Bhagavad Gita Translated Into Urdu By Noted Poet Anwar Jalalpuri

The legendary “Bhagavad Gita” has been translated by renowned poet Anwar Jalalpuri from 700 classical Sanskrit shlokas (verses) into 1700 Urdu shers (couplets), reports Business Standard. The translated rendition, “Urdu Shayari mein Gita,” found its way to the people on May 23 during the Ruhani Sangham program in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.

What Is The “Bhagavad Gita”?

Also known as the “Srimad Bhagavad Gita,” or simply the “Gita,” the “Bhagavad Gita” represents just one section of the 18-chapter-long ancient Hindu epic “Mahabharata,” which itself is recognized as the longest epic poem ever written in world literature.

According to the Ancient History Encyclopedia, the “Bhagavad Gita,” which literally translated means “The Song of the Bhagavan,” seeks to answer a host of spiritual questions:

How does one pursue a spiritual existence without receding from society?

Can one both live righteously and attend to familial obligations at the same time?

Is it possible to honor God without resorting to the devoted asceticism of monks?

The “Gita” answers these questions by recounting a conversion had between a warrior named Arjuna and the Hindu God Krishna. Arjuna must lead one set of King Dhritarashtr’s family (the Pandavas) to battle against their cousins (the Kauravas), so as to determine who shall take the King’s throne upon his demise. However, when the time to fight finally arrives, the thought of mauling down his own family members leads Arjun to throw down his weapons and refuse to fight. It is at this point in the story that Krishna intervenes by explaining to Arjuna why choosing to battle against his own family would not be impious.

Has The “Bhagavad Gita” Ever Been Translated Before?

The “Bhagavad Gita” has been translated and published in dozens of different languages. English typographer and Orientalist Charles Wilkins was the first to translate the “Bhagavad Gita” into English back in 1785. The most famous translation might be that of American poet Stephen Mitchell, who in 2002 published a somewhat diluted but more literarily dramatic version of the text. Until recently, it has never been translated into Urdu before.

Who Is Anwar Jalalpuri?

Hailing from Jalalpur, Uttar Pradesh, Anwar Jalalpuri is an established Urdu poet who set out to translate the “Bhagavad Gita” so as to spread its message “amongst human beings, irrespective of their religion.”

During an interview with the Indian investigative news organization Tehelka, Jalalpuri explained how he had been especially interested in pursuing something that “would integrate both Hindus and Muslims.” Thus he chose to translate the Hindu story of the “Bhagavad Gita” into the predominantly Muslim language of Urdu.

This is not the first time Jalapuri has translated famous text into Urdu, though it certainly proved to be the most cumbersome project he has ever undertaken. Previously, he translated Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore and Persian poet Omar Khayyam’s respective collections of poetry, Geetanjali and Rubaiyat, into Urdu.

To hear the speech the very deserving Anwar Jalalpuri gave during the official release of the “Urdu Shayari mein Gita” in Lucknow, check below:

Image via [Tehelka]