“Thou hast made me endless, such is thy pleasure. This frail vessel then emptiest again and again, and fillest it even with fresh life.”

 -Gitanjali, Rabindra Nath Tagore

The history of devotion to God through songs or lyrics is nothing new in the Indian context. We see ancient wisdom in the scriptures. Literature has always been the best way to express the core emotions, and Rabindra Nath Tagore, a poet, philosopher, and mystic, finds the way through poetry. Gitanjali, which means ‘offerings of songs’ is a collection of one hundred and three devotional songs. This is an exceptional piece in every way—it represents the pinnacles of spirituality, the depths of awareness, the nectar of the wind of devotion, simplistic life philosophy, and the indescribable heavenly beauty of nature. In Gitanjali, we find God’s omnipresence with his ever-present infinite force and the soul’s immortality. The central idea in the collection is the realisation of the divine through self-awareness and selfless service to humanity.

This present paper aims to redirect or reconnect us to the ancient tradition of devotional songs. Here I have taken "Gitanjali," which is written by Rabindra Nath Tagore, to express that devotion to the almighty. 

The ancient tradition of Indian saint poetry is deeply ingrained in Gitanjali. It displays a very individualised search for God. The poems stand out for their wide range of intellectual perspectives. The classic work Gitanjali is filled with wisdom and intelligence. It serves as essential for the body and the soul. This incredible work of art stands out in every manner, including its incomparable exquisite beauty of nature, profound spiritual heights, intellectual profundities, heavenly tenderness of devotion, and sincere life philosophy. It is an exclusive work of mystic poetry that reaches the unyielding abysses and unfathomable heights of the human heart. Tagore discusses the divine force's inconceivable might and unsurpassed beauty in the very first line of the song. This all-powerful force is eternal and carries blessings, joy, and love in its vessel.

“At the immortal touch of thy handsmy little heart loses its limits in joy and givesbirth to utterance ineffable.”(1)

Later, the poet expresses the same sentiment of self-surrender more clearly when he sings with ease and gusto:

“This is my prayer to thee, my lord-strike, strike at the root of penury in my heart.

Give me the strength lightly to bear my joys and sorrows.

Give me the strength to make my love fruitful in service.

Give me the strength never to disown the poor or bend my knees before insolent might.

Give me the strength to raise my friend high above daily trifles.

And give me the strength to surrender my strength to thy will with love.”(36)

This modest attempt falls short of presenting all the facets of Tagore's poetry since the theme of Gitanjali is so rich in both form and feeling. The famous poet's Vedantic and Yogic ideas can be found in this collection of more than one hundred poems. The poet has skillfully combined beauty with immortality in each of these poems, giving them a sensation and a form similar to flowers in a wreath. It was the first novel in India's history to win the Nobel Prize, literature's highest honour, in 1913. It has been profoundly impacted by the great saints and sages who contributed their insightful ideas to our revered scriptures and publications. In the vast Indian tradition, Bhakti is mostly discussed in all the songs. The text's beauty is found not only in its profound and perceptive ideas about the body and the spirit, but also in the text's artistic and appropriate use of symbolism. In the following line, the poet has used the flower in a symbolic way to present the life cycle.

“Pluck this little flower and take it, delay not; I fear lest it droop and drop into the dust.”(6)

It is exceedingly exceptional to experience such an appealing combination of poetry and spirituality, music and mysticism. It displays a broad spectrum of our vibrant Indian culture, especially the depictions of nature. The natural imagery that Tagore chose for his songs is very simple and grounded in reality, as opposed to convoluted and fantastical. These different, vivid nature scenes imprint our minds with an aesthetic effect.Tagore was greatly influenced by Vaishnav Panth. We see an influence of Kabir Das and Meera in his poems, but with his deep insight, he used his imaginative powers to walk on this devotional quest all alone. On this glorious path of truth, that divine and eternal force became his guiding light. In today’s spiritually desolate and barren world, these songs have become so significant. The modern man always lives in a dilemma of his own material thoughts. He is far away from the blessings of that divine power. Spiritual vacuum and emptiness have taken him into their trap. The image of ‘frail vessel’ in the first song of the collection suggests the void and destitute life of man which craves for the shower of love, grace, and sympathy of the omnipresent God. It is not the power of man that he is able to play or produce music to a flute, but it’s the grace and love of God that flows through the lips of the singer. We always associate music with God. But here the music is not the earthly musicbut it’s the heavenly music that has the power to awaken the whole world. It’s the music of the soul. Tagore uses the metaphor of a flower to compare it with the short-spanned life and urge to offer the life in service of God.There is no distance between soul and body, God and us. How beautifully Tagore says that thereshould be no obstacle between God and soul, even ornaments and garments also hinders the way.

