I have often sung this shabad at weddings. When I do, I tell the couple that Kabir shows us three steps to marriage: first, dress yourself with good deeds; second, make a commitment with your body to remember what is good for the two who have now become one; and third, walk together in love, carried by grace. It is more than ritual — it is the union of body, mind, and soul in remembrance of the Divine.
On one of my business travels, I met a woman in love who was sitting beside me on a plane. She was radiant — joy spilled out of her in every word. She told me about her fiancé, her cheeks turning pink as she spoke. It was as though her entire being was singing. In her presence I understood the joy of this shabad more deeply, how love itself becomes the song of the bride.
In 2025, I sang this as the last shabad to one of my musicians who was nearing death. We spoke about hope, about how this was not an ending but a transition. Our work of oneness would continue beyond his body. In that moment, I felt the ache Guru Nanak must have felt saying goodbye to Mardana — a love that sings even as it lets go. (Updated 2025)
I love the Vande Maataram composition in Raag Des sung by Lata Mangeshkar.
Vande Mataram is the national song of India. In 2003, BBC World Service picked Vande Mataram among top 10 songs in the world selected from 7000 songs from 155 countries/island voted. It was composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in a mixture of Bengali and Sanskrit. It comes from a poem published in Bankim Chandra's 1882 novel Anandamath. The first political occasion where it was sung was the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress. In 1950 (after India's independence), the song's first two verses were given the official status of the "national song" of the Republic of India, distinct from the national anthem of India, Jana Gana Mana.
Though it arose in the context of Indian nationhood, I have always heard Vande Mataram as a song to Mother Earth. Its rivers, orchards, winds, and moonlight—paired with the reverence for the divine feminine—evoke a planetary motherhood, not just a political homeland. As Guru Nanak says in Pavan Guru, the air is our teacher and the Earth is our mother. Joy Harjo asks in her meditative poetry for us to remember the earth whose skin we are. In that spirit, may this song be received not just as India's offering to the world, but as the Earth’s own voice, calling us back to reverence.
Here is the translation in prose of the above two stanzas rendered by Sri Aurobindo Ghosh. This has also been adopted by the Government of India's national portal. The original Vande Mataram consists of six stanzas and the translation in prose for the complete poem by Shri Aurobindo appeared in Karmayogin, 20 November 1909.
In the novel "Anandmath," composed in the Bengali script, there exists a heartfelt tribute to the Motherland known as "Vande Mataram." Translated, this title signifies "I bow to thee, Mother." Interestingly, within the later verses of the song, the concept of the "mother goddess" has been inferred to symbolize the homeland of the people – Banga Mata (Mother Bengal) and Bharat Mata (Mother India), even though such allusions are not explicitly stated in the text.
This iconic composition played a pivotal role in the Indian independence movement. It was first sung in a political context by Rabindranath Tagore during the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress. Subsequently, in 1905, it gained popularity as a marching song for political activism within the Indian freedom movement. Sri Aurobindo, a spiritual Indian nationalist and philosopher, hailed it as the "National Anthem of Bengal." Remarkably, despite being banned by the British government along with the novel that contained it, the ban was openly defied by workers and the general public. Many individuals faced imprisonment for singing it, but ultimately, the ban was lifted by the Indian populace after they achieved independence from colonial rule.
On January 24, 1950, the Constituent Assembly of India officially adopted "Vande Mataram" as the national song. During this historic moment, India's first President, Rajendra Prasad, emphasized that the song should be held in equal regard with the national anthem of India, "Jana Gana Mana." Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that the Constitution of India does not explicitly designate "Vande Mataram" as the national song.
The first two verses of the song symbolize an abstract reference to mother and motherland, devoid of any specific mention of Hindu deities by name, unlike the later verses that do invoke goddesses such as Durga. Additionally, unlike the national anthem "Jana Gana Mana," which has a specified duration of 52 seconds for rendition, there are no time constraints or circumstantial specifications for performing "Vande Mataram."
In 1937, during the pursuit of India's independence from British colonial rule, a committee consisting of prominent figures like Maulana Azad, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhash Bose, Acharya Deva, and Rabindranath Tagore recommended the adoption of certain portions of "Vande Mataram" as the national song. However, it was a deliberate choice not to select the entire song in order to honor the sentiments of non-Hindus. The gathering unanimously agreed that individuals should have the freedom to sing an alternative "unobjectionable song" during national gatherings if they found "Vande Mataram" objectionable for personal reasons.
The reasoning behind this decision, as expressed by the assembled leaders, including Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, was that while the first two stanzas of the song beautifully evoked the essence of the motherland without any objectionable content, the later stanzas contained references to the Hindu goddess Durga. This consideration aimed to ensure inclusivity and respect for the diverse religious and cultural beliefs of the Indian population.
Opposition to the song also came from the Muslim League and its leader, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Subsequently, with the backing of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, the Indian National Congress made the decision to adopt only the first two stanzas of "Vande Mataram" as the national song for public gatherings. This choice involved the exclusion of verses that contained references to goddesses like Durga and Lakshmi.
Rajendra Prasad, who was presiding the Constituent Assembly on 24 January 1950, made the following statement which was also adopted as the final decision on the issue:
... The composition consisting of the words and music known as Jana Gana Mana is the National Anthem of India, subject to such alterations in the words as the Government may authorise as occasion arises; and the song Vande Mataram, which has played a historic part in the struggle for Indian freedom, shall be honoured equally with Jana Gana Mana and shall have equal status with it. (Applause). I hope this will satisfy the Members.
—Constituent Assembly of India, Vol. XII, 24-1-1950[47]
So, I've been in the process of obtaining an agent for a while now. Publishers have also expressed some interest, though my book isn't even completely done, but I've declined everyone.
Do you know why?
Of course not. That's why I'm writing this post!
I've decided to be an indie author. I want to be in control of the designing, creating, and publishing process, plus I don't want to sign over any rights to my novel. I want to earn more percentage profit than I would if I went with a traditional publisher, and honestly - I'm not expecting my book to be a huge hit.
Why? Because I'm not writing a book to get famous. I'm not writing a book to make money. Those things are nice, but honestly I'm writing my novel because it's what I do. It's what I love, and what inspires and drives me. I've always been better with a pen (or a keyboard) than I have with my words verbally, and so it's all just how I express myself and where I escape to. I write because I'm a writer/I'm a writer because I write.
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Singing oneness!