IP_ Tagore Issue - Final.indd - high commission of india mauritius

Upanisad in his childhood. Itwas enriched by the philosophyof the Gita (though he didnot like the context of theGita, i.e., the warfield andalso he was against the idea ofarguments in favour of war),different schools of Vedantaand the philosophy of medievalsaints. Vedanta was his naturalinheritance but like his fatherDebendranath, Rabindranathdid not accept entirely theAdvaitic interpretation. “Brahmasatya jagat mithya” wasnever acceptable to him. LikeDebendranath he also had areverence for the world. He saidsalvation through the practiceof renunciation was not forhim. He wanted to taste thefreedom of joy in the midst ofTagore at the Santiniketan Templeinnumerable ties. What attractedhim was Vaisnavism, speciallythe Visistadvaita of Ramanuja(1017-1137). Vaisnavism,the cult of the deity and thedevotee, the love between thetwo attracted him. Rabindranathreceived the inner significanceof creation and love from themedieval Bengali VaisnavaPadavali (lyrics). The Vaisnavaconcept of beauty is imbibedby the poet, as beauty and loveform the keynote of Tagore’swritings.Rabindranath’s mission is – thedivinization of man and thehumanizing of God. Tagorewas influenced by Buddhismalso. Buddhist philosophyof Pratityasamutpada orKsanikatvavada did not attracthim, neither he was attractedby the Buddhist concept ofNirvana where there is nopain or pleasure. He wasattracted to Buddhist conceptof Ahimsa. He was fascinatedby the Buddhist’s teachings ofMaitri (brotherhood), Mudita(happiness in everything),Upeksa (indifference) andKaruna (compassion).Rabindranath was attracted towhatever was humane. Theperson Buddha was near toTagore’s heart. Rabindranath’sview on Buddha will betransparent from his saying“This wisdom came, neitherin texts of scripture, nor insymbols of deities, nor inreligious practices sanctified byages, but through the voice ofa living man and the love thatflowed from a human heart”(Creative Unity, RabindranathTagore, Macmillan India Ltd.,1922, 69).Tagore was also influencedby the Baul tradition. Baulis a non-orthodox faith thatflourished in Bengal. The Baulphilosophy is very similar toSufi philosophy. The simple lifestyle of Baul singers wanderingaround singing and dancing –always absorbed in the joy oflife touched Tagore. The Baulsbelieved that there is God inevery man’s heart and He maybe realized only by sincerelove and devotion. There is noroom for distinction of casteand sex. At Silaidaha (Tagore’sfamily estate) Tagore cameinto contact with Baul GaganHarkara, Fakir Fikirchand(1833-1896) and Suna-ullah. InTagore with people at Silaidaha (his family estate)Santiniketan he came to knowNabani Das Baul. Tagore wasalso acquainted with LalanFakir’s songs though there is noevidence of their meeting. Thesongs of Bauls had such impactupon Rabindranath that hisnovel Gora starts with a Baulsong. In his book ‘The Religionof Man’ (Hibbert Lecture,Oxford, 1930) he quoted anumber of Baul songs and hecomposed many songs in theBaul tune, in keeping with theBaul spirit, such as:O my mind,You did not wake up when theman of your heartCame to your door.You woke up in the darkAt the sound of his departingfootstepsMy lonely night passes on a maton the floor.His flute sounds in darkness,Alas, I can not see Him.[Tr. cited from “The Spirituality ofRabindranath Tagore”, by Sitanshu SekharChakravarty, in The Spirituality of ModernHinduism, 274]Here the relation between thesinger and the God – “the manof the heart” – is very intimate.Sometimes Tagore calls this “manof the heart” the “Eternal Friend”,sometimes he calls him ‘lover’.This ‘lover’ is Tagore’s JivanDevata, the ‘Lord of Life’, theguiding principle of his life. ThisJivan Devata sometimes appearsto him as male, sometimes asfemale. Like the Bauls, he wasalso looking out for this “man ofheart”.◆The author teaches Philosophy and Religionat Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan.INDIA PERSPECTIVES VOL 24 NO. 2/2010 64 INDIA PERSPECTIVES VOL 24 NO. 2/2010 65