Discover How Tagore s Spiritual Life and Vision Can Enlighten Your Own

"Rabindranath Tagore s philosophical and spiritual thoughts transcend all limits of language, culture, and nationality. In his writings, the poet and mystic takes us on a spiritual quest and gives us a glimpse of the infinite in the midst of the finite, unity at the heart of all diversity, and the Divine in all beings and things of the universe." from the Preface bySwami Adiswarananda

Rabindranath Tagore is one of the most influential mystic poets and teachers of the last century. Deeply spiritual and profoundly sensitive, his verse speaks to people from all backgrounds who seek a deeper understanding of self, country, creation, God, and love.

This beautiful sampling of Tagore s two most important works, "The Gardener and Gitanjali, " offers a glimpse into his spiritual vision that has inspired people around the world. Poems from "The Gardener" explore youth and earthly love, while excerpts from "Gitanjali" express divine love and Tagore s difficulty in satisfying it.

Overwhelmingly mystical and lovely in its simplicity, this unique collection offers insight into Tagore s heavenly desires, his ongoing quest for "Brahama Vihara, " the joy eternal, and illuminates the remarkable diversity that made him the most important bridge between the spirituality of the East and West in the first half of the twentieth century.

Rabindranath Tagore composed over 2000 songs that are revered and sung by Bengalis everywhere. However, they remain mostly unknown to listeners from other communities. This book brings the Nobel Laureate's unique music - Rabindrasangit - to a global audience, with a lucid introduction by Ananda Lal as well as selected songs in international transcription and English translation. It includes an essay written originally in Bengali by the celebrated filmmaker Satyajit Ray, himself a Tagore student and music composer. Ray presents his thoughts on Rabindrasangit, its nuances, music, history, and usage. Lal has also translated this essay into English for the first time. The book also presents for the first time faithful staff notations of all 41 songs in three of Tagore's major plays - Rakta-karavi, Tapati, and Arup Ratan - providing a thematic unity to the music section. This volume will be of interest to Tagore and Ray enthusiasts and specialists, musicologists, and students of music, theatre, literature, performance studies, and cultural studies. It will appeal not only to scholars but to general readers wanting to know more about Tagore's songs, as well as directors, arrangers, composers, and singers who may wish to perform or interpret the songs transcribed.

Gitanjali (1912) is a collection of poems by Rabindranath Tagore. Translated into English by Tagore and published with a groundbreaking introduction by Irish poet W. B. Yeats, Gitanjali is the collection that earned Tagore the 1912 Nobel Prize in Literature. When Yeats discovered Tagore's work in translation, he felt an intense kinship with a man whose work was similarly grounded in spirituality and opposition to the British Empire. For the Irish poet, Tagore's poems were at once deeply personal and essentially universal, like a secret kept by all and shared regardless: "I have carried the manuscript of these translations about with me for days, reading it in railway trains, or on the top of omnibuses and in restaurants, and I have often had to close it lest some stranger would see how much it moved me." Whether or not we admit it, his words never fail to remind us: to be human is to be vulnerable. "Thou hast made me endless, such is thy pleasure. This frail vessel thou emptiest again and again, and fillest it ever with fresh life. This little flute of a reed thou hast carried over hills and dales, and hast breathed through it melodies eternally new." The essence of Gitanjali is humility. Written following the deaths of his wife and two children, the collection unites poetry and prayer in search of peace. Grounded in Hindu tradition, his poems remain recognizable to readers of all faiths and nations. His subjects are love and loss, life and death, belief and despair. Through them, he approaches truth. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Rabindranath Tagore's Gitanjali is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Gardener (1915) is a collection of poems by Rabindranath Tagore. Translated into English by Tagore and dedicated to Irish poet W. B. Yeats, The Gardener is a collection of earlier poems republished following his ascension to international fame with the 1912 Nobel Prize in Literature. When Yeats discovered Tagore's work in translation, he felt an intense kinship with a man whose work was similarly grounded in spirituality and opposition to the British Empire. For the Irish poet, Tagore's poems were at once deeply personal and essentially universal, like a secret kept by all and shared regardless. Whether or not we admit it, his words never fail to remind us: to be human is to be vulnerable. "In the morning I cast my net into the sea. I dragged up from the dark abyss things of strange aspect and strange beauty-some shone like a smile, some glistened like tears, and some were flushed like the cheeks of a bride. [...] Then the whole night through I flung them one by one into the street. In the morning travellers came; they picked them up and carried them into far countries." In his landmark collection Gitanjali, Tagore explored the realm of the spirit, paring down language to its clearest, purest form. In The Gardener, he gives expression to more worldly themes. Here, he is a fisherman, a restless wanderer, a servant and queen, an observer of life in all forms. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Rabindranath Tagore's The Gardener is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Hungry Stones and Other Stories (1916) is a collection of short stories by Rabindranath Tagore. Published following his ascension to international fame with the 1912 Nobel Prize in Literature, the collection contains some of Tagore's most celebrated works of fiction. "Before a week had passed, the place began to exert a weird fascination upon me. It is difficult to describe or to induce people to believe; but I felt as if the whole house was like a living organism slowly and imperceptibly digesting me by the action of some stupefying gastric juice." In the title story of the collection, a tax collector moves to a deserted palace on the outskirts of a small town. Devoting himself to his daily work, he returns home at night to sleep and spends as little time as possible indoors. Rumored to be haunted, the palace was built during the height of the Mughal Empire and was once a symbol of fortune for all those who entered its gate or passed it by along the road. For Srijut, however, it is a source of terror and unease, a living entity filled with restless spirits who all seem to vie for his soul. Elsewhere in the collection, Tagore explores the lives of rich and poor, giving voice to struggling writers, suffering wives, and young servants alike with an ease and familiarity possessed by the purest of storytellers. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Rabindranath Tagore's The Hungry Stones and Other Stories is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.

