Electronic library of the international center of the Roerichs. Paintings by N.K

10.05.2021 | Technics

Schemes of Nicholas Roerich's painting "Signs of Geser" - ritual dance
in front of the solar symbolic sign. Fragment

The plot of the painting "The Rocks of Lahula" (1935) was associated with the legendary signs of Geser. In fact, the image represents a traditional circle dance scene dedicated to a solar deity.

The ritual circular dance in honor of the solar deity in the rock painting of Central and Central Asia dates back to the Bronze Age. Now we can confidently compare this plot with similar scenes from Bimbetka (India), Saimaly-Tash (Kyrgyzstan), Tamgaly (Kazakhstan), Chuluut (Mongolia). In this chain of famous archaeological finds, the plot from Lahul (Western Tibet) has additional significance in the study of the circular dance of ritual action, which scientists associate with the cult ritual of the Indo-Europeans of the Bronze Age.

In those distant times, magical influence was carried out through communication with the invisible world, with those divine and astral forces on which the well-being of the community depended.

The painting "Sword of Geser", named after the legendary hero of the Mongol-Tibetan epic Geser Khan, on the one hand, reflects the folk traditions of depicting the symbol of a cult hero on the rocks, on the other hand, a certain stage in the evolution of material culture. This form of sword or dagger is traditional. Similar daggers were found on the territory of Uzbekistan. Armament of this type is associated with the invasion of this territory by the Yudzhian tribes, which are associated with the migration processes of the movement of the peoples of Central Asia. Yu.N. Roerich paid much attention to the study of these problems.

Nicholas Roerich paid considerable attention to the legendary figure of Geser Khan as a character of Tibetan myths, an object of a developed cult. The artist's canvases depict both the hero himself and images associated with his cult. Roerich, as it were, reveals the most ancient core of the image - a cult hero sent down from the sky, cleansing the earth of monsters. As the chosen ruler and even the first person to descend from heaven, Geser goes back to the pre-Buddhist, Bon tradition.

In the painting "Stronghold of the Spirit" (1932) we see a rock with a traditional Tibetan dedicatory inscription associated with the penetration of Buddhism: "Om mani padme hum" (Oh, treasure in the lotus). In Roerich's painting, the beginning of the inscription is given: "Om mani ...". The inscriptions on the rocks are associated with Buddhist tradition.

To date, rock paintings of the 2nd century AD have been investigated. with inscriptions in the Kazakh tract of Kapchagai, representing three figures of Buddhist iconography with dedicatory Tibetan inscriptions deciphering their names. It is also related to the Indian tradition representing the trinity of gods - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Roerich's painting has a cognitive meaning in the study of this kind of monuments.

Currently, German archaeologists have discovered a Buddhist cycle of rock art in Pakistan.

Thus, the rock art presented in the paintings of Nicholas Roerich significantly complements our ideas about a significant cultural phenomenon in the spiritual life of the peoples of Central Asia in the semantic and chronological aspect over the millennia in the light of new archaeological discoveries.

The works of modern scientists embody the development of Roerich's ideas about the spiritual and artistic value of primitive art.

justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "> line-height: 150%; font-family: "times =" "new =" "roman =" "> Among the many phenomena of Nicholas Roerich's painting, the phenomenon of citing images of the world cultural heritage plays a special role. Iconic images from different times and cultures are compositionally mixed in Roerich's paintings, creating the symbolic unity of the canvas.If icon painting, which is based on citing standardized images, limits its imagery to the established tradition, then Roerich's painting, which takes its basis in icon painting, considers the entire world cultural heritage as its figurative source. Thus, Roerich's paintings express the idea universality and unity of world culture.

justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "> line-height: 150%; font-family: "times =" "new =" "roman =" "> Such an artistic method corresponds to the general theosophical worldview of Roerich, which professes both the religious and cultural unity of mankind. creates multilayer symbolic layers in the picture, not only bringing to the canvas those ideas that fill the quoted images, but also building new meanings through their interaction.

justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "> line-height: 150%; font-family: "times =" "new =" "roman =" "> So in Roerich's paintings, through a crevice in the Arizona rocks, the bridge of European Bruges is quite organically stretched, the figure of the Namburger Uta rises against the background of the Himalayan spurs, the image of the disciple of Buddha Drona is similar to the Orthodox Savior, the Indian saint Ramakrishna is depicted in the image of a bodhisattva, saints Zosima and Savvaty stand at the gates of the fabulous Zvenigorod, and in the images of the Christian paradise, scenes from Buddhist thangkas can be found. , harmoniously and completely devoid of any eclecticism.

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"times =" "new =" "roman =" "> N. Roerich." Victory "(1942)

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justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "> line-height: 150%; font-family: "times =" "new =" "roman =" "> This kind of symbolism is also filled with Roerich's painting" Victory "(1942), apparently written soon after the victory of the Soviet troops in the battle near Moscow in March 1942. The painting depicts a Russian hero standing against the background of the Altai "Belukha" in front of the carcass of the dragon he had killed.

justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "> line-height: 150%; font-family: "times =" "new =" "roman =" "> It would seem that the symbolism of the picture is clear - the victory of Russian weapons over a fascist machine. Many researchers also note that the color of the dragon's skin resembles the color of the uniform of the German infantry, the Altai mountains symbolize the Siberian divisions that played a decisive role in the battle near Moscow, the bogatyr is undoubtedly a generalizing symbol of the Russian people, “Ivan the Hundreds of thousands,” as Roerich liked to write.

justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "> line-height: 150%; font-family: "times =" "new =" "roman =" "> But this is only the first obvious symbolic layer. At the second level of consideration, you can see that the image of the hero is a quote from the famous image of Filippo Scolari created in mso-ansi-language: EN-US "> XV 150%; font-family: "times =" "new =" "roman =" "> century Andrea del Castagno The image of Filippo Scolari is interesting because he is a symbol of the enlightened warrior-ruler, one of the pillars of the Early Renaissance.

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"times =" "new =" "roman =" "> Portrait of Filippo Scolari by Andrea del Castagno

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justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "> line-height: 150%; font-family: "times =" "new =" "roman =" "> This very image of a" cultural leader ", a defender of culture and art was very close to Roerich and the philosophy he professed. ideal also in the images of the Belgian king Albert, the Yugoslav king Alexander and the first president of Czechoslovakia Tomas Masaryk. For Roerich, the "people's stronghold" is formed by the "leader of Culture" through the primacy of spirit and primacy of culture. 1945, Roerich sees the image of the future Russia in the cooperation of peoples, which should be ensured precisely through "cultural connection" and "art exchange".

Line-height: 150%; font-family: "times =" "new =" "roman =" "> However, the symbolic row of the picture does not end there. The image of Filippo Scolari by Andrea del Castagno is itself a quote from an older symbol of the serpent warrior - George the Victorious from the sculpture by Donatello.

Font-family: "times =" "new =" "roman =" "> Donatello" Saint George "(1415-1416). The original sculpture had a helmet on its head and a sword in its hand

Stained-glass window "Saint George". Anglican Church in Rome (19th century)

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justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "> line-height: 150%; font-family: "times =" "new =" "roman =" "> Through this image, the picture is revealed in a completely different symbolic way. The symbol of "victory" acquires an additional meaning. The serpent-dragon here already appears, on the one hand, in the form of globally world evil, and on the other, as a symbol of spiritual victory over the inner evil that lives in man.

justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "> line-height: 150%; font-family: "times =" "new =" "roman =" "> In this sense, the image of the serpent-dragon becomes almost an icon-painting serpent from The Miracle of the Serpent, and the image of a warrior is not closer to the image of St. George the Victorious, and to another serpent-fighter - Theodore Tiron.This is not surprising - in religious texts and paintings, the images of the serpent-fighters George the Victorious, Theodore Tyron and Theodore Stratilates are often mixed.

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Icon "Theodore Tiron". Athens. Around 1453

Font-family: "times =" "new =" "roman =" "> Icon" Theodore Stratilat "

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justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% ">" times = "" new = "" roman = ""> line-height: 150%; font-family: "times =" "new =" "roman =" "> At the same time, Roerich was well aware of the topic of snake fighting. It appears in Roerich's paintings at the beginning of his work - and certainly in connection with with ancient Russian spiritual verses containing apocryphal about Fyodor Tiron and about George the Victorious (Yegor the Brave) and their snake-fighting plot. paws of a dragon snake.

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"times =" "new =" "roman =" "> N. Roerich" Serpent "(1906)

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justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "> line-height: 150%; font-family: "times =" "new =" "roman =" "> The image of Theodore Tiron is not accidental for Roerich. On the fateful days of Russia - 1917 and 1940 - Roerich writes the painting "Message to Tyrone", which captures his vision of a plot from the apocryphal life of the saint, when he receives the news of his mother's captivity by the serpent.

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"times =" "new =" "roman =" "> N. Roerich. Message to Tyrone, 1940

justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "> line-height: 150%; font-family: "times =" "new =" "roman =" "> Thus, there is an obvious symbolic connection between the pictures" Message to Tyrone "and" Victory. " captivity by the serpent of his mother-homeland, and on the second - the feat of liberation of the motherland-mother from the snake captivity is captured.

justify; text-indent: 35.45pt; line-height: 150% "> line-height: 150%; font-family: "times =" "new =" "roman =" "> So Roerich, in symbolic language, through the method of figurative citation, creates multi-layered paintings, linking legends with modernity. into the language of world culture and art. The language that Roerich considered universal and timeless, capable of uniting and elevating humanity, synthesizing the best and the most sublime. "Art will unite humanity, - wrote N. Roerich, - Art is the banner of the coming synthesis"

Sikkim series. 1924 Tempera on canvas. 74х117.5 Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA. New York

“In the painting“ Drops of Life ”, a woman in a golden robe sits on a ledge of a rock, on a slope of snowy peaks. She collects drops of life in a jug - drops of wisdom and knowledge pouring from a high-mountainous spring. In deep thought, she looks down to the Earth, where she will bring this vital moisture that she has collected ”.

(ND Spirina, Reflections, 1999)

The vessel is one of the symbols of a person's consciousness, and drops of life-giving moisture are grains of knowledge, as well as the skills and qualities of the spirit born by him, which will accompany a person after his earthly life, in other incarnations ...

Higher spiritual Knowledge is not like ordinary knowledge available to the intellect. This knowledge comes to a person slowly and gradually, like precious drops of the purest mountain water falling into a vessel.

(Album "The Way to Shambhala", p.30)

2. Burning darkness

Series "His Country". 1924 Canvas, tempera. 88.5x117

“... An expedition came from Everest (Chomolungma) ... By the way, they tried to find out if we had climbed to Everest.

In the painting "The Burning of Darkness" they recognized the exact image of the glacier near Everest and did not understand how this characteristic view, seen only by them, got into the painting ... "

(N.K. Roerich. Altai-Himalayas)

Burning darkness is one of the most interesting paintings by N. Roerich.

From the mountainous Abode of Light, a majestic figure solemnly brings out the reserved shining Stone of wisdom and knowledge, dispelling the surrounding darkness. The Bearer of the Treasure of Peace is followed by a procession of people in reverent silence, immersed in deep prayer.

With their Light and energy of thought, they destroy the accumulation of negative psychic energy in the Earth's space- the result of negative thoughts and feelings of most people.

This energy of thoughts poisoned with anger, envy and greed becomes negative, destructive, harmful. It has a negative impact on the environment, disrupts the natural energy balance of the elements and provokes natural disasters.

3. Treasure of the World - Chintamani

Series "His Country", 1924. Canvas, tempera. 88.5 x 116.5. Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA. New York

The Sacred Stone of Chintamani is known under various names in the secret traditions of almost all peoples.

According to Legend, the birthplace of the Stone is the constellation Orion, associated in a special way with our planet.

In very ancient times, the Stone from Orion served as the foundation of the Great Community of Light on Earth, which was called Shambhala in the East. Since then, the main body of the Stone has been stored in this Brotherhood, and its shard is sent to the world. The cosmoplanetary connection of the distant constellation Orion, the Stone in the Brotherhood of Light and a fragment of this Stone wandering around the world begins to activate at certain times, and then great historical shifts occur.

At critical moments in history, the sacred Stone appears in those countries and in the hands of those heroes who can especially influence the course of human evolution. The stone was owned by the king of ancient Judea Solomon, the first emperor of China in the Qin dynasty, Alexander the Great.

Chintamani was in Ancient Novgorod, was in the hands of Tamerlane and Akbar the Great.

The main characteristic of Chintamani is its fiery nature, which is associated with its amazing properties: it can glow, emit sparks and flames, change its weight, emit a crackle, predict events, and give its owner special strength and endurance.

The Sanskrit two-part word "Chintamani" literally means "precious stone of thought." Therefore, we can say that Chintamani is a fiery crystal of the highest spiritual thought.

The Chintamani stone is the talisman of the New World, it contains the fate of future humanity.

In the East, there is a poetic legend telling that once at the appointed hour a white horse will descend from the mountains, on the back of which, instead of a rider, there will be a casket with the Chintamani Stone - the Treasure of the World. This will become a sign of the onset of a new era and the transformation of the world.

In the painting by N.K. Roerich, a wise horse, surrounded by radiance, with a cautious mountain tread carries the Stone down to the people.

4. Lao Tzu

Series "Banners of the East", 1924. Canvas, tempera. Private collection, USA

“Once a saddled buffalo approached the hut in which Lao Tzu lived and stood at the threshold. Lao Tzu went out, sat on him, and the buffalo rushed him to the Himalayan peaks.

The era in which Lao Tzu lived is known as the "era of wars" - a time of civil strife, when enmity and strife, striving for power, honor and wealth served as the main engines of people's actions and thoughts. Seeing such a decline in morality, Lao Tzu leaves public service and retires into a hermit. He settles in the mountains and indulges in contemplation and meditation. It is believed that it was here that he thought about and wrote his famous "Book of the Way and Virtue" - "Tao Te Ching".

... for a person's life to be not a grief, but a good, a person must learn to live not for the body, but for the spirit. This is what Lao-Tze teaches. He teaches how to move from the life of the body to the life of the spirit. He calls his teaching the Way ... "

(N.D.Spirina, Reflections, 2000)

5. Santana

1935-1936, USA

“The wheel of life. Or as the Hindus will say: "Santana" - "Stream of life."

“… The stream of life - santana - is whimsical and generous. The stream is sprayed into a steep waterfall, so that later it will return to the channel. "

(N.K. Roerich, Diary Sheets, vol.2, "Santana")

6. On the peaks

Nicholas Roerich's painting "On the summits" depicts the well-known phenomenon "Tum-mo" - the kindling of the main energy centers of consciousness.

“Those who have comprehended the Teaching“ Tum-mo ”, according to the pilgrims, can sit for hours in the scorching icy wind, without feeling the cold. On the contrary, they feel a pleasant warmth spreading over their bodies, and sometimes they see tongues of flame dancing around them. The lamas tried to convince me that some preachers, whose lives were the most sinless, are able to make the snow melt at a considerable distance from them. Before reaching this stage of "Tum-mo," the monk had to undergo training under the guidance of a mentor. Without the help of a teacher, "Tum-mo" is considered extremely dangerous ... "

(Yu.N. Roerich)

7. The vessel is not splashed

1927, canvas, tempera, USA

“... the one who carries this good lamp must walk very carefully so that he is not pushed, and valuable oil does not spill, and the fire does not go out. In this carefulness there will be neither fear nor selfhood.

If a person knows that he must convey something in the name of the greater good, then he will exert all his resourcefulness, all his capacity and tolerance, so as not to spill his cup in vain. After all, he is not carrying it for himself.

To shorten the path, he will also pass through the catacombs and spend the night in a cave, maybe he will not sleep enough and will forget about food - after all, he is not walking for himself.

Service to humanity<…>everyone must set this high and difficult demand for himself as an earthly goal.

In creativity, in help, in encouragement, in enlightenment, in all searches for achievements, before a person there will be the same Service. In it, he only repays his debt.

... can maliciously push your lamp. They can destructively try to plunge you into darkness without fire. But cover this sacred flame with all your clothes, preserve it with all your thoughts. In such crucial hours, you need to apply all your savings, all your attention. ... Be the same vigorous and invincible. "

(N. Roerich. Indestructible. "Catacombs", p.182, Riga, "Vieda", 1991)

“… There is a grain of spirit in every being, but their condition and quality are different ... As sure as one cannot remain motionless in cosmic motion, the same way the state of mind must change non-stop ... Let us wish only to everyone, and to ourselves, first of all, that the cup of the spirit does not splash. So that heavy drops of chaos do not incinerate the valuable, accumulated moisture of the bowl. "

(N. Roerich. Indestructible. "Desired Labor", p. 168, Riga, "Vieda", 1991)

8. Treasure of the mountains(Intimate)

Secrets of the Himalayan monastery - "Shambhala", is dedicated to the picture "Treasure of the mountains" or "Intimate".

In his articles, Roerich often mentions huge treasures kept in the depths of the Himalayas. But this is not gold, not diamonds, not rubies. The ancient East knows other treasures, spiritual... It was Them that Nicholas Roerich had in mind when he painted the picture “Treasure of the Mountains”.

The gaze rushes into the depths of the cave. In the foreground are huge beautiful crystals saturated with a golden glow. But these rare and precious minerals are not the point. There, in the depths of the vaulted cave, to the left and right of the entrance to it, against the blue background of the mountain, you can see the outlines of ancient statues carved into the rock. In the background, a group of people dressed in long robes is depicted. One of them is holding a lighted lamp, brightly illuminating the cave. These are the Mahatmas. Their wisdom is the true spiritual treasure of the mountains.

9. Silver kingdom. Mount Meru.

1938 Tempera on canvas. 48 x 78 cm. State Museum of Oriental Art, Russia. Moscow

“… Whoever contemplates the Himalayas remembers the great significance of Mount Meru. The Blessed Buddha traveled to the Himalayas in search of the Light. There, near the legendary holy Stupa, in the presence of all the Gods, the Blessed One received his Illumination. Indeed, everything connected with the Himalayas bears the great symbol of Mount Meru, which stands in the Center of the World. "

(N. Roerich "Shining Shambhala", "Treasure of the Snows", New York, 1930)

10. The path to Shambhala

1933 Nicholas Roerich Museum, New York

Nicholas Roerich and all members of his family were keenly interested in the spiritual culture of the East, in particular, the philosophical heritage of India and Tibet. This interest gradually led them to the most intimate concept of the spiritual culture of the East - Shambhala, the Brotherhood of Teachers and Adepts of secret wisdom, who formed a monastery in the remote regions of the Himalayas in order to help the spiritual development of the world.

The most mysterious part of the Roerichs' "eastern path" is connected with their visit to Shambhala.

In the texts of Agni Yoga and in the essays of N.K. Roerich, it is said that the uninitiated can never find their way to the Ashrams of Shambhala. All paths to the monastery of the Himalayan Brotherhood are reliably disguised from casual curious.

11. Mahomet on Mount Hira

1924 Tempera on canvas. 73.6 × 117. Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia

Mohammed (Muhammad)(c. 570-632) - the founder of the religion of Islam and the first community of Muslims; the prophet of Allah and his messenger, through whom the text of the Koran, the main holy book of Muslims, proclaiming strict monotheism was transmitted to people.

“I am sending… a snapshot from my painting“ Mohammed on Mount Khira ”receives the decree of the Archangel Gabriel. I have heard very touching responses from fellow believers in Muhammad about this picture, who noted the understanding of tradition in hiding the face of the prophet. "

The plot of the painting "Mohammed on Mount Khira" is explained by the notes of N.K. Roerich in his expedition diary:
“The same - of the Old and New Testaments - the Archangel Gabriel on Mount Hira instructed Mohammed to start preaching ...

“At-Tabari speaks interestingly about the prophetic vocation of Muhammad (" History of the Prophets and Kings "). “The first thing that began the revelation of the messenger of God was the suggestions of truth, which came like morning radiance. Then he was imbued with solitude and remained in a cave on Mount Khira. And then the eternal True came to him. And he said to him:“ Mohammed, you are the messenger of God "I knelt down," says the messenger of God, "and I stand waiting. Then slowly I went out. My heart was trembling. I came to Khadija and said:" Wrap me up, wrap me up, "and my fear passed. And He appeared again and said to me: "Mohammed, I am Gabriel, and you are the messenger of God." ...

Barakah, son of Naufal, said to Mohammed: “This is a divine revelation that was sent down to Moses, the son of Umran. If I lived to see the time when your people will drive you out! " - "Will I be banished by him?" - said Mohammed. “Yes,” he replied. - Truly, a person has never appeared with what you came with without arousing enmity towards himself. Truly they will consider you a liar, they will cause you trouble, they will drive you out and fight with you. " Baraka's words increased his firmness and dispelled his anxiety. "

(N. Roerich. Altai - Himalayas, M. 1999, p. 314)

12. Mother of the World

1930s. Tempera on canvas mounted on cardboard. 97x65.5. Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA. New York

The Mother of the World is a symbol of the Universe. The Mother of the World is a symbol of the Feminine Principle in a new era.

The painting “Based on a vision. Cult of the Eternal Mother of the World. Pisces is a symbol of silence. Landscape below - approaches to Tibet "

(ZG Fosdick "My Teachers", p. 239)

“… The Teachings speak of the coming epoch of the Mother of the World. Close to all hearts, Revered by the mind of every born, the Mother of the World again becomes at the great helm. The one who understands this Face of evolution will be happy and safe ... "

N.K. Roerich. Power of Light, "For Women"

"... They will ask:" Why is this age called the Age of the Mother of the World? " Truly, that is how it should be called. A woman will bring great help, not only bringing enlightenment, but also establishing balance. "

(Teaching of Living Ethics, Supermundane)

“… The Mother of the World is a great creative force in our essence. You lived in the cults of the ancients, like the earth, like the sun, like fire, like air, like water. You, Giver of everything, You Giving revelation to everything! Thou Who Revealed to humanity the great joyful knowledge of the Mother; You, Who Indicated the feat and Hidden Your Face; You, Who gave us the manifestation of spatial Fire; She took on your shoulders the burden of human actions; We will plead for you to return our lost smile to us. Show us the mastery of the sacred Fiery Power! "

(Teaching of Living Ethics, Infinity)

13. Herald from the Himalayas (Heading home)

Not later than 1941. Tempera on canvas. 90.5 x 151 cm. Sri Chitra Layam Gallery. Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

“I’m sorry I don’t have a snapshot of the last picture," Message from the Himalayas. The rook succeeded in the early morning fog. There is silence and distant mountains glow. June 1, 1940»

Roerich N.K. Meetings / From the literary heritage. M., 1974

“... In the later works:" Herald from the Himalayas "(1940) and" Boris and Gleb "(1942), the water surface acquires as - Chuang Tzu the quality of an unmanifest essence and true wisdom. The Roerich ascetics, like messengers of the highest wisdom, float either on the surface of the water, or on the heavenly cloudy sea. "

E.P. Matochkin. Ancient China in the works of N.K. Roerich

14. Zoroaster (Zarathustra)

1931 State Museum of Oriental Art. Russia. Moscow. Tempera on canvas. 76 x 117 cm

The painting "Zoroaster" is dedicated to the Great Ascetic Zoroaster (Zarathustra), who lived about six thousand years ago in Persia (ter. modern Iran).

