WORK IS WORSHIP
“Work Is Worship” is a proverb which is mostly attributed to Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) who wanted to instill the importance of hard
work in the people of India for getting great results.
Many other spiritual leaders like Swami Vivekananda
(1863-1902) believed that God wants man’s creative work not mere rituals as his duty towards Him.
The Urdu poet Dr. Sir Mohammad Iqbal (1877-1938) thinks action, not contemplation, is the real approach
to life.
Given below is an extract from a song by the Indian poet-philosopher
Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) . Its
theme is the same as ‘ Work is Worship.’
It is taken from his anthology Gitanjali
for which he was awarded Nobel Prize for
literature in 1913.
“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!
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G.R.Kanwal
5th April 2024
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