you will see on the screen! She wept and she sobbed, but Shankara was firm and the delicate child of eight left his mother for the good of Humanity.
Facing innumerable dangers of the way he reached Narmada followed by an immense flood treating to wash away even the Ashram of the Guru Govindpada. Shankara prays to mother Narmada, and the flood goes down, Guru Govindpada then ordains him a sanyasin, teaches the 8 sidhis and sends him out! Watch the miracle shankara performs in the religious Conference in Benares, and proved Gods existence.
For years he stayed in the Vyas-Gupha at Badri Narayan and wrote those wonderful books which have made him one of the foremost philosophers of the world! An additional 16 years lease of life is given to him for revival and propagation of religion. Follows the historical debate with Mandan misra who is vanquished by Shankara. But his wife Bharti heckles Shankara about Kamashastra, and Shankara has to ask for time in which he enters a king’s dead body, and makes Mandan his Shishya. Going home he meets his dying mother, whose funeral rites are denied to him by the village folk. Again his prayers force the Sun-God to set fire to the funeral pyre, and people realising the divinity of Shankara fall at his feet. The task and triumphal March (Digvijaya) is over, and Shankara desiring to leave the world is lead to the Sinhdwara of the Sharda Mandir in Kashmir! The film ends with Shankara’s samadhi scene.
Adi Shankaracharya has done colossal work for the Hindu Dharma. he established 4 Mathas (Monasteries) at 4 directions of India as following
1.North- Jyortimatha or Joshimatha or Badrikashram in Uttarakhand
2.East- Jagannath Puri,Orissa
3.South- Shringeri Sharada Peeth in Karnataka and
4.West- Dwaraka,in Gujarat.
The heads of these Mathas are called Shankaracharya and are highly revered by Hindus. They are all highly educated persons in modern and Ancient literatures. The South and the West have a continuous lineage from Adi Shankaracharya.
Today’s song is sung by Manna Dey and chorus. Enjoy….
Song-Jay Bhaarati Vande Bhaarati (Jagadguru Shankaracharya)(1955) Singer- Manna Dey, Lyricist- Bharat Vyas, MD- Avinash Vyas
chorus
Lyrics
jai bhaarti ee ee
vande ae bhaaarti ee
sar pe himalay ka chhatr hai
charnon mein nadiyaan ekatr hain
haathon mein vedon ke patr hain aen
desh nahin aisa anyatr hai
jai bhaarti ee ee
vande ae bhaarti ee
dhuyen se paawan ye vyom hai ae
ghar ghar mein hota jahaan hom hai
pulkit humaare rom rom hain
pulkit humaare rom rom hain
ae ae ae
aadi anaadi shabd om hai
(jai bhaarti vande bhaarti )
jai bharati vande bharati
(jai bhaarti vande bhaarti )
vandemaatram
(jai bhaarti vande bhaarti )
vandemaatram
is bhoomi pe janm liya raam ne
geeta sunayi jahaan shyaam ne
ho geeta sunaayi jahaan shyaam ne
paawan banaaya chaaron dhaam ne ae ae ae ae ae ae
paawan banaaya chaaron dhaam ne
swarg bhi lajaaye jiske saamne
vandemaatram
vandemaatram
sar pe himaalay ka chhatr hai
charnon mein nadiyaan ekatr hain
haathon mein vedon ke patr hai ae ae ae
desh nahin aisa anyatr hai
jai bharati vande bharati
jai bharati vande bharati
jai bharati vande bharati
jai bharati vande bharati
(vandematram vandematram vandematram vandematram
vandematram vandematram vandematram vandematram)
Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
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