HUMANISM OF TAGORE

Rabindranath Tagore was one of the greatest cmative geniuses of the Indian
mind, who had played a vital role in the history of Indian ~enaissanct' in the
nineteenth and early 2 0 century.
~ His encyclopedic mind had many Facets as an
enlightener, philosopher, poet, prose writer, playwright, literary critic, historian,
educationist, artist, musiciau, art-producer, composer, c u l w hem, reconciler of
indigenous and foreign traditions and has been rightly hailed as ''the hnardo-da-
vinci of the Indian renais~ance.~

The word 'renaissance' in Ewpean history meant 'rebirth' and was used in
the context of the revival of the GraceRoman learning in the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries after the long winter of the dark medieval period. While the Bengal-
renaissance associated with reformism, revivalism and nationalism, during the
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the region of Bengal in undivided lndia
during the period of British rule. The Bengal renaissance can be said to have started
with Raja Ram Mohan Roy and ended with RabiidranathTagore, although there have
been many stalwarts thereafter embodying particular aspects of the unique i n t e l l W
and creative output.3

Refening to the Bengal literary renaissance Charles Andrews commented, "If

Ram Mohan Roy may be likened to the root of this tree of literature, planted deep in
the soil, Debeadranath Tagore may be compared to its strong and vigorous stem, atad
R a b i i his son, to its flower and fruit.&

Before discussing and analyzing the humanism of Tagore, one must find out
the influences that shaped Tagore's w n a l i t y and thinking.

About the e n v i r o m of R a b i i he himself says :-

''I war born in 1861: tha is not an important &ate of

Mstory, buf it belongs to a p a t epoch in Bengal, when Ihe
m n l s of three lnovemtnrs ha met 1~ the ljfe of o w
country.*'"
 i. The religious movement that was introduced by a very p a t man of
gigantic intelligence, Raja Ram Mohan Roy.

ii. Literary movement started by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya who was

the first pioneer in the Bengali literary revolution which happened that
time.
..
.111.
National movement, which at the heginning was not hlly political. It
began just to give voice to the mind of the people to assert their own
personality.

These three movements were revolutionary and Tagore's family members

actively took part in all these three movements. So being brought up in such
atmosphere, the first religious movement introduced by Raja Rnm Mohm Roy
influenced Tagore a great deal. This movement with its radical new idcas was
revolutionary in its own way. Its vehicle was Brahmo Samqi of which Tapore's Ihthcr
Maharshi Debendranath Tagore was an important member.

In all fields of social reform, including abolition of the caste system, of the
dowry system, emancipation of women, and improving the educational system, the
Rrahmo Sarnaj reflected the ideologies of the Bengal rcnaissnnce. It also supported
social reform movements of people not directly attached lo the Samaj, such as Pundit
lswar Chandra Vidya Sagar's movement which promoted widow-remarriage.

Tagore was deeply impressed by the social, legal and religious reforms that
Roy advocated. To what extent Tagore was influenced by him could be found in his
tribute to the Raja on his death centenary on I8 Feb. 1933. He said :

"Rammohan Roy inaugurated the modern u,qe in

India ... ...... In this dark gloom 01Indiu8.vdcgenerution,
Ram Mohun rose up, a luminous star in the jrmamenr (tf
India? history, with prophetic purity of vision and
unconquerable heroism of .soul..... He is the great path-
maker of this century who has removed ponderous
obstucles that impeded our progress at every srep utul
initiated us into the present era ofworld wide co-operation
ofhumanity. ""
 Regarding the influence of Ram Mohan on Tagore Romain Rolland writes,
"This man of gigantic personality whose name to our shame is not inscribed in the
pantheon of Europe as well as of Asia, sank his plough shear in the soul of India and
sixty years of labour left her transformed. .. And out of the earth of Bengal has come
forth the harvest ....A harvest of works and men. And from his inspiration sprang
~a~ore's.'"

INFLUENCE OF NATIONAL MOVEMENT ;

The study of British history us well as of the histories of

other European nations tuught Indiuns the need for
individual liberty or qfdignity of mun us man, irrespective
of God or the king. It ~ I s olaugh1 the value o j the
constilutionul law and the evils ofthe ubsolute sovereignty
ofthe kingx

Though Tagnre condemned western imperialism and the imperialistic

tendencies of the British, he was very much influenced by the western civilization.

India has already been a meeting place of races and cultures, before the British
came to India. The coming of the British from the West further affected Indian life
and polity powerfully. Much that is vital in Eastern culture today is either a response
or a reaction from Western civilization. Rabindranath admits that he was struck by the
spirit of social service prevailing in the West. He says: '.It was an inspiration to me."9
He has only praise for the western ideals of law, order, and freedom.

