Even the all-pervasive death failed to diminish Tagore's zeal for life - GetBengal story

Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore’s universally relevant and time-immemorial messages on the continuity of life are reassuring. Though many objects may have disappeared from our lives, what ushers in hope is the undying Ashramic philosophy of daily existence. As he said in one of his speeches:

Today all my voids in life are filled with delight, as I feel the all-pervasive presence of Him. The losses I have suffered have not diminished a bit what I have gained from Him. This world has not been able to take away any inner possessions of mine, several deaths around me have not minimised me in front of You, and the limitless universe has been unable to denude me – not even a single molecule or an atom of existence. He is omnipresent in my life with His eternal blessing. That is why, whatever decays or diminishes in this world reappears in immortal manifestations, in this Ashram life.

Nurturing the young minds

Rabindranath Tagore wanted to propagate the Gayatri Mantra, in which the basics of physics and biology are hidden. Savitri, the sun-goddess is the foundational deity of our Universe from the energy of whom we derive our life, mind and soul.

In another discourse to a congregation, the Poet had mentioned that there are two distinct tunes which emanate from this Ashram – one is the Tune of Humanity and the other is Tune of Nature. We may interpret this statement as follows: The Tune of Humanity embraces the disciplines of Humanities, Arts and Music while the Tune of Nature embeds all of sciences including environmental studies. We may even underline the fact that Life in the Ashram is itself an Art.

Rabindranath Tagore wanted to propagate the Gayatri Mantra, in which the basics of physics and biology are hidden. Savitri, the sun-goddess is the foundational deity of our Universe from the energy of whom we derive our life, mind and soul. The sun and substance of Gurudev’s discourses in the Upasana Griha of Santiniketan was that energy and light that acted as a bridge between the conscious and the sub-conscious mind. His book ‘Visva Parichay’ also elaborates on this deep concept for assimilation in our mind. What is remarkable in the Upasanas and the concluding chapter of Visva Parichay is the symbiotic relation between science and spiritualism that Tagore had established through his songs and writings.

The man with unrestrained knowledge

One example of this symbiosis can be found in the song: Tahare aroti Kore Chandra Tapan, in the Swaralipi based book of Baitalik by Dinendranath Tagore. Needless to say, the Baitalik mantra of ‘Om pita noshi’ and Gayatri mantra ‘Om bhur bhuvah swaha’ are both taken from the ancient Suklayajur Veda. Indeed, the reference to Pita in Baitalik mantra as well as to human consciousness in Gayatri mantra are inscribed in Suklayajur Veda. The Upasana Mantra imbibed from Swetaswatara Upanishad chanted in the evenings, brings out a further awareness of the Ashramic value system. It translates to mean:

Salutations to the Divinity who is in the fire, who is in the water, who is in plants, who is in the trees, who has pervaded the whole Universe.

Appropriate versions of this mantra can be found in many Rabindrasangeet songs like Mor shondhaai tumi sundoro beshe eshechho.

(Inspired by A random walk in Santiniketan Ashram by Sushanta Dattagupta, and other related publications on Santiniketan.)