Paper 201: Indian English Literature Pre-Independence
“Religion, Ethics and Self-Realization in The Home and the World”
Academic Details:
Name:- Sanket Vavadiya
Sem:- 3 (M.A.)
Batch:- 2024-26
Roll No:- 25
Enrollment number:- 5108240039
E-mail:- vavadiyasanket412@gmail.com
Assignment Details:
Topic:- Religion, Ethics and Self-Realization in The Home and the World
Paper number:- Paper 201: Indian English Literature Pre-Independence
Submitted to:- Smt. Sujata Binoy Gardi, Department of English, MKBU, Bhavnagar
Date of submission:- 7/11/2025
Religion, Ethics and Self-Realization in The Home and the World
Abstract
Rabindranath Tagore’s The Home and the World presents a moral and spiritual exploration of freedom during the Swadeshi movement. Through Nikhil’s ethical restraint, Sandip’s fanaticism, and Bimala’s awakening, Tagore redefines religion as inner realization and ethics as compassionate action. The novel reveals that true liberation lies not in political power but in the harmony of self-awareness and moral duty. By blending religion, ethics, and self-realization, Tagore critiques blind nationalism and envisions a universal humanism rooted in conscience and empathy. His vision transforms personal enlightenment into the foundation of social and spiritual freedom.
Keywords
The Home and the World, religion, Self-realization, Nationalism, Swadeshi movement, conscience, inner freedom, Bimala, Nikhil, Sandip,Moral awakening, Ethical idealism.
Research Question
How does The Home and the World synthesize religion, ethics, and self-realization to critique militant nationalism and propose an inward-to-outward model of moral freedom?
Hypothesis
Tagore presents religion as the ethical realization of the self; in The Home and the World he asserts that authentic freedom is a moral condition achieved by inner transformation (self-realization) that then informs responsible action in the world. Political ends divorced from inner ethics lead to fanaticism and spiritual impoverishment.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Rabindranath Tagore: Life, Thought and Context
2.1 Tagore as Philosopher and Novelist
2.2 Historical Background: Swadeshi and its Discontents
2.3 Tagore’s Intellectual Position toward Nationalism and Religion
3. Tagore’s Notion of Religion in the Novel
3.1 Religion as Inner Realization
3.2 Religion versus Ritual and Idolatry
3.3 Religion as Ethical Grounding for Action
4. Ethics and Moral Philosophy in The Home and the World
4.1 The Idea of Moral Discernment
4.2 Nikhil: Embodiment of Ethical Stability
4.3 Sandip: Rhetoric, Spectacle and Ethical Corruption
5. Self-Realization and Character Development
5.1 Conceptualizing Self-Realization in Tagore’s Thought
5.2 Bimala’s Journey: From Enclosure to Ethical Agency
5.3 The Union of Inner Freedom and Social Responsibility
6. Symbolism and Structural Devices that Convey Moral Themes
6.1 Home and World as Complementary Realms
6.2 Images of Fire, Mirror and Food: Moral Signifiers
6.3 Narrative Voice and the Ethics of Storytelling
7. Gender, Spirituality and the Ethics of Freedom
7.1 Women’s Interiority and Moral Authority
7.2 Bimala as a Case Study in Feminine Ethical Awakening
7.3 Domestic Space as Ethical Laboratory
8. Education, Humanism and the Ethical State
8.1 Tagore’s Educational Ideal as Spiritual Praxis
8.2 Ethical Leadership versus Political Leadership
8.3 Visva-Bharati as a Model of Moral Formation
9. Comparative Dimensions: Tagore, Gandhi, and Western Thinkers
9.1 Convergences and Differences with Gandhi’s Praxis
9.2 Resonances with Western Humanists and Religious Critics
9.3 The Novel’s Contribution to Global Ethical Conversation
10. Contemporary Relevance: Lessons for the 21st Century
10.1 Religion and Ethics in Plural Societies
10.2 Self-Realization as Antidote to Extremism
10.3 Practical Implications for Education and Civic Life
11. Conclusion
12. Works Cited
1. Introduction
The Home and the World engages a political moment—the Swadeshi movement—while pursuing questions that transcend immediate history. Tagore dramatizes a dispute about ends and means, about whether the energy of mass politics is a genuine force for liberation or a vehicle for moral corruption. He frames this dispute through religious and ethical categories: is devotion to the nation a sacred duty or idolatry? What form must ethical maturity take if it is to guide political action? The novel’s power lies in showing that the personal and the political are inseparable: inner transformation and moral clarity in private life make possible socially beneficial public action. By focusing on the moral formation of his central characters, Tagore argues for a model of freedom rooted first in the cultivation of conscience.
2. Rabindranath Tagore: Life, Thought and Context
2.1 Tagore as Philosopher and Novelist
Tagore’s literary voice is philosophical. He turned to the novel form to explore moral complexity through intimate human relations. He was influenced by Indian spiritual traditions (Upanishads, Bhakti), classical Sanskrit aesthetics, and contemporary ethical debates emerging under colonial modernity. His fiction often stages dilemmas that resist simplistic political solutions and invites readers to reflect on the interior conditions of moral life.