"Europe has been teaching us the higher ohligutinns of

public good above those ofthe family and the clan, and the
sacredness of law, which makes society independent of
caprice, securing for it, continuity of progress and
guarantees justice lo all men in all positions in life. Above
all things, Europe has held high before our minds the
banner of liberty through centuries of martyrdom and
achievement-liberty of conscience, liberty of thought and
action, liberty in the ideas of art and lirera~ure."'~
THE INFLUENCE OF THE UPANISHADS :

It is obvious that Tagore has drawn much of his inspiration from his father
Debendranath Tagore, and from the verses of the Upanishad. Tagore himself wrote in
Preface to 'Sadhana' that he has been brought up in a family where texts of the
Upanishads are used in daily worship.""

Though Upanishads influenced him, his humanism is mostly his own. Dr. S.B.
Dasgupta, one of the famous critics of Tagore. mentioned that there is similarity
between the mental make-up of Tagore and the llpanishad's thinkers. If Tagore would
have never read Upanishads then also we would find the similarity between the
philosophy of Upanishads and that of ~abindranath.'~
It seems to be true that, though
Tagore was influenced by Upanishads, he only drew good inspiration from them. He
has not followed the dogmas propounded by them blindly.

The Poet's biographer Prabhat Kumslr Mukherjee said, "Nothing has

influenced him more, both consciously and as an under-current of his thought than the
Upanishads.... I maintain that Rabindranath's entire life is only an evolution and
development of his Upanisadic education."13

But I agree with Dr.S.B. Dasgupta who pointed out there was similarity
between the mentality of the Upanisadic seers and Tagorc. The truth which he has
understood is not borrowed from any philosophy, but he himself reels that truth
intuitively. And about his humanism we can say, Tagore's humanism which is
spiritualistic in form is no doubt influenced by Upanishad but his humanism is his
own. He uses quotes from Upanisad to support his humanism as he found similarity
between the humanistic ideas of Upanisadic sages and that of himself.

~shavaq~ah
Idam Sarvam Yat Kincha Jaga&am Jagat

(Every thing belonging to the world is enveloped by j ad)'^

Tagore's sublimation From humanism to world humanism was rooted in his

close study of the Upanishads. There is no doubt that Tagore's concept of world -
humanism is the result of the conceptualization of divine presence in everything
belonging to this world,
THE INFLUENCE OF BAULS AND MYSTIC SAINTS;

Tagore seems to be greatly impressed by the Bauls and mystic saints. The
Bauls are a sect in the villages of Bengal who are almost illiterate and exclusively
confined to lower rank of society which is far from the life of modern civilized
education and culture, yet their philosophy is so rich and humanistic in outlook. To
them man is the supreme consideration, be he Hindu or a Muslim. Bauls "have no
images, temples, scriptures, or ceremonials, who declare in their songs the divinity of
Man, and express for him intense feelings of love. Coming from men, who are
unsophisticated, living a simple life in obscurity, it gives us a clue to the inner
meaning of all religions. For it suggests that these religions are never about a God of
cosmic force, but rather about the God of human personality."f5

To sum up, Tagore was influenced by the Bauls, for their crusade against
casteism, idol worship, rites and rituals, untouchability, and love for man. In many of
his novels we find such characters that are simple lover of mankind.

Tagore was equally influenced by the saint poet Kabir. What attracted Tagore
in Kabir was his contempt for religious exclusivisn~.Kabir was not only an iconoclast
but also a relentless debunker of rituals and fanaticism. Kabir tells:

"Your Lord is near, ye1 you are climbing rhe palm wee lo
see him. The Brahman Priesr goes,fi.om house lo house and
interprets people the faith. Alas: the true founruin oJ'liJi,is
beside you and you have set up a stone lo worshipwf6

In the same tone Tagore also says:

"He is there where the tiller is tilling the hard ground and
where the path-maker is breaking stones "I7

Out of the collection of songs of Kabir made by Acharyasen, Tagore selected

one hundred songs to translate them into English in order to extend the frontiers of
Kabir's message to non-Hindi speaking world. All the songs, translated by Tagore are
either those, which have Kabir's exhortations against Idol-worship, religious-rituals,
caste feelings, untouchability or they contain his message of religious synthesis and
love.
THE INFLUENCE OF BUDDHISM:

Tagore was deeply influenced by the life and ideals of Lord Buddha,
particularly by the aspects of Buddhism and Buddhist Sangha which were directed
towards the formation of character of man as a social being. development of power,
mornlity, religion, humanism and faith.

Paying homage to Buddha he said, "on this auspicious day of Buddha Purnima.
on the birth anniversary, I offer my pranam to him whom I considered from the core of
my heart as the greatest man.'"' Tagore says, "when Buddha said to man, spread your
thoughts of love beyond limits, Christ said, 'Love your enemies' their words
transcended the average standard of ideals belonging to the ordinary world."'"

Tagore conceives Buddha as a great man. Elcments of sacritice, forgiveness,

kindness, non-violence, compassion, love, universal fraternity, unity, equality peace
associated with Buddhist teaching and culture greatly inlluenced the poet.

Though Tagore was much impressed by the humanistic teachings of the

Ilpanishads, Christianity, Buddhism, Valsnavism and the liberal humanism of
Brahma Sarnaj and Bauls, his humanism was not the echo of above schools. But his
own.

