FAITH
IN MAN AND RELEVANCE OF
RABINDRANATH TAGORE
Dr. Manas Bakshi
In the world of grim reality, man struggling for a secure existence has today become critical of like itself. And the urge to be blessed with that heaven of freedom “where the mind is without fear and the head is held high” is gradually wearing thin. But, what often makes one apathetic to the intricacies of present day reality, furthered by materialistic considerations, is the lack of such faith and courage that are basically needed to enjoy freedom of mind. Lovelessness, erosion of values and gradual loss of faith in the human society have been more in evidence now. Rabindranath Tagore’s relevance here is quite significant in so far as he brings to the fore the ideal asserting “It is a sin to lose one’s faith in man.”
Tagore’s concept of freedom has a wide connotation and faith in man is a vital ingredient of this concept; for his concept of freedom is not confined to a particular periphery of economic, social or political freedom only. Freedom from bondage – social and political, and freedom of mind both were duly advocated by him. He stood for the freedom of an individual to think and express himself as much as he stood for human emancipation from political subjugation, social taboos and religious barriers. His search for truth and love for mankind construed the basis of his concept of human freedom that give freedom of totality, and the individual mind such joy and fervour as are required for creativity. That perfection in the realisation of divinity can be the pursuit only of a mind, which is free in true sense of the term.
To conceive freedom of mind under the façade of a religion was far from Tagore’s way of spiritual realisation; he had scant regard for asceticism. That was why he could so boldly affirm “Salvation through renunciation is not mine”. And perhaps there could be no better assertion than the uttering “In one salutation to thee, my God, let all my senses spread out and touch this world at thy feet” to relieve oneself from the banalities of compromise which deters individual enlightenment at every step. His faith in man, to be more specific, in the international brotherhood, hardly leaves any room for humanism to be slurred with religious or peripheral dogmas since he foes to the extent “In death the many becomes one; in life the one becomes many. Religion will be one when God is dead”.
Tagore’s domain of literature has a profound sense and wide expanse of perception, which attaches more importance to humanism in practice and it is essentially preoccupied with the concept of the “Universal” man. To him, religion of man implies a more practical approach to life, which is above the sphere of individual existence. It is in the attainment of humanism through sacrifice and salvation that a man realises his responsibility towards mankind; and obviously, it cannot be had if certain degrees or limits are allowed to dominate his realm of intuition and activities. While Tagore assures that “Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man”, he reposes more confidence and reliance in man whose responsibility to the cause of humanity always remains, perhaps because “God expects answers for the flowers he sends us, not for the Sun and the Earth”.
Faith in man intensifies despite the symbolism of God which is interpreted in Tagore’s literature not simply as an emblem of divine superiority but as a logically developed spiritual link between Him and man; it is more identified by a distinct feature which means, with some amount of justification, oneness with God who is incomplete without the existence of man. So much so that the very existence of God is conceived in unequivocal terms, as if to signify a close relation between man and God, in the lines “Tai Tomar Ananda Amar Par, Tumi Tai Esecho Niche” (in Bengali) which, as Tagore translated, means “Thus it is that thy joy in me is so full, thus it is that thou haste come down to me. O thou Lord of all Heavens, where would be thy love if I were not?”.
It is this revelation of truth where lies the realisation of God in the wold of man, where the ordinary man – essentially after earthly fulfillment – needs but man to rely upon. And the divine entity of God, if it be anything at all, is but a replica of faith in man, humanism in practice. Though Tagore owed much to the Upanishad and our ancient Mystics, it was his affirmation of modern humanism which can grasp and revitalise the theme where the divine is one with the human being. And, needless to say, if faith in man is lost, freedom of mind loses its way in the “desert sand of dead habits”.