Dr. Sushil Rudra, India

Introduction: Tremendous Influence of Jesus On The Life Of Rabindranath

Today 25th, December is a pious day for mankind. The Son of God, Jesus Christ was born in this day. We celebrate throughout the world Jesus birthday as Christmas day. Rabindranath Tagore observered this day in his Viswabharati at Shantiniketan. We see tremendous Influence of Jesus On the Life of Rabindranath.

Table of contents: Tremendous Influence of Jesus On The Life Of Rabindranath

Introduction – Christmas – Christmas Celebration – Rabindranath & Jesus – Celebration in Shantiniketan – Rabindranath – Geetanjali & Worldwide fame – First World War – Western people thought Rabindranath as Jesus – Christianity in India and its Contribution – Gandhi- Rabindranath and Jesus – the poem ” Child” – tremendous Influence of Jesus On Rabindranath & in the ” Child” poem- the song ” Aekdin Jara Merechilo Tare Gie” & Jesus – “Journey of the Magi” & “Tirthajatri”- The Bottom Line

Christmas Celebration in Shantiniketan: Jesus & Rabindranath

However, still now the Viswabharati authority observes every year Christmas celebration in Shantiniketan. Therefore, the teachers and students participate in the event and convey their love and regards with songs and music.

So today, we shall discuss in this post on Tremendous Influence of Jesus on the Life of Rabindranath .

Western World & Rabindranath Tagore’s Influences :Tremendous Influence of Jesus On The Life Of Rabindranath Tagore

Tagore also influenced Western World with his spiritualistic philosophy and his divine poetic contents. Especially after being awarded the Nobel Prize for his collection of lyrics” Gitanjali”.

We know Yeats wrote the introduction of this book. And its impact on western minds was enormous.

They took him as a Saint and seemed to be the light of consciousness during their contemporary crisis due to first World War. They thought Rabindranath as Jesus Christ.

Christianity, India & Gandhi and Rabindranath:

On the other hand, Tagore was very much convinced about the Christian contribution to India in shaping a new thinking. This is quite evident from what Tagore wrote about Christianity. 

“As before, the genius of India has taken from her aggressors the most spiritually significant principle of their culture and fashioned a new message of hope for mankind.      

We have to reverse this thinking, imbibing the very Christian value of charity that cares only for the humans. Because they thought that humans are created in the image of God. This theology makes a huge difference.

But the man who led us to freedom, had truly imbibed this charity that came from the man who died on the cross, for his fellow brothers and sisters, and that is why Tagore says:

“And to our great good fortune, Gandhiji was able to receive this teaching of Christ in a living way.”

For Tagore, like Dr Stanley Jones, Gandhiji was indeed the Christ of the Indian road.

But Tagore says God is a loving Father from whom his only son emerged as the incarnation of love. It’s a love that leads to the cross to sacrifice oneself for fellow human beings.

Therefore, I have been told here before that Tagore was also sometimes compared in the West to Jesus in his manner and appearance. That the Birth of Jesus made a deep and lasting impression on Tagore is evident from his poem, The Child.

Rabindranath” Poem “Child” and the Influence of Jesus: Tremendous Influence of Jesus On The Life Of Rabindranath

It is the only poem of Rabindranath Tagore, which is originally written in English. Tagore composed the poem in July 1930 after his visit to the village of Oberammergau, 40 miles from Munich, Germany.

Tagore visited the place to watch the traditional passion plays of Jesus Christ. It generally takes place in every ten years.

However, Tagore wrote this poem ( the Child) having influenced by the passion plays of Jesus Christ. And ultimately, he later translated this poem into Bengali as Sishutirtha (Pilgrimage to Childhood) in Punashca.

The Child is a recurrent metaphor in Tagore’s poems. The passion coalesced  in the poet’s imagination and he conceived the Child in the harmony of creative impulse in the course of a night.    

However, Tagore finds humanity striving to transcend the burden of frustration and failure, breaking, yet refusing to be defeated and persevering with the quest.

Eliot’s Arial Poem “Journey of the Magi” & Rabindranath’s “Tirthajatri” : Tremendous Influence of Jesus On The Life Of Rabindranath

This impression on Tagore’s mind is further borne out by his translation of Eliot’s Ariel Poem, “Journey of the Magi” (Tirtho Jatri) in search of the Divine Infant.

Tagore had acknowledged the impact of Eliot’s poem. It’s because the obvious reason that the scene of the Nativity seems to have deeply moved him. Moreover, Ave Maria profoundly influenced and deeply inspired Tagore.