Zoroaster is the great legislator and founder of the religious teaching - Zoroastrianism (fire worship).

His teaching was based on three virtues: kind thought, kind word and kind action.

“… At the top of a high rock, the Elder holds a fiery cup in his hands and pours fire from it onto the earth. Laconic and heartfelt on this canvas, the artist conveys the meaning of the great mission of the Iranian Teacher and the prophet of antiquity Zoroaster. And is he alone? Didn't all great spiritual Teachers bring the light of the fire of Knowledge, Wisdom and Love into the darkness of human existence ?! “I came to send fire on the earth, and as I wish it were already kindled” (Gospel of Luke 12: 49,51). The fire kindled in the hearts and minds of people, in the light of it they began to see their path and comprehend their purpose on earth "

N. D. Spirina

Shedding Light with your generous hand

High non-predictable planets

Into the darkness of the earth - and will be defeated,

And he will disappear from the Earth forever.

N. D. SPIRINA to N. Roerich's painting "Zoroaster"

15. Leading

1944. Canvas, tempera. 116.3 x 73.3. State Museum of the East, Moscow

A woman in white robes rises high up the mountain. And behind her, holding on to the hem of her long robe, a man advances on his knees. The rocks with their tops also rush into the sky, as if praying to him.

Helena Roerich wrote: “... A woman should rise up spiritually, morally and intellectually to such an extent that she can captivate a man with her. Remember the painting by Nikolai Konstantinovich "The one who leads" ("Leading"). So a woman ... must become not only a full-fledged collaborator in the arrangement of her whole life, but also an inspirer for life's exploits. "

Elena Ivanovna herself was a high example, a concrete embodiment of this woman's destiny.

N. D. Spirina

The one that leads

Knows: The sky is calling us.

There is only one way - forward and upward.

Appoints the person

His own destiny;

And he enters the fight

With a decrepit personality in itself,

Winning that fight

Illusory earthly world,

The world is worthless and empty.

N. D. Spirina

16. The victorious Buddha

1925 Tempera on canvas. 73.6 × 117. Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia

« The victorious buddha » - in front of the source of life.

(N. Roerich "Altai - Himalayas", M. 1974, p. 63)

Buddhism- one of three (along with Christianity and Islam of world religions). It originated in Ancient India in the 6-5th centuries. BC .. The founder is considered Sidhartha Gautama

In the religion of Buddhism, "Buddha" (Skt.) Is enlightened. A person who has reached the state of the highest perfection, the one who has mastered perfect knowledge - wisdom.

“The word“ Buddha ”is not a name, but means a state of mind that has reached the highest point of development.

Buddha never asserted his omniscience. “Brothers, I did not come here to offer you any dogmas, and I do not demand from you to believe in what many others believe. Only to enlightenment, not limited by anything, I call you; use your own mind, develop it instead of letting it go dull. I conjure you not to be like wild beasts or stupid sheep. I pray you - be sane people, people who work tirelessly for mastering true knowledge that will overcome suffering. "

Helena I. Roerich

"Qualities of Buddha: Shakyamuni - wise from the Shakya clan. Shakya-Singha - a lion, Bhagavat - Blessed, Sattha - Teacher, Ji-na - Winner".

(N. Roerich "Altai - Himalayas", M. 1999, p. 104)

Master Buddha pointed out that of the three types of actions, the most destructive not word, not bodily act, but thought.

17. White and Gorny (White and Heavenly)

Series "His Country", 1924. Canvas, tempera. 88.5 x 116.5. Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA. New York.

“As soon as you climb the peaks of the Himalayas and take in the cosmic ocean of clouds below, you will see endless shafts of rock chains and pearl rows of clouds. Behind them are the gray elephants of the skies, heavy monsoon clouds. Isn't this a cosmic picture that enables you to understand great creative manifestations? "

N.K. Roerich. Shambhala is shining. Snow Treasure

The canvas "White and Gorny" is absolutely wonderful in terms of the feeling of heavenly space. The feeling of delight that captures the person who conquered the peak, and blows from this picture. The artist seems to have ascended to the height of Everest and contemplates the opening panorama of the mountains.

Among the clouds of the most fantastic outlines, the artist draws in the foreground one, surprisingly reminiscent of two huge human figures - male and female, leaning their heads against each other. They stand here as if spellbound and admire the beauty of the upper world of the Himalayas.

E.P. Matochkin. Dream of transformation

18. Order of the Teacher

1937, canvas, tempera, India, Bangalore, S.N. Roerich collection. Tempera on canvas. 84 × 153

"... The last, unfinished painting of Nikolai Konstantinovich -" The Order of the Teacher ", in which a self-absorbed figure, the beautiful figure of the Teacher, gives an order to a flying white eagle."
P.F. Belikov "Continuous ascent" book. 1, p. 142-143

“The painting was painted just before the artist's death and remained unfinished on his easel. Its plot was associated with the Teacher and the last experiences of N.K. Roerich before his departure. With this picture, he kind of sent his last greetings to the Himalayas and the amazing beauty that they gave him. "
"Nicholas Roerich", album. ICR, M. 1999, p. 54

19. Sergius the Builder

1925, series "Banners of the East", tempera, USA, Grand Haven, Michigan, Collection of Donald Bolling

Venerable Sergius of Radonezh (1314-1392), miracle worker, the greatest ascetic of the Russian land.

“… He built the community not only spiritually, but also materially, literally with his own hands. Having gone into deep forests, where only animals lived. He created a communal monastery that shone throughout Russia. He did it simply, as simple as everything truly great, starting with the fact that he cut down a church and a cell for living with his own hands. It was then that He laid the seed, from which subsequently, all wonderfully grew in all its splendor and grandeur of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Let's think about the potential of this grain! "

N. D. Spirina

“Sergius, the Builder of Communities, forbade his employees to accept alms. Food and things could be accepted only in exchange for labor. Hungry, he himself offered his job. Community building and education were the only pursuits of this remarkable man. Refusal from the metropolitan dignity and from wearing precious metals in his life is a natural act without any pretense. Tirelessness of work; selection of young, unknown employees; simplicity both above and below. Refusal of personal property not by decree, but by the awareness of the harmfulness of this concept. Sergius has retained a large place in the list of the builders of the Community ”.

(N. Roerich "Altai - Himalayas", Riga "Vieda", 1992, p. 87)

20. Karakirgiz

1932 Tempera on canvas. 46.5 × 79.3. USA, Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York

“Some words need to be heard in the mountains, others require feather-grass-silk steppe, and still others need green forest noise. So there are words that are born only in the desert. To the same God, to the same focus, words will call out from the sands. If the heart warmly knows the words, cave and mountain, if it protects the underwater and above-cloud hailstones, it will affectionately smile at the words of the deserts. Not in the whirlwind and whirlwind and tornado, but in the sunset glow of the dunes, the heart will smile at that lonely traveler who interrupted the path, left earthly affairs, did not rush to the kishlak, but appealed to the Highest. "
N. Roerich "Diary Leaves", vol. 1, "Kitab-el-Egan", pp. 160-161

21. Oirot - Messenger of the White Burkhan

Series "Banners of the East", 1924. Canvas, tempera. 73.6 x117. International Center-Museum. N.K. Roerich (Moscow, Russia)

In the essay “Shambhala” Roerich conveyed the legend about the White Burkhan: “The mountains from Chuguchak to Altai are becoming wilder and wilder. It is strange for the first time to see Oirot riders - a Finno-Turkic family lost in the Altai mountains. It is only recently that this area, full of beautiful forests, thundering streams and snow-white ridges, has received its own name Oirotia. The land of the Blessed Oirot, the folk hero of this secluded tribe. And another miracle happened in this country, where until recently crude forms of shamanism and witchcraft flourished.

In 1904, a young Oirot girl had a vision. Blessed Oirot himself appeared to her on a white horse. He told her that he was the messenger of the White Burkhan and that Burkhan himself would come soon.

A semblance of an altar was erected at the top of the wooded mountain. People gathered there, burned the heather and sang newly composed sacred songs, touching and uplifting ...
The local administration was embarrassed to learn about this new faith, as they called it. Peaceful admirers of the White Burkhan were severely persecuted. But the instructions of the Blessed Oirot did not perish. Until now, a rider on a White horse appears on the Altai mountains, and faith in the White Burkhan is growing.

N.K. Roerich, "Heart of Asia", sketch "Shambhala", Minsk, 1991, p.76

"White Burkhan, of course, he is the Blessed Buddha."

N.K. Roerich "Altai-Himalayas", M. 1999, p. 386-387

22. Hero Star

1933. Tempera on canvas. 92.3 x 122.0. Nicholas Roerich Museum, New York

In the dark blue sky, the stars twinkle with a lively, quivering light, and a comet like a sword cuts through the sky. This is the "hero star". And below, against the background of huge mountains, a scarlet bonfire is burning, people are sitting by the fire and watching and listening ... There is a story, also twinkling like stars, a story that ignites the soul.

Many paintings by Nicholas Roerich are dedicated to the starry beauty of the Universe. The artist wrote in the article "Heavenly Architecture": "When we were freezing in the Tibetan highlands, cloud mirages were one of the best consolations ... But at the same time, myriads of stars were already shining, and these" star runes "reminded that no sorrow, nor despair is inappropriate. There were pictures "Star Runes", and "Star of the Hero", and "Star of the Mother of the World", built on the riches of the night sky. And in the most difficult days, one glance at the starry beauty already changes the mood. The boundless makes thoughts sublime.

There are definitely two kinds of people. Some know how to rejoice in heavenly architecture, while for others it is silent, or rather, their hearts are silent. But children know how to enjoy the clouds and elevate their imaginations. But our imagination is only a consequence of observation. And from its first days, each of them is already supposed to have a heavenly book indescribable in its beauty. "

N.V. Urikov Description of 100 paintings by N.K. Roerich and 5 S.N. Roerich

23. Gessar Khan

1941. Tempera on canvas. 91 x 152. Memorial apartment of Y. N. Roerich, Moscow

Geser Khan is the protagonist of the Mongol-Tibetan heroic epic, in which Geser is glorified as a folk hero, a fighter for the freedom and happiness of the people.

Geser Khan is a defender and sage, a legendary hero of many peoples and countries - Mongolia, Tibet, Altai, revered as a defender of the weak and oppressed.

The painting is based on the subject of the Central Asian epic. In the painting, Geser Khan shoots a bow into a dark sky engulfed in a fiery red flame. Above this sky, already within other limits, a universal, apocalyptic battle between good and evil is taking place. The advocate of a good beginning, Geser Khan, aims at the invisible.

Roerich dedicated this painting to his eldest son Yuri, an orientalist,

The hero is very close to Yuri Nikolaevich. This is one of the Names of the Lord of Shambhala. The picture was painted by Nikolai Konstantinovich especially for his son and presented to him for his birthday. For this picture L.P. Dmitrieva wrote wonderful poems.

GESER KHAN

Today there can be no nizani against.

Only only - for, only only - against.

Now there can be no nida, nynet.

Or only - yes, or only - no.

Do you not see: the clouds have swollen with scarlet blood over the planet?

And darkness creeps out from all the crevices.

And, maddened, the elements rush.

And the leaf turns pale before the universal thunderstorm.

And the horse trembles and thirsts for battle.

And in the tension of an unprecedented bowstring in a hand that does not know defeat.

And the arrow froze in striving ...

Great warrior Geser-Khan - destroyer of darkness, warrior of Light,

who passed (and again!) the overground path of the spirit with the feet of a person on the ground.

The mighty knight Geser-Khan, the protector of all who seek protection in Him ...

But I no longer seek protection, great warrior of Shambhala, Lord Geser Khan.

I want to become an arrow in your quiver that strikes the enemy.

Or, if not with an arrow, then with its tip, at least with a feather.

If only to fly where your hand directs, Great warrior of Shambhala ...

24. Confucius is just

Series "Banners of the East" 1925. Canvas, tempera. 73.6 x 117.US

Confucius (Kun Fu-Tzu, 551-479 BC) - the most prominent thinker, politician and teacher of Ancient China, the founder of the first Chinese philosophical school. He came from a noble but ruined family. He was an advisor to the ruler of the kingdom of Lu, but voluntarily resigned, founding his own school.

Disappointed with the social and political structure of his time, Confucius traveled to various Chinese principalities in the hope of convincing the rulers to use his teachings to establish peace and social harmony. Confucius spent 14 years wandering and upon returning home he devoted his life to the enlightenment of ordinary people. It was only several centuries after his death that the rulers of the Han dynasty adopted his theories as the principles of governing the country.

“... Confucius, great for his peacefulness and justice, was so persecuted by his contemporaries that he even had to keep a harnessed chariot ready and spent most of his life in forced journeys. But history has thrown into the abyss the names of these ignorant pursuers. And Confucius not only remained in the memory, not only lived through the millennia, but his name is even more strengthened in the present modern consciousness ”.

N.K. Roerich. Stronghold of Flame III. RICH POVERTY

The views of Confucius himself are set out in the book "Conversations and Judgments." He attached great importance to learning in the upbringing of a person. The principle put forward by him jen - literally "philanthropy" reads: “What you don’t want for yourself, don’t do it for others”.

“… Confucius, so often misunderstood and persecuted, commanded:“ When we observe phenomena, we can attain knowledge; when we have attained knowledge, we acquire a good desire; when we have acquired a good desire, the heart is purified, a person becomes cultured; when a person becomes cultured, order reigns in his family; order reigns in his country; when order reigns in every country, then peace will reign throughout the world. "

N.K. Roerich. Gateway to the future. Fate

25. Compassion (Mercy)

1936 Tempera on canvas. 61.5 x 92.5. Latvian National Museum of Art. Riga. Latvia

“The idea of compassion can be expressed in many different ways. But how touching is what we see in N. Roerich's painting! Rishi puts his hand under the arrow to protect the doe, trustingly seeking salvation from him. An act of great mercy is depicted in this acceptance of someone else's pain or even mortal danger upon oneself.

“Having calmly accepted someone else's suffering or burden, you can neutralize it on the fires of your heart, and then help will be real and strong. As in the painting of the Guru: protecting, Rishi took a blow and arrows on himself, in his hand, but he also defended the persecuted victim. This is true help - to take on the blow intended for the one who is being protected. This is true compassion. "

ND Spirin. Reflections, 2002, p. 120

The canvas "Compassion" has found an artistic embodiment of the most important ideas of the Living Ethics teaching - about mercy, self-sacrifice, the victory of good, achieved not by violence, but by the power of transformation, enlightenment of consciousness.

The contrasts of light and shade, the opposition of color spots in the picture visibly embody the idea of opposition between good and evil, ignorance and wisdom. The noble silhouette of a lama with a bowed head seems to radiate inner light and peace. As you know, in the philosophy of Buddhism, absolute peace contains the highest tension and creativity of the spirit. It is such a force, the artist claims, that stands guard over life, taking upon itself the arrows of death and faceless destruction.

“In compassion lies the great pearl of Secret Knowledge. All Bodhisattvas, all saints, all ascetics aspired along this path. "

“Compassion is not a quality. It is the Law of Laws, eternal Harmony, the World Soul Itself; the infinite universal Essence, the Light of the abiding Truth, the harmony of all things, the Law of eternal Love.

The more you merge with him, dissolve your being in a single Being, the more your Soul enters into union with all that exists, the more completely you will turn into PERFECT COMPASSION.

This is the path of the Arhat, along which the Buddhas of Perfection are coming. "

Treasure of the World. Comments on some paintings by Nicholas Roerich. Publication of the Kuzbass Roerich Society

26. Remember!

Series "His Country", 1924. Canvas, tempera. 87.6 × 117.8. USA, Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York.

A later version (1945), more intense in colors, is in the State Russian Museum. Russia. St. Petersburg. Tempera on canvas. 91 x 153 cm.

“… Having touched the lofty“ Upper Peace ”- do not forget about it when you descend into the worldly vanity of the valleys, where the obligatory“ everyday affairs ”await you.
P.F. Belikov "Continuous ascent" book. 2, bldg. 59

“... A majestic panorama of the Himalayan mountain range, peaks illuminated by the pink rays of the rising sun. The lone rider leaves his home. Somewhere in the lowlands, important things await him. The rider turns around and looks around his house with a farewell glance, the women accompanying him on a long journey, snow peaks leading to heaven. "Remember why you are leaving us, what you must do and why you must come back here!"

PF Belikov “Svyatoslav Roerich. Life and creativity ", ICR, M., 2004, pp. 72-73

27. Nagarjuna - Conqueror of the Serpent

Series "Banners of the East", 1925 Tempera on canvas. 76.2 × 122. Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia

"Nagarjuna - the Conqueror of the Serpent" sees the sign on the lake of the Lord of the Nagas.

N.K. Roerich "Altai - Himalayas", M. 1999, p. 99

Among the famous thinkers and poets of Ancient India, one of the main places rightfully belongs to Nagarjuna (Skt. "Victorious Naga"), who earned the epithet "Second Buddha". He is the author of an extensive written heritage and the founder of the Mahayana - the path of the Great Vehicle. The great power of Love and Compassion for all living things determined the enduring value of his works.

According to ancient legends, the fearless Nagarjuna gained wisdom from conversations with Naga, the serpent king.

Nagas in Indian mythology are snake-like demigods. They are the guardians of treasures and sacred boundaries, they guard the sacred, allowing only the initiated and worthy to touch it. Snakes symbolize wisdom.

In Roerich's painting, Brahma can be seen in a fiery radiance on Nagaraja's chest. Traditionally, he is depicted as red, with four heads and four arms, shining like a thousand suns, sitting on a blossoming multi-petalled lotus. The king of the naga appears in the guise of a multi-headed serpent, similar to an umbrella folded from the hoods of cobras. The body of Naga wraps around the volcano, holding back the hellish underground fire and preventing the miraculous flower of all-conquering Wisdom from perishing. Immobile as mountains, the figure of Nagarjuna personifies spiritual fortitude: she opened the way for him to the secret knowledge of the King of the Nagas.

The meaning of the mysterious signs carved on the rock in the left corner of the picture is clarified thanks to the statements of Nagarjuna himself:

Know that thoughts are like drawings

On the surface of the waters, on the ground and on the stone.

The former are better for the darkened;

The latter are better for the righteous, pure.

28. Yuen-Kang

1937 State Museum of Oriental Art. Russia. Moscow. Tempera on canvas. 82 x 50 cm

Under the layers of rock appeared first the head, then the torso of the statue. Finally, hands showed up. Carefully separated the breed from the wonderful work of art. When the torso was separated, the lama ordered to stop working, for there was nothing further. The statue was found to be without legs. They began to pry: "Where could the legs go?" The lama with an enigmatic expression said that he was tired and did not consider it necessary to continue the experiment.

"... The picture:" Yungan "(1937) captures a colossal statue of Buddha from the cave temple of the same name ..."

Roerich Yu.N. Along the paths of Central Asia

29. Thought

1946 State Museum of Oriental Art. Russia. Moscow. Tempera on canvas. 60.7 x 103 cm

“In the foreground of the reproduction, the image of the Teacher attracts our attention. The Great Lord, united by the Ray with the Hierarchy of Light, controls the spatial thoughts-energies and directs them into the evolutionary general cosmic stream of grace. Day and night this "Great Vigil" is taking place. "In the distance, pink peaks shine, pink expresses love; a symbol of great pure love, hence the color is gentle, bright and transparent."

(E. Pisareva. Power of thought and mental images)

“The Great Buddha pointed out the significance of thought that composes our essence and taught the expansion of consciousness.

Nicholas Roerich wrote: “All peoples know that the place of holy people is on the mountains, on the peaks. From the heights - revelation. A peak shining with heavenly beauty, like a beacon of Light, like a calling dream of perfection, like a path from which distant horizons open. The order of the future sounds through the Light. "

“… You can send your best thoughts to the world every day. You can support every good initiative in any corner of the world with your thought. Everyone can help the new construction with his thought, wherever he is and whatever he does. "

(G.A.Y. vol. 2, 178)

“Every moment a person either creates or destroys. The world is filled with conflicting thoughts. Many diseases are inherent in thoughts of destruction. " (Aum, 141)

30. Guru Kambala

1925 Private collection. USA. Tempera on canvas 66 x 98 cm

“... And two more touching faces should not be forgotten. The founder of the so-called Manichaeism, Mani, was crucified at the gates of a city in Persia in the 3rd century for the synthesis of teachings and for the idea of a community. The other is guru Kambala, who gave up his head as a symbol of devotion and service. "

N.K. ROERICH Altai - Himalayas.

Legend says that in a battle with the enemies of the guru Kambala should have died, tk. the attacker's sword cut off his head. But the inner man - and it was he who fought - did not seem to notice the loss of the physical head. The warrior teacher, in the heat of battle, simply grabbed his severed head from the ground, raised his sword, rushed at the enemy and won.

31. Prophet. Bada the preacher

1945 Novosibirsk State Art Museum. Russia. Tempera on canvas. 71.3 x 129.8 cm.

The museum is called "Bada the Preacher". Some sources indicate the year the painting was created in 1942.

The main character is taken by the artist from an ancient legend, which tells how the blind sage Bada, accompanied by a boy, walked for a long time along the mountainous terrain. When the guide got tired, he told Beda that there were a lot of people around and they wanted to listen to him. The boy lay down to rest, and Bada, taking the surge of the wave for the talk of people, began to preach. In the picture, all nature, all the Cosmos are listening to the preacher in a single impulse, because he says from the heart. The sun is frozen, the mountains are quiet, the river has stopped running, the clouds are catching the reflection of the rays, listening to Bad. Everything is filled with high vibrations of beauty, and even stones are spiritualized by the divine radiations of Beda.

Bada is an image of a person who has realized his life duty as Service to the Common Good, to all people and the planet. The artist explained this work as follows: "Each of us remembers the beautiful poem" Bada the Preacher ", when the stones burst in response to his calling word. If stones can agree and assert something in a slender chorus, are people really lower than stones?"