“Ornaments would mar our union; they would come between thee and me; Their jingling would drown thy whispers.”(7)

It illustrates an honest, divine relationship between God and man. To face the divine, we must remove all adornment and apparel. Here, metaphors involving apparel and adornment have been utilised.

The Bengali Gitanjali was published in 1910. The English version which was published from London in 1912 contains one hundred and three poems out of which fifty-three are from the original Bengali work and others are gleaned from Caitali (1896), Kalpana (1900), Sisu (1903),Kheya (1906),Acadayatan (1912),Utsarga (1914), and Gitimalya (1514).

In the earth's dust, Tagore claims to worship the Greater Creator, and he longs to cry out all of his pride. He was a fervent believer in the fundamental unity of men and the outside force, much like all mystics. The realisation of the divine is the ultimate goal of all devotional music. The poet discovers the divine in man and catches glimpses of the 'infinite in the midst of finite' during his religious journey through life. The text is exceptionally wonderful because of how simply Tagore expresses hope and the prospect of speaking with God. It's the kind of music that, as we travel along the path of spirituality, exposes the deepest truths to us. Even if darkness can make us feel as though the divine is absent from our lives, the divine light that always guides us on how to proceed is still present. Even during the most challenging times, it keeps us connected to God. He prays to the God in such a beautiful way:

“All that is harsh and dissonant in my life melts into one sweet harmony - and my adoration spreads wings like a glad bird on its flight across the sea.”(2)

If there is anything harsh and difficult in our lives, it will be changed into sweet harmony if we are in constant connection with God. A single line of his poetry can make anyone forget all the troubles of the world.

K. R. Srinivasa points out:

“Gitanjali songs are mainly poems of bhakti in the great Indian Tradition…The imagery, the conceits, the basic experience, the longing, the trial, the promise, the realisation - all have the quaintly unique Indian flavour and taste.”

W.B.Yeats says about Gitanjali in his “Introduction” – “Mr. Tagore, like the Indian civilization itself, has been content to discover the soul and surrender himself to its spontaneity.”Yeats was greatly moved by the beauty and sublimity of the text that he further remarked – “I read Rabindranath everyday, to read one line of his is to forget all the troubles of the word.”

Because the entire bhakti philosophy is based on the idea of worshipping the ultimate truth, which is another form of mystery, the songs seek to clarify the same through the poet's enlightened sense. Insightful knowledge that is beyond reason and sense is the subject of mysticism. He is fluid like holy water, eager to grow the artistic and religious qualities that give new things with wisdom life since he lives in a fascinating world. The poet describes himself as a man who exists only to sing poems of adoration to God. This is how the Indian Bhakti tradition actually appears, with the devotee realising who they are and giving themselves over to serving

God. His ego-free dedication is the only thing on his mind.

“In thy world I have no work to do; my useless life can only break out in tunes without a purpose.”(15)

So, the poet’s sole purpose in the life is the quest of that truth. The poet's natural awareness of a spiritual reality is what gives rise to the faith and belief, not external circumstances. The poet experiences a type of longing to encounter the holy.

“Away from the sight of thy facemy heart knows no restnor respite, and my work becomes an endless toil in a shoreless sea of toil.”(5)

Sometimes the poet calls himself the singer, the friend, and sometimes the lover. Tagore realises that the whole word is filled with joy and beauty of nature and this realisation had a divine touch in expression in Gitanjali. He feels that divine nature cannot be experienced by physical and worldly experiences but by experiencing love for nature. Nature is nothing but a reflection of the divine, the sublime. He feels like he does not have the power to offer his songs and becomes just a beggar.

“My poet’s, vanity dies in shame before thy sight. O master poet, I have set down at thy feet. Only let me make my life simple and straight, like a flute of reed for thee to fill with music.”(7)

Tagore says,

“Man's abiding happiness is not in getting anything but in giving himself up to what is greater than himself, to ideas which are larger than his individual life, the idea of his country, of humanity, of God. They make it easier for him to part with all that he has, not expecting his life. His existence is miserable and sordid till he finds some great idea which can truly claim his all, which can release him from all attachment to his belongings. Buddha and Jesus, and all our great prophets, represent such great ideas. They hold before us opportunities for surrendering our all. When they bring forth their divine alms-bowl we feel we cannot help giving, and we find that in giving is our truest joy and liberation, for it is uniting ourselves to that extent with the infinite.”(“Sadhana: The Realisation of the Life”)

Tagore portrays himself as struggling his ties to the world and his desire for God. With his connection to his earthly possessions as well as his desire to renounce all and enter the realm of God, he exemplifies the inner conflict that exists in the human heart. He asks God for good, but the internal struggle causes him to tremble because if God grants his request, he will have to give up his material goods and connections to the outside world. It conveys a picture of the material chains that entrap man.

