“Images That Question Belief: A Close Reading of Figurative Difficulty”
This blog is part of thinking activity assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad Sir. Dr. Barad Sir provided a reference blog titled Just Poems, from which each student had to select a poem according to their roll number.The purpose of this blog is to analyze the selected Hindi poem "ईश्वर" by मंगलेश डबराल using Richards’ method and to develop skills of close reading, interpretation, and classroom discussion.
"ईश्वर"
स्रोत :रचनाकार : मंगलेश डबराल प्रकाशन : हिन्दवी के लिए लेखक द्वारा चयनित
Difficulties in Understanding the Poem:
Understanding this poem presents several challenges because it relies heavily on figurative language, irony, and psychological projection rather than direct statement. As I. A. Richards explains in Practical Criticism, readers often struggle when poetry does not offer fixed meanings but instead demands close attention to language, attitude, and context.
1. ईश्वर का स्वरूप: वर्णन या प्रश्न? (Ambiguity of God as a Figurative Construct)
One major difficulty in understanding this poem lies in deciding whether ईश्वर is being described as a real divine presence or questioned as a human construction. The poem repeatedly uses lines such as:
“ईश्वर हमेशा हमसे ऊपर रहता है
हम आसमान की ओर इशारा करते हुए कहते हैं”
and
“सब कुछ उसकी कृपा से चल रहा है
या वह सब कुछ देख रहा है”
At a literal level, these lines seem to assert traditional religious beliefs. However, the phrasing “हम कहते हैं” subtly shifts responsibility from divine truth to human assertion. This creates ambiguity: is the poet affirming faith or exposing how faith is spoken into existence?
Further confusion arises when God is portrayed as emotionally reactive:
“लेकिन हम जानते हैं वह हमसे नाराज़ रहता है”
“ईश्वर कभी ख़ुश नहीं होता”
If read literally, these lines suggest an angry, punitive God. Figuratively, however, they reveal मानव भय और असुरक्षा, projected onto ईश्वर. As I. A. Richards would argue, readers risk confusing the vehicle (the angry God-image) with the tenor (human psychological anxiety).
This ambiguity intensifies in lines like:
“वह मौक़ा खोजता रहता है कि कब कैसे अमंगल कर सके”
Here, God appears almost tyrannical. But the poem is not describing divine intention; it is dramatizing how humans explain suffering.
Thus, the difficulty arises from the tension between दैवी यथार्थ and मानवीय कल्पना. The poem never clarifies whether ईश्वर exists independently or only as
“महज़ एक ख़याल”
This unresolved ambiguity makes the poem challenging but critically rich.
2. ईश्वर का मानवीकरण और भावनात्मक अस्थिरता
Another difficulty arises from the strong anthropomorphic portrayal of ईश्वर:
“लेकिन हम जानते हैं वह हमसे नाराज़ रहता है”
“ईश्वर कभी ख़ुश नहीं होता”
Taken literally, these lines suggest a perpetually angry God. This can disturb or confuse readers, especially those with religious faith.
However, figuratively, these lines express मानव भय और अपराध-बोध the human tendency to imagine authority as angry. Richards would argue that the poet is not describing God’s emotions but organizing human emotional responses to suffering.
The difficulty lies in separating मानवीय भावना from दैवी यथार्थ.
3. प्राकृतिक आपदाओं का दैवी अर्थकरण
The poem repeatedly connects natural phenomena with divine anger:
“तब भी उसके क्रुद्ध रूप दिखते रहते हैं बादलों के बीच”
“तीखी हवा में जंगल जाने वाले रास्तों पर”
Later, suffering is described as divine action:
“ईश्वर हमें देता है अक्सर अवर्षण
अक्सर दुर्भिक्ष
अक्सर आँधी-तूफ़ान
अकाल मृत्यु”
Readers may struggle to understand whether the poet truly believes God causes these disasters or is exposing how humans अर्थ थोपते हैं प्रकृति पर. Over-literal reading makes the poem sound theologically harsh, whereas figurative reading reveals human helplessness before nature.
4. धार्मिक कर्मकाण्ड: श्रद्धा या व्यंग्य?
The poem lists ritual practices in a seemingly devotional tone:
“वह चाहता है हम बार-बार उसे धूप-दीप-नैवेद्य दें”
“साल में दो-चार बार बकरों की बलि दें”
Because the language is calm and descriptive, readers may assume approval. However, the repetition and exaggeration suggest implicit irony.
The difficulty lies in recognizing that the poem is not endorsing these rituals but questioning the logic of appeasement-based faith. Richards warns that readers often fail to detect irony when they rely on habitual beliefs instead of close reading.