Tagore wrote another poem on Jesus Christ in 1939. He wrote these lines at the age of 78, during the period of his long illness and as death was drawing near. On Christmas day Tagore wrote a song to commemorate the birthday of Jesus Christ.  

 The poetry he wrote in these years is among the finest ones. It is distinctive of his preoccupation with death and transmigration.

Probably he had contemplated on the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ. Naturally, Passion Plays he watched in Oberam mergau, Germany influenced him very extensively.

The Second World War was declared on September 1, 1939. The Indian leaders had suggested that Britain should declare independence before India could help the Allied cause.   

 The request was naturally turned down. India was not free and Europe was at war. It was very sadistic to Tagore and his countrymen. Eventually, for Christmas service at Santiniketan Tagore wrote, “To Christ, the Son of Man”:   

    Rabindranath’s Song” Aekdin Jara Merechilo Tare Gie” : Tremendous Influence of Jesus On The Life Of Rabindranath

     Bengali Song in Roman Script – Aekdin jara merechilo taré giyé  /Rajaro dohai diyé/

A yugé tarai janmo niyeche aji,/ Mandiré tara aesheche bhakto shaji-/ Ghatak shainyé daki‘/ Maro Maro’ othé hnaki./Garjoné mishé pujamantrer swar/-Manob-putro tibro baethaé kahen, Hé Iswar!/ A panpatro nidarun bishé bhara / Duré félé dao, duré félé dao twawra. 

   English Translation: One day those who killed him, In the name of the King, they have come back as devotees in the temples, Assailant calls the soldier kill him, Kill him’, yells, The yell mixes with prayer hymns – Says: he is in great pain, This cup is full of poison, Throw it away.

 The Child is the only poem of Rabindranath Tagore, which is originally written in English. The piece was composed in July 1930 after he visited the village of Oberammergau, 40 miles from Munich, Germany. I have told it before.    

 Tagore visited the place to watch the traditional passion plays of Jesus Christ, held every ten years. That the Birth of Jesus made a deep and lasting impression on Tagore is evident from this poem. He later translated into Bengali as Sishutirtha (Pilgrimage to Childhood) in Punascha.

In fact, the Child is a recurrent metaphor in Tagore’s poems. The passion coalesced in the poet’s imagination and he conceived the Child in the harmony of creative impulse in the course of a night.    

 Tagore finds humanity striving to transcend the burden of frustration and failure, breaking, yet refusing to be defeated and persevering with the quest.

Man contains in himself the spirit of his redemption and one day, the Newborn; the divine Child shall triumph towards glorious fulfillment.

The poem is in ten sections and the actions pause and heave like the eternal waves of the sea. The poem blends the cultural contexts of the East and West, of impressionistic description and profound prophecy.

This impression on Tagore’s mind is further borne out by his translation of Eliot’s Ariel Poem, “Journey of the Magi” (Tirtho Jatri) in search of the Divine Infant.

  It is only hope and faith that take him along to the newness of life offered by the Child, full of divinity. We present the beautiful poem here for the readers to look around and see The Holy Child:The child

On both sides of the road the corn is ripe to the horizon, The glad golden answer of the earth to the morning light. The current of daily life moves slowly between the village near the hill and the one by the riverbank. 

The potter’s wheel goes round. The woodcutter brings fuel to the market. and  the cowherd takes his cattle to the pasture. Besides, the woman with the pitcher on her head is walking to the well.

    Rabindranath as The Shelter of Western People

First World War is going on. Reasonably, the Western people were longing for a calm and quiet atmosphere,  – a shelter where they could have spent a peaceful life. Hence, during this crucial time, they took shelter on Rabindranath Tagore.

On the other hand, Rabindranath believes that Western spirituality, especially the Christian faith and doctrine of love in humanity has a tremendous influence on the East. 

       Moreover, Tagore was very much convinced about the Christian contribution to India in shaping a new thinking. This is quite evident from what Tagore wrote about Christianity. 

“As before, the genius of India has taken from her aggressors the most spiritually significant principle of their culture and fashioned a new message of hope for mankind.

       There is in Christianity the great doctrine that God became man in order to save humanity by taking the burden of its sin and suffering on Himself.

Here it will happen in this real world, not waiting for the next. That the starving must be fed, the ragged clad, has been emphasised by Christianity as no other religion has done.”

