The term in its literal sense means ‘Seize the Day’. The term refers to an attitude to life which has its origin in Odes of Horace. It means make the best of present time. It has a pragmatic application in the sense that future is unknown and past is not reversible. So, present time is the best time from every angle either it be material or spiritual world. In simple words we say: Don’t lay till tomorrow what you can do today which in Hindi/Urdu is transliterated as Aaj ka kaam Kal par mat Chodou.Because,we are not certain whether we can the sun rising tomorrow or not. This dictum is applicable in both the physical and spiritual sphere of life. If we want to accomplish any material gain, we have to work at present. And in the same way if we want to accomplish spiritual gain and want to go close to God, we must start right today and not lay till tomorrow. The biggest mistake being committed by majority of human folk is that they lay the formal worship, virtuous deeds, helping approach, sincerity, honesty and compassion to future time and the result is that we often remain in dark till the death approaches us and we lament on our lost time.
The term ‘carpe Diem’ has been exploited by the Caroline poets in its full length while writing on the pragmatic approach to spirituality. And at the top being ‘Andrew Marvel and Robert Herrick. Andrew Marvel in his famous poem “To his Coy Mistress”(1681) expresses the spiritual aspect of the term to the effect that he appeals to the beloved to utilize the present time for love making as the future is not under their control. Because, there is the death factor that limitized the opportunities of future and robs us of future prospect.
Had we but world enough and time,
This coyness lady were no crime,
But at my back I always hear,
Time’s winged chariot hurrying near,
And yonder all before us lie,
Deserts of vast eternity.
The speaker of the poem starts by addressing a woman who has been slow to respond to his romantic advances. In the first stanza he describes how he would pay court to her if he were to be unencumbered by the constraints of a normal lifespan. He could spend centuries admiring each part of her body and her resistance to his advances (i.e., coyness) would not discourage him. In the second stanza, he laments how short human life is. Once life is over, the speaker contends, the opportunity to enjoy one another is gone, as no one embraces in death. In the last stanza, the speaker urges the woman to requite his efforts, and argues that in loving one another with passion they will both make the most of the brief time they have to live.
Until recently, "To His Coy Mistress" had been received by many as a poem that follows the traditional conventions of carpe diem love poetry. Some modern critics, however, argue Marvell's use of complex and ambiguous metaphors challenges the perceived notions of the poem. It as well raises suspicion of irony and deludes the reader with its inappropriate and jarring imagery.
Some critics believe the poem is an ironic statement on sexual seduction. They reject the idea that Marvell's poem carries a serious and solemn mood. Rather, the poem's opening lines—"Had we but world enough, and time, this coyness, Lady, were no crime"—seems to suggest quite a whimsical tone of regret. In the second part of the poem, there is a sudden transition into imagery that involves graves, marble vaults and worms. The narrator's use of such metaphors to depict a realistic and harsh death that awaits the lovers seems to be a way of shocking the lady into submission. Critics have also noted the narrator's sense of urgency in the poem's third section, especially the alarming comparison of the lovers to "amorous birds of prey".
And likewise, Robert Herrick in his poem “Counsel to Girls” (1648) declares the carpe diem theme in very opening line.
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.
In the same tone and with the same appeal is the poem Gather Ye Kittens by Jonathan Robin:
Gather Ye Kittens
Gather blind kitten human kind -
though who'll own who seems doubtful
autonomy we often find
leaves only one devoutful.
The theme of the above quoted poems can be further elaborated with the help of a moral story by Leo Tolstoy- Three Questions. One day, a king determines that he will be able to cope with any occurrence if he has the answers to three critical questions:
1. "What is the best time to begin everything?"
2. "Who are the best people to listen to?"
3. "What is the most important thing to do?'

Many educated men attempted to answer the king's questions, but they all came up with different answers. The king decided that he needed to ask a wise hermit in a nearby village. The hermit would only see common folk, however, so the king disguised himself as a peasant and left his guards behind to see the hermit. The hermit was digging flower beds when the king arrived. The king asked his questions, but the hermit went on digging rather laboriously. The king offered to dig for him for a while. After digging for some time, the king again asked his questions. Before the hermit could answer, a man emerged from the woods. He was bleeding from a terrible stomach wound. The king tended to him, and they stayed the night in the hermit's hut. By the next day, the wounded man was doing better but was incredulous at the help he had received. The man confessed that he knew who the king was and that the king had executed his brother and seized his property. He had come to kill the king, but the guards wounded him in the stomach. The man pledged allegiance to the king, asked for forgiveness and went on his way. The king asked the hermit again for his answers, and the hermit responded that he had just had his questions answered in the following manner. My dear, you have already been answered .The king raised his question-how? The hermit replied: The time you were helping me was the best time for you as if had not been busy helping me you might have been attacked by your opponents again and might have been killed. The important person for you was the person whom you treated tenderly and he became your friend before his death and the most important thing was to do the good to the wounded person. So, the moral came out as in put in the following three lines.
1. The most important time is now.
2. The most important person is whoever you are with.
3. The most important thing is to help the person you are with.

According to theological view point the worldly life is given at once only and there will no such life where we can compensate the loss had in this life. And in the life hereafter we shall be made accountable about the deeds whatsoever we would have done here and it very wisely said that every regretting soul will be asked on dooms day that you were given the chance that you have not availed gainfully. Now the life you have come from has ended and is not reversible. So, you have to live with the conditions resulting from your deeds. According to Hadith: a person in hell will plead before Allah that he may be given one more life so that he may replace his sins with the virtues. But the answer would be: you treated it as a lie whatever was ordained in the Quran and whatever was said by the prophet (pbuh). Now there is no scope to your wailings and crying.
Hence, the term under reference is applicable in both the physical as well as spiritual world and we must exploit the term fully to comprehend our character and role to give our life a shining touch by avoiding wrong doings and turning to good ones that are at once beneficial to ourselves and to the human kind as well.

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