An Attempt To Find Out Similarities And Differences Between Swami Vivekanada And Rabindranath Thakur

DC Nath SmallPresident of Patriots Forum, D.C. Nath was superannuated in January, 1995, as the Special Director, Intelligence Bureau, D.C. Nath (IPS-1960) was associated with the International Institute of Security and Safety Management (IISSM), headquartered in New Delhi, for over 14 years, first as the Executive President & CEO and then as the President & Director General, between February, 1997 and March, 2011. The author of a highly acclaimed book, Intelligence Imperatives for India, Mr. Nath earned high plaudits from all around for two of his very significant presentations on: “Revisiting the Future of India” (2005, London) and “Lessons from India for the War On Terrorism” (2007, USA). He is the only one in the field, combining the experiences of a police officer with specialization in intelligence and strategic analysis and an industrial security expert par excellence. More Bio on D. C. Nath…

OPINION>>>>

November 8, 2016
Dear Friends,

JAI Hind!

Subject: An Attempt To Find Out Similarities And Differences Between Swami Vivekanada And Rabindranath Thakur.

We were at a meeting of a Vivekandanda Study Circle. A long-time friend and self, felt there were a lot of similarities as well as differences between these two great men of history.
It is equally true that both Vishwakobi (the poet for the world) Rabindranath Thakur and Swami Vivekanada had thought of everything in life that could have been thought of, to put that in the words of the well-known British historian Thompson, “There is not a single thought, either in the East or in the West, that has not already been thought of in some Indian mind”. That is, symbolic between Swami Vivevekananda and Rarabindranath Thakur. Thompson’s was a great statement indeed!
We know of these two men, who between them, figuratively speaking, knew of everything that has been thought of, either in the East, or in the West.
We could not restrain ourselves when the thought came across our mind. We have, therefore, attempted something much beyond our competence. We know very little about these two giants of men.
Incidentally, we are told these two great men had never met.
The differences between Rabindranath Thakur and Swami Vivekananda could be seen when Swamiji spoke of ‘tyag’,
Rabindranath Thakur spoke ‘byraggayya sadhane mukti se aamar nohe, manaber majhe aami bachibare chahi’. Roughly translated, this will mean he would like to live amongst human beings and that he did not want any kind of freedom from living amongst the human kind. That was his intense love for mankind.
Swamiji also spoke of ‘jibe prem kare jaijan, seijan sebichhe Iswar’. How similar was the thought of these two great men!
In a way, Rabindranath had said the same thing elsewhere also. It is in what is called an epic poem by itself , “Ebaar Phiraao More”,in which the poet says “Ki gahibe, ki sonabe,balo mithyaa aapanar sukh, mithya, aapanar dukh. Brihat jagat hote se kokhono. shekheni baachite.
” What will a man sing who had not learnt to live in the bigger life? Swami Vivekananda had experienced life in full, that is, from being a beggar, who had lived on whatever little he got as ‘kopindhari’ and an unknown brahmachari
to the name and fame after his Chicago address on the 11th September, 1863.
More or less, on the same line, Rabindranath Thakur said,
“Biswaruper khaala ghare,katoi gelam khele,aparupke dekhe gelam, duti nayan bhore”. I have played on the world stage with open eyes and have enjoyed. And so, I do not have any regret”. Rabindranath Thakur said that even when he had suffered a lot of personal tragedies in life.
Rabindranath Thakur would appear to have been self-contradictory when he began “Sanchoita”, which has a select number of poems, chosen by the poet himself. A man who has seen enjoyed life to the full in its full bloom
(aparupke dekhe gelaam duti nayan bhore), something like Ulysis’
‘drank life to the lees’ starts “Sanchoita” with “mornrey tuhu mama shyama samaan”.It meant death was like his love for life. The poet was then within his 20 years only.