Chitra: A Play in One Act (1914) is a play by Rabindranath Tagore. Published following his ascension to international fame with the 1912 Nobel Prize in Literature, the play is based on the story of Chitrangada and Arjuna from Sanskrit epic Mahabharata. "I am Chitra, the daughter of the kingly house of Manipur. With godlike grace Lord Shiva promised to my royal grandsire an unbroken line of male descent. Nevertheless, the divine word proved powerless to change the spark of life in my mother's womb-so invincible was my nature, woman though I be." Her whole life, Chitra has tried to live up to her father's name. Raised as the son he never had, she becomes a fearsome warrior and legendary hero, yet still longs for something more. When she meets the handsome Arjuna, Chitra petitions the god of love to make her beautiful. Mercifully, they allow her to be with her lover for one whole year. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Rabindranath Tagore's Chitra: A Play in One Act is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Post Office (1914) is a play by Rabindranath Tagore. Published following his ascension to international fame with the 1912 Nobel Prize in Literature, the play was introduced to an international audience by W. B. Yeats. When the Irish poet discovered Tagore's work in translation, he felt an intense kinship with a man whose work was similarly grounded in spirituality and opposition to the British Empire. Brought to Dublin's Abbey Theatre in 1913, The Post Office remains one of Tagore's most influential literary works. "The doctor says all the organs of his little body are at loggerheads with each other, and there isn't much hope for his life. There is only one way to save him and that is to keep him out of this autumn wind and sun." Under doctor's orders, Amal is confined to his uncle's home and courtyard, encouraged in his studies despite his desire to experience the world beyond books. Standing at the front gate, he watches life pass him by along the road, speaking with whoever will stop to listen. When construction begins on a new post office nearby, Amal dreams of one day serving as a messenger for the king. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Rabindranath Tagore's The Post Office is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Home and the World (1916) is a novel by Bengali author Rabindranath Tagore. Written after Tagore received the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature, the novel dramatizes the Swadeshi movement for Indian independence from British rule. Through the lens of one family, Tagore illuminates the conflict between Western culture and Indian nationalism while exploring the complex relationships of men and women in modern India. Concerned for his wife, who spends most of her days inside, Nikhil, an educated aristocrat, brings Bimala to a political rally. There, they hear the magnanimous revolutionary Sandip speak out against British imperialism and call for Indian independence. Although Nikhil remains passive, if not indifferent, regarding British rule, Bimala, who comes from a poor family, reaches a political awakening of her own. When Nikhil and Bimala invite Sandip to stay as a guest at their home, Bimala moves further away from her traditional role as a wife and begins to develop romantic feelings for the radical figure. Aware of his growing influence, Sandip places himself between Nikhil and his wife while secretly attempting to convince Bimala to use her husband's wealth to support the Swadeshi cause. The Home and the World is a masterful novel that explores the personal behind the political, inserting the lives of individuals into history's great wheel without losing sight of humanity. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Rabindranath Tagore's The Home and the World is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.

