Bharat Ek Khoj

Bharat Ek Khoj

Bharat Ek Khoj DVD cover
Genre Historical
Created by Shyam Benegal
Starring Roshan Seth
Om Puri
Tom Alter
Sadashiv Amrapurkar
Country of origin India
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 53
Production
Executive producer(s) Raj Pius
Production company(s) Doordarshan
Sahyadri Films
Broadcast
Original channel Doordarshan
Original airing 1988

Bharat Ek Khoj (Hindi: भारत एक खोज, Urdu: بھارت ایک کھوج, English: Discovery of India) is a 53-episode television series that dramatically unfolds the 5000 year history of India from its beginnings to the coming of independence in 1947. It is a series of explorations into the different periods of Indian history and was made in 1988 by the writer, director and producer Shyam Benegal with Cinematographer V.K.Murthy The series was based on a book written by historian and the first Prime Minister of independent India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, titled The Discovery of India.

This series was telecast on Doordarshan. The star cast included Om Puri and Roshan Seth. Pandit Nehru was portrayed by Roshan Seth, who had previously portrayed Nehru in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi in 1982. While Seth enacted the part of Nehru as the story-teller at key points in every episode, Om Puri provided the narration.

Contents

Lyrics of the title track

The following is the lyrics of the track that is played at the beginning of each episode.

This first stanza is in Sanskrit (Rig Veda, Book 10, Hymn 129, also known as Nasadiya Sukta)

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

nāsadāsīn no sadāsīt tadānīṃ nāsīd rajo no vyomāparo yat |
kimāvarīvaḥ kuha kasya śarmannambhaḥ kimāsīd ghahanaṃ ghabhīram ||

Srishti se pehle Kuch nahin thaa
sat bhi nahin, asat bhi nahin
Antariksh bhi nahin, aakaash bhee nahin thaa.
Chhipaa thaa kyaa, kahaan, kisne dekha thaa?
Us pal to agam, atal jal bhi kahaan thaa.

Srishti kaa kaun hai kartaa?
Kartaa hai va akartaa
Oonche aakash mein rahtaa.
Sadaaa addhyaksh banaa rahtaa.
Wohee sach much mein jaantaa..Yaa nahin bhi jaanataa
Hain kisi ko nahin pataa,
Nahin pataa,
Nahin hai pataa, nahin hai pataa.

Following is the lyrics of the track that is played at the end of each episode. Again, the first stanza is in Sanskrit (Rig Veda, Book 10, Hymn 121, also know as Hiranyagarbha Sukta) and it fades as the Hindi song begins.

हिरण्यगर्भः समवर्तताग्रे भूतस्य जातः पतिरेकासीत ।
स दाधार पृथ्वीं ध्यामुतेमां कस्मै देवायहविषा विधेम ॥

Voh tha hiranya garbh srishti se pehle vidyamaan.
Vohi to saare bhoot jaatee ka swami mahaan.
jo hai astitvamaana dharti aasmaan dhaaran kar.
Aise kis devta ki upasana kare hum havi dekar?

Jis ke bal par tejomay hai ambar.
Prithvi hari bhari sthapit sthir.
Swarg aur sooraj bhi sthir.
Aise kis devta ki upasana kare hum havi dekar?

Garbh mein apne agni dhaaran kar paida kar,
Vyapa tha jal idhar udhar neeche upar,
Jagarth Devon ka ekameva pran bankar,
Aise kis devta ki upasana kare hum havi dekar?

Om ! Srishti nirmata swarg rachaiyta purvaj rakhsa kar.
Satya dharma palak atul jal niyamak raksha kar.
Phaili hain dishayen bahu jaisi uski sab mein sab par,
Aise hi devta ki upasana kare hum havi dekar,
Aise hi devta ki upasana kare hum havi dekar.

An extended version of the above was played only in the Final episode of Bharat Ek Khoj - this was like a concise summarisation of the entire history in one big episode.

Srishti se pehle sat nahin thaa, asat bhi nahin
Antariksh bhi nahin, aakaash bhee nahin thaa.
Chhipaa thaa kyaa, kahaan, kisne dhaka thaa?
Us pal to agam, atal jal bhi kahaan thaa.

Nahi thi mritiyu, Thi Amarta bhi nahi,
nahi tha din, raat bhi nahi,
Hawa bhi nahi, Saans thi swyamev phir bhi,
Nahi tha koi kucch bi, Param tatva se alag, ya pare bhi.

Ommmmm,
Karm bankar beej pehla jo Uga,
Kaam bankar vah jaga.
Kaviyo, Gyaniyo ne jana,
Asat aur Sat Ka nikat sambandh pehchana

Pehle sambandh me - Hiranya ..... neeche, Param tatva Us pal,
Upar ya neeche.
Vah tha bata hua. Purush aur Stree bana Hua.

Upar daata vahi .......
Neeche ......

Shristi yeh bani kaise,Kisse, aayi hai kahan se.
koi kya jaanta hai, Bata Sakta hai.
devataao ko nahi gyan, Ve aye shijan ke baad.

shriti ko racha hain jisne usko jaana hain kisne

Srishti kaa kaun hai kartaa?
Kartaa hai ya vikartaa?
oochne aakaash mein rehtaa sadaa adhyaksh banaa rehta vahi sach much mein jaanata yaah nahi bhi jaanta hain kisi ko nahi pataa ………….

