# Leave This Chanting & Singing - Grade 10 English Notes
## Unit 4: Work & Leisure - Complete Chapter with All Exercises - NEB Curriculum

## 🎯 Chapter Overview
What if the path to spiritual enlightenment isn't found in temples, rituals, or elaborate ceremonies, but in the honest sweat of daily work? "Leave This Chanting & Singing" by **Rabindranath Tagore** presents a revolutionary perspective on spirituality that challenges traditional religious practices and calls for authentic connection with the divine through meaningful action.

This profound poem from Tagore's Nobel Prize-winning collection **"Gitanjali" (1913)** critiques empty ritualism and advocates for finding God not in **isolated worship** but in the **dust and toil** of everyday life. Through vivid imagery of tillers, path-makers, and laborers, Tagore presents a vision of **active spirituality** that transforms both work and worship.

The poem serves as both **spiritual guidance** and **social commentary**, challenging readers to examine their own relationship with faith, work, and authentic living in a world often divided between sacred and secular activities.

**Skills Focus:** Poetic analysis, spiritual vocabulary, imperative sentences, reflective writing  
**Time Required:** 8-10 periods

## 📚 Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter, you will be able to:
- Analyze Tagore's critique of ritualistic worship and advocacy for authentic spirituality
- Understand advanced vocabulary related to religion, work, and spiritual concepts
- Identify and analyze literary devices including metaphor, symbolism, and imagery
- Master imperative sentences and their various functions in communication
- Write reflective essays on spiritual and philosophical themes
- Discuss the relationship between work, leisure, and spiritual fulfillment
- Compare traditional and progressive approaches to religious practice
- Express personal views on spirituality and meaningful living

## 📖 Poem Analysis: A Revolutionary Spiritual Vision

### The Call to Abandon Empty Rituals
The poem opens with a **direct imperative**: **"Leave this chanting and singing and telling of beads!"** This powerful command immediately establishes Tagore's central argument against **mechanical religious practices** performed without genuine **spiritual engagement**.

The speaker challenges the listener who worships in a **"lonely dark corner of a temple with doors all shut,"** suggesting that **isolation** and **ritualistic confinement** prevent true **divine connection**. This imagery contrasts **closed, artificial spaces** with the **open, natural world** where authentic spirituality flourishes.

### Divine Presence in Daily Labor
Tagore's revolutionary insight emerges in his declaration that **God is not before thee** in the temple, but **"where the tiller is tilling the hard ground and where the path-maker is breaking stones."** This **radical repositioning** of the divine locates **sacred presence** in:

#### The Tiller's Domain:
- **Hard physical labor** of soil preparation
- **Productive work** that feeds communities
- **Connection with earth** and natural cycles
- **Sweat and dedication** of agricultural life

#### The Path-maker's Realm:
- **Stone-breaking labor** that creates infrastructure
- **Service to community** through road construction  
- **Practical contribution** to social progress
- **Physical sacrifice** for collective benefit

### The Divine Worker
In a stunning **anthropomorphic image**, Tagore describes God's **"garment covered with dust"** - a **metaphorical representation** showing the divine **participating directly** in human labor rather than remaining **pristine and distant** in temples. This **dusty divinity** suggests that **authentic spirituality** involves **getting dirty** through **meaningful work**.

### The Call to Shed Holy Pretense
The command **"Put off thy holy mantle and even like him come down on the dusty soil!"** represents Tagore's most **direct challenge** to **religious hierarchy** and **spiritual pretension**. The **"holy mantle"** symbolizes:
- **External religious garments** that create artificial separation
- **Spiritual pride** that elevates practitioners above common people  
- **Ritualistic barriers** preventing authentic human connection
- **False holiness** that avoids real-world engagement

### Authentic Spiritual Practice
The final stanza presents Tagore's **alternative spiritual program**:
- **"Leave aside thy meditations"** - abandon self-centered contemplation
- **"Scatter thy flowers"** - release ceremonial offerings  
- **"Put away thy incense"** - abandon artificial atmosphere creation
- **"Meet him and stand by him in toil and in sweat of thy brow"** - engage in authentic spiritual communion through work