It was evening. In clothes crumpled by the winds,
Beda was walking blindly along the deserted path.
He leaned on the boy with his hand,
Stepping on stones with bare feet.
And everything was deaf and wild around,
Pines alone grew centuries old,
Only the rocks stuck out gray,
Shaggy and damp clad with moss.
But the boy is tired; taste fresh berries,
Or simply the blind man he wanted to deceive:
"Old man! - he said, -
I will go to rest
And you, if you want, start preaching:
The shepherds saw you from the peaks ...
Some old men are standing on the road ...
There are wives with children! Tell them about God
About the Son crucified for our sins. "
And the elder's face shone instantly,
Like a key breaking through a stone layer
From his pale lips
A living wave
High speech flowed with inspiration -
There are no such speeches without faith! ...
It seemed that heaven appeared to a blind man in glory,
A hand trembling to the sky went up,
And tears flowed from extinct eyes.
But now the golden dawn has burnt,
And a pale ray of the month penetrated the mountains,
Night dampness blew in the gorge,
And so, preaching, the old man hears,
A boy calls him, laughing and pushing:
"Enough, let's go, there is no one else!"
The sad old man fell silent, his head drooping,
But only he fell silent - from edge to edge:
“Amen,” stones struck him in response.

Ya.N. Polonsky

32. Song of the Stream (Song of the Waterfall)

1920. Suite series "Dreams of Wisdom" (compiled in 1920). Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA. New York. Tempera on canvas. 235 x 122 cm

In the painting "Song of the Stream" ("Song of the Waterfall"), 1920, Nicholas Roerich refers to the traditional symbols of the East - the lotus symbolizes Divine truth and purity, the river - human life.

With an exquisite linear rhythm, the artist emphasizes the contrasts of the sharp outlines of rock ledges, foaming water and the smooth lines of a quiet backwater with blooming lotuses ...

Against the background of a monolithic rock - the body of a graceful girl, like a delicate flower.

In the whole picture, one can feel complete harmony and unity of a beautiful, harmonious person and the pristine pure world around him.

A girl and a waterfall, a flower and a rock - everything sounds like the beauty of eternal Divine life.

33. Song of the Falls

1937 State Museum of Oriental Art. Russia. Moscow. Tempera on canvas. 100 x 61 cm

... Roerich knew how to hear and appreciate beautiful sounds not only in concerts. He distinguished music in the sounds of nature: “A person should listen to beautiful music and singing. Sometimes harmony alone will forever awaken the feeling of beauty ... Without realizing the meaning of music, it is impossible to understand the sound of Nature ... The song of a waterfall, or river, or ocean will only be a roar. The wind will not bring melody and will not ring in the forests with a solemn hymn. The best harmonies disappear for an unopened ear. "

In his painting "Song of the Waterfall", a woman listens to the music of pouring water and selects these sounds on the strings of a musical instrument. (...)

In his paintings, Roerich contrasts contrasting tones that enhance the effect of colors, just as composers compare the timbres of various instruments in their orchestral pieces and thus achieve a particularly vivid identification of the sounds of each instrument.

ND Spirin. Reflections, part 1. 1944-1989. pp. 52-54

34. And We Work (And We Work)

1922 A series of paintings "Santa" ("Saints"). International Center-Museum. N.K. Roerich. Russia Moscow. Tempera on canvas. 71.5 x 101.7 cm

The path of spiritual formation of the personality begins with hard physical labor, "all kinds of toil." While building the monastery, the Monk himself with two water carriers carried water for the brethren (as shown in the picture), grinded flour with hand millstones, baked prosphora, cooked kvass, rolled church candles, cut and sewed clothes, shoes and worked for the brethren "like a bought slave." On the canvas we see how the saints are engaged in simple earthly affairs, working for the Common Good. They walk on the water at a considerable distance from each other, which suggests that there is no idle chatter between the monks. Doing earthly affairs, one can rush to the higher spheres with a lofty and beautiful thought, cementing the space with beauty.

SPIRINA N. D. Sacred Suite. Novosibirsk: SibRO, 2001

35. Lotus

1933 Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA. New York. Tempera on canvas. 74.4 x 116.9 cm

“… Here in the Ganges near Benares a sadhu sits on the water in a sacred position. His crossed legs are covered with water jets. The people run to the shore and marvel at the holy man ... " N. Roerich. Fiery Stronghold. Rishi

36. Heavenly battle. The command of heaven

1912 and 1915. State Russian Museum. Russia. St. Petersburg. Tempera on cardboard 66 x 95 cm

What could have given rise to such a "heavenly battle?" Of course, only anger, denial, selfhood and other negative qualities of people that upset the balance not only in the person himself, but in the whole of nature. The imbalance of a person causes disorder of the elements and all kinds of natural disasters. And although the dark masses of the clouds are still strong, the fiery formations are already displacing them. People will have to answer for their offspring.

In the painting "Heavenly Battle" less than a fifth is occupied by a valley with lakes and pile structures. The rest are swirling clouds, sometimes pierced by golden sunlight, then turning into the blue of thunderclouds. This is a struggle between Light and darkness. The heavenly and the earthly, as it were, split in two, as if they had moved away from each other. There is a battle between two principles. Something is hidden in these misguided, warring cloud shapes. At first, figures of flying Valkyries were painted on a copper-sounding cloud, which the artist later turned into clouds: "Let them be invisible" ... Let them be invisible, but these forces are really present there. The pile village, depicted below, seemed to have calmed down in anticipation of the outcome of the battle of the elements.

N.V. Urikov. Description of 100 paintings by N.K. Roerich and 5 S.N. Roerich

37. Subsoil (Lower than the depths)

1924 Series "His Country" (compiled in 1924). International Center-Museum. N.K. Roerich. Russia Moscow. Tempera on canvas. 89 x 116.6 cm

From N. Roerich's notes: “There are many caves at the foot of the Himalayas, and they say that underground passages from these caves lead far beyond Kanchenjunga. Some even saw a stone door that never opened because the time had not yet come. Deep passages lead to the Beautiful Valley. You can understand the origin and reality of the legends when you get acquainted with the unexpected formations in the nature of the Himalayas, when you personally realize how closely glaciers and rich vegetation touch. "

Roerich N.K. Shining Shambhala. Snow Treasure

Nicholas Roerich's work symbolizes human consciousness, plunged into the depths of almost complete numbness and suddenly took a voice for a spiritual flight.

38. Kyrgyz mazar. Sanju

1925 University of North Carolina. Charlotte. USA. Tempera on canvas mounted on cardboard. 30.5 x 40.5 cm

October 6. Again they followed the course of Karakash. A large old Kyrgyz cemetery. Mazars with a hemispherical vault. Low graves, lined with bunchuks with ponytails at the ends. Positively, mazars are very often old Buddhist chortens. After the mazar, we parted with the course of Karakash.

16th of May. We are in Sanju; a village 39 versts (Russian versts). It is impossible to stand outside the outskirts: it is dangerous at night, and our faithful guard Tumbal remained at the consulate. We are standing in the yard. An old Kazakh woman in white walks sedately around the yard. Girls with many black pigtails dart nimbly out of the hut. It's already six o'clock and the fever hasn't started to subside yet.

* "... We got to the division of the roads to Kokyar or Sanju" - the way to Khatan through the village of Kokyar in the valley of the Karakash river is longer, through the Sanjutag ridge - shorter "

39. Hunting

1937 State Museum of Oriental Art. Russia Moscow. Tempera on canvas. 45.5 x 78.4 cm

The painting "The Hunt" is an artist's vision of nature, a sense of the universal landscape, it is spaciousness, purity, crystal air, the age-old power of a mountain range.

The depicted two fearful fallow deer symbolize the tragedy of nature in our time, which is predetermined by the spiritual and moral decay of mankind.

“... Indeed, if once in antiquity murders were numbered in the thousands, then in our“ enlightened ”time the number of murders exceeds many millions. If once hunters with a primitive bow and spear killed a few animals, now in some slaughterhouses in Chicago several tens of thousands of animals are killed in the shortest possible time.

If you, at least with all the scientific data in hand, give a hint about the advantages and nutritional value of vegetarian food, then again you will be suspected of some kind of antisocial aspirations. Among civilized and even cultured humankind, blood is something very nutritious, and there are still ignorant doctors who prescribe bloody meat.

... So, along with the number of covenants against murder, the very number of bodily murders grows, from small to large, from animal to human. "

N.K. Roerich. Flame stronghold

40. Lhamo (Palden Lhamo)

1931 Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA. New York. Tempera on canvas. 74.2 x 117.5 cm

Place Lahul. “... Waterfall Palden Lhamo; nature itself inscribed on the rock a statue of a formidable goddess riding on her beloved mule. “You see how the mule raised its head and right leg. Consider how clearly the head of the goddess is visible. " We see, we see! And we listen to the incessant song of the mountain stream. " N.K. Roerich. Flame Fortress, Riga, Vieda, 1991, p. 179

Lhamo - in Lamaism - a terrible "keeper of the law" and "defender of the faith." Merciless to apostates from the faith. Patroness of Lhasa.

Palden Lhamo, the dharmapala goddess, belongs to the category of “gone beyond the six realms of existence,” that is, “non-mundane,” gods who have emerged from the circle of birth and death.

In Tibetan Buddhism, Palden Lhamo became a guardian deity - she protects the teachings of the Mahayana. She is also considered the protector of the capital of Tibet, Lhasa. In Tibet there is a lake called Lhamo Lattso, where, according to legends, the goddess lives and on the banks of which rituals are performed, and the high lamas receive instructions regarding the new birth of the Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas.

41. Guardians of the Snow

1922 Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA. New York. Tempera on canvas. 51.5 x 76 cm

Roerich N.K. Altai - Himalayas. II. Sikkim (1924):

Guardians of three hundred-year-old trees stand outside the Pemayandze gate. The fairytale forest of Tsar Berendey. And the street of houses of lamas, like a Berendei settlement, is painted and equipped with colored porches and ladders.

Bkra-shis-lding. February, 1924.

Roerich N.K. Fredum / Unbreakable. Riga: Vieda, 1991:

Could the idea of protecting dignity be non-peaceful? A peaceful guard, a watch in the name of peace, is quite possible, but the point is that peace should be in the hearts of this watch. This high world will not be a malevolent neighbor, but, on the contrary, it will be a kind neighbor, who knows his boundaries by honor.

Roerich N.K. Rebirth / Unbreakable. Riga: Vieda, 1991:

... Who knows why everyone is entrusted with a watch in one place or another. As far as humanity is concerned, we can assume that it would be better not here, but there. Or maybe it was the guards who were entrusted here. Therefore, we will accept this watch in full readiness, heading in our hearts towards the desired renewals.

42. The Light Knight

1933 Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA, New York. Tempera on canvas. 46.3 x 78.9 cm. The name "Warrior of Light" is encountered.

... Now, unexpectedly, after ten months, [the magazine] “Art and Culture” has resurrected - at the head of my [paintings]: “Holy guests”, “Rigden [-Japo]” and “The Light Knight”. It's amazing how a magazine can exist with such interruptions of almost a year without any explanation.

N.K. RERICH Letters to America (1923-1947). - M .: Sfera, 1998 .-- 736 p. - Series "Roerich Archives" .15.XI.46

43. Holy Mountains (Path to Kailash)

1933 Series "Holy Mountains" (compiled in 1933). Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA, New York. Tempera on canvas. 46.3 x 78.9 cm

“Let's continue our pilgrim walk. ... Let's cross the old road to Karnat, leading to Great Kailash, the abode of powerful hermits, and a road sign to Shambhala. "

N.K. Roerich "The Heart of Asia", p.99, New York, 1929

"Before us is the road to Kailash ... Rishis lived here for the Universal Good!"

N.K. Roerich "The Flaming Stronghold"

Kailash is one of the peaks of the Himalayas, with a height of 6724 m.

The canvas depicts the sacred mountain of the Gods Kailash, or the legendary Mount Meru. For the Hindus, the heights of the Himalayas - Kailash - the place of residence of the Gods, where the Gods, in vigilant vigil, direct the spiritual growth of mankind.

"... God and the gods were the focus of the spiritual life of every person, so these Mountains of the Gods were considered the center of the world.

And now, many pilgrims, approaching the holy mountain of Kailash, the last section of their path around the mountain chained in ice, in their great fanaticism, often pass on their knees.

In the caves above the abyss of Kailash, Milarepa once meditated, where the Buddha's disciples plunged into spiritual contemplation.

On Mount Kailash, hermits still live in the caves of this wonderful mountain, filling the space with calls that awaken people to righteousness. "

R. Rudzitis. Brotherhood of the grail

Stones with ancient inscriptions about Truth. Different stones, different signs of inscriptions, but they are all about the same Truth.

44. Mountain lake. Baralacha pass (Mountain lake. Bara-Lacha pass)

1944 State Russian Museum. Russia. St. Petersburg. Tempera on canvas. 61 x 123 cm.

"Mountain Lake" (1944) - everyone in this masterful work is surprised by the inexpressibly transparent violet-golden radiance of the mirror-like surface of the water, as if life-giving and fertile. What other artist could have reflected such a blessing in the mountainous nature? Above - rainbow stripes of snow slopes, the greenish-scarlet sky harmonizes so well with the tone of the lake.

45. Brahmaputra

1945 State Museum of Oriental Art. Russia. Moscow. Tempera on canvas. 41 x 103 cm

The painting depicts the sacred river of India, which originates from the great lake Manasarovar - Lake Nagov. Brahmaputra means Son of Brahma. Approaching the Bramaputra during the trans-Himalayan expedition, N. Roerich wrote in his diary: "The wise Rig Veda was born here, the sacred Kailash is close here, where the pilgrims go, anticipating on what great path these places lie ... Among the rocks and sands , the Bramaputra flows in purple and purple tones ... She is even more respected than the Blue River. The Blue Yangtze is the longest river in the world, but the Bramaputra is the son of Brahma, fanned with a rich pattern of legends. It connects the sacred channel of the Ganges with the Himalayas Manasarovar is close to Sutlej and the beginning of the Great Indus. Ariavarta was also born there ... Coming closer to Bramaputra, one can find even more legends associated with Shambhala. And one more circumstance gives these places an even more amazing impression: here, in the direction of Everest, lived a seer - the hermit Milarepa, listening to the voices of the Devas before the rising of the Sun. Closer to the Shigatse region on the picturesque shores of the Bramaputra and in the direction of the sacred lake Manasarovar, the Ashrams of Mach atm Himalayas. When you know this, when you know the facts surrounding these wonderful places, a special feeling fills you. Elderly people still live here, who remember their personal meetings with the Mahatmas. "(Nicholas Roerich. Altai-Himalayas).

N.V. URIKOVA Description of 100 paintings by N.K. Roerich and 5 S.N. Roerich

In the unforgettable study "Brahmaputra" (1945): the river, meandering, shines in the dawn rays of the sunrise, as if it flows from one morning to another, blissful morning.

R. RUDZITIS Cosmic strings in the works of Nicholas Roerich

46. Nanda Devi (Himalayas)

1937 State Museum of Oriental Art. Russia Moscow. Tempera on canvas. 44 x 78 cm.

Let us recall the myth "On the Origin of Mountains". When the planetary Creator was working on the design of the firmament, he turned his attention to the fertile plains, which could give people a calm arable farming. But the Mother of the World said: “True, people will find both bread and trade on the plains, but when gold pollutes the plains, where will the pure in spirit go to strengthen them? Either let them receive wings, or let them be given mountains to be saved from gold. " And the Creator replied: “It is too early to give wings, they will bear death and destruction on them, but we will give them mountains. Some may be afraid of them, but for others they will be salvation. " This is how people differ in the plains and in the mountains.

The Fiery World. II, 5

The human spirit is filled with something inviting, indomitable attracting, when, overcoming all difficulties, it ascends to these heights. And the difficulties themselves, sometimes very dangerous, become only the most necessary and desirable steps, are made only by overcoming earthly conventions. All dangerous bamboo crossings through thundering mountain streams, all slippery steps of age-old glaciers over disastrous abysses, all inevitable descents before the next ascents and a whirlwind, and hunger, and cold, and heat are overcome where the bowl of finds is full.

A. Yuferev, A. Lukasheva “N. Roerich ", M., 1970

« Mountains, mountains! What magnetism is hidden in you! What a symbol of tranquility is contained in each sparkling peak. The most daring legends are born near the mountains. The most humane words come from the snowy heights. "

N.K. Roerich. Ignite hearts, pp. 157-159, M., 1978

47. Himalayas (Blue Mountains)

1939 State Russian Museum. Russia. St. Petersburg. Tempera on canvas. 47 x 79 cm

When Roerich first entered the kingdom of the Himalayas, a majestic symphony of dazzling peaks revealed in fabulous beauty before him, and above them - indescribably transparent azure distances. He walked like an "enchanted wanderer", as if through a long-familiar fairyland. Everything seemed so close to the heart, as if in old previous lives he was an inhabitant of these magnificent places.

The grandiose, massive, snow-covered mountain ranges, over which they move in the clouds, shimmer with all the colors of the rainbow, streams of light flow. The air itself is infinitely transparent, shining, sonorous. And the silence of the peaks, in which you begin to hear yourself, the beating of the heart, perhaps - even melodic in

R. RUDZITIS Cosmic strings in the works of Nicholas Roerich

48. Two Worlds (Mountain of Five Treasures)

1933 The Holy Mountains series (compiled in 1933). Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA, New York. Tempera on canvas. 46.8 x 78.8 cm

N.K. Roerich. Himawat

Kang-chen-tszod-nga - Five Treasures of the Great Snows. Why is this majestic mountain so called? She keeps the five treasures of the world. What are these treasures? - gold, diamonds, rubies? Not. The Old East values other treasures. It has been said: the time will come when hunger will sweep the whole world. Then Someone will appear who will open the great treasures and nourish all of humanity. Of course, you understand that Someone will nourish humanity not with physical food, but with spiritual food.

N. Roerich. Heart of Asia. Fenugreek

49. Himalayas No. 93 [Kanchenjunga]

1936 Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA, New York. Tempera on cardboard. 60.5 x 99 cm

"There is the entrance to the sacred land of Shambhala. Underground caves through amazing ice caves, a select few even in this life reached the sacred place. All wisdom, all glory, all splendor are collected there ... Kan-chen-tsond-nga - five treasures of the Great Snows . Why is this majestic mountain so called? It keeps the five treasures of the World. What are these treasures? Gold, diamonds, rubies? No, the old East values other treasures. It is said: "The time will come when hunger will sweep the whole world. Then someone will appear who will open the great treasuries and nourish all of humanity. "Of course, not physical, but spiritual food ... On the ascent to the top there are many caves of Kanchenjunga. In one of the caves there is a statue of Padma Sambhava - the Great Teacher of Tibet, and behind it you can see stone door - never opened by anyone ...

N.K. Roerich. Altai-Himalayas, Heart of Asia

"Nowhere is there such a sparkle, such a spiritual saturation, as among these precious snows ... Great hermits went here, for where in two transitions can one climb from tropical vegetation to eternal snow. All stages of the tension of consciousness are here ...

At an altitude of 11 thousand feet, the Subtle Body takes on a special quality. With increasing altitude, the amount of food decreases, and sleep decreases. Mountains, this is the beginning, deriving from the lower earthly conditions, from the usual requirements of the Earth. For earthly bodies, each thousand meters raises in special conditions. Mountain conditions cannot be artificially reduced to earthly habits. "

50. Kanchenjunga

1938 National Gallery of Foreign Art. Bulgaria, Sofia. Tempera on canvas. 45.7 x 78.7 cm

Nicholas Roerich's Himalayan sketches are a unique phenomenon in world art. They revealed to us the beauty of the mountainous world of the East, the spirit of the Himalayas, where the Cosmos in a single stream merges with the planet.

The paintings of the "Himalayas" series were created by Nicholas Roerich for many years, including in the field conditions of the Central Asian expedition, which dictated their small format and tempera technique. They are a kind of picturesque pages of a travel diary, where real Himalayan landscapes are filled with the artist's spiritual experience.

People in all parts of the world want to know about the Himalayas. The very best people strive heartily towards this treasure of India. At all times there was an attraction to the Himalayas. People know that everyone who seeks spiritual ascent should look towards the Himalayas.

N.K. Roerich. Himawat

Taken together, Nikolai Konstantinovich's Himalayan sketches leave an unforgettable feeling. … The mountains in Roerich's sketches are woven from a certain special substance - vibrating, luminous, iridescent, inexplicably changeable, rhythmically organized in different ways. Like waves of music of the spheres, stopped above, in front of the heavy, dragging down blackness of the foreground, they look at us.

51. Sacred Himalayas

1934 (1932)

N.K. Roerich. Himawat

The series "Banners of the East" has taken shape. 1. "Buddha the Conqueror" in front of the source of life. 2. "Moses the Leader" - at the top, surrounded by the radiance of the sky. 3. "Sergiy the Builder" - works on his own. 4. "Watch of the Himalayas", in the glaciers. 5. "Confucius the Just" - a traveler in exile. 6. "Ienno Guyo Dya" - a friend of travelers (Japan). 7. "Milarepa Heard" - at the rising, he knew the voices of the devas. 8. "Dorje Daring" - to stand face to face with Mahakala himself. 9. "Saraha is the Good Arrow", which does not hesitate in good sendings. 10. "Mohammed on Mount Chira (message of the Archangel Gabriel)", legend. 11. "Nagarjuna - the Conqueror of the Serpent" sees a sign on the lake of the Lord of the Nagas. 12. "Oirot - Messenger of the White Burkhan", Altai belief. And those that are already in the Museum: 13. "Mother of the World". 14. "Signs of Christ". 15. "Lao Tzu". 16. "Tszongka-pa". 17. "Padmasambhava". 18. "Bowl". 19. "Ancient Serpent".

In the struggle and the manifestation of truth, the law-makers of the common good stand on the chariots of time: the indefatigable leader Moses; stern Amos; Leo - Winner - Buddha; justice of life - Confucius; the fiery poet of the Sun - Zoroaster; transformed, reflected by "shadows" - Plato; great in the sacrifice of immortality - the Good Issa; the interpreter of wisdom, the lonely Origen, the great community member and ascetic Sergius. All who walked tirelessly; all subject to modern persecution; all who knew that the teaching of the common good would come immutably; all who knew that each sacrifice to the common good is only the approach of the ways.

On the mountains they talk about these teachings and listen to them simply. Both in the deserts and in the steppes, people sing in everyday life about eternity and the same - the common good. Residents of Tibet, Mongolia, Buryats - everyone remembers about the common good.

N.K. Roerich "Altai - Himalayas", M. 1999, p. 118

In Sikkim, he painted a large series of paintings ("Banners of the East" - approx.). On his canvases he captured the founders of teachings and religions, philosophers and ascetics, reformers and thinkers. There was a pattern in his choice of the great personalities of the East. As if he was not painting pictures, but the history of the East itself, its culture and thought. Buddha, Christ, Lao Tzu, Confucius, Moses, Tszong-ka-pa, Padma Sambhava, Milarepa, Nagarjuna. He wrote them in an unusual, unconventional way. He seemed to know a lot more about them than could be gleaned from official, legalized sources.