5. याचना की भाषा और अस्तित्वगत असुरक्षा
The prayer-like section of the poem lists human desires:
“हमें धन-धान्य दो
योग्य संतति दो
बलिष्ठ बैल दो”
“तेज़ घाम के बाद वर्षा
बर्फ़ के बाद खिली हुई धूप दो”
At one level, this reads like a traditional prayer. At another, it exposes मानव जीवन की असुरक्षा, where survival depends on forces beyond control.
The difficulty arises because the poem does not clearly signal whether these prayers are sincere or tragic. Richards would call this an instance of conflicting attitudes held together, which challenges simple interpretation.
6. अतिशयोक्ति और दार्शनिक बिंब
The poem uses grand exaggeration:
“इन काले पहाड़ों को स्याही की तरह समुद्र के पात्र में घोलें
और समूची पृथ्वी के काग़ज़ पर”
“वाणी की देवी रात-दिन लिखने बैठे
तब भी कठिन है तुम्हारे गुणों का बखान”
Literal reading makes this absurd. Figuratively, it emphasizes the असंभवता of fully explaining divine power. The difficulty lies in recognizing exaggeration as a philosophical tool, not a logical claim.
7. ईश्वर का सिंहासन और सत्ता-भय
The poem startlingly suggests:
“कई बार हम मनुष्यों की वजह से
उसे अपना सिंहासन डोलता हुआ महसूस हुआ है”
This image confuses readers because it portrays God as politically insecure. Over-literal reading makes this blasphemous. Figuratively, it suggests that human self-awareness threatens blind faith.
According to Richards, such images reflect psychological truth, not metaphysical fact.
8. अस्थायी आशा और अंतिम अनिश्चितता
Towards the end, the poem briefly softens:
“कभी-कभी लगता है वह अचानक ख़ुश हो उठा है
और मुस्कुरा रहा है”
But this hope is immediately undercut:
“लेकिन यह कुछ ही देर के लिए होता है”
The poem ends with:
“महज़ एक ख़याल कि हमारे अलावा कोई और भी है
जो हमारा भला चाहता है।”
This ending offers no certainty only a thought. Readers expecting resolution may feel unsettled. Richards argues that modern poetry often refuses closure, which itself becomes a difficulty.
Difficult Words / Phrases That Were Hard for Me to Understand
While reading this poem, I found several words and phrases difficult not because they are rare, but because they are used figuratively, carrying meanings beyond their literal sense. Understanding them required close reading and contextual thinking, as suggested by I. A. Richards.
1. “ईश्वर हमेशा हमसे ऊपर रहता है”
Difficulty:
At first, this line seems simple, but it is confusing whether “ऊपर” means a physical location (sky) or a symbolic position of power and authority.
Understanding:
Here, “ऊपर” suggests मानवीय कल्पना the tendency to place God above us to justify control and fear, not an actual physical height
2. “वह सब कुछ देख रहा है”
Difficulty:
The phrase sounds literal, as if God is constantly watching like a guard.
Understanding:
Figuratively, it reflects मानव नैतिक भय—the belief that someone is always observing our actions.
3. “उसके क्रुद्ध रूप दिखते रहते हैं बादलों के बीच”
Difficulty:
How can anger be seen in clouds?
Understanding:
This phrase uses प्राकृतिक बिंब to show how humans interpret storms and clouds as signs of divine anger.
4. “धूप-दीप-नैवेद्य”
Difficulty:
Though familiar culturally, its combined use felt heavy and ritualistic.
Understanding:
The phrase represents कर्मकाण्डी भक्ति, suggesting mechanical worship rather than spiritual connection.
5. “बकरों की बलि”
Difficulty:
It is shocking and uncomfortable, especially in a poem questioning faith.
Understanding:
This phrase exposes the हिंसक पक्ष of blind religious practices, not their approval.
6. “बलिष्ठ बैल”
Difficulty:
Why would a prayer ask for oxen?
Understanding:
It reflects ग्रामीण जीवन की निर्भरता on physical labour and nature, showing basic survival needs.
7. “घर छवाना”
Difficulty:
The phrase was unfamiliar in modern usage.
Understanding:
It refers to repairing roofs repeatedly, symbolizing गरीबी और अस्थिर जीव
8. “अवर्षण”
Difficulty:
A less commonly used word for drought.
Understanding:
It symbolizes प्रकृति की अनिश्चितता, often wrongly attributed to divine will.
9. “दुर्भिक्ष”
Difficulty:
A formal, heavy word that adds seriousness.
Understanding:
It stands for सामूहिक पीड़ा और भूख, deepening the poem’s tone of suffering.
10. “अकाल मृत्यु”
Difficulty:
Emotionally disturbing phrase.
Understanding:
It conveys the fear of असमय मृत्यु, which humans often explain through divine punishment.
