Globalization
has only turned the pendulum back and freedom of market has become superior to
democratic freedom. The protests against globalization have assumed
the form of religious idiom in many countries causing more confusion
among the people in the aftermath of the undermining of the leftist opposition.
The modern poet who opposed traditional thinking is seen as advocate of the
Western culture and his freedom is curbed by the government on the one hand and religious
people under the sway of the fanatical leaders. Vexed and cynical due to the
onslaught from various corners and a times the very people whom he wants to
influence and change, the poet in the present days is to
remain stubborn and hopeful to see an
end to “the clash of ignorant armies in the night” written about by Mathew Arnold
way back in the nineteenth century. The romantic element and piety return to the poet who has turned
skeptical in the modern age and he
thinks that literature and poetry rather
than power politics can usher in better
world. In these days of hypersensitivity when people get offended easily and resent
any criticism of their faith , the freedom
to create and criticize is the need of the hour.
Tagore’s Gitanjali has put the Indian poet on the world map of
literature. Krishna Kripalani writes that “ love of God and love of man,
strength in sorrow and humility in joy ,an innocent wonder that hides centuries
of thought , invest these songs with an appeal that is both universal and
perennial”(229). In the present time of
wars which are punctuating peace, is it possible to go back to the frame of
mind when Tagore wrote these poems and appreciate them? This article attempts to
understand Tagorean concepts of freedom and life in the present times of
conflict and violence and people’s protest against injustice however weak it
may be.
Self-surrender
and freedom
Krihna kripalani writes that Tagore’s “religious poetry which culminated in the passionate sincerity
an utter simplicity of Gitanjali was
wrung out of his heart’s blood. His religious insight, like that of all great
saints, was born of deeply experienced
sorrow and loneliness”( 222).
Tagore writes that his song is simple and the
jingling of ornaments would drown His whispers. His vanity vanishes in the sight of God, the
master poet at whose feet the poet Tagore sits humble. He wants to make
his life a flute of reed to be filled
with divine music. In the hall of God,
the poet has a corner seat. His idle and empty life breaks out in futile
tunes. He asks Him to instruct him to sing in the dark midnight in the
hour of silent worship. The poet has been invited to the world’s festival and
he saw and heard whatever he could and
played his tunes. He asks whether the moment of
darshan came to offer his
silent salutation. The poet notes that the song which he came to sing remained
unsung and he spent time in setting the
strings of his instrument right. Neither the time nor the words have come and
only the agony of desire remained in heart.
He hasn’t seen God’s face or
listened to his words but heard only the gentle footsteps on the road
before his house. God’s seat has been made , the lamp remains unlit but he
hasn’t been invited into the house. The
poet is hoping patiently for the moment of meeting Him. He thought that he
reached dead end in his voyage. His
resources depleted and obscurity stared at his face. But he finds
the God’s will is endless in him. The new melodies of heart spring forth
while old words dry out on the tongue. A new country of wonder opens up where
the old paths are lost. If God is silent , the poet fills his heart with
silence and is vigilant like starry night in patience. At dawn, His voice pours
out in golden streams from the sky. From the poet’s heart raise songs like birds and divine
melodies blossom into flowers in all his forest grooves. The poet’s journey is
long, he rode the chariot of first gleam of light and voyaged through the wide
world. The farthest course takes him
nearest to God and the most complex
training helps to the utter simplicity of tune. The traveler has to knock many
doors before he comes to his own and the cry for destiny floods the world and receives the assurance “ I am.”
Nirmala
writes that “Tagore asks us to come down on the
dusty soil and find presence of the Divinity among the tiller who tills the
land and the path maker who breaks the stones. The charge of escapism and the
other- worldliness against the poet are absolutely wrong and baseless.”
Patience pays
The poet asks to pluck the flower and the
little one has to be honoured with the pain of touch of his hand. He is afraid
that the day ends without making any offering. Despite the small flower’s light
colour and faint smell, the little flower may be plucked in time for divine
service. He sees divine love in the
golden light dancing upon the leaves, idle clouds drifting in the
sky and the passing breeze leaving its coolness upon the poet’s forehead. The
morning light has flooded the poet’s
eyes and his heart touched God’s feet.