Shaposhnikova L.V. "Master" M. 1998, p. 223

The question arises as to why Roerich took the subjects of the East. But it is known that the East is the cradle of the most ancient culture on the planet, from where philosophical Teachings, religions came from and the first sages appeared. The series "Banners of the East" represents wisdom in all its richness - through "standard bearers" and spiritual processes to which these greats were directly related.

Shaposhnikova L.V. "The Universe of the Master" M. ICR, 2005, p. 820

E. Matochkin.
"Banners of the East" N.K. Roerich
/ in abbreviation /

The whole life and all the work of the great Russian artist, thinker, explorer traveler, public figure Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947) was invariably directed towards the future. And even getting his insight into the hoary antiquity of the Slavic tribes - whether in excavations, articles, paintings - he first of all revealed in it those construction concepts that could serve to create a beautiful future. The same can be said about the five hundred paintings painted during the Central Asian expedition of 1923-1928, which explored the monuments of the most ancient cultures of India, China, Mongolia, Altai and Tibet. A special place among these paintings is occupied by the series "Banners of the East", consisting of 19 canvases dedicated to the great saints, ascetics, founders of the world religions of the East.

... The plots of the paintings were drawn from a storehouse of legends and traditions, which allowed the artist to show the Teachers of higher knowledge in those significant moments of their deeds, which left an indelible mark on the people's minds. They drive out darkness, help in trouble, tirelessly do good and sacrifice themselves; they take upon themselves many earthly difficulties in order to help the great Future.

Roerich was deeply convinced that the world would soon become one, and labor for the common good would be established as the highest moral value. In beautiful images of art, he wanted to remind mankind of the first "community members" - Buddha, Confucius, Christ, Sergius of Radonezh and others, to introduce into the mainstream of modern life the great images of these true "law-makers of the common good" ...

The synthesis of beauty, truth and goodness, embodied in the series "Banners of the East", brings the artist's artistic ideas closer to the philosophy of Unity. Its creator, the outstanding philosopher of the Silver Age V.S. Soloviev, dreamed of cosmic evolution, carried out in the unity of the natural, human and divine principles.

The Christian reading of the principle of Unity was at the heart of the concept of the earlier series "Sankta", written by Roerich in 1922. Then the heroes of his paintings were Orthodox community members, doing their righteous, godly deed on earth, having the Kingdom of God as an ideal. Having created the "Banners of the East", Roerich thereby expanded the earthly brotherhood to the global scale and developed the understanding of the principle of All-unity to the universal level.

The unifying focus, the central canvas of the series is the painting "Mother of the World". The great female image appears against the background of the night sky. Above her head is a bright star, to the right and to the left are two constellations: Seven Elders (Ursa Major) and Three Magicians (Orion). “Between them,” the artist explains, “the star of the morning, the bright abode of the Mother of the World, is now rushing unstoppably to the earth. And with its overwhelming light, its remarkable unprecedented approach, it foretells a new great epoch of mankind. "

In one of the versions of the painting “Mother of the World”, Roerich likens the stars to small anthropomorphic figures resembling sculptures of the Teachers in a pose traditional for the East. Each star is its own sun, and the comparison of the Teacher with the sun is generally accepted, at least in India. All these stars-Teachers are turned in prayer, anticipation of the great and grandiose in its galactic scale the image of the Mother of the World. ...

The ideological homogeneity of the images of 18 paintings in the series, their identical horizontal format and the marked vertical line of the central canvas of "Mother of the World" suggest that the series "Banners of the East" is a single ensemble united by a common artistic idea and conceived as a majestic iconostasis of a world-embracing temple.

Today, when the canvases of the series are scattered across different collections, one can only guess how this ensemble should look according to the author's intention. Obviously, the structure of the ensemble was symmetrical, that is, on both sides of the central canvas there were 9 paintings, each of which occupied its own specific place. Taking into account the compositional and dynamic gravitation of each canvas (as well as the stars-Teachers) to the center, the general rhythmic organization, as well as the harmony of color masses, it can be assumed that the order of the paintings in the ensemble is according to the numbering given (by Roerich - see N. Roerich “Altai - Himalayas ", M. 1999, p. 99) the list could be as follows: 8 - 10 - 5 - 1 - 6 - 12 - 7 - 16 - 4 - 13 - 18 - 2 - 3 - 9 - 17 - 14 - 15 - 11 - 19.

This ensemble reconstruction leads to interesting conclusions. So, despite the fact that each picture is painted in a certain color tone, the colorful palette of the series from the extreme canvases with their warm earthy tones is gradually transformed into the gold of the sun's rays, and then into the cosmic radiance prevailing over everything in the central canvas. As a result, the overall light spectrum of the paintings follows the natural rainbow spectrum: from red through yellow and green to blue. The energy of light waves grows from the periphery to the center. In the middle seven of canvases, the dominant blue color, saturated with vibrations of the spiritual aspirations of the heroes and unearthly white streams, seems to acquire a new quality ...

It was no coincidence that Roerich compared the paintings of the series with banners. The banner appeared in the states of the East in ancient times as a well-visible sign for the collection and unification of warriors. And, apparently, the artist wanted his canvases, dedicated to the great ascetics, not only to admire with their beauty, but also serve the same goal of unity on the paths of spiritual ascent.

Cit. after: “Roerich. Prophecies ". Samara, 2004, pp. 93 - 101

1. "Buddha the Conqueror" in front of the source of life

The Victorious Buddha, 1925

Buddha(Skt.) - literally - enlightened.

The name given to the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama (623-544 BC), who, according to legend, came from the royal family of the Shakya tribe in Northern India (one of the names of Buddha is Shakya Muni, "the hermit of the Shakyas")
In the religion of Buddhism, a being who has reached the state of the highest perfection.

Buddhism- one of three (along with Christianity and Islam of world religions). It originated in Ancient India in the 6-5th centuries. BC .. The founder is considered Sidhartha Gautama. Main directions: Hinayana, Mahayana. The flourishing of Buddhism in India in the 5th century. BC. - early. 1 millennium AD, spread in Southeast and Central Asia, partly in Central Asia, Siberia, assimilating elements of Brahmanism, Taoism, etc. In India by the 12th century. dissolved in Hinduism, strongly influencing it ...

Qualities of Buddha: Shakya Muni - wise from the Sakya clan, Shakya Sinha - Shakya Lion, Bhagavat - Blessed One, Sattha - Teacher, Jina - Winner.

N.K. Roerich "Altai - Himalayas", M. 1999, p. 104

Neither Alara Kalama, nor Uddaka Ramaputta (Buddha's teacher - approx.) Buddha found saving solutions. The transformer, striving for vitality, could not be satisfied with the reinterpretations of the Rig Veda. The Buddha goes far away, into the secret places of the mountains. Tradition brings the brave seeker to Altai. And the legend about the White Burkhan * is preserved in Altai in all its vitality. Near the mysterious Uruvela * Buddha approaches the simplest expression of all accumulations. And on the banks of Nairnagara, one becomes illumined with the determination to say a word about the community, about the renunciation of personal property, about the importance of labor for the common good and about the meaning of knowledge. Establishing a scientific approach to religion was a true feat. To expose the self-interest of the priests and Brahmins was the highest fearlessness. It was incredibly difficult to reveal the true levers of hidden human forces. It was extraordinarily beautiful for the Tsar to come in the guise of a mighty beggar!

In the realization of the evolution of mankind, the image of the community member of the Buddha occupies an indisputable, beautiful place.

N.K. Roerich "Altai - Himalayas", M. 1999, p. 106

Living Ethics Teaching,"Leaves of Moria's Garden", part 2 "Illumination"

Let's talk about the Lord Buddha.

People do not understand the basis of the Teaching of the Blessed One. The basis is discipline.

Spiritually and physically, the monk of the community strove to stay on the path. During the first years he bore hard obedience. He was forbidden to kill himself with the exercises of the Stylite, but he was ordered to fight the battle with a single beginning of the spirit. This is how the Buddha taught his disciples severely. Truly, only in the spiritual battle did they know joy, therefore they speak of the thorns of the path.

Only when the will of the ascetic was born like a lion and the silver bridle of the spirit sparkled on the feelings of the disciple, only then did the Vladyka open the veil and give the task.

Then, gradually, the student was initiated into the secrets of knowledge.

The Blessed One said: "Truth is the only source of courage." Correctly understood truth is the most beautiful and wisest chapter in the book of Cosmos.

… Worship did not exist in the Teaching of the Master - there was knowledge and personal achievement. This was precisely the characteristic feature of the Master's Teaching. That is why the lion was His symbol. We often call the Lord - the King of thought!

If asked: "Who is greater, Christ or Buddha?" - Answer: “It is impossible to measure the distant worlds. We can only admire their radiance. " The Christ Ray nourishes the Earth in the same way as the Buddha's rainbow carries the affirmation of the law of life.

... Vladyka Buddha under the name of the Indian prince Joasaph is honored not only by the Orthodox Church, but also by the Catholic ...

E.I. Roerich "Letters" v.5, M. 2003, p. 350

Teacher Buddha pointed out that "of the three types of actions, the most destructive is not the word, not the bodily act, but the thought."

The dialectic of Buddha in many ways anticipated the most advanced concepts of our time. It somehow seems to me that Buddhism is more in line with the spirit of our time, it has a lot of dynamics and there is no hint of dogmatism. In addition, in Buddhism, the center of gravity lies on experience, which corresponds to the meaning of the experiment, which is generally recognized by our scientific thought.

P.F. Belikov "Continuous ascent" v.2, book. 1. ICR, M. 2003, p. 103

Yogi's victorious chariot
Who acquired Faith and Wisdom,
One who is well equipped is driven forward by his mind.
Consciousness is a drawbar, and Mind is a harnessed pair,
Vigilance is a wary charioteer.
Righteous Life - Chariot;
Joy is the axis, Energy is the wheels.
Calm is the ally of a balanced Mind.
Desirelessness is his adornment.
Benevolence, harmlessness and detachment -
His weapon.
Patience is the armor of Order.
This chariot moves towards the World.
It is built by the man himself, it is created by his inner I.
She is the best of all chariots.
The sages leave this world on it.
And, verily, they achieve victory.
Buddha, from Samyutta Nikaya (Collection of Related Teachings).

Cit. Quoted from: "The Great Yogi of Tibet Milarepa" Samara 1994 p. 4.

2. "Moses the Leader" - at the top, surrounded by the radiance of the sky.

Moses the Driver, 1925
Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia

Moses, in biblical mythology, the leader of the Israeli tribes, called by the god Yahweh to lead the Israelites out of Pharaoh's slavery through the parting waters of the "Red" (Red) Sea; on Mount Sinai, God gave Moses the tablets with the "10 Commandments". For Jews, Muslims and Christians, Moses is a prophet.

Soviet Encyclopedic Dictionary, ed. 3rd, M. 1985

Moses was truly a great Leader, and you correctly point out that he was the creator of the people of Israel…. Moses, being a disciple of the Egyptian priests, was initiated into secret knowledge, into the Unity of the Cosmos, the Unity in diversity. And he approved this idea of Unity in the form of One-Man Management in the masses, securing the veneration
a single aspect of the Godhead as Jehovah.

Moses was in the full sense of the Leader and Legislator, and he was charged with the difficult task of creating a people from a nomadic tribe, which was in long slavery and, by virtue of this, assimilated many negative features, and lay the foundations of order, construction and statehood in it. All hints of the cruelty and vindictiveness of the laws he established are unfounded. For, looking at them with an open mind, one is amazed at their wisdom and mercy. In many ways they
fairer and more merciful than the laws that exist today. And it is not for us, in our age of horrors, cruelty, destructive selfishness, the most terrible crimes and corruption, to talk about the cruelties of the laws of Moses.

E.I. Roerich "Letters" vol. 2, M. 2000, pp. 123 - 124

3. "Sergiy the Builder" - works on his own.

Sergius is a builder, 1925

The painting is dedicated to one of the outstanding spiritual leaders of the Russian people, St. Sergius of Radonezh, who lived in the 14th century. Sergius played a huge role in the unification and strengthening of the independence of Russia. He inspired Dmitry Donskoy to fight the Tatars on the Kulikovo field, which brought victory to the Russian soldiers. He also made a huge contribution to the development of Russian culture and education. Under him, the communal life of monks was first introduced in monasteries. The Trinity-Sergius Lavra, created by this outstanding Teacher of the Russian land, reminds us of his tireless labors and cares for his people.

Shaposhnikova L.V., album "Nicholas Roerich", M. 1997, p. 60

He began the construction of Russia with the construction of his monastery. There is no need to imagine that it proceeded idyllically calm, blissful and serene. It is with the construction of the community that the most dramatic pages of the Life of Sergius are associated.

Journal "Before sunrise" 1995, No. 7, N. Grebennikov "Community of Sergius", p. 2

Sergius, the Builder of Communities, forbade his employees to accept alms. Food and things could be accepted only in exchange for labor. Hungry, he himself offered his job. Community building and education were the only pursuits of this remarkable man. Refusal from the metropolitan dignity and from wearing precious metals in his life is a natural act without any pretense. Tirelessness of work; selection of young, unknown employees; simplicity, both above and below. Refusal of personal property not by decree, but by the awareness of the harmfulness of this concept. In the list of the builders of the community, Sergius retained a large place.

There are not so many of them - the builders of life, responding in the internal sense of the coming evolution. And we must carefully select these names of the coming light, continuing the list of them to the present.

N.K. Roerich "Altai - Himalayas", M. 1999, p. 117

N. Spirina

"Bear"

Early in the morning he was awakened by an unfamiliar sound. The huge brown bear snorted, moved its ear, and listened. The forest rang with a multitude of familiar morning voices, familiar to the inhabitant of a deaf den. Enthusiastically and loudly, with fresh voices after a night's rest, the birds sang meeting the rising sun, grasshoppers chirped, wild bees buzzed, the grass rustled from various swarming small fry, the tops of trees rustled slightly. In short, everything that happened around was familiar and did not deserve attention. What woke the bear up? Here again the sound was repeated, it sounded again and again, crashing into the music of the forest. The sound vaguely resembled that of a woodpecker, but there was something special and unusual in it. Something new has invaded forest life. The bear decided to scout. He lazily got up and slowly waddled in the direction of the sound. As he moved towards the goal, the knock was heard louder and clearer. Finally, the bear climbed the hill, the trees began to thin and part. Carefully sticking his muzzle through the thickets of bushes, he saw an unusual picture in a small clearing that opened in front of him. Above a freshly cut large tree stood a Man with an ax in his hand, bending over and chopping off branches, clearing the trunk.

The bear has never seen humans before. They rarely entered deep, impenetrable forests and were unusual for the beast. Was it a friend or an enemy? The bear decided to come closer and take a closer look. He walked around the felled tree, sniffed at it. It smelled of resin and fresh wood. The Beast approached the Man. He poked his nose into the hem of his clothes and sniffed. Strongly developed sense of smell carried an unusual, but very pleasant aroma. What he was pleasant, the bear did not know; but the aroma somehow had a particularly pacifying and joyful effect on him. The beast sensed a Friend. He was no longer alarmed or afraid of anything, but he felt confident and calm as never before. Even in his den, he slept, always keeping a sharp ear at the ready. Who can foresee the accidents of wild forest life ?! But there was clearly nothing to expect unpleasant surprises here. The bear grumbled with satisfaction and lay down more comfortably, not far from the amazing Guest. The man, tall, stately, of powerful build, paused his work, looked at the beast and said something.

The bear did not understand what was said, but the Man's gaze was very similar to a ray of sun on a small clearing in the forest, where he went to bask in the early spring. Only, in addition to the warmth, from this look it became extraordinarily joyful, my heart beat fast and hard. The man said something again. The bear got up and went to Him. The man gazed into his eyes and put his hand on the head of the beast. The bear stood motionless. He wanted the Man to never take his hand off his shaggy head, it was so good for him from this unusual and unexpected caress. The man stroked him, then took the ax and calmly set to work interrupted. The bear sat in the clearing for a long time. He had completely forgotten that he had not eaten anything since yesterday: he was not hungry. He was as if full and quietly dozing, watching through half-closed eyelids at the work of the Friend. Finally the Man, having finished chopping off the tree, left somewhere. Then the bear got up and reluctantly walked back.

The bear visited his lonely Friend several times during the summer. Every time the Man spoke to him, the bear loved to listen to the sound of his voice. He was unusually pleasing to the ears of a powerful forest dweller. And the bear's heart somehow understood what was said in its own way and trembled in response.

Finally winter came. By this time, several wooden buildings had grown in the clearing cleared by the Alien's ax. First of all, a small church appeared - a chapel, - an amber, resinous frame, topped with a cross. She was so bright and fresh, as if she was glowing from within. The bear has never seen such buildings. He walked around the chapel, sniffing at it, and it seemed to him that it emanated a scent similar to the scent of the Man who built it. Then another building appeared: a small hut in which only one person could fit. She, too, liked the bear, and he lay for a long time near the small wooden porch, along which the Man entered the hut.

The winter was very harsh. Snow covered the ground in a thick layer, dense and crunchy. The bear hid deep in its den, preparing for a long winter. For part of the winter he lay in a deep doze, but then hunger began to interfere. He did not let the huge beast sleep peacefully and urged him to wake up and start looking for food. Finally, the bear broke down and climbed out of the lair. But finding something edible was not easy. Under the deep cover of snow there was frozen ground, and it was extremely difficult to dig anything from under it.

The bear wandered through the forest for a long time, but nothing was obtained. All living things hid from the cold in all directions, and only occasionally some animal, hearing the noise, timidly poked its muzzle out of the hole, and hid again. The hungry beast was vaguely but imperiously drawn in a familiar direction. He wandered towards the Man. Gathering his last strength, he with difficulty climbed the hill where his Friend lived; he staggered to the cherished porch and lay down beside it exhausted. Around the lonely dwelling, as if enveloping it in a transparent, invisible blanket, there was a heartfelt, ringing silence. She merged with the crystal glitter of the snow, the clear blue of the winter sky and the immovable, as if in an aspiring prayer, the ancient trees standing around. The bear lay and waited, listening intently. Finally the door of the hut opened and a Man quietly stepped out onto the porch, holding a crust of bread in his hand. With great compassion He looked at the emaciated beast, and the bear again perceived His gaze as a spring ray, and a warm, life-giving stream spread over his whole body. He let out a contented grunt, and quietly crept closer.

The man bent down to him and held out the food. The bear took it and began to gnaw greedily on the stale, old bread. Oddly enough, after eating a hump, the bear felt that he was full and sighed with satisfaction. The man stroked the beast and began to talk to him. The bear listened and understood something of his own, very important and necessary; and somewhere in the depths of his sleepy consciousness flashes of understanding flashed. Then the Man stroked him again and went back, taking with him the warmth and that unknown attractive scent that was so pleasant to the bear.

More than once in winter the bear came to warm up and feed himself to the hospitable hut, and the Man never refused him a piece of bread. Other animals and little animals also came running, and left with care, and near the treasured hut they were not afraid of the terrible owner of the forest - the bear. And the bear there had no desire to touch them, it was so peaceful and complacent in his heart. Peace and goodwill reigned on the hill, penetrated into the dark souls of animals, fanned the trees and grasses, and saturated the air and earth. It was good and easy to breathe and lived near a hut and a tiny church, as if glowing from the inside.

Gradually people began to settle around the blessed dwelling. They, just like animals, were attracted there by an unknown, drawing force. They often broke the deep silence with the clatter of the ax, the chatter and noise of work. The bear did not touch them and was not afraid, but began to come less often. Sometimes he accompanied the Friend when he went down to the river for water or on His lonely journeys through the forest. Sometimes other people would come up to a Friend at this time, and they would talk about something. In such cases, the bear stood calmly near its Patron, and they were not afraid of him.

Little by little, the bright monastery grew. Soon it was surrounded by a high tynom, which blocked the access of the animals. The bear nevertheless sometimes came to the cherished hill, sat and waited. Sometimes he looked through the crack of the fence, hoping to see the Friend. His Friend was always working. He was building new huts, he was chopping wood, then he was digging the ground, then he was doing something in one of the built rooms. But the dumb call of the hairy guest always reached His heart. He went outside the palisade and talked to the bear, sometimes treating him with a piece of bread. And the bear's soul cleared up and rejoiced.

Time passed, and the taiga retreated further and further from the monastery. The monastery became large, then huge. A carriageway ran to it. Many people, on foot, on horseback, and sometimes even in arms, on carts and carts, began to walk and ride there. Every day, from the high bell tower of the new large church, a melodic and deep ringing flew into the depths of the forest. There was no access at all for the forest beast, who so loved to resort to a small, unenclosed, quiet hut. The bear also went to his forest slums. He did not need and did not like people. Only about one Man he carried away in his bestial heart some indescribable memory, which, like a fire in a dead night, illuminated and warmed his dark consciousness.

And the image of the Man who saw his brother in the beast remained for many centuries in the people's memory as the embodiment of the great, all-conquering Compassion.

Journal "Before sunrise" No. 7 (15), 1995

4. "Watch of the Himalayas", in the glaciers.

Patrol of the Himalayas, 1925
Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, RF

The ancient manuscripts were kept in the caches of monasteries, where they told about the reserved country of Shambhala, whose borders were guarded by inaccessible mountains and snow people. The manuscripts told about people living in a reserved country, who know the past, know the future. They send prophecies to the world and these prophecies are being fulfilled.

Shaposhnikova L.V. "Master" M. 1998, p. 216

Living Ethics Teaching,"Leaves of Moria's Garden", Part 1, "The Call"

M. has many towers and guardian phenomena
on the slopes of the Himalayas.
Consider - no one will pass without satellites
snow guard.
Giants among the ice are watching the river of the world.
Ice blooms with pure fire, and the air is saturated
ozone.

Perhaps the most significant message of the East is contained in the tales of Shambhala, in legends, traditions and songs. Whoever knows nothing about the vital significance of Shambhala should not claim that he studied the East and knows the pulse of modern Asia.

N.K. Roerich "Heart of Asia"

L.V. Shaposhnikov "Commands of the Cosmos" M. 1995, p. 66

5. "Confucius the Just" - a traveler in exile.

Just Confucius, 1925
Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia

Confucius- (Kun-tzu) (about 551 - 479 BC) - an ancient Chinese thinker, the founder of Confucianism, the main content of which is the achievement of general prosperity through moral self-improvement of the individual. The main views of the ethical and political doctrine are set out in the book "Lunyu" ("Conversations and Judgments").