Now let us discuss different aspects of Tagore's humanism that is expressed in

his novels.

EMANCIPATION OF WOMEN

Though Tagore to a certain extent was influenced by the rich values of India's
past, as the fore runner of a new reform movement of a great cultural renaissance,
Tagore welcomed the worthy values of the west. The progressive and feminist
outlook of Tagore espousing women's emancipation is no doubt the result of his
western influence. Although the trend of his feminist ideas like Thomas Hardy is not
uniform, there is a note of Irony in his voice. Unlike his predecessors, he makes the
woman protagonists in almost all his novels except Guru. Because of his concern and
sympathy for them Tagore's women came off much better, much more clearly and
colourfully than his male characters. In the words of Krisbna Kripalani.
 ...inexhaustible, sympathy and admiration for Bengali
women but little for the males of his race. This is more true
of his novels than of his short stories."

Infact Tagore's humanism started from his instinct sympathy for women. Upto
the time none had made an indepth analysis of woman's mind as Tagore, none had
elevated her soul as Tagore, none too had revolutionized her silent spirit as Tagore
did.

The early marriage of the girls and its offshoot widowhood was a gruesome
social reality of the time. The emptiness in the life of widowhood and her frustration,
passionate feelings are close to reality in Binodini.

Tagore's socio-familial concept took a new turn when he began to probe the
depth of the socially unsanctioned love - love at the extramarital level from the point
of view of a frustrated wife in the Broken Nest.

In the traditional Indian society, there was no scope of bride or bridegroom

looking each other until marriage. The bitter consequences of the outdated arranged
marriage system meets with fate in The Wreck.

As the women get educated, there is a sense of change in her individuality.

The conflict bctwecn love and orthodoxy, family norms and individual freedom is a
matter of debate in Gom.

To the heroine in The Home and the World, it is a double education, it is a

fitting lesson for those women who have never seen the world outside.

All such questions relating to custom, convention, and tradition are reduced to
total irrevalence in C,'haturanga in which Damini is an unyielding rebel widow.

We have never seen so much despair in Tagore as in Four Chapters, for the
emotional entry of a young lady into terrorism which culminated in her merciless
death.

Tagore speaks of two kinds of women - the mother kind and the beloved kind.
The mother is like the rainy season which brings the gift of water and of fruit, tempers
the heat and fills the heart of a man with peace and happiness. The beloved is like the
spring whose mysterious enchantment rocks the blood of man into waves of ecstasy
and fills his mind with unspeakable joy. The ideal woman is she who has n synthesis
of these two qualities in her. Wherever one quality is predominant and the other is
sadly lacking, it gives rise to conflict in life and society. Twosisters portrays Tagore's
indepth analysis of woman's heart.

Tagore maintains that "woman is endowed with the passive qualities of

chastity, modesty, devotion and power of self-sacrifice in a greater mensure than man
is."*' Almost all of Tagore's women are epitomes of these rare qualities and also
suggest change in their outlook from innocence to experience.

Tagore has great regard for women. In all his novels whether it is the image of
a mother, or the image of a suffering daughter-in-law, or the emotional isolation of a
frustrated wife, or the burning passion of a widow, or the silent suffering of a
traditional wife or the temperament of a modern woman, the role of a woman as a
whole got a new meaning through his pen.

TRADITION AND MODERNISM

Tagore was born in a family where the atmosphere was charged with deep
religious feelings and yet free from adherence to forms and rituals. As he himself said
"my country men in Bengal thought him (Debendranath Tagore) almost as bad as a
Christian if not worse. So we were completely ostracized, which probably saved me
from another disaster, that of imitating our own past.'"2

Rabindranath Tagore though much impressed by our past culture, could not
accept tradition blindly unless it was healthy and stimulating. Just as he was against
blind tradition so against too much modernism. Me said,

"True modernism is freedom of mind, nut slavery of taste.

It is independence of thought and action, nut tutelage under
European school masfers. It is science hul not its wrung
application in life. "23
 Tagore had a sane and sympathetic understanding of westem values but this
was accompanied by an acute perception of the evils that follow from this mechanical
adoption. He stated with clarity and vision the damage done to spontaneity and native
gifts by attempting to force them into the mould of an alien culture, but at the same
time he was always prepared to welcome and incorporate elements of value from any
source. Shaped by the traditions of ancient India and at the same time a pioneer of the
Indian awakening, his family accepted the challenges of a new age without giving up
the rich heritage of the past.

The essential world outlook of Rabindranth Tagore was coloured by the

positive outlook of Raja Ram Mohan Roy who readily accepted the good in both the
Eastern and Western traditions and strove to evolve a faith of his own. Of him Tagore
wrote that "he stood alone in his day for India's union with the world on the basis of
humanity" and "that with a wonderful breadth of heart and intellect he accepted the
west without renouncing the ~ a s t . "What
~ ~ impressed Tagore most in Ram Mohan
Roy was the synthesis of East and West which Tagore himself achieved.

