Chapter 8. Conclusion

Transcription

1 194 Chapter 8 Conclusion Rabindranath Tagore, a versatile genius, is the first Indian poet who earned global recognition in his own life time and gained for India the distinct place on the world's literary map. Rukmini Ban Arundale has considered Tagore as pioneer in the field of art: "There have been pioneers in religion, politics, social work and education in India during the last century, but there has been only one real pioneer in the field of art. At a time when English education attempted completely to de-nationalize the educated citizens of this country, when Indian art was dying for want of encouragement by the state, when Indian life was looked down upon as backward and inferior, there arose this great poet who brought pride to their culture, to the hearts of the educated and hope to the hearts of the so-called uneducated" (1) Rabindranath Tagore was a proud inheritor of India's spiritual heritage to which he added lustre and gave voice in his inimitable language. Tagore's writings reflect the real India in all its beauty

2 195 and splendor, in its diversity and unity as well. He profoundly and truthfully portrays the life, customs and traditions of Indian people. He has projected and painted the lofty moral and ethical ideals, beauty and greatness of our culture and paved the way for universal brotherhood. Tagore's devotional poetry in his spiritual autobiography, which emanates from the innermost recess of his soul and pervades all through his lyrics. He was awarded Nobel Prize for literature in 1913 in the realm of art and literature. His glorious achievements will always enlighten the path of posterity. He has been the most celebrated and powerful literary figure of modern India and his genius was recognized all over the world. He derived inspiration from the rich heritage of Indian culture and thought and gave voice to our philosophical values for the well being of humanity at large. In the words of Dr. Radha Krishnan: "In interpreting the philosophy and message of Rabindranath Tagore we are interpreting the Indian ideal of philosophy, religion, and art, of which his work is the outcome and expression. We do not know whether it is Rabindranath's own heart or the heart of India that is breathing here. In his works, India finds the lost word she was seeking. The familiar truths of Indian philosophy and religion, the value of

3 196 which it has become fashionable to belittle even in the land of their birth, are handled with such rare reverence and deep feeling that they seem to be almost new" (2) Tagore was born in 1861, which represented the period of conflict and promise. The traditional ideas of east clashed with the western progressive thoughts. The situation triggered three reactions: one, the orthodox section of Indian society had anti-west attitude; two, blind acceptance of western ways of life and thought to the exclusion of Indian culture; and three, the attitude of rapprochement. Tagore belonged to a creative class and he attempted a synthesis of eastern ideals and western values. He did not yield to the domination of western culture, but at the same time he was alive to the defects of Indian society. In this respect he was one of the builders of New India. In his 'Religion of Man' he writes: "I do not consider India to be a geographical entity. To me it is spiritual personality.1' (3) On the one hand, we find that Tagore's mind is firmly rooted in Indian philosophy; and on the other hand, he wants that India should get rid of its obsolete and crippling habits. Here he wants to

4 197 implement the doctrine of give and take. Dr. Radhakrishnan appropriately remarks: "Rabindranath's mission was one of reconciliation between the East and the West in a spirit of understanding and mutual enlightenment" (4) Highly influenced by the cosmopolitan philosophy of Tagore, Pearl Buck has called him 'A World Poet'. He writes: "His poetry and his poetic prose reached deep and far, because he spoke to us of mind and soul, leading the human spirit towards God" (5) Tagore is mainly a devotional poet. He has derived inspiration from Upanishadic doctrine according to which God is all-pervading and his presence is felt everywhere, throughout this universe. Love is the real bond between man and God. His lovepoetry bears the stamp of Vaishnava Love-poetry, which revolves around the love of Radha and Krishna. Tagore's conception of love has spiritual dimension. In the words of Humayum Kabir: "Tagore's love for man unconsciously and inevitably merged into the love for God. For him God was essentially love. The

5 198 love of the mother for her child or the love of the lover for the beloved are only instances of the supreme love, that is God. And this love expresses itself not only in the ecstatic devotion of the mystic but also in the routine of every day life of the common man" (6) Tagore's love for God is replete with sensuous and erotic images. The secular and spiritual have been blended in his spiritual love lyrics, which shows the longing of human soul for complete union with God. Tagore writes: "In love we find a joy which is ultimate because it is the Ultimate Truth. Therefore it is said in the Upanishads that the 'Advaitam is Anantam' - 'The One is Infinite'. That Advaitam is Love" (7) In 'Lover's Gift', 'Fruit Gathering', 'The Gardener' etc Tagore expresses his feelings of love to the mortal beloved. But in 'Crossing' and Gitaniali Tagore spiritualizes love. First and foremost ingredient of real love is total and unconditional surrender. In Gitaniali the poet says: "I am only waiting for love to give myself up at last into his hands. That is why it is so late and why I have been guilty of such omission.

