Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about Work is Worship from Class 7 English_FL.
Before we read the poem, let us understand the main idea. In this poem, the poet speaks admonishingly to an idler and tells him that God does not like idle forms of worship. What really pleases God is hard work. Let us explore this beautiful poem together.
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The poem is written by Rabindranath Tagore. I will now read the complete poem for you. Please listen carefully to every line.
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! He is there where the tiller is tilling the hard ground and where the path-maker 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! 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. Come out of thy meditation 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 sweat of thy brow.
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Now let us understand the meaning of these lines together. The poet begins by telling the worshipper to stop empty rituals like chanting, singing, and counting prayer beads. He asks whom the person is worshipping in a dark, closed temple. The poet urges the person to open their eyes because God is not sitting inside a locked temple. Instead, God is present in the fields where the farmer is working hard on the soil, and on the roads where the laborer is breaking stones. God stays with these workers in both bright sunshine and heavy rain, and his clothes are covered with dust. The poet tells the worshipper to remove the special religious cloth and come down to work on the dusty earth just like the laborers.
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Next, the poet asks about deliverance, or spiritual freedom. He explains that we cannot find it by sitting idle. He says that God himself has happily accepted the duties of creating and sustaining the world. God is forever connected to all of us through work. Therefore, the poet asks the worshipper to stop sitting in meditation and stop offering flowers and incense. He asks what harm it would cause if the worshipper clothes get torn and dirty from working. The final message is clear. You must meet God by joining the workers and sharing in their hard work and sweat.
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Let us now look at the important vocabulary words from the glossary. I will give you the exact meanings as in your textbook. First, admonish means to advise severely. Second, holy mantle means a covering worn for religious worship. Third, deliverance is the state in which you feel you are saved from bad conditions. Fourth, tattered means torn. Fifth, toil means hard work. Please remember these exact definitions for your exams.
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Now we will move on to the reading, speaking, and writing exercises. I will go through each question one by one and guide you to the correct answers.
Question one: In this poem, the poet is addressing you, the reader, the worker, or the worshipper. The correct answer is the worshipper. The poet is directly speaking to a person who is sitting idle in a temple.
Question two: The poet sounds angry, irritated, or impatient. The correct answer is that the poet sounds impatient and severely advising, which matches the textbook description of speaking admonishingly.
Question three: The poet is ordering, admonishing, or advising the worshipper. The correct answer is admonishing, as clearly stated in the introduction.
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Question four: The poet is asking the worshipper five questions, four questions, or three questions. Let us scan the poem carefully for punctuation. The direct questions are: Whom dost thou worship in this lonely dark corner of a temple with doors all shut? Deliverance? Where is this deliverance to be found? What harm is there if thy clothes become tattered and stained? That makes four clear questions. Therefore, the correct option is four questions.
Question five: The poet does not know the answers, thinks the worshipper knows the answers, or wants to make the worshipper think deeply. The correct answer is wants to make the worshipper think deeply.
Question six: The poet gives two examples, three examples, or four examples of what pleases God. The correct answer is two examples. The poet specifically mentions the tiller tilling the hard ground and the path-maker breaking stones. These are the exact examples of hard work that please God.
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Question seven: The poet does not tell the worshipper where to find God. True or Not True. The answer is Not True. The poet clearly tells the worshipper that God is in the fields and on the roads with the workers.
Question eight: The worshipper does not tell the poet what he really wants. True or Not True. The answer is True. The worshipper remains completely silent throughout the poem.
Question nine: The worshipper tells the poet that he does not want to complete the sentence. Since the worshipper never actually speaks in the poem, this question asks you to infer his feelings. A suitable model completion is: he does not want to leave his comfortable, idle rituals and work in the dust. This reflects his implied reluctance to give up easy worship for hard labor.
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Question ten: The Creator is happy when he has no work to do. True or Not True. The answer is Not True. The poem states that our master himself has joyfully taken upon him the bonds of creation. God enjoys working and creating.
Question eleven: Give your own examples of hard work that can please God. You can think of honest service in your community. Model answers include a teacher patiently educating children, a nurse caring for sick patients, a farmer growing food for everyone, and a volunteer cleaning public spaces. All these acts of honest service please God.
Question twelve: Give one or two examples of people who pleased God by their hard work. Here are two model examples you can use. Mahatma Gandhi worked tirelessly for India freedom through non-violent struggle and service. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam worked hard in science and education to uplift the nation. Their dedication and service are true forms of worship.
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Question thirteen: Do the last two lines talk about death? Discuss this point with your partner. The last two lines are: Meet him and stand by him in toil and in sweat of thy brow. These lines do not talk about death at all. They talk about active life and physical labor. The poet is urging the worshipper to live a life of service and honest work, not to seek escape or end his life.
Now we come to the writing section. You are asked to write a short summary of the poem. Here is a complete model summary that you can use for your practice.
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In the poem Work is Worship, Rabindranath Tagore criticizes empty rituals and idle meditation. He addresses a worshipper who sits in a dark, closed temple chanting and counting beads. The poet explains that God is not found in such isolated places. Instead, God is present with the hardworking farmer tilling the soil and the laborer breaking stones under the sun and rain. God himself has willingly accepted the duties of creation and remains forever connected to humanity through work. The poet urges the worshipper to remove his religious garments, step out of his meditation, and join the workers in the dusty fields. He emphasizes that true worship is not about offering flowers or incense, but about sharing in the hard work and sweat of honest labor.
Let us quickly review what we learned today. We studied the complete poem, understood its deep message about finding God through hard work, learned the exact glossary definitions, and answered all thirteen comprehension questions step by step. We also wrote a clear summary. Remember, God values honest effort and service over idle rituals.
Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]