Lyrics in Hindi

(First stanza is in Sanskrit and fades away as the Hindi lyrics start)

नासदासीन नो सदासीत तदानीं नासीद रजो नो वयोमापरो यत |
किमावरीवः कुह कस्य शर्मन्नम्भः किमासीद गहनं गभीरम ||

सृष्टि से पहले सत नहीं था
असत भी नहीं
अंतरिक्ष भी नहीं

आकाश भी नहीं था
छिपा था क्या, कहाँ
किसने ढका था
उस पल तो
अगम अतल जल भी कहां था

सृष्टि का कौन है कर्ता?
कर्ता है वह अकर्ता
ऊँचे आकाश में रहता
सदा अध्यक्ष बना रहता
वही सचमुच में जानता
या नहीं भी जानता
है किसी को नही पता
नही पता
नही है पता
नही है पता

हिरण्यगर्भः समवर्तताग्रे भूतस्य जातः पतिरेकासीत ।
स दाधार पृथ्वीं ध्यामुतेमां कस्मै देवायहविषा विधेम ॥

वो था हिरण्य गर्भ सृष्टि से पहले विद्यमान
??ĵही तो सारे भूत जाति का स्वामी महान
जो है अस्तित्वमान धरती आसमान धारण कर
ऐसे किस देवता की उपासना करें हम हवि देकर

जिस के बल पर तेजोमय है अंबर
पृथ्वी हरी भरी स्थापित स्थिर
स्वर्ग और सूरज भी स्थिर
ऐसे किस देवता की उपासना करें हम हवि देकर

गर्भ में अपने अग्नि धारण कर पैदा कर
व्यापा था जल इधर उधर नीचे ऊपर
जगा चुके व एकमेव प्राण बनकर
ऐसे किस देवता ?की उपासना करें हम हवि देकर

ऊँ! सृष्टि निर्माता, स्वर्ग रचयिता पूर्वज रक्षा कर
सत्य धर्म पालक अतुल जल नियामक रक्षा कर
फैली हैं दिशायें बाहु जैसी उसकी सब में सब पर
ऐसे ही देवता की उपासना करें हम हवि देकर
ऐसे ही देवता की उपासना करें हम हवि देकर

Translation

The lyrics are only in Hindi because the Sanskrit lyrics are sung again in Hindi. The Universe has been generally used for Hindi word Srishti but that is not an accurate translation because Srishti means everything including the Universe and the heavens and the entirety of existence i.e. all-encompassing existence, thus 'all things' is used to refer to Srishti. Note that although it is easy to assume that there is a gender and/or personality associated with the Entity being referred in the lyrics, actually the lyrics go to great length in keeping the language gender and personality neutral. That is why we refer to the Entity using That and It throughout.

Goodness(being) did not exist before all things came to be
Evil(nonbeing) did not exist either
The atmosphere did not exist as well
The sky too was not present
Was anything hidden? Where?
Who had covered it?
At that moment
Unmoving, strong ocean was not there either

Who is the doer of all things?
Is that a doer or non-doer?
Living in the high skies?
Always plays the part of the leader?
Only that knows the truth
Or maybe that does not
No one knows really, No one knows
No one knows really, No one knows

That was the golden womb ever present before all things came
That is the great lord of all the elements
That is the presence through which the land and the skies materializes
Which God like that should we worship by offering ghee?

The skies are lit with its strength
The earth is established with greenery and prosperity
Heavens and Sun are also established
Which God like that should we worship by offering ghee?

It materialized fire in its womb to give birth
There was water here and there and up and below
Out of which only life awoke
Which God like that should we worship by offering ghee?

Om! (Incantation) That maker of all things, that architect of the heavens, our ancestor protect us
That enforcer of truth and dharma, that regulator as mighty as the ocean, protect us
That vastness stretched across all directions, everywhere and in everything
We should keep praying to God like that by offering ghee
We should keep praying to God like that by offering ghee

List of episodes

  1. Bharat Mata Ki Jai
  2. The Beginnings
  3. The Arrival of the Vedic People (the Rigveda)
  4. Caste Formation
  5. Mahabharata Part 1
  6. Mahabharata Part 2
  7. Ramayana Part 1
  8. Ramayana Part 2
  9. Republics and Kingdoms
  10. Negation and Acceptance of Life
  11. Chanakya and Chandragupta Part 1
  12. Chanakya and Chandragupta Part 2
  13. Ashoka Part 1
  14. Ashoka Part 2
  15. The Sangam Period: Silapaddirakam Part 1
  16. The Sangam Period: Silapaddirakam Part 2
  17. The Classical Age
  18. Kalidas and Shakuntala Part 1
  19. Kalidas and Shakuntala Part 2
  20. Harshavardhana
  21. Bhakti
  22. The Chola Empire Part 1
  23. The Chola Empire Part 2
  24. The Delhi Sultanate and Prithviraj Raso Part 1
  25. The Delhi Sultanate and Prithviraj Raso Part 2
  26. The Delhi Sultanate and Padmavat
  27. Synthesis
  28. The Vijayanagar Empire
  29. Feudalism
  30. The Fall of the Vijayanagar Empire
  31. Rana Sanga, Ibrahim Lodi and Babur
  32. Akbar Part 1 (Din-e-Ilahi)
  33. Akbar Part 2
  34. Golden Hind
  35. Aurangzeb Part 1
  36. Aurangzeb Part 2
  37. Shivaji Part 1
  38. Shivaji Part 2
  39. Company Bahadur
  40. Tipu Sultan
  41. The Bengal Renaissance and Raja Ram Mohan Roy
  42. 1857 Part 1
  43. 1857 Part 2
  44. Indigo Revolt
  45. Mahatma Phule
  46. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan
  47. Vivekananda
  48. Extremists and Moderates
  49. And Gandhi Came Part 1
  50. And Gandhi Came Part 2
  51. Separatism
  52. Do or Die
  53. Epilogue

External links