According to Kripalani, “The language is simple and the feeling as sincere as
the thought is sublime“ (229) Verner von Heidenstam , another Nobel prize
winner has written that “ They gave me hours of intense enjoyment , it
was like drinking the water of afresh , clear spring, the intense and loving
piety that permeates his every thought and feeling , the purity of heart, the
noble and natural sublimity of his style , all combine to create a whole that
has a deep and rare spiritual beauty “ (qtd. in Kripalani 261-261)
Krishna
Kripalani writes that ‘the key stone of his spiritual philosophy or intuition’
is that “he will see God within himself and also permeating everything in the
universe, remote and self-isolated , luring men away from this world or a jealous
tyrant , scared of Satan and bribing mankind with his favours ” (198)
The
critic says that self- surrender and humbleness may not go far in exploring the secrets of universe. There
is a chance that humbleness can make
people passive in face of change. The
wonder of nature has to propel man to unravel the enigma of universe rather than praising the given. The
destiny has to be chalked out but not
accepted as unalterable since human endeavor
has achieved the progress so far but not the
surrender before a force imaginary. This argument can be reflective of height of
arrogance or granite –like will power to create a niche permanent for
mankind in the bosom of universe.
On the positive side, the
doctrine of self-surrender accepts that whatever happens is for one’s good in
the end. There is “a destiny that shapes our ends.” It makes the best of the
present and the world of opportunities
available. It believes that by subordinating one’s ego to the
higher powers, one can realize one’s innermost desires. It avoids frustration
born out of failure of one’s will or efforts whereas firm will could lead to failure and
frustration. At times it may lead to the emergence of megalomaniac leaders such
as Hitler. The Spiritual concept of freedom expects a person
to strive with diligence to attain divinity
whereas the rational or agnostic outlook of the West expects that one has to fight on with
endurance of the old man of Hemingway or tenacity of Stephen Hawkins or willfulness of a Stephen
Jobs who braved cancer to realize his goals.
But materialistic interpretation of history supports understanding of historical laws and practice
that would give one real freedom and an
individual cannot hope to be free while his
nation is not free and working class is at the mercy of the vagaries of
markets.
Freedom
The poet’s heart aches at slavery but is ashamed
of hoping for freedom. He clings to the tinsels and shroud of dust and death even though God is
the poet’s best friend and has priceless wealth. Though the poet’s debts are
large and shame heavy, he is afraid of the granting of prayer by God. The
poet is building the wall of ego around him and his true being is buried in its
dark shadow.
The prisoner says that he forged a chain
with great labour to rule the world with his invincible power and at last he
found himself enchained. Mundane love is a bondage and possessive whereas divine love is free. The divine love
waits even though the poet doesn’t pray or keep Him in his heart.
The
poet wants to awaken his country into a
heaven of freedom where one finds- fearless mind, self-respect, free knowledge, truthful words, universalism,
untiring effort for perfection, clear and living stream of
reason and expanding empires of mind and
action. He prays to lord to root out penury in his heart. He also prays for
strength to have equanimity, service with love, stand upright for the poor and
against the insolence of the mighty, broadmindedness, and to bring surrender to is will. The poet prays to God
to offer merely on dry heart, a burst of
songs to graceless life, peace and rest
to clear the dire of daily routine, the visit of a King into closed heart. The
poet prays to the holy one to come with his light and thunder when mind is
swayed by delusion and dust. He wants to face the God to remove dark despair
and wants for cloud of grace ( that looks like tearful look of a mother) on the
day of His wrath.
Krishna
kripalani quotes from the letter of Tagore written in February, 1893 as
follows:
Ours is indeed an unfortunate an unfortunate, God-forsaken country where the primary
will-to-do is lacking. The capacity to think, to feel, to will is atrophied. The
adventure of big striving, of truly and fully living is unknown…. Our reasoning
is infantile and our emotions easily degenerate into sentimentalism.” (174)
Tagore
has not turned a blind eye to the world.
Kripalani writes that his “mysticism was
nothing but his sense of kinship with everything, his innate awareness of the
unseen link that binds not only the living among themselves , but the living
with the so-called nonliving, the seen with the unseen” (175). Kripalani writes that Tagore wanted us to
learn a ‘ mission to fulfill’ and not suffer from ‘provincialism’ which can end in
‘intellectual indigence’(336).
To him freedom is more mental rather than merely political. His insight into unity of life in
diversity of creation cancels
hierarchical thinking and ‘temporary’ tyranny in the cause of freedom. Tagore’s concept freedom is for national
regeneration but not chauvinistic or
xenophobic. His spiritual outlook champions the puny against the Mighty.
