The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore

MACMI L L AN A N D CO L I MI T E D
RS
.
,
LO N D O N B O MB A " CA L C UT T A MA D A
R
0 0
ME L B O U N E
TH E MA CMI LLA N CO MP A N "

NE W " O R O SO AG O
RA S
K B T N CH I C
DA L L A S 0
S AN F N CI CO
TH E MA CMI LL A N CO . O F CA N A D A , L T D .
P H I L O S O PH " O F
RAB I N D RA N AT H
T A G O RE
S . RA D H A K R I S H N A N
P RO SS O R
FE OF P HI L S
O O P H ", MA HA R AJ AH

S CO L L lG E, SR
M" O E
MA C MI L L A N A N D C O .
, L I MI T E D
S T MA R T I N S S T R E E T
.

, L O NDO N
I 1
9 9
CO P " I G R HT
F i r st E d i t i on 1 91 8
R ep r i n ted 1 91 9
P RE FACE
THE book e x pla i n s i t se lf .The popularity

o f the writings o f S ir Rab i n d ran a th Tagore
shows that there is neither E ast nor West in
the realm o f sp irit a n d that h is work meets a
,
general want and satises a u niversal demand .
What is the demand and how it is met are

, ,
questions wh ich I have tried to answer i n th is

book .
I n interpreting the philosophy and message

o f S ir Ra bi n d ra n a t h Tagore we are in t erpret
,
i ng the I ndian i deal o f ph ilosophy religion , ,
and art o f which his work is the ou t come and

,
exp ression We do not know whether i t is

.
Rab i n d ra n at h s o w n heart o r the heart of I ndia

tha t is beating here I n h is work I ndia nds

.
,
the lost word she was seeking The familiar .
truths o f H i ndu philosophy and religion the ,
value of wh ich it has become fash ionable to

belittle even i n the land o f t heir bir t h are here ,
vii
T H E P H I LO S O P H Y O F
handled with such rare revere n ce and deep
feeli ng that t hey seem to be almost new M y .
acquaintance with t h e soul o f I ndia from which

S ir Rab i n d ra n a t h draws his inspiration h as
helped me in the work o f exposi t ion .
I t may be said against this book that the

author is trying t o nd a deni t e meaning
where t here is none and is confusing h is views
,
with those of S ir Ra b i n d ra n a t h This charge

.
raises a ques t ion t oo wide to d iscuss within

t h e limits o f a preface B ut i t must be
.
remembered t hat Ra b i n d ra n a t h writes poetry ,
while this book is in prose Poe t ry is indeni t e

.
and suggestive whil e prose is de n i t e and

,
expressive What I have done here is simply

.
t o conver t the vague sugges t ions of t h e poet
into denite statements supply t he prem ises

, ,
d raw o u t t h e co n clusions and give t h e setti n g

,
where necessary . The book is an attempt

t o interpret Rabi n d r a n a t h s philosophy in the

light of i t s o w n fundamental principles I may .
here mention that the poet has been pleased

t o express his appreciation o f this interpreta t ion
o f his philosophy .
As the book would be lacking i n wholeness

wi t hout an account o f Rab i n d ran a t h s views '
RA B I N D RA N A T H TA G O R E ix
about N ational ism i n the E ast and the West ,
we have not i ced h is v iews o n t his subj ect i n

Chapters I V and V keeping lit e rally c lose to
. .
,
.
h is writ i ngs while g i vi ng an i nward account

o f them .
I t is the privilege o f a preface to acknow

ledge obl igations I a m very grateful to
.
S i r Rabi n d ra n a t h Tagore for the perm i ss i on

given m e to ded i ca t e the book t o him N ot .
to speak o f the pleasure derived from associa

tion with such an honoured name I seem to ,
m yself to repay i n som e degree t he great

obligation I o w e h i m for h aving left a per
manent impression on my m ind by i nscribi ng ,
this slender volume with h is name I am .
greatly indebted to M r C F Andrews of . . .
'
S k a n lz m eta n for reading t h e proofs an d

making m any valuable suggestions My .
t hanks are also due to t h e E ditor o f T e Q u est
f o r granting m e perm i ssion t o use the two

articles which originally appeared i n his
journal .
5 RA D H A K R I S H N A N
. .
M A D RA S May , 27 , 1 918 .
CO N T E N T S
CH A PT E R I
T HE P H I LO S O P H " OF RA B I N DRA NA TH TA GO RE
CH A P T E R II
TH E P H I L O S O P H " OF RA B I NDRANATH TA G O RE I I 58
CH APT ER III
PO E T R " AN D P H I LO S O PH "
CH APTER IV
T HE ME S S A G E OF RA B I N DRAN ATH TA G O RE T O I N D I A 1 72
CH A PT E R V
TH E MES S AG E OF RA B I N D R AN ATH TA G O RE T O T H E
W O R LD
CH APTE R I
THE I
P H LO S O PH " O F RAB I N D RA NATH TAG O RE
In va s t li fe s

un b oun d e d t id e
T h e y a lon e c on ten t m a y g ai n
Wh o c a n good fr om ill d i vi d e
i bi
O r i n g n or an ce a d e
Al b w i s s l ss
l et e en re t e p ai n .
f p s i
B e or e Th y re c en c e, p o w er d ii v n e,
W h i s h i s id l s s
at t e en e of m i ne "
W h ll h l
at a ig
t e ea rn n of th e sch oo ls "
Wh at s s p i s ts d p ed t s F l s l
age ,
r e ,
an an oo
Th e w l d i s Th i e f m Th i t s
or n , ro ee ro e
By T h i t bb s b y T h e i t ws
ee e , e o .
H en c e,w l d l y l e B y wh m i s w i s d om s h w
or or o o n
Th e Et al k
e rn ws k ws ll d H e a l o
no ,
no a ,
an n e.
O MA R .
THE condem nation wh ich a great man lays

1
upon t h e worl d is to force i t to explain him .
Ra b i n d ra n a t h Tagore has n o t failed to force

1
H ege l .
T H E P H I LOS OP HY O F
the world to come wi t h its magazine articles
a n d monographs to expound his views The .
world wide interest and popularity of his

-
wri t ings are due as much to t h e loft y idealism

of h is thoughts as to t h e li t erary grace and
beau t y of his wri t i n gs Ra b i n d r a n a t h s teach
.

i n g wi t h its vi t al fai t h i n the redeeming power

,
of t h e spiritual forces and their up building -
energy has a par t icular value at the present

,
moment when t h e civil ised world is passing

,
t hrough t h e crucible O f a ghas t ly war which ,
whether o r n o t i t pu rges the na t io n s o f t heir .
pride and ha t e lust f o r gold and greed of la n d

, ,
at leas t proclaims i n n o u ncertai n tones the

, ,
utter ba n kruptcy of material i sm .
T o be great is not merely to be talked

abou t it is also to be m isunderstood a n d
, ,
Ra b i n d ra n a t h has not escaped t h is fate The .
many at t empts made to explai n h im contradict

each other for from the words o f t h e poet
,
men take what meani n gs please t hem There

.
are two views regardi n g h is ph ilosophy o f

l ife I f we believe o n e side he is a Ve d a n t i n
.
, ,
a thinker who draws his i n spira t ion from the

.
Upanishads I f we believe the other he is

.
,
an advocate o f a theism more or less l ike i f ,

RA B I N D RA N A T H TA G O R E 3
not identical with Christianity Ra b i n d ra n a t h

,
.

incli nes to the former v i ew To m e the .
verses o f the U panishads and the teach ings

of B uddha have ever been thi ngs of the S p irit ,
and t herefore endowed with boundless v i tal

growth ; and I have used them bo t h i n m y ,
o w n life an d i n my p reach ing as being ins t inct ,
wi t h i ndividual meani ng for me as f o r others , ,
and awai t i n g for thei r conrmation my own

spec i al testimony wh i ch m ust have its val ue
,

Ra b i n d r a n at h s

because of its i nd ividual ity 1
.
ph ilosoph y by l ife i s v i ewed by th i s school

as nothing but the anc i ent w i sdom o f I nd i a
restated to meet the needs of modern t i mes .
H is wri t ings are a com mentary o n the

U panishads by an i n div idual o f this generation
on whom the present age has had its in fluence .
The soul o f ancient I ndia i s m i rrored i n

them H is ideal ism is a true ch ild of I ndia s
.

Ow n past and h is philosophy is thoroughly

I ndian both i n origi n and development In .

D r Coo m a ra sw a m i s words
.

the work of ,
Ra b i n d r a n a t h is essential ly I nd ian i n senti

"
ment and form . The other v iew holds that
Ra bi n dr an a t h Tagore l ike other regenerators
,
S ad /l d p 8
1
an , . .
4 THE P H I L OS O P H Y O F
of H indu ism has freely borrowed from Chris
,
t i a n i t y and Western teaching and has woven ,
these al ien elements into t h e woof o f his o w n

faith I f he does n o t confess his indebtedness
.
to the West it is i n the words o f the Specta tor s

, ,

revi ewer a case o f local patrio t ism
,
in ,
1
gratitude ,
and insinceri t y We have .
M r Tagore employi n g his remarkable l i terary

.
talents in teaching borrowed E t hics t o E urope

as a thing characteris t ically I ndian There .
is a fatal aw of insinceri t y i n i t s most seem

i n gl y elevated utterances 2
These critics .
believe t hat the morals and philosophy u nder

lyi ng Rabi n d ra n a t h s thought are essentially
Christian They ide n tify the Vedanta philo
.
S ophy with a doctri ne that makes the absolute
an abs t ract beyond the world an illusion , ,
contempla t ion the way of escape and ex t in e ,
t ion o f so ul the end o f man Obviously .
Ra b i n d r a n a t h is n o t al l th is H e gives us .
a human G od dism isses with co n tempt the

,
concept o f t h e world illusion praises action -

,
overmuch and prom ises ful n ess o f l ife to the

religiou s soul These are esse n tially t he
.
features o f the Christian relig i on and what is ,
1
Sp ecta tor , F eb ruary 1 4, 1 9 1 4 . 2
1 522
1 .
T H E P H I LOSOP HY OF
1
sources M r E dward J Thompson who
. .
,

calls i t no n sense t o say t ha t G z ta nja /z re

'

presents true H induism observes : The ,
man who he n ceforward must rank among the

grea t religious poe t s o f t h e world does n o t
call himself a Christian : but i n him we get
a glimpse o f what the Christianity o f I ndia
will be l ike and we see t hat i t is something
,

be tt er than t h e Chris t iani t y which came to i t .
2
There is no use dogma t ising at the very

outset for t ha t would be to a t t ack the central
,
ques t ion at issue An impar t ial expositio n O f

.
Ra b i n d r a n a t h s views would set a t rest all

doubts and disputes We do n o t nd any .
systema t ic exposi t ion O f his philosophy o f l ife

in any of his wri t ings Even S d a a mi is a .

book of sermons or mystic hym ns or perhaps , ,
medita t ions I t is a sigh o f t h e soul rather

.
tha n a reasoned account of metaphysics ; a n

atmosphere ra t her than a sys t em of philosophy .
But we feel t ha t the atmosphere is charged

wi t h a particular vision of real i t y I n his .
wri t ings we have t h e reaction o f his soul to

t h e environmen t his atti t ude i n t h e face of life
, .
Ph i l s p h i l I h i t
1
Th e o o ca f R bi d th T g
n er an c e o a n rana a or e,
I t ti lj lqf E t / A p i l 9 6 p 39 8
'
n er n a on a ou r n a z z cs, r 1 1 .
,
9 4 p 33
2
Q t ly R i w O t b
u a r er ev e , c o er 1 1 , . 0
.
R A B I N D RA N A T H TA G O RE 7
H is personali t y is comple t ely revealed in h is

poems wh ich are the unconsciou s expression
,
o f his soul the ou t pouri n gs o f his devotional

,
heart and t h e revelation o f h is poe t ic c o n

,
sc i o us n e s s .H is wri t i n gs m ust and do con t ai n

sugges t io n s o f h is i n t ellec t ual creed Though .
poe t ry is n o t ph ilosophy i t is possible for us ,
t o derive from Ra b i n d ra n a t h s works h is philo

soph ical v iews .
H uman consc i ousness is the star t ing poi nt -
of all philosoph ic i nquiry The contradictions .
of human l ife provoke t h e ques t for truth .
M an is a n i t e i n n i t e being H e combi n es
-
.
i n h imself S piri t and nature H e is ear t h s .

child but heaven s hei r At one pole of my .
being I am o n e wi t h stocks a n d stones

but at t he other pole o f my being I am

separa t e from all 1
A S a link in the natural
.
chain o f events man is subj ect to the law

,
o f necessity ; as a member o f the spiritual

real m o f ends he i s free I t is this contra
, .
diction which we come across i n science

, ,
1
S ad/m a d , p . 69 ; see a ls
o F r u i t Gat h er i ng ; XXX III .
8 T H E P H I L OS O P H Y O F
art and morali t y that demands a solu t ion
, , .
The i n dividual aspi res aft er perfec t tru t h ,
perfect beauty an d perfect goodness

,
B ut .
i n the nite world he can only approxima t e

to but never completely possess them We
, , .
can see the ideals as through a mist I n t el .
l e c t uall we aspire after an ideal of truth

y
wh ich is comple t e harmonious and all c o m
, ,
-
prehensive The world of isolated facts is a t

.
best nite and condi t ioned I n t ellect wi t h .

,
its separatist te n dencies and dissec t ing habits ,
nds itself u nable to grasp the whole O n .
the moral side we feel t h e break between

,
ideal aspirations and actual facts There is a .
struggle betwee n the i n ni t e w i th in w hich ,
mak e s the soul yearn f o r an ideal and t he ,
lower ni t e wh ich is the heri t age from the

,
past evolution
0 G rea t B eyond 0 t h e
.
,
keen call o f thy u t e " I forge t I ever forget , ,
that the ga t es are shut everywhere in the

1
house where I dwell alone .
There is a tension between t h e h igher

and the lower The t w o elemen t s have n o t
.
at t ai n ed a harmony The higher self presents

.
us with a moral i mperat i ve which we recognise

l 1
G d 5 e ls 6
ar ener , s ee a o .
RA B I N D RA NA T H TAGO RE 9
to be righ t but ou r actual lower self contests

,
i ts h igher birth and pays homage to the

delights of sense This con i ct is descr i bed .
i n G zta nja lz 28
'
, .
Obs t i n ate are t h e t ram m e ls , but m y h eart ac h e s w h en I

t ry t o break th em .
Freed o m i s al
lI wan t b ut t o h op e f or i t I ee a h a m e
,
f l s d .
I a m c erta n i t hat pr c e e ea t hi l ss w l i s
i n th ee, an d t h at
t h o u ar t m y b es f i d t r en , but I h ave n o t th e h eart t o
sw eep
a w ay t h e t i n s e l th at lls m
y ro om .
Th e s h roud t h at c over s m e i s a s hr oud o f d ust an d

d eath ; I h ate i t yet h ug i t i n l ove , .
My d eb t s are l arg e m y f ai l ure s g reat m y s ham e s ec ret , ,
an d h eavy ;
yet w h en I c om e t o ask f or m y g oo d I q uak e ,
i n fear l e s t m y pray er b e gran t e d 1 .
E ven if we identi fy ourselves wi t h t he

h igher and ght the lower i t sometimes ,
happens that we feel worsted The natural .
forces seem too much for the moral I n th is .
d i stress the nite individual asks I s the moral

Th s l i s
1
mi d l ss i l p ss g i S t A g sti s
e e ne f th
re n us o e c a ca a a e n u u ne
wh h y s l p i ss i s h i l i mbs
.
C f on i
ess on s : Of d s m t en oe a an , en eav ee ne on s
d f t sh k i t ff
,
e er o ad th gh
e o t pp ani g g it ou no a r ov n en c o ura e e ven so
th y l yi ld t m y
, , ,
w asI s it w
ur e b t t s as d et er th ot urr en er to ove an o e o
o w n l sts y t th gh th f m
u e ou s i d m th l tt
e or er c ou r e c on v n c e e, e a er
p l s d d h l d m b k Th i s th i g i m
ea e an e e ac sw t hy ll ere no n n e t o an er ca
A w k "t h s l p b t ly d wl i g d wsy w ds P s t ly
.
,

a e ou ee er , u on ra n ro or re e n
p s l y w i t l i t t l wh i l B t th p s l y h d p s t
, , ,

es, r e en t a a e e. u e r e en t a no r e en
y
l i t l wh i l g w l g f I w f i d h w l d st h m
,

an d th e t e e re on or a s a ra t ou ou ea r e
d h l m f l s t wh i h I wi sh d t
,
too s oon , an t ea f m y d is s e a o n ce o ea e o u , c e o
sa ti t
a e rath th t er x t i g i sh d ( C f i
an o see e n u e on ess on s ,
T H E P H I LOSOP H Y OF
ideal a dream and am I a fool t o gh t f o r it
,
against t h e t remendous O dds o f na t u re H a ve

I a gh t ing chance o f v ictory or is the enter
,
prise foredoomed to failure " I S t h e s t ruggle

be t wee n good and evil presided over by a
higher B eing on whom I could depend o r is ,
it a grea t hazard where the resul t can be

any t hing " A S a rational being he craves f o r
a working probabil i t y S o long as no t hing
.
de n ite is know n t h e ni t e soul struck by

, ,
the galling i nj us t ice and evil o f the world ,
wrings his ha n ds in despair and cries o u t to

H eaven : What must I do t o be saved "
Wre t ched m a n that I am who shall del iver
,
me from the body O f th is death The co n tra

dictions of ni t e l ife clearly establ ish t hat t h e
n ite i nd ividual is n o t the ul t imate i n the world
b u t only a n i ncomplete some t h ing requ iri n g
supplementation The need fo r a philosophy
.
which would reco n c ile the opposing elements

o f l ife self and not self is felt t o be urge n t
,
-
,
.
I f what o ur i ntellect reveals to u s is true if ,
t h e world is a chance congeries of i ndividuals

RA B I N D RA N A T H TA G O RE 1 1
attempting wi t hout success to ght and conquer

na t u re t h e best t hing for the wise man would
,
be to wi t hdraw from t h e u n iverse a n d con

template the noble ideals ln h is cloister leav ing ,
t h e world t o rack and ruin M r Bertrand . .
Russell represents this te ndency very forcibly

i n h is brilliant article o n The F ree M an s

Worsh ip That man i s t h e product o f
causes which had no previs i on o f the end they
were achiev ing ; t hat h is origi n his growth , ,
his hopes and fears his loves and h is beliefs

,
are but the ou t come of accidental colloca t ions

o f a t oms that no re no heroism no i n tensity
, ,
of thought an d feeling c a n preserve an indi

v idual l ife beyond the grave ; that all the
labours o f the ages all the devotion all the
, ,
i n sp i ration all the noonday brightness o f

,
human genius are destined t o extinct i on i n

,
the v as t depth of the solar system and that ,

the whole temple o f M an s ach ievement must
i nev itably be bur i ed be n eath the debris of a
u niverse i n ruins all t hese t h ings if not quite
, ,
beyond dispute are yet so nearly certain that

,
no philosophy wh ich rej ects t hem can hope to

stand .
1
B lind t o good and ev il reckless O f ,
1
P l p/

lE
z oso
y pp 60 6
'
uca ssa s, .
-
1.
T H E P H I LOSOP H Y O F
destruction om nipo t ent m atter rolls o n its
,
1
relentless way Spiritual tempers recognise
.
the high worth o f hu man aspirations and

require o f men a contemplation o f the ideals
sacred t o h uman ity The way to escape from .
t h e sway of fate l ies i n giving up the ties
b inding man to t h e external world We are .

exhorted by M r Russell to abandon t h e .
s t ruggle for private happi ness to expel all ,
eagerness o f temporary desi re to burn with ,
passion for eternal thi n gs This is emancipa .
2
tion this is Free M an s Worship
,
The
.
pessim ists o f all ages demand an extirpation

o f desires and an attai n ment o f i nner freedom .
The world is full o f contradictions and human

l ife is a great discord The external world .
appears t o be so awry that i t drives man i n to

the deepest solitudes of the soul A sort o f .
other worldly mysticism which treats with

-
contemp t bo t h na t ure and man develops The .
Absolute is sai d t o be qu ite diff erent from

the world jus t the opposite of t he ni t e The
, .
characteris t ics we are acquai nted wi t h i n the

n i t e un iverse can only be denied of it I t
.
alone is real and t h e world is u nreal Such .
1
P i l p
'
lE
z z oso
y p 7 '
zca I bi d p 69
ssa s, . 0 . . . .
14 THE P H I LOS O P H Y OF
The world of nature is regarded as a refractory

force har d i n resisting a n d slow i n giving i n .
M an in h is bat t l i n gs w ith ma t ter presided

over by Sa t an requires the help o f G o d .
G od alo n g wi t h manki n d s t ruggles to over

come the forces of ev il and darkness All .
such theistic co n ceptions ge n erally e n d i n

maki n g G od a nite being L eibni t z i n h is .
,
famous T/i eoa i ey makes G od a limited o n e

, .
H e says the existing world is the best of all

possible worlds E vide n t ly all worlds were .
n ot possible to G od ; H e selected the best

possible and it has turned o u t to be n o t qui t e
,
a good one M ill holds to a li mited G o d .
i n his E ssay on R eligi on D octors J ames .

,
l
S c hiler l pos t ulate a n ite and
an d Ra s h d a l,
.
personal G od These t h i nkers hold to a .
re l igi s Asi d s i i E p
ou a an b d l i
c en t ly h i s
c ur o e c an e t ra ce u t m ate to t
d i ff i
er en c ei w g i g n v e d i re H w i s
a rd n Th m an an en v ro n m en t e r te e
s i i m is s f m p l i
.
c en t c o ve m en t i d f h mi d
ar e ro a ec u ar att tu e o t e n to
th w ld f
e or d gs
o un i p p l s f h gl b
a m on d wi h
t h is
c er t a n eo e o t e o e, a n t o ut t
a tt i d si
tu e wi ll lw s pp
c en ce i si a i l ay Th
a ear a c ur o ty or a n r r e ev an c e . e
a tt i d m b sh l d i b d d
tu e ay e s s f h d h
or t y e sc r e as ue t o a en e o t e et a c m en t
o f m f m h w ld s h i g li
an ro t e or d x l s s f
as om et n a en an e t er n a , to a en e o
th s p m y f hi
e u re i
ac h p
o ss f h s a ms I h
o v er t e ro c e o t e o ut er n at ur e. n t e
E s ma t s s f l
an eem s f li i h s s f l hi lf
to ee n o s en e o a en a t on e ee m to ee m se
as m h puc f h
a i
ar t o pl is i s p b l f i
t e u n v er se a s a i an t n e ar a e rom ts en v r on
m en t .S m h is h is h
o uc s h s l if i s f l b p f h
t t e ca e t at m an

e e t to e ar t o t e
v er y f h s
c ur r e n t o f h s l i f f h w l d ( H om
t e t ream o t e va t er e o t e or zo
j l Ap i l 9 7 p
ou r n a , r 1 1 , .
R A B I N D RA NA T H TA G O R E 1 5
plural istic conception o f the un iverse and nd

themselves u n able to account fo r the un ity o f
the world process -
. N o rel igion can nall y
rest i n a God wh o is engaged i n a conict with
ev il i n wh ich H e requires the help o f man ,
.
We can never be sure o f the outcome of the

struggle I t is quite possible that a God who
.
i s li mited by the resisting evil may have like ,
man defeat for H is end ; only i f man fails

, ,
with the help of God great is h i s fall indeed

, .
The defeat i s m ore fearful when G o d has n o t

deserted the S i de on wh ich man is A suffer i ng
.
God a deity w ith a crown o f thorns cannot

, ,
sa t i sfy the religious soul H e is one among

.
many subj ect t o the l imita t ions of man There

, .
i s a great gul f xed between humanity presided

over by G o d and na t ure led by H is opposite .
So long as o n e princ i ple has not u n iversal sway ,
so long the basis of pessim ism is sou nd and

safe H ow can man without the j oy o f hope
.
,
and condence in victory bear up agai nst the

,
pressure o f f
al ien o r c e P The fear o f what the
u nk n own and the u nknowable energy might do
lls his li fe with doubt and m isery weakness ,
and distraction O nly a u niversal pr i nciple

.
c an del i ver human l ife from despa i r The .

16 r
TH E P H I LOS O P HY O F
Absolute is noth ing short o f the un iverse i n its
totality I t is the whole o f perfection i n wh ich
.
the opposition o f good and evil is overcome .
B ut the theist s G od is identied with a part

of the universe the good wh ile the evil is left, ,
i n its o w n i ndependence God is the v irt ue of .
t h e v irtuous and there is another opposing

,
H i m , the wickedness of the wicked The G o d .
o f t heism is only an aspect of the Absolute ,
an appearance of a deeper real ity M odern .
theism aware o f this di f culty lays stress on

, ,
D ivine immanence t hus watering down the ,
personal God i nto the Absolute whole 1

The .

v iews here referred to read the world wrong
and do not give us a philosophic synthes is of
God world and self f o r i n a true synthesis
, ,
we cannot have absolute divisions between

man and n ature We need a principle superior .
,
to t hem all which would assi gn to each self

, ,
and not self its appropriate value and give

-
, ,
harmony to their mutual relations ; a principle

of synthesis which would comprehend both
elements a n d transform their apparent antagon
ism i nto an orga n ic rela t ionship .
1
S ee D r Cam b ep ll N ew Tbeology , an d F ou n da t i on s, b y O xf
or d
k s sp i lly D Mob er ly s essays

.
,
i
th n er , e ec a r.

.
RA B I N D RA N AT H TA G O R E 1 7
A closer scruti ny reveals t o us the kinsh ip

of na t ure and spirit not self and sel f The
,
-
.
fact that we are able t o i n terpret na t ure know ,
it appreciate i t gh t and conquer it shows tha t

, , ,
i t is akin to human consc i ousness :

We could
have no communica t ion whatever with our
surrou ndings if they were absolutely foreign t o

us M an is reaping success every day a n d ,
t hat S hows there is a rational connec t ion b e
tween hi m and na t u re for we never c a n make

,
any t h ing our own excep t that wh ich is t ruly

related to us . I f we separate man from
nature i t i s l ike dividi n g the b ud a n d the
blossom into two separate ca t egories and ,
pu t ting their grace to the credi t o f two differ

e n t and an t i t he t ical pri n ciples The I ndian .
m i n d never has a n y hesi t ation i n ack n ow

ledging its ki n ship with na t ure i t s u nbroken ,
1
rela t io n wi t h all . I n I ndia where civ il
i s a t i o n developed i n forests near to nature ,
there was no t hough t of an antagonism

be t ween m a n and nature n o idea o f forcibly ,
wres t i n g t reasures from na t u re .
H uman consciousness a n imal l ife and , ,
i nanimate nature are d ifferent grades of t h e

1
d / d pp 5 7za n , .
-
.
1 8 T H E P H I LOSOP H Y OF
I same energy , stages o f the same developme n t .
S elf and n o t self into wh ich the u n iverse has

-
been dicho t omised are no rivals but are the ,
differen t expressions o f th e same Absolu t e ,
differen t modes o f its existe n ce N ature is .
not an t agonistic to spirit ; not self is there for -
the purpose o f being used up by the spiri t .
I t is fuel for the flame o f t h e spirit The .
T a i t t i r i y a Upan ishad calls ma t t er a n n a m o r

food The human will convert s its env iron
.
me n t i n t o food Objec t ive nature is capable

.
o f being determ ined i n accordance with t h e

subj ect s wishes The past progress o f t h e
.
U niverse clearly es t abl ishes the success which

has at t ended man s a t t empt to u t ilise the
env ironme n t for the e n ds o f l ife a n d spiri t .
The not self is a mea n s for the ma n ifestation

-
o f spiri t ual power Only thro u gh nature can

.

spiri t real ise itsel f The earth water and
.
,
ligh t fruits and owers t o her were not merel y

, ,
physical phenomena to be turned to use and

t hen left aside They were n ecessary t o her
.
in the a t t ainme n t o f the ideal o f perfectio n as ,
every no t e is necessary to the completeness o f

1
t h e symphony . I f we adopt t h e right attitude
Sa i a p 71
a za n , . .
RA B I N D RA NA T H TAG O R E 19
to natu re we feel the pulse of sp i rit throbb i ng

,
through i t A t rue seer sees i n natu ral facts

.
spi ri t ual signicance The poetic temper hears

.
the voice o f spirit c rying aloud i n nature .
The m a n whose acquai nta n ce wi t h the world

does not lead h i m deeper than science leads
him will never u n derstand what it is that t h e
,
man with the sp i ri t ual v is i on nds i n these

na t ural phenomena . The wa t er does not
merely cleanse his li mbs b u t it puries his
,
hear t ; f o r i t touches his soul The earth

does not merely hold h is body but it gladdens,
his m i nd ; for its contact is more tha n a

physical co n tact it is a l iving presence
, .
When a man does not real ise h is ki nsh ip w i th

t h e world he l ives i n a prison house whose
,
-
walls are al ie n to him When he meets t h e

.
eter n al sp iri t i n all obj ects t he n is he eman e i

,
pa t ed f o r t hen he d iscovers t he fullest s i g n i

,
ca n ce o f the world into which he is born then

he n ds himsel f i n perfect truth a n d h is ,
1
harmony wi t h t he All is established The .
eye o f an artist is needed to perceive the

spiri t ual beau t y o f the things of nature Only .
h is eye can pene t rate through t he confusing

I
T H E P H I L OS O P H Y O F
chaos o f shadows and a ppearances and see ,
the cosmos within Ra b i n d ra n a t h has the eye

.
which pierces into the secret o f which the

natural fact is the S ign and prophecy H e is .
a poet o f n ature i n whose hands the crudest

stuff o f existe n ce acquires a poetic colouri n g .
The spiritual phases o f n ature leap up to his

G o d l
-
l
e d eyes ki ndle devo t ion i n his heart
, ,
a n d set song o n h is lips T o his soul touched .
by G od the ph y s i sa l world o f science appears

i n all its sweetness and simpl ici t y as to a

ch ild I t is a fairy u niverse where t h e s t ars
.
talk and t he sky s t oops down t o amuse him ,
and all n a t ure comes to h is wi ndow wi t h trays

1
o f brigh t t oys To h im the touch o f an
.
inni t e mystery passes over the trivial and

the familiar maki n g i t break o u t i nto ineffable
,

music The t rees t h e stars and the blue , ,

h ills ache with a meaning which c a n never ,
2
be ut t ered i n words A brea t h of d ivi n e
.
passion passes over the whole world maki n g ,

i t pure a n d perfect H e feels a t hrill passing
.
t hrough t h e air wi t h t h e n otes o f the far away -
" 3
song oa t i n g from the other shore H e can .
1
S ee B aby

sW or ld i n Tb e Cr escen t Moon .
9
S aa l
'

za n d , p .
43 .
H e does n o t lay stress o n rel igious i n s t ruc
tion in the B olpur school but bel ieves that ,
religious feel ing and piety will work t heir way

in t o the life of the stude n ts if the e n vironment
is pure and nob le We do not want nowadays
.
temples o f worsh ip and outward rites and

ceremonies What we really want is an
.
A sr a m We want a place where t h e beau t y

.
of nature and the noblest pursui t s of man are

i n a sweet harmony Our temple o f worship .
is t here where outward nature and hu man soul

"
meet in u nion Recognisi n g t h e inuence
.
O f environment upon temperamen t t h e anc ient ,
teachers chose the forest shades o r the banks

o f holy rivers as the sites f o r their A sra m s .
When we are lled wi t h the se n se o f the

divinity that surrounds us then we feel ,
i mpelled to give ourselves up to reverie o r

meditation o n God .
-
s
To d ay th e um m er h as c om e at my w i n d o w w i th i t s
s ig s
h an d m urm ur a n d th e s b ees are p ly i n g t h e i r m i n s t r elsy
at t h e c o urt o f th e i r o w eri g g ove n r .
No w i t i s t i m e t o si t q ui et fac e to fac e w i th th ee an d
, ,
t o s i g d ed i c at i on of l i fe i n t h i s s i l en t an d o ver o w i n g
n
l isu e
e r
1
.
R A B I N DRA NA T H TA G O R E 23
Again
I t h e b usy m o m e t s o f t h e
n o o t i d e w o k I am w i t h
n n n r
t he o wd b ut o
cr t h i s d a k l on e ly d y i t i s o ly f o
,
n r t h ee a n r
t h at I h ope .
If t h ou sh o we st m e n o t t h y f ac e, if t h ou l
eavest m e
w holly as i d e I kn o w ,
n ot h ow I am to pa ss th e e s lo g n
rai n y h ou r s
1
.
I n moments of s uch exalta t ion when we

silen t ly adore the l ivi ng presence that reveals
itself through t he grandeu r o f nature which ,
makes itself heard i n the soul through t h e

con t empla t ion O f t h e world of immanent
divinity a great peace steals over us The
,
.
in n ite t hen murmurs i ts secret i nto our ears ,
and tells the story o f the soul and t he legend

o f the earth To commune with the unutter
.
able we should get away from the noisy

,
world o f action escape from the machinery,
o f li fe which kills t he soul D ul l mechan ical .
work degrades and brutalises the i n dividual ,
while a l i fe O f na t ure elev ates and pu ries the

soul . Ra b i n d ra n a t h beautifully depicts how
an enthusias t ic surrender to the spontanei t y
O f na t ural scenery leads a man to h is goal .
I l ai d m ys elf d o w by th e w te an d s t et h ed m y
n a r r c
t ir e d l i m bs t h e g ss
on ra .
My i s l gh d t m i s
c o m p an o n T h y h ld
au e a e n c orn . e e
th i
e r h ds h i g hea d h id th y anl k d b k urr e on e n ever oo e ac
s t d th y
n or r e e i sh d i t h d i s t t bl h
e van Th y e n e an ue az e . e
c ross d m y m d ws
e d h i lls
an d p ss d th
ea o gh an ,
an a e rou
st g f
ran w y
e, t i s
ar - a A ll h a t y h i
c oun r e . on ou r o ou, e ro c
h st
o f th
o i t m i bl p th " M k y d p h
e n er na e a oc er an re r oac
p i k d m t
r c e is b t f d
e o r sp s i m
e, I g u o un n o re on e n e . ave
m ys lf p f
e l s t i th d pth f gl d h m i l i t i
u or o n i th e e o a a u a on u
n e
s h d w f d i m d li g h t
a o o a e
Atl a s t w h e I w ok e from m y slumb er an d open ed m y

,
n
'
e y e s I sa w t h ee s tan d i n g by m e o o d i n g m
, y sl eep w i th ,
t hy s m i l e 1
.
We t he n l ie exposed to all the wi n ds o f

heaven t hat blow We feel a prese n ce all .
,
love a n d peace The load slips O ff o u r hear t .

,
and t h e soul is lift ed above l i fe pet t y vexa t ious , , ,
a n d harassi n g a n d sl ides i n t o a perfect harmony

, .
The divine l igh t oods t h e soul t h e divi n e ,
music ravishes i t and the soul expresses i t s ,
j oy by hummi n g the hym n o f the u niverse .
S o ru n n ing
upon the dus t y pa t h O f the

despised takes us nearer to G o d I n Tne 2
P ost O ee t h e ch ild Amal rid o f t h e prej ud ices

, ,
of t h e S ophis t icated Ma d h a v wis t fully year n s ,
t o ge t away from t h e clank o f cro w ds the ,
n oise and glare o f t h e town i n to cou n t ryside ,
wi t h i t s hills and dales E ven though h is .
g X
1
Gi t j li 4 8 2 '
q t G tl
'
an a , .
-
a zer z n .
,
R A B I N D RA N A T H TA G O R E 25
continua n ce i n the world i s said to depend o n

his keeping indoors the cage bi rd longs to
,
be a free bird a n d enj oy the freedom o f the

woodland . For as i t is put i n T/ze Cy cle of
Sp r i ng :
This outer world has been made w i t h
a lavish expendi t ure o f su n a nd moon a n d
s t ars L et us enjoy it a n d then we can save
.
,

G od s face f o r indulging in such extravagance
1
.
Ra bi n d r a n a t h s concep t ion o f na t ure i s

an t agonis t ic t o the v iew wh ich makes nature

O pposed t o the self and i t s aspira t ions He
has a posi t ive v iew of the relation o f S p lr lt to
nature The two are aspec t s of the Absolute
. .
N ature and society are revelations of the

d ivi n e spirit . The same l ight dwells i n the
world outside a n d the world wi t h in T his .
ul t imate oneness of th i n gs is what the H indu

is required t o remember every moment of his
l ife
.

The t ext of our everyday medita t ion i s
t h e G ay a t r i a verse which is considered to be
,
t h e epi t ome o f all t h e Vedas B y i t s help we

.
t ry t o real ise the essential u n ity o f the world
wi t h t h e conscious soul of man ; we learn to

percei ve t h e u ni t y held together by t h e o n e
E t ernal S piri t whose power crea t es t he earth
, ,
1
Pa ge 51 .
the sky and the s t ars and at the same time
, ,
irradiates our m i n ds wi t h the light o f a c o n

s c i o u sn e s s t hat moves and exis t s i n unbroken
1
continuity wi t h t h e ou t er world The so n g .
of the soul and the music o f the spheres are

but the expressions of t h e div ine harmo n y .
Th e s am e s t eam of l i f e t h t u s t h ough m y vei n s

r a r n r
n i ght and day u s th ough the w o ld a d da c es i

r n r r n n n
r h y thm i c m ea s u e s 2 r .
The same sp iri t dwells i n t he most distant

sun a n d i n t h e darkest depths o f the soul .
N ature is not a hos t ile power harassing man

at every turn ; the u niverse is not foreign
to us .
Wh en i th e m o i g I l ook ed upo th e l igh t I felt

n rn n n
i a m om e t th at I w s n s t a g e i t h i s w o ld
n n a o r n r n r .
8
Ra bi n d ran at h co n ception of the u nity

s
Of t he world gives us t h e assurance that

the ideals o f Science and M orali t y are real ,
and sus t ains u s o n the path o f right un

tempered by t h e gri m real ities o f pai n and
crime I t makes us realise how the spiritual
.
forces of the world c o opera t e wi t h us i n o u r -
endeavours I f the d is t inc t ion o f man a n d

.
world self and not self were t h e last thing

,
-
, ,
1
S ad / f p 9
t a ri f , . . "bi d 9 5 3
.
RA B I N D RA NA T H TA G O R E 27

then there would have been absolute m isery
and u nmi t igated evil i n t h is world Then .
from u n t ru t h we never could reach truth and ,
from si n we never could hope to attai n pu rity

of heart ; the n all opposites would ever rema i n
O pposites and we could never nd a medium
,
through wh ich our differe n ces could ever tend

1
to meet . Then our l ife would become a
hideous t ragedy of waste and wrong fear ,
and weakness B ut progress i n the realms

.
o f S cience Art and M oral ity S hows that sel f

, ,
and n o t self are only relat i vely opposed

-
It .
is the b usi ness o f man to break down the

O pposi t ion a n d make both express the one
,
spirit This view restores the balance between

.
nature and spirit and makes l ife worth l ivi n g , .
I t were well to die if there be Gods and sad ,
2
to l ive if t here be none I f t here is the all .
embracing spiri t the glooms and shadows of ,
l ife lose thei r edge and bi t terness Then we .
feel that we are n o t battl ing with an u nknown

antagon ist o n a doubtful issue but that we are ,
tryi ng to real ise progressively a v ictory t hat i s

g uaran t eed to us Perfect condence t akes .
the place o f blank despair The confused and .
1
S ad / d p
ra n5 , . M sA t i
10 .
2
ar c u n o n n us.
shadowy world o f experience becomes qu ite
clear and tra n sparent D oubt is vanquished ;
.

the contradic t ions o f l ife cease All that is .
harsh and dissonant melts into o n e sweet

harmony .
IV
The creation of t h e un iverse is only the

real isation of t h e Absolu t e the revelation o f its ,
2
freedom .

