Religious views of Rabindranath Tagore was
undoubtedly shaped by his life-long association with Upanishads- a legacy left
by his grandfather Dwarkanath Tagore and his father Debendranath Tagore.Tagore
was brought up at Jorashanko at his
ancestral house where slokas and texts were part of everyday ritual of worship.
Hence his idea of spirituality and God is a congruence of the ideas of supreme
cosmic energy, worship of nature and beauty of the soul or Aatman. Many of the
slokas of Upanishads is echoed in his poems. The famous Rigveda sloka- “ Madhubata Hritayate, becomes in poet’s
words-E dyulok madhumoy, madhumoy ei prithibir dhuli..
His love for humanity, his view of a humanistic
religion transcending the borders of political states was, to some extent ,
ethered from his association with the Vaishnava poets . The notions of
tolerance and harmony he got from “ Maitri Bhavna” of Buddhism.
Unlike the more rigid code of the Hinayana or
Lesser Vessel of Buddhism, Tagore found a greater appeal in Mahayana vessel.
The Buddhist scriptures often depicts salvation as –
“ salvation is essentially the breaking down of
this continuity- an escape from the cycles of existence. Buddhism thus sees
salvation as the complete obliteration of individual consciousness called ‘nirvana’.”
Tagore looked beyond this self- annihilation
and exclusion of oneself from the mainstream of humanity as the only road
towards salvation that is so commonly spoken of in Buddhism.
Unlike the harsher code of self denial of
Hinayana, Mahayana Buddhism offers to all beings salvation by following the
path of love, faith and even the pursuit of knowledge. It stresses on the
attainment of nirvana with noble emotions and with action for the good of
community. This humane aspect of Buddhism appealed to the poet. In an address at
shantiniketan, the poet says, “ At the root of Buddhism, there is a
metaphysical theory. But it is not this that has united people under its
banner. Its friendship- its pity and mercy and the universal love preached by
the Buddha have helped to remove barriers between man and man.”
Tagore in his poems pens this thought of humane
internationalism. He denounces the self-annihilation as nirvana- rather, he
believes in the evolution of the human spirit or aatma through service to the
others. He condemns the inaction and exclusion of oneself from the sorrows and
struggles of the society in order to attain nirvana as preached by some
doctrines of Buddhism. Isolation of mind and soul from the material world never
appealed to him. Rather, he expresses the more humanistic nature of Buddha’s
teachings- universal love, spiritual beauty and service to mankind. He highlights
the tenets of “ Maitri Bhavana” as was preached by Buddha. Buddha says-
“ Avyapajjyo homi, aneegho homi, Sukhi attanang
pariharami-
Yathalabhdho sampattityo ma vigachhantu-“
Let all living beings be happy, let all beings
be without enemy. Let all beings be nonviolent. Let every soul be happy, let
every being get what is rightfully his.
Buddha further defines this universal love
towards every creature as-
“ Mata yatha nijang puttong ayushla
ekputtamanurkshe,
Evamapi sabbabhuteshu man sang bhaavye
aparimaaye..”
As a mother saves her
child with her own life, so also we should strive to save maittri among all
living beings.
Many of Tagore’s work thus refers to the
service of humanity as the best form of service to God.
The Buddhist themes in his works necessarily depicts
this message whether in Chandalika or Shaapmochan or Avisar, to name a few.
One of his poems can be quoted which nurtures
the poet’s view on religion-
Leave this chanting and singing and telling of beads!
Whom dost thou worship in this lonely dark corner of a temple with doors all shut?
Open thine eyes and see thy God is not before thee!
He is there where the tiller is tilling the hard ground
and where the pathmaker is breaking stones.
He is with them in sun and in shower,
and his garment is covered with dust.
Put off thy holy mantle and even like him come down on the dusty soil!
Deliverance?
Where is this deliverance to be found?
Our master himself has joyfully taken upon him the bonds of creation;
he is bound with us all for ever.
Come out of thy meditations and leave aside thy flowers and incense!
What harm is there if thy clothes become tattered and stained?
Meet him and stand by him in toil and in sweat of thy brow.
Whom dost thou worship in this lonely dark corner of a temple with doors all shut?
Open thine eyes and see thy God is not before thee!
He is there where the tiller is tilling the hard ground
and where the pathmaker is breaking stones.
He is with them in sun and in shower,
and his garment is covered with dust.
Put off thy holy mantle and even like him come down on the dusty soil!
Deliverance?
Where is this deliverance to be found?
Our master himself has joyfully taken upon him the bonds of creation;
he is bound with us all for ever.
Come out of thy meditations and leave aside thy flowers and incense!
What harm is there if thy clothes become tattered and stained?
Meet him and stand by him in toil and in sweat of thy brow.