His faith doesn’t degenerate into superstition and clear steam of reason does
not lead to mechanical materialistic
attitude. He is against greed and he
seeks help from the grace of God to
inculcate optimism. Tagore has aspired for freedom untrammeled by Political
organizations and movements wedded to force.
To him freedom is more mental rather than merely political. His insight into unity of life in
diversity of creation cancels
hierarchical thinking and ‘temporary’ tyranny in the cause of freedom. Radhakrishnan
writes, “The soul is the creator ; all others are the materials for creation. The
materials may come history, from social environment. They do not create the
human being. He expressed himself through them. The living spirit in us liberates
us from the mechanism of compulsion. It is freedom that helps us to order our
life and move forward in the education of human race…Great sources of knowledge
and deep wells of inspiration are available to us so that we may select worthy
goals and work effectively for realizing them.” ( 150)
Marxian concept of freedom has
also focused on cultural changes which would propel and succeed political and
social revolution. It wants negation of
conformist or status-quo philosophy and
tries to posit new freedom. But the history of socialism shows that freedom has
soon turned into shackles of new kind proving Dickensisan prophecy true. Continuous struggle for
freedom has become a necessity in order
to defeat the old forces and in the fight
to the finish the reactionary forces have also won at times leading to
curtailment of freedom for artists. Many Russian and Chinese writers have
become victims of ’ignorance of
historical law’. The yesterday rebel has become a new commissar and democratic
freedoms have vanished.
Modern
concept of freedom supports national
freedom or liberation form imperialistic exploitation and its cultural assault.
It wants freedom from the state as well
as fanaticism of non-state groups. Discrimination based on
caste, religion, class, nationality, color, gender, age are anathema for modern
lover of freedom. Freedom is from the tyranny of mind or the majority. It is allowance for criticism. It is freedom to
fail in risk-taking. To attain national
and democratic freedom Mandela and Aung
San Suu kyi spent decades in solitary
confinement. They have sought freedom from rancor and vindictiveness and there
is no chance of the rise of the new rank of oppressors as Dickens wrote at the
end of The tale of two cities. They have
not seen freedom as burden as existentialists felt nor retreated into
individual Moksha or salvation.
Celebration of life
The
poet wants to mingle various strains of joy--
the joy that makes the earth flow in excess of the grass, the joy that
makes love and death dancing over the wide
world, the joy that pulsates life
with laughter, the joy that sits still
with its tears on the open red lotus of pain, and the joy that throws every
thing it has upon the dust and knows not the word. The same stream of life that courses through
the poet’s veins goes through the world and dances in rhythmic measures. It becomes blades of grass, leaves and
flowers, gets rocked in the ocean cradle of birth and death, limbs
glorious and pride dancing in his
blood this moment.
The
poet says that His joy in him is full and
he has come down to offer love. In his life, His will is taking shape
and love unites the poet and God.
When the poet wants to yield, he asks the
other to take it up and sees struggle in
vain. He asks God to come and occupy his seat ( a mat on the floor) at his will
and pleasure.
The
poet says that he searches the ocean of forms to gain the perfect form of the
formless. He is weary of travel and wants to seek immortality and tunes to
eternity. The poet was not aware of the moment when he crossed the threshold of
life. In the morning, he felt that he
was no stranger in this world and god appeared to him as his mother. He loves
life as well as death. When the
playhouse of infinite form he has had his play and he has seen the formless.
Divine touch thrilled his being and made
him fearless of death. When the poet was playing divine play, he didn’t
know his shyness or fear and his life
was joyful. On happy days, he never cared to know the meaning of
His songs but picked up the tunes and
his heart danced with cadence. The world stands in awe of the infinite. The poet says that the flower is in splendor among
the thorns and at the end of the stony path a person wants in “virgin solitude”
(p.41)
To Tagore “perfect freedom lies in the harmony of
relationship which we realize not through knowing but in being. Objects of knowledge maintain an infinite distance from us who
are knowers. For knowledge is not union.
We attain the world of freedom only through perfect sympathy” ( qtd.in Radhakrishnan P.142)
Bertrand Russell, in his article “The
Essence of Religion” writes at length about finite self and the infinite self
and the relation between them. According to him, the essence lies “in
subordination of the finite part of our life to the infinite part. Of the two
natures in man, the particular or animal being lives in instinct, and seeks the
welfare of the body and its descendants, while the universal or divine being
seeks union with the universe, and desire freedom from all th at it impedes its
progress…what promotes disunion is insistent instinct, which is of animal part
of the man: what promotes union is the combination of knowledge, love, and
consequent service which is wisdom, the supreme good of man.”( 575)
It is
really surprising to find remarkable similarities in the thinking of
both Tagore and Russell in terms of
finding wisdom in the infinite self
which demolishes the walls of the
narrow walls of ego. In Tagore’s
Gitanjali, one finds a continuous insistence on stretching towards infinite
self and doing away with the egoistic
concerns.