God nds himsel f by crea t ing .
I t is t he creative j oy that giv es birth to the

u niverse wh ich is not only separate from G od
,
but also u n ited to H im G o d is t he basis o f .
the whole un iverse I t is the self su n dering

.
-
of t h e E t er n al which cal ls i n t o existence t he

u n iverse o f men and t hi n gs B ut this must .
3
have duali t y for its real isa t ion The whole .
breaks up i t s i nd ividual i t y into the two aspects

o f self a n d n o t sel f I swara and M aya
-
, Purusha ,

and Prakriti . When the singer has h is
i n spiration he makes h imself i nto t w o ; he has
wi t hi n h im his o t her self as the b e ar e r a n d t he ,
outside audience is merely an extension of th is

o t her self of h is The lover seeks h is own
.
o t her self i n his beloved I t is t h e jo y t hat .
S 2
y B i d 46
tr a d
r d p
s, 4 . an , . 10 .
30 THE P H I LOS OP H Y OF
develops i n t hrough and by mea n s , ,

of, the
i nteractio n be t ween these two .
Wh at ev er b ei g i s b orn th e u m ovi g
n ,
n n or t h e m ov i g
n ,
k n ow t h ou, O b e s t o f t h e B h arat h as t h at t o , be o w i n g to t h e
i
un o n o f K sh etra an d K sh etragn y a ( m at t er an d S p i r i t n i te
,
an d i n n i te ) .
1
B et w ee n t he p o e l s of s
t h e c o n c ou i s an d th e un c o n s c i ous ,
t h e re h as t h e m i dm d n a e a sw i g n
T h er eo n h a n g ll b i gs d
a e n an al
l w orlds ,
an d th at sw i n g
n ever c ea e s s i ts sway .
M i ll i o n s of b ei n gs are th ere : th e sun an d t he m oon i n

t h e i r c o urs e s are t h ere
M i ll i on s of ag es p ass a d th e sw i n g g oes on ,
n .
A ll sw i n g " t h e sky an d t h e earth an d th e ai r an d t he

w ater ; an d th e L o d H i m s elf t ak i n g fo m r r
A n d t h e s i gh t o f th i s h as m ad e K ab i r a s ervan t 2
.
The universe is the eternal sacrice o f the

supreme The B hagavadgita says :
. The
whole world rests o n sacrice I t is the law .
8
of t h e un iverse H e is sacricing himself.
that na t ure a n d humanity may live This self .
sunderi n g o f t h e whole i n wh ich the world is

contained is but the expressio n o f his j oy and

the law o f the u n iverse I t is t h e joy that .
makes t he earth o w over i n the riotous excess

O f t he grass t h e joy that se t s t he twin bro t hers
, ,
Bh g d gi t X III 6 1
a ava a, 1
XV I III 4
. .
9
1
K bi P ma r s oe s, . . 1 .
RA B I N D RA N A T H TA G O R E 3 1
l ife and death dancing over the wide world

, ,
the jo y that sweeps i n w i th the tempest ,
shaking and waking all life with laughter the ,
j oy that sits s t ill with i t s tears o n the open red

lotus o f pain a n d the j oy that throws every
,
th ing i t has upon the dust and knows not a ,

word 1
The ou t bu rst o f j oy i s needed f o r
.
the real isation o f the concrete richness o f the

world The universe i s new born continually
.
-
,
as a result o f th is j oy .
Th is f il ra ss el th ou em pt i es t ag ai n
ve an d g
a a n, i an d
l
lest i t e ver w i h f es h l i fe
t r
2
.

This lesson tha t the o ld is ever new i s t he
central theme o f l e Cy cle of Sp r i ng

The .
Absolute realises t hrough separatio n and

unio n .
Th e c h i ld ds i ts m oth e w h e n i t l ea e s h e w om b
n r v r .
W he I am part ed f om you th ow out f om you

n r , r n r r
h ous eh old I a m f ee t o see y ou fac e

,
r r .

This separat i on is needed to make the

eternal concrete .
"o u d i d ot k o w y ou s elf w h en you dw e l t l e

n n I r a on .
ca m e a d yo u w ok e
5
n .
1
Gi ta nja li, 58 . Md i . 1.
3
Page 3 5 . F r u i t Ga tl
-zer i n g , X .
5
I bi d L . XXX .
TH E P H I LOSOP H Y OF
T h ou s ettes t a b arr i er i n t h i n e own b ei n g an d th en
c all e s t t h
y s ever e d s elf i n m y r i a d n ote s T h i s th y s elf.
s eparat i on h as t ak en b od y i n m e .
Th e gr eat p ag ea n t o f t h ee a n d m e h as overs p read t h e

sky Wi th t h e tun e of t hee an d m e all th e ai r i s v i b a t
. r n ,
a n d al l ag e s p ass w i t h th e h i d i g an d s eek i g o f t h ee an d
n n
1
me .
It is th e pan of g s eparat i on t hat s preads t h rough out

t he w o ld r an d ve gi s b i th to s h apes i n n um erabl e i n th e
r
i n i te sky
n
2
.
B ut t h e separation o f the two is not the last

word The u n iverse is n o t merely a going
.
forth from God but is also a comi n g towards ,
H im The union of t h e two is complete but

.
,
in the u niverse it is bei ng made The nite .
represents to us the tensio n o f the self t o

become the i n n i t e The u n iverse is t h e .
struggle o f the nite to reach the i n n ite I t .
is a play of h ide and seek between t h e two ,
G od and man All O bjects of the world are .
n i t e i n n i t e bu t the t e n sion between t h e two

-
,
is at i t s h ighes t i n t he hu man consciousness .
M an approximates t o the ideal but never q u a

man reaches i t The world is t h e process o f .
becomi n g inni t e but not t h e co n sum ma t ion , .
S hould man comple t ely realise t h e i n ni t e a n d ,
should the world reach i t s goal O f becom i n g

1 1
I i a 64

G zt a njali , 7 1 . b . .
R A B I N D RA NA T H TA G O R E 33
the in n ite then there will be no u niverse and

,
necessarily no Absolu t e .
O th o u lo d r o f al
lh eaven s w here w ould
, b e th y l ove i f
I w ere n ot i
1
Though God is everything everything is ,
not G od While t he whole u niverse is r e

garded by Rab i n d ra n a t h as the expression o f
G od s t ill d ifferen t things express God i n
,
differe n t degrees H e thus admits the con .

c e t i o n o f degrees O f real i t y The reveal
p .
me n t o f the i n ni t e i n the n i t e which is t he ,
mo t ive o f all creation is n o t seen i n its ,
perfection i n t h e starry heave n s i n the beauty ,

of the owers I t is i n the soul o f man
.
2
.
Man the animal with the upward look is a

, ,
higher revealme n t than the mere a n imal and ,
t h e animal is higher than the worm which is ,
higher t han the clod To all things else you .

give ; from me you ask 3
S ubj ect to this .
reserva t ion we can say that t h e obj ects of the

u niverse are par t s of G o d aspiri ng to be the
whole G od is t he in n ite ideal o f perfection
. .
M an has y e t t o become wha t he is On .
account o f h is n iteness he does n o t real ise his

1
S adh a p 4 1
an , 1
g LXX V III
. .
3
F i t G tl
'
ru o
a I en n , .
aim The content O f his ideal passes beyond
.
h is exis t ence I t has a reach beyond his grasp

. .
H e strives towards it but it eludes h is effort , .
H e sees it as a vision beheld i n dreaming ,
1
somethi n g ardently I onged for The n ite .
un iverse o f perso n s and thing s represents to

us t h e passage from the imperfect to the
perfec t We see t h e road the end is n o t yet
.
, .
Through the world the opportu nities i t affords

, ,
they are coming the pilgrims o n e and all

, ,
com ing t o t heir t rue inheritance of the world .
The world is b ut t he progress of pilgrims i n

their quest for the i n n i t e E very O bj ect i n .

it cries o ut ,I wa n t thee only thee and , ,
struggles t o attain im mor t al life .
M an cannot reach t he ideal so long as

fragme n t s o f ni t eness stick to him so long ,
as his i n t ellec t emo t ion and will are bound

, ,
i n t h e real m of nite nature The n i t e i n t el .
lec t reduces t h e universe t o the O pposites O f

self and n o t self organism a n d environme n t
-
, ,
a n d leaves us there wi t hout reveali n g to us
the nal u ni t y i n which these relative opposi t es

1
SeeGi t j l
i 3 an a ,S ad a
1 p 34
.
2 ' '
na , . .
rest The ultimate un i ty b reaks itsel f into the

.
two factors o f subj ec t and obj ect man and ,
nature I ntellect reads the manifestations but

.
,
misses the u nity i n which t h e two are gathered

together I t exul t s i n the str i fe o f t he o p
.
o si t es wh ich is the play of the u n iverse

p .
The whole i n which t hese distinctio n s are not ,
abolished but overcome the un i t y which is the

, ,
nal o r t h e ultimate explanation of the things ,
is n o t grasped by it What it does is to break

.

up the world poe m and discover in i t t h e law
-
O f i t s rhythms the measureme n t o f its expansion

,
and contraction movement a n d use the pursuit

, ,

of its evolu t ion of forms and character These .

are no doubt true achievements of the mi nd ,
but Ra b i n d ra n a th says We cannot s t op ,

there . O ur thought cannot nally rest i n

them We are in the hands of opposi t es still
. .

The U panishad says : You will have fear

so long as there is dualism The universe .

of i ntellect is l ike a rail way station ; b ut the

station platform is n o t o ur home 1
The world .
o f intellec t w i t h its distinctions of good and

,
ev il t ruth and error self and n o t sel f beau t y

, ,
-
,
and ugliness is only a stage o n t he pathway to

,
S ad/m d p 991 u , . .
3 6 T H E P H I L OS O P H Y O F
real i ty The intellectual v ision is full of hard
.
and fast l ines of dis t inction I t makes the

-
.
opposites absolute and t h e sys t em becomes ,
full o f contradictions ; b u t if we pierce beh ind

it we shall nd that t h e rigid distinctions o f
in t ellect are u id and m i n gle in a wondrous
,

whole . This screen that t ho u hast raised
is pai n t ed with i nnumerable gures wi t h the
brush O f the n igh t a n d t h e day B ehind it thy .
seat is woven i n wondrous mysteries o f curves ,
casting away all barren lines of t r igh t n e ss

s a I
.
B eyond the t w o beyond the ni t e and t he

,
i n nite we have the Absolute wh ich the ni t e

, ,
intellect can n ot grasp O ur m ind cannot reach .
it Our soul looks into the di m unknown t o

.
catch sight o f i t bu t cannot n d i t where we

,
come across motor cars and aeropla n es Our .
v ision is exter n al and God is not there ; o ur

,
vision is turned inside and God is not t here , .
If I say t h at He i s w i th i n m e, t h e un ver e i s i s sh a d
am e
If I say t h at He i s w i th out m e, i t i s f ls a eh oo d"

We shall n o t see H i m until we see H im every
where i n a n d o u t i n dark n ess and in light
, , .
I n t h e drama o f J ob i t is p u t in t h e mouth
1 i , 71
Gi t a nja l .
2
K a bi r

s P oem s, I X .
38 T H E P H I LOS OP H Y O F
To the eye O f the nite i ntellect it is darkness , ,
impenetrable darkness G o d is the K ing of .
the Dark Chamber We are i n a dark prison .

,
surrou nded by walls which o ur ni t eness has

raised which separate us from others O ut
, .
side i t there is l ight and n o darkness If .
suddenly the great vision appears t o o u r u n

trained eyes wh ich c a n see objects only in t h e
,
pleasu re garden if it reveals i t self u nexpectedly

,
to o ur ordinary consciousness sticking to the ,
small s t ru tting ego as if it were every t h ing

o f consequence i n the world t h e v ision will,
alarm t h e eyes and shake that consciousness

to its fou ndations E ven t o t h e high souled
.
-
Arj u n a wi t h his soul full o f divi ne re and

,
heart full o f devotion to G o d the tremendous ,
vision o f t h e U niversal Form O f G o d was i n

supportable t oo terric and awful for him to
,
look upon B y its exceed i n g brilliance it will

.
dazzle the eyes of mor t al man G o d who .
shows h i mself i n a moment o f great suffering

will look terrible .
Blac k blac k O h t hou art bl ac k l i k e th e everl as t i n g

, ,
n i g h t " I o n ly l oo k e d o n t h e e f o r o n e d rea dful i n s t n t a .
T h e bl az e of t h e re fe ll o n y o ur feat u e s y ou l oo k ed l i k e
r
t h e a wful n i gh t w h en a c o m et sw i n gs fea fully i n t o o ur k en

r
-
o h, l s d m y eyes I c ould n ot l ook o n you
th e n I c o e
an y m ore Bl ac k as th e t h eaten i g s torm c l oud blac k as

. r n -
,
t h e s h o e l ess sea w i th th e s pec t a l red t i t of t w i l i g h t o n i t s

r r n
t um ul t uous w ave s 1
For one awful momen t the Pri ncess s a w i n t o

the hear t of thi n gs wi t h the eyes of eter n i t y a n d ,
had visions o f suns grown cold u niverses frozen , .
We can n ot see either i n perfec t dark n ess or in

perfec t ligh t B o t h are dark to u s o n e w i t h
.
the excess o f brightness the o t her wi t h the ,
lack of it We wa n t a m ixture o f opposites

.
everywhere and t ha t we have i n o ur solid :

,
seemi ng world The P rincess i n the drama .
of Tli e K i ng of ti e D a r k c om m which ,
describes t h e eternal quest O f the soul for

i t s ki ndred w ishes to see her husband and
,
dear lord in t h e empirical world where we ,
have summer houses a n d motor cars i n t he ,
world of t ime space and causation , S he , .
wants to see h im as an obj ect among objects .
S he ca n no t reach h im t hus The scientist .
says : "o u can sweep t h e wide heavens w i t h

t h e t elescope b u t will n o t n d G o d E ven so .
t h e Pri ncess whe n her vision is conned t o

,
the empirical world may grow sceptic abou t ,
1
p G d s i gh t h d i s g tl i bl
D k C/ m o
ar za er , b t t
1 10 o r an en e, u err e
i h i l ft h d ( S t y B i d N
. .
s s e an ra r s, o . 21

the existence o f G o d I t strikes me K au n
. ,
dilya t hat these people haven t go t a K i n g

,

at all They have somehow ma n aged to keep

.
the rumou r a oa t The existence o f G o d

.

1
is p u t down f o r a ction o r a hypo t hesis ,
contrived by the cunni ng perhaps to keep ,
the wretch in good order L ife becomes a .
despairi n g question and G o d a problem H e .
is near to her if she looks from the proper angle

o f vision
, b u t H e is far o ff if she adopts the
empirical standpoint The Absolute is a
.
phantom tha t eludes her grasp So lo n g as .
the Princess wants to nd G o d who is ever in ,
love with her where she sees t rees and ani mals
, ,
birds a n d s t ones she cannot nd H im

, .
The reaso n is that the Supreme is not an

obj ect which we can see wi t h our n i t e eyes I t .
is the very light by wh ich we see all objects .
H ow c a n we see it as an obj ect when it is both

t h e subj ect and the objec t whe n i t is the light ,
by which we see and the light wh ich we see "

There is nothing else t han light t o see it by .
I f we turn ourselves righ t ly w e shall see i t ,
everywhere Ourself and t h e whole u n iverse

.
are eternal witnesses to i t s presence I t is the .
1
D k C/ m b
ar p 8 za er , . 1 .
RA B I N D R A N A T H TA G O R E 41
l ife of l ife the sel f o f self I t is i n o u r very

, .
heart We need not fatho m the sea o r sweep

.
,
the sky ; we need not ascend into heaven o r

descend into the deep to reach it A c o n .
version o f soul i s what is needed I f we

.
break through the ord inary gaze we shall nd

it
. Our cherished illu sions must go The .
vulgar wisdom o f the masses should be recog

n i s e d to be v ulgar
. A n invers i on o f the secular
i nto t he religious co n sciousness is needed I f .
we get r i d o f the n iteness and rise above

,
the i ntellectual level and pierce beh ind th e veil ,
we shall see it face to face To see God we

.
should transfer ou rselves to another di m e n

sion o f real i ty We shoul d break down the
.
barr i er o f indiv idual ity and relax t h e despot i sm

o f t h e senses ; o u r ignorance will then be r e
moved We esca pe from the light o f separat i on

.
and see G od as the transcendent darkness

i n wh i ch the whole u n iverse is ba t hed .

S ur a n g a m a says : A day came when all the
rebel i n me knew itsel f beaten and then my
,
whole nature bowed down i n h umble resigna

tion on the dust of the earth And then I .
saw I saw t hat he was as ma t chless i n

beauty as i n terror Oh I was saved I was
.
, ,
4 2 THE P H I L OS O P H Y OF
1
rescued . We shall then see ou r ordinary
consciousness to be the real darkness and the
t ra n scendent o n e t o be t h e perfect radia n ce

of E t ern ity The Pri ncess says : Your sight
.
repelled me because I had sough t to nd

n t h e pleasu re garden i n my Q uee s

y o u i n ,
chambers : there eve n your meanes t servan t

looks handsomer tha n you That fever of .
longing has left my eyes for ever "o u are .
not beautiful my lord y o u stand beyond all

,
comparisons " While t he supreme is brigh t

a n d clear to t h e religious intui t io n it is m is t y ,

and dark to the cold i ntellec t I t is dark .
from its surpassing brightness as t h e .
shin ing o f the sun o n h is course is as dark

n ess t o weak eyes Vaughan in his The 2
.

N igh t says
Th is i G d s m
ere yn o , o e sa ,
A d p b t d eel i g d k ss m h
u az z n ar ne ,
as en ere
S y it is l t
a , d d us k y b us th y
a e an eca e e
S ee n ot a l
lc e a r l .
0 f or t h at ni gh t "wh e re I in Hi m
M i g h t l i ve in vi s i bl e a n d d im .
To the nite co n sciousness G od is far

away ; to the rel igious soul H e is qu ite near .
G od is present yet absen t The B ha ga v a d

, .
1
D k C/ m o
ar p 43 za T l
er , . .
2
au er .
gita says N ear and far away is That T he

I sa U pan ishad says : H e is far and also

near . When you th ink that H e is not
here then you wander farther and farther
,
away and seek H i m i n vai n with tears

, .
Where H e is far O ff there H e is u n at t a i n ,

able : Where H e is near H e is very bl i ss , .

They have sung of H i m as i nn ite and n u
a t tainable : but I i n my m edita t io n s have seen

1
H i m without sight T u k ar a m the I ndian
.
,
saint says : 0 man why do y ou travel from

,

,
place to place o search G o d

t " As the deer
does n o t know t hat it possesses an invaluable
t h i ng called a stnu r i
( )

musk so y o u do not ,
k n ow what is wi t h i n y o u S earch G o d w i t h i n .

you and you will nd H im Ra b i n d ra n a t h .

says : You were i n the centre o f my heart ,
t herefore when my hear t wandered she never

2
fou nd yo u .
T h e t avell e has t o k n o k at ve y al i en d oor to c om e

r r c e r
t
o h i s ow a d o e ha
n, t o w a d er t h oug h al
n n l t h e outer
s n r
w o lds to eac h t he i erm os t s h i e at th e e d

r r nn r n n .
My ey es s trayed f a d w i d e b efo e I s h ut t hem an d

ar n r
s i d H e t t ou
a

h
er 1 1
ar
I n thus transcend ing i ntellect by i ntuition

1
K bi P m
a X VII
r s ls XX I d XX III
oe s, se e a o an
F i t G th i g LX I X
. . .
2
ru -
a er n , .
we become ch ildl ike in o u r simplicity and

i nnocence o f the world s ways Our know
.
ledge is transformed into wisdom G od .

waits f o r man to regai n h is childhood i n

1
wisdom .
The eyes of the body are closed as i n

sleep for the eyes o f spiri t to open as i n

dreams . Yea when i t sleeps t h e m ind is
, ,
2
bright with eyes Thus Rab i n d ra n at h i n
.
,
comm on with other mys t ics discrim inates ,
between t h e path of i ntuition which is the ,
way o f wisdom born of love and the path ,
of i n tellect which i s the way o f k nowledge

,
"
born of observation I n t ui t ion enables us to
penetrate beneath outward appearances studied
by science and see the l ife i n th ings I t is .
a mat t er o f experience o r insight which is ,
coercive and certain The design argument

.
-
,
which makes G od a mat t er o f inference and

not observation is urged by J a n a r d h an i n Tne
,
K i ng of t ne D a ne com m B ut look at t h e
.
nice order and regularity prevailing all over

the place h o w do you explai n i t withou t a
K ing "
This argument is put down for
1
Ae s chy u ls .
3
S e e Fr u i t XX .
46 THE P H I L OS O P H Y OF
I ndia asserted empha t ically To know H i m ,

in this l ife is t o be true ; n o t to know H im

i n this life is t h e desolation O f death H ow

.
to know H im t hen " B y real ising H i m i n
each and all N ot only i n nature but i n the

.

,
family i n society and in t h e state th e m ore

, , ,
we realise the world conscious i n all t he -

,
better for us Fail ing to real ise it we turn

.
1
our faces to destruction The Vedan t a .
thinkers do n o t place God i n the solitude

of a world beyond The hym n or m a n tr a .
chanted every evening at t h e B olpu r school ,
The G od who is i n re who is i n wa t er , ,
who in t erpenetrates the whole world who is ,
i n herbs who is i n t rees to tha t God I bow

, ,
again and agai n is from t h e U panishads

, .
2
The Vedantic Absolu t e as much as Rabin

d ra n at h s G od is a concrete spiri t

He is th ere w h ere the t i ll i s ti ll i g th

er n e har d groun d
an d w h ere t h e pathm ak er i s b k i g st s
rea n on e .
3
The mystics o f all faiths and creeds from ,
the Rishis o f U pa n ishads downwards are a t ,
one in th is bel ief i n t h e im manence o f G od .

S t Paul says
. H e is above all t hrough all and , ,
S ad / d p
1
; P
la n lity pp 56 57
, . 20 S ee er son a , .
-
.
Sw t w t
e as Up ish d
a ara
7 Gi t j li
an a , 1 1 -1 .
3
an a ,
1 1.
RA B I N D RA NA T H TA G O RE 47
i n all .S o t oo we read : Raise the stone and ,
there thou shalt nd me ; cleave the wood ,
and t here am I I t is mean ingless to argue

.
t hat t h e Vedantic Absolute i s a barren nothing
and Rab i n d ra n a t h s G o d a concre t e someth ing

and therefore Ra bi n d ra n a t h is no V e d a n t i n .
The log i c i s irresis t ible ; only the premisses

are false .
Critics may u rge t hat the Vedan t a ph i lo

sophy is amb i guous about t h e nature o f
God . True i t says G od is All but it also , ,

says God is noth ing I t is n ot th is not this
.
, .
This dilemma o f mystic i sm wh ich makes God

sometimes the All sometimes noth ing i s not , ,
pecul iar to the Vedanta writings but ru ns ,
through all mystic l iterature Ra bi n d ra n at h s .

poems are full o f i t I n some pages the .
Absolu t e is an abstract formless featu reless , ,
unity not a G od who deserves to be adored

,
and worship ped I t is the i nsc ru table without

.
name and form .
B ut t h ere, w here s preads th e i n n ite sky f or the s oul

t o t ak e h er i g ht i n r ei g n s th e s tai n l ess w h i t e r ad i an c e
, .
T h er e i s n o d ay n or n i g h t n or form n or c o l our an d n ever

, , ,
n ever a w or d
2
.
1 1
Gi ta nja li, 9 5 . I bid 6 7 . .
O n the other hand i n the same poem ,
Ra b i n d r a n a t h makes t h e whole universe t h e

manifestatio n o f G o d
T h ou art th e sky , an d t h ou art t h e ne st as w ell .
1
hing i s true of Kabir s

M uch the same t
u t t erances .
He is ne i th er m an i f st
e n or h i dd en , He is ne i th er
r evea e l d l d
n or u n revea e
T h e e are n o w o ds t o t ell th at w h i c h H e i s
r r
2
.
H e i s w i th out fo m w i th out q ual i t y w i t o t d e y

r ,
h u ca
"
1
, .
O ly h e k n o ws i t wh o h as r eac h ed t h at r eg i on : i t i s
n
lth at i s h ea d a d sai d

o t h er t h an al r n .
NO form n o b o dy n o l en g th n o b read th i s s een t h ere

, , ,
h o w c an I t ell you t h at w h i c h i t i s .
4
To represent the other current o f his t hought

we may cite the followi n g passage
i
H e H m s elf i s th t t h s d d t h g m
e r ee, e ee ,
an e er .
He H i m s lf i s t h w
e th f i
e od th sh d
er, e ru t , an e a e .
He H i m s lf i s t h
e t h l i gh t
e s un ,d th l igh t d e , an e e .
He H i m s lf i s B h m
e t ra d M y a, c r ea u re, an a a .
He H i m s lf i s t h m
e i f ld f m t h i i t s p ;
e an o or ,
e n n e ac e
He i s t h b t h t h w d d th m i g
e r ea , e or , an e ean n .
He H i m s lf i s t h l i m i t
e d th l i m i tl ss
e d b y
an d b th e e an e on o
th l i m i t d
e d t h l i m i t l ss i s H
e an th Pe B i g e e, e ur e e n .
He i s t h I m m t M i d i B h m d i th
e an en n t n ra a an n e c r ea ur e 5 .
1
Gi t a nja li, 6 7 9
K a bi r

s P oem s, I X
XX V I
. .
3
. lai d L . XXV I .
5
lbi d V I I
. .
RA B I N D RA NA T H TA G O RE 49
The U panish ads are full of such apparently

contradictory descr i pt i ons for they are only ,
the records o f the spiritu al exper i ences o f the

sages o f I nd i a
H e is not th is H e is n o t
.
,
l
t hat .

I t is neither coarse nor ne ne i t her ,
sharp nor long ne i ther red like re nor uid ,
l ike water ; i t is w i thout shadow without ,
darkness w i thout a i r w ithout water w i thout

, , ,
at t ach men t without taste without smell with, , ,
o ut eyes w i thout ears without speech w i t hou t

, , ,
m i nd without l ight w i thout breath without

, , ,
mou t h without measure havi ng no with i n and

, ,
no withou t ; it devours nothing and no one

2
devours it To represent the other tendency
.
we have the Cha n d ogya wh i ch says :

All ,
th i s u niverse has the Supreme deity f o r its

l i fe That de i ty is t ruth H e is the U n i versal
. .

soul . Thou art H e S w et ha ke t h u 8
T he , .
Mun dak a U panishad says : Th i s i mmortal
B rahma to the r igh t a n d the left below and

'
, ,
above all pervad ing B rahma i s this All th i s

, , ,

innite world 4
T he contradict i on between
.
the two accounts is only apparent and n o t

real . I f by means of our nite i ntellect we
y k Up i sh d ii 3 6
1
B ih d r a ara n a a an a
ls i 4
.
, . .
I bi d iii 8 ;
1
. . Hid i 7
se e a o v. . 22. 3
. v . .
4
50 T H E PH I LOSOP H Y OF
try t o reach the Absolute we S hall fail in o u r

at t empts The K ena U pan ishad says : I t is
.

far from the known and above the unknown .

The Ta i t t i ri y a says : Words toge t her wi t h
t h e m ind return without comprehending it .
The Absolu t e unity is O pposed t o the i ntellectual

duali t y and the i ntellec t ual account of t he
,
Absolute remai ns a nega t ive one But when .
we rise above the plane of intellect to religion ,
poetry and ph ilosophy we see it face to face

, .
When we say tha t th e A b solut e is above the

'
grasp o f i ntellect we do n ot mean that it is

,
O pposed t o it Only i n t h e Absolu t e the

.

i n tellectual is real ised I n l ove all the .
contradic t ions o f existe n ce merge themselves

and are lost O nly i n love are u nity and
.
1
dual ity n o t at variance At the intuitional .
level the Absolute is the all comprehending -
love wi t h whom we can com mu ne whom we ,
can love adore and worship The Absolute

, , .
is th e whole U niverse The creation is the.
dance lee/a or t h e play o f the Absolute

, , The .
Crea t or brought i nto being the game o f j oy .
The Ear t h is h is J o y I n play is t h e

.
2
creation spread o u t I n play it is establ ished
. .
P m LXXX II
1
S ad/ a 4
za n , 11K bi
.
2
a

r s oe s, .
God as much as the Vedant i c

Ra b i n d ra n a t h

s
Absolute i s a concrete U n i versal .
VI I
N ow the question arises I s Ra bi n d ra n a t h s
,

God a person and n o t the impersonal Absolute

o f the Vedanta " Yes : Gi ta nja li makes o f
G o d a person T he Vedanta Philosophy i n
.
all i t s stages o f development prov ides for such

a conception . Art philosophy and religion
, ,
are the specialised modes in wh i ch the

Absolu t e p resen t s itsel f to manki nd G o d is .
a tri nity because man is The human i ndi .
v idual is a u nity of intellect emotion and will , , ,
and the S upreme I deal to satisfy sen t i men t

, ,
will and reason appears as S upreme B eauty

, , ,
S upreme Good y S uprem e Truth A n d as the .
human ind i vidual is a u nity o f the three and as ,
these elements ca n not co n ict with each other ,
and as no o n e o f them can comple t e i ts i dea

except as it gathers i n t o itself the two others ,
even so t here is no discord between the

different aspects o f t ruth beauty and goodness
, ,
i n the S upreme I deal This ideal shows itself

.

t o man s capacity for j oy as S upreme B eauty ,
to his capacity f o r knowledge as S upreme

5 2 T H E P H I LO S O P H Y O F
Truth to his capacity to act as Supreme
, ,
Good The contents of the three do not vary

. ,
t hough their form does Art philosophy and

.
, ,
religion are different form s and expressions o f

worship a n d different ways o f approach t o God .
The particular method depends upon t h e

t emperamental characteristics with wh ich the
Creator has enriched human nature All souls .
sai nts sages and seers seek u nion with God

, , .
M ystic souls o f an emotional and imaginative

cas t of mind express their devotion by love ,
worship and adoration They make a person

, .
o f the object o f their love I n Rab i n d ra n a t h

.
t h e art aspect predominates H is wealth of .
imagination force of feel ing and i n tensity o f

, ,
passion turn h is words into music and poetry .
The poems o f Gi ta nja li are the offerings o f the

nite to t he innite T he relation between
.
the two is conceived o f as that be t ween the

lover and the beloved an a nalogy employed
by the mys t ics t h e world over Throughout .
oriental l iterature th is analogy is constan t ly

,
used to express t h e true rela t ionship be t ween

the hu man soul and God Radha s passionate .
devotion to K rishna is the symbol o f the soul s
yearning for G od When K rishna t o d raw

.
,
artis t he translates h is spiritual experience i nto

,
ma t erial symbols The language is meta

.
h r i c a l a n d if l i t erally in t erpreted would lead

p o ,
t o absurdi t ies a n d contradictio n s M iss E velyn

.
U nderhill remarks i n her adm irable i n t ro d uc

t ion to K a oi r s P oem s : I t is a marked
charac t eris t ic o f mys t ical li t era t ure that t h e
great contemplatives i n t heir effort t o convey
,
to us the n ature o f their commu nion wi t h the

supersensuous are inevi t ably driven t o employ
,
some form o f se n suous imagery : coarse and

i n accura t e as t hey know such imagery to be ,
even at the best .I f from the poems o f

G i ta nja li we infer that G od i s a person over
agains t m a n we make a m istake To Rabin
, .
d r a n a t h G od is not a being seated high up

in t h e heavens b ut a spiri t immanent in the
,
whole U n iverse of persons a n d thi n gs Rabin .
d ra n a t h s love is a spiritual love above sex

uni n t elligible t o t h e world a t large a love ,
which loses itself in t h e sea o f t h e Absolute to
melt and vanish away in t h e dark o r it may ,
be i n a smile of the whi t e morning in a cool ,

ness o f purity transparent 1
. The Absolute of
philosophy becomes the G od of religion t o all ,
followers of the B hakti school I swara the .

,
highest manifestation of the Absolute i s the ,
personal L ord of the U n iverse The dist i n o .
tion of the lover and t h e loved is kept up til l

the last point when i n perfect love the two ,
become o n e Th e personal God is then dis.
solved i n the Absolu t e I f Ra bi n d ra n at h is .
viewed as a worshipper of a personal G o d he ,
may be looked upon as the l i ving example o f the

long and noble succession o f rel igious devotees
o f whom I ndia is j ustly proud including among ,
others Ma n i kk av asaga r Ram an uja Ma d dh wa , , ,
Ramananda Vedanta D e si k a r J n an e sw ar
, , ,
N a m d e v Va l a bh a Ch a r a
l , y K ab ir C h a n d i d a s , , ,
Ch a i t h a n y a N anak D adu T ula si d as and

, , , ,
Tu k ar a m This B hakti school has had a con

.
t i n u o u s h i story from the very begi nn ings of
reection in I ndia A Christian cri t ic D r .

, .
M acn i col says ,The i sm i s both anc i ent i n the

land and indigenous to the soil No o n e .
need suppose that the ideas that bhakt i connotes

1
are a fore i gn i mportation into I ndia The .
1 I di n Tl i m p
an 75 R bi d
ie s th s y s W dis
2 tw a n ran a a :

e cern o
l ( o / m i dy ) th bst t
, . .
o pp s i t
o ts i I di s di i
e c ur r e n n n a

v ne or e ra z a v a e a r ac
G d o d th p s
an l G d m i sm d d l i ty Th
e e r on a o t b on an ua er e c an n o e
w sh i p l ss w d m i t d l i ty d y t t h
, .
or un e e a t b d uati an e er e c an n o e evo on
l ss w x g
,
un e e Oo ur (M d R i w A g st
az e o n Th
ne o ern ev e , u u e
tw o ar e asp ts f th ec G dh d
o e on e o ea .
56 T H E P H I LOS O P H Y O F
critics who make Ra b i n d ra n at h a borrower
from Christianity betray an as t onishing lack
of historic conscie n ce a charge generally

urged against I ndians The Absolute o f .
ph ilosophy and the G od of religion have both

a place i n the Vedanta system Those who .
draw a hard and fast l ine o f disti n ction between

- -
the two will never be able to understand the

Vedan t a philosophy What Richard Garbe .
says o f the B hagavadgita is true o f other

Veda n ta wri t ings : The doc t rines wh ich are
here put into the mouth o f K rishna present
a remarkable combination of pantheistic and
monotheistic ideas o f phi losophical thoughts ,
and o f pure a n d deeply religious faith i n

1
G od . The formless Absolute has to be
conceived as a being o f form by the n ite
individual To put it the other way we can
.
,
say t hat the Absolute wh ich is above the pairs ,
o f opposites o f beauty and ugl i n ess t ru t h and ,
error good and evil still appears for t h e sake

, ,
o f man as perfect B eauty perfect Truth and , ,
perfec t G oodness
The Perfect decks itself i n
.
2
beauty for t h e love o f the I mperfect The .
1
E n cy cl
ope d i a o f R eligi on an d E t/z i cs, vol
. II . p .
536 .
1
S t r ay B i r ds, No 6 2 . .
follow i ng words quoted i n M aharsh i D even

,
d r an at h T ago re s A u tooi og r ap/zy admirably

dep i ct the contrition of the devotee f o r the

confus i on o f spirit due to h is n i teness
0 sp r i it l g id
ua u e of th e Un i s
ver e, T h o u ar t w i t hout form
"et t hat I h ave i d
con c e ve Th i ne im g
a e in t h e ac t o f
i i
m ed tat on ;
T ha t I h ave ig n ore d Th i i
ne n expre ss i b i l i ty by w ords of
pra is e ;
T h at I h av e g ht Thy o m n i pres en c e b y m ak i n g
set at n au
p i lgr i m ag es an d i n oth er w a ys
, ,
For t h es e t h ree tran sg ress i on s c om m i tted th roug h

c on fus i on of s pi ri t 0 A l m ig h ty God, I i m pl ore Thy
,
forg iven ess .

CHAPTE R II
I
T H E P H LO S O P H " O F RA B I N D RA N A T H TA G O RE II
L if b
e- r ea th is th e b re ath of i m m or ta li t y . Th e b od y en d s
in a sh s e . O my w i ll ,
r em em b er th y d e ed s . O G od , 0 F i re ,
t h ou k ws
no e t l
al deed s . Lea d us t h r ough g ood p a th s to
full m en t . Se p t f
ar a e r om u s k
t h e c r oo e d s i n . To th ee w e o ff er
ou sp e
r ec h of s al ut t i
a on .
]s a Up a n i s/z ad .
Wh s o o ta e ks th e w or ld s l if

e on h im an d h is ow n l ys d w
a o n,
H e, d yi n g so , li s
ve . S WI N B UR N E .
I
THE acquisition of the true insight i nto
things is the mark o f religion That insight .
we can have only when o ur souls have so

expanded as to feel f o r t h e whole universe .

This expansio n o f soul t h is widening o f the ,
range of feel i ng can be ach ieved n o t by ,
addi n g to our possessions not by extending ,
o u r dom inions but by giving up our nite ,

self .We have however to pay a price , ,
for t his attainment of the freedom o f con

58
ca . 11 RA B I N D RA N A T H TA G O R E 59
s c i o usn e s s What is the price " I t is to give

.
onesel f away Our soul can real ise itsel f.
truly only by denying itsel f The U panishad .
says Tnou sk a /t g a i n by g i vi ng a w ay Tnou

, ,
l
sna l t n ot covet

The consc i ousness o f the .
i nnit e i n us proves itself by our j oy i n giv i ng

ourselves o ut o f our abundance And then .
o u r work is t h e p rocess o f o u r renu nciation it ,
is o n e w i th o u r l ife I t is l ike the ow i ng o f .
2
the r i ver wh i ch is the river itsel f
,
Spiritual .
attainment consists i n giv i ng away o r renu nc i a

tion We have to conquer the world by
.
caring naught for i t S elf denial is t h e pa t h .

-
to self realisat i on -
T h is idea is brought o u t .

by the i mage o f the lamp and the o i l The .
lamp co n tains its oil which it holds securely ,
i n i ts close grasp and guards from the least

loss . Thus is i t separate from all other
obj ects around it and is miserly B ut when .
lighted it nds i ts mean i ng at once its relation

with all th ings far and near is established and ,
i t freely sacrices its fund of oil to feed t h e

ame s W ith th e ann ih ilation o f self comes
.
the full ment o f love T he self cen t red life .

