# XXIX explained — Gitanjali

> Chapter companion for Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore.

## What happens

The poet reflects on how he has imprisoned his true self by building a wall of name and identity, losing sight of his divine essence in the shadow of his own pride.

## Themes in this chapter

### Surrender and Egolessness

The poet's pride in his self-built wall of name and identity obscures his true being, highlighting the need to surrender the ego.

### Freedom and Renunciation

The poet's imprisonment by his own name and the wall he builds suggests a call to renounce the false self for true freedom.

## Character check-ins

### The Poet

The speaker who is busy building a wall of name and identity, losing sight of his true being.

### The Divine

The one enclosed by the poet's name, weeping in the dungeon of the poet's self-constructed identity.

## Key lines

> He whom I enclose with my name is weeping in this dungeon.

The divine presence that I confine within my identity is suffering in this prison I have created.

_The poet recognizes that his attachment to name and selfhood traps the divine within him._

> I take pride in this great wall, and I plaster it with dust and sand lest a least hole should be left in this name; and for all the care I take I lose sight of my true being.

I am proud of the identity I have built, meticulously maintaining it to avoid any flaw, yet in doing so I completely lose awareness of my authentic self.

_The poet's obsessive maintenance of his ego and reputation leads to spiritual blindness._

## Links

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