“At the age of 15, my mind bent over teaching. At 30, I stood firm. At 40, I was freed from disappointment. At 50, I understood the laws of Providence. At 60, my ears were listening to the truth. At 70, I could follow the direction of my heart "

N.K. Roerich "Behind the Great Wall"

cit. after "Nicholas Roerich", album. Samara, "Agni", 2005, p. 12

Confucius had to move from place to place as an exile. And his strange chariot is placed in the temple along with his compositions and musical instruments. No wonder, because the same community is at the heart of Confucius's teachings. Let us recall his teaching: “If the hearts of mortals are kindled with love, then the whole world will be like one family. All people will imagine one person in themselves, and all things, due to the amazing mutual order and union, will seem to be one and the same being. We must love others as ourselves, therefore, we must wish them everything that we wish for ourselves. " "Hypocrisy is the most hated vice." "The one who hides behind the mere appearance of virtue is like a villain who shows himself as an honest man during the day, and at night he is engaged in stealing the property of his neighbor."

“Beware of those who are perpetrators of the praises of virtue rather than its followers. Do not be deceived by their learned reasoning, which at least could be understood as the expression of a convinced soul, but they are only the fruit of a corrupted mind and invented impulses of the heart. Those who speak with some kind of sensitivity about humility of mind, about the common good, are not always examples themselves. "

"Abstinence, simplicity in dress, decency, the study of sciences and arts, aversion to caress, love for the lower, disinterestedness, prudence, constancy, kindness - these are the prescribed duties."

"Learn the sciences and fine arts, use the instructions of wisdom."

“The miser, being himself in anxiety, becomes a terrible and disgusting object for others. Let prudence govern all your affairs. "

“There is no better way to recognize people, whether they are good or evil, than to look at the pupil of the eye; for the pupil of the eye cannot hide the vice that lurks in the heart. "

"Do not let the inferior feel your high position, do not show the advantages of your merits as equals."

“There is nothing that constancy cannot achieve. I can bring a basket of earth every day, and if I continue, I will finally raise a mountain. "

"Man must become a co-worker of heaven and earth."

"All beings feed each other."

"The laws of motion of the luminaries are fulfilled simultaneously, without violating each other."

“The actions of heaven and earth are divided into countless streams, acting on each being separately. Their common action makes great transformations - this is the greatness of heaven and earth. "

"Consciousness, humanity and masculinity are the three world qualities, but sincerity is needed to apply them."

"A person who has not realized his purpose cannot be considered a great person."

“Isn't there a panacea for everything? - Isn't this love for humanity? Do not do to others what you do not want for yourself. "

"If a person knows how to govern himself, what kind of difficulty could he meet in managing the state?"

“The sage is firm, but not stubborn. Be slow in words and quick in action. "

"The wise one expects everything from himself, the insignificance - everything from others."

“I love the brilliance of virtue that is not manifested by loud words and pompous movements. The hype, the proclamation are very secondary things in the transformation of peoples. "

“The ignorant, proud of his knowledge; insignificant, wanting excessively freedom; a person returning to ancient customs is inevitably prone to disasters. "

“The shooter sets an example for the sage. When he misses the middle of the goal, he looks for the reason in himself. "

Teaching about the common good, Confucius should always have his chariot at hand ...

An old Chinese man is talking about Confucius. These old thoughts merge with the traces of old Chinese travelers, who left so much useful information about India and all of Central Asia.

N.K. Roerich "Altai-Himalayas" M. 1999, pp. 107 - 108

"Not a single great man suffered as much as Confucius, from stupidity, lies, perversion, from lack of sympathy and nobility, and especially from the deep ignorance of his condemners," says L. Giles and continues:

“Confucius was the prince of philosophers. The wisest of the sages. A high moralist, a high and deep intelligence that ever appeared in the world. He was a statesman, a bard, a historian, and an archaeologist. Its broad scope could shame the most famous ancient and modern philosophers. "

Then the same author rightly points out that the years of his recognition did not serve for the greater glory of Confucius, but, on the contrary, the time in which he was subjected to special attacks, slander and condemnation. But comparatively recently, the dust of centuries was removed from the great figure of the Teacher. So, even this, in the end, a very clear and vital philosopher certainly had to go through the hardening of slander.

These lines about Confucius were especially remembered during the passage of the Great Wall of China. The wall is really great, and the philosopher - the Teacher of life is also really great. Isn't it strange that this messenger of peace should have always drawn a chariot, ready to flee from unexpected persecution.

Just think that it was Confucius in his time that the names of a charlatan and a liar were used, and at best he was called a dreamer and condemned for the inapplicability of life. And this dreamer, when asked what the sky is, answered: "How can I judge the sky when I do not yet know so many earthly things."

In the Confucian dictionary, the expression "jen" is often found, which is translated either by virtue or valor. This is how it is expressed in the first English translations. At the same time, the researchers themselves do not hide the fact that such a definition is only relative in the absence of a better expression. For us, this concept will rather be the word "feat" in all its highly constructive meaning.

Going beyond the Great Wall, I wanted to think about something great, and the thought of the great sage Confucius was especially close.

N.K. Roerich "Diary Leaves", M. 1995, pp. 289-290

6. "Ienno Guyo Dya" - a friend of travelers (Japan).

Ienno Guyo Dya - friend of travelers, 1925
Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia

Ieno-guyo-dya(En-no Gyoja, En-no Odzuno, Japan, 7-8 centuries) - a great ascetic, the founder of the brotherhood of mountain hermits - Yamabushi (Yamabushi), who sought to reveal the innermost spiritual forces - Shugendo (Shugendo)

Yamabushi (literally - "sleeping in the mountains", "mountain sages") - originally a brotherhood of hermits who settled in remote mountains. Thanks to the highest authority that they earned for their spiritual capabilities and morality, this movement gradually became widespread, gaining followers in all strata of Japanese society.

Legends associate Ieno-guyo-dya with Prince Shotoku Taishi (574 - 622), a great reformer and statesman, ruler of Japan during the period of Buddhism's struggle with ancient shamanistic cults, who became a hermit, and later, after a false funeral, hid in the mountains , taking the name Ienno-guyo-dya.

The activities of Shotoku Taishi (Shotoku Taishi is a posthumous name, translated as Prince of Holy Virtue. His real name was Prince Umayado.) Began in 592 (at the age of eighteen) and covered all aspects of the life of Japanese society. He established Buddhism among the Japanese aristocracy, attracted many Buddhists from Korea and China to Japan, contributed to the translation of sacred books into Japanese (including created commentaries on one of the sutras). His name is associated with the construction of 46 Buddhist temples and monasteries.

He created the famous "Law of 17 Articles", which laid the foundations of Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist ethics in Japanese society. This document for many centuries determined the direction of the spiritual life of Japan.

It is believed that Prince Shotoku proposed the modern name for Japan - Nippon, "Land of the Rising Sun". He managed to establish equal relations with Korea and China, which at that time were more powerful than Japan, states.

The name Shotoku is associated with the emergence of the art of Ikebana, which in medieval Japan had a deeply sacred meaning, as well as the sacred musical instrument "shakuhachi" (bamboo flute). Legend has it that when the prince played this instrument, heavenly fairies descended to him. Later, the sounds of "shakuhachi" began to accompany the reading of sutras in temples, because its sound not only adorned the prayer, but also expressed its essence. The prince's flute is now on display at the Tokyo National Museum.

Historical records mention that Shotoku Taishi contributed to the development of the martial art of Ninjutsu.

In culture, politics, spiritual life - everywhere Shotoku Taishi did not miss the opportunity to lay the foundations for future achievements that glorified Japan and became a contribution to world Culture.

For the Japanese, the image of a prince became the embodiment of the highest virtues and divine wisdom.

The prince's reign was short-lived - only 15 years. In 607, he retired to one of the monasteries built by his order (according to some sources, continuing to influence state policy).

In 622, according to legend, Boddhidharma himself appeared to him, talked with him and exchanged poems. In the same year, the prince passed away at the age of 48.

The activities of Ieno-guyo-dya were not only a continuation, but also the development and enrichment of the created Shotoku Taishi.

Thanks to Yeno-guyo-dya, Buddhism, which was originally the religion of the upper strata of society, has established itself in the popular consciousness.

The Yamabushi movement created by him became for the Japanese the bearer of the qualities of Buddhist ethics: compassion, mutual assistance, and the struggle for justice. It was among the yamabushi that martial arts schools were developed to protect the weak and as a special path of spiritual asceticism, the foundation of which was laid by Prince Shotoku Taishi.

The name Ieno-guyo-dya is associated with the spread of the cherry-sakura, which later became one of the symbols of Japan. Its flowering is celebrated every year as a national holiday. According to legend, the first cherry trees appeared in the city of Yoshino, where they were grown by Ieno-guyo-dya.

In the popular consciousness, he was endowed with the highest divine abilities - to converse with Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, fly, walk on water, transform in fire. In one of the ancient monuments, he is called a descendant of the Shinto deity Susanno. And in Buddhist sources he is called the Bodhisattva Jinben-daibosatsu.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Prince Shotoku Taishi and the spiritual ascetic Ieno-guyo-dya laid the foundations of the spiritual culture of Japan.

Materials used in the preparation:

E. Matochkin "Banners of the East" from the collection "Roerich. Prophecies "Samara, 2004

E.P. Blavatsky's "Bewitched Life (Story of a Goose Feather)"

/Fragment/

But the stronger my affection and respect for this person became, the less I was able to come to terms with the wild teaching about life after death, and especially with his words about people who have acquired supernatural power. I was especially disgusted by his respectful attitude towards the yamabushi, these allies of every Buddhist sect in the country. In my view, their claims of miracles were a lie. Then, at least, I could not come to terms with the fact that every Japanese I knew in Kyoto, even my own business partner, and this was the most astute of all whom I had to deal with in the east, always mentioned these followers Lao Tzu with eyes downcast, hands folded respectfully, each time confirming that they have a "great" and "miraculous" gift. Who are they, after all, these great wizards with their ridiculous claims to "supermundane" knowledge ?! Who are they, these "holy beggars", who, as I thought then, specially live in the crevices of sparsely populated mountains and on inaccessible rocks in order to insure themselves against random passers-by who can discover their charlatanism, watching them in their own den! Yes, these are just arrogant fortune-tellers, Japanese gypsies who sell amulets and talismans! That's who they are. And with the greatest fury and the most firm conviction that I was right, I argued with those who tried to convince me that the Yamabushi live a mysterious life, never allowing the uninitiated into their secrets. But sometimes they still accept disciples, and although it is very difficult to be a disciple of a yamabushi, there are such people, and therefore the yamabushi have living witnesses who can confirm the majestic purity of their life. In my arguments, I insulted both teachers and students, calling them fools, if not crooks, and in my rage I went so far as to include them in the ranks of Shinto members. Shinto or Shin-Son, belief in gods or the path to gods is a belief in communication between divine beings and humans. As a religious movement, Shinto resembles the worship of the spirits of nature, and from this point of view, perhaps nothing could be more stupid. By placing all the members of the Shin-Son society among the fools and swindlers of other sects, I have acquired many enemies. This happened because Shinto Kanushi (spiritual teachers) are considered the highest class of society and Mikado himself is at the head of their hierarchy. Their sect includes the most cultured and educated people in Japan. These Kanushi of the Shinto sect do not belong to any one caste or class. In addition, they do not undergo any initiation ceremony, at least known to those who do not belong to this society. Since they never require special privileges and rights for themselves, and dress like all other uninitiated people, they very often remain professors or students studying various occult or spiritual sciences for those around them, so I very often met and talked with them. without even knowing who I am dealing with.

Ed. "Star". Leningrad, 1991, pp. 18 - 20

7. "Milarepa Heard" - at the rising, he knew the voices of the devas.

Milarepa is a Buddhist hermit (1040 - 1123), whom the Tibetans call "Three times great": a great poet, a great yogi and a great saint.

N.K. Roerich "Shambhala", series Great Roerich Library, M. 1994, p. 196

Tibetan Orpheus - Milarepa, surrounded by animals and listening to the prophetic voices of the mountains.

Is feat possible without difficulties? I love so much the words of a wonderful Tibetan ascetic named Milarepa, who indulged in great deeds, and when people persuaded him to pity himself, his health and stop a hard life, he replied: “Since we all must die, I prefer to die in pursuit of a beautiful goals ". Truly, if a hundred people realized this formula and applied it to life, the world would be transformed in the shortest possible time.

E.I. Roerich. Letters, vol. 3.M. 2001, p. 552

Y. Roerich "Along the paths of Central Asia"

One of the majestic episodes in the religious and literary history of Tibet is associated with Tingri and the region located southwest of it around the Lapchi Kangri mountain range. In the first half of the eleventh century, the most famous teacher of Tibet, the hermit Milarepa (Mila ras-pa), Saint Francis of the Land of Snows, lived and worked here. In the south of Tingri, in the almost inaccessible mountain valleys leading to the highest highlands of the earth, where the snow giants Everest, Makalu and Gaurishankar rise to enormous heights, as if competing with each other, hermits still live, jealously guarding the mystery of Milarepa, passed down through generations of teachers. Here, in the lost wild mountains, you can still hear the songs of Milarepa and see on the walls of the abandoned mountain dwellings of hermits the images of the Teacher listening to the Inner Voice. Every year, pilgrims climb almost inaccessible paths to Everest to see a giant cleavage on the side of the mountain - the trail of the fall of Naro Bon-chung.

One day Naro, one of the main teachers of the Black Faith of Tibet, challenged Milarepa to climb the summit of Mount Everest, here called the "Mother of the Great Snows." Milarepa accepted the challenge and entered deep meditation. Meanwhile, Naro, seeing Milarepa sitting motionless, with the help of supernatural power, began to fly up to the top of the great mountain. But how could Black Faith win? Suddenly, a shining throne appeared on the top of the mountain, on which the meditating Milarepa was sitting. Blinded by the brilliant vision, Naro fell into a deep abyss and left a gigantic trail of his defeat when he fell. This is what the legend says, and hundreds of pilgrims extol the wisdom of the Teacher, to whom both animals and birds were obedient.

There, in the remote mountains, one can still find reclusive members of a secret brotherhood of Milarepa's followers called "Brothers and Friends of the Secret." On the ice-covered slopes, a passer-by can still see the figure of a monk in white robes, an adherent of the secret science of "Inner Fire", or Lung-tum-mo (lung gtum-mo). Rumors about this area have spread far across Buddhist Central Asia, and scholarly lamas in Mongolia often talk about spiritual teachers and hermits in the mountainous country southwest of Shigatse.

On the way to Tingri, we met several lamas - followers of Milarepa, making a pilgrimage to the Lapchi valley and its temple. ...

I was given the opportunity to speak with them and compose the Gurbum, or collection of Milarepa's songs. I asked them about the followers of Milarepa and the famous refuge in the mountains ....

Milarepa and his songs are very popular with the inhabitants of Tingri and the surrounding area, and legends about him are often told in the evenings near campfires and at the village hearths. The author has greatly benefited from such conversations with traveling merchants and itinerant lamas.

In some of Tingri's homes and surrounding villages, we found wall paintings depicting Milarepa with her right hand raised to her right ear, listening to the mysterious voices of nature. He is always depicted sitting in front of a cave against the backdrop of a huge snowy mountain. He wears the white robes of his sect and the lace of an ascetic. Gazelles, leopards and fallow deer look at the saint immersed in deep meditation. His teacher, Jetsun Marpa, is often depicted above him in the clouds, his hands folded in dhyani mudra - a pose of meditation. Other popular paintings depict the saint in his usual pose, sitting among the pointed rocks against the backdrop of snow-capped mountains, with the goddess Tshe-ring-moi serving him. The saint looks completely exhausted after a strict penance. The design of the frescoes is rather crude, but the colors are graceful. Time softened too bright contrasts and hid the drawing errors. Painted images of Milarepa are quite common, and his bronze figurines are extremely rare. We managed to get only one very roughly made bronze image of the saint.

Samara. 1994 p. 435-438

8. "Dorje Daring" - to stand face to face with Mahakala himself.

Dorje daring. (Dorje the brave), 1925
Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York, USA.

"Dorje the Daring One" to come face to face with Mahakala himself.

N.K. Roerich "Altai - Himalayas", M. 1999, p. 99

A whole group of strange pictures was connected with the materials of the Central Asian expedition (... 1923-28). Faces and mysterious figures appeared on them in bizarre heaps of rocks. Ancient forgotten gods performed mysterious dances. Like ghosts, blurred features of the fearsome Deities of Tibet emerged from the stones of mountains and mists. Lhamo, Palden Lhamo, Dorje the brave.

L.V. Shaposhnikov "Master" M. 1998, p. 350-351

Dorje (Tibet.) - "lightning", a sacred ritual object among Buddhists

L.V. Shaposhnikov "Master" M. 1998, p. 616

Mahakala (Skt.) - Great Time. Name of Shiva as "Destroyer" and Vishnu as "Guardian"

9. "Saraha is the Good Arrow", which does not hesitate in good sendings.

"Sarakha - a good arrow", 1925
Collection of W. Bolling, USA

"Saraha is the Good Arrow", who does not hesitate in good sendings.

N.K. Roerich "Altai - Himalayas", M. 1999, p. 99

Saraha - the great Brahmin who developed the teachings of the Mahayana and the secret Tantra, the predecessor of Nagarjuna

N.K. Roerich Altai - Himalayas, M. 1999, p. 490

... will is a transformed, sharpened psychic energy. In ancient times, the arrow was the symbol of will. Now they talk a lot about the development of the will and suggest artificial methods to assimilate the will, but it must be developed by ardent activity ...

Living Ethics Teaching. Aboveground, p. 729

... the arrow on the right flight tends to a single goal. Compare the arrow with a human thought. A trembling hand will not direct an arrow fiercely, just as a wavering thought will not reach the goal ...

Living Ethics Teaching. Aboveground, p. 733

Saraha (Skt. - "Archer", also Sarakha, Saroruha or Saroja, Sarahasta, 7th - 9th centuries) - an outstanding Buddhist ascetic, teacher of Nagarjuna. On Tibetan tanks (a sacred drawing on fabric), he is depicted as an ascetic old man holding an arrow in his hand.

Saraha is revered as one of the 84 maha-siddhis, saintly sages who have attained spiritual perfection. He is also called adi-siddha (main, first), "The highest siddha of the new tantras."

His life stories contain conflicting and even mutually exclusive information.

Saraha was born in eastern India to a Brahmin family, therefore he is also called the Great Brahmin. The exact date of birth is unknown (some sources claim that he was born 200 years after the departure of Buddha Shakyamuni, i.e. in the 3rd century BC). Was close to King Mahapala (?), Received Buddhist education at the University of Nalanda. He left many treatises, instructions, poems, seven of which are included in the Tibetan Canon. His spiritual songs "doha" and "karya gita" are especially famous.

Saraha's activities took place during a period of crisis and the weakening of the influence of Buddhism in India. In his spiritual heritage, he called for abandoning excessive enthusiasm for meditation, ritual, mental speculation; criticized the established dogmas of Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism. He considered compassion and comprehension of his inner nature to be the basis of spiritual development.

In legends and traditions, Saraha is associated with dakinis - the innermost images of the feminine principle in Buddhism. He is called the son of a dakini. He received his first spiritual achievements from dakinis in the guise of "four Brahmin maidens." And the nickname "archer" (arrow maker) he acquired thanks to his wife - dakini, who incarnated in the daughter of a blacksmith from a niche caste. According to one of the legends, he had a vision that he would meet his Teacher at the bazaar. After some time, he really saw a girl in the bazaar who made arrows so flawlessly and her movements were so perfect that Saraha realized that she was his Teacher. This girl became his wife and faithful companion on his travels.

The famous Russian Buddhist prof. E. Torchinov in his "Introduction to Buddhology" mentions that among the lamas of Buryatia 20-30 years ago there was a legend that Saraha in the 20s of the twentieth century. visited one of the Buryat monasteries.

"Lions of Buddha - Biographies of the Eighty-Four Siddhas"

/ as stated /

Saraha, the son of a dakini, was born into a brahmin family in the city of Roli, in Rajni, in eastern India. Having received a classical education, he turned to the teachings of the Buddha, and after listening to many teachers, he came to tantra. During the day he practiced Hinduism, at night he studied Buddhism.

Opponents of Buddhism, the Brahmins accused Saraha of drunkenness, went to King Ratnapala and told him: “You are the king here. Is it right for you to encourage a religion with such a bad reputation as Buddhism? And besides, even if the "archer" Sarah occupies a high position, he still stained himself with drunkenness and must be expelled. "

The king did not at all want to expel a man who controlled fifty thousand small farms. He went to Saraha and said to him, "You are a brahmana, you should not drink wine at all." “I don’t drink,” Saraha replied. "Gather all these brahmanas here and I will swear to you." When everyone was assembled, Saraha said, “If I drank, let my hand burn. If not, let it remain intact. " He put his hand in boiling oil and it didn't burn. “You see, he doesn't drink,” said the king. "Drinks, drinks!" The brahmanas insisted. Saraha repeated his oath and drank the molten copper. "No, he is a drunkard," the brahmanas kept saying. Then Saraha said: “Let’s do this: whoever walks on water and drowns, he drinks, and who does not drown, he does not drink.” And he and another brahmana entered the water, and he began to drown, but Saraha did not, and everyone agreed that Saraha was a teetotaler. Then they began to weigh Saraha. “He who is heavy does not drink,” he said. The brahmanas put on the scales three steel weights of the weight of a man each, and still Saraha outweighed. He was even heavier than six weights. Finally the king said, "Even if someone drinks and has such energy, let him drink."

The king and the brahmanas bowed down to Saraha and asked him for instructions. Saraha agreed and sang three Doha song cycles. After that, the brahmanas abandoned their views and became Buddhists, and the king and those around him acquired siddhis.

One day Saraha asked me to cook him some radish. His wife poured sour cream over the radishes and served him, but he sat in meditation, and she did not bother him. Saraha was in meditation for twelve years. Finally, waking up, he asked: "Where is the radish?" The wife replied: “How could I keep it? It is spring now, vegetables have not grown yet. " Saraha, after a pause, said, "I am going to the mountains." “A lonely body does not give solitude,” the woman replied, “the best solitude is in the mind when it is far from ideas and concepts. You meditated for twelve years, and the thought of the radish remained in you. What good will you find in your mountains? " This is true, Saraha thought. From that time on, he tried to dissolve concepts and habitual thoughts in the natural light of the mind.

Saraha attained the siddhi of Mahamudra and fulfilled the hopes of all living beings. Having achieved perfection, Saraha, together with his spouse, went into the Upper Light, bypassing the usual transitional states.

10. "Mohammed on Mount Chira (message of the Archangel Gabriel)", legend.

"Mohammed on Mount Khira", 1925
Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia

“Mohammed on Mount Khira (message of the Archangel Gabriel), legend ...

N.K. Roerich "Altai - Himalayas", M. 1999, p. 99

Muhammad(Mohammed, in European literature often Mohammed, Magomed) (c. 570 - 632) - the founder of Islam, in 630 - 631. the head of the first Muslim theocratic state (in Arabia), revered as a prophet.