-
becomes God centred M an shall not see -

.
1
S ad / a p 9 zan P ,
lity p 6 3
. S ad l d p 76
1 .
1
er son a , . .
3
za n , . .
God and l ive goes the saying Certainly , .
n ot S o long as he is m an he cannot see

.
H im When he sees H i m he ceases to be

.
man Before tha t vas t ness and splendou r

.
l
man s ind i viduality S hrinks and crumbles i nto

dust The all dwell ing love invades sub

.
-
,
merges and overwhelms t h e i ndividual con

,
sc i o s e
u n ss The whole i.ndividual body ,
m ind and soul is given up to G od

, .
From th e bl ue sky an eye s h all g a e upon m e an d z
summ o m e i n si l en c e
n N o t h i n g w i ll b e l e ft f or m e
.
,
n oth i n g w hatever an d utter d eath s hall I rec e i ve at

,
t h y fe et 2
.
Th i s state o f supreme bliss is n o t death
but completeness I t is the perfec t ion o f .

consciousness where t here is no dust or dark,
ness t o obscure the v is i on I t is an utter .
clearness and transparency through which

God s rays pass and repass without let or
hindrance I t is comple t e ha rmony perfect
.
,
love and supreme j oy I n that all embraci n g

, .
-
consciousness the n ite and the in n i t e are

enfolded i n one The i nward and the o ut .
1
ll lis
Fu y t o r ea e t h e e st en c e xi of th e Ab s l
o ut e is f or n i te b e i ng s
i m p ossi b e l I n o rd er t h u t o n o s k w we sh ou ld h av e to b e, and t h en
ld l
.
we sh ou n ot e xi t
s ( B rad ey Appear a n ce a n d Rea lity ) .
of this condition The nal state is a total .
transformation o f t h e personali t y in t o a n
explicit organ o f the Absolute The i n .
depende n t false will i s destroyed the perfect ,
surrender o f t h e will to G od makes the will the

D ivine will We O b t ain this condition not
. ,
by abstraction but by comprehension not by

, ,
exclusio n but by i nclusion

,
I t is therefore .

fulness o f life
L ife dies i nto the ful ness
.
1
.
The i n dividual tries t o realise t h e inni t e with in

him adore it clasp it with a f fectio n and ul t i
, , ,
ma t ely become one wi t h it Till t h is goal is .
reached man is caught i n the world process

, .
When i t is reached the false i n dividuali t y

separating man from G od becomes ex t inct .
When o n e knows thee then alien t here is ,

n one then no door is shut T he soul is
2
.
,
then prepared to meet death o r any t h i n g even

more fearful t ha n that F o r i t t he n shares the .

life e t ernal wh ich death can not defeat My .
whole body and my l imbs have th rilled wi t h

h is touch who is beyond touch and if t he end
3
comes here let it come , The whi t e radiance .
of eter n ity lls him and puts re into his hear t ,
1
F r u i t Ga tl
z er i n g , L I V
-
l
.
2
Gi ta nja li, 6 3 ; se e a so B r i h a d a ra n y ak a Up i sh an ad , II 4. . 14 .
3
Gi t a nja li, 9 6 .
and music i nto h is soul H e becomes endowed .
wi t h etern al youth and strength and lls the ,
1
world with ligh t .
II
S ide by side wi t h th is v iew o f eternal l i fe ,
we al so come across the doctri ne o f r e

i ncarnat i on .
Th e c h i ld c i es out w hen f om t h e i gh t b eas t th e

r r r r
m oth er tak e s i t w y i n t h e ve y ext m o m en t t o n d i n

a a ,
r n
t h e l e ft o e i t s o s ol at i on
n c n .
2
D eath b el o gs to l i fe as b i rt h d oes
n .
Th e w alk i s i t h e ra i s i g of t h e foot as i t h e l ay i g of
n n n n
i t down .
3
With the H ind u ph i losophers Ra b i n d ra n a t h ,
believes in the gradual perfection o f i ndiv iduals

till the ideal is attained The soul has to pass .
t hrough many l i ves before t h e goal can be

reached Thou hast made me endless such
.
,
is thy pleasu re Th is frail vessel thou empt i est

.
agai n and agai n and lle s t it ever wi t h fresh l ife

, .
The time that m y j ourney takes i s long and the

way of it long I came out o n the c hariot of
.
t h e rst gleam o f l ight and pursued my voyage ,
th rough the wildernesses o f worlds leaving my

S 1
S ad / d p
ee 4 Bh g dgi t II 55 58
la n , . 1 a ava a, .
-
.
2 3
Gz t a nja li , 9 5 . S tr ay B i r ds , 26 8 .
l
track on many a star and planet I n the .
progress towards perfec t ion man owing to the , ,
weakness of h is esh has to renew his body , ,
and this renewal is what we call deat h I t is .
thou who d ra wes t the veil of night upon the

tired eyes of the day to renew its sight in a
2
fresher gladness of awakening Dea t h is .
only a prepara t ion for a h igher and fu ller life .
I n the matter o f future li fe Ra b i n d r an a t h is

,
a t one wi t h the Rishis of the U panishads who ,
also hold the two views o f immortal i t y and

reincarnation the l ife o f completeness and
,
perfection and the life which con t inues end

lessly B oth these views are val id i n their
.
respective spheres S o long as man is n ite

.
and does not give up h is selsh nature h is ,
dest i ny is n o t fullled and the nal c o n su m

,
ma t ion of b ecoming one with God is not

attained he is i n t h e moral l i fe struggling hard
,
to at t ai n the end wh ich he does not get H e .
perpetually approximates t o the goal but never ,
reaches it F o r a nite being to ach ieve th is

.
i mpossible task as Kant urges innite time is

, ,
not enough S o long as man i denties him

.
self with his nite eet i ng personal ity h e is

, ,
1
Gi ta nja li , 1 an d 1 2. lai d . 25 .
subj ect to the law o f i nn ite prog ress and

perpe t ual approximation As I ndia n s have i t .
,
'
he i s bo un d i n the cycl e of bir t hs and dea t hs .
H e goes from l i fe to l i fe ; death becomes only

an i ncident in l ife a change from one scene to
,
ano t her B ut when the i ndiv idual comple t el y

.
surrenders himself to the u n iversal life and the ,
self becomes one w i t h the supreme then he ,
gains the bl iss o f heaven and shares the l ife

eternal H e is l ifted above the travail of b i r t hs
.
and dea t hs and above mere succession i n t ime

, ,
to which alone dea t h i s rel eva nt I n the m oral .
l ife where we h av e the i n div i dual attempting

,
to reach the goal we have the endless suc

,
cession i n time which belongs to the ni t e ;

but when moral l ife is s wallowed up i n rel igion ,
the n the spirit transcends time and at t a i ns a

t i meless i mmortal ity .
III
The A bsolute i s the organic whole consist

i ng o f the diff erent elements o f matter life , ,
consciousness and i ntellect

, These are the .
1
express i ons o f the whole ; bu t i f they set

themselves up for the whole we are i n th e ,
S th T i tti i y Up
1
ee e i sh da r a an a .
66 T H E P H I LOSOP HY OF
region of m ay a As parts of the Absolute
.
they are real ; as u n connec t ed with it t hey are

illusory A vi dy a or ignorance o f t h e real
.

nature of the world and m an s place in it chains
us i n the bonds of m ay a Then the ni t e .
existence becomes a f a t/1 0s and nature a ,
bondage from which we S hould escape I n .
the world of m ay a o ur indiv idual i t y appears

to be ultimate ; but if we overcome this
illusion we nd our i nd ividual consciousness
,
t o be a u nique expressio n o f the u n iversal .
E verything has t his d ual ism o f m ay a a n d

sa t a m appearance and tru t h O ur self is
y , .
m ay a where it i s merely ind ividual and ni t e ,
where it co n siders i t s separateness a s absolu t e

it is sa ty a m where i t recognises i t s essence in
the un iversal and innite i n the supreme sel f
, ,
1
'
i n Param atman I n the Dev i B hagavata

.
it is sa i d that when S hakti tur n s towards

the world she is m ay a ; when she turns
towards the L ord she is seen to be h im
self .
2
I t is wrong to th ink that t h e world

has an i ndepende n t existence This world .
song is never for a moment separated from

its singer M usic and the mus ician are i n
.
S adl a p 8 5
1
S 2 '
i an , . F. i t G tk i g V ee ru -
a er n , .

separable . The play o f the u n iverse i s
1
centred round God .
T h e p i pe p i pe s i th e c e t e h i dd en from si g h t
r n n r , ,
A d w e b ec o m e f
n t i c we d a c e 2
ran , n .
I f we separate the two we break up the real into ,
the two abstracts of the n i te and the inni t e ,
which are both u nreal and illusory The mere .

nite i s l ike
a lamp without i ts light a ,
"
viol i n without i ts music The mere inn i te i s .

u tter empt i ness T he two are real i n thei r
.

u n i on . The inn i te and the nite are o n e ,
3
as song and s i nging are one I t i s only i n .
marriage with the nite that the i nn i te can

bear fruit ; divorced from i t i t remains barren , .
The u nity o f God is real ised only through the

many . The real with its meani ng read

wrong a n d emph asis m isplaced is the u nreal .
May a thus i s a phantom that is and is not

, , .
IV
When we perceive the real s i gn i cance o f

n a ture and society we nd they are there for
the purpose o f enabling us to reach the i nnite .
The i deal i s to be attai ned not by escap i ng ,
1 2
Tti e Cy cle of Spr i ng .
3
P er sona lity , pp .
56 57 -
. S t r ay B i r ds , 254 .
from the confusions o f th e world of sense but ,
by spiritualising them Rab i nd ra n a t h does .
not look upo n the body as the tomb o r the

prison o f the soul from which it has to be
l ibera t ed For h i m man i s bound u p wi t h
.
nature ; the human spirit is wedded to the

material organism Con t act wi t h the body .
,
i ns t ead of being a t ainting of the purity of t h e

soul is j ust t h e condition ne cessary for develop
,
i ng its nature N a t ure is n o t as such evil I t

.
, , .
all depends I f t h e i n dividual rests i n his

.
sensuous nature self sa t i s ed without di rec t ing -

,
h is vision to G od t hen nature t urns o ut to be ,
a tempter I f on the other hand it i s made

.
, ,
to b ecome the organ o f the higher sp i rit ,
no t h ing can be said agains t it B y itsel f .
nature is a moral The spirit quickens it

-
. .
I t is the duty of man t o t ra n s g ur e the natural ,
break its externalism and transitoriness and ,
make i t fully express the spirit for which it is

i ntended 1
.
I f we think nature to be separate from G o d ,
1
Ten n y s
on , wh m s o st t thi s i d
co e l k s th
n e ar e o ea, o ver oo e
e ss ti
en a ll y p s it i
o l t i f b dy t m i d H s m s t th i k
ve re a on o o o n e ee o n
i s i m p ti b l w i th sp i i t
.
t h at m atter n co a e r
Th i s w igh t f b dy d l im b e o o an
Are th y
e t sig
no d sy mb l f th y d i i s i
n an f m Hi m "
o o v on ro
is not something to be escaped from I t is .
there to enable the nite i n dividual to reach

his goal The en t ire world is given to us
.
,
and all our powers have t he i r nal mea n ing

i n the fai t h that by thei r help we are t o
1
take possession o f ou r patrimony N ature .
and society are but the i n struments by which

to el ici t the i n n i t e n es s o f the nite being ,
the material to help t h e ni t e to work out its

destiny The whole universe is penetra t ed
.
and v i t alised by the living spir i t and so ,
responds to the call o f spiri t N ot a fragment .
of it which is not deeply interesting and

d ivine if we approach i t in the right way
, .
Anything can be made t he channel o f approach

to G od an entrance to immortal i t y
,

All .

paths lead to t hee N othi ng i n t h e visible
.
world is too low for the use o f spirit The .
dull dense world has openi ngs throughout to

the wh ite radiance .
G od t h eg reat g iver c an open th e w h ol e un ivers e to

our ga e i n th e n arro w s pac e of a s i n gl e l an e 2
z , .
I i e i s t y m an s i on m y l ord
n n t h 3
, .
Earth is crammed with heaven ; al l exist

1
S ad/z a n d ,
'
p . 1 3 7. 2
Rem i n i scen ces, p . 22 1 .
3
Gi ta nja li, 8 7 .
RA B I N D RA N AT H TA G O R E 71

ence i s suffused w i th God Why the whole .
,
coun t ry is all lled a n d crammed and packed

1
with the K ing As a Greek th in ker h as it
.
,
the earth i s bou nd by a chai n O f gold to

heaven The smallest details of the world
.
con t ain p rophecies o f the u nknown The .
u n i verse i s everywhere a gate through which

we can enter o ur spiri t ual heritage S t rike .
it anywhere lay hold of i t anywhere i t opens

, ,
to the mansion of God H e comes comes . , ,
ever comes E very moment and every age

.
,
every day and every night he comes comes , , ,
2
ever comes .I t is never too late t o become
a recruit to God s army
At the end o f t h e

.
day I hasten i n fear les t thy gate be shut ;

3
but I nd t hat yet there is time I f we m iss .
an opportunity it i s dead and gone never

, ,
more to recu r I t is no good repenti ng after

.
the event At any moment the n ight may

.
come when no man shall work We must .
seize th e O pportunities as the world presents

them for they do not come at o ur i nv itation
,
.
We must be ever ready to receive God for ,
i t may well happen that when H e comes we

1
D a r k Cl
i amoer , p . 14 .
2
Gi ta nja li, 4 5 .
1
lai d 8 2
. .
7 2 T H E P H I LOSOP HY OF
are not ready and when we are ready H e does ,
1
n o t come .
The th ings of nature and the events of

the world will cause trouble and vexa t ion of
spirit i f instead o f utilising them for spiritual
, ,
and u nselsh e n ds we make use o f them for ,
o u r own sensation and enj oyment .
Why d i d th e lam p go out "

I s ha d ed i t w i th m y c l oak to s ave it from th e w in d ,
t h at i s why th l m p w t e a en out .
Wh y d i d t h w f d e o er a e "
I ss ed i t to
p re m y h eart w i th i sl
an x ou ove, th at is why
t h e ow er fad ed .
Why d i d the s tream d ry up "

I put a d am ac ross i t t o h ave i t f or m y use, t h at i s why
the st rea m d ied
r up .
Wh y d i d th e h arp s tri n g b reak " -
I tri ed to forc e a n ot e th at was b ey on d i ts po w er , th at

is wh y t h e h arp t r -
s i g is b k
n ro en .
2
Man s abiding happiness is not i n getting

anything but i n giving himself up t o wha t is

grea t er t han himself to ideas which are larger ,
t han his individual sel f the i dea of his ,
3
coun try of huma n i t y o f G o d
, The world , .
gives us oppor t uni t ies f o r su rrendering o ur

1
S ee Tbe Ga r den er , 8 , 3 6, 57, an d 66 .
2
Tae Gar dener , 52 2
S ad l
. za n a,
'
p . 1 52.
all There i s a touch o f the e t ernal i n all

.
such surrenders to u nselsh ideals o r dedica ,
tions to high causes We then feel the feet .
o f God and forget ourselves A h i gh and .
noble ideal releases the sel f I t del ivers us .
from o ur sel sh ness and opens the gateway

to immortal i ty E ven the com mon th ings o f
.

earth s everyday experience if we whole ,
heartedly give up ourselves to them would ,
take us to heaven I n such transact i ons the

.
character i st i c features o f relig i on are present .
Whenever we nd a devot i on wh i ch makes

the n i te sel f seem as noth i ng and some
real i ty to wh i ch it attaches itsel f seem as all
we have the essentially rel igious att i t ude .
The transcendent value of the i deal and the

utter prostrat i on of the self are complementary
aspects o f o n e exper i ence We should say .
i n the presence o f the ideal : You are all

my world I am lost in y o u
.
2
L ook at .

A rju n a s address to Ch itra

You alone are .
perfect ; y o u are the wealth o f the world the ,
end o f all poverty the goal o f all efforts the

, ,
one woman " Others there are who can be

1
Bo s q
an uet, Giff or d L ect u r es, vol
. II . p . 23 5.
2
Tl
i e Ga r d en er , 4 6 an d 48 .
but slowly known While t o see y o u for a .
moment is to see perfect completeness once

1
and for ever C hi t ra responds to th is
.

appeal : I heard h is call B eloved my most , ,

beloved And all my forgotten l ives united
.
as o n e and responded to i t I said Take me .

, ,
take all I am A nd I stretched o ut my arms

.

t o him H eaven and ear t h time and

.
,
space pleasure and pain death and l ife

, ,
2
merged together i n an unbearabl e ecs t asy .
There is nothing more heavenly on earth

than the surrender o f the soul of a woman to
the man sh e loves Sel f transcendence the .
-
,
mark o f all spiri t ual experience is present i n ,
the devoted passion for the pu rsui t o f science ,
a r t and morality
, I n human love we have .

such moments Only for a few fragrant .
8
hours we two have been made immortal .
We then touch t h e hem of the garment of

God though we do not know it
, E ntering .
my heart unbidden even as one o f the co mmon

crowd unk nown to me my king thou didst
, , ,
press the signet of e t ernity u po n many a

4
eet i ng moment o f m y life Rel igious .
1
C/z i t r a , pp . 1 8 an d 1 9 .
2 J oi a
. p . 24 .
1
Tb e Ga r den er , 44 .
experience is nothing more than th is utter

neglect of the self and surrender to G o d who
captures ou r body m i nd and soul I t is a , , .
breaking up of our selsh ness and a reach i ng

out towards the whole The nite ideals we .
sometimes disinterestedly pursue will sooner

or later man i fest the i r i nadequacy to sa t isfy
the needs o f the soul T hough perfect human .
love approximates to th is we soon recog ,
n ise that it cannot satisfy the i nnite crav ing

i n us for heavenly perfection I t may open .
t he w

a y to i t b u t i t can never be the end

, .
I f the i r love has its absolute centre i n

creatures whether brute o r human then there
, ,
w i ll be m i sery and they w ill suffer from d is

,
appo i ntments through sickness death and , ,
separation ; but if t hey have the consc i ous

ness of the i nn ite personality i n the centre
and background o f their personal l ife then ,
t he power o f love will be fully sat i sed and ,
all the gaps will b e lled and their joys and ,

'
sorrows will j oi n t he i r h a n ds i n a harmony

1
o f fullment which i s blessedness We long .

to become o n e with the perfect ideal In .
1
Tagore

s p ti
ar ng me ss age t o th e w o m en of Am eri ca , Cur r en t
Op i n i on , A p ilr 1 9 1 7.
76 THE P H I LO S O P H Y OF
that devastation i n the utter nakedness o f
,

spirit let us become o n e i n beau t y
,
No .

ni t e obj ect can satisfy this crav ing Alas .
for my vain desire " Where is this hope for

u nion except in thee my G o d " 1
, Fi n ite
ideals will have to be transmuted i n t o the

i nnite before the soul can get perfect satis
faction through them .
V
I t follows that the God possessed soul will-
spend itself i n the serv ice of man J ust as to .
t he lover there is nothing unclean o r impu re
i n the loved one s body even so to t he lover

of God t here is nothing u ntouchable i n t h e

great body of God the world o f men With
, .
d rawa lfrom social work may be the temptation

of the abstract mystic who turns away i n
disgust from the world o f discord and contra
diction but to him the innite will remain
,
an abstract barren negative I t does n o t .
greatly matter whether we call i t being or non

being I t is a question of taste o r tempera
.

ment B ut as K abir says we nd naught
.
, ,
1
Tbe Gar dener , 50 .
the mak i ng of t hat marvel o f art and it was ,

consecrated to G od with costly rites ; for t h e
temple was built i n the year when thousands o f
people whose houses have been burned stood
vainly asking f o r help at his door 1
.
The idea of divine immanence requires rst ,
of all i ndividual purity purity of body m i n d

, , ,
heart a n d will The me t hods of y og a jn a n a

,
.
, ,
t i a /eu and ka r m a are to be adopted for the

,
development a n d d iscipline o f the soul 2

.
L i fe of m y l i f e I s h all ever t y t o k eep m y b ody pu e

,
r r ,
k n ow i g th at t hy l i vi g touc h i s upo llm y l i m bs

n n n a .
I s h ll eve t y t k eep all u t uth s out f om m y

a r r o n r r
t h o ug h t s k n ow i g t h t t h ou a t t h at t uth w h i h h as
,
n a r r c
k i dl ed t he l ig h t o f e s o i m y m i d
n r a n n n .
I s h ll eve t ry to d i ve all e i ls aw ay f om m y h eart

a r r v r
a d k eep m y l ove i
n o we k ow i g th t th ou h as t th y
n r, n n a
sea t i n t he i m s t s h i e o f m y h e t
n o r n ar .
An d i t s h ll b e m y e d e vour t o reveal t he e i n m y
a n a
a c t i o s k o w i g i t i s t h y p o w er g i ve s m e s t e g th t o
8
n ,
n n ct r n a .
The consciousness o f D i vi ne i mmanence

demands social j ustice Every man should be .
looked upon as a n end in himself and not as a

means On this familiar text o f t he U pa n ishads
.
,
the B ible t h e B hagavadgita a n d K a n t Rabin

, , ,
d r a n a t h comme n ts with special reference to t h e ,
F i t G tl i g XX I V1
ru a t er n , .
2
S th B h g
ee d gi te x ii 4 6
a ava G t / li 4
a, v . 1 -
1 .
2
z an a , .
RA B I N D RA NAT H TAGO R E 79
m odern problems o f sl um l i fe sweating pro , ,
sti t u

t io n,
and pol itical exploitation I n the .
lands where cann ibalism i s prevalent man

looks upon man as h is food I n s uch a cou ntry .
c iv ilisation can never thrive f o r there man ,
loses h is h igher value and is made common

i ndeed . O ur desires bl ind us to the t r u t/z
that there i s i n man and th is i s th e greatest
,
wrong done by ourselves to o ur own soul I t .
deadens o ur consciousness and is but a gradual ,
method o f spiri t ual suicide I t produces ugly .
sores i n the body o f civil isation gives r i se to ,
its hovels and brothels its vi ndic t ive penal ,
codes i ts cruel p rison systems its organ ised

, ,
methods of exploiting fore i gn races to the

ex t ent of permane n t ly inj ur i n g them by d e p r i v
i ng them of t h e d iscipli n e of self government -

and means o f sel f defence - 1
H ere we have .
an eloquen t expression of Ra b i n d ra n a t h s deep
hatred o f tyranny and social i nj ustice and thirst

f o r soc i al bettermen t The true m ission o r
.
desti ny of the religious soul i s n ot isolation o r

renunciation I t is to be a member o f socie t y
.
recognising the i nn i te and boundless possi

bi l i t i es of man and off ering oneself up entirely
,
1
S ad / d pp 08
la n ,d 09 . 1 an 1 .
80 T H E P H I LOSOP HY OF

a nd exhaus t lessly t o the serv ice of o n e s fellows .
The B hagavadgi t a says : Wh oso e nj oys wi t h

o u t offering t o the G ods t heir gift s he is verily ,
1
a th ie f
. The mys t ic s feeli n g o f kinship o r

sol idari t y wi t h the u n iverse expresses i t self i n

the work for a cha n ged ear t h a n d a happier
human ity Sustained by t h e v ision o f man
.
made perfec t his love goes o u t to every

,
creature the hungry and t h e thirs t y t h e sic k

, ,
a n d the imbecile the stra n ger a n d t h e naked

,
for does not G od l ive i n t hem all " I s not a

child born i n the slum G od s crea t ion "
H ere
i s thy foo t s t ool and t here rest t h y feet where

live t h e poorest and lowliest and lost
,
2
,
.
VI
The l iberated soul o f the true sai nt does not
wish t o escape from t his world but tries to
i mprove it B u t all his work will be roote d
.
i n an i nner peace and repose I t is t h e same .
kind o f activ ity as that which characterises the

divine I t is true that it is bliss o r delight
.
.
From j oy are born all creatures by j oy t hey ,
are sustained towards j oy they progress and

, ,
into j oy they enter B ut this j oy expresses

.
1
iii . 1 2. 2
Gi ta nja li , 1 0.
RA B I N D RA N A T H TAGO R E 81
i tself in laws wh ich seemed to be bonds fetter

,
i ng i t wh ile really the laws are the expression

,

o f love or freedom F ire burns for fear o f
.
him ; the S un shines by fear of h i m and for ,
fear o f h i m the wi nds the clouds and death

perform their o fce 1
L aw and L ove are on e
.

i n the Absolute E ven so i n the l iberated soul

.
perfect serv i ce i s perfect freedom H o w can .
he whose jo y is i n B rahma l ive i n i nact i on "

Our master h i mself has j oyfully taken upon
h im the bonds o f creation ; he is bound w i t h
2
us for ever H e is knowledge power and
.
, ,
action according to the U panishads ; but h is

,
action i s the express i on o f h i s j oy The singer .
o ut of the fulness of h is joy sings as the divi ne
singer in j oy creates the u niverse The I sa .

U panishad says I n the midst of activity alone
wilt thou desire to l ive a hundred years The .
state o f blessedness is not a lo t us land o f rest ;

for worship of G o d coincides with work for
man I n Gi ta nja li 52 the lover asks
. What
, ,
:
is the token left o f thy love " I t is n o ower ,
no spices no vase o f perfumed water I t i s

, .
thy m igh t y sword ash i ng as a ame heavy , ,
1
Tai tti ri y a Up ish
an ad ; see a ls o B ri n h ad ar an yak a Up i sh an a d, ii i 9
. .
2
Gz t a nja li, 11 .
82 T H E P H I LO S O P H Y O F
as a bolt of thunder S o the lover resolves
.
From n o w I leave off all pe t t y decorations .
L ord o f my heart no more shall t here be for

,
me waiting and weep i ng i n corners no more ,
coyness and sweetness of demeanour Thou .
hast give n me thy sword for adornment N o .
more doll s decorations for me " With a rm

1
hold on the eternal the libera t ed soul sallies

,
forth to meet the adversary evil i n the world , , .
B ut th is ac t ivity will n o t be for any selsh

in t eres t I n th is it resembles ch ildren s doings
.

Children take delight i n work as work with ,
them is not work but e f u e n c e o r t heoutow ,
of t heir superuous energies Their excess .
energies nd an outle t i n play N o t hing sordid .

o r u t ilitaria n enters thei r will H e has not .
learned to despise the dust and hanker after

2
gold . Pearl shers dive for pearls merchants ,
sail i n their ships while ch ildre n gather pebbles

,
a n d scatter them agai n They seek not f or

.
hidden treasures they know not how to cast

,

nets . The di fculties of the world do not

affect them Tempest roams in the pa t hless
.
sky ships get wrecked i n the trackless water

, ,

death is abroad and children play The God .
3
2
Cr escen t Moon .
1
Gi t anja l
i , 60 .
possessed souls are people who l ike l i ttle ch il ,
dren are i nnocent and do work for the mere

, ,
j oy of work and l ive for the mere j oy o f l ife

, .

O n the seashore o f endless worlds is the great

meet i ng of ch ildren 1
The Vedanta system
.
and its la t est exponent Ra b i n d ra n a t h stand for

a synthetic idealis m which while not try i ng to
,
avoid the temporal an d the nite has still a ,
hold on the Eternal Spirit They give us a .
pract i cal mysticism which would have us live

and act i n the temporal world but make act i on ,
a consecratio n and l ife a dedication to G o d .
B ut our work i n the temporal world should not

absorb all our energies and make us m iss the
v ision u niversal W ith a strong hold o n the
.
idea of the all pervad ing we must work i n the

-
,
t
world . Oh grant m e m y prayer that I may

,
never lose the bliss of the touch o f t he o n e i n

2
the play o f the many The trul y rel i gious
.
hero does the dullest deeds w i t h a s inging soul .
VI I
The end of man i s the real i sation of the S el f
o r the innite i n h i m This is man s dna r m a
. .
D na r m a l iterally means nature real i ty or , ,
2
i d 6 3 . .
essence The essence of man is the innite
. .
H is dna r m a is to become the i n nite wh ich he

already is i n potency The u niversal one is.
the goal of t h e i ndiv idual one .
T h at i s th e S upre m e Path of Th is ,
T h ati s th S e uprem e s u re of T h i s
T rea ,
T h t i s th
a e S up em e W o rld o f T h i s
r ,
T h t i s th S
a e uprem e J o y o f T h i s .
The divi n e i n us is to be real ised The .

That in the This has to come to i t s o w n .
The character whic h dis t ingu ishes man from t h e

other S pecies of creation is the presence o f t h e
conscious endeavou r to free himself from the
l imits o f self a n d nature and seek for a seat i n
the kingdom o f God I n man the life o f t h e
.
,
animal has t aken a further bend H e has come .
to the beginni n g o f a world which has to be ,
1
created by his o w n will and power Man is a .
person Freedom o f endless growth should

.
charac t erise all his activi t ies I f he fails to do .
his share of the work in the world O f crea t ive

freedom he S ins against the E ternal in him
,
.
H is salvation l ies in his freei n g his personali t y

fro m the narrow limitatio n s of selfhood I t is .
the realisation of the innite attai ned by the

P lity p 8 8
1
er son a , . .
86 T H E P H I LOS O P H Y O F
must bring forth the fru i t B ut when t h e time.
o f its frui t ion arrives i t sheds its exquisite

petals and a cruel econom y compels i t t o give up
1
its sweet perfume For t he ower to develop
.
,
the bud has to die ; for the fruit t h e ower ; ,
for t he seed the f ruit ; for the plant the seed

, , .
L ife is a process o f eternal bir t h a n d dea t h .
B irth is dea t h and dea t h is birth All progress

, .
is sacrice The ni t e self which has to be

.
tra n sformed i nto the innite which is its ,
destiny does not easily le n d itself t o this trans

,
forma t ion We have t o lay violent hands o n it

.
before we can force i t to express t h e i nnite .
S o long as man is n ite the innite W ith in hi m

,
tr i es to break th rough the n i t e The spirit .
chafes against the bonds o f the esh There is .
ever a s t riving forward in man t o make real the

i nnite which he already is The force of the .
spirit to rid i t self o f the encu mbrances wh ich

oppose i t s free expression m eans ght a n d ,
struggle The uprush o f the innite bursting

.
,
all barriers set up by the nite means strain ,
and suffering T ill therefore the inn i t e is

.
reached the life o f the nite i ndividual will be

,
one of strenuous effort and untiri ng toil i n vo lv ,
S ad/ t} p 99 1
ta u , . .
i ng risk and daring strai n and con i ct The , .
pain was grea t when t h e strings were being

tuned my M aster " 1
To suffer pain is the sign
,
of our niteness I t is t he right o f man I t is. .
our true weal th as imperfect beings I t is .
the hard coi n which must be paid for every th ing

valuable in th is life f o r o u r power o ur wisdom , , ,
our love I n pain is symbolised t h e innite

.
poss i bility of perfect i on th e eternal unfolding ,

Struggle therefore i s the world s

2
o f j oy .
, ,
supreme blessing M an i s born for i t as he .
reaches h is ai m through it .
To Rab i n d ra n at h imperfect i on is not th e ,
S ign o f a fall from the high estate but a

cond i tion o f progress to i t I t is a matter o f .
graticat i on that the world is i mperfect .
N on e l i ves f or ever, b roth er ,

an d n oth n i g l s ts f l g
a or on .
K ee p t h a t i n m i d
n an d re o c e ji .
B eaut y i s sw eet t o us b eca us e sh e d an ces t o th e s am e

,
eet i n g tun e w i th our l i ves .
K n o wl edg e i s p rec i ous t o us b ec aus e we sh all n ever ,
have t i m e t o c om pl ete i t a .
B ut th is does n o t mean that the Absolute i s

i mperfect ; for Rab i n d ran a th says : All i s '
1
F r u i t - Ga t her i n g , XLI X see a ls o P er son a li ty , p 1 03
ls
. . .
1
S od a n o, pp . 64 6 5
-
.
1
The Ga r den er , 68 ; se e a o 73 .
88 T H E P H I LOSO P HY O F
1
done and nished in the eternal H eaven As .
t h e su n has spots and the mountain chasms so

, ,
the Absolute has imperfection ; but the whole

is perfect and sublime I mperfection is a
.
necessary factor i n the u niverse I t is as real .
as the crea t ed universe itself A universe .
w i t hou t imperfection will be a sta t ic u n ,
progressive blank But imperfec t ion is not

.
the last thing I t is not the end i n i t self

. .
I t exists only to be overcome i n t he perfect .
As the unreal is the incomple t e so t h e i m ,
perfect is t h e par t ial I mperfection i s n o t a

.
nega t ion of perfec t ness ; n i t ud e is not con t ra

d i c t o r y to i n n i t y : t hey are but completeness
man ifested i n parts i nn i t y revealed wi t h in
,

bou n ds .
2
Were imperfection the last thing i n
t h e u niverse the n the ear t h would be no place
,
f o r human beings t o l ive in N irvana i n the .

,
crude sense o f death o r destruction o f self ,
would be t h e goal o f man .

8
The false view which makes imperfec t ion

the last thi n g is due t o an i n adequa t e under
,
stand i n g O f t he place o f evil and imperfec t ion

i n t h e world I f we detach the facts from
.
their se t ti n g in t h e whole t hey would look ,
1
Tl G d
ie ar 68
en er , . d a p 48
2
laid p 7
an , . .
1
. . 1.
90 T H E P H I LOS O P H Y OF
Whenever some ancient civilisa t ion fell in t o

decay and died i t was owi n g to causes which
,
prod uced callousness o f heart and led t o t he

cheapening of man s wor t h ; when ei t her the

state or some powerful group of men began t o

look upon the people as a mere instru men t of
their power ; w hen by compell ing weaker races
to slavery and trying to keep them down by
every means man struck at the foundation o f
,
h is greatness h is own love of freedom a n d fair

,
play C iv ilisation can never sustain i tself upon

.
cannibal ism in any form F o r that by wh ich .
alone man is true can only be nourished by

1
love and j ustice We trust as a result o f t his
.
,
war that the vogue of the ph ilosophy which

,
makes man a machine and interprets civilisa,
tion in terms o f mecha n ics will give place ,
to a ph ilosophy o f spirit and a civilisation

based on love and j ustice We trust that .
the sacredness o f human nature and i t s right

to the opportunities of self development will -
be recognised not merely in Europe but in ,
the whole world We refuse to bel ieve that

.
the desolation and madness o f E urope have

no other ends t han themselves The war .
,
1
S ad/ d pp la n ,
. 1 1 1 -1 1 2 .
according to Rab i n d ra n a t h s ph i losophy has
come to poi n t ou t t h e u nstable mechan ical

nature o f t he existing civ i lisation and prepare
the way for a m ore spiritual On e .
What i s the place o f suf ering i n the world

f "
Ra bi n d r an a t h tells us t hat the ind i v idual suff ers

whenever his des i res are n o t satised B ut h e .
does not care to know whether his desires

represen t the needs o f h is real being o r those ,
o f h is selsh nature H e is really helped by

.
God s refusal o f the man y desires o f h is super

c i al self : Day by day thou art maki ng me
worthy o f thy full acceptance by refusing m e
ever and anon sav i ng me from perils o f weak
, ,
1
u ncertain desire I n Rabi n d ran at h Tagore
.
we also come across passages where he m akes

o ut that the sufferi ng and m isfortune o f th e
world are the opportu n i t ies employed by G od

to draw man s atten t ion to h is real desti ny .
M i s ery k n oc ks at thy d oor an d h er m ess age i s th at thy

,
l ord i s w ak eful an d h e c alls th ee t o th e l ove trys t th roug h

,
-
th e d ark n e ss o f n i g h t 2
.
W hen d es ire bl i ds th e m i n d w i th d elus i on an d dus t

n ,
O t h ou h oly on e th ou w ak eful c om e wi th thy l i g h t an d

, ,
t h u n d e
.r
3
2
Gi ta nja li, 14 ; see a ls
o F r u i t Gat her i ng , L XXX V .
1
Gi ta nja li, 27. I oi d 3 6
. .
TH E P H I LOSOP HY OF
Th e i
ra n h as h e ld b ack
d ays an d d ays m y G od i n
f or , ,
m y ar i d h eart Th e h ori on i s erc e ly n ak ed n ot t h e

. z
t h i n n es t c over o f a s o ft c l oud n ot t h e vag u es t h i n t of a ,
d i s tan t c ool s h ower .
S en d th y an g ry s torm d a k w i th d eath i f i t i s th y w i s h
,
r , ,
an d w i th l a s h e s o f l i g h t n i n g s tartl e t h e S k y f om e n d t o
'
en d 1
.
I t i s o ut of love that God sends us suff ering .
God says to man I heal you t herefore I ,

hur t love y o u therefore

, I n Tae
K i ng of t ne D a r k Cna m oer S ud ha r sh an a feels ,
that t h e very possibil ity o f un ion wi t h G od

has become u n t hinkable to her o n accou n t o f

her si n B ut her lord says :
. I t will be
possible in time the ut t er and bleak
blackness that has to day shaken you to your -
soul with fear will o n e day be your solace and

,
salvation What else can my love exist for "

.
8
C ompare wi t h this Whom t h e L ord love t h

, ,
H e chas t e n e t h H e gives us stripes t hat

.
,

would cleanse away ev il Pai n and trouble .
purify the soul The me t al shines the brightest

.
when it passes through t he furnace e g love , . .

,
will be all m ir t h a n d j ollity wi t hout any ,
serious n ess if i t runs perfectly smoo t h

, L ove .
must be called from i t s play to dri nk sorrow

1
Gi t y li 4 S t y B i d 63
an a , 0.
2
D k Ck m b rap r s, .
1
ar a er , . 1 1 1.
94 TH E P H I LOSOP HY OF
N 0 one has ever been able to move him .

I n the same strain S u ra n ga m a says : M ay he
ever remai n hard and relentless like rock
may my tears and prayers never move hi m " 2
VII I
S i n is selshness I t is the failure o f man

.
to be true t o his real self I t is the revolt .
against the spirit i n man the divine i n hi m , .

