Rabindranath Tagore ...... 'Gitanjali'

The major themes of Gitanjali                   

                         Rabindranath Tagore belongs to the tradition of Indian Rishis.  He was a great philosopher, mystic, humanist and poet. His 'Gitanjali' is mainly a collection of devotional lyrics, and his world-reputation is based largely on this work.  It is a collection of mystical lyrics in which the poet is concern with the relationship of Man, God and Nature.

                      'Gitanjali' is a great devotional poem which won Nobel Prize for literature for Tagore.  The literal meaning of the poem is offering of songs to God.  In other words, it is offering of songs by the finite to the Infinite.  Right from its beginning to its end, it is full of devotional fervour and zeal, which reflects the poets undying intense desire to be one with God.                             

To Tagore man, nature and God represent one and the same reality.  He considers it rather unwise to look for God in dark corners of the temple and by telling on beads.  To him, man is the living temple of God.  So, service to man is service to God.  The poet feels that those who are poor, weak and deprived are mush nearer to God because of their sincerity and purity of thought and action.  Such person are full of primal innocence and love which God likes most. Tagore takes nature to be the real manifestation of God. He feels that God keeps on sending his divine messages through different objects of nature.  However, only men of pure and honest disposition are able to collect them.

                     Man often searches for God when he is in deep trouble and suffering.  To Tagore, man's suffering is largely on account of his not being in full harmony with the things around him.  Tagore's 'Gitanjali' has a soothing, consoling and strengthening effect on the life of its every reader by teaching him the art of harmonisation of the opposites in his life.  The second reason behind man's suffering is on account of his excessive attachment to worldly things and life.  By leaving everything to the design of God, he can overcome this problem. 

                      Death is another cause of fear and sorrow for man.  Tagore takes death to be the completion and fulfillment of life.  In 'Gitanjali', he suggests his readers to develop a kind of sensuous love for death because it is death which helps man to be one with God, his master.  Tagore's 'Gitanjali' also reveals poet's great humanistic concern for the lowly and the lost and field tillers and path -makers, whom he takes as the real companions of God.  

                                          

                   In this way, he is for developing an undying love for entire humanity and shunning all sorts of discriminating behaviours and attitude.