## 📝 Advanced Vocabulary Development

### Religious and Spiritual Terminology
| Word | Pronunciation | Definition | Contextual Usage |
|------|---------------|------------|------------------|
| **Chanting** | /ˈtʃæntɪŋ/ | Repetitive singing or speaking of religious words | Mechanical religious recitation |
| **Beads** | /biːdz/ | Small spheres used for counting prayers | Prayer beads in meditation |
| **Tiller** | /ˈtɪlər/ | Person who prepares land for planting | Agricultural worker, farmer |
| **Path-maker** | /pæθ ˈmeɪkər/ | Person who creates or clears roads | Infrastructure worker |
| **Garment** | /ˈɡɑːrmənt/ | Piece of clothing | Divine clothing metaphor |
| **Mantle** | /ˈmæntəl/ | Loose cloak or covering | Symbol of religious authority |
| **Meditations** | /ˌmedɪˈteɪʃənz/ | Deep spiritual contemplation | Self-focused religious practice |
| **Incense** | /ˈɪnsens/ | Aromatic substance burned in worship | Ceremonial offering |
| **Deliverance** | /dɪˈlɪvərəns/ | Rescue from danger or evil | Spiritual salvation |
| **Toil** | /tɔɪl/ | Hard, exhausting work | Physical labor |

### Archaic Language Forms
| Archaic Form | Modern Equivalent | Usage Context |
|--------------|-------------------|---------------|
| **Dost** | Do | "Whom dost thou worship" |
| **Thou** | You | "Open thine eyes" |
| **Thine** | Your/Yours | "Thine eyes" |
| **Thy** | Your | "Thy God" |

### Work and Labor Vocabulary
- **Tattered**: Torn, worn-out from hard use
- **Stained**: Marked or discolored from work
- **Sweat**: Physical moisture from exertion
- **Dusty soil**: Earth made powdery by labor
- **Hard ground**: Difficult terrain requiring effort
- **Breaking stones**: Physically demanding construction work

## 📋 Exercise Solutions (Enhanced and Rewritten)

### A. Vocabulary Identification from Poem

| Definition | Word from Poem | Enhanced Explanation |
|------------|----------------|---------------------|
| Small glass/stone pieces for necklaces | **beads** | Prayer beads used in **meditative counting** rituals |
| To prepare land for crops | **till** | **Agricultural cultivation** involving soil preparation |
| Piece of clothing | **garment** | **Metaphorical clothing** representing God's earthly presence |
| Surface covering layer | **mantle** | **Symbolic cloak** representing **religious authority** or **holy status** |
| Rescue from danger/evil/pain | **deliverance** | **Spiritual salvation** or **liberation from suffering** |
| Pleasant-smelling burning substance | **incense** | **Ceremonial aromatic offering** used in religious worship |
| Covered with marks | **stained** | **Marked by honest work**, contrasted with **pristine religious garments** |
| Hard, tiring, unpleasant work | **toil** | **Physical labor** that **connects humans with divine purpose** |

### B. Modern Equivalents of Archaic Language

| Archaic Word | Modern Form | Grammatical Function |
|--------------|-------------|---------------------|
| **dost** | **do** | Second person singular verb |
| **thou** | **you** | Second person singular pronoun |
| **thine** | **yours** | Second person possessive |
| **thy** | **your** | Second person possessive adjective |

### C. Comprehensive Reading Comprehension (Rewritten Responses)

**a. Who is the poem addressed to?**
**Answer:** The poem is addressed to **religious practitioners** who engage in **traditional worship activities** such as **chanting, singing, and ritual bead-counting** within **closed temple spaces**. More broadly, it speaks to anyone who practices **superficial spirituality** without **authentic engagement** with **divine presence** in **everyday life**.

**b. What does the speaker advise people to do?**
**Answer:** The speaker advises people to **abandon conventional religious practices** including **ritualistic chanting**, **ceremonial singing**, and **mechanical prayer counting**. Instead, they should **recognize divine presence** in the **honest labor** of **farmers**, **construction workers**, and other **productive contributors** to society. The advice emphasizes **active spiritual engagement** over **passive ritual observation**.

