All Voices: Lord of the Universe, Lord of our being, Father eternal, ineffable Om! Thou art the Seed and the Scythe of our harvests, Thou art our Hands and our Heart and our Home.
In the phrase 'Lord of our being,' what does the word 'being' most likely refer to? A. Our physical body B. Our entire existence C. Our spiritual practices D. Our earthly possessions
B. Our entire existence
Identify whether the following statement is true or false. The imagery of 'the Seed and the Scythe' symbolises the divine's role as both the beginning (creation) and the end (harvest) of the agricultural cycle.
True. The Seed represents the beginning or creation of life and crops, while the Scythe represents the harvest or end of the cycle. Together they symbolise God's complete control over the entire cycle of life and agriculture.
Identify the phrases from the extract that mean the following: A. The divine as a timeless, everlasting presence B. Beyond human comprehension or description
A. 'Father eternal' - The divine as a timeless, everlasting presence. B. 'ineffable Om' - Beyond human comprehension or description.
How do we know that these lines from the extract are spoken as a chorus?
These lines are labelled 'All Voices' indicating that men and women speak together as one unified group. The collective pronouns 'our' and 'we' throughout ('Lord of our being,' 'Thou art our Hands and our Heart and our Home') show unified voices. The content also shifts from addressing specific deities (Surya, Varuna, Prithvi) to addressing the universal Lord, showing a collective, all-encompassing praise.
Explanation
(i) In this context, 'being' refers to the totality of human existence - body, mind, soul, and life itself. The Lord is addressed as the master of all aspects of human existence. (ii) The metaphor of 'Seed and Scythe' is a powerful image showing God as both the origin (Seed - creation, beginning) and the culmination (Scythe - harvest, end) of all life cycles. (iii) 'Father eternal' refers to God's eternal, timeless nature. 'Ineffable' means beyond expression or description, and 'Om' is the sacred syllable representing the ultimate reality in Hindu philosophy. (iv) The poem structure shows progression: Men's Voices (Stanza 1-2), Women's Voices (Stanza 3), and All Voices (Stanza 4). The 'All Voices' label explicitly indicates a chorus or collective recitation.