This must serve as an eye-opener for many in India who denigrate Christianity and its significant contributions to this nation.

But our most revered thinker and poet of Gitanjali, has spoken unequivocally that no religion emphasizes charity as much as Christianity, which has produced hundreds of charity icons throughout its history. 

          It is that charity which inspired people like Hume and C.F. Andrews to trigger the freedom  movement along with all other Indians. Then Tagore makes a pertinent observation regarding Christian charity and its Indian version:

“Charity, benevolence, and the like, no doubt have an important place in the religions of our country as well, but there they are in practice circumscribed within much narrower limits.

So they are only partially inspired by love of man. And to our great good fortune, Gandhiji was able to receive this teaching of Christ in a living way.”

This is a telling observation, because it comes from the poet who gave us our National Anthem, which in itself is an expression of this charity. 

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              Moreover, as stated by Tagore, the charity practised in India was a circumscribed one and it was ‘only partially inspired by love of man’.

But the Christian charity, the love, is fully for human beings and with them. The words: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’, tells it very vividly.

Tagore reminds India of its major flaw – a partial love of man. Are we not showing more concern to animals, rituals and customs than human beings?

That is why even after 70 years of Independence, we are running after animals with an ambulance neglecting our own wounded brothers and sisters.

Therefore, we have to reverse this thinking, imbibing the very Christian value of charity that cares only for the humans, because humans are created in the image of God. This theology makes a huge difference.

But the man who led us to freedom, had truly imbibed this charity that came from the man who died on the cross, for his fellow brothers and sisters, and that is why Tagore says:

“And to our great good fortune, Gandhiji was able to receive this teaching of Christ in a living way.”

For Tagore, like Dr. Stanley Jones, Gandhiji was indeed the Christ of the Indian road. For the visionary from Bengal, if India accepts this Christian charity, then all of us Indians can truly pray: 

       “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high / Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake!”

When Rabindranath Tagore addressed God as Father, he was asking India to change its age-old concept of God, which sees the divine only as power or ‘Shakti’. 

        But Tagore says God is a loving Father from whom his only son emerged as the incarnation of love, a love that leads to the cross to sacrifice oneself for fellow human beings.

For Tagore, this Father makes all of us his children and therefore brothers and sisters.

If we have this sense of fellowship, then each and every citizen of our land can move around dauntlessly, with his head held high. This is the fruit of Christian charity and this is what Tagore wants every Indian to practice sincerely and honestly.

I have told before that Tagore was also sometimes compared in the West to Jesus in his manner and appearance

That the Birth of Jesus made a deep and lasting impression on Tagore is evident from his poem, The Child. It is the only poem of Rabindranath Tagore, which is originally written in English.

    Rabindranath composed the poem in July 1930 after he visited the village of Oberammergau, in Germany. It’s 40 miles away from Munich, Germany.

However, Tagore visited the place to watch the traditional passion plays of Jesus Christ, held every ten years. Later he translated it into Bengali as Sishutirtha (Pilgrimage to Childhood) in Punashca.

However, The Child is a recurrent metaphor in Tagore’s poems. The passion coalesced  in the poet’s imagination and he conceived the Child in the harmony of creative impulse in the course of a night.

     Tagore finds humanity striving to transcend the burden of frustration and failure, breaking, yet they are refusing to be defeated and persevering with the quest. Man contains in himself the spirit of his redemption and one day, the Newborn; the divine Child shall triumph towards glorious fulfilmentp.

The poem is in ten sections and the actions pause and heave like the eternal waves of the sea. The poem blends the cultural contexts of the East and West, of impressionistic description and profound prophecy.

Jesus Christ

This impression on Tagore’s mind is further borne out by his translation of Eliot’s Ariel Poem, “Journey of the Magi” (Tirtho Jatri) in search of the Divine Infant.

Naturally, Tagore had acknowledged the impact of Eliot’s poem. It’s because the obvious reason that the scene of the Nativity seems to have deeply moved him.

So it influenced Tagore profoundly and deeply. Moreover, Ave Maria inspired him massively.

Tagore wrote another poem on Jesus Christ in 1939. He wrote these lines at the age of 78, during the period of his long illness and as death was drawing near.

    Truly, the poetry he wrote in these years is among the finest. And therefore, it is distinctive of his preoccupation with death and transmigration. Probably he had contemplated on the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ, naturally influenced by the Passion Plays he watched in Oberammergau, German.

Second World War starts on September 1, 1939. The Indian leaders had suggested that Britain should declare independence before India could help the Allied cause. 