Stray Birds (1916) is a collection of poems by Rabindranath Tagore. Translated into English by Tagore after he received the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature, Stray Birds is a powerful collection of short poems by a master of Indian literature. "Stray birds of summer come to my window to sing and fly away. And yellow leaves of autumn, which have no songs, flutter and fall there with a sigh." The poems of Stray Birds are a masterclass in clarity and concision. Like birds themselves, they flutter across the sky of the page before passing beyond the limit of sight. In prayer, in celebration, and in evocations of the natural world, Tagore comes as close to the truth as possible, catching a glimpse before it can fly away forever: "Let me live truly, my Lord, so that death to me become true." In plainspoken language, Tagore gives voice to the soul. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Rabindranath Tagore's Stray Birds is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Spirit of Japan (1916) is a speech by Rabindranath Tagore. Published after he received the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature, The Spirit of Japan is a powerful lecture on Japanese culture in relation to the modernizing forces of the West. Delivered at the Keio Gijuku University in Tokyo, The Spirit of Japan is a testament to Tagore's gifts as an artist and intellectual. "True modernism is freedom of mind, not slavery of taste. It is independence of thought and action, not tutelage under European schoolmasters. It is science, but not its wrong application in life,-a mere imitation of our science teachers who reduce it into a superstition absurdly invoking its aid for all impossible purposes." Invigorated by a tour of Japan, Rabindranath Tagore reflects on a culture which, to his mind, has "realized nature's secrets, not by methods of analytical knowledge, but by sympathy." Before he returns to his native country, he makes sure to warn the gathering of Japanese students who have come to hear him speak of the dangers of modernization and the encroachment of European values. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Rabindranath Tagore's The Spirit of Japan is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.

My Reminiscences (1917) is a memoir by Rabindranath Tagore. Published after Tagore received the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature, My Reminiscences contains personal reflections on the author's youth, education, and introduction to the art of poetry. Originally published in Bengali, My Reminiscences was written by Tagore in his fiftieth year, as he prepared to embark on a journey around the world. "I know not who paints the pictures on memory's canvas; but whoever he may be, what he is painting are pictures; by which I mean that he is not there with his brush simply to make a faithful copy of all that is happening. He takes in and leaves out according to his taste. [...] In short he is painting pictures, and not writing history." In this collection of memories, Tagore is at his philosophical, poetic best, reflecting earnestly and with ease on matters public and private. Looking back on a life at the center of Indian culture, Tagore moves fluidly and fluently from youth to young adulthood, recalling family, friends, servants, and strangers with clarity and curiosity. Afloat in his houseboat, lying on a rooftop at night, or exploring the outer limits of his mind, Tagore shares his insight with us all. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Rabindranath Tagore's My Reminiscences is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.

HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics. In 1913, Rabindranath Tagore became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, and he remains one of the most important voices of Bengali culture to this day. These short stories, written mostly in the 1890s, vividly portray Bengali life and culture. Tagore's treatment of caste culture, bureaucracy and poverty paint a vivid portrait of nineteenth-century India, and all are interwoven with Tagore's perceptive eye for detail, strong sense of humanity and deep affinity for the natural world. Tagore's stories continue to rise above geographic and cultural boundaries to capture the imaginations of readers around the world.

This book explores the problems present in Bengal villages specifically, which represent problems found within the rest of rural India, therefore the same measures with very little modification could be employed in the work of rural reconstruction and rural education in those parts. The author discusses issues related to the government, as well as the caste system, and the social and religious customs, which he has argued not only hampered the path to progress, but reduced the people further and further to misery and despair.

What so strongly attracted the author in Patrick Geddes when she came to know him in India was, not his scientific achievements, but, on the contrary, the rare fact of the fullness of his personality rising far above his science. Whatever subjects he has studied and mastered have become vitally one with his humanity. He has the precision of the scientist and the vision of the prophet; and at the same time, the power of the artist to make his ideas visible through the language of symbols. His love of Man has given him the insight to see the truth of Man, and his imagination to realize in the world the infinite mystery of life and not merely its mechanical aspect.

Poetry Book Society Recommended Translation. Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) is India's greatest modern poet and the most brilliant creative genius produced by the Indian Renaissance. As well as poetry, he wrote songs, stories and novels, plays, essays, memoirs and travelogues. He was both a restless innovator and a superb craftsman, and the Bengali language attained great beauty and power in his hands. He created his own genre of dance drama and is one of the most important visual artists of modern India. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. Tagore's poetry has an impressive wholeness: a magnificent loving warmth, a compassionate humanity, a delicate sensuousness, an intense sense of kinship with nature and a burning awareness of man's place in the universe. He moves with effortless ease from the literal to the symbolic, from the part of the whole, from a tiny detail to the vast cosmos. He is religious in the deepest sense, wavering between a faith that sustains the spirit in times of crisis - or fills it with energy and joy in times of happiness - and a profound questioning that can find no enduring answers. To him the earth is a vulnerable mother who clings to all her offspring, saying 'I won't let you go' to the tiniest blade of grass that springs from her womb, but who is powerless to prevent the decay and death of her children. This is the revised and enlarged second edition of a substantial selection of Tagore's poems and songs translated with an illustrated introduction, notes and glossary by the bilingual writer Ketaki Kushari Dyson, who lives in Oxford. Poet, novelist, playwright, translator, linguist and critic, she is one of the outstanding Bengali writers of her generation, and has published more than thirty titles in her two languages, including acclaimed scholarly works on Tagore.

