Rabindranath Tagore's Syncretistic Philosophy and the Persian Sufi Tradition
Lewisohn, L
Date: 1 June 2017
Journal
International Journal of Persian Literature
Publisher
The Pennsylvania State University Press
Abstract
Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) has been praised by a number
of Bengali Muslim authors for his sympathetic portrayal of Islamic concepts
and ideals, and it is well known that some of his works of prose and
verse were influenced by Persian poetry and Sufism. Tagore’s father knew
Persian and could recite the poetry of Ḥāfiẓ (d. 1389) ...
Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) has been praised by a number
of Bengali Muslim authors for his sympathetic portrayal of Islamic concepts
and ideals, and it is well known that some of his works of prose and
verse were influenced by Persian poetry and Sufism. Tagore’s father knew
Persian and could recite the poetry of Ḥāfiẓ (d. 1389) by heart. Tagore
himself was also deeply influenced by the Persian classical poet. In the last
decade of his life, Tagore described his admiration for the great Persian
Sufi poets, visiting the tombs of Ḥāfiẓ and Sa‘dī in Shiraz. In this article,
I will discuss the spiritual milieu of the Persianate culture of nineteenthand
early twentieth-century Bengal to shed light on the extent of the
influence of Persian Sufi ideas on this milieu in general and Tagore in particular.
Attention will also be given to other aspects of Tagore’s religious
syncretism: Bāul mysticism and its lyric poetry, Sahaja Buddhism, Vedanta
philosophy, the Upanishads, and a few other currents of Eastern thought.
Lastly, I will explore Tagore’s relationship with Persian Sufi concepts and
poetry and discuss the effect of his visit to Iran and his encounter with the
poet Ḥāfiẓ
Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies
Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
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