Theistic Philosophy of Tagore and Iqbal: A Comparative Study

By SHAZIA KHAN

Rabindranath Tagore was multi faceted genius -poet, novelist, short story writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, educator and painter. Tagore is considered as an Indo-Anglain writer although he wrote only one poem in English "The Child". All his other original Bengali version "Gitanjali" his poems, short stories and plays were written in his

• Language: English
• Publisher: seeken
• Release date: Jan 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9781805240327

Book preview

Theistic Philosophy of Tagore and Iqbal: A Comparative Study SHAZIA KHAN

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Introduction

Chapter 2

The Development of Hindu Philosophy of God

Chapter 3

The development of Islamic Philosophy of God

Chapter 4

Theistic Philosophy of Tagore

Chapter 5

The Theistic Philosophy of Iqbal

Chapter 6

Comparison between Tagore’s Theistic Philosophy and that of Iqbal

Chapter 7

Critical Evaluation

CHAPTER - 1

INTRODUCTION

Rabindranath Tagore was multi faceted genius –poet, novelist, short story writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, educator and painter. Tagore is considered as an Indo-Anglain writer although he wrote only one poem in English The Child. All his other original Bengali version Gitanjali his poems, short stories and plays were written in his mother tongue, Bengali.

Most of his works were translated by the poet himself into English. Tagore’s poetic genius blossomed when he was barely seven yrs old having lived to a ripe old 80 years. Tagore was involved in creative writing for seven decades.

Tagore born at Joransanko house 6, Dwarkanath Tagore lane, Calcutta. He was the 14th child of Devendranath Tagore and Sarda Devi. Tagore originally belonged to the pirali class of Brahmin originally hailing from Jessore, the family settled in Calcutta. Rabindranath Tagore magnum opus is ‘Gitanjali’

which won him the Nobel Prize for literature in 1913. It is a sequence of 103

lyrics translated from song offering by the poet to the Supreme Being.

Tagore’s poetry is a combination of lyricism, love for man, nature and picturesquences put together. His poems are characterized by spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling and are hauntingly melodious. Visva bharti was considered to blend the best of the oriental and western cultures. Tagore’s poetry in his essence transfiguration, interpretation are personal reflection of reality which calls forth a response from the sensitiveness of everyone.

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Tagore’s poetry is a blend of powerful individuality and of general human interest is an essential feature of Tagore’s poetical creation and closely linked to his fundamental concept of the harmony existing between individual and universal concept which is the foundation of Indian culture. India put her whole emphasis in harmony that exists between individual and universal.

Tagore’s significance lies in the impulse and direction he gave to the course of our cultural development, and in the example he presented of a genius, passionately devoted to his art and yet consistently dedicated to the service of his people. It is rare to find an artist who is not an egoist or a reformer and who is not a fanatic. The most remarkable thing about Tagore’s personality, apart from the genius, is its all round and harmonious development. The religious, moral and aesthetic and intellectual aspects of his personality were so well developed and well matched that no one was it more true than of him that he saw life steadily and saw it whole. He was a immortal personality. He was a lover of his people, a patriot whose loyalty embraced all mankind. All his life he pleaded and strove for social justice, for the right of the deprived citizens of self government, the ignorant to knowledge. The unfettered development of the woman to equal dignity with man. The religion he preached was the ‘Religion of Man’, the renunciation he extolled was not of this world but of the base passions, of cupidity and hatred. The freedom he fought for was not the freedom of one people to exploit another but the freedom of one people from all that stifles it, whether it be the tyranny of an external organization or the worse tyranny of man’s own blind passion for power.

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TAGORE BILINGUAL CREATIVE LIFE :

1.

1912- GITANJALI.

2.

1913- THE GARDENER, CRESENT MOON CHITRA.-GLIMPSES

OF BENGAL LIFE (STORIES) TRANSLATED BY RAJANI RANJAN SEN.

3.

1914- SADHANA THE KING OF THE DARK CHAMBER (PLAY) TRANSLATED BY KSHITISH CHANDRA SEN.

4.

1914, ONE HUNDRED POEM OF KABIR; THE POST OFFICE

(PLAY) TRANSLATED BY DEVABRATA MUKHERJEE.