From Book's Foreward What so strongly attracted me in Patrick Geddes when I came to know him in India was, not his scientific achievements, but, on the contrary, the rare fact of the fullness of his personality rising far above his science. Whatever subjects he has studies and mastered have become vitally one with his humanity. He has the precision of the scientist and the vision of the prophet; and at the same time, the power of the artist to make his ideas visible through the language of symbols. His love of Man has given him the insight to see the truth of Man, and his imagination to realize in the world the infinite mystery of life and not merely its mechanical aspect.

The Hungry Stones and Other Stories (1916) is a collection of short stories by Rabindranath Tagore. Published following his ascension to international fame with the 1912 Nobel Prize in Literature, the collection contains some of Tagore's most celebrated works of fiction. "Before a week had passed, the place began to exert a weird fascination upon me. It is difficult to describe or to induce people to believe; but I felt as if the whole house was like a living organism slowly and imperceptibly digesting me by the action of some stupefying gastric juice." In the title story of the collection, a tax collector moves to a deserted palace on the outskirts of a small town. Devoting himself to his daily work, he returns home at night to sleep and spends as little time as possible indoors. Rumored to be haunted, the palace was built during the height of the Mughal Empire and was once a symbol of fortune for all those who entered its gate or passed it by along the road. For Srijut, however, it is a source of terror and unease, a living entity filled with restless spirits who all seem to vie for his soul. Elsewhere in the collection, Tagore explores the lives of rich and poor, giving voice to struggling writers, suffering wives, and young servants alike with an ease and familiarity possessed by the purest of storytellers. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Rabindranath Tagore's The Hungry Stones and Other Stories is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.

My Reminiscences (1917) is a memoir by Rabindranath Tagore. Published after Tagore received the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature, My Reminiscences contains personal reflections on the author's youth, education, and introduction to the art of poetry. Originally published in Bengali, My Reminiscences was written by Tagore in his fiftieth year, as he prepared to embark on a journey around the world. "I know not who paints the pictures on memory's canvas; but whoever he may be, what he is painting are pictures; by which I mean that he is not there with his brush simply to make a faithful copy of all that is happening. He takes in and leaves out according to his taste. [...] In short he is painting pictures, and not writing history." In this collection of memories, Tagore is at his philosophical, poetic best, reflecting earnestly and with ease on matters public and private. Looking back on a life at the center of Indian culture, Tagore moves fluidly and fluently from youth to young adulthood, recalling family, friends, servants, and strangers with clarity and curiosity. Afloat in his houseboat, lying on a rooftop at night, or exploring the outer limits of his mind, Tagore shares his insight with us all. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Rabindranath Tagore's My Reminiscences is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.

Fruit-Gathering (1916) is a collection of poems by Rabindranath Tagore. Translated into English by Tagore after he received the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature, Fruit-Gathering is a powerful collection of prose poems by a master of Indian literature. "Bid me and I shall gather my fruits to bring them in full baskets into your courtyard, though some are lost and some not ripe. For the season grows heavy with its fulness, and there is a plaintive shepherd's pipe in the shade. Bid me and I shall set sail on the river." In these poems of love, nature, faith, and dreams, Tagore is at the height of his creative powers. In one passage, he is a lovesick youth, in another, an illiterate man with a letter he cannot read. He longs to be a poet of the night, a singer of "fathomless silence." Filled with visions of saints and kings, celebrations of beauty, and powerful evocations of the natural world, Fruit-Gathering is one of his most original works. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Rabindranath Tagore's Fruit-Gathering is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.