11. “वाणी की देवी”
Difficulty:
Why introduce Saraswati here?
Understanding:
It symbolizes भाषा और ज्ञान, emphasizing that even infinite language fails to explain God.
12. “ईश्वर हमें शाप देने की मुद्रा में खड़ा रहता है”
Difficulty:
The image is unsettling—God standing ready to curse.
Understanding:
This phrase reflects मानव भय की मानसिक स्थिति, not divine reality.
13. “अपना सिंहासन डोलता हुआ महसूस हुआ”
Difficulty:
God having a throne that shakes feels strange.
Understanding:
It metaphorically suggests that मानवीय चेतना और प्रश्न threaten blind belief systems.
14. “महज़ एक ख़याल”
Difficulty:
The ending felt incomplete and uncertain.
Understanding:
This phrase captures the poem’s core idea: faith survives not as certainty, but as a मानसिक सहारा.
I have make infograph which is shows why the poem feels confusing and how to find deeper meaning:
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According to I. A. Richards, sense refers to the literal or basic meaning of a poem. However, while reading this poem, I experienced confusion at this level because the poet does not speak directly. Instead, the poem moves between belief and doubt, statement and irony, which makes fixing a single, stable meaning difficult.
1. Sense (Difficulty in Understanding Meaning)
According to I. A. Richards, sense refers to the basic meaning of a poem—what is being said. In this poem, understanding the sense becomes difficult because the poet does not make direct statements. Instead, meaning is conveyed through figurative language, irony, and shifting attitudes.
a) Confusion Between Statement and Belief
The poem opens with seemingly clear assertions:
“ईश्वर हमेशा हमसे ऊपर रहता है
हम आसमान की ओर इशारा करते हुए कहते हैं”
At first reading, the sense appears simple: God lives above us. However, the phrase “हम कहते हैं” creates uncertainty. Is the poet stating a fact or reporting a human belief? This ambiguity makes the basic sense unclear.
b) Uncertainty Created by Alternatives
The meaning becomes more complex in lines such as:
“सब कुछ उसकी कृपा से चल रहा है
या वह सब कुछ देख रहा है”
The use of “या” suggests doubt rather than certainty. Readers struggle to decide whether the poem believes in divine control or merely records how people explain the world. This makes the central sense unstable.
c) Contradictory Images of God
The poem presents conflicting portrayals of ईश्वर:
“कभी-कभी लगता है वह अचानक ख़ुश हो उठा है”
but also,
“ईश्वर कभी ख़ुश नहीं होता”
These opposing ideas exist together, making it difficult to grasp the poem’s actual position. According to Richards, poetry often holds conflicting attitudes, but readers expecting logical consistency may find the sense confusing.
d) Cause of Suffering: God or Nature?
Lines like:
“ईश्वर हमें देता है अक्सर अवर्षण
अक्सर दुर्भिक्ष
अकाल मृत्यु”
make it hard to decide whether suffering is caused by God or whether God is merely blamed for it. Over-literal reading makes God appear cruel, while figurative reading suggests human explanation of suffering. The lack of clarity creates difficulty in understanding sense.
e) Ending Without Resolution
The poem ends with:
“महज़ एक ख़याल कि हमारे अलावा कोई और भी है
जो हमारा भला चाहता है।”
This ending does not confirm belief or disbelief. It leaves meaning open. Readers looking for a clear message find it difficult to fix the sense of the poem.
2. Feeling (Difficulty in Grasping Emotion)
According to I. A. Richards, feeling refers to the emotional attitude of the poet expressed through the poem. In this poem, understanding feeling becomes difficult because the emotions are not single or stable. Instead, they shift constantly between faith, fear, hope, and doubt.
a) Mixture of श्रद्धा and भय
At several points, the poem sounds devotional:
“हम अभ्यर्थना करते हैं ईश्वर”
This line suggests humility and dependence. However, this emotion is immediately overshadowed by fear:
“लेकिन हम जानते हैं वह हमसे नाराज़ रहता है”
The emotional movement from श्रद्धा to भय is sudden. Readers struggle to decide whether the dominant feeling is devotion or anxiety.
b) Fear Created Through Images of Anger
The poem repeatedly associates God with anger and punishment:
“उसके क्रुद्ध रूप दिखते रहते हैं बादलों के बीच”
“ईश्वर हमें देता है अक्सर अवर्षण… अकाल मृत्यु”
These lines create an emotional atmosphere of terror and helplessness. Yet the poem does not openly express protest or rebellion. This restraint makes it hard to determine whether the poet is angry, resigned, or simply observing human fear.
