UP Board Solutions Class 12 English Chapter 8 My Heaven

About the Poet

Rabindranath Tagore is one of the most famous poets of India. He was born in Kolkata on May 6, 1861. He was educated mostly at home. He won Noble Prize in 1931. He had a great insight in the understanding of human life. He died in 1941.

 

About the Poem

In this poem Rabindranath Tagore expresses his love for India. So he describes what type of country he wants and prays to God likewise. This poem is an extract from his famous work Gitanjali a collection of short poems.

 

Central Idea [2009, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18]

In this poem the poet imagines a country where the people’s minds should be free from fear and narrow mindedness. They should have no distinction of caste, race or language. They should not be conservative. They should share knowledge freely and

use their reason in thinking and doing. They should follow the path of Truth under the guidance of God. Then his country will be heaven on earth.

(इस कविता में कवि रवीन्द्रनाथ टैगोर एक ऐसे देश की कल्पना करते हैं जहाँ लोगों का मस्तिष्क भय और संकीर्ण दृष्टिकोण से मुक्त हो। उनमें जाति, धर्म या भाषा का कोई भेदभाव न हो। वे रूढ़िवादी न हों। वे ज्ञान को स्वतन्त्रतापूर्वक बाँटें और विचारों तथा कार्यों में अपनी तर्क-शक्ति का प्रयोग करें। वे भगवान् के मार्गदर्शन में सत्य के मार्ग का अनुसरण करें। तब यह देश इस पृथ्वी पर स्वर्ग बन जाएगा।)

Explanations (With Meanings & Hindi Translation)

 

Question 1. Explain the following lines with reference to context:
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth; [2016]
Answer:
Word-meanings:
• fragments = टुकड़े pieces
• narrow domestic walls = जाति, धर्म, भाषा आदि के आधार पर आन्तरिक विभाजन internal divisions due to caste, creed, language, etc.

(यहाँ टैगोर बताते हैं कि स्वतन्त्रता वहाँ है जहाँ लोगों के मस्तिष्क में कोई भय न हो और जहाँ सम्मान से सिर ऊँचा रहता हो। जहाँ ज्ञान प्राप्त करने के लिए प्रत्येक व्यक्ति स्वतन्त्र हो। जहाँ संसार धर्म, जाति तथा भाषा के आधार पर छोटे-छोटे टुकड़ों में विभाजित न हो और जहाँ विचार हृदय की गहराई से प्रकट होते हों अर्थात् जहाँ किसी को धोखा न दिया जाता हो।)

Reference: These lines have been taken from the poem My Heaven composed by R.N. Tagore.

Context: It is an extract from the famous work of Tagore ‘Gitanjali’. In this poem the poet expresses his lofty concept of freedom. He does not want political freedom. But he wants freedom in every field of life, social or spiritual.

Explanation: In this stanza the poet advises his countrymen to know the meaning of true happiness and to enjoy it. They should live in an atmosphere free from fear where they feel themselves proud and dignified. They should have self-respect. Everybody should be free in getting knowledge and in using his reasoning power. Society should not be divided into small sections on the narrow basis of religion, caste and language. They should be true to everyone. This vision of a free nation encourages people to live with dignity and truthfulness.

(इस पद्यांश में कवि देशवासियों को शिक्षा देता है कि वे सच्ची प्रसन्नता का अर्थ जानें और उसका आनन्द लें। उन्हें भय मुक्त वातावरण में रहना चाहिए जहाँ वे स्वयं को गौरवान्वित अनुभव कर सकें। उनमें आत्म-सम्मान भी होना चाहिए। प्रत्येक व्यक्ति को ज्ञान प्राप्त करने और अपनी तर्क-शक्ति को प्रयोग करने की स्वतन्त्रता होनी चाहिए। समाज धर्म, जाति और भाषा के आधार पर छोटे-छोटे वर्गों में विभाजित न हों, वे सभी के लिए सच्चे हों।)
In simple words: The poet wants his country to be a place where people live without fear, have free access to knowledge, and are not divided by social barriers like caste or religion. Everyone should speak the truth from their heart.