“Obstinate are the trammels, but my heart aches when I try to break them.

Freedom is all I want, but to hope for it is I feel ashamed.

I am certain that priceless wealth is in thee, and that thou art my best friend, but I have not the heart to sweep away the tiniest that fills my room.

The shroud that covers me is a shroud of dust and death; I hate it in love.

My debts are large, my failures great, my shame secret and heavy; yet when I come to ask for my good, I quake in fear lest my prayer be granted.”(28)

These are the words to be remembered: “I don’t want to be a believer; I want to be a knower. I don’t want to be knowledgeable; I want to be innocent enough so that existence reveals its mysteries to me. I don’t want to be worshiped as a saint.”

Although he had spiritual insight, he refused to be considered a saint. He said, “I have only one desire – to be remembered as a singer of songs, as a dancer, as a poet who has offered all his potential, all his flowers of being, to the unknown divineness of existence. I don’t want to be worshiped; I consider it a humiliation… ugly, inhuman, and removed from the world completely. Every man contains God; every cloud, every tree, every ocean is full of godliness, so who is to worship whom?”

Gitanjali is where Tagore lowers God from metaphysical heights and places him in terrestrial domains; this God is among mankind, made one with their suffering. He is not confined to temples, sequestered in his own sanctity, or waiting to hear prayers, receive sacrifices, or receive love; rather, he is by people's sides while they toil, suffer, and celebrate.

“Here is thy footstool and there rest thy feet where live the poorest, and lowliest, and lost.

When I try to bow to thee, my obeisance cannot reach down to the depth where thy feet rest among the poorest, and lowliest, and lost.

Pride can never approach to where thou walkestin the clothes of the humble among the poorest, and lowliest, and lost.

My heart can never find its way to where thou keepest company with the companionless among the poorest, the lowliest, and the lost.”(10)

On this level, Tagore seems to have been influenced by Kabir, a mystical poet whose large corpus of poetry he translated. Kabir says that God is within us and flows through us in his own poetry-“God is the breath of all breath” (Kabir 1915, 1)

In the words of W. B. Yeats:

“At every moment the heart of this poet flows outward to these without derogation or condescension, for it has known that they will understand; and it has filled itself with the circumstance of their lives. The traveller in the read-brown clothes that he wears that dust may not show upon him, the girl searching in her bed for the petals fallen from the wreath of her royal lover, the servant or the bride awaiting the master's homecoming in the empty house, are images of the heart turning to God.”

It's challenging to categorise Rabindranath and his thoughts. These concepts are highly divergent, as the Gitanjali demonstrates, but they work well together as a whole. They convey the poet's true emotions. Not only is this work a classic that anybody interested in Tagore and the Bengali Renaissance must read, but anyone interested in philosophy also needs to study it.Yeats’ further remarks about the Gitanjali are explicitly beautiful, as he is trying to portray the poet in the truest sense, who is closer to God and later finds an immense and inexplicable pleasure in singing the songs for his love.

“An innocence, a simplicity that one does not find elsewhere in literature makes the birds and the leaves seem as near to him as they are near to children, and the changes of the seasons great events as before our thoughts had arisen between them and us. At times I wonder if he has it from the literature of Bengal or from religion, and at other times, remembering the birds alighting on his brother's hands, I find pleasure in thinking it hereditary, a mystery that was growing through the centuries like the courtesy of a Tristan or a Pelanore. Indeed, when he is speaking of children, so much a part of himself this quality seems, one is not certain that he is not also speaking of the saints.”

Thus, this present paper deals with the devotional quest in the Gitanjali. It is a search for the divine, the omnipresent in whose praise and love Rabindranath Tagore sings songs in the Gitanjali. The Gitanjali explicitly overflows with such a perspective. Gitanjali's stanzas are like 103 beads that transmit a heavenly delight that only intuition can understand. Like Tagore's theory, which leads to perfect joy or God, one can see the colours of the entire universe embedded in one garland in these beads. 

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