Brahma Rabindranath Bratya Rabindranath by Ramanuj Mukhopadhyay [Hardcover]

Rabindranath was born into a Brahmo family. In his youth, he witnessed both the expansion of the Brahmo sphere and the inevitable fragmentation of the Brahmo Samaj. At times, he was actively involved in editing Brahmo Samaj’s publications, and at other times, he participated in the Hindu-Brahmo debates. For nearly three decades, he served as the editor of the Adi Brahmo Samaj. In the realm of Brahmo music, his songs reached an astonishing pinnacle. Various Brahmo influences are scattered throughout his creative works.

Yet, he firmly declared: "My words are not the words of the Brahmo Samaj, nor of any sect." But did the Brahmos always accept him without hesitation? Even he admitted that the Brahmos “never regarded me with particular favor.” Rabindranath viewed Brahmoism as an extension of Hinduism. But did the Hindus wholeheartedly accept him? His lament “The common people have despised me as a non-Hindu” speaks volumes.

To him, the religion of a sect was merely the "religion of habit." His lifelong pursuit was to transcend habitual faith and seek his "inherent spiritual religion." He urged the Brahmo Samaj to shed its sectarian veil and embrace a broader vision within the grand landscape of human history. When the Brahmo Samaj failed to heed his call, he embarked on that journey alone.

From his youth, Rabindranath had embraced the iconoclastic beliefs of the Brahmo faith, but toward the end of his life, he sought the sweetness of a spirituality beyond rituals and mantras. He aspired to move from being a Brahmo to a Bratya—an outcast, a seeker beyond dogma.

This book is a luminous chronicle of that journey.