Chapter One
Introduction
1.1
Background of the Study
Rabindranath Tagore is an Indian poet
from the erstwhile Bengal who won the Noble Prize for Literature for his
anthology of poems, Gitanjali. The work has been praised by the likes of W. B.
Yeats and Ezra Pound and gave a strong message of love, freedom and
spirituality to its readers, thereby garnering universal appeal. Gitanjali is a
pilgrimage in the search of the one Divine being. Tagore’s religion is not
compartmentalized; rather it is deep rooted in the love for humanity. For him,
love for his brethren is a pre-requisite in order to attain heavenly graces.
Therefore, the thread of spiritual humanism runs through Gitanjali. This paper
starts on an elucidation of the fundamental strand of spiritual humanism: the
presence of the Infinite in the Finite. It then proceeds to depict how Tagore
criticized blind worship of deities and sacred spaces, whereby they should have
loved their brethren, instead. It also underscores the hollowness of rituals,
material possessions and evil vices which act as an impediment between the
Divine and the human being. It rounds up by highlighting the transcendentalism
in Tagore’s spiritual humanism and the need for charity.
