α.   ^ Narrow (Indian English) IPA transcription: [ɹobin̪d̪ɾonat̪ʰ ʈʰakuɹ].

     β.   ^ Romanized transliteration from Tagore's name in Bangla script: Robindronath Ţhakur.

     γ.   ^ In the Bangla Calendar: 25 Baishakh, 1268 – 22 Srabon, 1348.

     δ.   ^ "Gurudev" translates as "divine mentor".[98]

     ε.   ^ Tagore was born at No. 6 Dwarkanath Tagore Lane, Jorasanko — the address of the main mansion (the Jorasanko Thakurbari) inhabited by the Jorasanko branch of the Tagore clan, which had earlier suffered an acrimonious split. Jorasanko was located in the Bengali section of Calcutta (Bahasa Benggali: কলকাতা), near Chitpur Road.[99]

     ζ.   ^ Etymology of "Visva-Bharati": from the Sanskrit term for "world" or "universe" and the name of a Rigveda goddess ("Bharati") associated with Saraswati, the Hindu patron goddess of learning.[100] "Visva-Bharati" also translates as "India in the World".

     η.   ^ Tagore was mired in several notable controversies, including his dealings with Indian nationalists Subhas Chandra Bose[101] and Rash Behari Bose,[102] his expressions of admiration for Soviet-style Communism,[103][104] and papers confiscated from Indian nationalists in New York allegedly implicating Tagore in a plot to use German funds to overthrow the British Raj.[105] The latter allegation caused Tagore's book sales and popularity among the U.S. public to plummet.[102] Lastly, his relations with and ambivalent opinion of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini revolted many, causing Romain Rolland (a close friend of Tagore's) to state that "[h]e is abdicating his role as moral guide of the independent spirits of Europe and India".[106]