Tagore's visit to England at the age of seventeen gave him an opportunity to

come under the direct influence of western thought. After his return to England he
delved into western literature and thought. But this did not however, prevent the poet
from drinking "as deep at the founts of ancient Indian literature, art, and philosophy as
at those of western culture even deeper."*' No doubt, throughout his life. Tagore had
to face the constant conflict of two different cultures. 'This often led many critics to
misjudge him. On the one hand,he had deep respect for vedic philosophy and he was
at the same time a great admirer of the western intellectual energy, its faith in the
dignity of the individual. He was also a great advocate of modem democracy and
scientific spirit of the west.

Tagore's emphasis on individual endeavour and freedom explains why he was

no believer in rigid rules. He recognized the elements of value in Indian and western
culture but condemned whatever he regarded as narrow in practice. He was always
ready to accept innovations and declared that change is the law of life. He therefore
discouraged attempts to copy his own teachings and taught that it is only through
change that the value of the spirit can be maintained. He held that each country and
each community has its own peculiar culture and special needs. Every age and every
society must therefore re-shape ancient ideals to suit its own requirements.

Thus he demanded a combination of the ideas of east and west, tradition and
modernism, past and present, continuity and change. He was fully conscious of
contemporary evils of ignorance, superstition, poverty and disease. lle was a fearless
critic of social practices and rigid beliefs that have been followed by lndia over
centuries. He held that Indian attitude of submission to fate was inimical to man's
progress. He rejected simplistic formulation of western materialism versus Indian
spiritualism.

The novels like Binodini and Chaturr~ngaannoyed the orthodox. In T'hu Wreck
traditional sanctity in marriage is glorified over modem sanctity in love. Gora
suggests evenhanded justice to both tradition and modernism. The Home and the
World and Four Chapters condemned the imitation of western concept of nationalism
in strong terms. Two Sisters suggests a synthesis of dual images of tradition and
modernism.

UNITY AND DIVERSITY

"A true unity is like u round globs, it rolls on carrying iLv

burden easily, but diversity is many cornered rhing which
has to be drugged and pushed with ull force. l j ~ lit .wid to
the credit of India that the diversity was no! her own
creation: she has to accepf it as a fuct,from the beginning qf
her history"2h

in his interpretation of the history of India, Tagore pointed out that the genius
of India's civilization lies in the fact that it sought to briny Unity in Diversity. Tagore
while interpreting India's past history and civilisation warned the historians against
laying too much emphasis on politics in their attempt to reconstruct history of India on
western lines. In western countries, he remarked, the state formed the core of the
national life but in ancient India the life of the people had very little to do with the
state, and its activities. The problems that lndia faced were not so much polilical as
cultural and social. Various people with widely divergent cultures met on the soil of
India. Hence, the great problem that lndia faced was now to adjust and harmonize
these diverse elements into a happy synthesis. In many of his writings Tagore focused
this inner spirit of India's civilisation. But at the same time he complained that people
of India lost the true view of the history of India, under the influence of English
education, and English teachers. Our interests were more towards occidental affairs
than oriental. The foreign historians while recording the history of India, depicted the
dynastic quarrels, foreign conquests, fanatical wars and their outcome as the chief
events in India. To them history of India is a history of conquests and defeats only.
"Historians like Vincent smith2' while analyzing India's civilization have spoken of
unity in diversity. But their analysis is merely prosaic. They did not have the vision
of a poet. The difference between a poet and historian is that where-as the historian
deduces certain theories on the basis of variety of facts alone, the poet by his
knowledge and foresight achieved through his sixth sense, can extricate the inner idea
easily than the historians. And the conclusion, thus arrived at by the poet is accepted
no less than the historical ded~ction."~"

The historians either forgot or flouted to dipict the real history of India, the life
current that flowed in real India, the changes in society and the waves of welfare
efforts in the country. The real history of India can only be written on the basis of
these, and not by merely depicting quarrels and conquests, war and strife. The books
on history do not reflect the inner self of India's unity in diversity. On the other hand,
under the influence of western system of education that unity was broken and this
made us 'de-Indianised' India stands as an ideal to the history of the modem civilized
world for her unity in diversity. History of India is thus, the history for unity among
these diverse forces.

Quoting a remark of 'Tagore, Dr.Saroj Kumar Das writes, "Tagore has

vouchsafed the assurance that in the civilized society of the world, India exists as the
ideal of creating unity in diversity. To feel this oneness in oneself and in the world
outside and to establish that oneness in the midst of diversity, to discover that unity by
knowledge and to establish it through work, to realize that oneness through love and to
preach that oneness by one's own life, India has been doing this through many
hindrances and misfortune^."^^
History of India is neither a record of the rise and fall of dynasties or of
conquests and defeats. India all through cultivated the ideology of 'unity' in diversity,
to lead all roads, to bring all differencesand diversities under the shrine of 'unity'. As
Jawaharlal N e h wrote:

