Go not to the temple to put flowers upon the feet of God,
First fill your own house with the Fragrance of love.
Go not to the temple to light candles before the altar of God,
First remove the darkness of sin from your heart.
Go not to the temple to bow down your head in prayer,
First learn to bow in humility before your fellowmen.
Go not to the temple to pray on bended knees,
First bend down to lift someone who is downtrodden.
Go not to the temple to ask for forgiveness for your sins,
First forgive from your heart those who have sinned against you.
-Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. He was a poet, mystic, author, playwright, songwriter, artist, educator, freedom fighter, and an intellectual stalwart who shaped the destiny of an entire subcontinent.
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