Robert Browning: A Reassessment in the Light of Hindu Vision

Robert Browning’s poetry postulates a unique kind of philosophy, which naturally approximates to the Hindu vision of life. Viewed from this point of view, Browning is a philosopher—poet who appears to be much taller than he has actually been measured out to be. The Hindu vision of life and Browning’s poetic works have a number of similarities with particular reference to the concept of karma (action), faith in God, immortality of soul, rebirth, transinigration of soul, concept of humanism, universal brotherhood etc. In conclusion, it has been inferred that Browning’s poetic vision has much in common with the Hindu vision. But these subtle similarities and approximations between Browning’s poetic output and the basic tenets of Hinduism do not naturally suggest or imply the indebtness of either to the other. In fact, these similarities and approximations between the two should not be interpreted as identification. Wherever, an attempt, in the foregoing chapters, has been made to identify such similarities, it has been undertaken only treating it as simply a voyage of discovery, a finding out of new facts, just intended to explore the obscure and the little Brown recesses of Browning’s poetry.