Open thy Eyes and See thy God

 

Open Thy Eyes and see Thy God

Open Thy Eyes and see Thy God

central idea 

Q. What is the central idea/theme/message/thought/main idea of the poem?

OR

Q. Where can God be found?

Ans. This poem is written by Rabindranath Tagore.This is very beautiful poem .It gives us a beautiful message. We cannot find God in temples. We can not find God by chanting,singing and telling of beads. He lives among common and poor. We should work along with them if we want to find God.

ਇਹ ਕਵਿਤਾ ਰਬਿੰਦਰਨਾਥ ਟੈਗੋਰ ਦੁਆਰਾ ਲਿਖੀ ਗਈ ਹੈ। ਇਹ ਬਹੁਤ ਹੀ ਸੁੰਦਰ ਕਵਿਤਾ ਹੈ। ਇਹ ਸਾਨੂੰ ਇੱਕ ਸੁੰਦਰ ਸੰਦੇਸ਼ ਦਿੰਦੀ ਹੈ। ਅਸੀਂ ਮੰਦਰਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਲੱਭ ਸਕਦੇ। ਅਸੀਂ ਜਪ, ਗਾਉਣ ਅਤੇ ਮਣਕਿਆਂ ਦੇ ਬੋਲ ਸੁਣਾਉਣ ਨਾਲ ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਲੱਭ ਸਕਦੇ। ਉਹ ਆਮ ਅਤੇ ਗਰੀਬਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਰਹਿੰਦਾ ਹੈ। ਜੇਕਰ ਅਸੀਂ ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਨੂੰ ਲੱਭਣਾ ਚਾਹੁੰਦੇ ਹਾਂ ਤਾਂ ਸਾਨੂੰ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਨਾਲ ਕੰਮ ਕਰਨਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ।

Question 2.

Why does the poet say that we should leave chanting, singing and telling of beads ?

(कवि यह क्यों कहता है कि हमें भजन बोलना, गाना और माला फेरना छोड़ देना चाहिए ?)

Answer:

The poet believes that God does not live in temples. We cannot find him by chanting, singing and telling beads. So the poet says that we should leave chanting and telling beads.

कवि मानता है कि ईश्वर मन्दिरों में नहीं रहता है। हम उसे भजन बोलकर, गाकर और माला फेरकर प्राप्त नहीं कर सकते। इसलिए कवि कहता है कि हम भजन बोलना और माला फेरना छोड़ दें।

Question 3.

Where can God be found ?

(ईश्वर को कहां पाया जा सकता है ?)

Answer:

We can find God where the tiller is tilling the hard land. We can find Him where the pathmaker is breaking stones. In other words, God lives among the poor hardworking people.

हम ईश्वर को उस जगह पा सकते हैं जहां किसान सख्त ज़मीन पर हल चला रहा होता है। हम उसे वहां देख सकते हैं जहां सड़कें बनाने वाला पत्थर तोड़ रहा होता है। अन्य शब्दों में, ईश्वर कठोर परिश्रम करने वाले ग़रीब लोगों के मध्य रहता है।

Question 4.

What does the poet suggest regarding the presence of God ?

(कवि ईश्वर की उपस्थिति के बारे में क्या सुझाव देता है ?)

Answer:

The poet says that God doesn’t live in temples. He lives among the poor hard working people.

कवि कहता है कि ईश्वर मन्दिरों में नहीं रहता है। वह कठिन परिश्रम करने वाले निर्धन लोगों के मध्य रहता है।

Question 5.

Write ‘True’ or ‘False’ against the following statements :

(a) God lives in temples.

(b) By chanting, singing and telling of beads we can reach God.

(c) God is there where the tiller is tilling the land.

(d) We should not work hard.

Answer:

(a) False

(b) False

(c) True

(d) False.

Question 6.

Do you agree with Tagore’s contention in his poem, ‘Open Thy Eyes and See Thy God’ ? Why?

(क्या आप इस कविता में टैगोर के विचारों से सहमत हैं ? क्यों ?)

