Ramanaya in Tagore’s Views | Jayanta Kumar Ghosal

From his deep regard and love for the great Indian epic Ramayana, Tagore in his essay ’ Ramayana’, written in 1903, said “ The uniqueness of Ramayana is that it elaborates the age-old family saga of man. The religious as also the love and reverential bondage in the relationship between father and son, brother and brother, husband and wife have been so glorified in the Ramayana, that they have naturally become the befitting themes of an epic.
The conquest of countries, the annihilation of enemies, and the violent clashes between two opposing forces build up the gripping interest in Ramayana. But interestingly the main attractive feature of the Ramayana is the conjugal love between Rama and Sita which is brightened through the battle between Rama and Ravana.†Rabindranath was attracted to Ramayana through Valmiki’s artistic creation of the saga of the epic. Its artistic beauty through its thematic unity spread through six cantos excluding the Uttarakanda ( as it is later addition ) laid a lasting impression upon him and in many of his writings the themes of the great epic have been reflected.

Rabindranath being a creative artist of the highest order, shows rare insight in assessing the historical, literary as well as moral and ethical significance of Ramayana. In the above-mentioned essay ‘Ramayana’, he opined – “ The special feature of the Ramayana is that it has given a magnificent dimension to our homely affairs. It has ennobled us. The affectionate attachments and religious bounds that are there between father and son, between brothers, husband and wife are raised to such magnitude that these aspects have easily been transformed into worthy material of an epic. Victory over alien lands, annihilation of enemies, the fierce clashes between two formidable hostile forces- these happenings generally produce volatility and animation in epics. But the Ramayana’s greatness does not depend on the wars between Rama and Ravana. On the other hand, these verses serve as devices to glorify the conjugal felicity in the relationship between Rama and Sita.†It is clear that Rabindranath magnified the specific aspect of his own liking in his analysis of the Ramayana and the serenity of the domestic bliss of the epic deeply impressed him.

The Ramayana starts with a conversation between Narada and Valmiki. But it has not been, of course, avowedly declared that he would desist from describing the greatness of God, though there is the depiction of Rama’s character. Narad’s description of Ramachandra is about an ideal man.
Valmiki had clearly stated that in his projected Ramayana the divine description is unnecessary. The subject of this epic is man, not God. It was not composed to eulogise the greatness of God, but the aim was rather to glorify the character of a man- “ Ramayana is the story of that moon-like man and not of God.â€

“ The Indian poet has composed the epic to set up the highest ideal of man and since that time upto this day the reading public of India has been pursuing this depiction of ideal character most eagerly†, wrote Tagore in his essay Ramayana. It is clear from different scholars’ observations that the early and later additions had a tendency to show Ramchandra as both human being and God. It is also true that the history of the setting up of Ram as God is nearly two thousand years old. It started with the later inclusion of the Uttarakanda where the divinity of Ram and not of human greatness is established.

From this point of view, Tagore accepted that some historical truth can be to from Ramayana through allegory. It is also to be remembered that history is not as much political as it is social. The idea of state, or, the state itself did not develop at the time when the Ramayana story takes place. Society was at the centre at that time. The Aryan civilisation was spreading and Brahmins Kshatriyas and other social sects were at war with one another for supremacy. These are the ingredients the Ramayana age is composed of. Tagore also believed that there are hidden references to history in the Ramayana.

In 1911 Tagore wrote ’ Bharatbarshe Itihaser Dhara’ where the main subject matter of the Ramayana story was discussed. The gradual spread of Aryan civilisation in the south and its conflict with the material wealth of Dravidian civilisation is reflected here. Rabindranath strongly believed in the inseparable relation between life, society and literary creation. To him, literature is the mirror of society. Many myths were there about Rama in the country before this epic appeared in manuscript form. Tagore believed that there were indications of the Ramayana story in this myth. According to him, “ a popular belief in regard to Ramachandra was doubtless current in the country even before the Ramayana was composed.†The character of an worth remembering remarkable hero of that time is reflected in the character of Ramachandra. A poet must have given a poetical shape to the song. Many historians also supported this idea. And here lies its historical significance also.

Last but not least, Tagore, the myriad–minded genius rightly judged the epic as a great gift of human creation and nothing else.

( Translation of Tagore’s quotations are from Professor Bhabotosh Dutta of Viswa Bharati )

(Author: Jayanta Ghosal is a literacy activist)