The same refrain reappears in “Ebaar Phirao More”, th at we have just referred to, in the following words, ‘Rajputra poriacche chhinna kaantha, bisoye biraagyyai pather bhikhuk, that is, the Prince has taken to torn clothes, after renunciation, so to say. It is not that man who did not want to quit and wanted to “mannabere manjhe aami baanchibare chahi”. Conceptually, these are poles apart– one was to live an intense life and the other is like renunciation. The poet in Rabindranath Thakur had almost revolted and sing out’ maanaber majhe aami bachibare chahi”. In the same poem, “Aikotan”, Rabindranath Thakur has lamented, “Aamaar kobita, galeo bichitro pathe, hoi nai sarbotragaami”, i.e, “I know my poems have not reached all even when these have travelled widely. As a matter of fact, the number of poems on renunciation or ‘tyaag’ is strewn all over “Sanchoitaa”. Perhaps, this sense of surrender or renunciation or ‘tyaag’ enabled the poet to depict all emotions or mood of women or men. Here is yet another instance of the poet’s submission or renunciation when he beautifully wrote, “Klanti aamaar kshama karo prabhu, pathe jadi pichhiey pori kobhu”. Oh Lord, Please forgive me if I fall to reach you”. What a submission indeed–as complete as any submission could be!
The following could be a point of difference between Rabindrnath Thakur and Swami Vivekananda.
Swamii was a great lover of classical music. He himself sung classical songs well. A multifaceted talent as Rabindranath Thakur was (he had started painting late in life but had excelled in that also) was never as a singer of pure classical songs. He had experimented with tunes, borrowing from the West. That is why had said,”Poschim aaji khuliaachhe dwar(door),debe aar nebe, milaabe aar milebe, jaabenaa phiire. Rabindrath felt he to lead to irrevocable fusion or synthesis. There are so many examples of such fusion. We could not but help quoting ‘samukhe darey rekhe, kothay khujichho Iswar ‘That is, God is in front of you. Where are searching for Him?’ This amounts to fusion personified.
We have another instance of similarity between Swamiji and Rabindranath Thakur. Swamiji had famously said, “You would reach God earlier/faster through biceps than styding Gita”.
Rabindranath, in his daily evening addas, used to sip something thick and greenish giving the impression he had been enjoying that drink very much. Members of the adda asked Rabindranath Thakur to share that drink with them, that was nothing but pure neempaater sarbat. The next day, the poet organised a glass of that ‘sharbat’ for everyone. Nobody could show she or he was not enjoying that drink. What a sense of mischievous pleasure indeed!
It will be clear we are biased in favour Rabindranath Thakur. The reason is not far to seek. From our childhood days, we are encouraged to recite. We would not find a Bengali house without a copy of the “Sonchoita”. Most of the poems in it lend themselves to easy memorisation.
Swamiji also composed poems. But, those were like his ‘shaastriyo’ songs and were not easy to memories. But, we could try and get over this handicap. That means, “WE SHALL OVERCOME. WE SHALL OVERCOME”.
before we end, we would like to admit we have, even with the best of intention of not to doing so, caused a lot of problems to non-Bengali knowing readers, on account of our inability in translating and thus conveying the true spirit and meanings of the poems in Bengali. We beg to be pardoned for that remiss. Our emotion-impelled decision on the spot is responsible for that.
Even with our little knowledge about Swamiji and Rabindranath, we have attempted this note, having been spurred on by the discussion at the meeting of the Vivekananada Study Circle, as mentioned in the beginning. Much more could be done by scholars. In any case, we do not know far, or how much, we have succeeded in quoting from Rabindranath Thakur. We wish to learn. We shall share a copy of this mail to the friend who had invited us to the meeting of the Vivekananda. Study Circle. ‘May be we would get more invitations, We would feel deeply obliged if you would be kind enough to point out where we have blundered in our attempt at taking up the analysing the differences and similarities between these two great men of history. In some way, our effort to find out the similarities and differences between Vivekananda and Rabindranath seems to have become a comparative study between the thought processes of these two men of history in a few selected areas. That was far from our intention, in true humility, ‘bipula ei prithivir (of these two great men of history) kato tuku jaani”, as would have enabled us to even dream taking up of such an enormous task. The history of India and, for that matter, of the history of the world, would have been different if these two men had not played at the world stage, figuratively and literally, even though they had not met.
We had taken up a very difficult task, but, somehow, without any feeling of pride, a creeping feeling tells us “WE HAVE OVERCOME. WE HAVE OVERCOME’. Now, it is for you to tell us: Have we really overcome?
That would be education to us and we would know where we stand: on the ground or, we are floating in some make-believe world.

