Sudip Sarkar
Sufism can be described generally as mysticism-strewn Islamic belief and practice wherein the believers seek to understand the truth associated with divine love , knowledge and feeling in the light of personal experience of God as if in an empirical manner in adherence to the four principles of repentance, sincerity, remembrance and love while tracing down the fundamental stages and states of the spiritual human being's transformative journey that embodies the intersection of the space of human limitations and God's infinite love, affection and tenderness. In short, mysticism, humanism and scintillating philosophy define the idea of Sufism.
Rabindranath Tagore– poet, philosopher, thinker, composer, truth-seeker, essayist, fiction-writer– casts a deep influence on us down generations. But it is striking to note Tagore himself voluntarily allowed himself to be influenced by many distinguished persons across the globe including Mustafa Jalauddin Rumi, believed to be the founder of Sufi philosophy, who, though born in Kabul, lived in Iran some 800 years ago. Many Tagore research scholars believe that Tagore's interest in Bauls of Birbhum and Baul Sangeet grew out of his interest in Sufism. As we all know, Tagore stands for universalism. A versatile genius with a truly cosmopolitan outlook and all-embracing humanism and liberalism, Tagore was inclined to embrace, imbibe and assimilate the best of human values from all corners of the globe.
Rabindranath Tagore was also greatly influenced by the Iranian Sufi poet Hafiz. Tagore's father knew Persian and could recite Hafiz's poetry with ease and emoticon, which also impacted his creative and eager mind that would always seek to draw comfort from sublime human thoughts. Much late into his life, while visiting Iran Tagore would invariably visit the tombs of Hafiz and Sadi in Shiraj. Tagore radiates with the thought that the human soul has ever been craving for union with the eternal soul ever since its separation at the time of creation the pang of which has ever been a moving spirit behind expression of every tender feeling and hence we find in Tagore a syncretic convergence of Baul mysticism, Sahaja Buddhism, Vedanta philosophy, the Upanishads and of course, the liberal and glowing Sufi thoughts of deep intent. Tagore's relationship with Persian Sufi concepts can easily converge organically on the broad horizons of other Eastern thoughts just mentioned.
One of the most striking similarities between the Iranian Sufi poet Rumi ( mentioned in the second stanza) and Tagore is centred on their perception of love which both considered as a seminal factor of creation, the basic element of existence and a moving spirit to keep the world in motion. In Tagore's words, we observe: " Yes, I know, this is nothing but thy love, O beloved of my heart– this golden light that dances upon the leaves, these idle clouds sailing across the sky, this passing breeze leaving its coolness upon my forehead. The morning light has flooded my eyes– this is the message to my heart. The face is bent from above, thy eyes look down on my eyes and my heart thy feet".
And Rumi's words:
" It is the love that simmers the sea like boiler
It is the love that grinds the mountain unto sand
It is the love that tears the sky into hundred parts
It is the love that tremors the earth with its extravagance......."
And again Tagore's words : " My life is derived from love. This world is mortal but the love is everlasting. ......The world of mine is sustained with the fire of love ".
So, in the above lines we find intimate similarities between Tagore and Rumi in poetic expressions of love. Both essentially stood for love, compassion, tenderness, liberalism, humanism, broadness. If we can imbibe these eternal qualities, surely we can make today's conflict-ridden, terror-ravaged, bleak world a better and happier place to live in which will be free from hatred, bigotry, sectarianism, prejudices, violence, meanness, superstitions etc. that bleed humanity with a thousand cuts.
About Writer
Sudip Sarkar is a member of Rabindramela Berhampore
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