**c. Where do people typically try to find God?**
**Answer:** People conventionally seek God in **isolated religious spaces** - specifically **"lonely dark corners of temples with doors all shut."** These **enclosed, separated environments** represent **traditional worship venues** that **physically and spiritually separate** practitioners from the **wider world** and **authentic divine presence**.

**d. Where, according to the speaker, does God actually reside?**
**Answer:** According to Tagore's speaker, God **actually dwells** among **working people** engaged in **meaningful labor**: **"where the tiller is tilling the hard ground"** and **"where the path-maker is breaking stones."** The divine presence is **active and engaged** in **productive work** that **serves community needs** and **transforms the physical world**.

**e. How can people glimpse God?**
**Answer:** People can **experience divine presence** by **"opening their eyes"** to recognize God in **everyday productive activities**. This requires **abandoning preconceived notions** about **sacred spaces** and **recognizing spiritual significance** in **honest work**, **community service**, and **physical engagement** with the world's **practical challenges**.

**f. Why can't God rescue people from their troubles?**
**Answer:** The speaker suggests that God **cannot provide rescue** because the **divine has voluntarily accepted** the **"bonds of creation"** - meaning God is **deeply embedded** in **human struggles** and **worldly challenges** rather than **remaining distant** and **uninvolved**. **Divine presence participates** in human **toil and suffering** rather than **remaining aloof** from it.

**g. What does the speaker ask people to do in the final stanza?**
**Answer:** In the concluding stanza, the speaker makes **several interconnected demands**:
- **"Leave aside thy meditations"** - abandon **self-focused contemplation**
- **"Scatter thy flowers"** - release **ceremonial offerings**
- **"Put away thy incense"** - abandon **artificial ritual atmosphere**
- **Meet God in "toil and sweat"** - engage in **authentic spiritual practice** through **meaningful work**
- Don't fear **getting "stained"** or **"tattered"** through **honest labor**

## 🎯 Grammar Focus: Imperative Sentences and Their Functions

### A. Imperative Sentence Function Analysis

**Imperatives** are commands, requests, instructions, or suggestions that directly address the listener. They can serve multiple communicative purposes:

| Imperative Example | Function | Explanation |
|-------------------|----------|-------------|
| "Kindly tell me where the bus park is." | **Making a request** | **Polite inquiry** using courteous language |
| "Go straight and take the first turn right." | **Giving directions** | **Navigational guidance** with specific instructions |
| "Cook rice in medium heat until tender." | **Giving instructions** | **Step-by-step procedural guidance** |
| "Please join us on the tour." | **Making an invitation** | **Courteous social invitation** |
| "Don't feed the animals in the zoo!" | **Warning** | **Safety alert** preventing dangerous behavior |
| "Wear warm clothes." | **Giving advice** | **Helpful suggestion** for wellbeing |
| "Put your hands up!" | **Making a command** | **Forceful, immediate directive** |
| "Get out of here at once." | **Making an order** | **Authoritative demand** for compliance |
| "Let's go for a walk." | **Suggesting** | **Collaborative proposal** for activity |

### B. Negative Imperative Transformations

**Converting positive imperatives to negative forms:**

| Positive Imperative | Negative Imperative | Transformation Rule |
|-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
| "Turn left at the junction." | **"Don't turn left at the junction."** | Add "Don't" before verb |
| "Please open the door." | **"Please don't open the door."** | Insert "don't" after "please" |
| "Let him tell a story." | **"Don't let him tell a story."** | Add "Don't" at beginning |
| "Put out the light." | **"Don't put out the light."** | Standard negative formation |
| "Let's play football match." | **"Let's not play football match."** | Insert "not" after "Let's" |
| "Please help the man." | **"Please don't help the man."** | "Don't" after "please" |
| "Instruct people about work." | **"Don't instruct people about work."** | Standard negative imperative |

### Imperative Grammar Rules:
1. **Positive imperatives** begin with base form verb
2. **Negative imperatives** use "Don't" + base verb
3. **Polite requests** include "Please"
4. **Suggestions** use "Let's" (positive) or "Let's not" (negative)
5. **Tone varies** from polite requests to forceful commands

