তারাশঙ্কর বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়ের ছোটগল্পে বৈষ্ণব দর্শন : নির্বাচিত পাঠের প্রেক্ষিতে একটি নন্দনতাত্ত্বিক ও দার্শনিক আলোচনা/ TARASHANKA BANDOPADHAYER CHHOTAGALPA VAISHNAVA DARSHAN : NIRBACHITO PATHAR PREKHITE AKTI NANDANTATTWIK O DARSHANIK ALOCHANA

Abstract

Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay occupies a significant position in modern Bengali fiction for his nuanced portrayal of rural society, folk culture, and the psychological depth of human life. His works not only depict socio-cultural transformations but also foreground the lived experiences of marginalized communities with empathy and critical insight. A notable dimension of his literary oeuvre is the reinterpretation of medieval Vaishnava philosophy within a modern narrative framework. The short stories Raskali and Radharani exemplify this synthesis, where the realization of divine love is mediated through human emotional experience. Central tenets of Vaishnavism - premabhakti (devotional love), viraha (separation), and saranagati (self-surrender) - are intricately embedded within the characters’ inner lives and social realities. While Raskali situates love and devotion within a folk-realist setting, highlighting their coexistence in everyday life, Radharani delves into the psychological conflict between sensual desire and spiritual aspiration, ultimately resolving it through transcendence. The transformation of kama (desire) into prema (divine love), along with the purificatory function of separation, emerges as a central philosophical motif in both narratives. This study argues that in these stories, love transcends its mundane limits and evolves into a spiritual discipline, through which human suffering, emotional conflict, and existential longing lead to the realization of divine consciousness.