5. The poet and the scientist

Two immortals: Tagore and Einstein. During their memorable interview at Einstein’s place in Berlin, both of them unfortunately had to enjoy a difference of opinions. True, indeed, is the saying, “Many minds, many ways.”

“This world,” said Tagore, “is a human world. The scientific view of it is only that of the scientific man. Therefore, the world apart from us humans does not exist; it is a relative world, depending for its reality upon our consciousness. There is a standard of reason which gives it truth — the standard of the eternal man, whose experiences are made possible through our experiences.”

> Einstein’s comment: “I agree with the conception of beauty as being inseparable from man, but I do not agree with this conception as pertaining to truth.”

> “Why not?” enquired Tagore. “Truth is realised through man.”

After a long pause, Einstein replied very quietly and softly: “I cannot prove my conception is right, but that is my religion.”

At the end of the journey’s close, each individual is entitled to reach his destination according to his inner experiences and outer manifestations. The approaches of these two unique individuals to the reality-world were strikingly different, but needless to say both of them, from two different angles, will eventually arrive at the self-same goal: oneness-satisfaction and satisfaction-perfection.14


RTM 102. Sri Chinmoy, Einstein: Scientist-Sage, Brother of Atom-Universe, New York: Agni Press, 1979, p. 56.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Rabindranath Tagore: the moon of Bengal’s Heart, Agni Press, 2011
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/rtm