Deeno Daan by Rabindranath Tagore

 Deeno (Poor or needy) Daan (charity, to give or donate) by Rabindranath Tagore

 

Said the royal attendant, (courtier) “Despite entreaties, (request) king,

The finest hermit, (saint) best among men, refuses shelter

In your temple of gold, he is singing to god

Beneath a tree by the road. The devout (religious) surround him

In numbers large, their overflowing tears of joy

Rinse (clean) the dust off the earth. The temple, though,

Is all but deserted; just as bees abandon (beehive)

The gilded (rich) honeypot when maddened by the fragrance

Of the flower to swiftly spread their wings

And fly to the petals unfurling (open) in the bush (wild)

To quench (put out) their eager thirst (desire), so too are people,

 

This stanza contrasts the grandeur of the king's temple and the humble, spiritually charged scene around the revered hermit. Despite the king's efforts to provide shelter in a lavish temple, people are drawn to the hermit's simplicity and spiritual aura, much like bees captivated by the allure of fragrant flowers.

 

                              Sparing not a glance (glimpse) for the palace of gold,

Thronging (round) to where a flower in a devout heart

Spreads heaven’s incense (aroma). On the bejewelled (adorn with jewels) platform

The god sits alone in the empty temple.”

These lines illustrate how people are more interested in the inner beauty of a devout heart and the genuine spirituality it embodies, rather than being attracted to external wealth and extravagance. The description of the empty temple with a god figure sitting alone underscores the idea that true spiritual connection is not about the outward show but the depth of one's heart and devotion.

 At this,

The fretful (upset) king dismounted (get down) from his throne to go

Where the hermit sat beneath the tree. Bowing, (Curtsy) he said,

“My lord, why have you forsaken (isolated) god’s mighty (big) abode, (home/place)

The royal construction of gold that pierces (to reach) the sky,

To sing paeans (Praise) to the divine here on the streets?’

“There is no god in that temple,” said the hermit.

 

This stanza underscores a clash between external displays of opulence and the hermit's inward spiritual focus. The king, attached to the grandeur of the temple, questions the hermit's actions, while the hermit emphasizes the idea that true spiritual connection transcends physical structures and is not confined to places of material extravagance.

 

Furious,

The king said, “No god! You speak like a godless man,

Hermit. A bejewelled idol on a bejewelled throne,

You say it’s empty?”

 

“Not empty, it holds royal arrogance,

You have consecrated yourself, not the god of the world.”

 

The above lines suggest the contrasting perspectives of the king and the hermit regarding the temple's significance. The king is angered by the hermit's statement, defending the grandeur (luxuriousness) of the temple, while the hermit sees beyond the external splendor and critiques the motivations behind its construction. The hermit's response emphasizes the importance of true humility and devotion in matters of spirituality, suggesting that the king's actions may be driven by arrogance rather than a genuine connection with the divine.

 

Frowning, (make a face) said the king, “You say the temple I made

With twenty lakh gold coins, reaching to the sky,

                                    That I dedicated to the deity after due rituals,

This impeccable (faultless) edifice (structure) – it has no room for god!”

 

Here the king's response reflects his attachment to the material aspect of the temple, as well as his sense of pride and accomplishment in creating such a magnificent structure. He is unable to reconcile the idea that a temple he considers perfect and dedicated to a deity could be perceived differently by someone like the hermit. This exchange further highlights the contrast between external opulence and the hermit's emphasis on inner devotion and humility as the essence of spirituality.

Said the tranquil (calm) hermit, “The year when the fires

Raged (angry/ furious) and rendered (help) twenty thousand subjects

Homeless, destitute (poor); when they came to your door

With futile (vain) pleas (appal) for help, and sheltered in the woods,

In caves, in the shade of trees, in dilapidated (run down) temples,

When you constructed your gold-encrusted (coated) building

With twenty lakh gold coins for a deity, god said,

‘My eternal home is lit (light/fire) with countless lamps

In the blue, infinite sky; its everlasting (immortal) foundations

Are truth, peace, compassion, love. This feeble (weak) miser (saver)

Who could not give homes to his homeless subjects

                                    Expects to give me one!’ At that moment god left

To join the poor in their shelter beneath the trees.

As hollow (empty) as the froth and foam (a mass of small bubbles) in the deep wide ocean

Is your temple, just as bereft (Cut off from) beneath the universe,

A bubble (can easily broke) of gold and pride.”

 

In that, the hermit's response serves as a critique of the king's priorities and actions. It emphasizes the spiritual essence of God's presence and the hollowness of material displays of devotion. The story illustrates the hermit's belief that true spiritual connection is found in humility, compassion, and selflessness, rather than in extravagant buildings.

 

Flaring (flame) up in rage (ill temper)

The king said, “You false deceiver, (cheater) leave my kingdom

This instant.”

 

The king’s response here highlights his emotional reaction to the saint’s criticism of his actions and values. The king’s anger suggests his attachment and his inability to tolerate the saint’s viewpoints.

                                

                                   Serenely (peaceful) the hermit said to him,

“You have exiled (throw out) the one who loves the devout.

Now send the devout into the same exile, king.”

 

At last, the hermit's response highlights his consistent commitment to spiritual principles and his refusal to be perturbed by the king's anger or actions. He calmly communicates his viewpoint and encourages the king to reconsider his approach to matters of devotion and spirituality.

 

 

                                             Themes

 

1)              Religion vs Spirituality

2)           Humanism / Religion of Man

3)           Poverty and Wealth

4)           Power and Devotion

5)           Inner Beauty vs. Pretend

6)           Arrogance vs Civility