I t is the rejection of the all I t is o u r desires .
t hat limit the scope of o u r self real isation -

,
h i nder o ur extension o f consciousness and ,
give rise to S i n which is the i n nermost barrier

,
that keeps us apart from o ur G o d se t t i n g up ,
disunion and t he arroga n ce o f exclusiveness .
F o r sin is not o n e mere action b ut i t is an ,
att i tude o f life which t akes for granted that o ur

goal is ni t e that o u r self is the ultimate truth
, ,
and that we are not all essentially o n e but exist

each for h is own separate i ndividual existence 3
.
Evil i s t h e assertion of the false i ndependence

of the self . I t is the antagonism o f the
i ndividual to the world whole which is the -
,
ground and truth o f the i ndividual self I t is .
1
D k Ch m b
ar a p 9 er , .D k Ch m b
12 . p 9 2
ar a er , . 12 .
S adha p 3
n a, . 1 1 1.
the assertion o f the supercial self aga i nst h is

tr ue sel f I t represents the d i visi on o f sel f
.
against sel f the sel f wh ich i s his shadow

,

against the sel f which is h i s real ity What .
you are y o u do not see what you see i s you r ,

shadow 1
.Egot i sm i s the root cause of ev i l -
.
When selsh standards are set up d ist i nct i ons ,
between mi ne and th ine are i ntroduced ; man

becomes a slave to the fancied goods of wealth
and property not obj ects o f real worth bu t
,
phantoms ra i sed by the selsh i maginat i on .
I c am e l m y way t o m y t rys t
out a on e o n B ut . wh o
i s th i s that follows m e i n th e s i l en t d ark "
I m ove as i d e t o avoi d h i s p es en c e b ut I es cape
r hi m
H e m ak e s t h e d us t r i s e from th e earth w i th h i s swagg er ;

h e a dds h i s l o ud vo i c e t o every w or d t h at I utter .
H e i s m y o wn l i tt l e s elf m y l ord h e k n o ws n o s h am e ;
, ,
but I am as ham e d t o c o m e t o thy d oor i n h i s c om pa n y 2 .
O ur selsh des i res are our fetters and ou r ,

possess i ons o u r limitat i ons 3
The mist i s .

like the earth s desire I t hides the su n fo r .

whom she cries 4
S el sh n e s s i s the m i st
.
which obscures ou r vision and makes us forget

1
S t r ay B i r ds, 1 8.
3
S ee Gi t a n/ali , 7, 8 , 9 , an d 29 ; an d F r u i t Gat her i ng , XI .
4
S t r ay B i r d s, 9 4 .
96 THE P H I LOS O P HY OF
our true be i ng I n o u r selsh ness we think

.
that n i te objects can satisfy the innite

craving with in When we seek false ends
.
1
we become bound by ou r desires Our real .
needs are not satised by what we come to

possess There is still the burden weighing
.
on the heart still the thirst for G o d t h e

, ,
hu nger for the i nnite and t h e transcendent .
This is a S ign of our niteness and i mpotence .
We really seek the good but in o ur ignorance ,
mistake the wrong th ing for the good E vil .

as ev il is no man s aim Through ig n orance .
and selshness we believe t h e path to blessed

ness l ies in t h e possession o f riches We .
cannot i magine the degree to which man is

materialised . H e goes to the ends of ear t h
to heap up riches H e gets i t but is not
.
,
contented N o man with a soul in hi m can

.
nd consolation i n money o r t he things that

it can buy The K a t ha Upanishad says : N 0
.
man can be satised by riches alone At the .
present day th is is forgotten and the one thing ,
that interes t s us is how to grow rich o r make

fortune at a s t roke I t m a t ters li t t le i f o t her
.
people go under in t h is rush and hurry for

1
S ee Gi ta njali , 3 1 .
98 T H E P H I LOSO P HY O F
1
rungs o f the ladder of the n i t e The need .
of the soul is f o r innite satisfaction b u t so ,
long as it is nite and selsh so long as it sets ,
i t self against the world t he ideal canno t be

,
reached . The self will always be lim ited by

what is outside it . I t may go on acquiring
obj ects in an endless manner but is no better ,
after the conques t o f the world t han before

it
. The l i m i t i s s t ill there Acquisition .
of objects has only resulted in t h e added

pai n of weariness . Pessimism is t h e result .
Schopenhauer is right i n holdi n g t hat the

asserting of the i ndividual i n his exclusive
i ndividuality only i ncreases his misery The .
way o u t of t h is condition is for t h e i ndiv idual

to give up his exclus iveness t hrough devo t ion
to an end beyond himsel f I f human nature is
.
so l imited that the absorption in t o a larger end

is impossible for it then t h e fa t e of man is piti
,
able indeed I n tha t case an i ntelligible e t hic

.
, ,
logic and metaphysic will all become i m pos

,
sible I ncidentally Ra b i n d ra n at h refers to the

. ,
m isfortune which is overtaking I ndia While the .
West is waki n g up t o the enormi t y o f the defect ,
I ndia is fas t fall ing a prey to it S he is slowly .
1
S ad h a pp
an 50 5
, . 1 -
1 1 .
exchanging her ideals o f spirit and indifference

to mater i al cond i tions for those of ma t er i al ism
and enj oyment The educated classes with
.
their fear o f poverty and rush for gold are the

worst sinners i n this respect They are o n the .
i ncl ined plane wh ich leads to loss o f life and

destruction o f spirit M any are l iving on the.
edge o f a precip i ce and more are breaking ,
down from the strai n of the pu rsu it o f pel f and

place Certainly the world is suff er i ng from a
.
fell disease H e is not wrong who sa i d that

.
the worl d was suff ering from appendicitis .
T hose favoured by fortune i n th i s competit i on

for wealth have only a cyn i cal s mile for men o f
Ra b i n d r an a t h s type who devote the i r attention

to spiritual th i ngs .
Men g o i n g h om e gl an ce at m e an d s m i le an d ll m e
w i th s h am e I si t l i k e a b egg ar m ai d d raw i n g m y sk i rt
.
,
o ve r m y fac e a n d w h en th e y ask m e w h at i t i s I w an t I
, , ,
d rop m y ey es an d an swer th em n ot 1
.
Th o se wh o h ave yth i n g but th ee

ever , m y G od , l augh
at t h os e wh o h ave n oth i n g b ut th ys elf 2
.
NO
man can gain i mmortal ity by wealth ,
says the Upanishad Wealth is only a means .
and not an end B ut when it becomes the.
2
S t r ay B i r ds, 226.
1 00 T H E P H I LOSOP HY O F
end and when it is i n the saddle and r i des
,
mankind man is degraded F o r when man

,
.

makes his weapons h is gods and when h is
1
weapons w i n he is defeated hi mself The .
m i nd o f man cast i n the spiritual mould should

not S ink to the worsh ip o f t h e golden image .
T hat cannot satisfy its real longing Our .
prayer should be M aster give me the least ,
frac t ion of the wealth that disdains all the

2
wealth of t h e world .
What is true o f ind i viduals is true o f

nat i ons . S el
sh n e s s here t o o is the roo t
o f evil . Patrio t ism devoid o f considerations
of humanity is noth ing but selshness o n a
larger scale The individual wan t s wealth
.
,
the nation wants ear t h I n both cases i t is .
greed and hu nger for mat t er I mperial ism.
is nothing b ut selshness enlarged and

national ised I t is t h e outcome o f selsh
.
na t ional ism I t is an organised form o f

.
h uman greed and avarice Alas "that nations .
shoul d measure their greatness by t heir

material wealth and extent o f territory " They
are not sa t ised when their ambitions are
reached . Alexander the G reat sighed that
1
S t y B i d 45
ra r s, F
. i t G t h i g XX V I I
2
ru a er n ; .
1 02 T H E P H I LOS OP H Y O F
state o f continual strife I t is all struggling .
,
hard strivi n g to live There is no place f o r .
rest o r pea ce of m ind o r that medi t ative

, ,
rel ief wh ich i n our cou ntry we feel t o be

needed for the health o f o ur spirits
, Speak .
ing about the atmosphere o f the tabernacle

where t he preacher M r B illy S u nday lectures, .
, ,

it is said : I t is the atmosphere of the circus
rather than o f the church There is more .
entertainment i n t h e tabernacle than there

is theology As o n e young man put i t I
.
,

don t go t o the mov ies now I go to t h e -
tabernacle I t s more fun and it doesn t cost

.

me When the house of prayer

becomes a centre of gaiety church going the ,
-
short cut to sensa t ion a n d religion amusement , ,
i t only shows h o w low and frivolous the m i nd ,
of man has become E ven Western cri t ics

.
noticed this defect We have E dward .

Carpenter s cure for the d isease o f modern
civilisation M a t thew Arnold noticed th is
.
weakness in these terms

We gl e a d od an d h u y by
an c n n rr ,
A d eve nc e po ss e ss ou s ouls
n r on r
B efo e we d i e r .
1
Dr . Mul ford i n t h e Ou tl
ooh, 1 8 th A p ilr 1 9 1 7, p .
706 .
L ife i n the West is o n e long fever and

struggle which know neither rest nor pause
i n t he breathless rush and hurry for sensa
tion and excitement possession and conquest , .
I t believes that mere movement is l ife and t hat ,
the more velocity it has the more it expresses ,
1
vital i t y .
B eing a n d becom ing st i llness and strife , ,
are inseparable aspects o f real ity The Ab so .
l ute i ncludes harmony and peace as much as

strain and tension W hile t h e Westerner does
.
n o t care for being o r stillness he is absorbed ,

i n the world o f becoming and strife It .
is because o f th is ins i stence o n the do i ng

and the becomi n g that we perceive i n the
2
west t h e i ntoxication o f power Mr G . . .
L owes D icki nson remarks : All America is

N iagara force without d i rection noise with ,
o ut sign icance speed w i thou t accompl ish

,
ment . To the Westerns Ra b i n d ra n a t h s
advice is not to l ive sensationally L ove o f .
novelty and sensation ough t n o t to be the

principle of l ife The West giddy w i th i ts
.
,
1 m ss g t th w m f Am i

T g
a or e s e a e o C et Op i i
o en o er ca , u r r en n on ,
Ap i l 9 7
r 1 1 . d h d p 6 2
an , . 12 .
1 04 T H E P H I LOSO P H Y O F
co n quest over mat t er needs periods o f rest
,

and contemplation . I n our country t h e
1
danger comes from the opposite side We .
lay stress o n the being aspect We do n o t .
care f o r t h e worl d of becoming and so have ,

the intoxication o f the spirit The per .
vading concer n for the thi ngs o f t h e spiri t

has led t o an unconcern for the things o f the
world and we are to day reapi ng the fruits o f
,
-
age long u nconcern and other worldli n ess We

- -
.
have never cared to prov ide for t h e great

masses o f o u r population the necessary con
d i t i o n s o f material existence i ndispensable to,
civ ilised life H ere we have much t o learn

.
from t h e West Rab i n d ra n a t h is equally

.
vehement against the Western feeding o f the

esh which starves the soul and the E astern
saving o f t h e soul wh ich slays the body A n .
i n t egral harmo n y o f the two is t he ideal A .
balanced a t t i tude towards life demands leisure

and solitude f o r thought and contemplation
as well as work i n the world Ra n dom busy .
ness as wel l as complete renunciation is a

failure to l ive the life o f man We have to ..
choose both the calm of contemplation and the

1
d ha n d , p . 1 26 .
1 06 T H E P H I LOS O P H Y O F
become tat t ered and stai ned M eet him and
stand by hi m i n toil and in sweat o f thy
1
brow . Of course Ra b i n d r a n a t h is aware

that he who is t o o busy doing good nds

no time to be good 2
H e i s hard against .
the pa t rio t of the present day I ndia who with -
a self consciousness borderi ng o n pride goes

-
about slumm i n g as slumm i n g is the fash ion ,
organising meetings as that i s the way o f the

world making speeches as that is the road
,
to preferment B usybodies who by such

.

social scavengering draw a veil over their
sickness o f soul are really doing an i nj ury to
the eternal welfare o f I ndia s children The
.
true worker who works for the j oy o f it does

, ,

h is work so simply and na t urally From .
the grasses i n the eld t o the stars i n the

3
sky each o n e i s doing j ust that
,

E i t her .
you have work o r you have not When you .
have to say L et us do something then

,

,

begins m ischief H e who wants t o do
.
good knocks a t the ga t e ; he w ho loves nds

5
the ga t e open R ab i n d ra n at h advocates
.

such a n utter self consecration to one s calling -
1 i,
Gi ta nja l 1 1.
2
S t r ay B i r ds, 1 8 4 .
2
L ett er s Md
: o er n R ev i ew , May 191 7
.
5
4
S y B i r ds,
tr a 1 71 . I bi d 8 3. .
RA B I N D RA N A T H TA G O RE I O7
that it has become u nconscious F o r the law .

of creative act i on and j oy is such that where

man is at his greatest he is unconsc i ous 1
,
.
I t is only the pu rsuit o f the i ntegral i dea "

that can satisfy the i nn ite soul Anyth i ng .
less than the whole is false as a m irage empty ,
2
as a bubble I t is absurd to see i n the part
.
the image of the whole S ooner o r later the .

,
u nsa t isfyi ng nature of the part will man i fest

i t self . We must come to an end i n o ur evi l
doing i n ou r career of d iscord
,
F or ev il i s .
not i nn ite and discord cannot be an end i n

,
3
itself . Ev il cannot altogether arrest the
course of l ife on the highway and rob i t of its
possess i ons For ev il has to p ass o n it has to
.
,
grow into good it cannot stand and give battle

t o t h e All N o littleness can keep u s shut up
.
4
i n its walls o f u ntruth f o r aye
M istakes .

are but the preludes to their own destruct i on 5
.
As error and u ntruth must break down by th e

logical inconsis t encies and contrad i ctions wh ich
are i nherent i n them i f they are worked o u t to ,
their consequences even so ev il wi ll be fou nd ,
to con i ct with itself go aga i nst its o w n root ,
1
N a t i on a lism , p . 81 .
2
D a r h Ch a m ber , p . 1 13 .
1
d h a ri a, p . 84 .
4
D a r k Ch a m ber , p . 1 4.
11
I bi d . p . 1 54.
principles and confess i tself i nadequate for
,
the aim i t is intended to satisfy S in must .
break down against the All E vil is an atti .
tude which can never be consiste n tly held .

Only t he innite c a n sa t isfy the soul Our .

heart is restless unti l it n ds i t s rest in Thee ,
says Augustine N othi n g else sa t ises it

. .

Tauler declares The soul s desire is an abyss

which canno t be lled except by a good which

is inn i t e .S o also Ra bi n d ra n a t h : Away
from the sight o f thy face my hear t knows n o

rest nor respite . That I wa n t t hee only ,
t hee let my heart repeat wi t hout end All .
desires that distract me d ay and night are false

, ,
1
and emp t y to the core To overcome sin we
.
have to repudiate o ur exclusiveness and rest

our faith rm in the all i nclusive whole The .
consciousness o f man gets i t s fullment when

i t is merged i n the conscious n ess o f G o d .
Religion speaks to us O f t hat love of G o d i n

which all our earthly relations are swallowed
up Onl y i n such a relation of soul to G o d do
.
we have a fruition of o ur desires Our souls .
have rest and repose only i n the i nni t e This .
nal condition i s a state o f utter delight o r

1
Gi ta nja li, 5 an d 38 .
Cha m ber N o t h ing of t his i s m ine it is all
, ,
yours 0 lord "

,
1
The crucial point o f dist i nction between

Western Christian i t y and Vedantism is found
i n t h e relation o f God to man Western .

Christ i a n ity lays stress on man s sinful n ess ,
guilt and need o f salvation by G o d

,
If .
man who is naturally corrupt should become

, ,
transformed into a virtuous soul i t can only ,
be by the inux o f d ivine energy B ut .
Ra b i n d ra n a t h does not accept this doctrine

of man s natural corruption I t has been
.
held that sinful ness is t h e natu re o f man ,
and only by the special grace o f God can a

particular person be saved This is like saying .
that the nature o f the seed is t o remain e u

folded with in its shell and it is only by some
,
special m iracle that it can be grown in t o a

tree .
2
The barr i er between G o d and man is
overthrown i n Rab i n d ra n a t h s view a s i n t he
Vedanta system The innite dwells i n man

.
,

and that is the glory o f manhood And my .
pride is from the l ife throb of ages da n cing

-

i n my blood this moment 3
The in n i t e is
.
i n man not i n the sense t hat it is perfectly

,
1
Page 1 99 .
RA B I N D RA NA T H TA G O R E I I I
real ised but in the sense t hat i t is potential in

,
him Man is but the localised expression o f

.
God T he ligh t that lighteth every man that

.
cometh i nto t h e world is there though i t does

n o t sh i ne through Progress is the u n folding
.
or the com ing out with an ever i ncreasing and -
brighten i ng radiance o f the perfec t light with in .
For i t to shine through the surrounding ,
ignorance has to be cleared away .
T here is an i s t c en tre i n us all

nmo ,
Where truth ab i d es i ful n ess an d roun d

n
Wall upon w all th e g oss es h h em s i t i n

,
r .
An d t o k n o w rath er c on s i s t s i n o p en i n g o ut a way
,
W hen c e th e i mpri s on ed s plen d our m ay es cape ,
T h an i n eff ec t i n g en tr y f or a l i g ht
S uppos ed t o be w i t h out .
We requ i re a removal of Avidya o r ignorance ,
a break i n g o f the bonds of M aya o r sel shness ,
and not an ingress o f d ivine spirit from outside

as the result of prayer to an offended G o d who
yet loves man and has pity for his frailty The .
l ight is present wrapped up i n a cloud o f dark

,
ness and selshness S i n is the inord inate

.
love of darkness fancy i ng i t to be the real sel f

, .
The dark and dusty soul bel ieves i tself to be

enj oying what it refuses to G od to whom i t ,
1 12 T H E P H I LO SO P H Y O F
really belongs I t takes del ight i n its own
.
darkness and this del ight is i t s death and

,
des t ruction The S inful soul bel ieves that the

.
wheels o f t ime move forward for m in i ster i ng to

i t s needs and comfor t F or i t the su n and .
,
moon shi ne and t h e t rees bring forth their

,
owers and fruit When the false self

.
sufciency disappears the scales drop from the ,

eyes and the man is saved When I give up .
the helm I k n ow t ha t the time has come f o r

1
t hee to take i t H e t hen feels that al l
.
creation is one with God as t h e centre .
M ichael Angelo i s reported to have said that

every block of marble contained a statue and ,
the sculptor brought i t t o l igh t by cutting away

the encu mbrances by which the human face
divine is concealed E ven so we have to
.
c u t away the encu mbra n ces and remove the ,
obstacles for the expression of the innite .
D eliverance is not by grace but by the r e ,
moval of i gnorance and selsh ness

I n the .
typical thoug ht o f I ndia it is held tha t the

true deliverance of man is the deliverance from
a v i dy a from ignora n ce I t is n o t i n des t roy
'
.
,
'
i ng anything t h a t i s positive and real for that ,

with our human l imitations a n d appe t i t es and ,
yet became one with their G od i n the free

active l ife o f t h e i n n i t e 1
N o H indu can
.
accept that wha t has bee n possible with Christ

i s impossible wi t h other men The perfec t ion .
Chris t attained is what all men might have i f

t hey would . G od spoke t hrough Chris t but as
H e had spoken t hrough the great men of all
ages and countries When the highest pe r f ec
.

tion is reached the rhythm of man s life becomes
,
o n e w i th t hat o f the cosmic spirit ; h is soul
then vibra t es in perfect accord with the eternal

principle.
B etween the stern philosophy of S ankara

w i t h its rigorous logic o f negation and t he
ascetic ethic of i naction a n d the human

ph ilosophy of Ra b i n d ran at h Tagore it is ,
war to the knife I n the centuries o f poli t ical

.

depression which preceded Sankara s birth ,
when I ndia was a prey to e xternal i nvasions

and i n t ernal anarchy B uddh ism with its gospel
,
of asceticism made a strong appeal to the

people o f I ndia who had by t he n become
,
l
weary o f existence Accord ing to B uddhism . ,
action is the chief end to be avoided The .
highest wi sdom consists i n w i thdrawing from

the world into the depths of the soul To .
the B uddhis t this world is transitory v i le and

, ,
mi serable t h e esh is a burden desire an evil , ,
1
personal ity a prison The great j oy in exis t
.
ence gives place to an ascetic code As the .
people were at str i fe wi t h the world outside ,
they courted a rel ig i on wh ich bade them seek

peace inside As the Greek in the worst days
.
o f h i s pol itical career was thrown back o n his
ow n resources n ding no happiness i n the

,
world outside even so the H indu exchanged

,
h i s balanced outlook o n life f o r a o n e sided -
abstract v iew a n i ndiv i dual ism which gh t s

sh o f the world with its correlate o f m a a
y.
y
developed . An i mperfect es t imate o f t h e
values o f the world was the result Reection .
became the sole end o f man and revolt against ,
the world t he means t o i t The I ndian .
t hough t that h e S hould realise freedom by

cut t i n g o ff t h e encu mbrances wh ich made man
depend upon the chances of the world and ,
secure peace i n the sol itary existence o f the

1
L Bi y
aur en ce P i t i g i th F
n on , E t p a n n n e ar as , . 22 .
1 1 6 T H E P H I L OS O P H Y O F
sel f I t was S ankara s task to e ffect a syn
.

thesis and make o ut that H induism could

,
satisfy even souls trai n ed i n B uddhistic prin

c i ples .We have i n the ph ilosophical synthesis
left by Sankara a characteristic attemp t to
combine t he central principles o f Buddhism
and those of t he Vedanta religion in o n e whole .
The anc i ent I nd i an sages were most at hom e

i n t he world and bel ieved i n an al l embrac ing
,
-
d i vin ity B ut B uddhism nds no necess i ty for

.
G od i n the world process Wh ile the ancient

-
.
sages o f I ndia never advocated a withdrawal

from the delights o f the world they pro ,
tested against a life of sense tha t of a typical

,
voluptuary B uddhism holds emancipation

.
from the wo rld to be the supreme end o f man .
Sa n kara w i thou t touch ing the root pri nciples

,
-
of Vedan t ism grafted o n to it the B uddhist i c

,
principles o f m ay a and monasticism The .
B uddhist spoke o f the ux of the n ite

universe and Sankara adm its the world is
,
may a .The anx i ety to be loyal as far as

possible to both Buddh is m and Vedantism
appears to be the explanation o f m uch of the
i nconsistency of Sankara s ph ilosophy God
.
or the Absolute he cannot give up as a

Sankara has kep t the ame al ive Though .
B uddhism as a distinc t sect disappeared from

the la n d o f its birth the lessons o f B uddhism
,
remained an essential par t o f t he religious

teaching o f I ndia f o r in the general evolution
o f H i ndu ph ilosophy t h e pri nciples of B uddhism
were assimilated by t h e H indu doctr i ne They .
g ot merged i n the main current of I ndian

t hough t . A noble band o f sai n ts and sages of ,
sacred memory have l ived up t o this ideal

, ,
sternly rebuking all con t act with the sense

W orld and stoutly refusing to l ive the life o f
,
the world The ancient wisdom o f I ndia held

.
renunciation to be only a fac t or and not the

end in i t self The balanced harmony between
.
the great a frmation and the grea t renunciation

is emphasised by the humanist t hinkers o f the
country Ra b i n d ran at h Tagore is the r epr e
.
se n t a t i v e o f the humanis t school The i m .
pression t ha t Ra b i n d r a n at h s views are different

from those of H induism is due to t h e fact that

H induism is iden t ied with a particular aspect
of i t Sankara Vedanta wh i ch o n account o f
, ,
historical accide n ts tu rned out a world negating

,
-
doc t rine Rabi n d ra n a th s religion is iden t ical

.

with the anc i ent w i sdom o f the U panishads ,

the B hagavadgita and the t heistic systems o f

,
a later day .
O ur conclusion is that i n h is S ci dha n a and

'
other works Rab i n d ra n at h by h is power of

, ,
i mag i nation has breathed l ife i nto the dry

,
bones o f the ancient philosophy o f I ndia and

made i t l i ve H i s t each ing is i n no sense a
.
mere borrowed product of Chr i stianity ; indeed ,
it goes deeper i n certa i n fu ndamental aspects

t han Christianity as represented t o us i n
the West And i f Rab i n d ra n at h s religion i s
.

someth ing better than the Chr i stiani t y wh ich

1
came i n to i t i t only shows that the anc i ent
,
religion of I ndia has not m uch to gai n from

Western Christian i t y .
1
Qu a r ter l
y Rev i ew , Oc tobe r 1914 .
CH APTE R I I I
P O E TR" AN D I
P H LO S O P H "
He sp o k e of p oet r y , an d h ow
Di i v ne i t w a s a ligh t, a l ove
A sp i r i t wh i c h l i k e w i n d d oth bl w o
A s i t l i s teth t o a n d f ro
,
.
A d ew i
r a n ed do w f n rom G od ab ove
A p w wh i h
o er c co m es an d g oe s lik e d r eam ,
An d wh i h e ca
c n on n ev er t ra c e
H ve s l i gh t o ea rt h T r uth s b igh s b eam

ea n n r te t .
S HE LL E " .
M or e an d ki d wi ll d i s
m or e m an h n c ov e r t at w e h a ve t o
t urn t o p t t te t
oe r y i p li f f
o n u t o s l
r u ret s us tai e or s, o c n o e s, o n
us. W i th u t o t p y ou s ic oe r
e w ill pp e, i m pl t r en c a ar n co e e,
an d m st o f wh to w p ss s w i th u
a f no ligi d a e s or re on an
p h i l s p h y w ill b
o o p l d b y p et y
e re Th d y w ill
ac e o r . e a
co m e wh wen sh l l w de t ou s l
a s f h i g t us t d
on er a r e ve or av n r e
to th m f
e , h i g t k
or t h m s i us l y ;
av n d th m
a en w e er o an e or e e
p c i e th i h ll w ss th m e we s h ll p i th b e th
er e v e r o o ne , e or a r ze e r a
a d sp i it f kn ow l d g e off d t us b y p et y
n n er r o e er e o o r .
MA TT HE W A R N OLD .
I
IN Chapter I .
,
S ection we have sa i d that I .
,
Rab i n d r an at h i s essen t ially a poet and not a

1 20
The ar t ist helps us to forget the bonds with
t h e world and reveals to us t h e inv isible
,
connections by wh ich we are bou n d up with

eterni t y True art wi t hdraws o ur thoughts
.
from the mere machinery of life a n d lift s our ,
souls above the meanness of it I t releases .
the self from t he res t less ac t ivities o f the

world and t akes us out of the noisy sick
,

room o f ourselves I t disengages the mind
.
from its imprisonment in t h e web o f customary

associa t io ns a n d ro u t ine ideas The secre t o f .
all art lies in self forge t fulness The poet or

-
.
the ar t is t sets free the poet or t h e artist i n us .
And this he can do only if his ar t istic creation

is born of self forgetful j oy The true artist
-
.
lift s h imself above all worldly passions and

desires i nto the spi ri t ual mood where he wai t s
,
for the l ight H e turns away from all o t her

.
obj ec t s identies hi mself with the particular

,
subj ect he wishes to i nterpret merges his ,
consciousness i n i t and loses himself , He .
calls out t o the obj ect whose beau t y he w i shes

to be revealed
B e th ou Sp i i t erc e
,
r ,
My s pi i t "b e t h ou m e i mp etuous o e
r
1
,
n .
1
S he ll y
e .
RA B I N D RA N A T H TAG O R E 1 23
When th i s forgetfulness o f self and i d e n t i c a

tion with the not self occurs when the life wi t h in
-
,
the ar t is t becomes o n e with t he l ife wi t hout

h im art takes i ts birth I t is because ar t is
, .
born of th is j oy that it produces jo y When .
we say that the function or ai m of art i s to

produce enj oymen t i t is not t o be understood
,
t hat either the ar t is t o r the creator , or the ,
enj oyi n g man starts wi t h any conscious purpose

'
t o deligh t o r the del ibera t e design t o enj oy .
Ar t is t ic creation and enj oymen t are both spon

t a n eo us and u nconscious The ar t is t does not
.
crea t e his work with any speci c motive o f

pleasi ng t h e audience or delighting the world .
What is felt deeply i n the soul o f the artist

nds outward shape i n the work of art .
O ut o f the fulness o f the heart the mouth

speake t h. The road o f excess leads to th e

palace o f wisdom says William B lake A rt
, .
has i ts or i g i n according to Ra b i n d r a n at h
, ,
1
i n the region of the super uous The .
surplus energy seeks i ts outlet i n art Art is .
the daughter o f j oy I t i s due to play the

.
,
expression o f the superuous energies o f man .
M an speaks w i th h is voice when he has a

1
P er son a lity , p . 10
1 24 THE P H I LOS O P H Y OF
purpose to gai n ; but wh en he has n one such ,
he sings H e walks wi t h his feet when he has

.
an end t o reach b ut when h e has no n e such

, ,
he dances . M an writes wi t h his ha n d and ,
works with i t when he has an axe to grind ,
b ut when he has none such he pai n t s with i t , .
But if all our t ime and energies are taken up

by war and trade science and industry t hen
, ,
we cannot afford to was t e our precious time and

energies i n painting and ch iselling singing ,
a n d danci n g " Our soc i ety will have no place
f o r t hose idlers we mea n the ar t is t s " B u t ar t

,
is born o f idle ness and n o t busy ness

-
, In -
.
art we do not seek for t he fullme n t o f o u r

physical or in t ellectual needs We only feel .
and enjoy b ut do not analyse o r measure

, .
Repe t ition of facts that can be turned to use

and advantage such as t h e sun is rou n d
, ,
water is l iqu i d re is hot would be intolerable

, , .

B ut a description o f t he beauty of the sunrise ,
wh ich has absolutely no econom ic o r u t ili t arian

value will have its eternal interest
,
because there i t is not the fact o f the sunrise

, ,
b u t its relation to ourselves which is the ,
1
object of peren n ial i nterest Art deals with.
kingdom o f freedom and beauty where all are
sovereigns and none subjects At t h e same.
ti me it affec t s the greater life o f which i t is

a part ; for i t brings t h e innite i nto the
commo n life I t thus adorns life and gladdens
.
existence .
A r t is not didactic .I t is to delight and

n o t to instru c t I t is to stimula t e us u n c o n
.
s c i o u sl to noble ends and n ot to teach

y
lessons Philosophy may argue a n d i n s t ruct ;
.
rel igion may exhor t and command ; but art

only del ights and pleases I nstruction and
.
e d i c a t i o n may be the results of a r t bu t its ,
aim is only to delight While it shi nes by

.
its o w n light the l ight m ay produce other

,
effec t s As a species o f art the aim of poetry

.
,
i s to please and not prot .
T he popular notion t hat I ndian t hought is

n o t i n sympathy with t h is conception o f the

aim o f art is a mistake The rhe t oricians
.
i n o ld I ndia had no hesitation i n sayi ng that ,
enj oymen t is t h e soul of l i t erature the e nj oy ,

-
1
men t wh ich is d isi n terested When deligh t
.
,
the aim o f art is confused with pleasure in t er

,
reted i n the v ulgar hedo istic se n se then

p n ,
RA B I N D RA NAT H TA G O R E I 27
I ndian though t enters its emphatic p rotest .
When art caters to ou r craze for s ensation it ,
i s cri t icised and condem ned The ascetic note .
i n I ndia is the expression o f the revolt against ,
not t h e spi ri t ual aim o f art but t he hedonistic

,
degradation o f that a i m The aesthe t ic emotion

.
is a spiritual experience and not a mere sub

c t i ve
j e feel ing. When art ceases to be a
means o f atta i ning spiritual freedom and ,
becomes merely t h e occasion for the amuse

ment o f the v ulgar it has forfe i ted its t rue
,
nature as art .
II I
T hough it is not the aim of poetry as a

species o f art t o tell us o f a philosophy still ,
i t can not full its purpose u nless i t embodies

a ph i IOS O ph i c vision I t must offer an i n ter
.
re t at i o n of l ife give us a fuller v iew o f

p ,
real i t y Poetry would not del ight and give

.
jyo if i t did not reveal the eternal t hrough its

form . Poetry a i ms i n the language o f
,

H egel , t o present i n form s f o r t h e i mag i na
t ion features o f t he ultimate i deal o f the

harmonised u n i v e i se .

Ar i stotle has said that
poetry is the most philosop h ic o f al l wri t ing ,
1 28 T H E P H I LOSOP H Y O F
as its obj ect is truth The true poet is h e .
who sees the whole i n every part and makes

his poetry express his whole v ision The .
chief o fce of poetry is not merely to give

amusement n o t merely to be the expression
,
o f feel ings good or bad o f mankind o r to ,
i ncrease o u r knowledge of hu man na t ure and ,
o f h uman life but that if it i ncludes this

, ,
m ission it also includes a m i ssion far higher

, ,
the revelation namely o f ideal truth t h e

, , ,
revela t ion of t hat world o f wh ich th is world

is but the shadow or the d rossy copy the ,
revela t ion of the eter n al the unchanging and ,
the typ i cal which underl ies the unsubsta n tial

and the ever dissolving phenomena o f earth s
-

1
empire o f mat t er and t ime Poe t ry should .
give us a v ision o f the whole We may well .
say that o n e o f t h e decisive tests to help us

to nd o u t wh ether a particular work is poetry
or not i s t his whether it gives us a wholeness
,
o f vision o r reads only the surface appeara n ces .
I nstead therefore of saying that philosophy

, ,
and poetry are i ncompa t ible we should say ,
that poetry to be poe t ry must be essentially

ph ilosophical i n the sense here explained
, .
1 Ch urton Co ll i s
n , The Tr ue F u nc t i on f
o P oet ry .
1 30 T H E P H I L O S OP H Y O F
soul ill at ease wi t h the world which t hi n ks ,
t ha t t h e world is given up f o r los t as G od ,
is co n n ed to H is heave n ca n n o t be a great ,
poe t The pessimist who sees an i r re c o n

.
c ila bl e breach be t wee n the higher a n d t h e

lower t h e t ra n sce n dentalis t who looks upo n
,
the ideal as something beyond t ime a n d t h e

world process a n d the world n egati n g asce t ic
-
,
-
who longs to y from t his life i n to n o t h i n g

ness these cannot be great poe t s as t hey are
, ,
at war wi t h the world Pessimistic poe t ry is .
a co n trad ic t ion i n terms ; for he who nds

no t h i n g valuable i n this world cannot be a
poet The t rue poet nds h is happiness i n
.
t h e world o r not at all The poe t must have .
love of na t ure and o f crea t ion Ra b i n d r a n a t h .
thus describes the rela t ion o f the ar t is t soul

to the world soul The world asks the inner
man ,
Frie n d have y o u seen me " D o

,
you love me not as o n e who provides you

wi t h foods and fru i t s n o t as o n e w hose laws
,
y o u have fou nd o ut but as one who , is

personal i dividual
n "
The artist s answer is
, ,
Yes I have seen you I hav e loved and

, ,
known you not that I have any need of

,
y o u ,
not that I have taken you and used
RA B I N D RA NA T H TA G O R E 1 31
your laws for my o w n purposes o f power I .
know the forces that act and drive and lead

to power but it is not that I see you where
, .
,
1
you are what I am D i s i nterested love f o r
.

the universe as it is only a revelation o f one s
,

o w n soul is the true artist s attitude to the
,
world . A poe t who wishes to see beauty

everywhere m ust love the earth The soul .
must be at home i n the world and feel no

s t range n ess i n it I t must cry o ut . I s n ot ,
t h is earth also H is who made heaven " 2
The true poet hears harmony i n the babel of

sou n ds called na t ure sees good i n the heart ,
o f ev il and v iews eternity in time

, The dis .
t ur b a n c e s o f the soul and the anti nom ies o f
t h e world do n o t make him th ink that G od
is either non existent o r if existent has gon e

-
, , ,
stark mad but o n ly s t rengthen his world view

,
-
i n i ts wholeness O f course he would feel .

ugl iness and evil like pain When they had .
struck thee and thou wert pained i t pierced ,
3
me to t h e quick B ut i n all true poe t ry as
.
i n all t rue ph ilosophy t h e end must be recon ,
ciliation The poet may d isplay h is art i n

.
describing the tragic co n trasts o f the world but ,
1
Per sona li ty p , . F i t G t h i g LV
22 .
2
ru a er n , .
432 TH E P H I LOS O P H Y OF
he is convi n ced that the e nd of it all is peace
and atonement and not discord and despair
, .
Th is does not mean that the ft h scene o f the

fth act should be one o f marriage or benedic
tion N or does it mean that he should v iew
.
the world as a pure paradise wi t hout any

con icts and contrasts The poet should face
.
the world with i ts ugl iness and m isery horror ,
and imperfec t ion b u t i n the end let us feel that

,
the world we live in i s good enough H e may .
describe the tumult o f t h e soul but only to ,
conclude that u nderneath it there is a settled

peace Pure and ennobling are the effects of
.
great tragedies wh ich describe the agonies o f

soul and the groani ngs o f spirit A tragedy .
wh ich leaves o n the m ind an impression o f

disgust and dissatisfac t ion is a failure as a
work o f art The ulti mate feel ing in t rue a r t
.
S hould be o n e of triumph and satisfac t ion .
T he tragedy is an illustration of the law o f

t h e universal i n t h e par t icular and exhibits
,
the real isa t ion of the whole i n the sorrows

of the i n dividuals Any other course would
.
be to give up the rationali t y o f t he beau t y

of the universe The dull world may have
.
discords and contradic t ions but the world of

,
1 34 T H E P H I LOSO P HY OF
dist i nct from true poetry The former requi res

.
mere observa t ion while the latter dema n ds

,
meditation o n the ma t erial observed While .
i n the former o u r mi n d is i n a relatively

passive condi tion i n the latter it is i n an
,
ac t ive sta t e reecting o n the data O bserved

, .
As philosophy is not common sense bu t a

cri t icism t hereof even so poe t ry is not l ife
,
but a cri t icism of it As philosophy does n o t

.
catalogue facts but reduces t hem t o law a n d

order even so poe t ry does n o t copy facts but
,
interprets them Philosophy by revealing the

.
,
deeper meanings o f t h i n gs cri t icises the super

,
c i al appeara n ces and the poe t sets agai n st

,
the ugly S how o f things their i n ner spiritual

beau t y Philosophy accordi n g to the idealist
.
tradition is a cons t ruc t ion o f experience T he .
i mmedia t e facts o f t h e world which constitu t e ,
the star t i n g poi n t o f the philosophic inquiry

-
,
are taken up i nto a syn t hesis where their

immediacy and externali t y are broken down .
E ven so the i magi na t ion o f the poet plays wi t h

the fac t s o f the world and makes t hem express
the spirit of t h e whole Poetry is not t here
.
fore a n u n imagina t ive copyi n g o f life a n d

mat t er T he aim o f the poet is to reveal the
.
RA B I N D RA N AT H TA G O R E 1 35
life with in things the soul within matter The

, .
philosopher tells us that mec h an ism is n o t the

ul t ima t e category o f t h e u n iverse wh ile the ,
poet sees the l ife i n things which pass for dead .
As truth is no mere correspondence to fac t so ,
poetry is no mere im itation of t h e facts o f

nature o r th e ow of m i nd Both are creative .
recons t ruc t ions Both are m irrors o f l ife n o t

.
,
o f life a t i t s surface b u t of life a t its deepest

,
and t he best S ide I f poetry co n sists i n pu t t ing

.
down exactly wha t we see wi t hou t wavering as ,
some of o ur modern poets do when they sing

o f the kerosen e ti n and the telegraph wire i t i s ,
not true poe t ry Beau t y is tru t h as K eats

.
,
observed and not naturalism

, Poe t ry is .
creation n o t copying I t is vision not im ita

, .
,
tion. I t is picture not photograph , I ndian .
thought never cared f o r nature divorced from

spiri t . N ature t hus v iewed is an illusive
phe n omenon I t is real as reveal i n g t h e
.
d ivi ne essence o r spiri t Art is t h e effor t o f.
the hu ma n m ind to grasp the spiritual mean

ing a n d inner beauty of t h e fac t s o f nature .
Things of t h e world are n o t beau t iful by t hem

selv es but as co n tai n i n g sugges t ions o f t h i n gs
above they are beautiful B ut when poetry
, .
1 3 6 T H E P H I L OS O P H Y O F
a tt empts t o photogra ph things it ceases t o be
poe t ry and becomes prose o r science or some
, ,
t hi ng else Poe t ry mus t attach grea t er i m

.
por t a n ce to the i n ner i nforming spiri t t han to

the ou t ward sembla n ce Fideli t y n o t to na t ure
.
,
b u t t o t h e soul i n i t is the principle o f t rue

,
poe t ry S o while i t is righ t to say t hat poe t ry

.
should be t h e expressio n of feeli n g it should ,
n o t be the expression o f subj ective or indi
vidual feel ing I t should be t h e utterance o f

.
the universal m ind o r the general w i ll I t should .
express feel i ng lit by reection As every .
natural fact is presented t o us in the l ight o f its

ideal aim so every subj ective feeling should be
,
given out as an illustration o f the poet s whole
experience I n poetry not merely a particular

.
emotion but the poet s whole percep t ion should

,

be released E very feeling should be given

.
o u t as an i t em of t h e poet s whole v ision which

is the inspira t ion o f the poe t s work Rabi n

.

d ra n a t h writes : Poetry is not a mere matter
of feeli n g or expression it is the creation o f
,
form I deas take on shape by some hidden

.
subtle skill at work wi t hin the poet This .
creative power is the origin o f poetry Sensa .
tions feel ings o r language are only its raw

, ,
1 38 TH E P H I LO S O P H Y OF
were at the lowest I t is similar to the

.
optical illusion where both motion and mo t ion

lessness seem o n e The art i s t lives a more
.
i ntense li fe t han t h e common folk ; for only O f

in t ensity is insight born .
The tra n scendental v iew which makes ,
poetry as dis t inct from prose deal with ideals