Vandemataram,

Your sevak,

D.C. Nath

(President, Patriots’ Forum)

(Former Spl. Director, IB)

 

 

For information to:

· Cabinet Secretary

(Shri Pradeep Kumar Sinha)

· The Prime Minister’s Office

(Shri P.K. Mishra)

· The Prime Minister’s Office II

· The Minister for HRD Ministry

(Shri Prakash Javadekar)

· The Secretary for HRD Ministry

(Dr. Subash Chandra Khuntia)

· The Union Home Minister,

(Shri Rajnath Singh)

· The Union Home Secretary

(Shri Rajiv Mehrishi)

· The National Security Advisor,

(Shri A K Doval)

Vandemataram,

Yours sincerely,

D.C. Nath

(President, Patriots’ Forum)

(Former Spl. Director, IB)

981199569

November 8, 2016

Dear Friends,

JAI Hind!

Subject: An Attempt To Find Out Similarities And Differences Between Swami Vivekanada And Rabindranath Thakur.

We were at a meeting of a Vivekandanda Study Circle. A long-time friend and self, felt there were a lot of similarities as well as differences between these two great men of history.
It is equally true that both Vishwakobi (the poet for the world) Rabindranath Thakur and Swami Vivekanada had thought of everything in life that could have been thought of, to put that in the words of the well-known British historian Thompson, “There is not a single thought, either in the East or in the West, that has not already been thought of in some Indian mind”. That is, symbolic between Swami Vivevekananda and Rarabindranath Thakur. Thompson’s was a great statement indeed!
We know of these two men, who between them, figuratively speaking, knew of everything that has been thought of, either in the East, or in the West.
We could not restrain ourselves when the thought came across our mind. We have, therefore, attempted something much beyond our competence. We know very little about these two giants of men.
Incidentally, we are told these two great men had never met.
The differences between Rabindranath Thakur and Swami Vivekananda could be seen when Swamiji spoke of ‘tyag’,
Rabindranath Thakur spoke ‘byraggayya sadhane mukti se aamar nohe, manaber majhe aami bachibare chahi’. Roughly translated, this will mean he would like to live amongst human beings and that he did not want any kind of freedom from living amongst the human kind. That was his intense love for mankind.
Swamiji also spoke of ‘jibe prem kare jaijan, seijan sebichhe Iswar’. How similar was the thought of these two great men!
In a way, Rabindranath had said the same thing elsewhere also. It is in what is called an epic poem by itself , “Ebaar Phiraao More”,in which the poet says “Ki gahibe, ki sonabe,balo mithyaa aapanar sukh, mithya, aapanar dukh. Brihat jagat hote se kokhono. shekheni baachite.
” What will a man sing who had not learnt to live in the bigger life? Swami Vivekananda had experienced life in full, that is, from being a beggar, who had lived on whatever little he got as ‘kopindhari’ and an unknown brahmachari
to the name and fame after his Chicago address on the 11th September, 1863.
More or less, on the same line, Rabindranath Thakur said,
“Biswaruper khaala ghare,katoi gelam khele,aparupke dekhe gelam, duti nayan bhore”. I have played on the world stage with open eyes and have enjoyed. And so, I do not have any regret”. Rabindranath Thakur said that even when he had suffered a lot of personal tragedies in life.
Rabindranath Thakur would appear to have been self-contradictory when he began “Sanchoita”, which has a select number of poems, chosen by the poet himself. A man who has seen enjoyed life to the full in its full bloom
(aparupke dekhe gelaam duti nayan bhore), something like Ulysis’
‘drank life to the lees’ starts “Sanchoita” with “mornrey tuhu mama shyama samaan”.It meant death was like his love for life. The poet was then within his 20 years only.
The same refrain reappears in “Ebaar Phirao More”, th at we have just referred to, in the following words, ‘Rajputra poriacche chhinna kaantha, bisoye biraagyyai pather bhikhuk, that is, the Prince has taken to torn clothes, after renunciation, so to say. It is not that man who did not want to quit and wanted to “mannabere manjhe aami baanchibare chahi”. Conceptually, these are poles apart– one was to live an intense life and the other is like renunciation. The poet in Rabindranath Thakur had almost revolted and sing out’ maanaber majhe aami bachibare chahi”. In the same poem, “Aikotan”, Rabindranath Thakur has lamented, “Aamaar kobita, galeo bichitro pathe, hoi nai sarbotragaami”, i.e, “I know my poems have not reached all even when these have travelled widely. As a matter of fact, the number of poems on renunciation or ‘tyaag’ is strewn all over “Sanchoitaa”. Perhaps, this sense of surrender or renunciation or ‘tyaag’ enabled the poet to depict all emotions or mood of women or men. Here is yet another instance of the poet’s submission or renunciation when he beautifully wrote, “Klanti aamaar kshama karo prabhu, pathe jadi pichhiey pori kobhu”. Oh Lord, Please forgive me if I fall to reach you”. What a submission indeed–as complete as any submission could be!