6 199 They come with their laws and their codes to bind me fast; but I evade them ever, for I am only waiting for love to give myself up at last into his hands." (8) Radhakrishnan has rightly remarked: "Rabindranath's love is a spiritual love above sex, unintelligible to the world at large, a love which looses itself in the sea of Absolute." (9) Tagore is staunch votary of spiritual love. He believes that there are many ways to reach God. But the most effective and easiest is the one by love. Love is the highest virtue and essence of our life. As the beloved yearns for lover, the human soul bears the pangs of separation and aspires for and rejoices in the ultimate bliss in its union with God. The meeting of human soul with God is the moment of spiritual illumination. Though we find deep imprint of 'Vaishnav' thought in the poetry in the poetry of Tagore, we also note the impact of Vedanta in his writings and works. To say that the 'Brahman' of Vedanta is an abstraction beyond this external world is incorrect. Tagore protests against such conception. He says:

7 200 "The infinite in India was not a thin non-entity, devoid of all content. The Rishis of India asserted emphatically: 'To know Him in this life is to be true; not to know Him in this life is desolation of Death How are we to know Him then? By realizing Him in each and all. Not only in Nature, but also in family, in society, and in the state, the more we realize the world - consciousness in all, the better for us. Failing to realize it, we turn our faces to destruction" (10) In Vedantic philosophy 'Brahman' is all-pervasive. Everything emanates and dissolves in Him. Rabindranath firmly believes that God is not a being seated high up in the heavens, but a spirit immanent in the whole universe of persons and things. He says that the whole universe is the manifestation of God: "Thou are the sky and thou are the nest as well" (11) The most conspicuous aspect of Tagore's mind is his nationalism and internationalism. Like a true nationalist he aspires for the freedom of our country and says: "Where the mind is without fear and the Head is held high, Where knowledge is free, Where the world has not broken up into

8 201 Fragments by narrow domestic walls, Where words come out from the depth of truth, Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection; Where the clear stream of reason has not Lost its way into dreary desert sand of dead habit, Where the mind is led forward by thee Into ever-widening thought and action; Into that heaven of freedom, my father Let my country awake". (12) When Tagore loves India, it is not only cultural richness that he loves. In his 'Religion of Man1 he writes: "I do not consider India to be a geographical entity. To me it is spiritual personality". (13) But Tagore was not a chauvinist. Tagore's nationalism is leads to internationalism. In a poem entitled 'Pravasi' he writes: "My home is everywhere I am in search of it; My country is in all countries I will struggle to attain it" (14) Tagore was a 'Visva-Manav' in the true sense of the term. 'One who has a mind for all, with universal perception'. He had

9 202 faith in human freedom and dignity. His vision was to emancipate the human mind from superstition, from obscurantism, from everything that lowers the dignity of man. He has condemned the selfish attitude of European nations who had one aim of exploiting the backward nations and peoples for their own selfish gain and interest. He writes: "Oh! the seashore of the west, The funeral pyres are emitting The last flames Caught from the torch of a selfish and decadent civilization, The worship of energy In the battle field of factories Is not worshipping thee, The protector of the universe" (15) Tagore was a universal personality. He was nationalist as well as internationalist. He encompassed the world from the vision of the poet seeking harmony among the people of the whole world. Most aptly Alexandra Phillippide has summed up the contribution of Tagore in following words: "Tagore has brought a fresh, a novel flow of poetry, into the stream of world poetry; for it is a great lyrical outflow such as the world has not known for long and which, while

10 20'S bearing the stamp of a national character, also had the features of universality, including human features that are essential in all ages and places" (16) Tagore has been a great humanist. He is the poet of man. He has expressed deep love for man. Rabindranath Tagore believes that 'God has many strings to his sitar, some are made of iron, others of copper, and yet others are made of gold. Humanity is the golden string of God's lute1. His freedom, his ethical and aesthetic consciousness makes man the golden string. In the preface to his collected works, Rabindranath says: "This world I have loved; greatness I have saluted; freedom I have aspired for and I have believed that man is true and that universal man is ever living in the hearts of the people". (17) Tagore has faith in human dignity. He believes in the positive dimension of life, and that is the reason why he laments to miss it after his departure from this world. He writes: "I have loved the world, And have wrapped it within my heart in numberless folds, The light and shadow of night and morn

11 204 Here flooded my consciousness, Till my life and my world have become one, I have loved the light of the world. Therefore, I love this life. Yet I know 1 shall have to take leave of it one day. My voice wills no more blossom in the air, Nor my eyes bathe in this light, My heart will not rush forth to greet the early dawn, Nor will the starry night whisper her secrets Into my ears" (18) Tagore believes that Man and Nature are the two aspects of the Absolute. Nature and Man are revelations of the divine spirit. Thus both are not antagonistic to each other but they are the manifestation the same divine spirit. He perceives immanence of God is in Nature. He affirms: "I believe that the vision of paradise is to be seen in the sunlight, and the green of earth, in the flowing stream, in the beauty of spring-time and the repose of winter morning. In everything of this earth the spirit of paradise is awake and sending forth its voice." (19)

