Translated from the original Bengali by ![]() Introduction!a> | In the Morning | Night | Three Storeys | Strength at Work | The All Pervading Presence | The Abode That Ever Abides Within | Seeing the Truth | Creation | The One Commandment |
INTRODUCTION We present a selection of
translations from Rabindranath Tagore's (1861-1941) Santiniketan
(Shaantiniketana) Volumes I and II. Students and teachers at Santiniketan
joined Rabindranath at a prayer meeting every Wednesday. Discussion on
spiritual themes were interspersed with songs; in conclusion Rabindranath
addressed the gathering. The spirit of this weekly congress was inspired by
similar observance in the Brahmo Samaj. Rabindranath's association with the
Brahmo Samaj can be traced to strong familial links and his own early
predilection. His grandfather Dwarakanath Tagore (1794-1846), a friend of
Raja Rammohan Roy (1772-1833) was closely involved in the conception and founding of this liberal religious
society. Rabindranath's father, Devendranath Tagore (1817-1905) lent able
leadership to the fledgling Brahmo movement of mid 19th century. Rabindranath
became the secretary of Adi Brahmo Samaj at the age of twenty-three and actively participated in
the society's functions. Many of his lyrics collected in Gitabitan
(gItabitaana) were originally written
and set to tune for rendition at
Brahmo gatherings. Though based on a spiritual context,
the Santiniketan addresses do not
echo the rubric of any particular faith. Rabindranath's abounding
fascination with Nature and the nuances of this living world are expressed
here with great sensitivity and élan. These pieces are expositions of a truly
secular canon, where the individual is free to interpret spirituality in the
light of her own experiences. Santiniketan represents a milestone in
Rabindranath's odyssey of spiritual evolution which culminated in The
Religion of Man (Hibbert Lectures, 1930), and then moved further beyond. Rabindranath's lectures were
transcribed verbatim in the original Bengali by an associate and later
underwent editing and abridgement by the poet himself. Santiniketan was
published in seventeen volumes between 1909 and 1916 and later recompiled
into two volumes in 1934-1935. The current selection out of a total
of more than one hundred and fifty pieces seeks to reflect the variety of
topics Rabindranath illumined in these addresses. Like his poetry, some
sections of Rabindranath's prose are almost as intractable to translation. He
often argues by analogy and frequently invokes metaphors deeply rooted in his
native language and heritage. In these situations, clarity of the general
meaning has been preferred over syntactic closeness to the original. The original Bengali title and the volume they appear in, are mentioned for each piece.
-- Introduced and edited by Nandan Datta Selections : Introduction!a> | In the Morning | Night | Three Storeys | Strength at Work | The All Pervading Presence | The Abode That Ever Abides Within | Seeing the Truth | Creation | The One Commandment |
Published in Parabaas April 15, 2004. Photograph by Samiran Nandy |