2.2 Historical Background: Swadeshi and its Discontents
The Swadeshi movement began as a boycott and revivalist campaign to counter colonial economic policies. With popular success came intensifying rhetoric and at times coercive tactics. Tagore, initially supportive of self-rule and economic selfhood, grew concerned that fervour had hardened into a quasi-religious devotion to the nation—what he perceived as the deification of political ends. This context illuminates the novel’s urgency: its critique is less of nationalism per se than of nationalism that substitutes collective passion for personal conscience.
2.3 Tagore’s Intellectual Position toward Nationalism and Religion
Tagore advanced a nuanced critique: he rejected narrow, aggressive nationalisms and argued that the spiritual core of any political movement must be ethical. Religion—when understood as the development of moral sensitivity—could be an ally to social good. But when religion was treated as an instrument of politics or when political aims were sanctified as religious absolutes, Tagore foresaw the moral collapse of society.
3. Tagore’s Notion of Religion in the Novel
3.1 Religion as Inner Realization
Tagore redefines religion as the inward process of awakening to the unity of the self with others and with the divine. In the novel, religion is not external conformity but the growth of inner capacities for compassion, truthfulness and self-knowledge. This experiential interpretation of religion counters institutional approaches: the religious life is judged by how it shapes moral behaviour, not by the observance of rites.
3.2 Religion versus Ritual and Idolatry
A major theme is the tension between authenticity and spectacle. Tagore critiques ritualistic religiosity and the propensity to convert symbols or concepts into idols. He is particularly suspicious of the transformation of the nation into a sacred object, because such a transformation elevates political loyalty above moral judgment. Tagore warns that the worship of abstractions—however noble in appearance—can erase individual conscience.
3.3 Religion as Ethical Grounding for Action
In Tagore’s framework, religion furnishes ethical principles that guide action. Moral imperatives like non-hurt, honesty, and empathy flow from an awakened consciousness and are actualized in social service. Thus religion and ethics are mutually reinforcing: spirituality informs right action, while ethical engagement deepens spiritual insight.
4. Ethics and Moral Philosophy in The Home and the World
4.1 The Idea of Moral Discernment
The novel emphasizes moral discernment as the capacity to perceive ethical subtleties, to differentiate between genuine ends and alluring but hollow motives. Moral discernment is cultivated through reflection, humility, and exposure to the realities of others’ lives; it cannot be induced by slogans or by rhetorical flourish.
4.2 Nikhil: Embodiment of Ethical Stability
Nikhil’s character exemplifies ethical maturity. He embodies restraint, patience, and a consistent prioritization of human dignity over political advantage. His ethical posture is not passivity; it is principled engagement. He models how personal virtues—truthfulness, respect for autonomy, and service—can anchor political life and resist demagogic manipulation.
4.3 Sandip: Rhetoric, Spectacle and Ethical Corruption
Sandip, by contrast, embodies rhetorical power and emotional manipulation. His appeals to passion obscure moral accountability. He elevates ends above means and celebrates heroic myths that insulate followers from the ethical cost of their acts. Tagore's portrait of Sandip is a study of how charismatic leadership without moral restraint leads to ethical erosion and social harm.
5. Self-Realization and Character Development
5.1 Conceptualizing Self-Realization in Tagore’s Thought
Self-realization in Tagore’s project is not solitary mysticism but the awakening of ethical consciousness that makes the individual capable of loving and serving others. It is a process of interior education that results in freedom from ego-centric fears and desires, thereby enabling responsible action.
5.2 Bimala’s Journey: From Enclosure to Ethical Agency
Bimala’s arc is central. Beginning as a sheltered wife, she is drawn out by excitement and flattered by attention. Her flirtation with Sandip’s seductive nationalism reveals her vulnerabilities—longing for recognition and a sense of purpose. Her misstep and subsequent remorse are the mechanisms through which Tagore stages self-realization: suffering and reflection become the instruments of moral growth. The novel does not treat Bimala’s awakening as purely intellectual; it is an embodied transformation involving correction, humility, and reengagement with ethical life.
5.3 The Union of Inner Freedom and Social Responsibility
For Tagore, authentic self-realization yields social responsibility. The realized self acts in the world not to dominate but to enhance human flourishing. The novel suggests that only persons formed by inner discipline can be trusted with political projects; otherwise, politics becomes merely power for its own sake.
6. Symbolism and Structural Devices that Convey Moral Themes
6.1 Home and World as Complementary Realms
Tagore’s structural metaphor—the home and the world—maps the interior and exterior elements of moral life. The home is the site of formation, where character is cultivated through intimacy and ethical reflection. The world is the arena of practice, where principles are tested. The novel insists that neither realm can subsist without the other in moral terms.
6.2 Images of Fire, Mirror and Food: Moral Signifiers
Recurring images—fire (energy and danger), mirror (self-knowledge and reflection), and food (care and nourishment)—carry moral significance. Fire symbolizes both creative force and destructive passion; mirrors signal the need for honest self-view; food gestures toward care and shared sustenance as the basis of ethical life. Tagore uses these images not ornamentally but as signposts to ethical states.
