Why is the national anthem of India wrong?

Here is the literal translation of the national anthem:

“jana gaNa mana adhinAyaka jaya he, bhArata bhAgya vidhAtA—

“Victory to the overlord of the minds of the masses of people, the writer of the destiny of Bharat.

“panjAba sindhu gujarAta marAThA drAviDa utkala vanga. vindhya himAcala yamunA gangA ucchala
jaladhi taranga—

“Punjab, Sindhu, Gujarat, Maratha, Dravida, Utkala, Bengal, Vindhya mountains, Himalayas, Yamuna,
Ganga, with the waves of the ocean.

“tava shubha nAme jAge tava shubha AshiSha mAnge, gAhe tava jaya gAthA—

“We(they) wake up with your holy name, seek your holy blessings, sing the saga of your victory (?!?!?)

“jana gaNa mangaladAyaka jaya he, bhArata bhAgya vidhAtA—

“The giver of auspiciousness to the masses of people, victory to you, the writer of the destiny of Bharat.”

Forget about the conspiracy theory of this song being written for the British emperor George V.

The wording is really strange and inappropriate to be used for a nation. If, as many people claim, Tagore
wrote this as a prayer to God, its style is still very weird even for a prayer. It is definitely not in the style
of a native Indian (Hindu) prayer. It appears more in the style of a Christian biblical prayer.
Even as poetry goes, it is not very good.

Whose victory are we praying for?

Should not the last line be May “WE” get victory?

What use is this anthem, when it is praying for victory of God, who is always victorious anyway? There is
no dearth of occasions for praying to God and praising his greatness and his victories. Even here, the
wording “we sing the saga of your victory” is so strange and absurd. It does not make sense in any
interpretation.

As I have observed elsewhere, it is weak, passive, pandering, obsequious flattery aimed at nobody in
particular??

Nowhere in our present national anthem, is there a single word about aspiring for welfare and
prosperity of our people! Such a shame!!

In my opinion, *“Vande Mataram”* is infinitely better qualified to be the national anthem. It clearly
personifies our nation as a mother, who provides for the welfare, safety, security and prosperity of her
children, the Bharatiyas. It contains language that is energetic, full of bravery and courage and talks of
destruction of enemies.

However, our ancient *Vedic* heritage has provided us with the best national anthem. It can be termed
the *Vedic national song* , “vaidika rAShTra geetam”. It occurs in the Shukla Yajur Veda (22.22):

आ ब्रह्मन् ब्राह्मणो ब्रह्मवर्चसी जायतामा राष्ट् रे राजन्यः शूर इषव्योऽतिव्याधी महारथो जायतां दोग्ध्री
धे नुर्वोढानड्वानाशु ः सप्तिः पु रन्धिर्योषा जिष्णू रथे ष्ठाः सभे यो यु वास्य यजमानस्य वीरो जायतां निकामे निकामे नः
पर्जन्यो वर्षतु फलवत्यो न ओषधयो पच्यन्तां योगक्षे मो नः कल्पताम् ॥
“A brahman brAhmaNo brahmavarcasI jAyatAmA rAShTre rAjanyah shUra iShavyo ativyAdhI mahAratho
jAyatAm dogdhrI dhenur voDhA anaDvAn Ashuh saptih purandhir yoShA jiShNU ratheShThAh sabheyo
yuvA A asya yajamAnasya vIro jAyatAm nikAme nikAme nah parjanyo varShatu phalavatyo na
oShadhayo pacyantAm yogakShemo nah kalpatAm”

“O Lord! May this rAshTra be blessed—

May such intellectuals be born who are honest, sincere and full of spiritual brilliance [[i.e. not pseudo-
intellectuals such as India is being plagued by right now]]—

May such kings and warriors be born who are brave, skilled in weapons, excellent at killing enemies, and
committed to dharma—

May our cows give plentiful milk, may our bulls be strong and may our horses be swift—

May such women be born who are highly talented and capable—

May our warriors be always victorious and dynamic—

May our youth be smart, intelligent, mature, cultured, well-behaved and presentable [[all this is
encompassed by the word ‘sabheya’]] —

May we get plenty of rain as and when we wish it—

May our plants and crops always be fruitful and ripen according to season—

May we always be prosperous and secure.”

Every single time I recite this prayer, I have goosebumps and tears because it is so powerful, dynamic
and inspiring.

It is the result of *rishi darshana* , the deep and mature vision of our rishis.

It contains the aspirations and wishes of the people for well-being and prosperity taking into account
the real challenges a nation may face and what skills and qualities its people should have to grow and
prosper.