Facing Death with a sense of
acceptance:
Let all
the strains of joy mingle in the last song—the joy of the earth, the joy of
dancing of life and death , and the joy of freedom. The poet invites death in waiting for whom he has seen vicissitudes
of life. He prepares the garland for
the Bridegroom and to meet him in ‘the solitude of night.’ The poet
knows that when he dies, “Yet stars will
watch at night, and morning rise as before”. He bids farewell to his brothers, thanks for
receiving more and asks for merely kind
words. Now he is ready to oblige the
summons for his journey. The poet wants other to wish him good luck and sees
the path as bright and beautiful and
fearless. He says that the evening stars
and “plaintive notes of twilight
melodies” greet him at the end of his Voyage. The poet knows that he is
conquerable. He is certain that his
pride will be smashed, his life will burst in exceeding pain and his empty
heart will sing like a hollow reed and
the lotus has to give out its innate honey
at one time or other. When the divine eye calls him in silence , he shall oblige. The poet dives down in to the ocean of life to
catch the formless. He takes his harp of life into the music hall of the abyss
and after its last utterance, he lays it down at the feet of the silent. He
sought Him through his songs and learnt
all his lessons of life. He wants all his songs merge into ”a single current
and flow to a sea of silence in one salutation’ to Him. He wants to fly
back to his eternal home like a flock of homesick cranes flying endlessly the way to their mountain nests.
Russell’s understanding regarding
religion is quite different as he argues that fear of the basis of the whole thing- fear of the mysterious, fear
of defeat, fear of death.” (596) His opposition was to organized religion that
has turned cruel in the course of history. He
believes that the feeling of security makes people turn towards religion which can
be substituted by science. He writes that “science can help us to get over this
craven fear in which mankind has lived for so many generations” and science
and “our own hearts can teach us … to look to our efforts
here below to make this world a fit place to live in. “ (596)
Tagore hasn’t turned his face away from science and he made an
attempt to influence science through
criticizing mechanical materialism. In his article,
Biswanath Banerjee writes as follows: “ Through their
contemplation of Nature as a living spirit, Bose and Tagore had at once
critiqued the extreme materialistic aspect of Western scientific methodology
and simultaneously reiterated the essence of ancient Indian spirituality which
is manifested in the belief of the Unity of Life.”
Both Tagore and Russell have not been
dogmatists but committed themselves to
open-mindedness and reason. Both have tried to grasp the truth although their tools are different –
scientific reason in case of Russell and
poetic intuition in case of Tagore. Radha Krishnan writes that “though Rabindranath was essentially a
literary artist, his voice was raised whenever grave injustices were
committed….Tagore along with Gandhi was responsible for the awakening of the national
spirit and all through his life he was a much against the cowardice of the weak
as against the arrogance of the strong. In his patriotism there was no trace of
hatred , bitterness or chauvinism” ( 152). While
Russell has been able to give his deep insight of
religion in his article from his Freeman’s
Worship, Tagore has been able to appreciate the beauty of science. Russell’s words, “ What the world needs is reasonableness, tolerance ,
and a realization of interdependence of
the parts of human family” would certainly have received concurrence from
Tagore.(604)
Bibliography
Biswanath Banerjee. “The Scientist and the Poet: Acharya Jagadish
Chandra Bose and Rabindranath Tagore.” Rupkatha Journal (2. 4): P.
479.Web.
Kripalani,
Krishna. Rabindranath Tagore: A Biography
.New Delhi: UBS Publishers Distributors
Pvt. Ltd., Reprint. 2008.Print.
Nirmala
G. Tagore’s concept of Divinity in His Poetry. Journal of Teaching
research and Litrature3.3
(January 2012).Web.
Radhakrishan
Sarvepalli. Occasional Speeches and
Writings: Third Series : July1959-
May 1962. Noida: Publications
Division Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Reprint. 1992.
Russell,Bertrand.
The Basic Writings Of Bertrand Russell:1903-1959.
London:Routledge,1992.Print.
Tagore,
Rabindranath. Gitanjali. Kolkata: Oneworld,2007.
Print.
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