c) Hope That Is Brief and Unstable
At one point, the emotion briefly softens:
“कभी-कभी लगता है वह अचानक ख़ुश हो उठा है
और मुस्कुरा रहा है”
This suggests hope and relief. However, it is immediately cancelled:
“लेकिन यह कुछ ही देर के लिए होता है”
The reader is emotionally unsettled because hope appears only temporarily. The poem refuses to allow emotional comfort.
d) Emotional Distance and Lack of Personal Voice
The poem rarely uses direct emotional confession such as “मैं दुखी हूँ” or “मैं क्रोधित हूँ.” Instead, it speaks collectively:
“हम कहते रहते हैं ईश्वर”
“हम बार-बार उसे पूजते हैं”
This collective voice creates emotional distance. Readers find it difficult to identify the poet’s personal feeling because emotions are shared, generalized, and observed, not confessed.
e) Final Emotion: Consolation or Emptiness?
The poem ends with:
“महज़ एक ख़याल कि हमारे अलावा कोई और भी है
जो हमारा भला चाहता है।”
This line can be read in two ways:
as a soft consolation or as a sign of emotional emptiness. The ambiguity makes it difficult to grasp whether the final feeling is hope, irony, or quiet despair.
3. Tone (Why It Felt Harsh)
According to I. A. Richards, tone refers to the poet’s attitude toward the subject and the reader. In this poem, the tone feels harsh and unsettling, making it difficult to understand whether the poet is angry, ironic, or critically detached.
a) Repetitive Accusatory Statements
The tone feels harsh because of repeated statements that present ईश्वर as punitive and unforgiving:
“ईश्वर कभी ख़ुश नहीं होता”
“वह मौक़ा खोजता रहता है कि कब कैसे अमंगल कर सके”
These lines sound accusatory, almost like a charge against God. Readers may feel the poet is attacking religious belief itself, which intensifies the harsh tone.
b) Use of Negative and Violent Vocabulary
The poem frequently uses words associated with suffering and destruction:
“अवर्षण”
“दुर्भिक्ष”
“आँधी-तूफ़ान”
“अकाल मृत्यु”
Such vocabulary dominates the poem and leaves little space for comfort. The absence of balancing positive imagery makes the tone feel severe and relentless.
c) Irony Hidden Beneath Plain Language
The language of the poem is simple and direct, but the tone is ironic. For example:
“हम बार-बार उसे पूजते हैं”
On the surface, this seems reverent. Yet in context, it sounds resigned, even bitter. The lack of explicit irony markers makes the tone difficult to identify, adding to the feeling of harshness.
d) Collective Voice and Moral Pressure
The repeated use of “हम” gives the poem a collective, almost moralizing tone:
“हम कहते रहते हैं ईश्वर”
This creates pressure on the reader, as if they too are part of this fearful, obedient community. The tone feels heavy because it does not allow individual emotional escape.
e) Authority Reversal
The poem reverses the expected relationship between humans and God:
“उसे अपना सिंहासन डोलता हुआ महसूस हुआ है”
This line undermines divine authority but does so in a serious, almost grim manner. The absence of humor makes the critique feel stern rather than playful.
f) Ending Without Emotional Relief
Even at the end, the tone remains restrained and subdued:
“महज़ एक ख़याल…”
The phrase suggests limitation and doubt, not reassurance. The poem closes quietly but coldly, leaving the reader emotionally unsettled.
4. Intention (Difficulty in Understanding Purpose)
According to I. A. Richards, intention refers to what the poet seems to be trying to do through the poem. In this poem, understanding intention is difficult because the poet does not clearly state whether the aim is to criticize religion, express human suffering, or question the idea of God itself. The poem moves between these possibilities without settling on one.
a) Description or Criticism?
At many points, the poem appears to simply describe common beliefs:
“ईश्वर हमेशा हमसे ऊपर रहता है”
“हम आसमान की ओर इशारा करते हुए कहते हैं”
However, the repeated emphasis on “हम कहते हैं” suggests that the poet may be exposing how beliefs are constructed and repeated, not necessarily accepted as truth. This creates difficulty in understanding whether the poet’s intention is descriptive or critical.
b) Questioning Ritual or Rejecting Faith?
The poem refers to rituals and offerings:
“वह चाहता है हम बार-बार उसे धूप-दीप-नैवेद्य दें”
“साल में दो-चार बार बकरों की बलि दें”
These lines can be read in two ways:
as a critique of कर्मकाण्डी भक्ति, or
as a neutral observation of religious practice
Because the poet does not openly condemn or endorse these acts, readers struggle to fix the poet’s purpose.
c) Blaming God or Revealing Human Psychology?
Statements like:
“ईश्वर हमें देता है अक्सर अवर्षण… अकाल मृत्यु”
sound like direct accusations against God. If taken literally, the poem seems to argue that God causes suffering. Figuratively, however, it reveals how humans explain suffering by blaming divine will.