"We might say that the first cultural synthesis and.fusion

rook place behveen the incoming Aryuns und Druvidiuns.
who were probably the representutiws of Indus valley
civilization. Out qf this synthesis and jiision grew the
Indian races and the basic Indian culture, which had
distinctive elements of both. In the ages rhuf.fillowedthere
came many other races. Iranians, (;reek. Purlhiuns,
Seythians, flttns, Turks (13ej)re Islam) ecalv ('hrisriuns.
Zoroastrians: they came and were ah.rorhed "'"
India was according to Dodwell, infinitely absorbent like the ocean. It is odd
to think, with her caste systems and exclusiveness having this astonishing inclusive
capacity to absorb foreign races and cultures. Perhaps it was due to this that she
retained her vitality and rejuvenated herself tiom time to tirnc3'

Rabindranath works for the rebuilding of India, not on any narrow basis of
creed, province or language, but on the broad basis of India and her spiritual vision of
universal love. Indian should work for the regeneration of India because they are all
Indians, children of the same soil, and descendants of the long line of Indian saints.

It is Rabindranath's sincere conviction that the Hindu religion can stand

against the onslaught of modem civilization, religion and culture, on condition that it
rids itself of its dogmatism and superstition. The Aryan faith in its unsullied purity
can give unity to the chaotic channels pouring in floods into India from outside. Rut
they will overwhelm the Indian faith, if it does not in the meantime look about itself
and with an unsparing hand cut off the weedy outgrowths. We must free ourselves
from all the exhausted traditions, spent forces and obsolete watch words which still
possess us. A spiritual religion like that of Rabindranazh Tagore, which has for its
ideal a right heart and a saintly character, which has for its principle love of God and
service of man, can make no truce with idle rites and ceremonies, dogmas and
superstitions, snobbery and pharisaisrn, orthodoxy of a priestly caste, pride and
prejudice of position and authority, selfishness of classes and exclusiveness of nations.
The soul of India has to be delivered from these besetting sins.

The quintessence of India's cultural heritage in this principle of absorption of

different cultures, as Jawaharlal Nehru has said in Dynamic Life: "The other day I read
one of Rabindranath Tagore's poems, which spoke of the wonderful variety of India
where innumerable streams have flowed, producing the culture we now possess. The
capacity to observe these various streams of culture is a part of the creativeness of
India". Inspired by this ideal of unity and cultural absorption that India followed
through centuries Rabindranath Tagore thought that this country was most favourable
for the growfh and development of the concept of world humanism: 'In India the vast
problem of the global man will be solved'.32 l'he establishment of Visvubharati is a
real depiction of India's civilization of unity in diversity and Tagore's philosophy of
universality. Yatru vishvum hhuvulyekunidam a home and shelter for the peaceful
existence for the whole world. Tagore said "the strain of ideals that flow from the East
and from the West mingle their murmur in some profound harmony of meaning it
delights my soul."

Tagore's vision of India, has been expressed in many essays, poems and
novels. He has dcscribed the great motherland as a holy pilgrimage in his poem Indian
Pilgrimage, and described the motherland as the original abode of all religions in his
novel 'Chra'.

NATIONALISM Vs. UNIVERSALISM

Where the political civilizarion prevails, nations "live in an

atmosphere of,fiar, greed and panic, due to the preying of
one nation upon orher,for materiul wealth. Its civilizarion is
carnivorous and cannibalistic, feeding upon the blood of
weaker nations. 11s one idea is to thwart all greatness
outside its own boundaries, never before were there such
jealousies, such betrayals of trust; all this is called
patriotism whose creed ispolitics,"

Nationalism as a political concept, is entirely a new phenomenon. It is the

necessary consequence of the modern nation state system. Nations are hard facts, so is
their sentiment which we call nationalism. it is also identified with patriotic feeling.
It represents an intense emotional attachment to nation.

According to Tagore, the western concept of nation is not applicable to Indian

soil. Political unity will be unsuitable to Indian soil and climate. He, therefore. put
emphasis on hereditary and environment in creating cohesiveness in the people instead
of other external elements. Europe keeps separateness in the process of nntion
building but India assimilates all diverse elements for the process of assimilation is the
cult of the I n d i i civilization.

According to Tagore "Society is the basis of our Hindu civilisation, state is the
basis of the civilization of the West. Man can attain greatness hoth under society and
state. But it would be wrong if we think that building up o f a nation in the European
mould is the only nature of civilization and the only aim of humanity."'4 'She tendency
of the people of India to imitate the western concept of nation provoked the poet to
take up a deeper study and analysis of nation and nationalism.

He went through the books of the European philosophers including Ernest

Renan, a French Philosopher, on the subject. According to Tagore, a nation is a soul,
a spiritual principle. Tagore opined that, identity of race, language, religion, economic
bond and geographical boundary though important are not indispensable
characteristics in the building up of a nationality and nation there of. tle considered
nation as a living and internal to man. On the lines of Renan, he opined that a nation
builds itself around two things which are essentially one and constitute this soul. Of
the two, one is the past and the other is the present. One is the possession in common
of a rich inheritance of memories and the other is the keen desire to live together, will
to keep un-impaired that what has been inherited.

