Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram

"Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram" (also called Ram Dhun) is a bhajan (devotional song) widely popularised by Mahatma Gandhi and set to tune by Vishnu Digambar Paluskar.^[1]^[2]^[3]

History[]

The precise origins of the Ramdhun are not entirely clear and the composer remains unknown.^[1]^[4]

The song was extensively used by Mahatma Gandhi to project a secular and composite vision of Indian society — it was sung during the 1930 Salt March.^[5]^[6]

Lyrics of the Ramdhun
Hindi^[7]	Transliteration (IAST)^[7]	Translation^[7]
रघुपति राघव राजाराम, पतित पावन सीताराम सीताराम सीताराम, भज प्यारे तू सीताराम ईश्वर अल्लाह तेरो नाम, सब को सन्मति दे भगवान राम रहीम करीम समान हम सब है उनकी संतान सब मिला मांगे यह वरदान हमारा रहे मानव का ज्ञान	raghupati rāghava rājārāma, patita pāvana sītārāma sītārāma, sītārāma, bhaja pyāre tu sītārāma īśvara allāha tero nāma saba ko sanmati de bhagavāna rāma rahīma karīma samāna hama saba hai unakī santāna saba milā māṅge yaha varadāna hamārā rahe mānava kā jñāna	O Lord Rama, descendant of Raghu, Uplifter of the fallen. You and your beloved consort Sita are to be worshipped. All names of God refer to the same Supreme Being, including Ishvara and the Muslim Allah. O Lord, Please give peace and brotherhood to everyone, as we are all your children. We all request that this eternal wisdom of humankind prevail.

In popular culture[]

Elements of the chant were included in the song "Utho Utho he Bharat" in the movie Bharat Milap (1942),^[8] in songs of Shri Ram Bhakta Hanuman (1948), the song "De Dii Hamen Aazaadii" in the movie Jagriti (1954),^[9] Purab Aur Paschim (1970) and in the film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), in the Kannada film Gandhinagara (1968), in the British-Indian movie Gandhi (1982), in the film Gandhi, My Father (2007), and in Satyagraha (2013).
"Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram" was the title of a Tamil movie produced in 1977.
Pete Seeger included "Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram" on his album "Strangers and Cousins" (1964) and performed it in Episode 10 of his television series Rainbow Quest.
Sheila Chandra recorded a version titled Bhajan on her 1992 album Weaving My Ancestors' Voices.
Many singers such as Lata Mangeshkar, Jagjit Singh, K.S.Chithra have recorded the song.
The game Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories featured the song on one of the radio stations Radio Del Mundo.
The song is an important motif in the 2006 Bollywood film, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, and is featured in the movie
Rakesh Roshan's superhero film Krrish 3 contains a song named "Raghupati Raghav".
The arrangement by Jyotishka Dasgupta is an official piece of Grade 2 Electronic Keyboard from Trinity College London, where it is simply named Bhajan.

Notes[]

References[]

^ ^a ^b Lal, Vinay (2014). "Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram". In Helfenstein, Josef; Newland, Joseph N. (eds.). Experiments with Truth: Gandhi and Images of Nonviolence. Houston: The Menil Collection. pp. 244–45.
^ Dalton, Dennis (1993). Mahatma Gandhi: Nonviolent Power in Action. Columbia University Press. p. 109. ISBN 0-231-12237-3.
^ Sinha, Manjari (8 August 2008). "Tuned to excellence". The Hindu. Retrieved 27 April 2009.
^ "Is the Hindu Right's Appropriation of Gandhi Possible?". The Wire. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
^ "Dandi: Salt March". Lal, Vinay. University of California, Los Angeles. Retrieved 16 November 2007.
^ "On Gandhi Jayanti, remembering Mahatma's most beloved hymns — from Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram to Lead, Kindly Light-Living News , Firstpost". Firstpost. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c (17 July 2006). "Hinduism and music". In Guy L. Beck (ed.). Sacred Sound: Experiencing Music in World Religions. Wilfrid Laurier University Press. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-88920-421-8.
^ Utho Utho He Bharat Tumhaare - उठो-उठो हे भरत तुम्हारे, retrieved 28 June 2020
^ "दे दी हमें आज़ादी बिना खड्ग बिना ढाल - de dii hame.n aazaadii binaa khaD.hg binaa Dhaal / जागृति-(Jaagriti)". www.lyricsindia.net. Retrieved 28 June 2020.

Bibliography[]

Dalton, Dennis (1993). Mahatma Gandhi: Nonviolent Power in Action. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-12237-3.

[:0-1] Lal, Vinay (2014). "Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram". In Helfenstein, Josef; Newland, Joseph N. (eds.). Experiments with Truth: Gandhi and Images of Nonviolence. Houston: The Menil Collection. pp. 244–45.

[2] Dalton, Dennis (1993). Mahatma Gandhi: Nonviolent Power in Action. Columbia University Press. p. 109. ISBN 0-231-12237-3.

[3] Sinha, Manjari (8 August 2008). "Tuned to excellence". The Hindu. Retrieved 27 April 2009.

[4] "Is the Hindu Right's Appropriation of Gandhi Possible?". The Wire. Retrieved 22 June 2021.

[5] "Dandi: Salt March". Lal, Vinay. University of California, Los Angeles. Retrieved 16 November 2007.

[:1-6] "On Gandhi Jayanti, remembering Mahatma's most beloved hymns — from Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram to Lead, Kindly Light-Living News , Firstpost". Firstpost. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2021.

[Beck2006-7] (17 July 2006). "Hinduism and music". In Guy L. Beck (ed.). Sacred Sound: Experiencing Music in World Religions. Wilfrid Laurier University Press. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-88920-421-8.

[8] Utho Utho He Bharat Tumhaare - उठो-उठो हे भरत तुम्हारे, retrieved 28 June 2020

[9] "दे दी हमें आज़ादी बिना खड्ग बिना ढाल - de dii hame.n aazaadii binaa khaD.hg binaa Dhaal / जागृति-(Jaagriti)". www.lyricsindia.net. Retrieved 28 June 2020.

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