Glimpses of Bengal: The Letters of Tagore (1917) is a selection of letters by Rabindranath Tagore. Published after Tagore received the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature, Glimpses of Bengal: The Letters of Tagore collects letters from 1885 to 1895, a period designated by the author as "the most productive period of [his] literary life." Bridging the gap between fiction and nonfiction, these letters contain personal reflections on the political situation in India, mediations on nature and poetry, and stunning vignettes of life in the nineteenth century. "The unsheltered sea heaves and heaves and blanches into foam. It sets me thinking of some tied-up monster straining at its bonds, in front of whose gaping jaws we build our homes on the shore and watch it lashing its tail." In this selection of letters, Tagore is at his philosophical, poetic best, reflecting earnestly and with ease on matters public and private. A young man, he writes with the clarity and wisdom of one who has lived many times over, granting readers a glimpse of the iconic figure he would become toward the end of his life and career. His portrait of Bengal is heartfelt and true, unadorned and yet possessing an almost mystical quality. Whether describing his travels upriver by boat or a dream journey through a Calcutta immersed in "a dense, dark mist," Tagore never fails to intrigue, enrapture, and enlighten. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Rabindranath Tagore's Glimpses of Bengal: The Letters of Tagore is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Fugitive (1921) is a collection of poems by Rabindranath Tagore. Translated into English by Tagore after he received the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature, The Fugitive is a powerful collection of poems, dialogues, and songs by a master of Indian literature. "Darkly you sweep on, Eternal Fugitive, round whose bodiless rush stagnant space frets into eddying bubbles of light. Is your heart lost to the Lover calling you across his immeasurable loneliness?" The Fugitive is an intoxicating blend of prose poetry, verse dialogue, and songs that investigates themes of faith, love, death, and friendship. Here, Tagore is at the height of his creative powers, providing brilliant original lyrics alongside adaptations from the Hindu epics and his own translations of traditional Bengali songs. Filled with visions of flight, words between lovers torn apart, and powerful evocations of the natural world, The Fugitive is one of his most original works. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Rabindranath Tagore's The Fugitive is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.

Mashi and Other Stories (1918) is a collection of short stories by Rabindranath Tagore. Published after Tagore received the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature, Mashi and Other Stories contains some of the author's most beloved works of short fiction, including "Mashi," "The Skeleton," "The Postmaster," and "The River Stairs." "Mashi remained silent, suppressing a sigh. Not once, but often she had seen Jotin spending the night on the verandah wet with the splashing rain, yet not caring to go into his bedroom. Many a day he lay with a throbbing head, longing, she knew, that Mani would come and soothe his brow, while Mani was getting ready to go to the theatre. Yet when Mashi went to fan him, he sent her away petulantly." On his deathbed, Jotin experiences heartache like no other as his young wife Mani neglects him for her own friends and family. Cared for by his aunt Mashi, the young man spends his final days in sorrow, longing for his love to return to him one last time. "Mashi," the title story of the collection, is one of fourteen stories of romance, faith, and tragedy by Bengali polymath and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Rabindranath Tagore's Mashi and Other Stories is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.

The King of the Dark Chamber (1918) is a play by Rabindranath Tagore. Translated into English by Tagore after he received the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature, The King of the Dark Chamber is a symbolic drama exploring themes of faith, power, citizenship, and love. Part meditation on human government, part reflection on humanity's connection to god, Tagore's play is a masterpiece of Indian literature. "My faith is, to go on obeying the King-it does not matter whether he is a real one or a pretender. What do we know of Kings that we should judge them! It is like throwing stones in the dark-you are almost sure of hitting your mark. I go on obeying and acknowledging-if it is a real King, well and good: if not, what harm is there?" What is the nature of kingship? If a nation is prosperous, and its people happy, should they question their ruler? Such questions abound in The King of the Dark Chamber, a symbolic story of a King who rules through absence alone. While he is more widely known as a poet, Tagore was also a gifted playwright who used the stage to explore timeless, universal themes. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Rabindranath Tagore's The King of the Dark Chamber is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Fugitive (1921) is a collection of poems by Rabindranath Tagore. Translated into English by Tagore after he received the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature, The Fugitive is a powerful collection of poems, dialogues, and songs by a master of Indian literature. "Darkly you sweep on, Eternal Fugitive, round whose bodiless rush stagnant space frets into eddying bubbles of light. Is your heart lost to the Lover calling you across his immeasurable loneliness?" The Fugitive is an intoxicating blend of prose poetry, verse dialogue, and songs that investigates themes of faith, love, death, and friendship. Here, Tagore is at the height of his creative powers, providing brilliant original lyrics alongside adaptations from the Hindu epics and his own translations of traditional Bengali songs. Filled with visions of flight, words between lovers torn apart, and powerful evocations of the natural world, The Fugitive is one of his most original works. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Rabindranath Tagore's The Fugitive is a classic of Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.