, ,
which have no real ity in l ife is at the O pposi t e ,
extreme to t he n atu ral is t ic view and is equally ,
abs t ract a n d u n real The classical poet who

.
,
as a swimmer wi t hout t h e impedime n t s O f

garmen t s cleaves the water wi t h grea t er

eas e co n s t ructs a dream world o r a fairy la n d
, ,
neglec t ing the pain and suff ering i n heren t i n

l ife is at t he opposi t e pole to the realis t ic poet
, ,
who pic t ures t h e world as it s t rikes t h e re t ina

of his eye a n d gives us a pho t ograph o f t he
,
world at i t s surface To say t hat poe t ry is .
u nrela t ed to l ife is as incorrec t as t o say t hat

poe t ry is a mere im itation o f l ife To t h e p oe t . ,
earth is his home a n d heaven his hope A t rue .
philosophy tells us tha t t h e d is t i n c t ions between

the actual and the ideal na t ure and art life a n d , ,
cri t icism and O bserva t io n a n d reection are

,
rela t ive The t w o become O pposed when we

.
draw a hard and fas t line of distinc t ion betwee n

- -
RA B I N D RA N A T H TAG O RE 1 39
the su rface v iew O f things wh ich we call t h e ,
natural and t he deeper one which pene t ra t es

,
t h e veil which we call t h e philosoph ical

, B ut .
art is merely nature deeply felt a n d med ita t ed

1
upon . Th e a r t i tself is na t ure The .
na t uralis t ic and t h e tra n scendental v iews O f

poetry wh ich co n sider tha t poe t ry should deal
,
wi t h surface facts or abstract ideals correspond ,
to the t wo extreme pos i t io n s in philosophy ,
represented by na t uralistic realism a n d t ran

s c e n d e n t a l idealism These have for t heir
.
cou n terparts i n e t h ics hedon ism i n t h e utili

,
tar i an sense and ra t ionalism i n the ascetic

,
sense All these are o n e sided True ph ilo

.
-
.
sophy teaches us that the whole consists O f

ideals permeati n g ac t ual i t ies The real is the .
ra t io n al A di vorce be t ween the t w o is u n real

.
and untrue to fact Poe t ry should embody

.
elemen ts o f ac t ual experie n ce b ut se t them ,
i n t h e light o f t h e genuine ideal I n t his we .
presume t hat the nal truth o f na t ure and man

is the same and this is the conclusion O f sober
,
philosophy The earl iest Upanishads o f I ndia

.
wi t h t he latest systems O f moder n Cri t ical

I deal ism assert t hat the pri n ciple which works
S h k sp1
a e ea re .
in t hehu man imaginatio n as the ideal O f man ,
a n d t h e end t owards wh ich nature moves by
force o f its i mmane n t i d ea are ide n t ical Wha t , .
true poe t ry does is to shadow for t h the ide n t i t y

of t h e whole man and nature G oe t he s lines , .

as transla t ed by Carlyle bring o ut the true ,
spirit o f t h e poet
As al
lN ature

s m yriad c h an g es s ti ll o n e c h an g el ess Po w er
proc a m ,l i
So g
t h rou h T h ou h t

g s w i d e k i n gdom ran g es on e vas t M ean
i g e e t h e s am e :

n ,
r
T h i s i s T uth E te n al R eas on th at i n beaut y t ak es i t s

r r
d ress ,
An d s e ren e t h oug h t i m e an d s eas on s tan ds c om pl ete i n

,
r ,
r i g h t e ou s n e ss .
The poe t s who lack t his spiri t are not O f t he

right t ype wha t ever their writings may achieve
,
.
The abidi n g j udgmen t O f man will pu t them

down for counterfeit coin .
Rabi n d ra n a t h is of O pi n ion t hat both real ism

and idealism i n their ex t reme forms are wrong .
To him real ism which would have art reproduce ,
nature in all t h e coarse real i t y O f i t s surface

appearance is as false a concep t ion O f poe t ry
,
as idealism wh ich would n o t deign to walk t he

,
s t reets but would fai n y i n the medium O f a n

,
ideal unrelated t o fact H e adopts t h e true .

of beauty .H e does n o t love nature for

its own sake but because he v iews it as an
,
attribute of the divine ; n o t for t h e abunda n ce

of j oy t hat it bri n gs into life b ut for the ,
i ntimatio n s it gives o f a higher spiritual l ife .
T o him even a blade o f grass o r an a t om o f

dus t brings a message from t he u nknown To .
h im every ower is a symbol of worship every ,
garland a gi t a nja li every forest a temple and

, ,
every hill top G od s dwelli n g place

-

The -
.
sou n d o f the ru n n i n g water t h e rus t le O f the ,
leaves and t he so n g o f the bird are S O many

,
hymns of praise to the great G o d H e has .
fai t h i n t h e soul o f t h e universe H e ca n not be .
a great poet who has n o fai t h in it I t is a .
ph ilosophy of divine imma n ence t hat sh ould be

a t the basis of true a n d great poe t ry The E ast .
has fai t h i n this u n iversal soul To the I n dian .
poet this u n iversal P resence is n o t a mere

mat t er O f ph ilosoph ical S peculatio n but is as ,
real as t h e sunlight o r t he earth under his

feet .
1
To hi m in Art the perso n in uS is
sending its answers t o the S upreme Person ,
who reveals H imself t o us i n a world o f

endless beau t y across t h e lightless world o f
P 1
lity p 7
er son a , . 2 .
RA B I N D RA N AT H TAG O R E 1 43
1
facts. The ac t ual hides the ideal ; th e
n a t ural the spiri t ual ; and what art does is to
reveal t h e hidden spiritual ideal T he des t iny

.
O f na t ure is to become S pirit The fu nction

.
o f t h e artist or t h e poe t i s to exalt the natural
t owards i t s destined spiri t ual per fec t ion . The

poet releases t he spiri t imprisoned i n matter .
When t h e poe t oppressed by the idealism

,
which lls his body and soul touches matter

,
it loses i t s ma t eriality What is com mon loses

.
its com mo n ness what is earthy loses i t s

,
ear t h iness and what i s ni t e and i mperfect

,
i t s n iteness and imperfec t ion

. The poet s
m i nd dom inated by an overpowering sense
,
o f the S piri t ual , pe n etra t es th rough t h e veil

of t heir earthl y covering i nto the l ife O f
th i n gs . The Greek v iew that there are
certain O bj ec t s which are beau t iful and others
ugly and t he ar t ist has only to take note o f
,
t hem loses i t s force

, . The Greek framed h is
im ages of gods from perfec t human models
which he looked upon as beau t i ful B ut the .
H ind u does n o t care for the hu man models ,
but S imply surrenders h i mself to the spon

t a n e i t y of the S p i r i tual v ision

. The ar t ist
,
says S uk ra c ha rya should attai n to the images

,
of t he gods by means o f spiri t ual con t empla

tion only The spiritual vision is the best
.
and truest s t andard f o r h im H e S hould .
depend upon it and n o t at all upon the ,
visible objects perceived by external se n ses .
I t is far better to present the gure O f

a god though it is n o t beaut i ful than to
, ,
reproduce a remarkably ha n dsome human

g ur e 1
To Rabi n d ran at h as to I ndian
.
,
thought in general beauty is subj ective Any , .
thing may be made the veh icle f o r it E ven .

the grotesque is not useless I n Art man .
,
2
reveals h imsel f and not h is obj ects We .
should have the S piritual harmo n y and then ,
the whole world will burst i nto music E very .

th ing depends o n us I t is like o ur touch .
upo n the harp string : if it is t oo feeble then

-
,
we are merely aware o f the touch but if it ,
i s strong then o u r touch comes back to us

,
3
i n tunes and o ur consciousness is i ntensied .
S o the harp s t ring is nei t her the o n e nor the

-
other . E veryth ing depends o n o ur touch ,
whe t her it i s feeble o r s t rong ; i n other words ,
1
S ee H av ells I n d i a n S cu l

p tu r e an d P a m t z ng,
'
pp .
54 55 -
.
2
P er son a lzty , p . 1 2. 3
lbi a

. p . 1 5.
us i n t o S leep by its rhy t hm and sa t isfy our
,
cravi n g f o r ex t raordinary i ncident ; b u t let it

lack the v ision i t sinks to the level o f verse
,
and ceases t o be poetry .
Poe t ry is crea t i ve while prose is n arrative ;

poe t ry is an end i n itself while prose is a
means to an end A gen uine poet has t h e
.
crea t ive v isio n which makes beauty The .
peace O f t h e soul will work o u t in terms O f

visible beau t y a n d t h e poe t b y swift image
,
a n d noble phrase puts forth his ideal If .
the creation is presen t it is poe t ry whe t her it

,
is in verse or n o t Rules O f prosody are f o r

.
the poet and n o t t h e poet for them Rules are .
h is serva n ts and not h is masters Technique .
is o n ly a mea n s to an end Those who .
observe technique and make rhym ing l ines

wi t hou t a n y crea t ive idea or S piri t ual vision
are v e rs i e r s a n d n o t poe t s Their produc t s
.
are verses and n o t poems Verses can be .
t ur n ed o ut wi t h a cer t ai n number of fee t ,
but not poe t ry which requires the artis t ic

,
vision a n d i n spira t io n Technique will n o t

.
make f o r vital i t y I t may even be said that

.
RA B I N D RA NA T H T A GO RE 1 47
an art wh ich follows ru les i s an art w i t hou t

beauty I t is l ike religion wi t hout fai t h
.
,
moral ity without heroism There are people .
who imagine that it matters n ot what the poet

says prov ided he says it well B ut th i s i s to
, .
separate matter and form which we cannot i n ,
j ustice d o To Ra b i n d ra n at h the v ision and

.
the form i n wh ich i t is bodied forth are i n

separable The soul and the body are o n e ;
.
the ou t ward is the expression O f the i nward 1

.
I t is meritorious writes Carlyle to ins i st

,

,
on forms Religion and all else naturally

.
clothes itself i n forms All substances clothe .
themselves i n forms ; but there are su i table

true forms and then there are u ntrue unsuit
, ,
able . As the briefest de n ition o n e m ight

say Forms wh ich grow rou nd a substance
, ,
i f we righ t ly unders t and tha t will correspond ,
to the real N ature and purport o f it w i ll be ,
true good ; forms wh ich are consciously pu t

,
round a substance bad S i milarly S T

, . .
Coleridge O bserves
The form is mechanic

when o n any given material we impress a

prede t erm i ned form n o t necessarily arising
,
out of the proper t ies O f the material as

P lty p
1
0er son a i , . 2 .
when to a mass of wet clay we give whatever
S hape we wish i t to retai n when hardened .
The organic form o n the other hand is innate ;

, ,
it shapes as it develops i tself from with i n and ,
the fulness o f i t s development is o n e and the

same with the perfection o f its outward form .
1
S uch as the l ife is such is the form , Form .
and substance are O f a piece they are made for

each other As water m akes its channel so the
.
,
substance creates its form I n poetry th e spirit .
becomes incarnate and the body becomes

i nstinct with spirit The essential point is the
.
crea t ive v ision and if art should be the expres

,
sion o f it it will do Art should be the ex

, .
pression o f life and should be informed by it .
I n the absence of t h e v ision poetry becomes ,
merely a n academ ic affectation or pedantic

word display -
There are critics who thi n k
.
that Ra bi n d ra n a t h is n o t a great poet because

he d isregards poetic form B ut form is only the .
vehicle for t h e vision t h e means for self r e a lisa

,
-
tion The end O f art is not the realisation o f

.
form but that o f spirit

,
A rt is more the .
expression o f t hought t han the revela t ion of

form I n dia never worsh ipped form f o r i t s own
.
1
Lect ur es .
poetic spirit Ra bi n d ran a t h employs t h e r h y th

,
m ical prose wh ich i s turned t o such good accoun t

i n T e S ong of S olom on and Whi t man s L ea ves

f G H well h soul of R a bi n d r an a t h s

o r a ss o w .t e
poe t ry has shaped i t s body may be seen by taking

any of his poems at random We have music a n d .
melody in h is poems as well as swee t ness a n d

light Wha t after all is the good O f poetry
.
, ,
where t h e freedom o f spirit is lost i n the desert

sands of dead forms " I t does n o t come i n t o
the group O f poetry at all u n less t h e brea t h O f
,
life blows O ver the desert sands and makes

them blossom i nto frui t s and owers .
VI
Ifpoetry is so closely rela t ed t o ph ilosophy ,
to what is t heir tradi t io n al opposi t ion due " A

false idea of ph ilosophy is respon s ible f o r it .
A philosopher is supposed t o be o n e who merely

feeds his i n t ellec t at t h e expense o f t h e whole
m an .H is hear t and moral na t ure are left
starvi n g We have a represen t a t ive o f this
.
t ype in the Pu n dit o f T e Cy cl e o Sp r i n who

f g , ,
while t alking gl ibly O f re n u n ciatio n and worldly

wisdom is most selsh a n d wants t o dole o u t
, ,

by bi t s h is learn ing to t h e king in exchange
RA B I N D RA NAT H TAG O RE 1 51
for the r i ch province O f Kanchanpur wh i le ,
t he poet wi t h true de t ach me n t never accepts

1
reward for preaching love and chari t y The .
Pundit who l ike the newer people o f th e

,

,

modern age is more eager to amass than to
,
2
real ise ,cannot see deeper than the surfaces
of th i n gs and his outlook is sordid materialist
, , ,
and u t ilitarian To h i m .
If b am b oos w ere m ad e on ly i n to ut es ,
T h e y w o uld d roop an d d i e w i t h ver y s h am e .
T h ey h o ld th e i r h ea ds h i g h i n t h e sky ,
B ec aus e th ey are vari o usly us eful 3

.

H e is sorry t hat t h e numerous stars in the
m id night sky wh ich hang i n t h e air for no
purpose do n o t come dow n to ear t h for street
,
ligh t i ng and t hus help t h e ratepayer

, The .
4
P undit has before h i m the ideal O f useful n ess ,
wh ile t h e poet has t ha t o f e njoyme n t One .
bows do w n before mach inery wh ile t h e other ,
worships personali t y O n e has t h e prac t ical .

,
worldly busi ness point O f view while the o t her

, ,
has t h e childlike u n worldly poi nt O f v iew The

, .
poe t is for dreams and not business To h im .
who i s an i nfant i n worldly affairs t hings

appear i n their S piritual signica n ce I t is .
1
p . 22. p 3 I bi d p 4 7
2
I bi d p 4 9
. 2. 3
. . . . . .
1 52 TH E P H I L OS O P H Y OF
clear t hat mere in t ellect will not make a great

poe t any more t han an honest trader o r a good
governor The philosoph ical ideal we have
.
,
already seen cannot be reached by i n t ellec t ual

,
ca t egories T o catch sigh t O f t h e philosophical

.
ideal we requ ire medi t a t io n a n d mystic insigh t .
I n t ellec t revelli n g in dis t inc t ions and opposi t es

can give us i n t h e words of B radley an u n
, ,
earthly balle t o f bloodless categories which is

no substi t ute for the concrete riches O f l ife .
For the syn t hetic vision and the reconcil i n g

view we have to t ra n sce n d i ntellect by means

o f intu i t ion Full many an hour have I
.
spent i n the s t rife o f the good and t h e evil ,
but now it is the pleasure o f my playma t e o f

1
the emp t y days to draw my heart on to him .
An i n tellectualist plays with words co n cep t s , ,
a n d categories but m isses t h e tru t h and real i t y

, .
M ysticism is the key which would open the

door t o t h e shrine where the invisible king
is . The dust of the dead words cling t o thee ,
2
"wash thy soul with S ilence S O i f the term
.
Philosopher is t aken in t he sense of an i n

t ell e c t u a l me t aphysician paying homage to t h e
logical intellect and n o t an intu itive seer t hen ,
1 3
i , 89
Gzt a nja l S tr ay B i r ds,
'
. 1 4 7.
1 54 T HE P H I LOS OP H Y OF
at the i n t ellectual profu n dity o f the phrase

maker and the v e rs i er B ut S hekhar pro .
d u ce d j ust the O pposite effect When he .
began he was full of feel i n g ready to burst

out . H is face was pale his bashful n ess was ,
almost that of a woma n his S l ight youth ful ,
gure delica t e i n its ou t line seemed like a

, ,
tensely s t rung o i n a ready t o break out i n music

at the least t ouch And when Shekhar n ished
.
what was t he effect " Tears lled t h e eyes

of the hearers a n d the s t one walls shook

,
wi t h cries o f v ictory Such is t h e effec t O f

.
true art When true music is heard raft ers

.
,
ring serpents sing t h e very stones mel t a n d

, , ,
t h e whole world da n ces as some I ndian poets ,
would have i t P u n d a r i k s t a n ds for stupe n dous

.
learning and i n t h e concei t of his knowle d ge

,

he asks : Wha t is t here superior to words "

To h im t h e Word was in t h e begi n n i n g a n d ,

t h e Word was G od B ut what did S hekhar
.
prove " N ext day S hekhar began his song

.
I t was of tha t day when t h e pipings of love s

u t e s t ar t le d for the rst time the hushed air

of t h e o r i n a a fores t

The shepherd women .
did n o t know who was t h e player o r whence

came the mus i c S ometimes it seemed to
.
RA B I N D RA NA T H TA G O RE 1 55
come from the heart o f the sou t h wind and ,
some t imes from the straying clouds of the

h ill tops
-
.I t came wi t h a message o f tryst
from the la n d o f the su nrise and it oated ,
from t h e verge O f sunset w i t h i ts sigh O f

sorrow The stars seemed to be the s t ops o f
.
the i nstrument that ooded the dreams of the

night wi t h melody . T he music se e m e d t o ,
burst all at once from all sides from elds ,
and groves from the shady lanes and lonely

,
roads from the mel t ing blue of the S k y from the

, ,
shim mering green o f the grass They nei t her .
k new its mea n i n g n o r could they nd words to

give u t terance to the desi re o f t heir hearts .
Tears lled t heir eyes and t hei r life seemed to

,
long f o r a dea t h t ha t would be i t s c o n s um m a

t io n
. T he t rue poe t forgets h imself in h is poetry .

S hekhar forgot h is audience forgo t t h e trial
,
o f his s t re n g t h wi t h a rival H e stood alone

.
amid h is t hough ts t hat rustled and quivered

'
rou nd h im l ike leaves i n a summer breeze and ,

sa n g t h e S ong of the Flute . H e a t tains t hat
exal ta t ion a n d freedom where t h e ind ividual
becomes free from self co n scious n ess
-
The .
t rappings O f t h e world fall away a n d he sees
things as they are and sings h i s i nspired

,
poetry .H e feels the whole world to be a

harmony a n d all na t ure music H e is n o t a .
man o f words b ut full of feeling When .

S hekhar t ook his seat his hearers trembled
wi t h t h e sadness of an i n d e n a ble delight ,
i mmense and vague and t hey forgo t to applaud

,
h im . I n o t her words t hey were lled wi t h

,
freedom and careless j oy P un dar i k challenged .
h is rival t o dene who was t he lover and who

was t he beloved and then he bega n to analyse
,
1
t h e roo t s of those names E ach le t t er o f
those names he divided from i t s fellow and ,
then pursued t hem wi t h a relen t less logic till

they fell to the dust i n confusion to be caught ,
up agai n a n d restored to a meaning never

before imagi n ed by the sub t lest o f word

mongers Who were t he men to appreciate
.
th is wonderful gymnas t ics "

The pu n di t s
were i n ecstasy A t hin stiff and s t raight
.
, ,
vision was what the intellectualist conj ured

up . The atmosphere was completely cleared
o f all illusio n o f music and the vision of the
,
world arou nd seemed to be changed from its

freshness o f te n der green t o the solidity of a
high road levelled and made hard w i th crushed
1
Ra d ha an d i
K r sh n a .
1 58 T H E P H I LOS OP H Y O F
heaven and earth and a good many i n neither , .
E very t hing from the stars o f heaven to the

S hells O f earth had a xed place in his scheme
of the u niverse B ut t h e pity o f it is t hat

.
i n tellectual legerdemai n does n o t cons t itute

truth and poetry Poetry is a cry O f the spiri t
.
and it has n o t hi n g to do wi t h pre t ences born

and bred o f books as t hese are useless to the ,
S piri t . The people alo n g with the king who

applauded h i m d id so because they were

del uded i nto the cer t ain t y that they had
witnessed that day the last shred O f the
, ,
cur t ai n s o f Tru t h t orn t o pieces by a prodigy

O f in t ellect B ut they forgo t t o ask if there
.
1
was any truth behi n d it aft er all Victory .
was beami n g from the breas t O f Pun d a r i k and

fou n d response i n t h e king s hear t A n d
.
the people caught t he suggestion from the

ki n g and were hyp n otised into admiration
of Pu n d a r ik They nei t her co n sidered n o r
.
ques t io n ed but carried away by the t ide t hrew

, , ,
their hats up cheered him and j umped for

, ,
j oy N O wonder Pun d a r i k t r I um ph e d Such is

. .
t he way repu t a t ions are built in t his world .
Thus Ra bi n d ra n at h poin t s o u t t hat in t ellectual

H g y St 1
h p un r on es , c a . 1 1.
111 RA B I N D RA NA T H TAG O RE 1 59
poetry is a contradict i on i n terms S o i f by .
philosopher we mean an intellectual j uggler ,
t hen ph ilosophy has noth i n g to do with poetry .
B ut if by philosopher we mean the intu i t ive

seer who has risen above h is small sel f a ,
man who has at t ained true freedom O f con

sc i o u s n e s s then he is o n e with the poet who
,
hears the wh ispers of the soul and g i ves voice

to them S uch were the anc i ent Rishis who
.
broke away from the fetters and revealed thei r

souls i n the U panishads And such i s .
Ra b i n d ra n a t h .
I t is O ft en u rged that poetry and ph ilosophy

are O pposed because poetry deals with life ,
becom ing movement wh ile ph ilosophy deals

, ,
wi t h still n ess res t and i mmu t abil i t y

, , Ph ilo .
sophy is represented as being thin li fel ess , ,
and unsubstan tial wh ile poe t ry is regarded as

,
rich warm and glowing

, , B ut we have seen
.
that this descrip t ion o f ph ilosophy is unj ust

and one S ided While a few sys t ems conclude
-
.
that bei n g alone is real and n o t becoming t h e ,
at t empt of ph ilosophy is to ga t her i n a whole

both being and becoming M odern systems
.
of co n crete ideal ism prese n t us wi t h such

reconcili n g wholes N either philosophy nor
.
poetry deals with th ings as they appear but ,
concerns itsel f with things as they really are .
B oth poe t ry and ph ilosophy are criticisms of

l ife at rst sight or i nterpretations thereof .

B oth protest agai nst the sloth which takes
things as they are and the poorness o f sp iri t
,
which i s satised with rst appearances .

And S O th is charge that ph ilosophy deals with

abstractions wh ile poetry deals with life is
u nfounded .
VI I
The poet worsh ips G od as the spirit o f
beauty wh ile th e philosopher pays h is homage
,
to God as the i deal o f truth Philosophy is .
the t emple o f tru th wh ile poetry is t he S hrine

,
of beauty The two are not opposed as truth

.
,
is beauty and beauty truth Real ity is absolute

.
,
though there are many ways O f real ising it .
Ph ilosophy tells us h o w a sy n op t ic v ision

wh ich bi n ds together all terms a n d relatio n s
i n a concrete spi ri t ual whole is the Real .
Poe t ry i n dividual ises t his vision of ph ilosophy .
Ra b i n d ra n a t h as is O bv ious from t h e chapters

,
dealing wi t h his philosophy is a reec t ive ,
thinker but i n h im reason and reec t ion

,
1 62 T H E P H I LO SO P H Y O F
a rt is not co n cerned with the conscious striving
aft er beau t y as a t h ing wor t hy to be sough t
aft er for its o w n sake ; i t s main e n deavour is
always directed t owards t h e realisa t ion o f an
idea reach ing t hrough t h e n ite t o t h e in n ite
, ,
convi n ced always that through t h e cons t a n t ,
effort t o express t he spiri t ual origin o f ear t hly

beau t y t he hu ma n m ind will t ake i n more and
,

more of t h e perfec t beau t y of divin i t y The .
1
same poi n t is t hus described by M r L aurence .
B inyon : N o t t he glory O f t h e n aked human

form t o Wes t ern a r t the nobles t a n d most

,
expressive of symbols ; n o t the proud and

conscious assertion O f human personal i t y ; but ,
ins t ead o f these all thoughts t ha t lead u s o u t

from ourselves I n t o t he u n iversal l ife hin t s o f ,
the i n n ite whispers from secret sources

, ,
mountai n s waters m ists oweri n g trees wha t

, , , ,
ever t ells O f powers a n d presence s m igh t ier

t han ourselves ; these are the t hemes dwel t

upon cherished a n d preferred
,
I t is the aim .
2
of I ndian art t o rela t e t h e see n an d t h e u n seen ,
the material and t h e spiri t ual t hro u gh imagi n a ,

t ion The buildi n g o f man s true world is
1
"deals o f I nd i a n A r t , p
32 . .
2
P a i n t i ng i n t ire F a r E ast , 22 p . .
R A B I N D RA N AT H TA GO RE 1 63
the function of Art M an is true where he feels

.
,
h is innity where he is d i v i ne and the d ivine

, ,
1
is the crea t or in h im B rowning speaking
.
,

o f the subjective poet observes that he is ,
i mpelled to embody the th ing he perceives ,
not so much wi t h reference to the many below ,
as t o t he o n e above h im not what man

sees but what God sees i t is toward t hese
,

t ha t he struggles We cannot therefore say
.
that because Rabi n d r a n a th s poetry is mystic it
is not good poetry I t is u ndoubtedly mystic

.
,
and on that account he should hold a permanent

place i n the rm am e n t o f world poe t s -
.
V II I
Wh ile both philosophy a n d poetry aim at
the same end thei r starting points are differen t
,
-
.
They approach real i t y from d i ffere nt angles .
While ph ilosophy a i ms at grasping the syn

thesis which gathers together all aspects o f
the un iverse poetry a ims a t catching the v ision
,
wh ich sees the th ings o f beauty o f t h e world as

a whole Philosophy is an attempt to con ceive
.
the world as a whole by means o f though t I t .
a i ms at a theory of the u niverse ; and if t h is

P lity p 3
1
er son a , . 1.
theory i s held w i th a certain intensity and

depth o f feeling if it captures the whole con
,
sc i o us n e ss instead of bei n g me rely i n t ellectually
assented to then t h e philosoph ic vision becomes

,
creative and poe t ic Thought suffused wi t h

.
feel ing and t he other elemen t s of consciousness

becomes exalted i n to contemplation The soul .
i n th is mood acqu ires imaginative vision with

its spontaneity and crea t iv i t y I t is then called
.
mystic B ut so long as the t heory remains a

.
mere i ntellectual creed the di f ference be t ween

,
philosophy and poetry is kept up The philo .
S opher has his hand rm o n t h e distinctions
wh ich are reconciled i n the though t synthesis ,
and h is reconciliation remai ns abstrac t a n d

conceptual The poet does not reason but
.
,
i ntuits H e does not make guesses at truth

.
,
b ut feels the truth as deeply real and erce ,
wi t h mean ing H e l i ves life a n d dis t ils h is

.
,
doctr i nes from l ife T he l iv ing unity o f l ife i s

.
given i n poetry i n all i t s immediacy a n d con

c re t e n e ss
,
wh ile it is only argued about i n
philosoph ical dissertations The hard d i s t i n c
.
tions o f philosophy melt into a sweet harmony

i n t h e ow of poetry B ut the true ph ilosopher
.
w i th the true poet follows t he intu itive method .

1 66 T H E P H I LOS OP H Y OF
by an im mediate appeal to imagina t ion and ,
conv inces n o t t h e intellect but the soul The .
v ision which the philosopher sees the poe t ,
recreates H e real ises i t in his work I n

. .
poetry philosophy lives I t pu t s o n esh and

, .
blood I t gives u s not the philosoph ic idea

.
,
bu t t h e idea as l ived o r t he l ife o f t h e idea .
For t h e spread O f ph ilosophy a n d t rue know

ledge no t hing is so good a medium as poetry
, .
I t spreads tru t h more quietly Truth slides .
i nto t h e m ind unconsciously eff ortlessly easily , , .

Wordswor t h says : That wh ich comes from
the heart goes to the hear t Poe t ry is not .
intended to be a s t atement o f truth but only ,
an expression o f experience I t expresses .
wha t is held with i n the heart B y ooding .
the soul wi t h emotions by steeping t he spiri t

,
i n a bath of j oy or del ight poe t ry puts the ,
reader en r app or t with t h e m ind o f the poe t ,
i nduces h im to sympa t hise with h is temper ,
and breathe t h e atmosphere which oats before

h is eyes and i n wh ich the poet lives moves and
, , ,
has his being Poetry is a ower to be smelt

.
,
1
a sweet to be t asted or drunk i n every limb ,
and n o t taught I t does not cram the mind with

.
1
H ege l .
III RA B I N D RA N A T H TA G O R E 167
fac t s and t heories but gives i t a di rection I t ,

.
does n o t teach but touches t he heart warms , ,
t h e emotions and moulds the whole m ind

,
As .
an instru ment o f propagating knowledge it ,
is better t han ph ilosophy ; for while a ph ilo

S O p h i c concl usion may commend i t sel f to the
i n t ellect it may quite possibly be regarded as

,
i ncapable of satisfying t h e other S ides o f human

l ife though a true ph ilosophic conclusion
,
would sa t isfy not merely the intellect but life ,
as a whole Philosophy may sa t isfy man the

.
1
knower bu t he is n o t fully h imself
, In .
poetry we need have no such fear ; f o r t h e

appeal is t o t he whole personality O f man .
The world wh ich t akes i t s form i n the mould

,
o f man s perception s t ill remains only as t he

partial world of his senses and mind I t is .
like a gues t and n o t l ike a ki n sma n I t b e .
comes completely our o w n w hen i t comes

2
with i n the range o f o ur emo t ions Poetry .
brings t o us ideas vi t alised by feelings ready , ,
t o be made into t h e life s t uff o f our n a t ure -

.
We have t he assurance t ha t t h e poe t has lived

what he is giving voice to for he speaks straigh t ,

o u t of li fe .Consciously or u nconsciously ,
1
P lty p
er sona i 3 I bi d p
, 4 . lai d p
1 5.
2
. . 1 .
3
. . 1 .
1 68 TH E P H I LOSOPH Y O F
I may have done many th ings tha t were u n
t rue but I have never u t t ered any t hi n g false
,
in my poetry that is t h e sanc t uary where

,
1
the deepest t ruths o f my l ife emerge The .
work of the poet bears t h e impress o f his l ife

and individuality and wha t is a par t o f o n e
,

man s l ife can surely enter o t hers lives The .
poe t speaks as man to o t her men Poe t ry .
appeals t o t h e mind as a whole for it is the ,

expressio n o f m ind s free and u nrestrained
work B esides all t rue poe t ry forces acceptance
.
,

of t h e poet s message as he expresses i t with ,
such a passion and feeling force and fulness , ,
that t o read it is to b e conv inced O f i t The .
appeal o f t h e ar t ist compels in t o acquiesce n ce

t hose who cannot grasp t h e reasoning o f ph ilo

S ophy I f the t ru t h of t he world cannot be

.
hammered into a ma n s head by the engines
of argument and proof the beauty o f the ,
poet s verse may yet wi n a way to the hear t

and succeed where reasoning has failed I n .
the presence of i t s fancy and fragra n ce music ,
and sound man feels helpless and his cri t ical

,
facul t y S inks in t o silence Poetry rouses the .
imagina t ion and let s logic slumber and reason

1
R bi d th T g
a n L tt s M d
ran a aR i w J ly 9 7
or e, e er , o er n ev e , u 1 1 .
of the Upa n ishads a n d their o t her creations .
The devo t io n al and poe t ic l i t era t ure o f I ndia

is embodied in poe t ry a n d music B y means .
of t h e epic poe t ry of I n dia t h e R a m ay a n a ,
an d the Ma na ona r a ta the pries t a n d t he

,
peasan t t h e prince and the workma n have

,
become acquainted wi t h t h e essentials of H i n du

religio n and ph ilosophy though t o u t by t he ,
sages o f I ndia A r t has pe n e t ra t ed so deeply

.
i n t o t h e n a t ional life O f I n dia t ha t the I n dia n

peasa n t folk t hough illi t erate i n t h e se n se o f
-
,
u nlettered can challenge comparison i n poin t

,
of culture wi t h their corresponding classes

anywhere i n t h e world M r Yeats O bserves
. .

i n h is I ntroduc t io n t o the G i t a nja li : A tradi
t ion where poetry and religion are the same
,
thing has passed t h rough t h e centuries ga t her

, ,
ing from lear n ed a n d u n lear n ed me t aphor and

emotion a n d carried back again t o t h e mul t itude
,
the t hough t O f the scholar and t h e noble .

1
By maki n g t ruth live in forms O f beauty t he

poet forces h is ideas i n to the l ife o f m a n .
Truth e n t ers i n to ma n s na t ure through t h e
ga t e o f emotion While i t is true t hat poetry

.
is not didac t ic a n d does n o t t each still i t t hrills ,
1
Page x i v.
RA B I N D RA NA T H TA GO RE 1 71
the real ity an d burns its ideas i nto t he emotional

nature o f man True to the say i ng o f Plutarch
.
,
t hat poe t ry S hould in itiate us into ph ilosophy ,
Ra bi n d ra n a t h s wri t ings are waking ma n y to

t h e possibil i t ies o f S piri t ual life

. H is so n gs
have become n at i onal songs replete wi t h words
,
that breathe and though t s that burn H is

.
words please t h e ear his ideas sink into the

,
heart H is poetry i s at the same time a ligh t

.
that lls t he m ind a song tha t stirs the blood

, ,
and a hym n tha t moves the heart The voice .
o f Ra b i n d ran a t h v ibrating with the passion o f

,
genius and glorifying all his race i nstils in t o

, ,
the sinking heart of I ndia fai t h i n herself ,
faith i n her future and faith i n t h e world

, .
CHAPTER IV
TH E M ES S AG E OF RA B I N D RA NATH TA G O RE
TO I ND IA
H er e th e si n g er f or h i s a rt
N ot li n va n
al i m ay pl ea d,
Th e s on g th at m ov e s i sh
a n a t on

ea r t
I s in i t s el f a d ee d
T E NN Y N
.
SO .
Th e ol
d A rab w oul d g t tr i b es
e t g ud m us a h eri li l i s
n v e a ea ,
a d si g
n n d ki d l b
,
an e s d w th w s f h u
n e on r , an rea e c ro n o on o r ,
an d s l em l y t h k th g d s th t i t h i t ib t
o n an e p et h d
o a n e r r e, oo, a o a
s h w h i m s el f A i d d th y w ll m igh t ; f w h t u e
o n . s, n ee ,
e e or a s
full I y t bl e a d h ea lie th i g c ul d th e g d s
er , sa no no r n v en r n ,
o o ,
d i g t h ei
o n er y ki d e s t s e d t
r v a y t ib e
n n ti ,
i yn o n r or a on , n an
time i cum s tan ce C AR LY L E

or c r .
T H E RE are men rare i n any age but unique i n ,
our age to whom it is given to shape the mind

,
of their country to an extent tha t can n ot

be righ t ly estim ated i n their own lifetime .
Ra b i n d ran a t h Tagore is such a man and t he ,
debt which modern I ndia owes to him we ,
1 72
1 74 THE P H I LOSOP H Y OF
in this age H e is bor n at a time when there

.
is a seething of rel igious beliefs a n d a lawless

raging o f social forces the l ike o f which has
,
probably n o t been seen before The poet of .
I ndia that he is he expresses a n d correc t s the

,
aspira t io n s o f t h e I ndian commu n ity H e is .
t h e S ignpos t war n ing I ndia which is a t the ,
parti n g of t h e ways to pursue the pa t h of

,
spiri t and reli n qu ish t hat of matter D eep .
dow n amids t t he surgi n g doubts t he f ou n da ,
t ions of a stronger fai t h i n G od and

I n dia s
destiny are bei n g S lowly laid by the poet s
work .
O ne o f t h e rarest spiri t s that ever steered

humanity he is not without his message to t he
,
world H is message is most signicant f o r

.
us from t he point of view O f pure humani t y .
H is wri t i n gs are n o t narrowly national but

are t ouched wi t h a wider S pirit I n him .
t h e voice of I ndia speaks n o t only to I ndians
but to t h e world a t large To t h e B ri t ish

.
E mpire he has a special charge which ,
he does not hide The world i n i t s present

.
crisis appeals to him and he has a mission

,
to it D r Sunderland in the course of

. .
,
a contribu t ion t o the C r i st i a n R eg i ster well ,

R A B I N D RA N A T H TAG O RE 1 75
observ es : N O land in the world has ever

produced profounder th inkers on all t he

problems of religion and life t han the I ndia
o f t h e past . The I ndia O f t o day has no wiser
-
,
kinder more broad m inded o r greater t eacher

,
-
,
than M r Tagore none more eager to receive

.
,
from us wha t ever o f value we have to give o r ,
bet t er able to i mpar t t o us t he best wisdom o f

h is own historic land Rab i n d ran a t h i nter
.
r e t s th is ancient wisdom o f I ndia to the world

p ,
and as t ra n sg u re d by his poetry and music ,
as revised and brought up to date by his

brilliant m ind and cul t u re i t has the power to
,
satisfy t he hu n ger o f t h e spirit The world .
respects hi m n o t merely for his richly endowed

personal ity and many S ided nature wh ich
-
,
come o ut i n h i s beau t iful poetry but also for ,
the spiritual message o f his writings He .
poin t s t o the plague spot of modern civilisa

tio n wh ich hurries along the highroad to t he
,
golde n fou ntain and seeks by conques t t o gai n

t h e whole world no matter i f in so doing it
loses the soul .

