The
Guru and Rabindranath Tagore
Nationalism
is as much a blinding force as tribalism or parochialism. Many of the
national leaders of India had saintly qualities and were deeply erudite
in their scholarship. But their horizon of interest was confined to
the tradition of India or at best to the problems of India. Rabindranath
Tagore was an exception to this. He loved India more as a state of mind
than a geographical area of the globe. He kept both his heart and mind
open to all traditions and exposed himself to the influence of all religions
and races. He lived and thought and envisaged the future of man as a
true citizen of the world. His language was more of a poet than of a
logician. His mystical insight was deep and profound. In short, in his
thoughts, sympathies and visions, he was very close to Narayana Guru,
if not identical with the Guru at least in some respects.
When Tagore's Gitanjali was selected for the Nobel Prize, he
became the greatest pride of India. Narayana Guru wanted to know more
of Tagore. His own disciple, Thampi (afterwards Nataraja Guru), was
an ardent admirer of Tagore, and so he brought all the available works
of Tagore, and told the Guru the substance of what he read. Narayana
Guru appreciated Tagore's visions even in Gitanja!i, but he was
not in favor of his own disciple imitating the style and diction of
Gitanjali. The Guru knew that his century was meant to be an
age of analysis and reason. So he advised his disciple Nataraja Guru
to be clear and precise in his presentation and Substantiate his statements
with evidence. Except in the matter of presenting thoughts as riddles,
in all respects Narayana Guru considered Tagore as a good model for
Thampi.
When Tagore visited South India, he was officially invited to be a guest
of honor in the Sivagiri Mutt. Nataraja Guru was specially deputed by
Narayana Guru to attend on Tagore. The following is an eyewitness account
of the visit given by Nataraja Guru and referred to in his book The
Word of the Guru:
Once came the poet Rabindranath Tagore, on one of his Southern tours,
to visit the Guru. In honor of the great poet of Bengal the people in
the vicinity of the hermitage arranged a kingly reception. Elephants
were requisitioned. He was to be brought in procession as far as the
foot of the hill of the ashram. Musical accompaniments were arranged.
The Guru stood in the verandah of his rest-house and himself ordered
the best carpets that the hermitage possessed, to be brought out to
adorn the foot of the seat of the honored guest. The people thronged
with the guest, anxious to hear the conversation between the Guru and
the seer of Santiniketan. Each of the crowd thought himself the chosen
follower of the Guru, and, as space was limited, it took some time to
establish silence for the conversation. The two veteran leaders greeted
with joined palms, and sat down facing one another. The seer of Bengal
broke the deep silence that marked their meeting, and complimented the
Guru, on the 'great work' he was doing for the people. The Guru's reply
was not delayed. 'Neither have we done anything in the past nor is it
possible to do anything in the future. Powerlessness fills us with sorrow.'
His words sounded an enigma to some. Others thought he was just joking.
Still others examined the logic of the statement. A characteristic silence
followed the remark. The crowd looked at one another for a meaning,
but it was the Guru's face itself that gave the silent commentary to
the words. Deep silence and earnestness sat on his features. Smiles
of curiosity and the rival expectations of the people were drowned into
the neutral depths of silence by the suggestion that was expressed on
the features of the Guru. All was silent for a minute or two. The climax
of the interview was reached in silence where all met in equality. Usual
conversation followed and the poet and the crowd retired.
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