## ✍️ Writing Practice: Rules and Regulations

### A. Comprehensive Library Rules and Regulations

**Shree Saraswati Community Library - Visitor Guidelines**

**Access and Behavior Requirements:**
- Visitors **are required to** present valid library cards or identification upon entry
- All patrons **must** maintain quiet atmosphere conducive to study and research
- **Loud conversations, mobile phone calls, and disruptive behavior** are **strictly prohibited**
- Food and beverages **are not allowed** inside reading areas and computer labs

**Material Handling Policies:**
- Library materials **must be handled** with utmost care to prevent damage
- Borrowed books **are required to be** returned on or before specified due dates
- **Late fees** will be **imposed** for overdue materials according to established rates
- Visitors **must immediately report** any damage to library staff

**Technology and Equipment Guidelines:**
- Personal laptops and tablets **are allowed** in designated technology zones
- **Public computers cannot be** used for non-academic entertainment purposes
- **Printing services are available** with appropriate fees and usage limits
- **WiFi access is provided** for registered library users only

**Prohibited Activities:**
- **Smoking and tobacco use** are **strictly forbidden** throughout library premises  
- **Sleeping, eating, or inappropriate behavior** is **not permitted**
- **Vandalism, theft, or misuse of library property** will result in **immediate expulsion**
- **Commercial activities or solicitation** are **prohibited** without administrative approval

### B. Hospital Visitor Regulations

**City General Hospital - Patient Care and Visitor Guidelines**

**Visiting Hours and Access:**
- General visiting hours **are** 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM daily
- Visitors **are limited to** two persons per patient during specified hours
- **Emergency department visitors must** coordinate with nursing staff for access
- **Children under 12** are **not permitted** in intensive care units without special authorization

**Health and Safety Requirements:**
- All visitors **must** sanitize hands upon entry and follow hygiene protocols  
- **Face masks are required** in all patient care areas and common spaces
- Visitors showing **symptoms of illness are prohibited** from entering hospital premises
- **Personal protective equipment must be worn** in isolation and infectious disease units

**Behavioral Expectations:**
- **Loud conversations, music, or disruptive activities** are **strictly prohibited**
- **Photography and video recording** require **explicit patient consent** and administrative approval
- **Smoking, alcohol consumption, and drug use** are **absolutely forbidden** on hospital property
- **Interference with medical procedures** or **patient care** will result in **immediate removal**

**Restricted Items and Areas:**
- **Weapons, sharp objects, and hazardous materials** are **completely prohibited**
- **Outside food and beverages must be approved** by medical staff before distribution
- **Certain medical equipment areas are restricted** to authorized personnel only
- **Gift flowers and plants may be restricted** in specific units due to infection control

## 📚 Extended Learning: Related Examination Questions

### Literal Comprehension Questions

**a. Where is the speaker urging the listener to leave?**
**Answer:** The speaker urges the listener to **leave the temple** - specifically the **"lonely dark corner of a temple with doors all shut"** where they engage in **isolated, ritualistic worship** separated from **authentic spiritual engagement** with the world.

**b. What alternative does the speaker suggest instead of chanting and singing?**
**Answer:** Instead of **mechanical religious activities**, the speaker suggests **recognizing divine presence** in the **honest labor** of **tillers**, **path-makers**, and other **working people** who **contribute meaningfully** to **community welfare** through **productive effort**.

**c. According to the poem, where is God to be found?**
**Answer:** God is **found among working people** - **"where the tiller is tilling the hard ground and where the path-maker is breaking stones."** The **divine presence** exists in **productive labor**, **community service**, and **authentic engagement** with **worldly challenges**.

**d. What advice does the speaker give about the holy mantle?**
**Answer:** The speaker advises to **"Put off thy holy mantle"** - meaning **abandon external symbols** of **religious status** and **artificial spiritual superiority** that **separate practitioners** from **common people** and **authentic spiritual engagement**.