5.

1915, THE MAHRANI OF ARAKAN (DRAMA) BY GEORGE

CALDERON FRANCIS GRIFFFTHINS LONDON.

6.

1916, FRUIT GATHERING, STRAY BIRDS; TAGORE’S DALIYA HUNGRY STONE AND OTHER STORIES.

7.

1917, SACRIFICE AND OTHER PLAY; PERSONALITY AND

NATIONALISM; THE CYCLE OF SPRING (PLAY) TRANSLATED

BY C.F ANDREW.

8.

1918, LOVER’S GIFT AND CROSSING; MASHI AND OTHER

STORIES (14 STORIES).

9.

1919, THE FUGITIVE ‘SANTINIKETAN PRESS’

10. 1929, THOUGHT FROM TAGORE REVISED EDITION OF

THOUGHT, RELICS, 1921.

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11. 1931, THE RELIGION OF MAN, ALLEN AND UNWIN LONDON.

12. 1936, COLLECTED POEM AND PLAYS.

13. 1937, MAN; ANDHRA UNIVERSITY.

14. MAHATMAJI AND DEPRESSED HUMANITY VISVA BHARATI, THE GOLDEN BOAT (POEMS) TRANSLATED BY BHABANI BHATTACHARYA, ALLEN AND UNWIN.

15. 1942, POEMS

For Tagore man quest is to perpetually united with the ocean. Being and becoming are much the nature of man, as they are of God. In these ‘Religion of Man’ the path and goal are coalesce. Hence the ‘surplus in man’ inspire his will to act, resulting in the enfoldment of infinitude resplendent with the knowledge and bliss. Self surrender is not physical gift, surrender is the special creation by the soul through the personal ego. Surrender involves the continuous development of inherent power of man. According to him man’s pleasure find new fulfillment through his work. It opens up new vistas of knowledge. At every step man meets God by fusion of his will, his knowledge and his love with God’s love, through creation for joy. God is the Artist, the Singer, or as the expression of free will. Creation of man is the joy forever. God man creation is rooted in his ‘surplus’. In self surrender creation is the special attribute in that the will of the soul rules over the will of the ego. The selfless man makes the world his own, self –surrender makes man human into the good of all. In the open share of humanity, the individual will fuses itself within the

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will of God. Man’s activity becomes a part of God’s worldly activity (visva-karman).

Iqbal was one of the most eminent and highly influential poets of twentieth century. He has been widely read and intensely analysed and there are numerous works explaining the art and thought of Iqbal. As Iqbal’s philosophy is essentially the philosophy of religion. The title ‘Theistic philosophy of Iqbal and Tagore: A comparative study’ brings out poet-philosopher’s quest for attaining genuine realization of God. Iqbal as is well-known, was of Kashmiri Brahmin stock. The Brahmins as devotees of God were given to knowledge, learning and contemplation. The kahsmiri Pundits have often enjoyed good reputation in this, respect. He breathed spark in the stale mind of Muslim community as a whole Iqbal studied widely and deeply the modern science and philosophy but didn’t separate himself from a drift and from stream of consciousness. He has been reflecting over the problem of his co-religionists throughout his stay in Europe and also his return to India.

Iqbal shines like a brilliant star on the firmament of literary excellence.

His poetic genius has not only influenced the literary world but also brought remarkable a new mode of perception. His philosophy and profound insight delves into the deeper mysteries of universal operation. Focusing on the hidden potentialities of man generously invested in the mechanism of his psyche. Iqbal has brought into light the essential motive of human creation in relation to self, to universe, to society and to God. Keeping in view his main concern with the

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religion, thought and philosophical vision, the title of this thesis has been drawn Theistic philosophy of Tagore and Iqbal.

His main mission seems to sublimate the self of man to the verge of self reliance and self knowledge in order to channelize and promote the latent potencies in a graceful manner.

Inspite by Quraic knowledge and prophet’s Tradition Iqbal has philosophically enlightened the world with the reality of spiritual glory. At times he seems to be addressing to the Muslim community to raise itself from the mire of mere illusion and combat the diabolical insinuation that lead to astray from the path of righteousness but in general he takes the entire humanity into his ken.