1 76 T HE P H I LOSOP H Y OF
The greates t of all problems which confront

the pa t riot reformer of I nd ia who proposes to
-
,
shatter t h e sorry scheme o f t h i n gs entire and

"

remould it nearer to heart s desire is the ,
rel igious future O f the country The religious .
S i t uation will have to be deal t with i n a manner
that would guaran t ee the spiritual progress of

the cou n t ry and d o j us t ice to t he bewildering
,
varie t y of fai t hs a n d creeds indigenous a n d ,
foreign w hich ourish i n the land Rab in

, .
d r a n a t h dreams O f and p ictures to us a vision

of I ndia purged of its superstitio n s a n d
,
worshipping t he One G od each i n its o w n ,
way witho ut quarrel o r m isu nderstanding I n

, .
religion he stands for a passionate devotion

to G o d H i s is not t he way of intellectual
.
comprehension b ut that o f intuitive grasp

, .
While the externals of worsh ip d ivide t h e ,
deeper core o f religious experience is e sse n t i

ally the same The Su mystic the Christian
.
,
divine and the H indu Rishi agree i n regard

,
i ng crea t ion as the manifestation o f the eter n al

beauty of G od ; man H is ema n ation a n d per ,
f e c t i o n becoming o n e with G o d
, The philo .
1 78 THE P H I LO S O P H Y OF
man made formulas o r chu rch ordinances ,

which act as barriers When rel igion has .
to make way for religious orga n isa t ion i t

is l ike the river bei ng dominated by i t s
sa n d bed ; the current stagnates and i t s
-
1
aspects become desert l ike Bei n g free and-
.
pure it nds i t s S p iritual ki n in all fai t hs a n d

,
creeds All types of souls c a n nd genu ine

.
S piri t ual satisfaction in it H e sees fundamen t al .
u n i t y i n diversi ty and so his religio n appeals

,
to all I n t h e B olpur school there are B r a h m os

.
,
Christia n s and H indus

,
The d iversi t y O f .
religious bel iefs presen t s absolu t ely no di fculty ,
as nobody deals wi t h dogmas o f sectarianism .
The poet insists on t h e worship o f t h e o n e

i n visible G od i t does not ma t ter by wha t
mea n s H e knows that G o d fulls H imself
.

i n ma n y ways H is article o n The Appeal
.
2
o f Christ to I ndia well brings o u t how near
t o the religion o f Christ his religion is He .

t here asks : Who else has gloried man i n
every way as he has done I t is his hope
t hat the world religions which have m e t o n t h e
-
soil o f I ndia will cease to con ict with o n e

1
Moder n p
Revi ew , S e t em b er 1 9 1 7, p 33 5
Ap i l
. .
9
Tl
ze Quest , r 1 916 .

another and reach a reconcil iation
,
H i ndus .
,
B uddhists M usl ims and C hristians will n o t

, ,
ght each o t her on the soil of I ndia they will

here seek and attai n t o a synthesis That .
syn t hesis will not be u n H indu i t will be -

,
pecul iarly H indu Whatever its external

.
featu res may be the resultant harmony will

,

be I ndian i n spirit 1
Ra b i n d ra n a t h works
.
for the rebuilding O f I ndia not on any narrow ,
basis o f creed provi nce o r language but on

, , ,
t h e broad basis o f I ndia and her spiritual

vision of u niversal love I ndians should work .
for the regenera t ion o f I ndia because they are

all I ndians children o f the same soil descend
, ,
ants o f t h e long l ine of I ndian saints The .
H indu as well as the M uslim nds I ndia t o

be the home of his noble ancestors ; her earth
contains the dust o f his sain t s ; she is h is seat
of righteous n ess and religion ; i n her progress
lies his hope .
I t is Ra b i n d ra n at h s S incere conviction that

the H indu religion can stand against the o n

sl a u h t o f Western civil isatio n
g religion a n d , ,
cul t ure on cond i t io n that it rids i t self of i t s

,
dogmatism and supers t i t ion The Aryan faith .

,
M R iw J 93
1 '
a er n ev e ,
un e 1 1 .
i n its unsullied puri t y can give u nity to the
,
chaotic channels pouring in oods into I ndia

from Western sources B ut they will over
.
whelm the I ndian faith i f it does n o t in the

,
mean time look about i t self and wi t h an ,
unsparing hand cut o ff the weedy outgrowths .
We must free ourselves from all the exhausted

t raditions, spent forces and obsolete watch
,
words which still possess us A S piritual .
religion l ike that o f Rab i n d ran a t h Tagore ,
which has f o r its ideal a right hear t a n d a

saintly charac t er w hich has f o r i ts principle
,
love o f G o d a n d serv ice of m an can make no ,
truce w i th idle r i tes and ceremonies bl ind ,
dogmas and superst i t i ons snobbery and phari

,
sa i s m orthodoxy of a priestly cas t e pride and

, ,
prej ud i ce o f position and authori t y selshness ,
o f classes and exclusiveness o f n ations The .
soul o f I ndia has to be delivered from t hese

besetting S ins and people l ike Ra b i n d r an a t h
'
Tagore help in t h e process

III
Among the evils which are po i soning the
very springs o f national life the rs t and ,
foremost is the caste system Ra bi n d ra n at h .

the rival con ic t i n g forces o f society and thus ,
made the social organism o n e and capable ,
1
o f doing its complex fu n ctions About t h e .
class o f B rahm ins it is h is opin ion tha t every

,
good socie t y should have a section correspond

ing t o it I n the I ndia n social orga n isation
.
,
which is a work o f art t h e B rahmins are at the

,
top and are the recognised leaders of society

, .
Though I ndia passed t hro ugh several v i c i s s i

tudes i n her political fortunes the society has ,
n ot been much shaken as her ideals and ,
t radi t ions were long preserved by t his class .
The B rahmi ns are the trus t ees of tradi t ion

and the conservers o f the religious spirit .
The B rahm ins according to the ideal count

, ,
poverty a pri vilege consider learning their

,
call ing a n d pursue the ideals o f spirit with

,
self sa c r i c e and i n a disi n terested manner

-
.
Scorn O f wealth and the pursuit of S pirituality ,
reckless o f praise or blame are their character ,
i s t i c features D ivision o f labour is now re

.
cogn ised to be a valid principle n o t o n ly i n

economics bu t in other ma t t ers also social ,
organisa t ion i ncl uded I f we canno t m ake o ur

.
clothes o r o u r shoes for ourselves if specially ,
1
Moder n R evi ew , D ecem be r 19 10 .
R A B I N D RA N A T H TAG O RE 1 83
t rai ned m e n can do t hese t h ings much bet t er

than we can f o r ourselves why should we n o t
,
have a class s e t apart f o r artis t ic production and

spiri t ual discovery 1 M embers o f this class are
t o d iscover a n d bring home to t h e community
t h e j oy o f art and spiri t ual beauty . Au t oma t ic

ally t h is class happens t o be considered higher
than the O thers for while t h e t radesman and
,
t h e merchant contribute t o the physical needs ,
t h e members o f this class are the purveyors
of spiritual health and jo y to t h e comm unity .
These are t he leaders of soc ie t y regula t ing

,
the t h ings i n wh ich t he commu n i t y ough t to

t ake pleasure exerting great moral i n uence
,
o n them . Those w ho are i n t h e thick o f t h e

strife o f t he world have not the t i me to t hink
Of t h e welfare of t h e whole comm uni t y or ,
to contempla t e the h igher things o f l ife B ut .
t h is is n o t t o defend the present degraded and
dege n era t ed B rahmin class These have done

.
,
besides much good much evil i n t h e n ame of

,
God A S t hey have lost t heir old self sac r i c e

.
-
an d spirit uality t hey have no claim t o the

respect and regard O f the o t her classes I t i s .
because t hey drilled the other classes i n to sub

m ission and decreed the i r i nferiori t y that they
, ,
fell in esteem and p restige They crippled t h e .
mi n ds of t he S udras a n d to day the i n sult has

,
-
come back t heir m inds are bei n g crippled .
When the S udra j oi n ed h is palms i n sub

m issio n t o the brahman ical decree o f i n feriori t y ,
o n tha t very d a was dug the i t f o r t h e fall o f

y p
1
the B rahmins They wa n t t h e powers and
.
pres t ige o f the O ld B rahmi n class but t hey do ,
not possess their ideals and spiri t ual s t rength

which would win respect H ence the ba t hos . .
B ut there i s no ques t ion that t h e hierarchy o f

val ues incorporated i n the cas t e sys t em of
I ndia is right The highes t place is given t o
.
t h e philosopher who nds h i s lifework i n search
for truth artistic creation and moral endeavou r

, , .
While the work of t h e ph ilosopher is the

recognised ai m o f society the political stabili t y ,
and econom ic basis o f it are also secured .
Preserving peace and political order is t he

function of the warrior com mu nity Classes .
for t rading and agricultural in t erests are also

included . I t is an aristocra t ic organisa t ion ,
where every function has a de n i t e value

assig n ed t o it and t h e scale o f values depends
,
n o t upon the amount O f wealth but on t he ,
M d R i w S p t m b 9 7 p 33 7
1
o er n ev e , e e er 1 1 , .
brief for the caste system as i t prevails i n
I ndia at the present day We are aware that .
w e have come to a time when that 1n s t 1t u t 10n

requires modication T he rigid and exclusive .
caste system has served i t s purpose and must

vanish Ra b i n d ra n a t h writes
. I t has largely
con t ribu t ed t o the freedom from narrowness
and intolerance wh ich disti n guishes the H indu
religion a n d has enabled races wi t h widely
,
diff erent cultures a n d even antagonis t ic social

and religious usages and ideals t o settle down
peaceably side by side B u t th is ve ry
.
absence o f struggle developing into a ready ,
acquiescence in any position assigned by t h e

social sys t em has crushed individual manhood
, ,
and has accustomed us for centuries not o n ly

to submi t to every form of dominatio n b ut ,
sometimes ac t ually to venera t e t h e power tha t

holds us do w n The regeneration of the
.
I ndian people to my mind d irectly and perhaps

, ,
solely depends upon the removal o f this

1
condi t ion T he institution of caste served
.
a purpose till n o t long ago but t o d ay i t is ,
a pos i t ive h i ndrance to the S piri t ual fai t h

within and progress outside The caste system .
1
Md R i w A g st 9 0
o er n d F b
ev e y 9
, u u 1 1 an e r uar 1 1 1.
RA B I N D R A NA T H TAG O R E 1 87
failed to recogn ise the ow o f l ife t h e mobili t y ,
of m ind and the mutab i lity o f characteris t ics

,
.
I t failed to realise that i n h uman bei ngs

differences are not like the phys ical barriers o f

moun t ains xed fo r ever t hey are uid w ith
, ,

l ife s ow they are changi ng their courses and
,

the i r S hapes and volume The soul o f the
.
cas t e system has departed and what I ndia is ,
now worsh ipping w i th awe and veneration i s

a dead corpse The vast social mecha n ism
.
created by man is n o w crushing the soul .
I ndepende n t th inki n g and indiv iduali t y are

s uppressed The i ndiv idual is caught i n the
.
wheels o f t h e machine and t h e machine will

,
have to give up i t s nature for man t o regai n ,
l ife and soul I f like the child A mal i n t h e

.
P ost O ee we cripple o u r m inds and narrow

ou r freedom by co n ning it to o ur closed
pri sons and taking t h e di rections of o ur
tradi t ional doctors t he S hastras we S hall not
, ,
recover from o u r illusion s As t h e child longs

.
to be o ut m i nd craves for freedom B ut we

, .
have t o break open the gates and pull down

the walls of o ur closed house for the air and ,
light o f God to pour i n and enlighten us .
Ra bi n d r an a t h does not v iew the social

1 88 T H E P H I L OS O P H Y OF
problems o f the time from t he narrow economic

o r utilitarian poin t of v iew H e brings his .
S piri t ual vision to bear on the social problems ,
and l ifts them up to a higher ideal ist pla n e .
H is a t t itude to them is determined n o t by ,
t h e accident o f b irth habit or t rain ing but by

, , ,
t h e S piri t ual v ision the one central principle

,
to which he devotes his whole life The .
present social u nres t would be at an end if

people adop t ed t h e right a t ti t ude t o l ife and ,
developed reverence for the divi ne i n man .
The materialist view o f l ife makes us afraid

of poverty and in nations O f spiritual v ision
, ,
pover t y is not the cause of social discontent .
I n dia is very poor but cen t ur i es o f spiritual

,
discipline have given t h e I ndian peoples so

much restrai n t and sel f suppression t hat t hough
-
the problem o f poverty is mos t intense i n

I ndia social unrest and struggle are grea t er
,
i n the West When a great fam ine invades

.
t h e country ,o r death dealing plague s t alks

-
t hrough the land t h e I ndian people subm i t

,
to it i n meek resignation I n su fferi n g a n d

.
d istress they beg and pray mope and pi n e , ,
and at worst weep and die i n silence handi n g

, , ,
over their souls to God We do not hear .

1 90 T H E P H I LOSOPH Y O F
economic motive N ations have f or their ideal
.
economic efcien cy The grea t est output is

.
the prime consideration M an becomes but a .
cogwheel i n the great machine At the altar .
of this mach ine human vic t ims are sacriced

, .
Men women and ch ildren and values o f

, , ,
spirit are given the gO b y At the prese n t -

.
day we nd that the people are h ighly sensitive

to all t his loss bu t w i t h the bes t will i n t h e
,
world th ey are not able to get rid of the

troubles o f i ndustrial ism I t is because they .
consider them econom ic problems and devise

economic remedies B ut so long as we are
.
movi n g wi t h in the charmed c i rcle o f economics ,
we cannot cu re these ills I n condemning .
t hem as evils it is not o ur economic side t ha t

,
asser t s i t sel f but o ur hu man nature We then

, .
occupy a h igher standpo i n t ; for the eco n omic

pol icy requ i res them and so must j ustify them .
The solu t ion l ies i n the steadfast occupancy O f

the higher human o r spiritual point of view
, , .
I ndia has had this S piritual ideal and u nless ,
she preserves it there i s no chance fo r her .
I ndia cannot regai n her former prest ige a n d

glory by merely tinkering here and t here w i th
the social system or ge t t ing a few more seats
,
RA B I N D RA N AT H TAG O R E 191
on the councils o r by t he substitution o f

,
manufactures f o r cottage i ndustries I f I ndia .
becomes free i n soul and preserves he r

sp i ritual ind iv idual ity then all other things
,

S hall be added unto her Then i n I nd i a
. ,
province will j oi n prov ince race will j oin race , ,
k n owledge will be linked with knowledge ,
e ndeavour with endeavour : then the present

chapter o f I ndian history will end and she will ,
1
emerge i n the larger h isto ry o f t he world .
E ducated I nd ians o f the presen t d a y are not

qu ite i n sympathy with Rab i n d ra n a t h s ideal o f
preserving the national identity of I nd ia a n d feel ,
that I nd ia s salva t ion l ies i n the imi t a t ion o f

t h e West That way l ies mad ness I n thei r

. .
eagerness t o save t heir ski ns they forget i t ,
will ulti mately be more pro t able to save thei r

souls I f t h e educated classes do not realise
.
i t it i s only the S ign o f how far the d isease

,
has gone and the case is so much the worse

, .
I t is impossible to bel ieve u nless o n e acquainted

,
wi t h t h e inspirat i on O f ancient I ndia sees for

oneself the extent t o which modern I nd ia has
,
succumbed body and soul to the materialis t

, ,
in uence These I ndians pride themselves that

.
1
Tbe Fu t u r e f
o I n di a .
1 9 2 T H E P H I LOS O P H Y O F
they are pract ical What a price it costs to be
.
practical to day " Their soul is the price they

-
pay There is no use i n acquiring t h e ex

.
t e r n als and the ou t ward forms of a poli t ical
civ ilisa t ion and los i ng the soul I mita t ion.

,
according to Ra bi n d r a n a t h Tagore is l ike

,
d ressing o u r S keleton with another man s skin
givi n g rise t o e t ernal feuds be t ween the S kin

1
and t h e bones at every movement I f the .
pol i t ical sal va t ion o f I n dia is to be attained a t

the expense o f her soul we had be t ter preserve,
the soul and lose the earthly kingdom I ndia .
then will vindica t e spirit And if she is doomed .
to disappear then will S h e d ie wi t h dignity

, ,

with the colours o f S piri t ying But le t us
.
s t and rm and suffer wi t h strength for t h e True ,
for the G ood for the E ternal in man for Thy

, ,
ki n gdom which is in the u nion of hearts for the ,
freedom which is o f the From t his

it should not be i nferred t hat Rab i n d ra n a t h
has no sympathy with things non I ndian H e -
.
is quite sure t hat the civilisation o f the Wes t

is as much a creatio n o f the spirit as any other
civil isation Only its soul ca n not be grafted
.
on the I ndian soul Radical reformers seem

.
1
N ti ali m p 54
on a s , . .
display The joy o f l ife and crea t iveness is
.
yieldi n g to t h e fever of acquisition and posses

sio n A long purse and a happy home are
.
looked upon as t h e ultimate destin y of man .
People o f a country wh ich never spurned

pover t y are growing afraid to be poor People .
who k n ew how t o die for a cause with cheerful

ness and calm are growing pale by the fear of
death and lovi ng l i fe even at the sacrice o f
,
their souls L i fe is ceasing to be l ife and i s

.
becom i ng mere existence I t i s ceasing to be

.
human and is becom ing animal M en are

.
l i ving for pleasure and not for a n yth ing else .
Their m inds are becoming stunted down from ,
the S hortage O f i ntellectual material Thei r souls

.
are S hrink ing from the famine of S pirit The

, .
ma t erial ist i nue nce has been steadily growing ,
and ea t ing sub t ly i nto the very substance o f

the I n dian soul I f Ra bi n d ran a t h is agai nst
.
the political subjec t ion o f I ndia it is not due

,
to any selsh mo t ive H e is afraid o f t h e

. .
Wes t ern spirit wh ich is S lowly subduing the

,
soul of I ndia and impoverishing her life and

S pir i t As an i nstance of how much t he present
.
outlook o f the I ndian is S haped by the West ,
Ra b i n d r a n at h mentions the fact that the modern

I nd ian looks t o G overn ment for aid i n every

t hing. Though hordes o f i nvaders deluged t he
cou n try the people of I n dia were l it t le affected
,
b y t hese as they were adm i nis t ering thei r o w n

,
affairs i n many spheres All matters co n nected

.
with education and sanitation agriculture and ,
i nd ustry were u nder the control o f the people .
Governmen t was only a nominal head suspended

o ver the people and n o t an organ i c part o f i t
, .
S o when G overn men t changed hands people

d id not mind it B ut to day everyth ing is
.
-
to be granted by Govern ment P rayers and .
petitions memor i als and resolutions pious

, ,
protests and impote nt indignations are the tal k

o f th e day I f now Government should change
.
,
chaos would prevail The S tate which was

.
only a symbol of u nity has become the whole

body now Th is idea that everything should
.
be done by the State is com pletely material ist ,
and we have u nconsciously adopted i t J udged .
by th e greatest test of the v i t ality o f a nation ,
namely its capac i t y f o r self sa c r i ce it must be

-
,
said tha t I ndia is becom ing denationalised and

dev italised Those who wan t us to go t h e
.
whole length i n the im i tat i on of the West are

dupes of a delus i on .
1 9 6 THE P H I L OS O P H Y OF
Ra b i n d ra n a t h feels tha t there is a great

d ifference be t ween t h e spiri t ual ideal for which
I n dia sta n ds and the ma t erial ideal with which
,
i t is i n co n ic t Through t h e acceptance o f the

.
civil isa t io n O f the Eas t which is religious and ,
not secular i t is easy for u S t o en t er t h e

,
ki n gdom of G od Though not exclusively .

,
still mai nly the emphasis i n the East is o n l ife

,
and not possessio n intui t ion a n d not i n tellect , ,
rel igion and n o t scie n ce freedom a nd not ,
direc t ion I t is because I ndia represen t s th is

.
ideal that Ra b i n d ra n a t h is proud to be a son

of I ndia . I S hall be born i n I n dia again a n d
again ; with all her pover t y m isery and , ,
1
wretchedness I love I ndia bes t .
Bl ess ed i s m y b i th b e us e I was b o i t h e c ou t y
r ca rn n n r ,
bl ess ed i s m y l i fe m oth e b e us e I h ve l o ed t hee

,
r, ca a v .
I d o n ot k ow i f th ou h s t w eal th d i ch es t o b e a
n a an r
q u e en . I k o w t h
n i s m u c h t h t m y l i m bs a e c ool ed s a r a
s oo as I s t d i th y s h d e
n an n a .
I k ow o t i w h t g ove bl oss o m ow e s t hat m add en

n n n a r r
t h e s ou l w i th s u h s c e t s I k o w ot th e sky w h e e t h e
c n . n n r
m oon i s es w i th s uc h sw eet s m i l es
r .
My ey es w e e st ope ed i t h y l i gh t an d th ey w i ll
r r n n ,
b e c l o s ed ally u po t h t ve y l i g h t

n n a r .
We see that Rab i n d ra n a t h has no sympathy

1
Moder n R ev i ew , Feb r uary 19 1 7 .
of t h e O ld a n d the new t h e E ast a n d t h e West , .
I t is idle mendicancy t o discard o ur o w n and

beg f o r t he foreign while a t t h e same t ime ,
i t is the abj ect n ess of pover t y to dwarf our

sel ves by rej ecti n g the foreign 1
Rabin .
d ra n a t h remarks t hat
t aking shelter i n the
dead is death i t self and o n l y taking all the risk ,
2
of life to t h e fullest extent is l iving I ndia
has preserved her v ital i t y because whenever ,
she came i nto co n tact w i t h al ien civilisa t ions ,
she absorbed wha t ever was great in them with

out surrendering the fundamen t als o f her own
1
My
I n terp r etat i on o f I n d i a n H i st ory I n hi s add re o n t h e r t . ss sp i i
of Jp
a a n , R a b i n d r a n a th a
y s s
I am u t e ur e th at th er e ar e m en i n q i s
y ou r c oun try , w h o ar e n ot i n y m a thy th y our n h er t ed d ea s pho e wi i i i ls w s
j
ob ec t is t o
ga n i an d n o t t g w o ro Wh i l I ge a r ee w i th th m f e so ar as
ld
.
to say , sp i
t hat t h e ri t of th e rac e sh ou har m on i s w i th th sp i i t
e e r of
ti m I m st w i si n g i s a m e '
th e e, u arn t h em th at m o d er n r e a e c t a t i on of
i sm j s t p i s p oet i si g s
'
mo d ern ,
u a s a ec t a t i o n of oet ry n . On e mu t
b ear i n m i n d t h at th o s e wh o h av e th e t r ue m od er n sp i i tr n e ed n o t
i e j ust a s
m od er n s , th o e s wh o ar e l
t ru y b rav e are n ot b raggart s .
M d ern ism i s n o t
o i n th e d r e ss of th e Eur o ean , p or i n th e h d eo u i s
st r uc tur e s wh er e th e i r ch ild r en ar e i n te rn ed wh t h yen e ta k e the ri
l ss s
e on or ss in tth e ll s f s
sq uar e h ou e w i th a st igh t w
ra a ur a c e
p i d w i th p ll l l i s f w i d ws wh pl
, ,
er c e ar a e g d ne o n o er e th s p e e eo e a re ca e
th i l i f t i m ; t i ly m d i m i s t i th i l d i s b ts

in e r e e c er a n o er n s no n e r a e on n e
c arryi g th m l
n ds f i on g iti s eTh s oat m d b t o n c on ru e e e a re n o o er n u
l y E p T m d i sm is f d m f m i d t s l y f
.
m er e ur o e. r ue o er n ree o o n no ave r o
t t t l g
,
t st
a I t is i d p d
e f th gh t n d ti
e en d
en c e o ou an ac on , no u e a e un er
p s h l m st s I t i s s i g pp l i t i
.
E ur o ea n c oob t t it wa er c en c e u no s ro n a ca on
l f All th i s pp l i s m t t i m t i t th m d I d i
.

to i e. a e n a s u a na s o e o er n n an
wh w o ts t t pl t E p
an i i l is ti i I di s i l
o r an s an uro ean c v a on n n an o .
N ti li m p 53

1
a on a s , . .
type. Whatever we adopt from others we

have to adapt ourselves t o o ur needs and t o
our l ife I ndia has her own self iden t i t y her
.
-
,
l i fe and soul S he can grow stro n g a n d

.
v igorous not by the mere accumulation of

Wes t ern forms and modes but by t h e assim ila,
tion o f them all S he S hould a f x the stamp

.
of her genius to whatever S he lays her hands

upon and accepts O therw i se her work will n ot
,
be a creation but a mere repe t i tion The pro

, .
cess o f assimilative synthesis has been the

character i stic o f I ndia from the beginning O f her
h istory When rst the original A ryans se t tled
.
at the foot o f the H imalayas the D ravidian ,
c i v i l isation was i ndented upon to a large ex

te n t
.

L et none however i m ag i ne that non
, ,
Aryans have contributed nothing of value

to I ndian l ife The anc i ent D ravidians were
.
not i ndeed decient in civilisation Contact .
w i th the m made the H indu civilisation varied

i n aspec t and deeper i n sp i rit The D ravidian .
was no theologian but an expert i n imagina ,
tion mus i c and construction H e excelled i n

, , .
ne art T he pure spiritual knowledge of

.
the Aryans m ingling w i th the D ravi d ian s

,

emotional nature and power o f aesthetic

creation formed a marvellous compound which
, ,
is neither entirely Aryan nor en t irely non

1
Aryan but H indu,
When later B uddhism
.
became merged i n H i nd uism it is the same ,
process H induism has syn t hesised all the

.
foreign inuences which invader aft er invade r

has brought to her from outside and moulded ,
t hem t o its o w n ideals I n dia had always .
welcomed foreig n inuence H induism has .
been ever O ld a n d ever new I t has been bo t h .
creative and cons t ructive The secret o f the .
s t reng t h o f H indu ism l ies i n its power o f

assimila t ion Doub t n o t the n at io n s capacity
.
for self help : k now f o r certai n that the t ime

-
has come Remember how I ndia has ever

.
kept alive her power o f bi n ding t oge t her S he .
has ever es t ablished some sor t o f harmony

amids t all ki n ds of difc u l t ies a n d con icts and ,
he n ce S h e has surv ived t ill n o w I have full .
fai t h i n t ha t I n dia E ven now t ha t I n dia is

.
slowly building up a marvellous reco n cilia t io n

of t h e o ld order wi t h t h e n e w M ay each o f .
u s co n sciously j oi n in t ha t work may we be ,
never misled by dul n ess o r revol t i n t o resis t i n g

2
it. I f I n dia n n atio n ali t y is t o be a l ive
Md 1
R i w 9 3
o er n ev e ,
I bi d J
1 1 9 3
.
2
. un e 1 1 .
wife and children .To u s wi t h o u r materialist
,
outlook t h e heights to wh i ch we may have to

,
mount may seem giddy and dreadful We may .
fall t h e rst climbers are cer t ai n to but such -
falls are needed for the rise of I ndia H owever .
threateni ng the idea may appear it is not ,
impossible For the spirit of I nd i a is not yet

.
dead though it may have gone to sleep

, .
H er heart has been beating S lower and slower ,
but it has not come to a stop The ame o f .
spiri t ual life is kep t burning though dim all

, ,
these years of stress and strain I t is th is .
spiri t ual self possession won t hrough ages o f

-
,
mysticism that has made the I ndian c ivilisation

,
survive the onslaughts o f the outside world .
H eaven does not send such men as Rabin '
d ra n a t h Tagore to undeserv ing nations Their .
presence is a standing proof o f the fact that

the ideas for which I n dia s t ands are n o t eclipsed ,
and her song not silenced G reat ideas still

.
move her and are t h e inspiration o f her l ife

,
a n d t h e breath o f her poe t ry Rab i n d ra n a t h

.
has full faith i n the great fu t ure o f I ndia and ,
wi t h t he burning fai t h wh ich a n imates t h e

prophet he speaks o u t : I s it impossible to
utilise the supreme ideas of the P a n onay ag ny a
RA B I N D RA NA T H TA GO RE 20 3
i n form ing a da i ly tie be t ween ou r whole

country and every member o f o ur com mu ni t y
Can n ot every one o f us daily offer o n e pice
or even a handful o f rice i n t h e name o f o u r
fatherland " Cannot H i nduism bind every o n e
o f us every day of o ur life wi t h t he d irect
, ,
bond of devotion t o I nd ia to B na r a ta va r sna , ,
the haunt of our Gods the herm i t age o f our ,
ancient Rish is the nour i sh ing m o t her o f o u r ,
forefathers " Ca n not o ur relation w i t h o u r

ben ign fatherla n d be brought hom e to every
one of us as a part i cular personal tie " 1
Ra b i n d r a n a t h with the dev ouring ame o f his ,
patrio t ism calls upon h is countrymen to strive

,
to create a devotion to the m o t her country a ,
sense of pride in its glory and a passion for its ,
progress .
IV
To offset the i nvading cou rse of low
materialist ideals the ideals o f I ndian education ,
Md1
R i w J
o er n 9 3 F m th i s i t i s b i s th t R b i
ev e un e 1 1 ro o v ou a a n
l s l id i ty Th i s m y s m i
.
,
d t h s pp t s t h i d
ra n a u f ti
or e ea o na on a o ar a ee n c on
sist t w i h hi i ti ism f i l i sm i th W st d hi f q t
.
en t s cr c o n a t on a n e e an s re ue n
f
re e r en ce t th E st o w ld f e ti
a s Wh t h m s is
as a or o n o -n a on . a e ea n
th t t h E s t h
a e ti a s i t h W st s s f t h t m i t h
as n o n a on n e e er n en e o e er as
n o or g i s ti an s f g d d pp ssi
a on o m h i s w h i h s pp
r ee s
an o re on , n o ac ne c u r es
a li d i i d l i ty
l n v E t uap pl s ti sas ernh f th m h eo e ar e n a on as e ac o e as a
s l d g i s I d i s h l d d l p t i l i t y t h b si s f
.
ou an a en u n a ou e ve o na on a un on e a o
i t sp i i t l i s i d h m i ty l d f ll wsh i p
.
s r f f
ua d m v on o r ee o an u an , o ve an e o .
should be changed The modern educated
.
I ndian is a false copy of his Western con -1
temporary H is voice is an echo his life a

.
,
quotation his soul a brain a n d h is free spirit

, ,
a S lave to things Ra b i n d ra n a t h is so repelled

.
by t hese modern produ cts tha t he bursts o ut :

Ours is truly a G o d forsaken coun t ry D i fcul t
-
.
i ndeed is it for us to keep up t h e streng t h o f

o u r will t o do We g e t no help i n any real
.
sense We have none with i n m iles o f us i n

.
,
converse with whom we may gai n an access

of v ital i t y N o o n e seems to be thinking o r
.
feel i n g o r working N o t a soul has a n y

.
experience o f big striving or o f real and ,
true living They all eat and dri nk do their

.
,
ofce work smoke and S leep and chatter

,
nonsensically W hen they touch upon emotion

.
they grow sentimen t al ; when they reaso n

they are childish One yearns for a full
.
blooded sturdy and capable perso n ali t y ;

, ,
t hese are all so many shadows itting abou t ,
1
o u t o f t ouch with t h e world These produc t s .
of Wes t ern education are n ot persons but

S hadows . There is nei t her art in t heir life nor
music i n thei r souls Modern educa t ion has .
L tt s M d
1
R i w j ly 9 7
e er , o er n ev e , u 1 1 .
the ar t istic t h e moral and the spiritual sides
, ,
are dro w ned in the study O f scien t ic formulas

and social laws The mecha n isation o f m ind
.
and t h e s t eril isation o f the in t ellectual seed plot -
are the results o f the tyranny o f the educa t io n al

pol icy E ven from the i ntellec t ual point o f
.
v iew the product of th is pol icy does not

command respect We can n ot say that he.
has any enthusias m for knowledge o r respect ,
for culture or any mo t ive for i ndependent

,
thought The schem e of examina t ions vulgar

.
i se s his mind H e does not care to know what

.
is true but what will fetch h im marks N ot

, .
knowledge f o r the sake o f k n owledge but ,
knowledge f o r the sake o f success at the

examinations is the governing pri nciple o f h i s
whole study H e has already an eye o n his
.
future life and his ambitions i n terfere with h is

,
studies H e knows that in I ndia there is a

.
career only for mechanics and clerks and there ,
i s n o t much room for talent to breathe freely .
N o wonder that he adj usts h imself to the

condi t ions The modern I ndian is not taught
.
the profound interpre t a t ion o f t h e soul of man

enshrined i n h is great l iterature The records
.
o f the inner spi ritual l ife of the I ndian race

RA B I N D RA NAT H TA G O R E 20 7
are u tterly neglec t ed I t is O bv ious that

.
nothing can so awaken powers kindle spiri t ual ,
asp i ration and set souls aqu iver as a great

,
l itera t ure wh ich describes the high ways o f t he

human soul There cannot be a more potent
.
s t imulus o r a greater spur t o the I nd ian m ind

and i magi nation than her ancient literature to ,
wh ich the modern educated I ndian is a stranger .
I ndian children are forgetting their past and ,
they are unable to u nderstand their o w n nature ;

and they stand as barriers choking the stream
that ows fro m the mou ntai n peak o f their

ancient history and her future will be deprived
,
of the water O f l i fe that has made her culture

1
so fertile w i th rich ness o f beauty and strength .
The ideal which I ndia possessed i n the past

should come back in i ts essence though ,
n o t i n i ts entirety E ducation should make

.
for t h e culture o f the soul and not merel y ,
f o r the feed i ng o f i ntellect or the cram ming

o f memory . The highest e ducation is that
wh i ch does not merely gi ve us information but
1
makes o ur l ife in harmony wi t h all existence .

The obj ect o f education is to give man t h e
u n ity of truth Formerly when li fe was simple
.
, ,
1
Ti Spi i t q p
re r a an . I bi d p 6 1
. . 11 .
208 T H E P H I LOS OP HY O F
all the differe n t elements o f man were i n
complete harmony B ut when there came t h e .
separation O f the intellect from the spiritual

and the physical the school educatio n put ,
entire emphasis o n in t ellect a n d the physical

side of man We devote our sole a tt e n tion t o
.
givi n g childre n I nforma t ion n o t knowing t hat ,
by this emphasis we are accentua t ing a break

between t h e intellectual physical a n d t h e , ,
1
spiritual l ife .B ut how is the spiritual life
N o t b y means O f any set

t o be cul t ivated "
lesso n s about God and H is exis t ence but ,
by allowing the souls to express t hemselves

freely a n d spon t a n eously For n o man wi t h a

l iving soul in him will say wha t t h e fool

saith i n his heart tha t t here is no G o d , .
Ra b i n d ran a t h trusts to the ins t inc t o f the

pupil and the a t mosphere o f the A sr a ni for
the kindl ing O f t he S piri t ual aspira t io n a n d the

developme n t of t he S piri t ual life Wi t h t h e .
brea t h we draw we mus t always feel t h is tru t h ,
2
that we are l iving in God I n ancient I n dia .
it was possible because in t h e a sr a m which

, ,
is home school temple and forest rolled into

, , ,
1 one the teachers were men who every moment

,
1
Tl Sp i i t qf / p
ze r p 6 a an , . 12 .
2
truest i deal for them to accept ; where they
are bidden to real ise man s world as G od s
kingdom to whose c i tizensh ip they have t o

aspire ; where the su nrise and S unset and the
S ile n t glory O f the stars are not daily ignored

where nature s festiv i t ies o f owers a n d fruit
have their j oyous recog n i t ion from man ; and
where the young and the old the teacher and ,
the s t udent sit at the same table to partake

,
of their daily food and the food o f their

1
e t ernal l ife .
Vernaculars should be the medium of

education I t cannot be seriously conte n ded
.
that E ngl ish should become the common

la n guage o f the whole o f I n dia Even i f it is .
possible i t is doub t ful if it i s desirable We

,
.
cannot hope to develop any great li t erature in

t h e E nglish t ongue M uch of t he supe r c i alit y
.
of the present day educated classes t heir lack

-
,
o f original i t y in S pite of abundant assimilative
ge n ius are due to the defects o f bilingual

,

th i n ki n g . Our foreign learni n g o f to day -
remains a t hing o f the school o r college is ,
kep t hung up l ike a sign board and does not b e -
come a par t of our l ife o r remains in o ur note

1
Tb Sp i i t d j p p 48
e r a an , . 1 .
RA B I N D RA NA T H T A GO RE 21 1
books and fails to get transcribed into though t

1
and ac t ion . Ra bi n d ran a t h thinks that insist
e n ce on the learn ing O f E nglish i n the early
years cuts at t he roo t of all sound educational
theory and introduces a tediu m and weariness
,
i n s t ead o f cheerful ness i nto the daily routi ne .
H e says : L earning should as far as possible

follow the process of eating When the taste .
begins from the rst bite the s t omach is ,
awakened to i ts functions before i t is loaded ,
SO that its digestive p i eces get full play .
N oth ing l ike th is happens however when t h e , ,
B engali boy i s taught i n E nglish The rst .
bite bids fai r to wrench loose both rows o f

tee t h like a veritable earthquake i n the mouth
and by the time he discovers that the morsel
is n o t o f the genus stone but a d igestible
bonbon hal f h is allotted span o f l ife is over
, .
Wh ile one is choking and spluttering over

the spelling and grammar the inside rema i ns ,
starved and when at length taste is felt the

, ,
appeti t e has vanished I f the whole m i n d does

.
n ot work at the beginning its full powers ,
2
remai n u ndeveloped to the end The poet .
wrote all h is works i n B e n galee and later

1
Md
o er n R i w O t b
ev e ,9 7c o er 1 R mi i
1 . p 59 1
e n scen ces, . .
translated some of them into E ngl ish E nglish .
with him is only a second la n guage but ,
i n the schools vernaculars are t h e second

,
languages . As the vernaculars ar e n o t the

medium o f education a gulf has O pened up
,
between the educated classes and the masses .
E ngl ish educa t ion has created an upper

class of educated men divorced from t h e

people s outlook I t has given them ideas
.
wh ich they cannot full as they do n o t know

how to full them The charge often urged
.
that they do n o t represent the masses is n o t

al t ogether without foundation The educated .
men feel as if they were a class apar t Thei r .
traditional ideas are u nset t led a n d their rel i

i o u s bel iefs weakened They have acqu ired a
g .
E urasian mentality while the large masses are

I nd ian still . I n co n gresses and conferences
E nglish is the principal language M en know .
ing E nglish are trea t ed wi t h respect a n d c o n

sideration They are procie n t i n appeal ing
.
to G overnment wh ile they do not S how as

,
much zeal in creati ng among thei r country

men a u nity o f pu rpose and will and feeli n g ,
which is t h e more impor t ant aim O f pol i t ical

endeavour The true way to t O llCh t h e heart
.
-
i ndustrialism must come to I n dia a n d should

come he considers tha t I n dia n eed n o t pass
,
t hrough the evils o f industrial ism H e t hi n ks .
t hat Eastern thought can be reconciled wi t h

the mechanism of Western civilisation In .
the E ast we have strive n to disregard ma t ter ,
to ig n ore hu nger a n d th irst a n d so to escape

,
from their tyra n ny and emancipa t e ou rselves .
B ut that is no longer possible at least for t h e ,
whole na t ion "ou in the West have chosen

.
to conquer mat t er and the pure task o f scie n ce

,
is to enable all men to have enough t o satisfy

thei r ma t erial wants and by subduing matter
t o ach ieve freedom for the soul The E as t .
W i ll have to follow the same road and call

1
i n science to its aid I t will be weak
.
sen t imental ism to recoil with aversion from

mach inery which has come to s t ay i n I ndia
, .
What we have to guard ourselves agai n st is

the t empta t ion t o divorce art from i ndustry .
We S hould see to it that machi n ery does not

make us lose faith i n soul and character .
I f we i mitate the Wes t by banish ing art

from i ndus t ry rel igion from l ife then I ndia
, ,
will have to suffer an age of i ndustrialism which ,
1
L ectu r es i n A m er i ca.
RA B I N D RA NA T H TAG O R E 21 5
would come with a heavy hand bringi n g new ,
fetters and riveting o ld chains H ideous S lu m .
life unemploymen t long hours o f labour and

, , ,
l iquor trafc would all be repeated o n the soil

o f I ndia B ut if t he I ndian v iew is adopted
.
,
that al l life economic i n tellectual and social

, , , ,
should reect t h e S pirit o f rel igion t he n art ,
and indus t ry will go t ogether and I ndia will

n o t su f fer from an amoral artless industrial ism .
The ugliness a n d dulness the ignorance and ,
discontent of the labouring popula t ions are

,
due to the lack of the religious spirit I n .
ancient I n dia what men made t hey made well

without being co n sc ious of it ; f o r then they
had the j oy of labour of wh ich ar t is the
expression Then the creative spirit o r t h e
.
desire for expression was sa t ised i n all

work Now they have lost the j oy i n l ife
. .
The gross vulgarity o f ma n ners and bes t ial i t y

of art are the expression o f a wrong sta t e
o f m ind .The god i n man i s being slowly
suppressed by the beast in him I t is because .
t h e work that the labourer does is n o t conge n ial
to h im beca u se it does not exercise his mind

