Gitanjali: Bhakti Lyrics for Humanistic and Realistic Approaches

By : Rajamouly Katta

Page No: 11-17

Abstract
Gitanjali, the most popular English work (1913) of Viswakavi, Rabindranath Tagore, achieved the Nobel Prize for literature as a mark of distinction in the Indian tradition. Its popularity as the best translation of his Bengali original (1909) is unrivalled to have won international acclaim. It excels for its kaleidoscopic themes: Bhakthi or the adoration for the Divine, the love for nature and man, the concept of work, etc. For him, God manifests in all natural elements. He proclaims his ardent love for the Divine and seeks the communion of God and man. He firmly believes that the Divine inspires him to compose songs in praise of God. He also deeply feels that they are his true and befitting offerings to Him. They are his devotional songs with musical undertones reflecting his Bhakti, fervent adoration and ardent devotion to God. There is a clear-cut influence of the Vishnava Bhakti poets and the Brahmasamaj on him apart from his understanding of humanistic approaches to composing Bhakti lyrics. His poetry reflects the echoes of Jayadeva, Vidyapathi and Chandidas. He imbibed the concepts of humanity, fraternity, humility, equality, and equanimity from the knowledge of different religions to the core for his humanistic and pragmatic approach to life. The readers of Gitanjali feel at home in understanding his philosophy of life. They enjoy felicitous expressions of passions, yearnings, and ideals in the rhythmic flow of words by the use of vivid images of natural objects and common people to mark a wide range. His exceptional intellectual abilities and distinguished literary talents under the rich experience of Bhakti cult enable him to expound the ethos of Indian life in fresh and natural style through his writings. Referring to his poems, Prof. Mao Shichang, his bosom friend told The Hindu in an interview on 24th March 2012, “Tagore was like the god of poems in my heart.” Tagore’s multisided genius and multifaceted personality, has established him as the symbol of Indian Renaissance.

Author
Prof. Dr. Rajamouly Katta, Author, Writer, Editor, Novelist, Poet. Professor & Head of Dept. of English, Ganapathy Engineering College, Warangal (Telangana State).
 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32381/POET.2026.39.01.2