Soviet Encyclopedic Dictionary, ed. 3rd, M. 1985

Interestingly says At-Tabari about the prophetic vocation of Mohammed ("History of the Prophets and Kings"). “The first thing that began the revelation of the messenger of God was the suggestions of truth, which came like morning radiance. Then he was imbued with solitude and remained in a cave on Mount Hira. And then the eternally True One came to him. And he said to him: "Mohammed, you are the messenger of God." “I knelt down,” says the messenger of God, “and I stand waiting. Then slowly I walked out. My heart fluttered. I came to Khadija and said: "Wrap, wrap me up," and my fear passed. And He again appeared to me and said: "Mohammed, I am Gabriel, and you are the messenger of God." ...

Barakah, son of Naufal, said to Mohammed: “This is a divine revelation that was sent down to Moses, the son of Umran. If I lived to see the time when your people will drive you out! " - "Will I be banished by him?" - said Mohammed. “Yes,” he replied. - Truly, a person never appeared with what you came with without arousing enmity towards himself. Truly they will consider you a liar, they will cause you trouble, they will drive you out and fight with you. " Baraka's words increased his firmness and dispelled his anxiety. "

N.K. Roerich. Altai - Himalayas, M. 1999, p. 314,

“I am sending… a snapshot from my painting“ Mohammed on Mount Khira ”receives the decree of the Archangel Gabriel. I have heard very touching reviews of the co-religionists of Mohammed about this picture, who noted the understanding of tradition in hiding the face of the prophet. "

11. "Nagarjuna - the Conqueror of the Serpent" sees a sign on the lake of the Lord of the Nagas.

Nagarjuna - Conqueror of the Serpent, 1925
Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia

"Nagarjuna - the Conqueror of the Serpent" sees the sign on the lake of the Lord of the Nagas.

N.K. Roerich "Altai - Himalayas", M. 1999, p. 99

Brave Nagarjuna, who drew wisdom from the conversations with Nag - "the serpent king" on Lake Yumtso.

N.K. Roerich "Altai-Himalayas" M. 1999, p. 106

… Many centuries ago, the famous Nagarjuna lived here - a great philosopher who received knowledge from the Great King of the Nagas and transformed the teachings of Buddha.

It was in the same red glow of the sunset that the Great Naga lifted his hood from the depths of the sacred lake on the shore of which Nagarjuna was sitting. This is how Roerich's painting depicts a mysterious moment of knowledge transfer. In the picture, reality was intertwined with myth, just as in the life of the Buddhist philosopher himself. Controversial, but real dates of his life - either the first century, or the third. It is known that he was a Brahmin who converted to Buddhism and was educated in Nalanda, a famous center of Buddhist scholarship. The glory of Nagarjuna has stepped far beyond India. He was well known both in Tibet and in China. This, in fact, ends the real part of his biography. Then she passes into the mythical stage, where legends and tales about him, as a great magician, play a major role.

Legends tell of the unusual abilities of Nagarjuna. He could cure a person with one glance, possessed the secret of making up the elixir of life, had the ability to find hidden treasures and treasures, knew how to restore broken and broken things, so much so that no one could have imagined that the thing was spoiled. Damaged gems in his hands became full again. He could make gold. One day, the Buddhist community where he lived was on the verge of starvation due to crop failure. Nagarjuna made golden grains and exchanged them for real ones. He was clairvoyant, possessed the gift of prophecy and could become invisible.

The most enigmatic aspect of his legendary biography was his relationship with the nagas. His name - Nagarjuna, or "conqueror of the Naga" - he received through communication with the latter. Meeting the Great Naga was apparently the culmination of such a relationship. Nagarjuna's acquaintance with the nagas, according to legends, took place in Nalanda. Nagas appeared in the monastery in the guise of youths of the same age as Nagarjuna. They, according to tradition, passed on secret knowledge to him, and then invited him to their place. He spent three months with the nagas in a secret place. When it was time to say goodbye, the nagas, according to their custom, presented rich gifts and various jewels to Nagarjuna. But the most precious was the book "Nagasahasrika", which contained valuable instructions.

There is scant evidence that not only wise nagas, but also arhats lived in the land of the nagas, which Nagarjuna visited. And conversations with them completed the philosophical education of Nagarjuna. From the land of the nagas, according to this version, he went north and from there he got to a completely different part of the world. Tall beings lived there, among whom Nagarjuna spent twelve years. The naga showed him the way to this country.

Finally, the legend says that Nagarjuna lived for a time in a Buddhist community on a mountain. There, in a mountain refuge, the Great Naga saw him. He liked Nagarjuna for his learning and inquisitive mind, and the Great Naga invited him to his palace. But the difficulty was that the palace was on the seabed. However, the Great Naga helped Nagarjuna. How - the legends are silent about it. In the palace, the Great Naga showed him seven treasure vaults. They also contained ancient books that people living on earth did not know about. The great naga took out several books of the Buddha's teachings from the shelf and gave them to Nagarjuna. He studied books ninety days in a row, comprehending their deep meaning. And the Great Naga, conducting daily conversations with him, discussed with Nagarjuna what he had read. When his term in the palace of the Great Naga expired, he presented him with several books. Nagarjuna brought these books with him to India. In addition, the Great Naga said that he, the Great Naga, had many more books than what Nagarjuna had seen. But what kind of books and what they look like, the Great Naga did not tell him.

Although all versions of Nagarjuna's visit to the land of the nagas and his contacts with these mysterious creatures differ from each other, one thing remains common to all of them: Nagarjuna received knowledge and books from the nagas. One of them, Nagasahasrika, is real, not mythical.

The end of the learned monk was strange and unexpected. The king's son, with whom he was friends, cut off his head in anger. This version of the end of Nagarjuna is based on legend. We do not have exact data on his death, as well as on his birth.

But nevertheless he existed, studied and taught, visited mysterious mountain shelters, wrote philosophical works ... Man and myth, man and legend - his dry, straight figure is depicted in Roerich's painting "Nagarjuna - the Conqueror of the Serpent".

L.V. Shaposhnikov "Along the Route of the Master" book. 2 M. 2000, pp. 84-86

Both the ancient chronicles of Kashmir and its oral tradition were filled with legends and legends about the mysterious naga. Some talked about the unusual everyday life of the nagas and their love affairs, others about their wisdom and knowledge, and still others about the cities that were lost and sunk. The nagas owned underwater and underground treasures, which they jealously guarded. They owned entire ancient cities, which, due to cataclysms, sank in the seas or lakes, or simply sank into the ground. In these cities and other similar places, the kings of the naga had their own palaces. Gold, silver and precious stones were used to decorate them. Music sounded in the halls and beautiful dancers demonstrated their art. The palaces were surrounded by gardens where unprecedented trees and flowers grew. Kings wore golden crowns and robes embroidered with precious stones. Their necklaces, bracelets and rings sparkled with rare and wonderful samples of diamonds, emeralds, rubies, amethysts, and pearls.

The nagas were not only kings, but also sages, mentors, magicians, wizards and, finally, cultural heroes. The main naga of Kashmir, the Nila, created a book that emerged from the blue water of the Nilamnag. The book contained wise advice on how to live, whom to worship, how to behave in certain cases. The Nile instilled strong cultural traditions in the people of Kashmir. Nag Takshaka brought valuable saffron seeds from unknown lands. Not far from Pandrethan, in the village of Jayavana, which is now called Zewan, he showed the inhabitants how to sow and grow it, and saffron became one of the riches of Kashmir. In addition, the nagas controlled the weather, possessed a wealth of knowledge in medicine, and were also clairvoyant and clairaudient.

... The famous Chinese traveler Xuan-jiang visited many places associated with the naga in the 7th century. These were lakes, ponds and other bodies of water. Xuan-jiang was one of the first who tried to see elements of historical reality in the mysterious cult of the nagas. Roerich highly appreciated the authenticity of the ancient Chinese chronicles. "In general, we must do justice," he wrote, "to the old Chinese for the accuracy of their descriptions, which we have seen more than once."

... The most ancient civilization of India, discovered in the Indus Valley in the 1920s, was also associated with the nagas and their cult. On the steatite seals of Mohenjo-Daro, images of snakes and figures of people with snake hoods over their heads have been preserved. Earlier, in 1905, the English archaeologist Marshall unearthed an ancient naga sanctuary in Rajagir. It was a round stone building, on the outside of which there were ten statues, well preserved. Five of them depicted nagas and one a nagina. All six had elongated eyes, thin humped noses, and plump lips. Who were they, from what depths of the past did their mythological heritage emerge? The Indian scholar Vedic Kumari, in her preface to the Nilamatpurana, was also unable to answer this question. “The difficulty in identifying the nagas,” she wrote, “is that they are still hidden by a veil of legends and myths and arise from the depths of time, now like snakes, then like people.”

Hidden by this intricate veil, the nagas defied archaeological or ethnographic deciphering.

... Gods, spirits, guardians of the countries of the world, kings, people, snakes. Cultural heroes, magicians, wizards, warriors, sages, keepers of knowledge and treasures, real-life royal dynasties. The word was like an incantation, like some ancient symbol, like a mysterious drawing on a rock. And again and again I returned to this mysterious landmark left by Roerich. I gazed into his pictures, from which the mythical nagas stood up, read the stingy words he said ...

L.V. Shaposhnikov "Along the Route of the Master" book. 2 M. 2000, pp. 70-72

There is an expression "wisdom of a serpent", "wise as a serpent" and other similar definitions. Some take it literally: the serpent is wise. But no one tested this wisdom in a snake. This symbol is not associated with a snake - naked directly, but has to do with the perfection of man ...

L.V. Shaposhnikov "The Universe of the Master" M. 2005, p. 824

12. "Oirot - Messenger of the White Burkhan", Altai belief.

Oirot - Bulletin of the White Burkhan, Series "Banners of the East", 1925
Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia

In the essay "Shambhala" Roerich conveyed the legend about the White Burkhan:

“The mountains from Chuguchak to Altai are becoming wilder and wilder. It is strange for the first time to see Oirot riders - a Finno-Turkic family lost in the Altai mountains. It is only recently that this area, full of beautiful forests, thundering streams and snow-white ridges, has received its own name Oirotia. The land of the Blessed Oirot, the folk hero of this secluded tribe. And another miracle happened in this country, where until recently crude forms of shamanism and witchcraft flourished.

In 1904, a young Oirot girl had a vision. Blessed Oirot himself appeared to her on a white horse. He told her that he was the messenger of the White Burkhan and that Burkhan himself would come soon.

The Blessed One gave the shepherd girl many instructions on how to restore righteous customs in the country and how to meet the White Burkhan, who will erect a new happy time on earth. The girl summoned her family and announced these new instructions of the Blessed One, asking her relatives to bury their weapons, destroy idols and pray only to the merciful White Burkhan. A semblance of an altar was erected at the top of the wooded mountain. People gathered there, burned the heather and sang newly composed sacred songs, touching and uplifting. One sounds like this:

You who live behind white clouds -
Beyond blue skies -
Three Kurbustans!
You who wear four braids -
White Burkhan!
You, Lord of Altai -
White Burkhan!
You who inhabit around you
Peoples, in gold and silver,
White Altai!
You, shining during the day!
You are the Burkhan sun!
You shining at night!
You are the Burkhan Month!

Let my call be recorded
To the sacred book Sadur!

The local administration was embarrassed to learn about this new faith, as they called it. Peaceful admirers of the White Burkhan were severely persecuted. But the instructions of the Blessed Oirot did not perish. Until now, a rider on a White horse appears on the Altai mountains, and faith in the White Burkhan is growing. In the scattered yurts, a legend is whispered that the last battle of people will take place on the Katun River, and that the light of the White Burkhan is already shining from behind the distant White Mountain. And with these words, the heads of the interlocutors turn to the south of Altai, to where the highest mountains rise far away, sparkling in a snow cover. This happened among the Oirots in the Altai Mountains. "

N.K. Roerich, "Heart of Asia", essay "Shambhala", Minsk, 1991, pp. 76-77

“White Burkhan, of course, is the Blessed Buddha. There are traces of radioactivity in the Ak-kem area. The water in Ak-kem is milky white. Pure Belovodye. The fiftieth latitude passes through Ak-Kem. We remember the conclusion of Choma Koryoshi. ”( outstanding Hungarian orientalist traveler - approx.)

N.K. Roerich "Altai-Himalayas", M. 1999, p. 386-387

“… It’s not a pity to spend the night in the place where the doctrine of the White Burkhan and his good friend Oirot was born. The whole region adopted the name of Oirota. It is here that the arrival of the White Burkhan is expected. In the rocks above Kyrlyk, the entrances to the caves turn black. The caves go deep, they did not find an end. There are also caves and secret passages - from Tibet through Kun-Lun, through Altyn-Tag, through Turpan; The "long ear" knows about secret passages. How many people were saved in these passages and caves! And reality has become a fairy tale. Just as the black aconite of the Himalayas turned into a heat-color ”.

Ibid., P. 373

In Altai, the Oirots turn away from shamanism and add new prayers to the expected White Burkhan. Burkhan's messenger, good Oirot, is already traveling around the world.

Ibid, p. 437

13. "Mother of the World".

Mother of the World, 1924
Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia

The Mother of the World is a symbol of the feminine Beginning in the new era, and the masculine Beginning voluntarily gives the treasure of the World to the feminine Beginning.
If the Amazons were a symbol of the power of the feminine principle, now it is necessary to show the spiritual perfect side of the woman.

Teaching of Living Ethics, Illumination V, item 2

The lofty commission of women must be revealed by a woman. And in the Temple of the Mother of the World there must be a woman.
The appearance of the Mother of the World will create the unity of women. It is now that the task is to create a spiritual and royal position for a woman.

Living Ethics Teaching, Illumination IV, p.9

315. The Mother of the World pointed out: “Gather the winds, gather the snow. Do not be birds and do not approach beasts!

A human foot will not be established on My Summit. The basis for the daring of the dark will not be affirmed. The light of the month will not hold, but the ray of the sun will reach the Summit.

Save, sun, My Top, for where will I stand on guard? The beast will never ascend and human strength will not be able to hold out! "

The Mother of Jehovah herself with a fiery shield will stand guard.

What glitters at the Summit? Why have the whirlwinds folded a shining crown? She, the Great Mother, alone ascended the Summit. And no one will follow Her.

317. The Mother of the World shines on the highest mountain. She came out to smite the darkness. Why are the enemies falling? And where do they turn their eyes in despair?

She put on a fiery dress and surrounded herself with a wall of fire.

She is our strength and aspiration.

Living Ethics Teaching, Agni Yoga.

638 ... People want to see matter in everything, and they are not far from the truth, if they allow all the variety of qualities of matter. The very word "Matter" is good and homogeneous with the great concept of Matter. Now, in the age of the Mother of the World, it is necessary to pay special attention to everything that resembles this beautiful Foundation. In addition, one must understand that it is precisely the concept of matter that contains the various properties of this giving birth substance.

It is said that matter is a crystallized spirit, but one can also say the other way around, because everything, from the subtlest energies, is matter. The judgment will be meager if someone rebelles against the energetic principle, thus he will deny matter. What, then, will remain with such an ignoramus? It's time to return the name to its original meaning. Whoever considers himself a materialist should respect matter in all its varieties. It is impermissible to be called a materialist and deny the essence of matter.

While it is wonderful to study matter and compare it with evolution, only this way will be scientific. It must be said that this determinant is also subject to distortion. Positive learning is not at all limited. On the contrary, it should be a symbol of constant cognition. So ponder the meaning of many concepts and you will understand how much We wish to approach everything from a scientific point of view. With Us, such a foundation does not contradict the freedom of the researcher, it only points to the beautiful matter, which is the Mother herself.

772. ... They will ask: "Why is this age called the Age of the Mother of the World?" Truly, that is how it should be called. The woman will bring great help, not only bringing enlightenment, but also establishing balance.

Living Ethics Teaching, Supermundane

Mother of the World

The Mother of the World hides Her Name. The Mother of the World closes Her Face.
The Mother is common to the Masters, not a symbol, but the Great Appearance of the Feminine Principle, representing the spiritual Mother of Christ and Buddha, the One who taught and ordained Them to exploit.
For a long time, the Mother has been sending on a heroic deed. Throughout the history of mankind, Her Hand runs an unbreakable thread.
At Sinai, Her voice sounded. The image of Kali was accepted, the basis of Isis, Istar.
After Atlantis, when Lucifer struck a blow to the cult of the Spirit, the Mother of the World began a new thread.
After Atlantis, the Mother of the World hid Her Face and forbade to pronounce the Name until the hour of the Luminaries struck.

Radiance of the Mother of the World

The Lilac Aura of the Mother of the World shines on us. Who will bow down? Who dares to her?
Among the destined treasures are Her bright ornaments. The Teaching about Her burns with a violet lotus.
Let the pain of the solar plexus centers be associated with Her days.
Let the new rings of the serpent unfold in Her time. Let the air pipes sound at the beginning of Her.
Mother of the World, go through the desert, for the flowers are behind You. Mother of the World, look at the mountain, for the mountains shine with Your fire!
The hated people are gone, hordes are rising. New wonders, new bearers, and the breaking down of walls shouted:
"Mother is coming!"
“Mother of Buddha, Mother of Christ, direct Thy Sons! Even if a rock falls on me, I will know from Your Steps! " So let's fill the space.

Order

And on top of all verbal orders sounds the Order Silent, All-pervading, Irreparable, Indivisible, Irrejustible, Dazzling, Generous, Indescribable, Unrepeatable, Intact, Inexpressible, Timeless, Urgent, Igniting, manifested in Lightning.
Here are two Orders - at the ends of the World of the Lords Christ and Buddha. And Their word is like a shining sword, but a Silent Order is manifested over Their thunder.
Above Their Covered Her Face, Weaving the yarn of the Far Worlds, the Messenger of the Untold, the Sovereign of the Elusive, the Giver of the Unrepeatable!
By Your Order, the ocean becomes silent and the whirlwinds of the features of invisible signs are applied.
And She, the Hiding Face, will stand guard Alone in the radiance of signs. And no one will ascend to the top, no one will see the radiance of the Dodecahedron, the sign of Her Power.
From the spiral of Light, the sign was woven by Herself in silence. She is the Leader of those who go to feat!
The four corners, the sign of Affirmation, were revealed by Her as parting words to those who decided.

Mother of the World Game

What a great game of the Mother of the World! She beckons the children from the far field.
“Hurry, children, I want to teach you. I have keen eyes and open ears prepared for you. Sit on My blanket, let us learn to fly! "

Fire shield

The Mother of the World pointed out: “Gather, winds, gather, snows, do not appear, birds, and do not approach, beasts.
A human foot will not be established on My Summit. The basis of the dark daring will not be affirmed.
The light of the month will not hold, but the ray of the sun will reach the Summit.
Save, sun, My Top, for where will I stand on guard?
The beast will never rise and human strength will not be able to hold out. "
The Mother of Jehovah herself with a fiery shield will stand guard.
What glitters at the Summit? Why have the whirlwinds folded a shining crown?
She, the Great Mother, alone ascended the Summit.
And no one will follow her.

Flaming circuit board

The Mother of the World shines on the highest mountain.
She came out to smite the darkness.
Why do enemies fall and where do they turn their eyes in despair?
She put on a fiery dress and surrounded herself with a wall of fire.
She is our strength and striving!

Moscow, 1992, pp. 36 - 38.

In the era of the Mother of the World, we must welcome every mention of Her. ... In the East, the cult of the Mother of the World, the goddess Kali or Durga is very widespread, and in Hinduism, one might say, it is predominant. But even among other sects one can find more admirers of the Great Mother than other aspects of the Divine Forces. In Mongolia and in Tibet, Dukkar, or White Tara, and her other sisters, Tara, are very much revered. In all ancient religions, female deities were revered as the most intimate. The Esoteric Teaching does not put the "Father" at the head of the Evolution of Life, he stands third and is the "Son of his Mother". At the head of everything, or, so to speak, behind the veil is the "Eternal and Uninterrupted Breath of all that exists." But on the plane of the Manifest reigns the Eternal Feminine Nature, or the Great Mother of the World, whose direct reflection we find in the Masters of each planet. But every woman is also a potential future Mother of the World.

E.I. Roerich Letters vol. 4, M. 2002, p. 309

L.V. Shaposhnikov "Along the Route of the Master" book. 2

M. 2000, pp. 160 -161

- What is this mountain? I asked.

“Trikuta,” the priest replied and put down his glass of tea. - Sacred Trikuta, the abode of the great goddess Vaishnu Devi, the Great Mother of the World, who creates, protects and destroys. Without her wonderful shakti energy that permeates the entire universe and
the whole space, nothing in the world can move, cannot act. Even the gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are dead and motionless without her. Only the Great Mother of the World, the all-pervading goddess, pouring into them the life-giving golden stream of shakti, can make them act, create, protect and destroy. It has no end or beginning. Its true essence has no form. But from time to time it incarnates and takes shape in order to crush the evil that the world is saturated with.

- But how can you imagine something formless and at the same time existing and all-embracing? I asked.

- You can, - the priest smiled. - Imagine a thousand lotuses that bloomed and smelled all at once, in a single moment. Imagine a thousand suns that flashed in the sky in a single moment. Do smell and light have form? But they exist and penetrate into every atom of the Universe. Likewise, the Great Mother permeates us with her light and fills us with the scent of a lotus.

- Light and smell are indeed formless, but even the words "Mother of the World" already presuppose some form.

- Listen to me carefully. The sun and the moon are her eyes, the stars are her clothes, the green earth is the border on them. She is the bright red color of the beautiful ibicus flower, she is the color of the sunset sky and the color of blood. She is the white snows of the sacred Himavat. She is everywhere. She is in the laughter of a woman, in the fury of a warrior, she is in the flames of a funeral pyre. Now do you understand what she looks like?

- How is the universe? I asked.

“Like the universe,” the priest nodded. - She is manifested and unmanifested, in a multitude of forms that are created by her in space. She is like Amba - a kind mother feeding her child, like Tripurasundari - a sorceress of incomparable beauty, like the terrible Kali with a garland of skulls around her neck. This is all she is. Both gods and people live and act according to her will,
imbued with her energy. The whole world is like a puppet theater for her. With her magic fingers, she pulls at the invisible threads of our desires, passions and feelings. And we, like dolls, are submissive to these omnipotent fingers. The whole world, the whole Universe is just a game of the Great Mother. And there is nothing greater in the entire cosmos than she. To those who honor her and pray to her, she gives victory and fulfillment of desires.

- And to whom, for example, did she grant the victory? - I asked.

“The Great Mother in the form of Vaishnu Devi blessed the mighty Arjuna, and he defeated the Kauravas in the field of Kurukshetra. You will find the words with which Arjuna addressed Vaisnu Devi in the Mahabharata. I will not repeat them. She granted the victory to Rama over the insidious and evil Ravan, the king of Lanka. Where she appears, triumphs
justice and good triumph over evil.