   The request was naturally turned down. So India was not free and Europe was at war. However, for Christmas service at Santiniketan Tagore wrote, “To Christ, the Son of Man”:             

The Child (Sishutirtha): Tremendous Influence of Jesus On The Life Of Rabindranath

The people celebrate The birth of Jesus Christ all over the world on December 25. On Christmas Day, the Viswabharati of Tagore also organises the Christo Utsab at Shantiniketan.] 

The Child is the only poem of Rabindranath Tagore, which is originally written in English. He composed this piece of poem in July 1930 after his visit to the village of Oberammergau, 40 miles from Munich, Germany. I have told it before. 

    However, Tagore visited the place to watch the traditional passion plays of Jesus Christ. It takes place there in every ten years. That the Birth of Jesus made a deep and lasting impression on Tagore’s mind. It is evident from this poem. Eventually, the poet later translated it into Bengali as Sishutirtha (Pilgrimage to Childhood) in Punascha.

So The Child is a recurrent metaphor in Tagore’s poems. The passion coalesced in the poet’s imagination and he conceived the Child in the harmony of creative impulse in the course of a night. ( Rabindranath Tagore on Jesus Christ)

    Rabindranath finds humanity is striving to transcend the burden of frustration and failure, breaking, yet refusing to be defeated and persevering with the quest.

Therefore, man contains in himself the spirit of his redemption and one day, the Newborn; the divine Child shall born.

The Bottom Line

The poem is in ten sections and the actions pause and heave like the eternal waves of the sea. Undoubtedly the poem blends the cultural contexts of the East and West. It is full of impressionistic description and profound prophecy.

Eliot’s Ariel Poem, “Journey of the Magi” ( Tirtho Jatri ) impressed on Tagore’s mind profoundly. Naturally, he translated Eliot’s Ariel Poem, “Journey of the Magi” (Tirtho Jatri) in search of the Divine Infant.

However, Tagore had acknowledged the impact of Eliot’s poem. It’s because the obvious reason that the scene of the Nativity seems to have deeply moved him. Moreover, Ave Maria profoundly influenced and deeply inspired him . 

Here the Saint-poet depicts a flowing, rhythmic spiritual journey of man. How human beings through the ages from the bondage of ignorance to the freedom of enlightenment and self-improvement are journeying .

    Therefore,  It is only hope and faith that take him along to the newness of life offered by the Child. Although it’s full of divinity. Naturally, we present here the beautiful poem for the readers to look around and see The Holy Child:

The child

The first flush of dawn glistens on the dew-dripping leaves of the forest. 

The man who reads the sky cries: 

“Friends, we have come!” 

They stop and look around. 

On both sides of the road the corn is rip,e to the horizon, 

The glad golden answer of the earth to the morning light. 

The current of daily life moves slowly 

between the village near the hill and the one by the riverbank. 

The potter’s wheel goes round; the woodcutter brings fuel to the market, 

the cowherd takes his cattle to the pasture, 

and the woman with the pitcher on her head walk to the wellwalkingut where is the King’s castle, the mine of gold, 

the secret book of magic, 

the sage who knows love’s utter wisdom? 

“The stars cannot be wrong,” assures the reader of the sky. 

“Their signal points to that spot.” 

And reverently he walks to a wayside spring 

from which wells up a stream of water, a liquid light, like the morning melting 

into a chorus of tears and laughter 

Near it in a palm grove surrounded by a strange hush stands a leaf-thatched hut 

at whose portal sits the poet of the unknown shore, and sings: 

“Mother, open the gate!” 

A ray of morning sun strikes aslant at the door. 

The assembled crowd feels in their blood the primaeval chant primaeval: 

“Mother, open the gate!” 

The gate opens.

The mother is seated on a straw bed with the babe on her lap, 

Like the dawn with the morning star. 

The sun’s ray that was waiting at the door outside falls on the head of the child. 

The poet strikes his lute and sings out: 

“Victory to Man, the new-born, the newborn!” 

They kdown, — ing and the beggar, the saint and the sinner, 

the wise and the fool, — and cry: 

“Victory to Man, the New-Born, the Ever-Living!” 

The old man from the East murmurs to himself: 

“I have seen!” 

    Rabindranath Tagore 

Read more: JESUS CHRIST IN THE DREAM OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA. 2. The Dream Of Rabindranath Tagore ” Shantiniketan” 3. Rabindranath Tagore As A Doctor