🎯 Exam Tip: Always write the names of the poem and the poet clearly in the Reference section, as this carries specific marks in explanation questions.

 

Question 2. Explain the following lines:
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection; Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit; Where the mind is led...
Answer: [This stanza is continued in the next section.]
In simple words: The poet describes a place where people continuously work hard to achieve perfection and do not lose their logical thinking to old, useless habits.

🎯 Exam Tip: Use keywords like 'tireless striving' and 'clear stream of reason' to explain how continuous effort and logical thinking lead to progress.

 

Question. Explain the following lines with reference to the context:
"forward by Thee into ever-widening thought and action – Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake." [2010, 12, 15, 18]

Word-meanings: tireless = लगातार constant; striving = संघर्ष struggle; stretches = फैलाता है spreads; reason = तर्क-शक्ति thinking power; dreary = उदासीन, नीरस dull; dead habit = पुराने रीति-रिवाज old customs which are useless now; ever-widening = सदा विकास करने वाला ever progressing; my Father = भगवान् God.

Answer:
Reference: These lines have been taken from the poem My Heaven composed by R.N. Tagore.

Context: This poem is an extract from the famous work of Tagore named Gitanjali. In this poem the poet expresses his lofty concept of freedom. He does not want political freedom. But he wants freedom in every walk of life, social or spiritual.

Explanation: In this concluding stanza the poet prays to God that He should give his countrymen some virtues so that they may feel that they are living in heaven. He wants that his countrymen should struggle hard to progress in their life till they reach perfection. They should use their mind and reason in thinking and doing any work. Their outlook in every field should be very wide. Such an atmosphere of freedom will be worth living and his countrymen would think themselves living in heaven. This vision of an idealized nation remains highly relevant in modern times.

(इस पद्यांश में कवि भगवान् से प्रार्थना करता है कि वह एक विशेष प्रकार का वातावरण देश को प्रदान करे। उसके देशवासी उन्नति तथा विकास के लिए निरन्तर प्रयास एवं संघर्ष करते रहें जब तक कि वे पूर्णता को प्राप्त न कर लें। लोग उन पुरानी परम्पराओं एवं रीति-रिवाजों को न मानें जिनका अब कोई महत्त्व ही नहीं है, बल्कि वे अपनी तर्क-शक्ति का प्रयोग करें। वे विशाल दृष्टिकोण से सोचने एवं उसी के अनुरूप कार्य करने में अपनी बुद्धि का उपयोग करें। इस प्रकार का वातावरण वास्तव में स्वतन्त्रता का वातावरण होगा और लोग अपने देश को स्वर्ग जैसा समझेंगे। अतः कवि भगवान् से प्रार्थना करता है कि वह उसके देशवासियों को जाग्रत करे और उनमें यह सभी सद्गुण भरे।)

(इस अन्तिम पद्यांश में कवि भगवान् से प्रार्थना करता है कि वह उसके देशवासियों को कुछ ऐसे गुण प्रदान करे जिससे वे यह अनुभव करें मानो वे स्वर्ग में रह रहे हैं। वह चाहता है कि उसके देशवासी अपने जीवन में उन्नति करने के लिए उसे समय तक संघर्ष करें जब तक कि वे पूर्णता को प्राप्त न कर लें। वे अपना मस्तिष्क और तर्क-शक्ति सोचने तथा कार्य करने में प्रयोग करें। प्रत्येक क्षेत्र में उनका दृष्टिकोण व्यापक होना चाहिए। स्वतन्त्रता का ऐसा वातावरण रहने योग्य होगा और उसके देशवासी ऐसा अनुभव करेंगे मानो वे स्वर्ग में रह रहे हैं।)
In simple words: The poet prays to God to guide his countrymen toward open-mindedness and continuous progress. He wants his country to wake up to a beautiful state of true freedom where everyone thinks and acts rationally.

🎯 Exam Tip: To score full marks, clearly separate the Reference, Context, and Explanation into distinct paragraphs, and ensure you mention the correct poem title and poet's name.