The difficulty lies in deciding whether the poet intends to accuse God or to reveal मानव असहायता और भय.
d) Faith Undermined or Quietly Preserved?
Towards the end, the poem briefly suggests divine kindness:
“कभी-कभी लगता है वह अचानक ख़ुश हो उठा है
और मुस्कुरा रहा है”
But this hope is fragile and temporary:
“लेकिन यह कुछ ही देर के लिए होता है”
Finally, the poem concludes with:
“महज़ एक ख़याल कि हमारे अलावा कोई और भी है
जो हमारा भला चाहता है।”
This ending makes the poet’s intention especially unclear. Is the poet rejecting faith as illusion, or acknowledging faith as a necessary emotional support?
e) Critique Without Declaration
Unlike didactic poetry, this poem does not declare its purpose. There is no clear moral or lesson. As I. A. Richards explains, modern poetry often withholds explicit intention, forcing readers to interpret meaning through tone, feeling, and imagery.
This deliberate ambiguity becomes a difficulty for readers seeking clarity.
Identification of Misunderstandings (My Perspective)
While reading this poem for the first time, I realized that many of my difficulties arose not from the poem itself but from my own reading habits. As I. A. Richards points out in Practical Criticism, readers often misunderstand poems when they approach figurative language with literal expectations or personal assumptions.
1. Mistaking Human Belief for Poetic Assertion
Initially, I misunderstood the opening lines:
“ईश्वर हमेशा हमसे ऊपर रहता है
हम आसमान की ओर इशारा करते हुए कहते हैं”
I first read this as the poet’s belief. Later, I understood that the phrase “हम कहते हैं” indicates reported belief, not poetic endorsement. My misunderstanding came from assuming that poetry always states what the poet believes.
2. Reading Figurative Images Literally
I took lines like:
“ईश्वर हमें देता है अक्सर अवर्षण
अक्सर दुर्भिक्ष
अकाल मृत्यु”
too literally and felt the poem was directly blaming God. After re-reading, I realized that the poet is showing how humans explain suffering, not how suffering actually happens. My mistake was confusing metaphor with fact.
3. Confusing Harsh Tone with Hostile Intention
Because of lines such as:
“ईश्वर कभी ख़ुश नहीं होता”
“वह मौक़ा खोजता रहता है कि कब कैसे अमंगल कर सके”
I assumed the poet was attacking religion. Later, I understood that the harsh tone reflects human fear and frustration, not hatred toward faith. My misunderstanding arose from equating tone with intention.
4. Expecting Clear Answers from the Poem
I initially searched for a clear message—belief or disbelief—but the poem ends with:
“महज़ एक ख़याल कि हमारे अलावा कोई और भी है
जो हमारा भला चाहता है।”
I misunderstood this as weakness or lack of conclusion. Later, I realized that uncertainty is the poem’s point. The poet intentionally leaves belief unresolved.
5. Ignoring Cultural and Psychological Context
At first, references to:
“धूप-दीप-नैवेद्य”
“बकरों की बलि”
felt uncomfortable and confusing. I thought the poem supported these practices. Later, I recognized that the poem is critically observing these rituals as expressions of fear and dependence.
6. Assuming God as the Subject Instead of Humans
My biggest misunderstanding was assuming that the poem is about ईश्वर. In fact, the poem is about मनुष्य—their fear, insecurity, and desire for reassurance.
The final line helped correct this:
“महज़ एक ख़याल…”
This showed me that God functions as a mental construct, not the poem’s true subject.
As I. A. Richards suggests, poetry requires a trained response, where meaning is discovered through tension and suggestion. Identifying my misunderstandings helped me move from habitual reading to practical criticism.
Difference Between My Interpretation and I. A. Richards’ Practical Criticism :
This blog has been an attempt to read and understand the given poem through the theoretical framework of I. A. Richards’ Practical Criticism, especially focusing on figurative language, sense, feeling, tone, and intention. My initial reading of the poem was influenced by personal belief, emotional reaction, and literal understanding. As a result, I faced several difficulties in grasping the poem’s meaning, particularly in interpreting the figure of ईश्वर.
By applying Richards’ method of close reading, I learned that the poem does not present God as a religious truth but as a figurative and psychological construct shaped by human fear, hope, and insecurity. The repeated use of ambiguity, contradictory images, and natural metaphors makes the poem intentionally resistant to fixed meaning. What appeared confusing or harsh at first gradually revealed itself as a careful exploration of how humans explain suffering, nature, and uncertainty through belief.
The analysis of sense showed how meaning remains unstable; the study of feeling revealed organized emotions of fear and dependence; the examination of tone clarified that harshness does not equal hostility; and the exploration of intention demonstrated that the poem critiques ritualistic faith rather than belief itself. Understanding the dangers of over-literal interpretation further helped me avoid misreading figurative language as factual statement.
