Mystical Elements in Rabindranath Tagore’s Gitanjali

Abstract

Mysticism is a word derived from Mystes. Mystes comes from Greek language word Muein. It means to keep quiet. Mysticism is the faith that knowledge of God and of real truth is independent of the mind and sanity. One can get this knowledge through divine insight. The best minds of India have held mysticism to be the basis and ultimate evidence of the teachings of philosophy and religion. The fathers of Hindu creed were mystics who personified in enthused words what they saw in mystic vision. Rabindranath Tagore is a mystic poet. He has an inner vision. Usually, a mystic believes that the ordinary word of sense insight is not real and behind this visible world there is a more real world which can be detained spiritually and not through the senses. Swami Adiswarananda of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York, in his preface to 'Tagore: The Mystic Poets' writes, "The inner-seeking spirituality of India infused all of Tagore's writing. He wrote in many genres of the deep religious milieu of Hinduism. The values and core beliefs of the Hindu scriptures permeated his work." Says the Swami: "Rabindranath Tagore's philosophical and spiritual thoughts transcend all limits of language, culture, and nationality. In his writings, the poet and mystic takes us on a spiritual quest and gives us a glimpse of the infinite in the midst of the finite, unity at the heart of all diversity, and the Divine in all beings and things of the universe."