धार्मिक संवेदना और कवि मानस : बॉदलेर की साखी
Summary
The article explores the relationship between religious sensibility and the poetic mind, using the French poet Charles Baudelaire as a lens. It begins by noting that a true poet, while representing their culture, also transcends it by their very nature, which is the source of their significance for both that culture and humanity. The text contrasts Eastern and Western spiritual paths, referencing Sri Aurobindo’s view that both the ascetic refusal of the world and the materialist denial of the spirit are one-sided and lead to decline. It questions the concept of synthesis between these two extremes, especially in an era of globalization, and recalls W.B. Yeats’s call for conflict rather than synthesis. The discussion moves to the idea of God as the property of all humanity, a concept found in the Ishavasya Upanishad and echoed by Gandhi, but notes that historical religions often become tribal and imperialistic. The article suggests that the contribution of historical religions may be complete, and that a new departure for religious consciousness is needed in an age of religious fatigue and hedonistic culture. It references Matthew Arnold’s prediction that the future of religion would be in poetry. Baudelaire’s own paradoxical statements are examined, including his view that God does not need to exist to be the divine source, and his critique of progress. The text concludes by reflecting on the diminished role of modern poets and writers in Indian society compared to the Bhakti era, and asserts that in a scientific age where traditional beliefs are shaken, a renewal of religious sensibility must come from creative sources that most deeply experience the world’s evils, as Baudelaire did in his work *Les Fleurs du mal*.
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Conclusion
This analysis reveals that the poet’s role is no longer that of a cultural custodian or moral guide, as in the Bhakti era, but rather a solitary witness to a fragmented age. The implications are stark: modern poetry, exemplified by Baudelaire, must navigate a world where traditional religious authority has collapsed and the “best lack all conviction.” The outcome is a necessary shift from seeking synthesis to embracing creative conflict, as Yeats suggested. The poet’s true function now is to endure the “evil” of the age with uncompromising sensitivity, transforming that very experience into a new, purifying truth that can rescue humanity from spiritual stagnation. This is not a retreat but a deeper engagement with the crisis, where the poet’s intimate journal becomes a vital, if unsettling, source of renewal.