,
and i n telligence t hat his soul is shrivelled his

, ,
l ife embit t ered and h i s facul t y stunted There

, .
21 6 T H E P H I LOSO P H Y O F
is no use i n cri t icising modern I ndian art .
We should cri t icise t h e condi t io n s of life a n d

socie t y that have made it possible The birds .
are n o t t o blame i f the hea t and t he dust

prevent t hem from singing t heir best N O .
doub t t h e B ri t ish G overnmen t is doing a

grea t deal i n the way of preserving the a n cien t
monumen t s etc but t h e pity o f i t is they are
, .
,
trying to preserve the matter while u n der

m ining the mi n d wh ich could create i t The .
re is put out wh ile the ashes are collected

in the museu ms The l iving fai t h and t h e
.
na t ional feel ing are steadily losing grou n d .
The creative imagination o n which the vital i t y

o f art depends is being silenced by the d is
proportionate cultivation o f intellect which ,
revels i n empty formulas and barren concepts .
The i ntellectual stimulus prov ided by modern

education does not give it life I ts result .
has been to make m ind material and the outlook

on life grossly commercialistic Cheap n ess
.
,
util i t y and trade instinct have t aken the place

,
-
of beau t y l ife and soul power

, ,
-
B ut i f the
.
religious I ndian remembers that i ndus t ry mus t

have a soul that the products of mills and
,
factories should not only be useful but a lso

drudgery will become h is pleasure and pas
,
time O rga n isa t io n i ns t ead O f being the killing

.
,
of the soul will be t h e u t terance o f the inner

,

beauty F o r the rhythm o f beau t y is the
.

in ner spirit whose outer body is organisatio n 1
.
The modern I n dian is forget t ing t h e fu n ct ion

of art i n life Art is t he great emancipator
.
from the routine o f l ife I t l ift s us from t h e

.
clamorous assaults o f sense and frees us from

the torrent o f external impressions A t hing .

of beauty is a jo y for ever I t makes us
.
pierce t hrough the vei l which h ides t he eternal

with i n and shows it to us The present day .
-
art which has the t ain t of materialism a n d

,
wh ich lacks d igni t y and repose is a m irror of ,
the prese n t day soul which has no cen t re no

-
, ,
permanent value which i t can oppose t o the

ux of sense Apart from the sa t isfaction o f
.

a n imal wan t s t h e modern I ndia n s life is o n e
,
continuous hustle and excitement for social

success and nancial prosperity H e goes .
about seeing people and da n cing at t endance

,
on the powers that be for a title or a ribbon .
There are no vacant S paces i n his life ,
but all is one frigh t ful motion due to ambi

tion and avarice . L i fe is s t ied and over

tasked . Ma n has time only for a n imal
pleasures and n o t for divine j oy I f he
.
worships anythi n g it is money wh ich he d e ie s

, .
H e thi nks i t the only thing that makes life

worth l ivi n g Valuing money more than art
.
,
he lives in t he world of ac t ual ities a n d forge t s

ideals H e feels a stra n ger i n his o w n home
. .
Ca n great ar t be p roduced i n these condi t io n s

Are has t e and hustle the atmosphere for the
crea t ion o f a r t " The poverty o f I ndia is
ano t her obs t acle We must cease t o work if
.
we would have play ; cease to think o f l ife

before we can have good l ife H ow can
.
we re t a i n freshness o f outlook and perpetual

you t h when we are so worried wi t h cares and
de t ails " I mmersed in l ife m a n has no time t o
,
th ink of the u n seen t he root and stay o f l ife

, .
M an becomes a piece o f clockwork a machi n e ,
wi t h some motive power wh ich is soon ex

-
ha u s t e d by the work necessary for either

keeping the wolf from the door or w i nning
social recog n ition A masterpiece of mechan
.
ism t hat man has become how can he p roduce

,
any art " I t is said that I nd ia is progressing .
I t i s adm i t t ed tha t we have much less of chaos

and anarchy m uch less o f thuggism a n d
,
dacoi t y much less o f crimes and murders B ut

, .
we can n o t say tha t t h e progress has been real

o r i n t h e t rue sense of the word moral
, Seeley , .
qu ite righ t ly O bserves

A ci t y wi t hou t pic t ure
galleries thea t res beau t iful bu ildi n gs a ci t y
, , ,
where no o n e writes verses or reads them o r

cares to talk abou t l iterary subj ects mus t I , ,
i magi n e be far worse than a dismal place I t

, .
need not perhaps be an immoral place i n t he

, ,
com mon sense o f t h e word The average .
number o f t heft s and murders commit t ed in it

need not be greater t han in o t her places of the
same size ; but in a high sense o f the word I
think it must be i mmoral ; t h e s t andard will
be p itched low ; l ife will be u nin t eresting and
vir t ue will become la n gu id and so to speak , ,

unprogressive S uch is l ife i n I ndia
.
1
,
slovenly disgusti n g and j oyless F o r reviving

, , .
life and art a religious movement is needed .
Religion is t h e breath of life and a r t when it ,
was grea t ble n ded with religion I ndia saw .
beauty as it saw G od in every thing form , ,
expression and movement I f this spirit is

, .
recovered t hen all l ife will become a n a rt

, ,
L t 1
d E y p 7 ec u r es a n ssa s, . 1 1.
above the storm G i ve us strength to love to
.
,
love fully o ur life i n its j oys and sorrows i n its

, ,
gains and losses in i ts rise and fall L et us , .
have enough strength to see and hear thy

1
u n iverse and to work wi t h full vigour therein .
I n medi aeval I ndia religion to a large ex t ent , , ,
was an opia t e a force that made m e n and ,
women resig n ed to their sufferings Rabin .
d r a n a t h protests against this world negating -
attitude .
No m y f i e ds I s h ll n eve l eave h ea th n d h om e
,
r n ,
a r r a ,
a d r et i e i to t h e fo e s t s ol i t ud e i f i n gs
n r n o m e y l ug h t e
r ,
r n rr a r
i i t s ec h o i g s h a d e
n n d i f t h e e d of o s aff oanm a tle n n r n n
utte s i n t h e w i n d i f i ts s i len c e d oe s n ot d eep en m y s o ft

r
w h i s pers .
I sh ll eve be a as c et i c
a n r n .
2
With Rabi n d ra n a t h religion becomes the i n ,
spiration of everyday life a force wh ich puts ,
power into the arm o f t hose who ght i nj ustice

i n the world H is is not the false abs t ract .
, ,
negative asceticism which has had a long vogue

i n I ndia but t h e hard aus t ere ascetic i sm o f t he
,
sain t who brightene d by the b eat i c vision o f

,
a be t ter world to be w o n here o n earth n o t by

renunciation but by pain s t ruggle and ach ieve , ,
ment works for the welfare o f humanity

,
.
1
S ad a p 33 an G d
,
p 78
. 1 .
2 ar en er , . .
B elief i n karma i n terpreted as fatali t y ha s

, ,
deprived the I ndian of spiri t and spontanei t y ,
i nitiative and endeavour B u t karma is only a .

name for man s own past and man as spirit has ,
control over it .
Wh o d ives m e forw ard l i k e fate "

r
Th e m ys elf s t i d i g on m y b ac k 1
r n .
The drive o f doom is only the i nuence o f

man s own past M an i s m ightier than his

.
karma Wh i le h is body and possess i ons are

.
subj ect to t h e law o f karma o r necessity the ,
m i n d o f man i s free M an i s i n bondage so .
long as he is at the mercy of vain hopes

and fears when he considers h imsel f t o have
,
i nterests and possibilities o f his o w n apart from

the whole o f which he is a part H e is free .
when he knows h is place i n the universe and

realises i t i n his life H is freedom rises o r .
falls according as he is more or less seless .
The spark of d ivinity i n man is the sign of h is

freedom and fa t al i t y i n the words of Romain
, ,

Rolland is the excuse o f souls wi t hout a will
, .

Ra b i n d ra n a t h wri t es : Asks t h e Possible
to the I mpossible Where is your dwelling
,

place "
I n the dreams o f t h e impo t ent

,

1
S t r ay
1
comes the answer M an is t h e captai n o f
.
h is soul and it is fool ish to give up attempts in

,
the belief that all is due to karma .
The song o f Rab i n d ran a t h is a call to

national consciousness and an i nspiration to
national devotion H e asks us to employ to
.
greater purpose t he most precious energies

o f the I ndian soul Of all the energies o f the
.
world the greatest are t hose which reside

,

with in a people s heart and character He .
calls upon I ndians to pou r o u t their energies

i nto the cou n t ry s cause without surrendering

themselves to the temptations o f false asceticism

and fatality .
VI
Th is S ketch would be i ncomplete without

an accou n t o f Rabi n d ra n a th s v iews about
the political condition of I ndia With all .
the advantages o f good government I ndia

cannot be said to be free F o r freedom means
not estrangement from life or killing o f facul t y ,
but the enlargement o f self t h e expansion o f ,
personal ity and the utmost possible exte n sion

,
of facul t y a n d desire This we can have only

.
1
S t r ay B i r ds, 1 29 .
so lo n g as o u r landlords regard t heir tenants
as a mere part of the i r proper t y so long ,
as t h e s t rong i n o ur cou ntry will co n sider it

the eternal law to t rample on the weak '
the higher castes despise t he lower as worse

than beasts even so long we cannot claim
,
gentlemanly treatment from t h e E n gl ish as

a matter of righ t even S O long we shall fail
,
t o t ruly waken t h e E n gl ish charac t er even ,
so long will I ndia contin ue t o be defrauded

1
of her due and humil iated The greatest
.
enemies of nations are n o t t heir forei gn foes ,
but the forces that dwell withi n their borders .
From these nations have t o be saved The .
real obstacles to I ndian progress lie i n regions

where t h e B ritish G overnmen t has no sway .
The blind supersti t ions t h e d e i c a t i o n o f

,
cus t oms the ancient i nstitutio n s wh ich make

,
for discord are responsible for the present

,
degenerate condi t ion o f I ndia To the .
question Why is I n d i a o n ly a dependency and

,
n ot a par t ner " why is S h e merely i n the group

wi t hou t being of it " why is S h e a veri t able
pariah among the nations o f t h e B ri t ish
"
E mpire Ta go r e s answer would be Why are ,
1
Th e F u t u r e o
f I n di a .
RA B I N D RA N AT H TAG O R E 227
the forty m ill ion u n t ouchables kept down by the

"
people of I ndia why are they i n H i ndu i sm but
s t ill not o f i t " why are they considered par i ahs
among the peoples of I ndia " I ndia is only
reaping t h e fruits of her past karma As.
I ndia treats her lower classes so will conquer

,
i ng nations trea t I ndia Till caste prej udice

.
and religious pride disappear from I n d i a S h e ,
w ill have no right to complai n of the race

hatred and race prej udice of the outside world
-
.
We cannot ask f o r absolute pol itical freedom

so long as we wel come cruel tyranny i n social
l ife We cannot break life i nto fractions We
. .
cannot say we shall be free in rel igion ght ,
for freedom i n pol itics but be enslaved i n soc ial

,
life
. Ages of suffering are the means by
which G od helps nations to recover their souls .
Though the stars are always in the heavens ,
yet man sees t hem only at night The m is .
fortune tha t h as overtaken I ndia w i ll help her

t o look up to the stars o f eternity wh ich sh ine
,
as brightly i n the heaven above as i n the heart

below . The hard school of m isfor t une is
needed to tear I ndia from the false idols o f
commerce luxu ry and pleasure and bri ng her
, , ,
back to God S uffering i s t h e penal t y which

.
I nd i a has to pay for the corruptio n of centuries .
Th rough i t t h e soul o f I ndia is bei n g gloried

and her spir i t regenerated U nder t h e spu r o f .
sorrow suff eri n g and subjection n ations like

, ,
i ndividuals rise to t heir S pi ri t ual heights God .
is chastising the people o f I ndia and calli ng

them t o repentance Con t act wi t h the Wes t
.
has made I ndia become conscious o f her weak

ness and unwor t hi n ess L ike S t Pe t er of old
. .
,
I ndia now hears the cock crow a n d weeps

sayi ng ,

L ord I have denied thee " She is
,
reawaken ing is learning t h e causes of her

,
decadence and coming to believe in the truth

o f her ancient ideals and inspiratio n .

To day I n dia is o n every side defrauding
-
and humiliating herself in scripture religion , ,
and society ; she i s not awakening her o w n

soul by means of truth and sacrice therefore ,
she is not getting from others what she other

wise might have had Therefore the union .
with t h e West is n o t becoming complete i n

I ndia ; that union i s not bearing full f ruit but ,
1
only giving us S hame and pain Rabin .
d ran a t h is not a cynic to laugh a t the condition

of I n dia H e is dreadfully earnes t and has
.
,
1
Tl
z e F ut u r e
f
o I nd i a .
sanita t ion and ed ucation which make them

,
sel ves felt when a famine or an epidem ic v isi t s

the cou ntry is a S ight wh ich will make the
,
most cheerful temper surrender i t self t o gloom .
The seem ing pessimism of Rabi n d ran a th s
wri t ings is due to his real isation o f t h e forces

working against the s piri t ual revival H e has .
no doubt about the grea t future o f I ndia when

S h e real ises t h e prom ise of her past bu t he is ,
sorry t ha t i t has not come yet The vein o f .
sadness is due t o this disappointme n t Rabin .
d r an at h has v isions o f the fu t u re i nspired by

the story o f t h e pas t bu t the present does n o t
,
seem to contain t h e prom ise o f the comi n g

era There is the i ndifference to the things
.
of spirit ; the silence in t h e t emple o f G od .
There is the altar yet S tanding but broken and

profaned .I ndia once the home o f spirit is
now ooded with material ism once gloriou s
,
and brill iant i n power a n d life is now los t in

i nertia and egotism We may go rou nd and
.
round but we shall not catch any generous

,
sympathy o r pure e nthusiasm o r earnest spiri t ual

aspiratio n Prosaic calcula t ion a n d selshness
.
have invaded all things and made mankind

isolated degraded and deformed
, L ooki n g
.
at the desert of the world around wi t h

i t s spiri t ual sol itude his heart sinks with
,
t he burni n g weight on i t Ra b i n d ra n a t h
.
,
who is o f i magination all compact feels ,
that a religious revival will lift I ndia from her

present decadence I t alone can bring new
.
life where l ife is becoming extinct and new ,
hope where hope is being abandoned As he .
brings u s the glad tidings o f del iverance h is ,
message is o n e of j oy a n d h O pe courage and ,
O p t imism .
V II
Ra bi n d r a n a t his glad that I ndia has come
temporarily u nder the sway o f B ritain for t he ,
impulse t o na t io n al life and regenera t ion rst came

through t his con t act A ge n e ra lques t ioni n g i n all
.
ma t ters social moral and religious has arisen

, , , , .
People are asking what i t is t hat is wrong wi t h

t h e I ndian civilisatio n which it has been obtain
i ng t ha t has made i t a failure i n cer t ain respec t s .
Wha t is i t tha t has be t rayed I ndia into i t s

prese n t conditio n of eco n omic poverty a n d
pol i t ical subj ec t io n " Co n tact with the Wes t
has resul t ed i n u nres t in all ma t t ers and has ,
aff orded a n O ppor t u ni t y f o r t he recasti ng o f

some of the o ld formulas o f the I ndian c ivilisa
t ion . Ra b i n d r a n a t h recognises the good work
done by B ritai n i n I ndia H e is sure that if
.
I ndia should be subj ect t o any foreign dom ina

t ion ,
it were be t ter B ri t ish tha n any other .
B ritain has crea t ed an e fcien t t hough cos t ly

administration an effective reign of law which
,
has given securi t y t o l ife and property and ,
thus laid the fou n dations o f national progress

and unity To B ritain I ndia owes her political
.
,
ideal o f freedom W hen B ri t ain stepped into

.
I ndia S h e consciously o r u nconsciously set in

,
motion forces which will n o t cease t o O pera t e

u ntil freedom becomes an accomplished fac t .
Recently the B ri t ish have come from the

West and occupied a ch ief place in I ndia n
h i s t ory Th is event is not u n called for o r
.
acciden t al . I ndia would have been shorn o f

i ts ful ness if it had m issed contac t with t he
West The lamp o f E urope is still burn ing ;
.
we mus t ki ndle o ur O ld ex t inguished lamp at

that ame a n d s t art agai n o n t h e road of time .
We must full the purpose of o ur con n ectio n

wi t h the E nglish This is o ur task to d ay in
.
the buildi n g up O f grea t I ndia . The contac t

with B ri t ain has led to the liberat i on o f spirit
l ike the music o f a triumphal progress I t had .
not always the bene t o f a steam roller S moo t hed

- -
road H o w i t used t o sway from t h is i n t erest

.
to that now of the king now o f t h e church

, , ,
now o f t h e landlord now of t h e brewer through

, ,
factio n cor r uption brawl ing and ineptitude "

, ,
Was there n o t even the time when the a t te n d

ance o f i t s members had t o be secured under
threa t O f penal t y " A n d talking o f mistakes ,
wha t a dismal tale coul d be unfolded o f t h e

mis t akes the mo t her of parliaments has made ,
beginning from the t ime o f i t s o ld relations

wi t h I reland and A merica down t o i t s recent
action in the D ardanelles and M esopotamia
t o say no t hing of t h e n o t inco n siderable l is t
w hich might be compiled f o r I ndia alone .
Self government not only leads to e fcie n cy

-
and a sense of respo n sibili t y but it makes

,
for a n uplift of t h e hu ma n S piri t I t is only

.
when t hose w h o are conned wi t hin the

parochial lim i t s o f village o r commu n ity are
given the O pportuni t y of t h inking and ac t ing
i mperially t hat they will be able to realise
hu manity i n its larger sense . For wan t o f
this opportu n ity every person in t his country
remai n s a lesser man ; so in spite o f all
R A B I N D RA N A T H T AG O R E 23 5
the risk of error o r m ischance we must have

self government
-
. Th is and th is alone is the
sovereign cure of all t he n a t ional distempers

of I ndia . The E nglishman may point t o
his h is t ory and tell us : This great price o f

self governme n t have I earned only aft er many

-

a struggle and with innite t oil an d trouble I .
ad mi t it Each pioneer race has arrived at some

.
particular truth through much sorrow error , ,
and sacrice B ut those who follow aft er have

.
not t o t read t h e same long path o f tribulation .
What i t took ages o f shower and su n sh ine

for E urope t o ma t u re J apan was able to trans
,
plant i n no time roots and all to her own soil

, , .
S o if in our charac t er t he qual i t ies necessary

for successful self government appear to be in
-
defect it is all the more reason t hat practice

,
i n that a rt should be t h e sooner com menced .
H ad it been t rue that men must rst

deserve and then desire then no people i n the
,
world would ever have attained freedom The .
West boasts of democracy t o day I h ave no -

.
wish to stir up t h e repulsive mire which is still

so plen t iful be n ea t h t he surface glamour o f the
Western peoples H ad there been some para
.
moun t power to rule t hat while such a state

, ,
of thi n gs prevail no democracy is t o s t ep i n to ,
its rights then n o t only would all the foul n ess

,
have remai n ed where it is b u t all hope of its ,
ever being cleansed away would va n ish S O in .
o ur social l ife and o u r indiv idual ou t look there
are no doubt blemishes B ut still we must be .
our o w n mas t ers The great fest i val o f man is .
in progress but in no coun t ry are all its lamps

,
ablaze nevertheless t he festivity proceeds

apace I f o u r lamp has gone o u t for some
.
little while what harm i f we light its wick at

,
B ritain s ame " While i t would n o t di minish

B ri t ai n s lus t re it would add to t h e world s
,

illum inatio n 1
I t is Rab i n d ran at h s feel ing
.

that I n dia would progress far faster if t h e

people were granted self government There -
.
is the example o f J apan and t here is noth i n g ,
to prevent I ndia from progressing i n the same

way I f the representatives o f B ritain in I ndia
.
do not welcome the signs o f growth and change

i n men s ideas but rather try to suppress t hem

wi t h a h igh ha n d even tha t is necessary , ,
Ra b i n d ran a t h thinks for the advanceme n t o f ,
I ndia for he says

,
1 u
Thou h a t s l o bey, Moder n p
Rev i ew , S e tember 1 917 .
it has a chance B ritai n is ghting for this

.
la t ter concep t ion against t h e Ce n t ral Powers

which stand for world dom i n ion o r dow n fall .
U n iversal dominion is an idle dream E mpire .
must have a moral basis I t is a spiritual

.
en t ity . The mission o f B ritain is t o work

the greates t experiment o f the world namely , ,
es t ablish a commonwealth o f free n atio n s ,
belonging to differen t races creeds and , ,
religions I t is t his spiri t ual purpose t hat

.
binds the d ifferent peoples of the E mpire

to day i n gh t i n g t h e opposite principle
-
. .
Power is n o t the one thing great about the

B r i tish regime There are h is t oric ideals f o r
.
which B ritain stands and the B ritish rule i n

,
I nd ia should n o t give the lie t o those ideals .
I t w i ll be an i nsul t t o the free peoples of

the B ritish com monwealth to tell them t hat
t hey are i n I ndia to hold I ndian peoples sub
je ct . The revolu t ion i n Russia has proved that
a Gove rnmen t however S t rong and powerful it

,
may be ca n not defy and ignore t he general will

,
of t he natio n What has been proved t o be a

dead superst i t i on in E urope cannot be a live
reality in Asia t hough ideas take a long time
,
to travel from E urope to Asia The inevitable .

11 R A B I N D RA NA T H TAG O RE 23 9
will come and i t S hall be t he proud privilege of

,
B ritai n to gu ide I ndia to her destiny What .
I ndia wants at t he present momen t i s n o t

carping criticism or commercial exploi t ation ,
but intell igent sympathy a n d prac t ical guidance .
I f B ritai n gives this she will be repaid a

,
thousandfold mater i ally and spiritually ; if S h e

does not i t will be a betrayal o f her trust a crime
, ,
against c ivilisation and a S i n agains t huma n ity .
I t will be a disaster if the B ritish connection

wi t h I ndia breaks up for tha t would be the
,
admission of defeat of reason on bo t h sides .
S uch a ca t astrophe only means the failure o f

reason and t he collapse o f u nderstand ing
between t h e t w o n ations B ut S O lo n g as
.
there is statesmanship on either S ide i t w i ll ,
be averted Ra bi n d ra n a t h hopes that the

.
u nion between E ngland and I ndia will be a

permanent one I n connec t ion wi t h na t ionalism
.
i n the West he O bserves : Our only in t ima t e

,
experience of the na t io n is the B ri t ish na t io n ,
a n d so far as government by the Nation goes ,
t here are reasons t o bel ieve that it is one of
the best . Then again we have to consider

, ,
that the West is necessary to the E ast We .
are complementary to each other because of ,

24 0 THE P H I LOS OP HY OF
our different outlooks upo n l ife which have ,
given us differen t aspects o f truth Therefore .
if i t be t rue that the spirit o f the West has

come upon our eld i n the gu ise of a storm it ,
is all the same scat t ering living seeds that are

, ,
immo rt al . And when i n I ndia we shall be

able to assimilate in our l ife what is permanent
i n the Western civilisation we shall be in the ,
pos i t i on to bring about a reconcilia t ion o f

those two great worlds Then will come to an .
end t h e o n e sided domina n ce which is galli n g

-
.
What i s more we have t o recognise t hat t he

,
h istory of I ndia does not belong to o n e par

ar race
t i c ul ,
but i t is the h is t ory o f a process
of crea t ion to which various races o f the world
contributed the D rav idians and t h e Aryans ,
t he anci e n t Greeks and the Persians the ,
M uhammadans o f the West and those o f

Cen t ral Asia N ow that at last has come the
.
t urn o f the E ngl ish to bring to it the tribute
of their life we neither have the right nor the

,
power to exclude t hem from their work of

building the des t iny of I ndia 1
Rabi n d r a n at h.
feels it h is du t y to promo t e t his u n ion in

every way and he is up against either
,
Md R i w J
1
9 7
o ern ev e , un e 1 1 .
24 2 THE P H I L OS O P H Y OF '
is sai d that Ra b i n d ra n at h s song has been the

inspiration to anarch ist activities and is not ,
altoge t her out o f sympa t hy with t h e i r t a t i o n s

with China J apan and America o f which
,
we some t imes hear from the foreig n papers .
S tra n ge to say t h e opposite V iew prevails i n

,
some quarters i n I nd i a where i t is urged tha t

,
Ra b i n d ra n at h has given u p his old nationalis t

a tt i t ude L et us make h is position clear
. .
Ra b i n d r a n a t h has no sympathy wi t h the

moderates of the Co n gress party whose
poli t ical faith is symbolised by the mid
Vic t orian catchwords o f Rational ism and
E n lightenment Progress and L iberty and
, ,
whose method is that o f peaceful c o n st i t u

t i o n a l agitatio n through the press a n d t h e
platform Their at t itude to the ancien t spirit
.
of I ndia is one o f indifference if n o t c o n ,
temp t They talk gl ibly of M ill and M orley

.
,
B urke and B right and would be pleased if

, .
the res t of I ndia followed them in im i t ati n g

the Western forms wi t hout t aste o r t ale n t .
As t hei r programme is wi t hou t any spiri t ual

fou n datio n it does n o t catch Rab i n d ra n a t h
, .
thinks that the moderates have developed

mendica n cy i n politics i nto a n e art The .
RA B I N D RA NA T H TA G O R E 24 3

followers o f t h is beggi n g method do not
have a n y clear ideas abou t the fu t u re o f t h e
country do not know what paths lead t o
,
success an d even if they know have n o t the

, ,
courage to pu rsue them The extremists are .
not the bomb th rowers and the trai n wreckers

- -
but t he advocates o f i ndependence o f ac t ion .
While the moderates feel t hat by talk p e rs ua ,
sion and such other cheap and easy me t hods

, ,
the pol i t ical aim can be a t tai ned the extremists ,
are o f opi n ion t hat wi t hou t risk and suffering

no t hing grea t can be real ised These have a .
sincere desire to face the issues and thin k o ut

the problems a n d sh rink from consoling t hem
,
selves wi t h comfor t able illusions I t is their .
contention that political problems cannot be

solved by a philosophy o f phrases Wh ile .
the moderates try to persuade the rulers by

argument the extremists feel that earnest
,
'
spiritual work would conv ince the rulers o f

the j ustice o f their cause These turn from .
S hams t o realities and appeal t o men o f re

,
and character and demand from them sacrice

o f life and home proper t y a n d possession for
,
the sake o f t h e cou n t ry They also adop t

.
constitut i onal agi t a t ion but i n a bold and

,
s t rong nerved manner B ut even th is school

-
.
errs as it forgets tha t the problem of I ndia

,
is n o t merely a pol itical one but a problem of

l ife o n all its sides They did not recognise
.
t h e patent fac t that there were causes i n o u r
social organisation which made t h e I ndian

i ncapable of coping wi t h the alie n 1
He .
asks : What S hould we do if for any reason , ,
E ngland was driven away " We should

simply be v ictims for other nations The .
thing we i n I ndia have to t hink o f is t his

to remove t hose soc ial cus t oms and ideals
which have genera t ed a wan t of self respect -
and a complete dependence on t hose above

u s a state o f aff airs which has been brought
about en t i rely by the dom ination i n I ndia o f

t h e caste system and the blind and lazy habi t
of relying upon the author i ty of traditions

that are i nco n gruous anachronisms i n the
2
present age . To Rabi n d ra n at h the caste
syste m of I ndia is as m ischievous i n i t s
effects as the na t ion o f the West B oth are .
mechanical organ isations dead and wooden ,
inelastic and soulless H is desire is t hat all .
servan t s o f I ndia should be dom inated by the

N ti
1
a li m p
on a 3s , . 11 I bid
.
2
.
means forsaki ng the straight road and taking
to tortuous paths i n the hope o f soo n er
gaining a particular end is always u t t erly ,

reprehensible H e impresses o n the people
.
o f I ndia with all the force a t his command
tha t there is no short cut to pol itical freedom

t hrough sin and crime but only a royal road
,
through s t reng t h and sufferi ng A straight .
li ne is the shortest which can be drawn

between t wo give n points not only in space
and geometry but also in spirit and life .
Curved l ines may f o r a time seem t o be

shorter but ul t ima t ely they would reveal t heir
,
o w n inordi na t e length For a time we may

.
think ourselves vic t orious i n creating vic t ims ,
but vic t ories and victims do n o t lead to

triumph We may ach ieve o ur aim but it
.
,
will n o t las t lo n g Virtue wh ich means

sacrice is the only path to salvation S t ern .
worsh ip o f morality i n scorn o f all expedients

is the only way to li fe I n the nature of .
th ings t here is no c ompromise between good

and evil right and wrong t ru t h and false
, ,
hood We ca n no t temper t he o n e with the

.
o t her All our actions are under the i n ex or

.
able domin i on o f logic There is such a thing

.
RA B I N D RA NAT H TAG O R E 24 7
as karma wh ich we cannot v iolate wi t h

,
i mpunity E very crime will be followed by

.
its expiation E very violation of rights

.
carries along wi t h i t inev i table consequences

of s t rife and su ffering w hich none may
prevent ; every offence comm itted genera t es
an amount o f immoral ity which u ndermines
the energy and v i rtue o f the national hear t .
The moral law holds that whe n we s t rike

others t hat blow comes back t o ourselves
, .
Corruption leads to death and n o t to a new

l ife M any a resplendent youth good and
.
,
devo t ed to the cause o f truth w ill by t h e adop

,
tion of v i olent anarch ism grow weak and brutal ,
for sooner o r later the moral crisis comes ,
when the light t hat i nspires courage and c o n

d e n c e that strengthens t he soul to service
,
and sacr i ce is put o ut for ever The vision

,
.
is darkened by doubt and distrus t the ,
soul poisoned and therefo re deade n ed a n d ,
th e sacred cause weakened if not shattered

,
.
The high m ission conded by God to the

care o f I ndia cannot be accompl ished through
wal ki ng i n crooked ways and adopting false
doctrines of expediency but can be fullled
,
o n ly through t h e worsh ip of eternal t ruth and

the practice o f austere virtue by the sweat o f

,
the soul and the sacrice o f the body L et .
us n o t desire t o worship falsehood L et us .
not seek to sully t h e whiteness of our souls

by acquiring faith i n political machiavellism
o r J esui t ical opportunism . L et us not in t ro
duce t h e gnawing worm o f i mmoral ity into
the soul o f o u r sacred cause L et us believe
.
that defeat is nobler than dishonou r suffering ,
t han in iction of su fferi n g sorrow than hatred

, .
L et us l earn to suffer without hate and

sacrice without despair L et n o t the soul
.
be bent to any other au t hor i ty t han t hat o f

righteousness wh ich is everlasting l ike the ,
mountains . Rabi n d ra n a t h abhors all forms

of terrorism and sum mons h is cou ntrymen t o
work for the regenerat i on o f I ndia strong ,
in the possession of a pure and stainless

conscience I t is his earnest W ish tha t the
.
new patriot i c impulse wh ich is a powerful

element i n the l ife o f young I n dia S hould be
kept pure and clean from being m ixed up
wi t h any t aint o f cri me or unwor t hy aff ec t ion .
While Rab i n d ran at h protests agai nst the

rage for destruction which has captured a few
stray you ths i n th e cou ntry he points out
,
success is the result of unscrupulousness .
H istory seems t o h im to be a regis t er

of crimes and misdeeds and he asks Why
, ,
should we n o t make h is t ory in the way it

is made " I f politically free cou n t ries open

men s letters
a
, practice near o f kin to
picking men s pockets ( Carlyle ) break seals

, ,
violate secrets and t rample o n the holy

privacy o f personality and if no j ust r e t r i bu
,
tio n has overtaken them he is i ncl ined,
to th ro w overboard t h e teach ings o f h is

scriptures and doubt the very existence o f
t h e moral law Rab i n d r a n a t h says :
.

We are
ashamed o f t h e me t hods by which some of
our youths have at t empted to get rid of t h e

obstacles to t heir country s progress We .
are all th e more ashamed o f it because t h e

idea o f the divorce o f expediency from Right
was taugh t us by the West The open a n d .
secret l ies o f diplomacy the open and secret

,
robberies sanct i oned by State craft are looked ,
upon in the West as the i nevitable alloy

in t he gold which serves to strengthen the
me t al Thus have we come t o learn that
.
i t is foolish and feeble mere silly sen t i

me n talism t o allow Righteousness t o bo t her
RA B I N D RA N A T H TAG O RE 25 1
and worry where patrio t ic self interest shows -
1
the way . I n t h is way t he I ndian ideals of
,
t h e i nviolability o f righ t t h e sa n c t i t y of soul

,
and respect for property have met with ,
defeat i n t h e s t ruggle wi t h t h e Western in

, ,
the m inds of o u r young I t is high t i me

.
for nations t o repudiate t h e im moral d i s t i n c

t io n be t ween private and publ ic moral ity and ,
declare with Burke t hat t h e principles of

t rue poli t ics are t hose o f moral i t y enlarged .
Ra b i n d ra n a t h protests agains t the breaking of

life i nto distinct compartme n t s with separa t e
i deals We cannot say t hat family life is o n e
.
t h ing commercial business another and in t er

, ,
nat ional poli t ics a t h ird I t may be that t h e

.
c ivil isa t io n o f E urope practises th is compart

mental d ivision b u t I nd ia should wi t hstand
,
the t empta t ion to pay E urope back in her

own coin We should n o t i mi t at e Eu rope
.
i n one o f her worst features which comes

out i n her behav iou r to people whom she
2
describes as yellow o r red brown or black , ,
and thus lose faith i n G od and man truth ,
and moral law I t is i n correct t o t hi n k that

.
the West has gai n ed her presen t emine n ce by

1N t li m p 8 7
a i on a s ,
. . I bi d 1
.
the adoptio n o f unscrupulousness T here is .
a l iv ing soul i n the Western civilisation wh ich

rebels aga i nst that deep distrust in man that ,
cyn ical contempt for h is sacred righ t s which

nd expression i n the policies of G over n
ments which do not hesitate to break faith
and viola t e rights to gai n their selsh e n ds .
The greatness of E urope i s due not so much

to her perfec t ion of power as t o her reverence
1
for u nselsh ideals .
I t is necessary for a good Governme n t

to devise ways and means by wh ich t h e
enthusiasm energy and power o f sacrice
,
of the nation can be wisely directed For .
enthusiasm unregulated by reason and roo t ed ,
in despair touches t h e connes of madness ,
a result undesirable i n the interests o f t h e

rulers as well as of t h e ruled The devot i on .
to what they consider the righ t the power ,
of complete self surrender and fearless accept

-
ance o f death and danger of these ex t remists

can be turned into valuable assets of the
country And it is the duty o f a G overn
.
ment interested i n putting down political crime

to open o ut pa t hs by wh ich whatever is noble
1
S N ti
eei m p 89
l a on a s , . .
C HAPTE R V
TH E ME S S AG E OF RA B I N D RA N ATH TAG O RE TO
TH E W O RL D
I
I d r ea m e d i n a d r eam I saw a c t y i i i
nv n c ibl e t o th e attac ks
of th e wh l
o e of s
t h e re t o f t h e e a rt h
I d r ea m ed t h at w as t h e n ew c iy f fi
t o r en d s .
N o th i n g w as g r ea t e r t h er e th a n t h e q ua t y li of ro bs l u t o v e, it
led t h e re st .
I t w as se en e ve r y h our i n th e a c t on i s of th e m en of i
t h at c t y ,
An d i n lt h e r
al i l ks oo an d w or d s .
W H I T MA N .
wh t w e l th th e s h ll b l eft u
B ut a a n a e s
Whe s h ll g th e g l d

n n on e a a r o
T b uy h i f i d i t h e m k t
o s r en n ar e ,
A d pi h
n d pi th e s l d "
nc an ne o
N y wh t s e t h e l
a a l y i ty
av ove c ,
A d t h li tt l h us e
n e t h h ill e o on e ,
A d th e w st s
n d t h w d l a d b ut y
a e an e oo n ea ,
A d th e h ppy l d s w e t i ll
n a e
A d th h m s f
n e i t s to i s
o e o a n c en r e ,
Th t m b s f t h m i gh ty d d
e o o e ea
A d t h wi s m s ek i g ut m a vel s
n ,
e e en e n o r ,
A d th e p t s te m i g h ead
n oe

e n
254
cu . v RA B I N D RA NAT H TAG O R E
An d t h e p i
a n te r

s h an d of w o n d er ;
An d t h e m ar ve ll s dd l b w
ou e- o ,
An d th e b an d e d c h i s f m si
o r o u c :
A ll s
t h o e th a t d d k w
o an no .
W LL A M M I I O RR I S .
W E have i ncidentally referred t o Rab i n

d ra n a t h s v iews abou t t h e sp i ri t and the ideal

wh ich animate the West I t i s n o t tru e t o say .
that Ra bi n d ra n at h is blind t o the virtues of

the West or the faults o f the Eas t As an .
ideal serva n t o f truth a n d freedom he t akes up

arms agains t all S hams Eastern o r Western , .
Ra b i n d ra n a t h adm i t s t hat he was struck by

the S p i rit of social service prevail ing i n t he

West H e says :
. I t was an i nspiration to
1
me . H e has only praise f o r t h e Western

ideals o f law order and freedom
, Through
, .
the smoke o f cannons and dus t o f markets ,
t h e light o f her moral nature has shone brigh t ,
whose foundation l ies deeper than social con

ve n tio n s a nd whose province of ac t ivity is
world wide -
E urope has been t each ing
.
us the higher obl igations of public good above

those of the family and the clan and t he ,
sacredness of law wh ich makes socie t y inde

,
pendent o f caprice securing for i t con t inuity o f

,
1
Moder n Rev i ew , 1 9 1 3, p .
4 38 . S ee N at i on a lis m , p . 68 .
progress and guarantees j ustice to all men in

,
all positions in l ife Above all things E u rope

.
h as held high before o ur minds the banner of

liberty through centuries o f martyrdom and
achieveme n t liberty of conscience liberty o f ,
thought and action liberty in the ideas o f art

,
1
and literatu re . I n another connection we
have noticed how Ra b i n d ra n a t h i s thankful to
the West for the spread of these i d eals i n t he
E ast .
The Western civilisation is more mechanical

than sp iritual more political than religious
, ,
more m indful o f power than o f peace This .
political tendency is expressing itself i n many

ways The woman problem is o n e symptom
.
o f i t as the E uropean War is another Rabin .
d ra n at h devotes a chapter in his P er son a lity

t o the problem o f t h e woman O f the two .
aspects of l ife rest and movement o r being and

, ,
becoming the woman has the being aspect

,
predom inating i n her na t ure To the woman .
belongs domestic l ife and every t h ing which

is personal and human S he takes no real .
1
ze Sp i r i t
Tl f j apa n
o .

and surrender are the woman s while those ,

of activi t y and energising are t h e man s T he .
woman is made for marriage wh ile man is ,
made for business I f the man idles away at

.
home he is said to be unemployed ; if the

,
woman does not marry she is u n employed , .
At the present day woman is being carried

,
away by the intoxica t ion o f power S he does .
not feel that her vocation lies at home S he is .
restless She fears marriage and mater n ity

. .
S he is struggl ing agai ns t man s monopoly o f
busi ness S he is u n sexing herself by seeking

.
situations i n S hops and stations factories and ,
o fces She is t rying to imi t ate man and

.
,
make her life articial and u n n atural S he is .
c raving to acqu ire man s character and positio n

i n public l ife The t rue woman will have

n ei t her t h e desire n o r t h e capacity for i t The .
year n ing for marr i age is roo t ed i n the woman s
heart L et us hear wha t a woman says

. There
is n o t o n e woman i n a m illion who would not
be married if she could have a chance .
H ow do I know " J ust as I know t ha t the

stars are now S h i n ing i n the sky t hough ,
it is high noon I never saw a star at

.
noonday but it is the nature of the stars to

,
RA B I N D RA N AT H T AG O R E 259
shi ne in the sky and of the sky t o hold its

stars i
1
The rebellion o f the woman is to be ul t i

mately traced to the masculine character o f the
present civilisation I t is o n e o f power and
.
movement . I t is a civilisation o f power i n ,
2
wh ich woman has been thrust aside M an .
i s responsible fo r the unrest o f woman But .
because men i n their pride of power have

taken to deriding things that are l iv i ng and ,
relationships that are hu man a large number ,
of women are scream ing themselves hoarse to

prove that they are not women that they are ,
true where they represent power and organisa

tion I n the present age they feel that t heir
.
pride is hur t when they are taken as mere

mothers of the race as the mi nisters to the,
v i t al needs o f its existence and to its deeper ,

S piritual necessity o f sympathy and love 3
.
D ue to the over busy ness o f man the woman s

- -
,
world has been getting th i n ner and th inner .
I n its i nordi nate lust for power and wealth i t

has robbed woman o f the most part of her world ,
and the home is eve ry day being crowded

o u t by the ofce There is hardly any room
.
1
G i l H m ilt i ty p
1
p 9 3
a a on .P l 7 I bi
er son a . . 1 2. a. . 12 .
f or woman i n life now As man puts obstacles
.

and h indrances i n the way of woman s free
developmen t S h e calls for emancipation
, .
As man insults woman woman is t a king ,
vengeance on man . I n the modern civil

i sat i o n the being o r the fou n dational aspects

o f l ife are lost S ight o f a n d so
, it has l os t its
balance and i t is moving by hopping from war

to war . To bring it back t o i t s balance ,
woman must step i n a n d impart its life

rhythm to this reckless movement o f power .
To t h e true woman the individual is sacred ,
more sacred tha n arm ies and navies shops ,
and factories When woman exercises her

.
function i n life t hen will m a n learn that love is

of more value t ha n power F o r the woma n t o
.
acqu ire her true place the eco n omic civ ilisation
based o n competi t ion should give place t o a
spiri t ual o n e based o n c o operation -
The n
.
shall the meek inheri t t he ear t h .
The E uropean War which is another name

for hell ragi n g o n earth has pained t h e poet
to the quick and conrmed h is V iew o f the
civilisation will exist E urope has sown the .
wind and must reap t h e whirlwi n d M a t ter .
is en t hroned ; science has become t h e ally o f

destruction and i n fu ry of greed one nation
,
is pitilessly destroying a n other .
A ll th e bl ac k evi ls i t he w o ld h ave ove owed th ei

n r r r
b ks
an ,
Th e h eat g row i n g i n th e h eart of God f or ag es

Th e c o w ar d i c e o f th e w eak t h e a og a n c e o f th e s t ron g
,
rr ,
th e g ee d of f at p r os pe r i t y t h e ran c our of th e w ro g ed
r ,
n ,
p r i d e of rac e a d i s ul t t o m an
,
n n
H as b u s t G od s peac e ag i n g i n s to m
r

,
r r .
1
The War is a sign t ha t t h e Wes t ern civilisa

tion is dead and n o t alive i ner t and n o t aler t , ,
mechanical and n o t spiritual I t looks upo n .
man as a mach ine and not a soul I t stands .
f o r matter with its automatism and n o t l ife wi t h

its j oy I t exal t s in t ellect at t h e expense of
.

intu ition and soul Thus man with his mental
.
and ma t erial power far ou t growing his moral

strength is like an exaggerated giraffe whose
head has suddenly shot up m iles away from
t h e rest o f him making normal com mu n ica t ion
,
di fcul t t o es t ablish I t s greedy head wi t h its .