Ultimately, this blog reflects my movement from habitual reading to critical reading. Following I. A. Richards, I learned that poetry demands attentiveness to language rather than reliance on assumptions. The poem finally leaves us with “महज़ एक ख़याल”—not as a weakness, but as a powerful reminder that belief itself is a human response to uncertainty. This realization marks the most important learning outcome of this critical exercise.
References:
I.A. Richards - Figurative Language - Practical Criticism
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Aspect
My Interpretation (Initial Reading)
I. A. Richards’ Practical Criticism
Approach to Meaning
I tried to understand what the poem says
immediately.
Focuses on how meaning is created through language.
Reading Style
Largely literal and belief-based.
Close, disciplined, text-based reading.
View of “ईश्वर”
Considered ईश्वर as the actual subject of the poem.
Treats ईश्वर as a figurative construct / vehicle for human psychology.
Figurative Language
Took images like “ईश्वर कभी ख़ुश नहीं होता” literally.
Reads them as metaphors expressing human fear and anxiety.
Sense (Meaning)
Expected a clear message: belief or disbelief.
Accepts ambiguity and tension as central to meaning.
Feeling (Emotion)
Reacted emotionally (felt the poem was harsh or negative).
Studies how emotions are organized, not personally felt.
Tone
Equated harsh tone with hostile intention.
Separates tone from intention.
Intention
Assumed the poet’s aim was to criticize God or religion.
Sees intention as examining human attitudes, not attacking faith.
Cause of Suffering
Thought the poem blamed God directly.
Understands suffering as human explanation of natural events.
Ritual References
Took “धूप-दीप-नैवेद्य”, “बकरों की बलि” at face value.
Reads them as critique of ritualistic faith.
Ending of the Poem
Found “महज़ एक ख़याल” confusing or weak.
Sees it as deliberate ambiguity, not weakness.
Reader’s Role
Passive receiver of meaning.
Active interpreter trained to avoid bias.
Overall Focus
Theology and belief.
Language, psychology, and human response.
1. Sense (Difficulty in Understanding Meaning)
According to I. A. Richards, sense refers to the basic meaning of a poem—what is being said. In this poem, understanding the sense becomes difficult because the poet does not make direct statements. Instead, meaning is conveyed through figurative language, irony, and shifting attitudes.
a) Confusion Between Statement and Belief
The poem opens with seemingly clear assertions:
“ईश्वर हमेशा हमसे ऊपर रहता है
हम आसमान की ओर इशारा करते हुए कहते हैं”
At first reading, the sense appears simple: God lives above us. However, the phrase “हम कहते हैं” creates uncertainty. Is the poet stating a fact or reporting a human belief? This ambiguity makes the basic sense unclear.
b) Uncertainty Created by Alternatives
The meaning becomes more complex in lines such as:
“सब कुछ उसकी कृपा से चल रहा है
या वह सब कुछ देख रहा है”
The use of “या” suggests doubt rather than certainty. Readers struggle to decide whether the poem believes in divine control or merely records how people explain the world. This makes the central sense unstable.
c) Contradictory Images of God
The poem presents conflicting portrayals of ईश्वर:
“कभी-कभी लगता है वह अचानक ख़ुश हो उठा है”
but also,
“ईश्वर कभी ख़ुश नहीं होता”
These opposing ideas exist together, making it difficult to grasp the poem’s actual position. According to Richards, poetry often holds conflicting attitudes, but readers expecting logical consistency may find the sense confusing.
d) Cause of Suffering: God or Nature?
Lines like:
“ईश्वर हमें देता है अक्सर अवर्षण
अक्सर दुर्भिक्ष
अकाल मृत्यु”
make it hard to decide whether suffering is caused by God or whether God is merely blamed for it. Over-literal reading makes God appear cruel, while figurative reading suggests human explanation of suffering. The lack of clarity creates difficulty in understanding sense.
e) Ending Without Resolution
The poem ends with:
“महज़ एक ख़याल कि हमारे अलावा कोई और भी है
जो हमारा भला चाहता है।”
This ending does not confirm belief or disbelief. It leaves meaning open. Readers looking for a clear message find it difficult to fix the sense of the poem.