'A common ancestry, a common religion, a home and a government are not
enough without common heritage.'35 As a man cannot develop in a day so also the
nation cannot be built within a short period. It manifests itself by a long process of
evolution, sacrifice and sincerity. Thus a nation is to be built around past spirit,
greatness and glory. The pride of the past and willingness of the present, the
collective work of the people of the past and eagerness to repeat these works are the
basis of nationality and nation. To the extent the people can sacrifice and suffer, they
will be united by the bond of love. Here the poet is more akin to Renan. Renan
believed that common historical antecedents, traditions, customs and conventions and
the desire to live together are the features which constitute a nation. The people are
always proud of their past heritage and the hture ideals are also modeled on the past
and present. As such, the process of building up of a nation is evolutionary one, from
past to present and from present to future. Quoting a song of Sparta, the poet said 'we
are what you were, we would be what you are' is the basis of nation-building. He
considered past heritage and past memories and the modelling of future on that basis is
more important than unity of race, religion, language in building up of a nation.

Analyzing Renan's concept of nation and nationality Tagore too came to a

conclusion that nationality is a spiritual element and the unity of man is the cardinal
point of nationality. Tagore like all other patriots wanted that India should be free
from alien rulers. Rut at the same time he was aware that only political freedom
cannot be our objective. To him, freedom movement meant struggle against the
British administration as well as against prejudices and superstitions of people which
are bar to real freedom of their personality. He says, therefore "swaraj is not our
objective. Our fight is a spiritual fight - It is for Man. We arc to emancipate man
from the meshes."36

HUMAN VALUES Vs. DIVINE VALUES

The wide reputation of Tagore's religious verses as given in the Gitanjuli

gained in the wake of award of the Nobel Prize, had led people to believe that he is
essentially a writer of spirituality and mysticism and not of man and of the earth.37
Even though he clearly points out that "deliverance is not for me in renunciation."

It can't be denied that Tagore's humanism is connected with his spiritualism.

But his spiritualism does not make him reluctant of world and man, but brings him
nearest to man and sometimes above God too. Tagore remarks :

The revealment of the injlnite is ... not seen in its perfection

in the starry heavens but in the soul of man.38

Aqcording to Tagore, spiritual life is a human affair and salvation is not

through renunciation but through love, beauty and sewice. Most of the thinkers of
India consider that man's salvation becomes possible only when he can tear off all
bonds of love, service and joy.

Salvation through Love:

According to Tagore man gets god only in love, for love is the ultimate
meaning of everything around us. Love is the true nature of human personality. To
Tagore, for finding God, he does not go to any religious place nor mediates sitting in a
corner, but in nature, in humanity he perceives his God. lie says "To get the intimacy
of the supreme consciousness through love of nature, to perceive the formless in forms
that I call the way to liberation. I am fascinated by the nature, and in that delusion
I get the taste of sa~vation."~~
For Tagore salvation consists in ever-widening of
consciousness in extending the bonds of loving sympathy till it embraces the whole
world. According to Tagore Divinity is inherent in real love. The eternal God is
existing in human heart, where the eternal love goes on. So when we love human
beings we get the glimpse of the infinite.

Salvation through Action :

Tagore says love demands certain actions towards the object of our love. One
should not merely feel for the loved object but also do something for it. Love is not
mere sentiment devoid of any action. Love when it is a mere sentiment is incomplete.
That is true love which is complete and perfect in knowledge, action and renunciation.
People think that work is bondage, and an obstruction for the freedom oithe soul. As
for them, to become completely detached from this bondage and being inactive is
termed by them as 'liberation'.

"They cull Bruhmun also inactive and neglect worldly

oflairs by calling hem muyu "40

Tagore says that the Upanishad never forbade us to work because the sages
knew that freedom of work lies in 'joy' and the freedom of joy is in 'work'. Defeat
and disillusionment is the lot of man on earth, but man's glory lies in rising above
them and striving to achieve his ideals here. Those who refuse to face the conflicts of
life and seek refuge in an abandonment of the world suffer final defeat of the spirit.
Difficulties are not to be feared as much as the tendency to evade difticulties. The
apparent defeats in life do not lower the moral stature of a man. Loss of morality
results from the escapist mentality, which is afraid to face the tasks of life. So it is
better to perform worldly affairs with infatuation than to be engaged in meditation and
religious austerities for getting Brahman by leaving all works.

Salvation through worship of Beauty :

Tagore's faith was one of affirmation of acceptance of life with joy. He did
not see any virtue in the renunciation of the world in man's quest for God. God does
not want the world to be a cheerless desert and man to be rigorous ascetics but he out
of his lovc for humanity creates beauties of nature so that man can get joy and feel the
love of the Supreme Being. We feel the presence of eternally existing God in beauty
and love which is diffused in the whole world. "Beauty is no phantasy, it has the ever
lasting meaning of reality.4' Our sense organs are created by God so that we can enjoy
the form, colour, beauty, tastc which are revealed in the nature. Some moralists
consider sensual enjoyment to be sin, but Tagore, witfi the help of finite senses wants
to touch the infinite. 'l'hrough, forms he tries to reach formless. We can go beyond
the senses through the senses. Tagore never rejects the importance of body or senses.
Like the spiritual seers, he does not want to touch worldly things by spirit. Like a
mortal being he wants to enjoy the mortal objects, According to Krishna Kripalani,
for Tagore "Whatever brought real joy-whether playing, dancing or singing, reading a
good book all such activities as bring joy are healthy and good."42 According to
Tagore to look upon the world as joyful is not to become a slave of pleasure. Pleasure
is finite in nature, but joy is divine and infinite.