12 205 In 'Fruit Gathering', 'Crossing' and Gitanjali we find good number of songs which vividly reiterate the faith of poet that Nature is manifestation of God. He writes: "I have met thee where the night touches the edge of the day; where the light startles the darkness into dawn, and the waves carry the kiss of the one shore to the other. From the heart of the fathomless blue comes one golden call and across the dusk of tears I try to gaze at thy face and know not for certain if thou are seen" (20) Tagore is a passionate lover of Nature and in his poetry we find complete identification of man with nature. Tagore is a realist. He never admonishes for renunciation. He asks for the performance of once duty with devotion and dedication. Negation of life has never been his ideal. He wants perfection in life, which can be achieved by spiritualizing sensuous manifestation. He writes: "Deliverance is not for me in renunciation. I feel the embrace of freedom in a thousand bonds of delight. Thou ever pourest for me the fresh draught of thy wine of various colors and fragrance, filling this earthen vessel to the brim.

13 206 My world will light its hundred different lamps with thy flame and place them before the altar of thy temple. No, I will never shut the doors of my senses. The delight of sight and hearing and touch will bear thy delight. Yes, all my illusions will burn into the illumination of joy, and all my desires ripen into fruits of love" (21) But Tagore does not profess for sensuous enjoyment. He simply stresses that mundane world is the manifestation of God and we should direct our sensuous perception towards spiritual realization. He wants synthesis in worldly life and spiritual life. Like great Vaishnav poets he sees God in every being. He feels that god can be realized through oneness with humble humanity. He denounces rituals and exhorts to mitigate the hardships of poor people. When we wipe away the tears of others, we come nearer to God. Tagore believes that man is essentially a spiritual being. Man's true nature is God. Like great Indian saints he believes that man is not merely this body. Body and mind are subject toxhange, decay and death, Whereas the real being, the immortal self, is ever abiding, never ending and eternal. Physical body is merely an instrument of the soul. It is the temple of the radiant spirit, which

14 207 knows no death. In the opening lines of Gitanjaii Tagore gives the message of the immortality of the soul: "Thou hast made me endless, Such in thy pleasure. This frail Vessel thou emptiest again and again And fillest it with ever fresh life". (22) Tagore firmly believes that death is not the end of life. Death does not mean total annihilation. Death does not end the chain of sequence. Soul in the human body does not and cannot die with the body. Human soul is immoral. When the body is destroyed, the soul continues to live and according to our 'Karma1, God bestows another body to the soul for its continuance: Tagore believes that in every particle of creation the Creator exists. In 'The Poet's Religion' he says: "Whenever our heart touches the one, in the small or the big, it finds the touch of the infinite" (23) According to Vedanta when realization of the Absolute dawns, the barrier between man and God melts away and the realized soul becomes 'Brahman'. The Taitiriya Upanishad declares; 'He who knows Brahman obtains liberation1. The Mundak Upanishad says:

15 208 'He who knows Brahman verily becomes Brahman'. Rabindranath Tagore also says: "Yes, we must become Brahman. We must not shrink from avowing this. Our existence is meaningless, if we never can expect to realize the highest perfection that there is". (24) On this point there is some difference in Indian and western philosophy. Western philosophy proclaims that man can not attain Godhead. But Tagore like ancient saints and seers of India says that perfection can be attained. Apart from being a great poet. Tagore is great mystic. The devotional and poetic literature of India is embodied in his poetry. Tagore believes in the principle of 'Basudhaiv Kutumbakam'. To him the whole world is a single family. He is a Hindu, a Christian as well as a Muslim. His poetry is free from religious sectarianism. He draws inspiration from the religions, rivers, forests, trees, and the mountains of India. His images, his aspirations, his ambitions, his dreams, his prayers are definitely like those of an Indian saint, an Indian humanist, an Indian thinker and and Indian sage. The described devotional strands of Tagore's poetry finds beautiful expression in his lyrical genius. His lyrics are mainly

16 ?09 devotional in nature. But he also wrote patriotic and humanistic lyrics. His devotional lyrics have got lasting effect on the mind of readers. Prof. Abidi has remembered him as the supreme lyric poet in the annals of Indo-Anglian poetry: "The major voices in Indo-Anglian poetry are lyrical. Toru displays an exquisite lyric talent in her shorter poems. Manmohan Ghosh is another, but he was not satisfied with his lyrical gifts. Arbindo Ghosh had a lyrical gift of a high order, though he used it less frequently. The popular appeal of Sarojini as the Nightingale of India leaves one in no doubt regarding the nature of her muse, but her poetry is at times too sing-song. Similarly, her brother Harin has lyrical gifts of a rare order, but he too is uneven. Only Tagore can be singled out as one who remains a supremely lyric poet from first to last" (25) His lyrics are remarkable and matchless. The beauty and richness of imagery distinguish them. His poetic works abound in poetic similes, metaphors, and suggestive and picturesque symbols. Simplicity, subjectivity, spontaneity, melody, intensity of emotion, and sublimity are the main attributes of his lyrics, which make him one of the greatest poets of the world. Commenting on his poetic character Dr. B. C. Chakravarty has remarked:

