Gitanjali · Chapter
XCVI explained
The poet prepares for his departure from the world, declaring that what he has seen is unsurpassable.
What happens
The poet prepares for his departure from the world, declaring that what he has seen is unsurpassable. He speaks of tasting the hidden honey of the lotus on the ocean of light, playing in the playhouse of infinite forms, and catching sight of the formless one. His body thrills with the touch of the untouchable divine, and he accepts whatever end may come.
Themes in this chapter
Death and Immortality
The poet accepts the end of life, yet celebrates the eternal and unsurpassable experience of the divine.
Divine Love and Devotion
The poet's intimate connection with the divine is expressed through touch, sight, and the thrill of divine presence.
Characters to notice
- The Poet
The speaker who reflects on his life and prepares his parting words.
- The Divine
The formless one whose touch the poet has felt and whose sight he has caught.
Key passages
“When I go from hence let this be my parting word, that what I have seen is unsurpassable.”
When I leave this world, let my final message be that the vision I have witnessed is beyond compare.
The poet declares the supreme value of his spiritual experience.
“I have tasted of the hidden honey of this lotus that expands on the ocean of light, and thus am I blessed—let this be my parting word.”
I have savored the secret sweetness of the lotus blooming on the sea of light, and so I am blessed—let this be my farewell.
The poet uses metaphor to describe his mystical experience of divine bliss.
“In this playhouse of infinite forms I have had my play and here have I caught sight of him that is formless.”
In this theater of endless shapes I have played, and here I have glimpsed the one without form.
The poet contrasts the world of forms with the formless divine reality.
“My whole body and my limbs have thrilled with his touch who is beyond touch; and if the end comes here, let it come—let this be my parting word.”
My entire being has trembled with the touch of the one who is intangible; and if death arrives now, let it come—let this be my farewell.
The poet accepts mortality, having been fully transformed by divine contact.