- I listened to the priest and again remembered Nicholas Roerich. "Great Mother", "Mother of the World", "Queen of Heaven". Pictures of a Russian artist floated before my mind's eye. Lines from his sketches sounded. This theme occupied one of the most important places in his work. It had its own mythological imagery, its own symbolism.

14. "Signs of Christ".

Signs of Christ, 1924
Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia

J. Saint-Hilaire. "Cryptograms of the East"

Signs of Christ

The star of Alahabad showed the way. And so we visited Sarnath and Gaia. The vilification of religions was found everywhere. On the way back on the full moon, there was a memorable utterance of Christ.

During the night crossing, the Guide lost his way. I found after searching for Christ sitting on a sandy hill and looking at the sands filled with the moon.

I said: "We have lost the way, we must wait for the star position." "Rassul M., what is the way for us when the whole earth is waiting for us!" Taking a bamboo cane, He outlined a square around the imprint of His footprint, adding: "Truly I say, with the foot of a man." Then, having imprinted his palm, he also enclosed it in a square. "Truly by a human hand." Between the squares He drew a semblance of a column and covered it, as it were, with a hemisphere.

He said: “Oh, how Aum penetrates into human consciousness! So I made a pestle and an arc above it, and laid the foundation on four sides. When the temple is built with human feet and human hands, where the pestle that I have laid will flourish, let the builders walk My path. Why are we waiting for the path when it is in front of us? " And, standing up, he mixed what he had read with a cane.

“When the name of Christ is pronounced, then the mark will appear. Having memorized My constellation, the square and nine stars will shine over the Temple. The signs of a foot and a hand will be inscribed over the cornerstone. " This is what He Himself said on the eve of the new moon.

The heat of the desert was great.

Moscow, 1992, p. 28

Let's hear how they say about Christ in the Himalayas. In manuscripts dating back about 1500 years, one can read: “Issa (Jesus) secretly left his parents and, together with the merchants from Jerusalem, went to the Indus, for the improvement and study of the laws of the Teacher.

He spent time in the ancient cities of India, Jaggarnate, Rajagrih and Benares. Everyone loved him. Issa lived in peace with the Vaisyas and Sudras whom he taught.

But the Brahmins and Kshatriyas told him that Brahma had forbidden to approach those created from his womb and legs, the Vaisyas can listen to the Vedas only on holidays, and the Sudras are forbidden not only to be present when reading the Vedas, but even to look at them. Shudras are obliged only to serve eternally as slaves of Brahmins and Kshatriyas.

But Issa did not listen to the speeches of the Brahmins and went to the Shudras to preach against the Brahmins and Kshatriyas. He strongly rebelled against the fact that man arrogates to himself the right to deprive his neighbors of human dignity.

Issa said that man filled the temples with abomination. To please stones and metals, a person sacrifices people in whom a particle of the Supreme Spirit dwells. A person humiliates those working in the sweat of his brow in order to gain the favor of a parasite sitting at a luxuriously decorated table. But those who deprive the brothers of common bliss will themselves be deprived of it, and the brahmins and kshatriyas will become sudras of sudras, with whom the Supreme Spirit will abide forever.

The vaisyas and sudras were amazed and asked what they should do. Issa said: “Do not worship idols. Do not always consider yourself the first and do not humiliate your neighbor. Help the poor, support the weak, do no harm to anyone, do not desire what you don’t have, but what you see from others ”.

Many, having learned about these words, decided to kill Issa. But Issa, warned, left these places at night….

Then Issa was in Nepal and in the Himalayan mountains ...

“Make a miracle,” the ministers of the temple told him. Then Issa said: “Miracles began to appear from the first day the world was created. Whoever does not see them is deprived of one of the best gifts of life. But woe to you, opponents of men, woe to you if you expect Him to testify to His might by miracles. "

Issa taught not to try to see the Eternal Spirit with his own eyes, but to feel it in your heart and become a pure and worthy soul ... “Not only do not make human sacrifices, but also do not slaughter animals, for everything is given for the benefit of man. Do not steal someone else's, for that would be a kidnapping from your neighbor. Do not deceive, lest you yourself be deceived. Do not worship the Sun, it is only part of the world. "

"Until the nations had priests, natural law ruled over them and they kept the integrity of the soul."

"And I say: fear everything that leads astray from the true path and fills people with superstitions and prejudices, blinds the sighted and preaches the worship of objects."

Such a tall and close to all peoples appearance of Jesus is preserved by Buddhists in their mountain monasteries. And it’s not a miracle that the teachings of Christ and Buddha bring all peoples into one family, but it’s a miracle that the bright idea of community is expressed so clearly. And who will be against this idea? Who will belittle the simplest and most beautiful decision of life? And the earthly community so easily and scientifically merges into the great Community of all worlds. The precepts of Jesus and Buddha are on the same shelf. And the signs of ancient Sanskrit and Pali unite searches.

… Jesus repeated: “I came to show human possibilities. All people can create what I create. And what I am, all people will be. These gifts belong to the peoples of all countries - they are water and bread of life. "

Jesus said about skillful singers: “Where do their talents and this strength come from? In one short life, of course, they could not accumulate both the quality of voice and knowledge of the laws of consonance. Are they miracles? No, for all things come from natural laws. Many thousands of years ago, these people were already adding up their harmony and qualities. And they come again to learn from all manifestations. "

Ignorance! Russian princes perished at the khan's rates for their unwillingness to honor the image of Buddha; at the same time, the monasteries of Tibet already kept beautiful lines about Jesus.

N.K. Roerich "Altai-Himalayas", M. 1999, pp. 110-115

15. "Lao Tzu".

Lao Tse., 1925
USA, D. Bolling's collection (?)

559 ... It is said that Lao Tzu often conversed with waterfalls; this is not a fairy tale, for he listened to the sound of nature and sharpened the sensitivity of hearing to distinguish the qualities of vibrations.

Living Ethics Teaching. Fiery World, part 1

"Lao Tzu". Returns on a sacred bull from China to Tibet. Bamboo forest.

Z. Fosdick “My Teachers. Meetings with the Roerichs ”. M. 1998, p. 239

Natalia Spirina

Sage of the Mountain

/ in abbreviation /

Once a saddled buffalo approached the hut in which Lao Tzu lived and stood at the threshold. Lao Tzu went out, sat on him, and the buffalo rushed him to the Himalayan peaks.

What do we know about Lao?

Lao Tzu was born in 604 BC. Nothing is known for certain about his childhood, his family. According to some reports, he was the keeper of the imperial archive or library, that is, he belonged to the highly educated people of his time.

The era in which Lao Tzu lived is known as the "era of wars." It was a time of civil strife, when enmity and strife, striving for power, honor and wealth served as the main engines of people's actions and thoughts.

“Seeing such a decline in morality and clouding of minds, so at odds with his Teachings, Lao Tzu, in the flowering of fame and glory, leaves the civil service and retires into a hermit. He settles in the mountains and indulges in contemplation and meditation. It is believed that it was here that he thought about and wrote the famous "Book of the Way and Virtue" - "Tao Te Ching"

Nicholas Roerich says: “... All Teachings, all philosophies were given for life. There is no such high Teaching that would not be practical in the highest sense of the word. We can solve the innumerable problems of modern confusion only by realizing the Beautiful and the Highest. Only the beautiful Bridge will be strong enough to move from the shore of darkness to the side of Light. "

The Luminaries of the World, the great Teachers of humanity, show the way to this Bridge and offer to walk along it with Their help. Let us partake of what the great philosopher and ascetic of ancient China Lao Tzu tells us about this.

Leo Tolstoy writes in his article “The Teaching of Lao-Tze”: “The basis of the teachings of Lao-Tze is the same, like the basis of all great, true religious teachings. It is as follows: a person is aware of himself, first of all, as a bodily personality, separated from everything else and desiring good for himself alone. But, besides that ... each person is also aware of himself as an incorporeal spirit, the same as he lives in every being and gives life and blessing to the whole world. (…) A person can live for the body or for the spirit. Man live for the body - and life is a grief, because the body suffers, gets sick and dies. Live for the spirit - and life is good, because for the spirit there is no suffering, no disease, no death.

And therefore, in order for a person's life to be not a grief, but a good, a person must learn to live not for the body, but for the spirit. 'This is what Lao-Tze teaches. He teaches how to move from the life of the body to the life of the spirit. He calls his teaching the Way ... "

According to Lao, all people are born virtuous, their earthly and heavenly natures are balanced. But earthly life affects a person, and above all - the abundance of things in the world. Carried away by the desire to possess more and more things, to receive more and more benefit and pleasure from communicating with them, people violate the natural balance of soul and body: the mind rushes in pursuit of things, the heart - the ruler of life - cannot hold back passion and itself becomes agitated. From this, the previously clean and even surface of the heart, which is likened to the surface of a mirror, becomes clouded and the world appears to consciousness in a distorted form. Only a sage who has attained Tao is able not to lose control over the earthly, carnal nature and not to muddy the heart with passions. Only he never loses sight of the guiding star….

Lao Tzu teaches to give "the possibility of manifestation in the human soul of the power of Heaven [as he calls God] that lives in everything."

According to his teaching, both the path of connection with Heaven and Heaven itself is Tao. This path includes "the concept of the highest virtue." The teaching of the great Chinese sage seeks to bring people to the realization of this "Beautiful and Supreme" - Tao - and the path to Him. It permeates the entire philosophy of Lao Tzu.

Tao is the infinite and purest spirit, the Highest and absolute Being. According to Lao Tzu, "it is impossible even to imagine that there is anything higher than Him."

Lao Tzu says: “There is an incomprehensible Being that existed before Heaven and Earth. Silent, supersensible, It alone remains and does not change. I don't know His Name. To designate Him, I call Him Tao ”….

Lao Tzu teaches that in every person there are parts of this Highest, and shows the way to realize it in himself.

Lao Tzu argues that the supreme Being, the Tao, should be the ideal of our moral life. Christ also called for this: "Be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect." This is the path of endless moral improvement, which begins with the awakening of the highest spiritual principle in a person. The path of its development, as well as the path of overcoming the lowest in oneself, Lao Tzu gives in his ethical instructions.

Attaching great importance to public, state ethics, he understands that it must begin with individual ethics. Doing good or evil depends on the goodwill of everyone ...

Lao Tzu points out a number of qualities necessary for good-deeds. But he understands that human nature is corrupted and weak, and therefore it is necessary to conquer the lowest in oneself gradually, to ascend to the top from the bottom. “Start the difficult easy; start great small. The hardest in the world starts with the easy; the greatest in the world starts small. … A huge tree emerges from a sprout, a tower rises from a handful of earth; a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step "...

The first step on the path to morality will be abstinence from the passions, which are the source of all evil. “There is no sin heavier than passions,” says Lao Tzu. They darken the eyes of reason. "There is no greater crime than admitting lust permissible."

Among vices, he considers pride to be the worst. … To overcome this vice, Lao Tzu instructs first of all not to expose oneself, recognizing the dignity of others. “Whoever pretends that he knows a lot and is capable of everything, he knows nothing,” he writes. Lao Tzu also has a negative attitude towards honor and glory, believing that ignorance and obscurity is the true honor and glory of man. “The desire for glory is a base desire; when you get it, you worry about losing it, and when you lose it, you worry about getting it. "

Virtue is real and imaginary. Lao Tzu says: “True virtue does not appear to be a virtue, therefore it is a virtue. An untrue virtue appears to be an impeccable virtue, so it is not a virtue. " … And shame and insult, says Lao Tzu, are not real shame and insult, and he treats them as something extremely illusory. "Honor and shame are equally alien to the sage."

Lao Tzu rebelled against wealth. "There is no greater vice than to desire to acquire." He believes that money and jewelry seduce the heart of a person and make him want to accumulate more and more of them, which leads to crimes. He says: "In order for people not to become thieves, one should not attach any importance to hard-to-get valuable things."

"When the benefits are set aside, there will be no thieves." “Whoever owns a lot will lose a lot”….

Lao Tzu preaches philanthropy and love for all things. “A saint takes care of himself after taking care of others,” he says. Such philanthropy should be selfless and know no boundaries. Its highest aspect is love for enemies. A true lover should not exclude from his love even those who hate him. “Respond with goodness to enmity,” says Lao Tzu. ...

“I have three treasures that I hold dear,” says Lao Tzu. - The first is philanthropy, the second is thrift, and the third is that I dare not be ahead of others ”(that is, to be exalted). He considers simplicity of heart and humility as its natural consequence to be a high moral dignity. "Who wants to be great, he should be below everyone." "Not to boast of what has been done, not to be in command over others is a heavenly virtue." “Let the greatest of you be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humiliated; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted, ”says Christ. "Put on humility," writes the Apostle Peter, "because God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

Lao Tzu points out how important it is to be content with your position and with what you have. "There is no greater misfortune than not being able to be content." "He who knows how to be content is rich." "Let no one consider their home too cramped and their life too limited." ...

Lao Tzu calls for victory over oneself. “He who overcomes others is strong. He who overcomes himself is powerful. "

Social ethics, according to Lao Tzu, undoubtedly contributes to individual ethics, and he paid serious attention to this problem. He believed that the social system is required by the natural order of the world and without management no society can exist. And as a state system, he recognized the monarchy, which, more than other forms of government, is capable of bringing people to unity, that is, to world law. Lao Tzu believes that the king, being the ruler of the people, could have a moral influence on his subjects; his words and deeds could be an example and a model for everyone. Therefore, he invites the king to be especially attentive to himself and teaches a whole system about the morality of the king.

In social ethics, Lao Tzu pays special attention to the issue of war. He says that war is illegal and killing people is an unforgivable crime. War is a cruel violation of the natural flow of nature created by Tao, and is contrary to the essence of Tao, that is, absolute goodness. He writes: "If war were good, then one would have to rejoice in it, but only those who want to kill people rejoice in it." War is unnatural and criminal, it is the greatest injustice and misfortune. And yet, although he denies war, historical conditions force him to consider which war is less lawless. He considers defensive war as such. He says: "When kings and princes are concerned about defense, then nature itself will become their helper."

On the cardinal issues of life and death, Lao Tzu says: “To enter life means to enter death. Who, using true enlightenment, returns to his light, he does not lose anything when his body is destroyed. It means putting on eternity. "

16. "Tszongka-pa".

Tsong ka-pa, 1925
USA (?)

Tsongkhapa. Meditates on Mount Mendang. Harsh rocks, as if a direct act of the spirit.

Z. Fosdick, “My Teachers. Meetings with the Roerichs "M. 1998, p. 239

TSONG-K'A-PA (Tibet.). (1357-appr. 1419 - approx.) Tsong-kapa is also written. The famous Tibetan reformer of the fourteenth century, who introduced refined Buddhism to his country. He was a great adept who, unable to endure any longer the desecration of Buddhist philosophy by the false priests who turned it into a profitable enterprise, decisively put an end to it with a timely coup and the expulsion of 40,000 false monks and lamas from the country. He is considered an avatar of the Buddha, and is the founder of the Gelugpa ("yellow hats") sect, and a mystical brotherhood associated with its leaders. ...

AMDO (Tib.). Sacred site, birthplace of Tsong-k'a-py, the great Tibetan reformer and founder of Gelug-pa ("yellow hats"); the alleged avatar of Amita-Buddha.

TASHILUMPA (Tibet.). Large center of monasteries and educational institutions three hours walk from Shigatse; the residence of the Tashi Lama, for more details see Panchen Rimpoche. It was built in 1445 by order of Tsong-k'a-py.

E.P. Blavatsky's "Theosophical Dictionary" M. 2003

Of course, the teacher Dzon-Kapa is even closer to us. He has risen beyond magic. He forbade the monks to display magical powers. His teaching - the Yellow Lamas - seems less flawed.

The Spitug Monastery is powerful. The first is from the teachings of Dzon-Kapa. Not ruins, but a living and working community. The abbot of the monastery and his staff are knowledgeable and astonishingly understanding. You have not finished the thought yet, and they are already ready to continue it correctly. In Spituga, the image of Maitreya and the knowledge of the prophecies. In the department of Spitug in Le, in a special room, there is a large image of Dukkar - the Mother of the World, with countless eyes of omniscience and with the arrow of justice. On her right hand is Maitreya the Coming One. On the left hand is the multi-armed image of Avalokiteshvara, this collective of the Brotherhood of the Great Community. Remember this combination of these three symbols. This combination was not noted and explained.

N.K. Roerich "Altai-Himalayas", M., 1999, p. 133

The clear and active Dzon-Kapa, so beloved by the whole north, the founder of the "yellow hats". And many others, lonely, who understood the predetermined evolution, cleaned the dust of convention from the precepts of the Buddha.

N.K. Roerich "Altai-Himalayas", M., 1999, p. 106

17. "Padmasambhava".

Padma Sambhava, 1925
USA, N. Roerich Museum, New York.

Padma Sambhava - "Arising from the Lotus." Spiritual Teacher who spread Buddhism in Tibet and founded the red-haired sect. He was a great magician, and the mythological tradition tells of the struggle of Padma Sambhava with local deities and demons, whom the Master turned into guardians of Buddhism.

L.V. Shaposhnikov "Master" M. 1998, p. 619

One thousand two hundred years after Buddha, Master Padma Sambhava brought the teachings of the Blessed One closer to earthly ways. At the birth of Padma Sambhava, the whole sky was shining and the shepherds saw wonderful signs. The eight-year-old Master appeared to the world in a lotus flower. Padma Sambhava did not die, but left to teach new countries. Without his departure, the world would be in danger. Padma Sambhava himself lived in the Kandro Sampo cave, not far from Tashiding, near the hot springs. A certain giant decided to build a passage to Tibet and tried to penetrate the Holy Land. Then the Good Teacher arose, rose in stature, and struck down the daring attempted one. So the giant was destroyed. And now in the cave there is a picture of Padma Sambhava, and behind it is a stone door. They know that the Teacher has hidden behind the door sacred secrets for the future, but the time has not yet arrived for them.

N.K. Roerich "Altai-Himalayas", M., 1999, p. 83

I am looking at an old painting from the Dalinga monastery. Acts of Master Padma Sambhava. All his magical powers are shown in action. Here is a teacher in the form of a black-headed llama with a Solomon's star on his headdress strikes a dragon. Here is the teacher bringing down the rain; here he saves a drowning man; captivates small evil spirits; unarmed conquers animals and with a magic dagger hits the tiger, having previously covered his head with a sacred triangle. Here is the teacher neutralizing the snakes; here he conjures a stormy stream and sends rain. Here he fearlessly converses with a giant mountain spirit. Here the teacher flies above all mountains. From the cave shelter, he hurries to the aid of the world. And finally, in the circle of a poor family, he prays for the happy voyage of the absent householder. No matter how his teaching is now obscured, his vitality is depicted sufficiently. Or another old painting - Padma Sambhava's Paradise. The teacher sits in the temple, surrounded by the righteous. The temple stands on a mountain separated from the earthly world by a blue river. White khadaks are stretched across the river, and along them selfless travelers make the transition to the temple. Again a clear picture of illuminated ascent. Of course, interpreters have clogged this phenomenon as well, as all other religions are overloaded with false dogma.

N.K. Roerich "Altai-Himalayas", M., 1999, p. 67

The general blissful impression is supported by the monasteries of Sikkim. On every hillock, on every peak, as far as the eye can see, you notice white dots - these are all the strongholds of the teachings of Padma Sambhava, the official religion of Sikkim.

... Most of the monasteries in Sikkim are associated with various relics and ancient traditions. Padma Sambhava himself stayed here. There, the teacher meditated on a rock, and if the rock cracks, it means that the surrounding life deviates from the righteous path.

N.K. Roerich "The Heart of Asia" Riga, 1992, pp. 163-164

18. "Bowl".

Chalice of Christ, 1925
Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia

Christ (Jesus Christ) (Greek - Christos - literally the anointed one), according to the Christian doctrine, is the founder of Christianity, the God-man, who accepted death on the cross in atonement for human sins, then resurrected and ascended into heaven.

On the same night, after supper, Jesus with eleven disciples left Jerusalem and through the Kidron stream came to a village near Jerusalem called Gethsemane ... Jesus said to his disciples: “My soul is sorrowful to death; stay here and watch with Me. " Moving a little away from them, He fell on his knees and began to pray: “Father! Oh, if you were pleased to carry this cup past me! However, not My will, but Yours be done. " An angel appeared to Him from heaven and strengthened Him.

Gospel of Matthew. 26: 36-44

Drink the poison of the world to be reborn with all the might! This symbol comes from ancient traditions. We see him in Egypt, in Greece; Shiva himself reminds of him; a number of Redeemers carry the cup of poison, transforming it into Amrita.

When we say: “Be special, and do not deprive yourself of the cup of achievement,” then we point out - do not darken your life and do not pour out the cup.

Teaching of Living Ethics Agni Yoga p. 304

The air of the pre-dawn hour flutters joyfully - the hour when the Buddha comprehended the greatness of the Cosmos and the Lord Christ prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Living Ethics Teaching, Illumination Part 2 II, X, item 3

Who will give himself up to the feat of drinking the cup of poison? Who will take upon himself the Fiery Shield for the benefit of humanity?

Living Ethics Teaching Fiery World, part 3, p. 25

49. The Symbol of the Chalice has been the affirmation of Service since ancient times. The gifts of the Higher Forces are collected in the Chalice. They give from the Chalice. The symbol of the Cup has always meant selflessness. He who Bearers the Cup is the Carrying Deed. Each high deed can be designated by the symbol of the Chalice. All the highest for the good of humanity needs this sign. The Chalice of the Grail and the Chalice of the Heart, which has given itself to the Great Service, is the Cosmic Magnet itself. The Heart of the Cosmos is reflected in this great symbol. All images of the heroes of the spirit can be depicted as carrying the Cup. The entire Universe is reflected in the Chalice of the fiery spirit. After all, the Chalice contains all the age-old accumulations that gather around the grain of the spirit. As a great symbol, one must accept the affirmation of the Cup in everyday life. Both children and young people need to be taught to think about the Cup. It is necessary to understand all the variety of images of the great symbol of the Chalice.

Living Ethics Teaching Fiery World, part 3

19. "Ancient Serpent".

Ancient Serpent, (Birth of the Mysteries), 1924
Museum them. N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia

L.V. Shaposhnikov "Commands of the Cosmos"

Nicholas Roerich created in his life about 20 paintings dedicated to the "snake" theme. Among them were two, attracting attention with their special mystery - "The Serpent" or "The Birth of the Mysteries" and "Nagarjuna - the Conqueror of the Serpent." ...

