REFLECTION OF HINDU AND BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY IN T.S ELIOT'S 'WASTE LAND.'
PARIPEX-INDIAN JOURNAL OF RESEARCH June 15, 2023 Paramveer Chahal
The spiritual and ethical ideals of Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, especially their Vedic and Upanishadic traditions, deeply influenced T.S. Eliot's poetic vision and provided a framework for addressing the spiritual emptiness of modern humanity in his poem The Waste Land. The study traces how Indian religious thought, encountered through Eliot's mentors and the Oriental Study Centre at Harvard, permeates each section of the poem, offering a moral and spiritual yardstick to restore meaning alongside Christian intent. The analysis argues that this infusion of Eastern wisdom gives the poem a universal undertone, balancing European cultural traditions with enduring Indian values of high moral character and ethical living.