**e. What should the listener do regarding their clothes?**
**Answer:** The listener should **not fear** getting their clothes **"stained"** or **"tattered"** through **honest work** and **authentic spiritual practice**. **Physical marks** from **meaningful labor** are **more spiritually valuable** than **pristine religious garments**.

### Inference and Analysis Questions

**a. Why does the speaker want the listener to open their eyes?**
**Answer:** The speaker wants **spiritual awakening** - **opening eyes** represents **recognizing divine presence** in **unexpected places** rather than **limiting spiritual vision** to **traditional religious settings**. It's about **expanding spiritual awareness** beyond **conventional boundaries**.

**b. What do the tiller and path-maker symbolize?**
**Answer:** These figures **symbolize authentic spiritual practice** through **meaningful work**. They represent **people who serve community needs**, **transform the physical world productively**, and **engage in honest labor** that **embodies divine purpose** more authentically than **ritualistic worship**.

**c. Why mention tiller, path-maker, sun, shower, and dusty soil?**
**Answer:** These **natural and working elements** represent **authentic spiritual reality** - the **interconnected world** where **divine presence** actually **operates** through **natural processes** and **human labor** rather than **artificial religious environments**.

**d. What does the speaker imply about deliverance?**
**Answer:** **True deliverance** comes not through **passive ritual** but through **active engagement** with **divine presence** in **everyday work** and **community service**. **Spiritual salvation** requires **authentic action** rather than **ceremonial observation**.

**e. What message about God does the poem convey?**
**Answer:** The poem presents **God as actively engaged** in **human affairs** and **physical work** rather than **distant and uninvolved**. **Divine presence participates** in **worldly challenges** and can be **encountered through meaningful labor** and **community service**.

## ✅ Chapter Assessment Checklist

**Poetic Analysis Skills:**
- [ ] I can identify Tagore's central critique of ritualistic worship
- [ ] I understand the contrast between traditional and authentic spirituality  
- [ ] I can analyze literary devices including metaphor and symbolism
- [ ] I recognize the poem's revolutionary approach to religious practice

**Vocabulary Mastery:**
- [ ] I know 15+ religious and spiritual terminology words
- [ ] I can use archaic language forms appropriately
- [ ] I understand work-related vocabulary in spiritual contexts
- [ ] I can distinguish between literal and metaphorical language

**Grammar Excellence:**
- [ ] I can identify different functions of imperative sentences
- [ ] I understand how to transform positive imperatives to negative forms
- [ ] I can use imperatives for requests, commands, advice, and warnings
- [ ] I recognize the relationship between tone and imperative function

**Writing Proficiency:**
- [ ] I can write comprehensive rules and regulations for institutions
- [ ] I can use appropriate modal verbs for different requirements
- [ ] I can structure formal guidelines with clear categories
- [ ] I can adapt language for different institutional contexts

**Critical Thinking:**
- [ ] I can discuss different approaches to spirituality and religion
- [ ] I understand the relationship between work and spiritual fulfillment
- [ ] I can evaluate traditional practices versus progressive alternatives
- [ ] I appreciate poetry's power to challenge social conventions

## 🎊 Conclusion

"Leave This Chanting & Singing" stands as one of literature's most powerful critiques of empty ritualism and most compelling visions of authentic spirituality. Tagore's revolutionary message—that divine presence flourishes in honest work rather than isolated worship—continues to resonate across cultures and generations.

Through studying this profound poem, you've not only improved your English language skills but also encountered timeless questions about the relationship between faith and action, individual practice and community service, tradition and authentic living. The vocabulary, grammar structures, and analytical techniques you've developed will serve you well in understanding complex literary and philosophical texts.

Whether you're analyzing poetry, writing formal guidelines, or reflecting on life's deeper meanings, the skills practiced in this chapter will help you communicate with clarity, think critically about important issues, and appreciate literature's power to challenge and inspire.

Tagore's vision of finding the sacred in the secular, the divine in the dusty, reminds us that meaningful spirituality often emerges not from what we abandon, but from how fully we engage with the world around us.

**Remember:** Great literature doesn't just describe the world—it challenges us to see it differently and live more authentically within it. Use your growing English skills to engage with texts that expand your understanding and inspire positive action in your community!