6.3 Narrative Voice and the Ethics of Storytelling
The narrative voice mediates moral judgment without heavy-handed preaching. Tagore uses subtle irony and psychological realism to invite the reader’s moral participation. The ethics of storytelling here is dialogic: readers are compelled to judge and to learn, making the narrative an ethical pedagogy rather than an ideological tract.
7. Gender, Spirituality and the Ethics of Freedom
7.1 Women’s Interiority and Moral Authority
Tagore foregrounds women’s interior lives as essential sites of moral formation. The novel grants Bimala subjectivity and moral complexity, showing how women’s ethical decisions shape the fabric of social life. By representing her as the moral conscience in formation, Tagore challenges patriarchal presumptions that reduce women to passive domestic ornaments.
7.2 Bimala as a Case Study in Feminine Ethical Awakening
Bimala’s path models how women move from social dependence to autonomous moral agency. Her awakening is not primarily political emancipation but ethical autonomy: she learns to evaluate motives and to act in ways consistent with a deeper sense of responsibility.
7.3 Domestic Space as Ethical Laboratory
Tagore repurposes domestic space as an ethical laboratory where principles are tested through everyday relations. The home thus becomes a place of moral apprenticeship capable of generating citizens whose public conduct is humane.
8. Education, Humanism and the Ethical State
8.1 Tagore’s Educational Ideal as Spiritual Praxis
Tagore’s educational philosophy links knowledge with moral sensibility. Education must cultivate empathy, creativity, and moral judgment. Schools and cultural institutions, in his view, must produce persons who can carry spiritual insights into public life without succumbing to fanaticism.
8.2 Ethical Leadership versus Political Leadership
The novel establishes a distinction between leadership founded on ethical integrity and leadership founded on mass mobilization. Ethical leaders prioritize people’s dignity and long-term welfare; political leaders who lack moral formation risk fostering tyranny.
8.3 Visva-Bharati as a Model of Moral Formation
Tagore’s own institution, Visva-Bharati, is presented in his life and work as a model where education and spirituality merge to create citizens of moral sensibility. The ideal has contemporary resonance for institutions that aim to cultivate ethical and civic virtues.
9. Comparative Dimensions: Tagore, Gandhi, and Western Thinkers
9.1 Convergences and Differences with Gandhi’s Praxis
Tagore and Gandhi shared concern for moral foundations of politics but diverged in emphasis. Gandhi stressed nonviolence and active civil disobedience grounded in moral discipline; Tagore emphasized inner transformation as prior and essential. Both insisted that ends are inseparable from means, yet Tagore maintained a cautionary stance toward mass mobilization that risks moral shortcuts.
9.2 Resonances with Western Humanists and Religious Critics
Tagore’s fusion of spiritual insight and humanism resonates with Western thinkers who critiqued institutional religion while affirming moral conscience. His rejection of idolatry and insistence on ethical practice parallel wider modern debates about religion’s social function.
9.3 The Novel’s Contribution to Global Ethical Conversation
The Home and the World contributes a perspective that is both particular to the Indian context and universal in its moral claims. It offers a model for integrating spiritual depth with social responsibility—an idea that enriches global conversations about ethics, politics, and education.
Conclusion
The Home and the World remains a vital exploration of how religion, ethics, and self-realization intersect to produce human flourishing. Tagore resists simplistic dichotomies: the spiritual and the political, the private and the public, are interdependent. His novel demonstrates that political freedom without inner moral formation is unstable and dangerous, while spiritual awakening that lacks social application becomes insular. Ultimately, Tagore proposes a reciprocal movement: inner transformation informs ethical action, and ethical action deepens spiritual life. For learners and citizens in any age, the lesson is clear—true liberation is the moral and spiritual enlargement of the self, expressed in compassionate engagement with the world.
Work Cited
- Mitra, Tanushree, Arindam Modak, and Sutanuka Banerjee. “Bridging the Nationalism-Cosmopolitanism Divide: A Critical Analysis of Rabindranath Tagore’s The Home and the World.” Studies in Indian Cultures, vol. 1, no. 15, 2019, pp. 53-66. https://www.sic-journal.org/Article/Index/781
- Halder, Souvik. “Rabindranath Tagore’s Humanism: Exploring the Interplay of Individualism and Universalism in His Literary and Philosophical Works.” Research Review: International Journal of Multidisciplinary, vol. 8, no. 2, 2023, pp. 137-141.https://rrjournals.com/index.php/rrijm/article/view/906
- Tagore, Rabindranath. Home and the World. Penguin Books India, 2005.
- Mondal, None Dibaranjan. “Re-reading Tagore’s the Home and the World: A Study of Conte
- sting Modernities.” The Creative Launcher, vol. 6, no. 3, Aug. 2021, pp. 34 39.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354593688_Re-reading_Tagore's_The_Home_and_the_World_A_Study_of_Contesting_Modernities
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