2. Feeling (Difficulty in Grasping Emotion)
According to I. A. Richards, feeling refers to the emotional attitude of the poet expressed through the poem. In this poem, understanding feeling becomes difficult because the emotions are not single or stable. Instead, they shift constantly between faith, fear, hope, and doubt.
a) Mixture of श्रद्धा and भय
At several points, the poem sounds devotional:
“हम अभ्यर्थना करते हैं ईश्वर”
This line suggests humility and dependence. However, this emotion is immediately overshadowed by fear:
“लेकिन हम जानते हैं वह हमसे नाराज़ रहता है”
The emotional movement from श्रद्धा to भय is sudden. Readers struggle to decide whether the dominant feeling is devotion or anxiety.
b) Fear Created Through Images of Anger
The poem repeatedly associates God with anger and punishment:
“उसके क्रुद्ध रूप दिखते रहते हैं बादलों के बीच”
“ईश्वर हमें देता है अक्सर अवर्षण… अकाल मृत्यु”
These lines create an emotional atmosphere of terror and helplessness. Yet the poem does not openly express protest or rebellion. This restraint makes it hard to determine whether the poet is angry, resigned, or simply observing human fear.
c) Hope That Is Brief and Unstable
At one point, the emotion briefly softens:
“कभी-कभी लगता है वह अचानक ख़ुश हो उठा है
और मुस्कुरा रहा है”
This suggests hope and relief. However, it is immediately cancelled:
“लेकिन यह कुछ ही देर के लिए होता है”
The reader is emotionally unsettled because hope appears only temporarily. The poem refuses to allow emotional comfort.
d) Emotional Distance and Lack of Personal Voice
The poem rarely uses direct emotional confession such as “मैं दुखी हूँ” or “मैं क्रोधित हूँ.” Instead, it speaks collectively:
“हम कहते रहते हैं ईश्वर”
“हम बार-बार उसे पूजते हैं”
This collective voice creates emotional distance. Readers find it difficult to identify the poet’s personal feeling because emotions are shared, generalized, and observed, not confessed.
e) Final Emotion: Consolation or Emptiness?
The poem ends with:
“महज़ एक ख़याल कि हमारे अलावा कोई और भी है
जो हमारा भला चाहता है।”
This line can be read in two ways:
as a soft consolation
or as a sign of emotional emptiness
The ambiguity makes it difficult to grasp whether the final feeling is hope, irony, or quiet despair.
3. Tone (Why It Felt Harsh)
According to I. A. Richards, tone refers to the poet’s attitude toward the subject and the reader. In this poem, the tone feels harsh and unsettling, making it difficult to understand whether the poet is angry, ironic, or critically detached.
a) Repetitive Accusatory Statements
The tone feels harsh because of repeated statements that present ईश्वर as punitive and unforgiving:
“ईश्वर कभी ख़ुश नहीं होता”
“वह मौक़ा खोजता रहता है कि कब कैसे अमंगल कर सके”
These lines sound accusatory, almost like a charge against God. Readers may feel the poet is attacking religious belief itself, which intensifies the harsh tone.
b) Use of Negative and Violent Vocabulary
The poem frequently uses words associated with suffering and destruction:
“अवर्षण”
“दुर्भिक्ष”
“आँधी-तूफ़ान”
“अकाल मृत्यु”
Such vocabulary dominates the poem and leaves little space for comfort. The absence of balancing positive imagery makes the tone feel severe and relentless.
c) Irony Hidden Beneath Plain Language
The language of the poem is simple and direct, but the tone is ironic. For example:
“हम बार-बार उसे पूजते हैं”
On the surface, this seems reverent. Yet in context, it sounds resigned, even bitter. The lack of explicit irony markers makes the tone difficult to identify, adding to the feeling of harshness.
d) Collective Voice and Moral Pressure
The repeated use of “हम” gives the poem a collective, almost moralizing tone:
“हम कहते रहते हैं ईश्वर”
This creates pressure on the reader, as if they too are part of this fearful, obedient community. The tone feels heavy because it does not allow individual emotional escape.
e) Authority Reversal
The poem reverses the expected relationship between humans and God:
“उसे अपना सिंहासन डोलता हुआ महसूस हुआ है”
This line undermines divine authority but does so in a serious, almost grim manner. The absence of humor makes the critique feel stern rather than playful.
f) Ending Without Emotional Relief
Even at the end, the tone remains restrained and subdued:
“महज़ एक ख़याल…”
The phrase suggests limitation and doubt, not reassurance. The poem closes quietly but coldly, leaving the reader emotionally unsettled.
4. Intention (Difficulty in Understanding Purpose)
According to I. A. Richards, intention refers to what the poet seems to be trying to do through the poem. In this poem, understanding intention is difficult because the poet does not clearly state whether the aim is to criticize religion, express human suffering, or question the idea of God itself. The poem moves between these possibilities without settling on one.
a) Description or Criticism?
At many points, the poem appears to simply describe common beliefs:
“ईश्वर हमेशा हमसे ऊपर रहता है”
“हम आसमान की ओर इशारा करते हुए कहते हैं”
However, the repeated emphasis on “हम कहते हैं” suggests that the poet may be exposing how beliefs are constructed and repeated, not necessarily accepted as truth. This creates difficulty in understanding whether the poet’s intention is descriptive or critical.
b) Questioning Ritual or Rejecting Faith?