17 "Tagore holds a unique position in the realm of poetry on account of the fact that he has combined in himself the romanticism of Shelley, the mysticism of Francis Thompson and the realism of Eliot, Auden and Spender. He has given us the song of childhood in the 'Crescent Moon', the songs of human love in the 'Gardener', the songs of divine love in 'Gitanjali' and the songs of common humanity in 'Poems'. These works have enriched the English Language and have made a lasting contribution to English literature" (26) Tagore is the great representative of India's spirit, grace and genius. The Indian national consciousness is the base from which his works grow. He has absorbed India's cultural heritage, made it his own, enriched it, given it universal scope and significance. We find in his works at their best the simple dignity of language, intense poetic sensibility, fusion of thought and feeling. These great qualities make his works belong to the literature of the world. We may conclude that Tagore is a spiritual and universal poet. He has been rightly called 'India's poet Laureate', 'The Son of India', and 'The Sentinel of the East'. He is poet par excellence. He was a world citizen. Edward Thomson has aptly said: "It is clear that his ultimate place will be not simply among Indian poets, but among those of the world" (27)

18 Literature has its own special contribution to make to the moral and spiritual well-being of mankind. Its role as promoter of life, love, culture and peace is universal. All the devotional strands in Tagore's poetry enlighten and inspire us, ethically elevate us, in addition to filling our heart with the aesthetic pleasure ol a mundane kind. I would like to conclude with the words of W. B. Yeats who acknowledged the poetic quality of Tagore and paid befitting tributes to him in the following words: "We write long books where no page perhaps has any quality to make writing a pleasure, being confident in some general design, just as we fight and make money and fill our heads with politics - all dull things in the doing - while Mr. Tagore, like the Indian civilization itself, has been content to discover the soul and surrender himself to its spontaneity". (28) iek-k'k k'k'kick'k

19 Reference jy^u. (1) Rukmini Bin Arundale, "Tagore and Indian Culture" in A Centenam Publication on Rabindranath Tagore ( ), p. 74. (2) Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, The Philosophu of Rabindrancith Tagore, in Preface to First Edition, Madras, May 27, (3) Rabindranath Tagore, Religion of Man, p. 23 (4) Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, "Rabindranath Tagore" in Living with a Purpose p. 91. (5) Pearle Buck, "A World Poet" in A Centenam Publication on Rabindranath Tagore ( ), p (6) Humayun Kabir, "Introduction" in One Hundred and One (Bombay: Asia Publishing House, 1966), p. XXXIV. (7) Rabindranath Tagore, "Introduction" in Creative Unity, Macmillan, 1939, p. 4. (8) Rabindranath Tagore, Gitaniali Poem -17, (9) Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, The Philosophu of Rabindranath Tagore, p. 35. (10) Rabindranath Tagore, Sadhana. p. 20.

20 (11) Rabindranath Tagore, Gitanjali, poem-67. (12) Ibid., Poem 35. (13) Rabindranath Tagore, Religion of Man, p. 21. (14) Rabindranath Tagore, Pravasi, p. 11. (15) Rabindranath Tagore, "The Blood-Red Line" in The Independent (16) Alexandria Phillipide, A Centenam Publication on Rabindranath Tagore, , p (17) Rabindranath Tagore, in Preface' of his Collected Works. (18) Rabindranath Tagore, A Flight of Swans, p. 39. (19) Rabindranath Tagore, in his Epilogue" to Shantiniketan, by W. W. Parson. (20) Rabindranath Tagore, Crossing, p. 29. (21) Rabindranath Tagore, Gitanjali, Poem-73. (22) Ibid., Poem 1. (23) Rabindranath Tagore, in Poet's Religion. London: Macmillan, 1939, p. 4. (24) Rabindranath Tagore, Sadhana, p (25) S. Z. H. Abidi, Studies in Indo-Anglian Poetru. Bareilly: Prakash Book Depot, 1979, p.101. (26) Chakrawarty B. C., Rabindranath Tagore: His Mind and Art, p. 32.

21 214 (27) Edward Thompson, Rabindranath Tagore: Poet and Drapu.iist p (28) W. B. Yeats, Introduction to Gitanjali, p. XIV. 4 ki^iridc'k'k'kidck