The following could be a point of difference between Rabindrnath Thakur and Swami Vivekananda.
Swamii was a great lover of classical music. He himself sung classical songs well. A multifaceted talent as Rabindranath Thakur was (he had started painting late in life but had excelled in that also) was never as a singer of pure classical songs. He had experimented with tunes, borrowing from the West. That is why had said,”Poschim aaji khuliaachhe dwar(door),debe aar nebe, milaabe aar milebe, jaabenaa phiire. Rabindrath felt he to lead to irrevocable fusion or synthesis. There are so many examples of such fusion. We could not but help quoting ‘samukhe darey rekhe, kothay khujichho Iswar ‘That is, God is in front of you. Where are searching for Him?’ This amounts to fusion personified.
We have another instance of similarity between Swamiji and Rabindranath Thakur. Swamiji had famously said, “You would reach God earlier/faster through biceps than styding Gita”.
Rabindranath, in his daily evening addas, used to sip something thick and greenish giving the impression he had been enjoying that drink very much. Members of the adda asked Rabindranath Thakur to share that drink with them, that was nothing but pure neempaater sarbat. The next day, the poet organised a glass of that ‘sharbat’ for everyone. Nobody could show she or he was not enjoying that drink. What a sense of mischievous pleasure indeed!
It will be clear we are biased in favour Rabindranath Thakur. The reason is not far to seek. From our childhood days, we are encouraged to recite. We would not find a Bengali house without a copy of the “Sonchoita”. Most of the poems in it lend themselves to easy memorisation.
Swamiji also composed poems. But, those were like his ‘shaastriyo’ songs and were not easy to memories. But, we could try and get over this handicap. That means, “WE SHALL OVERCOME. WE SHALL OVERCOME”.
before we end, we would like to admit we have, even with the best of intention of not to doing so, caused a lot of problems to non-Bengali knowing readers, on account of our inability in translating and thus conveying the true spirit and meanings of the poems in Bengali. We beg to be pardoned for that remiss. Our emotion-impelled decision on the spot is responsible for that.
Even with our little knowledge about Swamiji and Rabindranath, we have attempted this note, having been spurred on by the discussion at the meeting of the Vivekananada Study Circle, as mentioned in the beginning. Much more could be done by scholars. In any case, we do not know far, or how much, we have succeeded in quoting from Rabindranath Thakur. We wish to learn. We shall share a copy of this mail to the friend who had invited us to the meeting of the Vivekananda. Study Circle. ‘May be we would get more invitations, We would feel deeply obliged if you would be kind enough to point out where we have blundered in our attempt at taking up the analysing the differences and similarities between these two great men of history. In some way, our effort to find out the similarities and differences between Vivekananda and Rabindranath seems to have become a comparative study between the thought processes of these two men of history in a few selected areas. That was far from our intention, in true humility, ‘bipula ei prithivir (of these two great men of history) kato tuku jaani”, as would have enabled us to even dream taking up of such an enormous task. The history of India and, for that matter, of the history of the world, would have been different if these two men had not played at the world stage, figuratively and literally, even though they had not met.
We had taken up a very difficult task, but, somehow, without any feeling of pride, a creeping feeling tells us “WE HAVE OVERCOME. WE HAVE OVERCOME’. Now, it is for you to tell us: Have we really overcome?
That would be education to us and we would know where we stand: on the ground or, we are floating in some make-believe world.

Vandemataram,

Your sevak,

D.C. Nath

(President, Patriots’ Forum)

(Former Spl. Director, IB)

 

 

For information to:

· Cabinet Secretary

(Shri Pradeep Kumar Sinha)

· The Prime Minister’s Office

(Shri P.K. Mishra)

· The Prime Minister’s Office II

· The Minister for HRD Ministry

(Shri Prakash Javadekar)

· The Secretary for HRD Ministry

(Dr. Subash Chandra Khuntia)

· The Union Home Minister,

(Shri Rajnath Singh)

· The Union Home Secretary

(Shri Rajiv Mehrishi)

· The National Security Advisor,

(Shri A K Doval)

Vandemataram,

Yours sincerely,

D.C. Nath

(President, Patriots’ Forum)

(Former Spl. Director, IB)

 

Source:  Patriots Forum

 

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