The poem refers to rituals and offerings:
“वह चाहता है हम बार-बार उसे धूप-दीप-नैवेद्य दें”
“साल में दो-चार बार बकरों की बलि दें”
These lines can be read in two ways:
as a critique of कर्मकाण्डी भक्ति, or
as a neutral observation of religious practice
Because the poet does not openly condemn or endorse these acts, readers struggle to fix the poet’s purpose.
c) Blaming God or Revealing Human Psychology?
Statements like:
“ईश्वर हमें देता है अक्सर अवर्षण… अकाल मृत्यु”
sound like direct accusations against God. If taken literally, the poem seems to argue that God causes suffering. Figuratively, however, it reveals how humans explain suffering by blaming divine will.
The difficulty lies in deciding whether the poet intends to accuse God or to reveal मानव असहायता और भय.
d) Faith Undermined or Quietly Preserved?
Towards the end, the poem briefly suggests divine kindness:
“कभी-कभी लगता है वह अचानक ख़ुश हो उठा है
और मुस्कुरा रहा है”
But this hope is fragile and temporary:
“लेकिन यह कुछ ही देर के लिए होता है”
Finally, the poem concludes with:
“महज़ एक ख़याल कि हमारे अलावा कोई और भी है
जो हमारा भला चाहता है।”
This ending makes the poet’s intention especially unclear. Is the poet rejecting faith as illusion, or acknowledging faith as a necessary emotional support?
e) Critique Without Declaration
Unlike didactic poetry, this poem does not declare its purpose. There is no clear moral or lesson. As I. A. Richards explains, modern poetry often withholds explicit intention, forcing readers to interpret meaning through tone, feeling, and imagery.
This deliberate ambiguity becomes a difficulty for readers seeking clarity.
Identification of Misunderstandings (My Perspective)
While reading this poem for the first time, I realized that many of my difficulties arose not from the poem itself but from my own reading habits. As I. A. Richards points out in Practical Criticism, readers often misunderstand poems when they approach figurative language with literal expectations or personal assumptions.
1. Mistaking Human Belief for Poetic Assertion
Initially, I misunderstood the opening lines:
“ईश्वर हमेशा हमसे ऊपर रहता है
हम आसमान की ओर इशारा करते हुए कहते हैं”
I first read this as the poet’s belief. Later, I understood that the phrase “हम कहते हैं” indicates reported belief, not poetic endorsement. My misunderstanding came from assuming that poetry always states what the poet believes.
2. Reading Figurative Images Literally
I took lines like:
“ईश्वर हमें देता है अक्सर अवर्षण
अक्सर दुर्भिक्ष
अकाल मृत्यु”
too literally and felt the poem was directly blaming God. After re-reading, I realized that the poet is showing how humans explain suffering, not how suffering actually happens. My mistake was confusing metaphor with fact.
3. Confusing Harsh Tone with Hostile Intention
Because of lines such as:
“ईश्वर कभी ख़ुश नहीं होता”
“वह मौक़ा खोजता रहता है कि कब कैसे अमंगल कर सके”
I assumed the poet was attacking religion. Later, I understood that the harsh tone reflects human fear and frustration, not hatred toward faith. My misunderstanding arose from equating tone with intention.
4. Expecting Clear Answers from the Poem
I initially searched for a clear message—belief or disbelief—but the poem ends with:
“महज़ एक ख़याल कि हमारे अलावा कोई और भी है
जो हमारा भला चाहता है।”
I misunderstood this as weakness or lack of conclusion. Later, I realized that uncertainty is the poem’s point. The poet intentionally leaves belief unresolved.
5. Ignoring Cultural and Psychological Context
At first, references to:
“धूप-दीप-नैवेद्य”
“बकरों की बलि”
felt uncomfortable and confusing. I thought the poem supported these practices. Later, I recognized that the poem is critically observing these rituals as expressions of fear and dependence.
6. Assuming God as the Subject Instead of Humans
My biggest misunderstanding was assuming that the poem is about ईश्वर. In fact, the poem is about मनुष्य—their fear, insecurity, and desire for reassurance.
The final line helped correct this:
“महज़ एक ख़याल…”
This showed me that God functions as a mental construct, not the poem’s true subject.
Reflective Conclusion
Through repeated reading, I understood that my misunderstandings came from:
over-literal reading
personal beliefs
expectation of clarity
As I. A. Richards suggests, poetry requires a trained response, where meaning is discovered through tension and suggestion. Identifying my misunderstandings helped me move from habitual reading to practical criticism.
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