Tagore tells a beautiful story
about the King of kings going out to meet his humble subjects
in Gitanjali. The king
spots a beggar and stuns him by
asking for alms; “ I had gone a-begging from door to door in
the village path, when thy golden chariot appeared in the distance like a
gorgeous dream and I wondered who was this King of all kings/ My hopes rose
high and methought my evil days were at an end, and I stood waiting for alms to
be given unasked and for wealth scattered on all sides in the dust/ The chariot
stopped where I stood. Thy glance fell on me and thou camest down with a smile.
I felt that the luck of my life had come at last. Then of a sudden thou didst
hold out thy right hand and say: ‘What hast thou to give to me?/ Ah, what a
kingly jest was it to open thy palm to a beggar and beg! I was confused and
stood undecided, and then from my wallet I slowly took out the least little grain
of corn and gave it to thee/ But how great was my surprise when at the day’s
end I emptied my bag on the floor to find a least little grain of gold among
the poor heap! I bitterly wept and wished that I had the heart to give thee my
all-----”( v. 50) All of us want be at the
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shared courtesy: thequiltsofindia.wordpress.com
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