Humanity and Divinity according to Tagore do not belong to two different

orders but are the only the aspects of the same reality. Tagore is emphatic in asserting
that the Divine is also in certain respects human. ~ o isdrevealed in best way in man,
some times man himself becomes God the object of worship for Tagore. He says "I
want to see my God in that temple, where there are no rites, rituals and rigid practices.
Tagore says all rites rituals and practices are obstacles in realizing God's presence in
man's heart. Clarifying the nature of his religious philosophy, Tagore says, my
religion is 'Yhe religion of man in which the infinite is defined in humanity."
 "As the nature of the fix is fireness, the nature of animal is animality, like wise
man's religion is his own innermost huth". True religion means man's humanity. The
religion of man is to become like a man, to behave like a man, to accept the value of
man as man and to love humanity. T n ~ ereligion is that which accepts h e unity of all
people instead of their dityerences in religious faiths. Religion is always a uniting
force. Again true religion is that which makes a man to rise above his society. country
and sect, and again it cannot be judged by rites. rituals and superstitions. His religion
is not hampered by any man-made formulas or church ordinances which act as
barriers.

"When religion has to make wayfor religious organization

it is like the river being dominuted b y its sund he6 the
current slagnates and its aspects heconie desert-like. "4"

The term 'Humanism' as'a Philosophy, ideology and belief system has won a
sizable following only after the renaissance. However Greek Philosophy is not alone
in having the humanistic thought, perhaps it was one of the earliest of which we have
records of such comments: "Man is the memure qf ull things.'d4 It was surely not the
first also not the last. As Radhakrishnan says: The basic principle of the dignity and
freedom of the individual is common to all religious fniths. Marx even denied God,
because he believed in the potential divinity of man. 'I'he Jain thinkers held that man
can attain divinity, and God is only the highest, noblest and fullest manifestation of all
the powers that lie latent in the soul of man. Pascal tells us that man is a thinking reed
superior to all the unthinking forces that fill the universe. Man is subject not object,
we have a verse in the Muhabhurata, which tells us that "there is nothing higher than
man on earth." Guhyam brahma tadidam vo bravimi na manusat sresthataram hi
kincit.

"The aim of Greek Philosophy is lo muke man wi.se und

that of Chinese Philosophy is to make him virtuous, the aim
of Indian Philosophy is to enable him, to ohlain salvation
which is communion wilh the supreme spirit or realization
ofrhe Alman. "45
 But Tagore's humanism is quite distinct from ancient humanist of our country.
Referring to the Bruhadaranyaka Upanishad Tagore says:

A person who worships God as exterior to himselfdoes not

know him, he is like an animal belonging to the gods.46

This statement may rouse angry remonstrance. Should man then worship his
own self? Is it possible to offer oneself in self-devotion? The truth is quite opposite.
"It is easy to place one's God outside and worship him through traditional ceremonies,
observance of injunctions and taboos but the difficulty comes when we have to realize
and acknowledge the divine man in our thoughts and action^.^'

According to Tagore, man's salvation lies in freeing his personality from the
narrow limitation of self-hood. Man's ego makes him self-centered and all his
activities directed to the satisfaction of his own self. His finite nature only is revealed
then. Therefore we see for Tagore salvation is not inxenunciation of the world but in
perfecting human personality, when we realize divinity in us we get salvation within
this earthly frame.

Thus Tagore divinizes man by saying:

God loves to see in me not his servant hut himself

who serves

Thus Tagore's humanism is in tune with the renaissance humanism, the central
focus of which is quite simply human beings.
 NOTES

Rita D.Sil, Profile of Rabindranath Tagore in World Literature, (Kharna

Publishers, New Delhi, 2005) p.205.

Nihananjan Ray, Three Novels of Tagore in Indian Literr~tirrt,Vol. 4,

(Sahitya Akademi, 1961) p.164.

Nitish Sengupta, History of the Bengali-Speaking People. (1IBS Publishers'

Distributors Pvt. LTd., ISBN-8 1-7476-355-4)p.211.

Cited in Moharnmad Quayum, Tagore, Rabindranath (Liltrury

Encyclopedia, September 2004). p.5

Cited in Dr.Chinmoy Howlader, Influence of Kalidasa on Rttbindranath

Tagpre, (Bharatiya Kala Prakashan. Delhi, 2003) p.10.