Answer:

I fully agree with Tagore’s contention. True worship does not mean chanting and telling beads. It does not mean going to temples. It means working hard and helping the poor.

मैं टैगोर के विचारों से पूरी तरह सहमत हूं। सच्ची पूजा का अर्थ भजन बोलना और माला फेरना नहीं होता है। इसका अर्थ मन्दिरों को जाना नहीं होता है। इसका अर्थ होता है – कठिन परिश्रम करना और ग़रीबों की मदद करना।

Stanzas For Comprehension

Stanza 1

Leave this chanting and

singing and telling of beads !

Whom dost thou worship in this

lonely dark corner of a temple

with doors all shut ? Open thine

eyes and see thy God is not

before thee !

Questions

1. What does the poet want us to leave? Why?

2. The poet in this stanza asks a question. What is the question?

3. Our eyes are open. Why does the poet say ‘Open thine eyes”?

4. Who are these lines addressed to?

5. What does the poet want the worshipper of God to do?

Answer:

1. The poet wants us to leave chanting and telling beads in temples. He says that God doesn’t live in temples. We can’t find him there by the singing of hymns and telling of beads.

2. The poet asks whom we are worshipping in the lonely dark corner of the temple with doors all shut.

3. Our physical eyes are open but our eyes of the mind are closed. That is why the poet asks us to open our eyes.

4. The poet imagines someone singing hymns and telling beads in a dark corner of a temple. He addresses these lines to such a worshipper of God.

5. He wants the worshipper to open his eyes and see that God whom he is worshipping is not there before him.

Stanza 2

He is there where the tiller is

tilling the hard ground and where

the pathmaker is breaking stones.

He is with them in sun and in

shower, and His garment is covered

with dust. Put off thy holy mantle

and even like Him come

down on the dusty soil !

Questions

1. ‘Thy God is not before thee. Where can we find him?

2. Why are His garments covered with dust?

3. What is the tiller doing?

4. What is the pathmaker doing?

5. How does the poet think we can seek God?

Answers

1. We can find God where the tiller is tilling the hard land and where the pathmaker is breaking stones.

2. His garments are covered with dust because He lives among those who till the hard land and break stones.

3. He is tilling the hard land.

4. He is breaking stones.

5. The poet thinks we can seek God by working among the poor people such as the tillers and pathmakers.

PSEB 9th Class English Main Course Book Solutions Poem 1 Open Thy Eyes and see Thy God

Stanza 3

Deliverance ? Where is this deliverance

to be found ? ‘Our master himself

has joyfully taken upon him the bonds

of creation; He is bound with us all

for ever.

Question

1. What is meant by ‘deliverance’ ?

2. Does the poet think of deliverance to be a desirable thing?

3. Who is our master ?

4. What bonds has our master taken upon himself ?

5. How is He bound with us all for ever?

Answer:

1. ‘Deliverance’ means freedom from a life of toil.

2. The poet doesn’t think of deliverance to be a desirable thing.

3. God is our master.

4. He has taken upon himself the bonds of creation.

5. We all are God’s creation. Thus God is bound with us for ever.

Stanza 4

Come out of thy meditations and

leave aside thy flowers and incense !

What harm is there if thy clothes

become tattered and stained ? Meet

him and stand by him in toil and in the

sweat of thy brow.

Question

1. What does the poet say about our meditations ?

2. What does he want us to leave aside ? Why?

3. How will our clothes become tattered and stained ?

4. Does the poet see any harm if our clothes become tattered and torn ?

5. ‘Meet him ………’ Who does ‘him’ here refer to ?’

Answer:

1. The poet says that we can’t find God through our meditations. So we should give them up.

2. He wants us to leave aside the flowers and the incense. He says this because he feels that we can’t please God by offering any flowers or incense.

3. Our clothes will become tattered and torn if we go to work with tillers and pathmakers.

4. No, he doesn’t see any harm in this.

5. The word ‘him’ here refers to God.

Prepared by Daya Sir 

Government Kenya Senior Secondary School Khanauri Mandi