,
huge dental organisation has been munchi n g ,
F i i g LXXX I V
i t G tl 1
ru -
a er n , .
all the topmost fol iage of the world but ,
t he nourish men t is too late i n reach ing h is
diges t ive organs and h is heart is suff ering

,
1
from want o f blood .Ra bi n d r a n a t h burns
wi t h indigna t ion whe n he reec t s o n t h e spirit

of the present Eu ropean civilisation The .
vi t al ambi t ion o f the presen t civ i lisation o f

E urope is to have the exclus i ve possession o f
t h e devil. All her armaments and d iplomacy
are directed upon this o n e obj ect B ut t hese .
costly rituals for the invocation o f the evil

sp irit lead through a path o f p rosperity to
t h e brink of cataclysm The furies o f terror
.
wh ich the West has le t loose upo n God s world

come back to threaten herself and goad her

i nto preparations of more and more frigh t ful :
n ess This gives her no res t and makes her
.
,
forget all else but the peril s tha t she causes

t o others a n d i n curs hersel f To t h e worship
.
o f this devil o f pol itics S h e sacrices other

countries as victims . After cen t uries of
c ivil isa t ion nations fearing each other like the
prowli n g W i ld beasts o f the nigh t time shutting -
thei r doors of hospital ity ; combining onl y for

purpose o f aggression or defence ; hidi ng in
1
N tiali m pp 3 5 36
on a s , .
-
.
the holes thei r trade secrets S tate secre t s , ,
secrets of t heir armaments maki n g peace ,
o ff er i ngs to each other s barking dogs wi t h the

meat which does not belong t o them ; holdi n g

down fallen races which struggle t o stand upon
their feet ; wi t h their right hand dispensi n g
religion t o weaker peoples wh ile robbing them
with their left is there anything i n th is to make
us envious " 1
All the evils of t he Wes t ern
civil isation can be ul t ima t ely traced to t he
false spirit o f national ism The Westerns bow .

down before t he false G o d that dominan t ,
intellectual abstrac t ion wh ich y o u call a

nation . N ationality i s not in itself bad b ut ,
when i t is interpreted i n a false selsh and , ,
aggressive sense then it becomes an evil

,
pri n ciple As M r G L owes D ickinson o b

. . .

serves : N ationality is a J anus facing both ,
ways S o far as it stands for the right o f a

.
people to gover n itself it stands f o r freedom , .
S o far as i t stands for t h e ambi t ion to govern

other people or to destroy them or to S hape
,
t hem in t o an alien mould it sta n ds for dom i n a ,
tio n N ationali t y is respec t able only whe n

i t is o n t h e defence when it is waging ,
N ti1
li m pp 8 3 84
a on a s , .
-
.
26 6 T H E P H I LO S O P H Y O F

forced attack if n ecessary o t her people s houses ,
t o s e t them in order Thus n aturally and

.
u nconsciously the spiri t o f n a t ionalism results

,
i n forced conversio n aggressive expansio n

,

and predatory imperialism The civic the .
,
feudal o r the oligarchic state passes i nto

,
1
t h e national the na t ional i nto the imperial
,
.
Attempts are made t o force unwilling nations

like the Poles the F i r ms and t h e Alsa t ia n s
, ,
i n t o absorption in na t ions o f superior stre n gth

and numbers Each m a n loves h is cou ntry and
.
,
where t here is increase o f popula t io n closely

pressing o n t h e margi n o f subsistence it is ,
too much t o thi n k tha t he will devise measures

other t han extension of terri t ory to sa t isfy his
growi ng needs A des i re to get as much o f
.
t h e ear t h s surface as possible becomes the

dom inan t motive All over t h e globe t o day

.
-
we see t h e peoples o f Europe creating a mighty

aristocracy of t h e whi t e races Those who .
take no share in this great rivalry will play a

pi t iable part i n t i me t o come The colonisi n g .
impulse has become a vi t al quest i o n f o r a great

nation .

Up t o the presen t G erma n y has ,
always had t o o small a share o f t h e spoils in

1
Cra m b , Tl
z e Or
i gi n s and D esti ny f
o I mper i a lB r i t a i n .
t he par t ition o f n on Eu ropea n territories among

-
t h e powers of Europe and yet our existence as ,
a sta t e of t h e rst ra n k is vitally affected by

the ques t ion whe t her we can become a power
1
beyond the seas Wh ile anxiou s to extend
.
t heir dominio n s f o r sel f aggrandisement they -

,
do not publicly avow their purpose ; they are

n o t fools to out the moral sense of the world .
They take t heir s t and o n the highes t ideals

of human ity and say they are out o n t h e
,
missio n o f civil ising the backward races o f

t h e earth . I f i t is a sword which we see i n
t h e one hand t o cut the way the other hand ,
will have the B i ble to deceive t h e world .
There is also t he consideration o f the great

loss t o humanity if large por t ions of the world
are left u n developed I f i n fe rior races are n o t
.
able to develop the resources of t he ir regions i t ,
becomes the duty o f the higher and the more

c ivilised to do it This is nothi ng extra
.
ord inary for it is t he law written o n every

,
page of the book o f nature the law o f the ,
survival o f the ttest T he more efcien t

.
S hould displace the less efcie n t Thus t h e .
ne cessity to nd room for t h e surplus po pula

T i ts h k
1
re P lit i
c 1 pp 7
e, d 3 o c s, . . an 1 .
tion the civilising m ission of the more evolved
, ,
the n eed for developing t h e u nexploited por

tions o f the earth s surface and t h e vital fai t h
i n the h igher purpose and des t i n y o f one s o w n
natio n all co n verge i n i mperial ism

, .
R ea lp oli t i wh ich has f o r i t

, s principle
I t ,
is good when I steal you r cow and bad when ,

you steal my cow has been t h e governing ,
force o f E uropean relations all t hese four

or ve centuries S elf i n t erest is the e n d ; .
-
brute force t h e means ; conscience is taboo

-
, .
I n every part o f t h e world where B ritish ,
in t erests are at s t ake I am i n favou r o f ad ,
van ci n and upholding these in t eres t s even t

g a ,
the cost o f an n exa t io n and a t t h e risk of wa r .
The only qual ica t ion I adm i t is that the

cou n try we desi re to a n n ex or t ake under our ,
p rotection the claims we choose to assert a n d

, ,
t h e cause we desire to espouse should be ,
calcula t ed to confer a t angible advantage upon

1
t h e B ri t ish E mpire H ere we h ave an open .
1
Ed w
ar d D i c ey P eac e an d Wa r N i n eteen tl
z Cen tu ry S e pt em b er
i i s w i ter is l ik e ly to m isl ead

, , ,
1 8 99 i s q u ot t i n
Th a o f rom a Br t h r
ead er i n t o t h i n k i
g th at th e i m p i l i t i c c ree d w h i c h i s t h e
.
the r n er a s
l ogic l out com e of th m ech an i cal i de l i s p ctised by B it i n to th e

a e a ra r a
e x c l us i on o f h i h er c o i d e at i o s B ut t h is suggest i on i s fa f m
ns r n r ro
g
We gi ve i t a s a d e n i t i on of th e l w i m p e i al i ti c c e d
.
ou i n t en t i o n
r o r s r e
an d n o t a s t h e p o l i c y o f t h e B i t i sh E m p i Th e i m p e i l i sm w h i ch
.
r re . r a
2 79 TH E P H I LOS O P H Y OF
require an n exation war and brutal treatment , ,
o f other nations do not scruple to adop t t hem

, .
The presen t War is the p e nalty which

E urope pays for i t s steadfast loyal t y to a false
ideal S elsh national ism wh ich despised the
.
coloured races of the world is t h e root cause of

t his World War The War is the logical result
.
o f the jealousy and rivalry among E uropean
nations who had all t h e one aim of using the

backward peoples for t heir own selsh gain
and i n teres t .
O n th e s ea s h o e o f th e W e s t
r
T h e fu e al p y e s
n r e em i t t i g
r ar n
Th e l s t a m es
a
Caug h t f om th e to c h o f a s els h d e ad e t c i vi l i s ati o

r r , c n n.
Th e w o s h i p o f e e gy
r n r
I t h e b ttl e eld o f c t o i es
n a r a r
I s n ot w o s h ip p i g th ee
r n ,
Th e p otec tor of t h e Un i ve s e
r r .
1
This imperialism is an elusive force which

assumes different S hapes When we are i n .
a mood to co n demn it we put it down for ,
the expression of na t ional is t pride ; when we

wish to j ustify it it becomes the only medium
,
t hrough which ligh t a n d swee t ness can be
spread N ationalism defeats itself if imperialism

.
1
Th e B l ood -re d L i ne, Rabi n d ran ath Tagor e i n th e I n depen d en t .
RA B I N D R A N A T H TAG O RE 2 71
is jus t ied Selsh nationalism has with in i t

.
the seeds of i t s o w n des t ruction I mper i alism .
means national ism o r i ndepende n ce o f the

s t ronger and parasitism o r subj ection for the
weaker When we j ustify imperialism that
.
,
i s the substitution o f t h e stronger f o r the

,
weaker we also j ustify wars The races wh ich

, .
are exploited will regard themselves as u nj u s t ly

held in bondage and will struggle to gai n thei r
,
i ndependence I f t hey are s t rong l ike G ermany

.
and I t al y i n the ni neteen t h century they t hrow ,
o ff their yoke and attai n freedom ; i f weak

l ike Poland o r Ch ina at the present moment
, ,
they are trampled u nder foo t E mpire i s the .
enemy o f nationality I t i ncludes with in it

n ations which through lack o f political genius
,
or superiority of the conquering host are c on ,
trolled by a n alie n na t ion These subj ect .
countries will always be a t horn in the

side unless they are treated i n a spirit o f
,
l iberal statesmanship E mpires can only be

.
main t ained by force The task to establish

.
world u n ity by force and subj ection has been

-
essayed by many nat i ons of the world Egypt ,
B abylon Persia Greece Rome S pain France

, , , , , ,
etc but without success Where these have

.
,
.
failed no nation o f the present day can hope

to succeed .
Some people wrongly imagine that recasti n g

the map o f E urope on the principle of nation
ality would secure abidi n g peace Ra b i n d ran at h .
is clear that this is o f no use

"o u say these .
machines will come i nto an agreement for ,
their mu t ual protection based upon a conspiracy

,
of fear . B ut will this federat ion o f steam

boilers supply you with a soul a soul which ,
has her conscience and her G od " What

is to happen to tha t larger part of t he
world where fear will have no ha n d in r e
1
straining y o u Peace will n o t las t long if i t
is based only on fear and weakness For with .
a mechanical basis and a mechan ical ideal ,
there is room i n the world for one nation a n d ,
peace will not break out u n til that e n d is

at t ained The sys t em proceeds on the v iew
.
that the gai n of one na t io n is the loss o f

ano t her . U ntil the material basis and aim
are removed there will be wars and fresh
wars till the world gets cold and the last man
si n ks into sleep wars bred by terri t orial acqu isi
,
tion in tropical regio n s commercial exploi t a t ion

,
1
Nat i on alism .
i mperialism at any t ime can give us peace it

is only aft er the whole world has passed u nder
the dom ination o f o n e single nation for it ,
requires at least two to make a quarrel This .
consum ma t io n o f a S ingle world power will n o t -
occu r before the world is converted into a

charnel house and collapses i n t o a heap o f
-

dust Professor Cra m b says :
. I n the light
of h istory u niversal peace appears less as a
,
dream t han as a n ightmare which shall be

real ised only when the ice has crep t i n t o the
heart of t he su n and t h e s t ars left black a n d
, ,
1
trackless start from their orbits
, To t h e .

same effect Treitsch ke , War will e n dure to
the end of history The laws of huma n thought
.
and o f human nature forbid any al t erna t ive ,

neither is o n e to be wished for 2
N ationality .
becomes a curse ; it separates nations from

one ano t her N ei t her love nor i deal ism
.
governs their rela t ions : fear and j ealousy

develop N ations acquire faith i n armaments
.
a n d navies aeroplanes and K rupp guns I n

, .
countries where the poli t ical civilisatio n prevails

nations live i n a n a t mosphere o f fear greed , ,
1
T22 Or ig i n an d D est i ny f
o I mp er i a lB r i ta i n .
2
P olit i cs, 1
. p . 65 .
RA B I N D RA NA T H TAG O RE 2 75
and panic due to t he preying o f one nation

,
upon other for material wealth I ts civilisation .
is carn ivorous and cannibalistic feeding upon ,
t h e blood o f weaker nations I t s one idea .
is to thwart all grea t ness outside i t s o w n

boundaries N ever before were there such
.
terrible j ealousies such betrayals o f trust ; all

,
t h is is called patr i otism whose creed is ,
pol itics . M ill ions o f human beings have

been the v ictims o f th i s false idol The .
sacrice o f body and the torture o f heart the ,
was t age o f sp irit an d t he wreckage o f soul

occasioned by the worship o f this idol are
appall ing H ighly civilised E u rope does not
.
feel the odiu m of its policy f or it is accustomed

,
to trad itions o f conquest and exploitation I t .
i s the air i t breathes and therefore it does not

,
stupefy B ut outsiders feel the po i son U nless

. .
the gospel of i mperialism wh ich cu t s athwart

the fundamen t als of democracy and humanity
i s laid t o rest f o r all time there is n o hope f o r
,
the world I f the S pirit of na t ional ism is not

.
ended we shall soon have an end of nations

, .
A ny tinkeri n g wi t h t h is clear goal will dash

to pieces t h e hope o f hu mani t y and cause a
1
N at i ona lism .
repe t ition of all t h is madness The tru t h about .
na t io n alism viz rule with the conse n t of t h e

, .
governed should be ex t e n ded t o the n o n

,
E u ropean cou n t ries A t the prese n t day the

.
pri nciple of n a t ionali t y recog n ises t h e barriers

o f race a n d colou r ; b u t u n t il these adve n t i t ious
barriers are broken dow n there is n o cha n ce o f ,
permanent peace Democracy asser t s t ha t n o t

.
,
o n ly man mus t n o t be exploi t ed by m a n but ,
also that na t io n mu st n o t be allowed to explo i t

natio n W ha t E urope has come to believe
.
to be necessary for t h e individu al s highest
self development S houl d also be a f rmed of

-
,
n ations ; for to Ra bi n d r a n a t h perso n al i t y is ,
found i n peoples as well as i n i ndiv iduals
The peoples are l ivi n g bei ngs having thei r

1
distinc t personalities They have t heir own
.
soul and gen ius which shou ld be allowed to

express i t self and develop freely a n d fully .
We S hould recog n ise personali t y wherever i t

is i n weaker n a t io n s o r stro n ger o n es Failure
, .
t o recognise this led t o the War The S t a t es .
are i n a diseased o r d isorgan ised co n di t ion ,
a n d wars are t h e external symp t oms o f t his
disease Pla t o argues righ t ly that wars break

.
Th N t i
1
M d R i w J ly 7 p
e a on , o er n ev e , u 1 , . 1.
B ut a people is a l iving soul I t is S piri t ual .
a n d alive. The peoples o f the E ast d o n o t

orga n ise themselves for power but for perfectio n .
They do not hate and ki ll suspect a n d envy , ,
b u t l ive and adore love and worship

,
The .
i n dividuals o f a na t io n do thi ngs like a machine ,
while t hose o f a people have t h e elastici t y o f

l ife and exibility o f soul E astern nations are
.
still peoples though they are slowly losing t hat

,
character cap t u red by the glamour of the Wes t

,
.
J apan too was a people B ut the Wes t in .
the voice o f her thu ndering canno n had said

at t he door of J apan L e t there be a na t io n
, ,
and t here was a na t ion And now t hat i t has

.
come in t o existence why do y o u n o t feel in

,
your heart o f hearts a pure feel ing o f gladness

and say t hat i t is good " The same vices
which seem so na t ural and i nnocuous i n its
own l ife make i t surprised and angry at their
unpleasantness when seen in other n atio n s .
Therefore when y o u see the J apa n ese nation ,
crea t ed i n your own i mage lau nched i n i t s ,
career o f natio n al boas t fulness y o u shake your ,
1
head and say it i s no : good We realise .
i n our sober moments tha t it is not good to

1
N ti
a li m pp 3 9 4 8
on a s ,
.
-
.
develop the national spirit and yet w e have ,
1
no respect for the no nations o f the world -
.
Europe never cared f or J apan when she

was a people B u t now she is ever anxious
.
to please her and t reat her with all c o n

sideration . J apan had all her weal t h o f
humanity her harmony of hero i sm and beauty
, ,
her depth o f self con t rol and richness o f sel f

-
expression ; yet the Western nations felt

no respect f o r her t ill she proved that the
blo odhounds o f Satan are not only bred in the
ken n els of E urope b u t can also be domesticated
,
2
i n Japan and fed with man s m iseries
, If
.
Europe can reach the E astern ideal o f a

pe ople S h e will have a futu re more glorious
tha n her past .
i s not withou t hope for the

Rabi n d r an a t h
future of E urope H e knows that from time
.
t o t ime have risen i n E u rope

noble mi nds
who have ever stood up for the rights o f man ,
irrespec t ive o f colou r and creed who have ,
braved calu mny and i nsult from thei r o w n

1
Th e N a ti on ,

Moder n R ev i ew , J ly
u 17
.
2
N at i on a lism , p . 83 .
people i n ghting f o r humanity s cause and
raising their voices against the mad orgies o f

m ili t arism : These are there to prove that
the f ou n tain head o f the water o f everlasting
-
life has not run dry i n E urope and from thence ,
1
she will have her rebirth ti me aft er time .
Optimist t hat he is Rab i n d ra n a t h believes

,
that war is not only destruc t ive but also

creative and hopes t hat the present wa r
,
convulsio n s will usher i n a n e w era setti n g ,
free the human spirit wh ich has been stri vi n g

for voice and ut t erance all these years This .
bath o f blood will wipe o ff all dross a n d

impurity ; and th is mar t yrdom will be t h e path
which will lead E u rope back to t he heave n of
love M en passi n g through t his hell will l ear n
.
t o love heaven bet t er Suffering by ma king

.
egoisms vanish a n d pu rifying desires will fuse

t h e differe n t individuals i nto o n e soul The .
l i t tle idol self will be broken The brea t h of .
heaven will blow and will shatter it to bi t s .
S mall egoisms will be caught up in th e

splendour of sacrice ; man will have his rebi rth .
A n abidi n g fai t h i n spirit will be the n e t result

of this War Fai t h born i n a great cr i s i s i s a
.
N ti
1
al m p 66
on a i s ,
. .
I ndia wh ich may be taken as a typical
,
represe n t a t ive o f t h e Eas t never we n t o u t o n ,
an adven t ure of commerce and conques t I t .
was her proud privilege to be the fountai n

source of the ideals of beau t y truth a n d love , , ,
and wholesome living The West if it seeks .
salva t ion should take t o these E astern ideals

o f spirit .
"e t h e ys o f thy l i g h t
s, ra d joy a e ly i g l te t i t he
an r n a n n
E as t t l i b e t e th e s oul o f t h e w o ld
o ra r .
1
The cha n ge of heart necessary f o r the

reconstructio n o f the w orld o n a S piri t ual basis
i s possible in t h e presen t crisis whe n all are ,
disgusted with the cruelties of war I t is .
possible that human na t ure may now purge

i t self o f all i t s cunni ng a n d cupidi t y sloth and ,
selsh n ess . The tribal G ods o f prac t ice

already slain i n ph ilosophy and theology will
be slai n i n l ife and pol itics The queer .
S pectacle of the Church ru n ni n g aft er t h e S tate
a n d j ustifyi n g every t h i n g t h e S t a t e proposes t o
do will become a t hing o f the pas t The o n e

, .
G od o f religion a n d philosophy i nstead of ,
being a theme o f academic discussion will ,
become the livi n g fai t h o f mankind Chris .
1 Th e B l o od -red L i n e, i n t h e I n depen den t .

RA B I N D R A NA T H TAG O R E 28 3
t ian i tyis the enemy o f selsh na t ionalism and

imperialism as all true relig i on is I ts greates t
,
.
con t ribu t ion to the growth of freedom is its

i nsistence on the incalculable value of human
personali t y When the conscience of the
.
world hypnotised by i t s own past was revell i n g

, ,
i n its slavery and forgot the sacred mystery of

human nature Chris t ia n ity appeared o n t he
,
scene empha t ically declaring the worth o f the

,
i nd ividual Christianity believed i n democracy

.
,
not merely t hat men should be equal but

nations Democracy i nsists o n the rights of
.
all nat i ons to equal freedom as every na t ion ,
has a right to be i tself So C hris t ian ity

.
sternl y rebuked the policy o f expansion .
Thou shalt not covet t hy neighbour s land

.

Thou shal t not covet thy neighbour s sea
"
n o r h is forts nor h is ports nor h is S hops nor

, , ,

his ships nor anything tha t is h is
,
The .
world is wide enough for all nations to l ive

peaceably toge t her if only t hey give up their
,
ideas of racial pr i de and animosity T he .
U n iverse i s t o be viewed as a single family

where t he di fferent nations are the members ,
each con t ribu t i ng i t s quota to t h e welfare

of the whole All peoples will then have
.
28 4 THE P HI L O S O P H Y OP
a place i n the sun I n Rab i n d r a n a t h s image

.

As the mission o f the rose lies i n t h e u n

fol d m e n t of t h e petals which implies dis t inc t
ness so the rose o f humanity is perfec t only
,
whe n t h e diverse races and t he na t io n s have

evolved t heir perfected di s t inc t charac t eris t ic s
b u t all at t ached t o t h e stem of huma n i t y by t h e

bond o f love N ations should preserve their
iden t ity for each nation has a right t o its ex
,
pression as a part o f the whole H e does not .
t hink tha t t h is preserva t ion o f the national soul
o f each u n it would work agai n st the bro t her
h ood o f man A dead level o f mechan ical

.
monotony and dull uni form i t y which would

reduce all na t ions and races t o o n e type is u m
desirable and should be replaced by a spiritual
,
whole o f varied aspects a n d beauty E ach .
t ype o f cul t ure mus t bring i t s o w n con t ribu t ion
t o t h e world A vague cosmopol i t anism is of

.
n o good . We shall realise that only th rough

t h e development o f rac ial i ndiv idual i t y can we
t ruly a t t ai n to u niversality and only i n t h e ,
l ight o f t h e S piri t o f universal ity can we perfec t

i n d i v i d u alt y Ra b i n d ra n a t h advoca t es t h e
.
1
ideal of unity and harmony a n d n o t uniformi t y ,
1
lil
y I n terp r eta t i on f
o I n d i a n H i story .
un iverse and derives from i t There is no .
need for o n e nation to ght t he o t hers out o f

existence O nly this gift o f freedom and i n
.
dependence to all t h e nations o f t h e world can

put a stop to t h e long standing feuds o f races
-
and nations The lost fai t h in t h e bro t herhood

.
of nations would be recovered I nstead o f .

bei n g the poet s dream i t would become a ,
l ivi n g force Then will t h e world be t rans

.
formed into an Empire of the free o r a n ,
I nternational Commo n wealth based on dis

i n t erested and self sa c r i c i n g nationalism As
-
.
moral i t y i n individual relations means the

, ,
subordination of the individual i ncl i n ations to

the law of duty so inter n ational m orality means
,
the subordi nation of the selsh advantages o f

na t ions t o the claims o f hu ma n ity and t h e
world at large S e l s h n es s is sin whe t her i n
.
~
indiv iduals o r i n nations I t is immoral to .
think that moral pri n ciples have n o place in

politics They are for ou t side use as much as
.
for home consump t ion The S t ate represe n ts .
the general w ill o f the commu n ity Tru t h and .
honou r are as sacred to it as t o individuals .
The S tate is n o t an e n d in itsel f I t is n o t .
higher than the moral law When this .

B ui ld G od

s t h ron e d ai ly up o n t h e am p e l b aren e ss of
y our povert y .
A n d k n o w w h at i s hu ge i s n ot g reat an d pr id is
e n ot
everl a s t i n g
1
.
VI
is a national i st but not of the
Rab i n d ra n a t h ,
wrong type Wh ile he loves his country he

.
,
does not hate others H is patr i o t ism is quite .
compatible with u n i versal love Wh ile nat i onal .
i ndependence i s a phase o f social evolution

to be necessarily passed through i t i s ultimately ,
o n e t o be transcended i n t h e conception of a
world whole As each na t ion embodies some

-
.
peculiar elements o f value necessary for the

full expression of Man the love of a nation ,
as embodying a part of the essence is n o t

i ncompatible with the love of mankind as
a whole When Rab i n d ra n a t h wants I ndia
.
to bu i ld a great future i t is not o n the national

basis . H e wants I ndia to attai n freedom
that she m ight make her contribution to

t h e world s wel fare that she might be in a,
posi t ion to ful l her destiny and carry her

message th rough the world When Rabi n .
d ra n at h loves I ndia it is the love of a sou l

, ,
1
The S u n set of t he Cen t u ry .
29 0 T H E P H I LOS O P H Y OF
of a spiri t ual pri n ciple and n o t tha t of land
or com merce H e does n o t want I ndia to
.
struggle for t he sake of her na t ional resources ,
f o r preserving the in t egri t y o f her fores t s ,
saving her mines from destruction and keeping

the physical wealth o f the great cou n t ry f o r
t h e use o f her posterity To h im this is
.
a low ideal N o doub t i t is a great waste

.
from the I ndian point o f V iew tha t I ndia s
material resources are exploi t ed by o t her

coun t ries B ut t his a fe w m ill ions more o r
.
less i s not a great t hing When the pro

.
f e s s i o n a l pol i t ician complai ns tha t foreign rule

is bad because wealth em igra t es t axa t ion ,
increases industries dim inish and hu ndreds of

, ,
t housands o f people perish i n famines i t does ,
n o t a ppeal to h im as forcibly as co n sidera t io n s
of soul and culture The soul of t h e I ndian

.
na t ion i t s ideal i t s thought i t s co n scie n ce is

, , , ,
at stake the sou l wi t h all its aspira t ions t owards

,
t h e j ust a n d the true wi t h all t ha t co n s t itutes

,
t h e huma n being H is poi nt is t ha t n a t ional

.
culture dwindles soul is subdued and every t hi n g

, ,
t ha t makes a na t ion great faith purpose a n d, , ,
charac t er is inev itably mel t ing away

,
I t is .
t h e yoke o f the m ind the disease o f the soul

,
l ives o f the many I t is the spiritual ideal o f

.
I ndia that will lend freedom t o t he human spirit ,
and break the bonds o f narrow and cramping

environment We must war against the rising
.
tendency for t h e soul to be swallowed up by

mere th ings t ha t we might ge t back t he mys t ic
,
sense o f communion wi t h the d ivine .
T h ou ha ts g iven us to l i ve ,
Let us uph old th i s h o o ur w i th al

n lour s t ren g th an d w
i ll ;
For Thy gl ory res t s up on t h e gl ory t h at we are .
T h erefore i n Th y n am e we Oppos e t h e p ow er t hat w ould

p l an t i ts b an n er upon o ur s oul
1
.
I ndia should have freedom to express her

soul with its longing for holiness i t s j oy of ,
adoration its erce spiritu al quest i oning and

, ,
its am i ng passion for righteousness Poli tical .
f reedom i s n o t an end i n itself I t is a means .
t o the higher freedom of soul I ndia should be .
a llowed to solve her problems according to

h er national gen ius I t is n ot because I ndia
.
guards u nder her soil the bones o f o ur fathers ,
but because she stands f o r an eternal principle

that life is a spirit ual aspiration matter the ,
handiwork of spirit and all un iverse one i n

,
spiri t Th is ough t to i nsp ire and govern all

.
1
I n di a s P r ay er .
RA B I N D RA NA T H TAGO RE 29 3

efforts To t h e people of I ndia I ndia s i m
.
mortal soul has stood between the hu man race

and its sinful and savage i nsti ncts B ut u nder .
the i mpulse o f the West I ndians are exchanging ,
thei r spiritual wealth for the latest scraps

o f knowledge They are losing their h igh
.
standards o f courage and courtesy fa i r play ,
and holiness dreamed and achieved i n the

,
p ast . B el ief i n l ife immortal belief i n hol i ness , ,
austerity and the resolute turning away f rom

,
all S hams and mere outward appearances to

the souls of th ings and bel ief i n the v is i on ,
wh ich Sa w that body was naught and spirit

all are dy i ng away S o Rab i n d ran ath asks us
, .
to win freedom i n the name of the S p i rit and

ght for the lost prov i nces o f t he soul
T he .
wakeful ageless G od o f I ndia calls t o day o n
o ur soul the soul that is measureless the soul ,
that i s undefeated the soul that i s destined ,
to immo rtality and yet the soul which lies,
to day i n the dus t humbled by eit t e r n al

-
,
author i ty i n the fetters o f blind O bservances

, .
With blow upon blow pang upon pang does , ,
H e call upon it At m a n a m Vi dd h i know

,

thyself 1
. All the world over the S pir i t o f
M d R ii w S pt mb 9 7 p 339
1
o er n ev , e e er 1 1 , . .
29 4 R A B I N D RA N A T H TAG O RE
freedom is awake B ut where is I ndia 1 Can .
she alone remain immu ne from its contagion "

Can she alone remai n u nshaken by a passion
which is so un iversal i n i t s power over men "
Rise I ndia " B reak up the spell o f old tradi
,
tion c ut off the meshes o f despotism a n d return

,
to the ancie n t though despised ideals o f spiri t

and liberty .
Th e d ay i s c om e
B ut w h e e i s I d i a "
r n
S t i k e t hy bl ow at h er s elf s usp i c i on a d d es p i
r -
n a r.
S ave h e f om th e d e d o f h er pu s ui g s h ad ow O L o d
r r r a r n , r ,
e ve a w ak e
1
r .
Ra bi n d r an at h
does not wan t I ndia to worship
efciency and machinery a n d bu ild her fabri c
o n fear and d iscipline but wishes her to prac t ise ,
t h e love that gives but does n o t grasp and ,
b uild o n t h e s t able fou nda t ions of freedom and

goodwill Regaining fai t h in her o w n soul and

.
,

t he soul whose revelation is the world I n dia ,
shall guard herself against automatism kee p ,
l ife free and creative and proceed from crea t io n ,
to crea t ion i n an unending o w .
1
Th D y i s me M d R i w S pt m b 7 P 3
a co e, a e" ev e : e e er 1 , 2 1 '
P r z n ted by R . R CL A R K ,
. L I MI TE D , E d m hu rg h .
THE W O RKS O F
S IR RAB IN DRANAT H TAG O RE
S A C RI FI C E AND OTHER PLA"S . Cro wn
8 vo .
55 . n et .
THE H O ME AND THE WORLD A .
N l C w 8
o ve . ro n v0 .
H UNG R" S T O NE S AN D O TH E R
S TO RI ES C w 8 5 . ro n vo . 5 . n et .
MA S H I AND OTHER S TO RIES C w . ro n

8 vo .
55 . n e t.
P E R S O NA L I T " . L ectur es del i v ered i n

Am er i ca , I ll su t r a t ed . x
E t ra C w
ro n 8 v0 .
55 . n et .
M" REMI NI S C EN C E S , I ll ust r a t ed . E x t ra

C w 8 7 6d
ro n vo . s. . n et .
NATI O NALI S M E t Cr w 8 x ra o n vo .
4s 6d . . n et .
S AD HANA: T he Rea li sati o n of Li f e . L ectures .
Ex C w 8 t ra
5 ro n vo . 5 . n et .
O NE H UND RE D PO EMS O F K AB I R .
T ran s l a te d b y S i r RA B I N D R ANATH T A GO RE a ss i s t ed b y ,
E V E L Y N U N D ER H I LL C rown 8 vo 4 5 6 d n et . . . . .
RAB INDRANATH TAG O RE A B io .
gra p h i ca l S tu dy . By ER N ES T RH Y S I ll s u tra t e d.
C w
.
x
E tra ro n 8 vo .
55 . n e t.
S I" P O RTRAIT S OF S IR RAB I N

D RA N ATH TA GO RE . By W ROT H E S T E I
. N N .
L Re p ro d uc e d i n C o ll ot y p e W i th . Pr e a t o ry N ot e b y M
f A"
B EER B O H M . I m p 4 10
. . 1 05 . n et .
THE AUTOB I O GRAPH" MAHAR OF

S HI DEVEN DRAN ATH TA GO RE " F th l
a er
l SA Y N
.
o f S i R bi d
r th T g
a ] T sn b
dh I d
yran a a or e. r an at e T R
D R AN ATH T A RE d I N D RA D E WGO an I VI . i t n t ro uc
i b y E E LY N UN D ER H LL d P i E
t on V I ,
an ort r a t . xt r a
C w 8
ro n7 6d vo . s. . n et .
LON D O N M A C M I LL AN AN D CO L D
: .
, T .

The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore

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The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore

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MACMI L L AN A N D CO L I MI T E D

TH E MA CMI LLA N CO MP A N "

THE book e x pla i n s i t se lf .The popularity

general want and satises a u niversal demand .

What is the demand and how it is met are

questions wh ich I have tried to answer i n th is

I n interpreting the philosophy and message

i ng the I ndian i deal o f ph ilosophy religion , ,

and art o f which his work is the ou t come and

exp ression We do not know whether i t is

Rab i n d ra n at h s o w n heart o r the heart of I ndia

tha t is beating here I n h is work I ndia nds

the lost word she was seeking The familiar .

truths o f H i ndu philosophy and religion the ,

value of wh ich it has become fash ionable to

acquaintance with t h e soul o f I ndia from which

I t may be said against this book that the

with those of S ir Ra b i n d ra n a t h This charge

raises a ques t ion t oo wide to d iscuss within

remembered t hat Ra b i n d ra n a t h writes poetry ,

while this book is in prose Poe t ry is indeni t e

and suggestive whil e prose is de n i t e and

expressive What I have done here is simply

t o conver t the vague sugges t ions of t h e poet

into denite statements supply t he prem ises

d raw o u t t h e co n clusions and give t h e setti n g

where necessary . The book is an attempt

light of i t s o w n fundamental principles I may .

here mention that the poet has been pleased

As the book would be lacking i n wholeness

about N ational ism i n the E ast and the West ,

we have not i ced h is v iews o n t his subj ect i n

h is writ i ngs while g i vi ng an i nward account

I t is the privilege o f a preface to acknow

S i r Rabi n d ra n a t h Tagore for the perm i ss i on

to speak o f the pleasure derived from associa

m yself to repay i n som e degree t he great

this slender volume with h is name I am .

greatly indebted to M r C F Andrews of . . .

S k a n lz m eta n for reading t h e proofs an d

t hanks are also due to t h e E ditor o f T e Q u est

f o r granting m e perm i ssion t o use the two

THE condem nation wh ich a great man lays

Ra b i n d ra n a t h Tagore has n o t failed to force

world wide interest and popularity of his

wri t ings are due as much to t h e loft y idealism

i n g wi t h its vi t al fai t h i n the redeeming power

of t h e spiritual forces and their up building -

energy has a par t icular value at the present

moment when t h e civil ised world is passing

t hrough t h e crucible O f a ghas t ly war which ,

whether o r n o t i t pu rges the na t io n s o f t heir .

pride and ha t e lust f o r gold and greed of la n d

at leas t proclaims i n n o u ncertai n tones the

utter ba n kruptcy of material i sm .

T o be great is not merely to be talked

Ra b i n d ra n a t h has not escaped t h is fate The .

many at t empts made to explai n h im contradict

men take what meani n gs please t hem There

are two views regardi n g h is ph ilosophy o f

a thinker who draws his i n spira t ion from the

Upanishads I f we believe the other he is

an advocate o f a theism more or less l ike i f ,

not identical with Christianity Ra b i n d ra n a t h