Maithreem Bhajata


Maithreem Bhajata मैत्रीं भजत is a benediction composed in Sanskrit by Jagadguru Shri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati, renowned as the Paramacharya of Kanchi.
The song was set to a Ragamalika by composer Shri Vasant Desai.

Historical Importance

It was rendered at the United Nations on Oct. 23, 1966 on the occasion of the UN day, by Bharat Ratna Smt. M. S. Subbulakshmi and Dr. Radha Viswanathan and received a standing ovation.
The lines in the lyrics which says "dāmyata datta dayadhvaṃ janatāḥ" have mythological importance. Legend has it that the creator had 3 sons. Namely men, demons and gods. After Prajapathi taught them their lessons as a father, the three groups of students approached Prajapathi and asked for one final lesson. When the gods approached him and asked for their lesson, he said the word "da" and asked them whether they understood. They said, yes, you have asked us to control our self and the "da" means "damyatham" or self restraint. Similarly he said the same word "da" when the other two groups approached him as well. The men understood "da" as "datta" which means being charitable and the demons understood "da" as "dayadhwam" which meant being kind. At this point a thundering sound was heard from the heavens that said "da da da, damaytha datta dayadhwam" which suggested the three axioms everyone of us should learn.
Maithreem Bhajata is a song that tells us how we should all live our lives, in the short span we have, called life.

Information

Lyricshttps://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/samskrita/hcNf0h3YLDchttp://www.acharya.gen.in:8080/maitreem.php

Meaning

Though it is not possible to translate the song into English and still preserve its original meaning to the fullest extent, sources available from the World Wide Web suggest the following translation:
The above lines come to indicate: so what do we have to want for, or what reason do we have to not be at peace with all?)