Dec

21

tagore.jpegThose who in the name of Faith embrace illusion,
Kill and are killed.
Even the atheist gets God’s blessings –
Does not boast of his religion;
With reverence he lights the lamp of Reason
And pays his homage not to scriptures,
But to the good in man.

The bigot insults his own religion
When he slays a man of another faith.
Conduct he judges not in the light of Reason;
In the temple he raises the blood-stained banner
And worships the devil in the name of God.

All that is shameful and barbarous through the Ages,
Has found a shelter in their temples –
Those they turn into prisons;
O, I hear the trumpet call of Destruction!
Time comes with her great broom
Sweeping all refuse away.

That which should make man free,
They turn into fetters;
That which should unite,
They turn into a sword;
That which should bring love
From the fountain of the Eternal,
They turn into prison
And with its waves they flood the world.
They try to cross the river
In a bark riddled with holes;
And yet, in their anguish, whom do they blame?

O Lord, breaking false religion,
Save the blind!
Break! O break
The altar that is drowned in blood.
Let your thunder strike
Into the prison of false religion,
And bring to this unhappy land
The light of Knowledge.


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2 Comments so far

  1. Munish on December 22, 2007 12:43 pm

    The police claim that K Letchumanan, 30, hanged himself. But his family and a watchdog don’t buy the story.

    Another custodial death, questions abound

    How many more deaths in custody will it take before the authorities set up a credible and effective mechanism to look into claims of - and punish - misconduct by police personnel?

    We still don’t know until when police will do this kind of story,and why the goverment take an serious action to prevent this kind of case happen again, how can a guy hang up him self while he was in custody,

    Munish

  2. Antares on July 29, 2008 8:52 pm

    Have always respected Rabindranath Tagore. When every Bangladeshi petrol pump attendant I bump into lights up at the mention of the great poet’s name, you know at once whose words and deeds leave a lasting impression on the soul of humanity. Thanks for posting this excellent piece. I’m tempted to spread it virally! :-)

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