Where The Mind Is Without Fear

Where The Mind Is Without Fear - Rabindranath Tagore

This poem is written by Rabindranath Tagore when India was under the British Rule.  The original Bengali language poem ( Chitto Jetha Bhayshunyo) was published in 1910 and was included in the 1910 collection Gitanjali and, in Tagore's own translation, in the 1912 English edition of Gitanjali. It is a prayer to the Almighty for a hassle free nation free from any kind of manipulative or corrupted powers. But I am sorry to say that his prayer is still unheard. There is no equality, unity, strength and freedom which he was asking in this poem. We need to work hard to get that India of his and our dreams which along with our efforts needs blessing from almighty. So I am remembering this prayer of his with Hindi Translation by me. I am also sharing Bengali version copied from Wikipedia.org. In the English version some lines are not used by the poet from original Bengali version my translation is based on the English version.

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

Where knowledge is free;

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments

By narrow domestic walls

Where words come out from the depth of truth;

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way

Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is led forward by thee

Into ever-widening thought and action;

Into that heaven of freedom, My Father, let my country awake.

जहाँ मन निर्भय हो, हो शीश उच्च अटल,

स्वतंत्र ज्ञान जहाँ हो,

जहाँ सकरी घरेलू दीवारों से छोटे-छोटे टुकड़ों में ,
बटती दुनिया न हो,
जहाँ शब्द सत्य की गहराई से बोले जाते हों,
जहाँ अथक प्रयासों से पूर्ण निपुणता हासिल हो,
जहाँ मृत आदत के मृत मरुस्थल में,
तर्कों की स्पष्ट धारा ने  अपना मार्ग न खोया हो,

जहाँ निरंतर विकसित होते कर्म एवं भाव,
हमारे ही आधीन हों,
हे ईश्वर! ऐसी आज़ादी के स्वर्ग में मेरे राष्ट्र का उदय हो।

Jahan man nirbhay ho, ho sheesh uchh atal,
Savatantra gyan ho,
Jahan sakri gharelu diwaron se chote-chote tukdon mein,
Batti duniya na ho,
Jahan shabd satya ki gahrayi se bole jaate hon,
Jahan athak prayason se purn nipudta hasil ho,
Jahan mrit aadat ke mrit marusthal mein,
Tarkon ki spasht dhara ne apna marg na khoya ho,
Jahan nirantar viksit hote karm aur bhav,
Hamare hi aadheen ho,
Hai Ishwar! Aisi azaadi ke swarg mein mere rashtra ka uday ho.

চিত্ত যেথা ভয়শূন্য, উচ্চ যেথা শির,

   জ্ঞান যেথা মুক্ত, যেথা গৃহের প্রাচীর

   আপন প্রাঙ্গণতলে দিবসশর্বরী

   বসুধারে রাখে নাই খণ্ড ক্ষুদ্র করি,

   যেথা বাক্য হৃদয়ের উত্‍‌সমুখ হতে

   উচ্ছ্বসিয়া উঠে, যেথা নির্বারিত স্রোতে

   দেশে দেশে দিশে দিশে কর্মধারা ধায়

   অজস্র সহস্রবিধ চরিতার্থতায়,

   যেথা তুচ্ছ আচারের মরুবালুরাশি

   বিচারের স্রোতঃপথ ফেলে নাই গ্রাসি---

   পৌরুষেরে করে নি শতধা, নিত্য যেথা

   তুমি সর্ব কর্ম চিন্তা আনন্দের নেতা,

   নিজ হস্তে নির্দয় আঘাত করি, পিতঃ,

   ভারতেরে সেই স্বর্গে করো জাগরিত॥

Detailed Interpretation of the poem: Decoding Where Mind Is Without Fear