Gitanjali · Chapter
XXXVI explained
The poet prays to the divine for inner strength to overcome poverty of spirit, bear joys and sorrows lightly, serve with love, remain humble before the poor and defiant against arrogance, rise above trivial concerns, and surrender his own s
What happens
The poet prays to the divine for inner strength to overcome poverty of spirit, bear joys and sorrows lightly, serve with love, remain humble before the poor and defiant against arrogance, rise above trivial concerns, and surrender his own strength to the divine will.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional peak occurs when the speaker surrenders to "glad humiliation" and "dim delight," abandoning the…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Surrender and Egolessness
The poet explicitly asks for strength to surrender his own strength to the divine will with love.
- Poverty and Humility
The prayer begins with a plea to strike at the root of penury in the heart and includes a resolve never to disown the poor.
Characters to notice
- The Poet
The speaker who offers the prayer.
- The Divine
The recipient of the prayer, addressed as 'thee' and 'thy will'.
Key passages
“This is my prayer to thee, my lord—strike, strike at the root of penury in my heart.”
I beg you, my lord, to eradicate the deep-seated poverty within me.
The poet asks for inner purification from spiritual or material poverty.
“Give me the strength to surrender my strength to thy will with love.”
Grant me the power to lovingly yield my own power to your divine plan.
The ultimate request is for egoless submission to the divine.
