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He it is, the innermost one, who awakens my being with his deep hidden touches.
He it is who puts his enchantment upon these eyes and joyfully plays on the chords of my heart in varied cadence of pleasure and pain.
He it is who weaves the web of this maya in evanescent hues of gold and silver, blue and green, and lets peep out through the folds his feet, at whose touch I forget myself.
Days come and ages pass, and it is ever he who moves my heart in many a name, in many a guise, in many a rapture of joy and of sorrow.
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| Gitanjali Poem no. 72 |
Summary
The poet explains the mystic experience. Realization of God in the man itself is being celebrated here by Tagore. God is acknowledged as the impelling force within man. Man searches him and He is here within his inner self who awakens the poet's soul with His mysterious yet pleasing touches. He creates enchantment in the eyes and plays on the sentiments of people. It is only He who weaves the texture of this illusion in short-lived colours of gold and silver, blue and green. He is one, man is His shadow. His own part is severed by Him yet man forgets the truth. This is all due to His created maya that man searches Him, looks at Him, worships Him in different forms and ways. Whatever man does or enjoys is done or enjoyed under divine inspiration, and whatever he suffers is also suffered because of this will. It is He who moves man to raptures of joy and sorrow.
Critical Analysis
In Gita, Krishna speaks of maya. "The Lord dwellers in the hearts of beings, O Arjuna, by His illusive power causing all beings to revolve as the pot mounted on the potter's wheel."( XVIII.61).
He is there in our heart and controls every movement of man. This mystic experience is felt by Rishi's. They accept that Lord in the form of a thumb sized person resides in the middle of the body, as Lord of the past and future. His maya makes a man forgetful of all the truth and he searches Him, in different names and disguises.
"He it is who weaves the web of this maya in evanescent hues of gold and silver, blue and green, and lets peep out through the folds his feet, at whose touch I forget myself."
Tagore has revealed the truth of oneness of man and God. Now he realizes God and this realization comes only through Divine inspiration. God created man from His own self and thus created maya to make him forget his own identity and hence man is lost in life and those who sometimes peep out from this web of maya are lost in the quest for the Almighty unaware of His heavenly presence within them. Such is the colourful web of God who makes man lost in illusions. The quest for God make them lost His devotees in His worship in manifold ways with different names and forms and they are lost in idol worship or chantings.
Annotations
Chords: strings. Cadence: musical notes. Evanescent: short lived. Disguise: form, shape Rapture: ecstasy, joy.