# IV explained — Gitanjali

> Chapter companion for Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore.

## What happens

The poet vows to maintain purity of body, truth in thought, love in heart, and to reveal the divine through actions, acknowledging the divine presence within.

## Themes in this chapter

### Divine Love and Devotion

The poet's vows to keep the body pure, thoughts truthful, heart loving, and actions revealing of the divine are acts of devotion.

### Surrender and Egolessness

The poet surrenders personal will to align with the divine, striving to reveal the divine in actions rather than asserting self.

## Character check-ins

### The Poet

The speaker who pledges to live a life of purity, truth, love, and action in devotion to the divine.

### The Divine

The addressed 'thee' and 'thou' whose touch sanctifies the body, whose truth lights reason, whose seat is in the heart, and whose power enables action.

## Key lines

> Life of my life, I shall ever try to keep my body pure, knowing that thy living touch is upon all my limbs.

O essence of my existence, I will always strive to maintain physical purity, aware that your divine presence touches every part of my body.

_The poet acknowledges the divine's immanence in the physical body._

> I shall ever try to keep all untruths out from my thoughts, knowing that thou art that truth which has kindled the light of reason in my mind.

I will constantly work to exclude falsehood from my thinking, recognizing that you are the truth that ignited the light of reason within me.

_The poet links truthfulness in thought to the divine as the source of reason._

> I shall ever try to drive all evils away from my heart and keep my love in flower, knowing that thou hast thy seat in the inmost shrine of my heart.

I will always endeavor to remove all wickedness from my heart and nurture love to bloom, because you dwell in the deepest sanctuary of my heart.

_The poet sees the heart as a sacred space where the divine resides._

> And it shall be my endeavour to reveal thee in my actions, knowing it is thy power gives me strength to act.

My effort will be to manifest you through my deeds, understanding that your power is what grants me the strength to act.

_The poet commits to expressing the divine through action, relying on divine strength._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/gitanjali_se/chapters/iv
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/gitanjali_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/gitanjali_se/chapters