The philosophical knowledge of the East and the West has substantially enriched his analytical sensibility which has enabled Iqbal to furnish his thought in somewhat logical frame in a rather convincing manner.

Iqbal realized that the revival of man both as an individual and as a member of social group can only come from the most central principles of his life and being namely the self or ego. He realized that all movement and activity whether theoretical and practical originate in the self. The self is most comprehensive principle of life and universe. He also realized the comprehensiveness of the self or Ego rather over emphasized at the cost of Individuality.

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Iqbal ‘s contribution didn’t lie in only rejuvenating the spirit of his people, but it also helped in recasting it on the pattern of Islam. He prefects the coordination of man and society in establishing of modern civilization and culture and there by become a spiritual and moral guideline for his community but to humanity as a whole. Iqbal was one of the revolutionary giants who has changed the prone condition of people and revised them through their endeavor. He has given the true and pristine image of Islam through true teaching of Quran and tradition. Iqbal is therefore an international figure, his message and reflection are adumbrated in the following outstanding works -

1.

ASRAR-I-KHUDI (1915).

2.

RAMOOZ-I-BEKHUDI (1918).

3.

PAYAM-I-MASHRIQ (1923).

4.

ZABOOR-I-AJAM (1927).

5.

PAS CHEH BAID KARD AYE AQWAME –I- SHARQ AND

MUSAFIR (1936).

6.

BANG-I-DARA (1924).

7.

BAL-I-JIBRAIL (1935).

8.

ZARB-I-KALEEM (1936).

9.

AMUGHAN-I-HIJAZ (1938).

10. ILMUL-IQTISAD (1903).

11. DEVELOPMENT OF METAPHYSICS IN PERSIA (1908).

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12. RECONSTRUCTION OF RELIGIOUS THOUGHT IN ISLAM (1934) 13. MAC TAGGRAT’S PHILOSPHY INDIAN ART AND LETTERS

(1936)

14. SELF IN THE LIGHT OF REALTIVITY CRESENT (1925).

15. SPEECHES AND STATEMENT OF IQBAL.

Iqbal has in his entire philosophy emphasized the uniqueness of the individual’s ego. Iqbal in his Theosophy, has given man the exalted position as his a and ardent believer of the Quran and sunnah, his main emphasis is to enrich khudi. The evolution of ego is not merely a detached, personal, individual event. This is a spiritual quest of development and collective dimension. The gist of Iqbal’s philosophy is that man’s achievement lie in seeking self negation or detachment from the worldly pursuit and annihilation of his egohood in the face of Ultimate Reality or God. He believes a true momin as the self affirmation of ego not in self mergence or annihilation which deprives his own khudi. The proper way to achieve power is the conquest of nature through empirical science, while proper way to use power is to conduct oneself as God’s responsible vicegerent, who loyally submit to the revealed will of God as explained and practiced by the prophet. In Iqbal’s conception man can become a complete individual by realizing in him the divine attributes, by absorbing God in his ego. Therefore coming nearer to God is possible without effacing his own self hood. The assimilation of God’s attributes in himself strengthens, and solidifies his personality and lends him to divinity.

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The experience of unity doesn’t imply the absorption of finite ego into the Infinite, but rather the passing of latter in the loving embrace of the former.

Iqbal propounded a new philosophy which changed the direction of thinking

.As he asserts that God is not mere idea but He is a Living Personality, who is conceived in terms of a dynamic creative will and man is not mere emanation from God, he is an independent entity.

Iqbal has assigned his own place to man that God and universe and his exalted status and position by emphasizing his independent entity and immortality of his soul. He has stated that God creates man out of sheer possibility in his own being and invests him with almost all potentialities of attaining to the perfection of the Divine .man as a possibility in Divine command and Divine creation realized through evolutionary process. Iqbal asserts further, that the nucleus of man is not meant for the cosmos but for Divinity. Iqbal regards human self as active, dynamic and creative and free in terms of these qualities. He has glorified man, Man with his all powers and possibilities of assimilating and conquering the cosmos is capable of becoming a permanent element in the Divine Being. Man doesn’t exist as a solitary singleness. God is the perennial source of all power and potentialities. It is essential for man prerequisite that he should come in close contact with God for borrowing power.