In one of her letters, Helena Roerich wrote: "... The serpent has always been a symbol of wisdom, and the ancient sages of India were called Nagas." In other words, the mythological symbol of a snake or naga means not so much the wisdom of the snake or matter itself, but the wisdom of the one who conquered this matter, was able to spiritualize it and, therefore, gained access to the source of wisdom itself. For wisdom - the highest inner knowledge arises only when the interaction of spirit and matter passes either into the harmony of these two opposite principles, or to a higher level - synthesis. And then the initiate or the winner is marked with the symbol of the matter transformed by him - a snake. The Egyptian pharaohs, who were originally deified, for a long time wore the head of a cobra on their crowns as a sign of victory, which made one of their predecessors wise.

The myths about the nagas and the cult of the nagas itself, which have deep philosophical significance, are the earthly trace of those unknown intelligent forces of the Universe, about which K.E. Tsiolkovsky wrote, and that spiritualized Hierarchy of light, about which the books of Living Ethics narrate.

“History is formed by the Hierarchy of life. The best steps of humanity were built by the Hierarchy. " Cosmic Hierarchs and Teachers exerted a decisive influence both on cosmic evolution and on the historical process of earthly humanity.

Among the cosmic Hierarchs there is a group that, in an energy form acceptable to them, is on the "watch of evolution" of our planet. Their shelters are located in the depths of the Himalayan mountains, and therefore it is there, among the local population, that the cult of wise nagas, heroes, Teachers and gods is still preserved in all its freshness and purity. But there are Hierarchs who again take on the burden of earthly incarnation in order to help humanity, despite the fact that their earthly circle is already over. They bring knowledge to people and create the energy field necessary for their further advancement.

Sacrificing their further ascent for some time, Hierarchs and Teachers enter involution and, plunging into rough earthly matter, lose their refined divine energy, cease to be gods in the sense that earthly humanity gives to this concept. In the dense layers of the atmosphere, their white wings burn out, and they turn into mortal and sinful people, weighed down by dark and inert matter or a serpent, which they again have to defeat for the umpteenth time. The gods die to be reborn again in those for whom they descended into the underworld. The endless creativity of evolution is reflected in mythology by the death and resurrection of the gods. “Refusal, or, rather, liberation,” wrote Helena Roerich, “so joyfully, but how hard the opposite acceptance, even for the sake of the Common Good! The burden of the world, the cup of redemption and the drinking of the poison of the world, this is how the commissions of the Light are called. " It was she who was well aware of the full weight of involution. “When the chain of events destroys the old foundations, saturating the space with restless energies, of course, power is needed that can direct all energies towards new construction. Hierarchy is the affirmation of the cosmic dimension to the world ”.

The Toltecs of Mexico had a myth about the creation of the 5th Sun and the 5th species of humanity. It begins with the words: "And the gods died there, in Teotihuacan." The mythical gods sacrificed themselves to move the sun, create life and people. They died for people to appear. The evolution of the 5th type of humanity, according to the wise myth, began with the involution of the gods, with their entry into matter.

Nicholas Roerich's painting "The Serpent" or "The Birth of the Mysteries" depicts how a miracle emerges from the waves of a raging ocean - the golden-haired Aphrodite. And above this turbulent expanse of water, in the disturbed stormy sky, a huge dragon-like serpent wriggles. The spirit of the goddess entered involution and took the form of an earthly woman. This is the meaning of the picture, both mythological and philosophical and historical. The heavenly serpent, the eternal symbol of this most important evolutionary process, carries in its mythological image the same cosmic dialectic that lifted the hoods of cobras over the heads of earthly sages.

M. 1995, pp. 66-69

There was a beginning in The Serpent, over which stood the red and yellow light of the flaring morning. The raging blue-green waves were replaced by fading orange-red ones. Massive buildings rose on the tops of the mountains, and they were somewhat similar and at the same time not similar to those that perished under the pressure of the water element. The four women in the foreground were performing some kind of sacrament. They were wearing ancient clothes. Her dark hair curled like snakes over her shoulders and backs. The women helped the fifth, who emerged from the waves and mountains, as if reborn from this strange union. She was different from the rest. She had light eyes and brown hair that fell to her chest. And in the sky above everything that happened, the ancient Serpent was blazing fiery. He looked like both the Chinese dragon and the feathered Quetzalcoatl of the American Aztecs. The legend of the cosmic evolution of mankind was written with the brush of a great artist. There were many mysterious, hidden moments in it.

L.V. Shaposhnikov "Master", M. 1999 pp. 327-328

The Birth of the Mysteries. Combination of early Greek and oriental forms. The rhythm and unity of ocean waves and heavenly clouds. The birth of a new cult. (The composition of the painting "The Birth of the Mysteries" includes a group of figures from the bas-relief of the famous ancient Greek throne of Ludovisi, depicting the culminating scene of the mysteries of Aphrodite. - approx.)

Z. Fosdick “My Teachers. Meetings with the Roerichs "M. 1998, p. 239

V. A. IKONNIKOV,
design engineer,
amateur local historian,
Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan

Many are familiar with the painting by Nicholas Roerich "Nagarjuna - the Winner of the Serpent". This painting is in one of the halls of the Nicholas Roerich Center-Museum, and everyone can see it. It's about the mysterious signs in the left corner of the picture. But first, a few words about the time and place of the painting.
The painting was created during the Sikkim period of Roerich's Central Asian expedition. At the beginning of December 1923 the Roerichs got off the steamer in Bombay. Their old dream has come true - they are in India. After short trips to the sights of the south of India, the Roerich family heads north and arrives in the Sikkim principality at the end of December. The ancient sacred land at the foot of the Himalayas in northern India is becoming a place for their creative and research activities.
The Sikkim period was unusually rich in creative activity, research of this region and plans for the future. A wealth of scientific material was collected. 1924 year. It was a significant year for the Roerichs. Here, in a small ancient temple, they met with the Teacher. Here the final route of the expedition was adopted and its tasks were determined.
Here, in 1924, when creating a series of paintings "Banners of the East", sketches were made for the painting "Nagarjuna - the Conqueror of the Serpent", and in 1925 it was completed (Fig. 1).

Nagarjuna is an ancient Indian philosopher, one of the Mahayana teachers, the founder of the Madhyamika Buddhist school. This school developed the teachings of the Buddha's middle path. The philosophical texts of Nagarjuna formed the basis of the Mahayana teachings. The exact years of his life are unknown and are identified as the 2nd century AD. His life story is covered with legends, and according to Buddhist texts he lived for more than half a thousand years. Ancient sages in India were called Nagas, and the Serpent has always been a symbol of wisdom. The initiate was considered the conqueror of the Serpent, i.e. who possessed his wisdom. It was precisely such a winner that Nagarjuna, called in India "Fearless", was.
"" Nagarjuna - the Conqueror of the Serpent "sees a sign on the lake of the Lord of the Nagas", - Nikolai Konstantinovich mentions him in his notes during the creation of the picture.
In this picture, in the lower left corner, you can see the signs depicted on an inclined stone slab. What can these petroglyphs mean? They look very ancient. They can be mistaken for forgotten, already unknown letters. With their archaic appearance, they give a mysterious fabulousness to the phenomenon depicted in the picture. There is a feeling that the King of the Nagas, who rose from the depths of the lake, is incredibly ancient, that he has always been from the beginning of time, that the wisdom he utters is terrifying in its primordial depth and that only a truly "Undaunted" like Nagarjuna can accept it. Such an impression is made by this picture. And the mysterious signs really have a hidden meaning.
As recently as two years ago, while studying the drawings of the grotto of the Ak-Baur tract, I drew attention to the similarity of these drawings (Fig. 2) with the signs in the picture. The style of the drawings and the way they were painted on the rock surface were very similar. Then the drawings of the grotto had not yet been deciphered, but there was a feeling that they could speak of the same as the signs in the picture. It is well known with what accuracy N.K. Roerich reproduced rock paintings if he included them in paintings as fragments. Therefore, there was no doubt that the signs depicted in the picture really exist somewhere on the rocks of Sikkim. The Ak-Baur grotto is located in the foothills of Altai, not far from Ust-Kamenogorsk, and more than 2.5 thousand km separates it from Sikkim, but the drawings from the grotto and signs from the picture clearly indicate a connection between them. What connection can there be between the Altai foothills and the Himalayan foothills?

The connecting thread can be found. Roerich himself marked one end of this thread in his painting. The other end was located next to the route of their expedition, when they sailed on a steamer along the Irtysh through Ust-Kamenogorsk, and was, as it were, left for future explorers. It should be noted that the study of Ak-Baur, as an ancient astronomical complex, has its own history and many researchers have contributed to its study. This place, like a magnet, attracts many people and not only scientists. You can talk a lot about him, but this is a completely different topic.
One of the tasks of the expedition was to find traces of the great migrations of peoples from East to West. And the Roerichs found enough of them on their way through Central Asia. Starting from Sikkim and Kashmir, we read in N.K. Roerich's notes about the similarity of the types of faces, patterns of platbands, women's headdresses, household items and rock paintings with the same in Siberia, Altai, the Caucasus and Europe.
Describing the megaliths of Tibet discovered by the expedition, Yuri Roerich noted in his travel notes: “Comparing the famous megalithic monuments of Karnak in Britain and the discovered megaliths of Tibet, one is struck by their amazing similarity. Parallel rows of menhirs of Karnak are located from east to west and at the western end have a cromlech, or circle of stones. Monuments in the Doring tract have exactly the same orientation " .
Forced wintering on the high-mountainous plateau of Tibet did not stop the research activities of the expedition, and Yuri Nikolaevich would later write: “One of the most significant achievements of the expedition was the discovery of the“ animal style ”in the art of the nomads of Northern Tibet.
<...>It is difficult to say whether the “animal style” is associated with any particular ethnic type of people. I am inclined to believe that it arose among nomads and hunting tribes of different ethnic groups, but living in an environment that has much in common, because only in this way can we explain the widespread distribution of the "animal style" from the borders of southern Russia to the borders of China and from the Siberian taiga to the majestic peaks of the Trans-Himalayas in Tibet.
Tibet has always been open to nomads from the northeast. It was from there that the ancestors of the modern Tibetans came. The high plateau of the Kukunor, raised an average of about ten thousand feet, and the surrounding mountainous country had ample grazing land for nomadic tribes. It was from this vast space that the ancient Tibetans came, driven out by a mighty stream of some other tribes, and were forced to look for new pastures, flooding the valleys and plateaus of Tibet. " .
Yuri Roerich's remark is very significant. It follows from it that there were migrations from north to south. What kind of tribes were they, marching in a "mighty stream" across the open plateaus from the northeast of Tibet? What reasons have moved these masses from Central Asia to the southern regions? Maybe a sudden change in climate towards a cooling, i.e. the onset of the ice age? Only such an insurmountable circumstance can force entire peoples to move to foreign, but warmer lands. Everything could have been in antiquity.
If you compare the facts taken from the "Secret Doctrine", then you can get some idea of the distant times. Thus, H.P. Blavatsky writes:
“But the Israelites also had another legend on which they could base their allegory, the legend of the Flood that last transformed the current Gobi Desert into a sea about 10,000 or 12,000 years ago and drove many of Noah and their families to the surrounding the mountains" .
And further: “This“ Sea of Knowledge ”or learning has remained for centuries where the Shamo or Gobi Desert stretches today. It existed until the last, great, ice age, when a local cataclysm, which carried the waters to the South and the West, thus formed the current barren desert, leaving only one specific oasis with a lake and one island in the middle, like a relic or the Ring of the Zodiac on Earth " .
So both the flood and the last ice age could well have caused the migration of peoples from the Central Asian expanses to the south. And after a lapse of several thousand years, a return wave of peoples could rush in the northern and western directions to the lands freed from snow and ice. Such migrations go back to ancient times, and it is likely that more than one wave of migrations of peoples swept across the vast expanses of Central Asia.
N.K. Roerich expressed himself in his notes about the ancient ways of migration of peoples, which ran from the East to the West of Europe: "Draw a line from the southern Russian steppes and from the northern Caucasus through the steppe regions to Semipalatinsk, Altai, Mongolia and from there turn it to the south, so as not to be mistaken in the main artery of the movement of peoples" .
Approximately along this line, the route of the Central Asian expedition was laid, and the connection between Sikkim and Ak-Baur, the connection between times and peoples becomes clear.
Studies of the drawings of the grotto of the ancient astronomical complex Ak-Baur led me to decipher most of them (the corresponding article is being prepared for publication). According to this decoding, the entire painting, consisting of more than 70 barely preserved drawings of various shapes and sizes, represents images of constellations arranged in a specific order. The central part of the painting represents the images of asterisms of the zodiacal constellations. In other words, the ancient Zodiac is depicted there, and with a clear renewal, which indicates the need for further study.
It is quite natural that an attempt was made to decipher the signs in the picture by the same method, i.e. considering them as asterisms and finding their place among the stars on the map of the starry sky. First of all, the search for analogies was carried out among the images of the zodiacal constellations. Despite some ambiguity of individual characters, the search led to the successful disclosure of these characters. It turned out that the picture most likely represents images of asterisms of all 12 zodiacal constellations (Fig. 3-7). Unlike the painting in the Ak-Baur grotto, only zodiacal asterisms are depicted here, except for a few small special icons, the meaning of which is still unclear.
Yes, Nicholas Roerich's painting depicts the ancient Zodiac! It is possible that this is the only zodiac of its kind, if only because among the ancient zodiacs, probably, no two are alike. Its peculiarity is that it is represented not by symbols, but by drawings of the zodiac constellations, just like the Zodiac of Ak-Baur, but it is built in a completely different way. If we connect diametrically located asterisms with lines, marking with circles the path of the vernal equinox, then we will see a clear picture and features of the construction of this Zodiac. (fig. 15). It is neither circular nor linear, i.e. images of zodiacal asterisms are not located on the slab in a closed circle and not in one line, as, for example, in Ak-Baur from the floor to the ceiling of the grotto. In this Zodiac, the position of these diameters relative to the cardinal points is fixed at the epochs of the precessional point of the vernal equinox in the corresponding signs of the Zodiac.
It must be borne in mind that the ancient zodiac is not a horoscope that fixes the position of the stars at some historical moment. The Ancient Zodiac is a stellar record that can span vast periods of time. The study of the location of the diameters connecting the opposite signs of the Zodiac: Virgo – Pisces, Leo – Aquarius and Cancer – Capricorn, Gemini – Sagittarius, as well as Taurus – Scorpio and Aries – Libra - suggests that such an arrangement took place sometime in the past in history Earth.
Without going into further details, we can safely say: this is an ancient, unique Zodiac. And there is no doubt that his image really exists somewhere on stone slabs, because it is simply impossible to come up with such a thing specifically for a painting. I do not undertake to speculate about the actual history of his appearance in the picture. Did Nikolai Konstantinovich know the hidden meaning of these signs or simply copied them from a rock slab? Does this Zodiac exist on the shore of the lake, or is it hidden somewhere under the cornice, in a grotto, in a cave? Everything is possible. One thing is clear that there is still a great secret hidden in him. We well know that in Roerich's paintings not a single detail was applied by accident. If the signs of the Zodiac themselves have now been deciphered, then the peculiarity of its construction leaves it as still mysterious and gives ground for further reflection and research. A worthy topic and task for archaeo- and paleo-astronomers.

It is noteworthy that the Gemini asterisms here and in Ak-Baur are depicted in pairs of identical figures. A very substantial and significant piece of evidence. First, it once again speaks of the common traditions of the astronomers of Ak-Baur and Sikkim. Secondly, from this we can conclude that the secret meaning laid down by the ancient Initiates in the symbols of the Zodiac was known to the astronomers of Ak-Baur and Sikkim. Or they were led by the Initiates of those times. In confirmation of this assumption, one can cite the words of H.P. Blavatsky from The Secret Doctrine, where she, commenting on the works of Oriental scholars, notes: "... but this takes nothing away from the glory of the ancient Hindu astronomers, who were all Initiates." .
Both Zodiacs are real evidence of the deep knowledge of the ancient astronomers of Altai and the Himalayas. And it is possible that in the vast spaces between them, somewhere in the mountains, there may still be ancient images similar to them.
What is the antiquity of this zodiac? This is one of the main questions in such studies. I must say that the features of the construction of the zodiac can help in this matter. For example, the Ak-Baur zodiac begins from the floor of the grotto with the Gemini asterism and continues up the wall to the ceiling, and it was logical to assume that Gemini was the zodiac constellation, in which the precessional point of the vernal equinox was located at the time of the creation of the zodiac. This allows us to determine its antiquity of about 7 thousand years. The image may contain special pointers and icons. So, in the zodiac from Roerich's painting, such an indicator, presumably, is a crack on the slab, which also points to Gemini with its bent sharp end. And one can think that those and other astronomers were doing in the same historical epoch. A similar style of images of asterisms, the same scheme for constructing the Zodiac from diametrical pairs of asterisms - all this suggests that the antiquity of the Zodiac of Lake Yum Dzo in Sikkim can be comparable to the antiquity of the Ak-Baura Zodiac and is also about 7 thousand years old.
Nicholas Roerich has the following remark about the antiquity of the culture of Central Asia: “And one more detail connecting East and West. Do you remember the Turfan Mother of the World with her baby? Among Asia, it may be that the Nestorians or the Manicheans left this appearance. Or, rather, this appearance has remained transformed from much more ancient times. Kali or Guanyin - who knows how old they are? The wife and the serpent are hiding behind them. The antiquity of this symbol is already incalculable. This image does not lead to the biblical page, not to the symbols of Kabbalah. Non-existent continents have already added the beauty of the Mother of the World - this luminous matter. Only ignorance talks about ignorance of antiquity " .
Both zodiacs are made in the tradition of the same school of ancient astronomers or of the same people to which these schools belonged. It is quite possible that in ancient times peoples from northern India, during the periods of great migrations, went through Asia to the West. They could linger and settle for many centuries in places favorable for living. One of such places is the Altai foothills, including the Ak-Baur tract. But, of course, not all of them went on a long journey from India. Some of these peoples remained in their homeland, and we see traces of their creativity. Therefore, we can confidently say that both Zodiacs are a vivid confirmation of N.K. Roerich's thoughts about the great migrations of peoples from East to West.
An amazing picture of N.K. Roerich! She breathes with the ancient truth of the history of the Earth and Man. A person walking a high spiritual path. At all times there have been such people. The zodiac in the picture contains knowledge about very old events on our planet. We still do not fully know what depth of knowledge these signs, although deciphered, but still keeping secret, hide. After all, they were applied to the surface of the rock by the ancient Initiates, applied to preserve knowledge. They were transferred to the canvas of the painting by the Great Master, transferred to transfer this knowledge. So the time has come.
The whole picture appears in the tremendous power of the language of ancient symbols. The picture is a symbol! N.A. Uranov in his book "The Pearl of Searches" writes about her: "The volcano of passion gradually ascending cycles<...>completely squeezed by the will of Adept. The cup of victorious experience has been accumulated and will now be ascended, that is, the last feat frees the winner from the need for further incarnations on Earth and gives him the right to move to the next stage of cosmic evolution - the next world on the ladder of seven planets.
The root, stuck in the ground, gave a wonderful flower of spiritual achievement, completing the preparatory spirals.
In the picture, in the feat of Nagarjuna, the ideal of the successful evolution of mankind on our planet is embodied " .

Literature

1. Roerich N.K. Altai - Himalayas. Moscow: Sphere, 1999.
2. Roerich Yu.N. Along the paths of Central Asia. Samara: Agni, 1994.
3. Roerich Yu.N. Nomads Khor - pa: Discovery of the "animal style" // Around the world. 1972. No. 4. Translated from English by M. Drozdova
4. H.P. Blavatsky Secret Doctrine. T. 2. Minsk: Lotats, 1997.
5. Roerich N.K. Heart of Asia. Almaty, 2007.
6. Roerich N.K. Altai - Himalayas. M .: RIPOL KLASSIK, 2003.
7. Uranov N.A. Seeking Pearl: Mentograms. 1956-1981. Riga: Fiery World, 1996.

Electronic library of the international center of the Roerichs. Paintings by N.K

2. Burning darkness

3. Treasure of the World - Chintamani

4. Lao Tzu

5. Santana

6. On the peaks

7. The vessel is not splashed

8. Treasure of the mountains(Intimate)

9. Silver kingdom. Mount Meru.

10. The path to Shambhala

11. Mahomet on Mount Hira

12. Mother of the World

13. Herald from the Himalayas (Heading home)

14. Zoroaster (Zarathustra)

15. Leading

16. The victorious Buddha

17. White and Gorny (White and Heavenly)

18. Order of the Teacher

19. Sergius the Builder

20. Karakirgiz

21. Oirot - Messenger of the White Burkhan

22. Hero Star

23. Gessar Khan

24. Confucius is just

25. Compassion (Mercy)

26. Remember!

27. Nagarjuna - Conqueror of the Serpent

28. Yuen-Kang

29. Thought

30. Guru Kambala

31. Prophet. Bada the preacher

32. Song of the Stream (Song of the Waterfall)

33. Song of the Falls

34. And We Work (And We Work)

35. Lotus

36. Heavenly battle. The command of heaven

37. Subsoil (Lower than the depths)

38. Kyrgyz mazar. Sanju

39. Hunting

40. Lhamo (Palden Lhamo)

41. Guardians of the Snow

42. The Light Knight

43. Holy Mountains (Path to Kailash)

44. Mountain lake. Baralacha pass (Mountain lake. Bara-Lacha pass)

45. Brahmaputra

46. ​​Nanda Devi (Himalayas)

47. Himalayas (Blue Mountains)

48. Two Worlds (Mountain of Five Treasures)

49. Himalayas No. 93 [Kanchenjunga]

50. Kanchenjunga

51. Sacred Himalayas

1. "Buddha the Conqueror" in front of the source of life

2. "Moses the Leader" - at the top, surrounded by the radiance of the sky.

3. "Sergiy the Builder" - works on his own.

4. "Watch of the Himalayas", in the glaciers.

5. "Confucius the Just" - a traveler in exile.

6. "Ienno Guyo Dya" - a friend of travelers (Japan).

7. "Milarepa Heard" - at the rising, he knew the voices of the devas.

8. "Dorje Daring" - to stand face to face with Mahakala himself.

9. "Saraha is the Good Arrow", which does not hesitate in good sendings.

10. "Mohammed on Mount Chira (message of the Archangel Gabriel)", legend.

11. "Nagarjuna - the Conqueror of the Serpent" sees a sign on the lake of the Lord of the Nagas.

12. "Oirot - Messenger of the White Burkhan", Altai belief.

13. "Mother of the World".

14. "Signs of Christ".

15. "Lao Tzu".

16. "Tszongka-pa".

17. "Padmasambhava".

18. "Bowl".

19. "Ancient Serpent".

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Categories

46. Nanda Devi (Himalayas)