Rabindranath Tagore, Rammohan Ray, (An essay read by the poet on 181h
February 1933 in Rahindra Rachanavali, Vol.XI, W.B. (iovernmenl
Publication, Baisakh, 25,1368 B.S

Romain Rolland, The Life of Ramakrishna (Kolkata, Advita Ashranla, 1986)

p. 108.

Gobinda Prasad Sarma, Nationalism in Indo-Anglian Fiction, (Sterling

Publishers Private Ltd., New Delhi, 1978) p.6.

Cited in S. Radhakrishnan, The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore, (Good

Companions, Baroda, 1961 ), p. 156.

Rabindranath Tagore, The Spirit of Japan, (A Lecture delivered at the Keio

Gujaka University in 1916), p.2.

Rabindranath Tagore, Sadhana (Macmillan & Co,, London, 1979) p.VII.

S.B. Dasgupta, Upanishadar Patobhumikay Rabindra Manas,

(A.Mukherjee & Co., Calcutta, 1968), p.4,

Mukherjee, P.K.Rabindrajivani (Vol.1, V.B. Calcutta, 1355(BS)), p.50.

Rabindranath Tagore, Creative Unity (Macrnillan and Co., Ltd.,, London,
1950), p.45.

Rabindranath Tagore, The Religion of Man, (George Allen & Unwin Ltd.,
London, 1931), pp.18-19.

R.N. Tagore, 'One Hundred Poems of Kabir', (Macmillan and Co., 1929),
pp.28-29.

R.N. Tagore, Gitanjali (Macrnillan India Ltd., 2007) p.22.

R.N. 'ragore, Buddhadev, (Rubindru Ruchanavali, Vol.XI, W.B. Govt. 1361

BS), pp.471-473.

C.F. Andrew (ed). Thoughts from Tagore (Macmillan & Co., London, 1924)
p.59.

Krishna Kripalani, Rabindranath Tagore: A Biography, (Oxford University

Press, London, 1962) p.156.

Dr.Shiv Gajrani, S.Ram (Ed.) Rabindranath Tagore, (Common Wealth

Publishers, New Delhi, 2006), p.19.

Anthony X Soares (Ed.) Rabindranath 'Tagore Lectures and Addresses

(Macrnillan, Delhi, 1980), p.8.

Rabindranath Tagore, Nationalism (Macmillan & Co., London. 1936) p.75.

Rabindranath Tagore. The Spirit of Japan, (A lecture delivered at the Keio

Gajuka University in 1916), p.2.

C. Paul Verghese, Essays on Indian Writing in English, (N.V.Publications,

New Delhi, 1975), p.69.

Rabindranath Tagore, Nationalism, p. 1 15.

The Oxford History of India, (Oxford University Press, E.C.A., 1958), p.7.
28. Narayana Choudhury, Samakalin Sahitya (A. Mukhejee and Co., Calcutta
1957), p.207.

29. Saroj Kumar Das, Tagore and the Perennial Problems of his Philosophy,
(Rabindra Bharati University. 1971), p.45.

30. Jawaharlal Nehru, The Discovery of India, (Meridian Books Ltd., 1,ondon.
196O),.pp.61-62.

31. Cited in Kedar Nath Mukherjee, Political Philosophy of Rnbindrnnath

Tagore, (S. Chand & Company Ltd., New Delhi. 1982) p.73.

32. Cited in Santosh Chakraborti, Studies in Tagore. (Atlantic Publishers. Delhi.

2004), p.26.

R.N. Tagore, Nationalism, p.30.

R.N. Tagore, Prachya-0-Paschatta Savyata, Rahindra Rachanavuli, Vol.XII.

(W.B. Govt., 1368 B.S), p.106.

Cited in Kedamath Mukherjee, p.250.

C.F. Andrew (Ed.), Letters to a Friend (George Allen & Unwin Ltd. London,
1928), p.128.

I-Iarish Raizada, Humanism in the Novels of Rabindranath Tagore in

Perspectives on Tagore, ed. T.R. Sharma (Vimal Prakashan, Ghaziabad, I986),
p.70.

Rabindranath Tagore, Sadhana (Macmillan, London, 1954), p.41

R.N. Tagore, Atma Parichay (V.B., Calcutta, 1967), p.25.

R.N. Tagore, Santiniketan, (V.B. Calcutta, 19631, p.89.

R.N.Tagore, Creative Unity, (Macmillan & Co., London, 1971), p.15.

Krishna Kripalani, Modern India - Ram Mohan Roy to RN. Tagon,

(University of Pune, 1965), p.43.
43. Cited in S. Radhakrishnan, The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore (Good
Companions Publishers, Baroda, 1961), p.109.

44. Collier's Encyclopedia, Vo1.12, Macmillan Educational Corporation, New

York, 1979, pp.348,349.

45. P.T. Raju, S. Radhakrishnan (ed). The Concept of Man, (George Allen and
Unwin Ltd., London, 1960), p.26.

46. Rabindranath Tagore, Man, (Andhra University Press, Series No. 16, Waltair,
1937) p.46.

47. Ibid, p.47.

48. Rabindranath Tagore, Fireflies, (Macmillan & New York, 1928) p.153.