CHAPTER – 2

THE DEVELOPMENT OF HINDU PHILOSOPHY OF GOD

The ultimate Reality in Hinduism is described as the Absolute (Brahma), the supreme self (parmatman) and supreme lord (Bhagwan) (Bhag. pad -

1.2.11)10. The Lord whom the satvattes worship should always be heard, chanted and mediated upon and adored with single- minded devotion (Bhag.

pad- 1.2.14); when the supreme self, the lord is realized the knot that binds the self is pierced and all doubts are resolved and the fruits of all actions wear off (Ibid, p-2.2.21). God is the cause of creation, sustenance and dissolution of the universe but he is not connected with it. It is merely a divine sport (Ibid, 1.3.36). The Supreme Being who is Lord of Maya creates the universe through his own Maya, just as spider emits thread out of itself spreads it; dallies with it, and devours it; so does Lord creates in His own style. By Maya He creates, sustains and dissolves’s the universe. By reabsorbing it in him he restarts the cycle again and again. (Bhag. p-II 9.26-27, XI, 9-21, XI, 21-38, XII-8-41). The creation starts when God attunes Himself to kala [time] manifest form (avyaktamurti) of His and Maya, which holds the three kind of gunas that is sattva (Pure Being), rajas (energy) and tamas (inertia) in a state of equilibrium shows signs of disturbance in the gunas which leads to transformation of nature due to contact between purusa and prakrti (source of nature). In this process of transformation or out of this process of transformation certain objects are manifested in motion. The lord creates the universe out of His own Maya

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which consist of three gunas sustain it and dissolve it in the sense order into himself by it. (Bhag-pad -III.7.4, 18-35) Therefore the evolution of entire universe takes place (Bhag Pad- II.5, III 5:22:37, III 6.I.3, III 1-11.30, III, 26, 10, 32) (God in Indian Religion, p.69)

Hinduism is not a mere offshoot of Vedism nor is it a modified form of neo-Brahmanism. Hinduism is comprised of Vaisnavas, Saiva and Sakta cults. During the later Upanishadic period both Vaisnavism and Saivism seemed to establish strong foothold of their own. The cult of Narayana or Bhagwata form of religion becomes identified with Vishnu and Siva.Vaishnavism is an eclectic form of religion, and it began together with when the Bhakti cult. When theistic cult of devotion became popular it was recognized as the Bhagwad form of religion. Brahman is the source of all existence; the final goal of all existence. Brahman is not only the efficient cause of the universe. He is also the final cause of the universe as well.

However, the nature of the Brahman is unknowable.

‘Satyam Jivanam Anantam Brahma’ implying the Brahman is the only Reality (satya) and it is the source of knowledge (self –revelatory) and beyond the characteristic (svayam prakasa ananta). In Upanishad two types of Brahman have been discussed; the unqualified Absolute and qualified Brahman. The universe is directly an emanation from Brahman in the sense of transformation or modification. The universe however, is illusory and unreal transformation of

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Brahman in the sense that without Brahman has no individual existence and it is only as infinitesimal manifestation of Brahman, transcending it.

God who is variously designated as Brahman, Paratman, Bhagwan, Vasudeva, is without any form and He is of Essence of pure cit. He creates the cosmos by His Maya.

The Supreme Being is the cause of origination, sustenance and dissolution of the world of phenomena. It is due to His manifestation that there is the appearance of manifold of the world of entities and non-entities. God

‘encircles all things, radiant and bodiless unharmed and untouched by evils. All

–Seeing, All-Wise, All-Present, All-Existent. He has made all things well forever and ever’. According to the most Upanishadic sages and many of the philosophers who followed them it amounts to complete identification of the universe with God and it also signifies negation of individual personality.

However, many schools of thought rejected this interpretation of Upanishads.

Various schools of philosophy brought out realistic and fully-fledged dualistic interpretations of Upanishads.

VEDANTA:

This school gave organized and systematic form to the teaching of the Upanishads. Vedanta school is alive and dynamic till date. The basic texts of this school are very elliptical. Brahmansutra was written of the sage Badrayana.

However, the shining light of Vedanta is Shamkara. A Malabar Brahman who taught