Himavat: Diary Leaves

By Nicholas Roerich

Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947) is known first and foremost as a painter. His paintings, of which there are thousands around the world, explore the mythic origins, the natural beauty, and the spiritual strivings of humanity and of the world. But Nicholas Roerich was as prolific a writer as he was a painter. He wrote books, poetry, and almost-daily

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nicholas Roerich Museum
• Release date: Dec 7, 2017
• ISBN: 9781947016194

Book preview

FOREWORD TO THE FIRST EDITION

HIMAVAT is devoted basically to the concept of Culture. With his usual versatility and deep understanding, Nicholas Roerich extols the concepts of evolution, beauty, peace, and knowledge. In his address as President of the League of Culture, Roerich says:

"Culture is the reverence of Light. Culture is the love of humanity. Culture is fragrance, the unity of life, and beauty. Culture is the synthesis of uplifting and sensitive attainments. Culture is the armor of light. Culture is salvation. Culture is the moving force. Culture is the Heart.

If we gather all the definitions of Culture, we find the synthesis of active Bliss, the altar of enlightenment, and constructive beauty.

The present volume should be truly a friend of each student and teacher. In these tenets of creative labor and vitality are generously spread out the fruits of the all-embracing artistic and philosophic thought of Roerich, who has been justly recognized by the public opinion of many countries, not only as the mighty creator in the field of art but also as the Leader of Culture. As the Hon. George Gordon Battle rightly affirmed: Nicholas Roerich is unquestionably one of the greatest leaders of history. Combined with his extraordinary breadth of mind, there is a sublime sympathy with the opinions of, and tolerance for, the prejudices of others. He has a marvelous equipment to be the leader of an international movement. He has power not only to plan but to act. He can translate his dreams into action."

Great Russian Artist, Nicholas Roerich is a great friend of India.

India will always recall these blessed words of Roerich: O Bharata, all-beautiful, let me send thee my heartfelt admiration for all the greatness and inspiration which fill thy ancient cities and temples, thy meadows, thy deobans, thy sacred rivers, and the Himalayas.

CONTENTS

I. HIMAVAT

Himavat

India

Friends Of The East

Scriptures Of Asia

Shambhala

The Stone

Holy Guardians

Erdeni Mori (Mongolian Epics)

Gifts Of The East

The Sword Of Ghessar Khan

Gods Of Kuluta

Ancient Medicines

Greetings To The Great Artist! Dr. Abanindranath Tagore

The Builder

Sri Ramakrishna

Tagore And Tolstoy

Guru—The Teacher

Raj-Rajeswari

II. THE BEAUTIFUL VICTORY

The Beautiful Victory

Credo

Armor Of Light

Creators

Struggle For The Beautiful

Fate

Academies Of United Arts

Forward

Gateways To The Future

Beautiful Unity

III. ROSSICA

Podvig

Understanding

Russian Silhouettes

— Mussorgsky

— Stanislavsky

— Diaghilev

Rossica

The Great Novgorod

Kiev

Collecting

Collectors

Russian Art

Gorky

Glory

IV. PAX PER CULTURA

Guard The Culture

The Red Cross Of Culture

Dinosaurs

The Great Images

Realm Of Culture

Civilization

Hridaya

Youth

Chauvinism

Dangerous Diseases

Laudable Enemies

Moloch

The Selling Of Souls

Steadfastness

Vandals

Terror Antiquus

The Mission Of Womanhood

Cultural Unity

V. NEW ERA

Panacea

Bookcase

Way Signs

Space Is Crying

Records Of Thoughts

From Beyond

Essence

Parapsychology

Signs Of Our Era

Combating Ignorance

Nicholas Roerich: Collected Writings

I.

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HIMAVAT

HIMAVAT

ATHANASIUS Nikitin Tveritin, a Moscovite of the fifteenth century, after his journey to India, exclaimed: And I, out of the midst of many troubles went to India.

The most excellent Hali, the Arabian, mentioned by Paracelsus, said: Vade, filii, ad Montes Indiae et ad cavernas suas, et accipe ex cis lapides honoratos! Go, my son, to the mountains of India, and to their quarries, and take from there those precious stones!—Let us go to the mountains of India!

From all parts of the world, people want to know about the Himalayas. The best people are striving in heart toward this jewel of India. They ask to send at least a small sketch, or a snapshot, which they can keep on their desk for inspiration. In all ages, there was this attraction to the Himalayas. People know that when anyone seeks spiritual upliftment, he has to look toward the Himalayas.

Many expeditions are striving to conquer the gorgeous peaks of the Himalayas. Severely the unconquered giants meet the daring intruders. Again Everest refused to welcome the newcomers. And Nanga Parbat does not facilitate matters in the attempted conquest. And the Kinchanjunga peak is not even contested. And yet from all sides, various nations aspire to reach the resplendent Himalayan summits. Such a procession turns into an homage of pilgrims to the highest of the world.

The local Lamas smile mysteriously when they hear that yet another attempt was defeated. If they have confidence in you, they will tell you in whispers some ancient prophecies that assert that certain sacred summits will never be defiled. Not long ago, a well-known Lama, who is now dead, told us: Curious people are the Pelings. Why do they undertake such dangers in the physical body, when we can visit these summits and do so in our subtle body?

Indeed, in every striving to the summits, in every ascent, is contained an untold joy. An inner impulse irresistibly calls people toward the heights.

If someone would begin to trace historically these aspirations, having the Himalayas as their goal, an unusually significant study would result. Truly, if one could trace back the force of attraction of these heights for a thousand years, one could readily see why the Himalayas have been called incomparable. Since times immemorial innumerable tokens of divinity have been connected with this country of mountains. Even in the dark middle ages, remote countries dreamed of beautiful India, which was epitomized in the imagination of people by the mysterious sacred snowy giants.

Let us mentally compare all these beautiful legends, which could only be conceived in the Himalayas. First of all, we will be astonished at the amazing diversity of this heritage. It is true that this wealth of legends has originated in the accumulations of many tribes, becoming more bounteous through the grateful contributions of many millenniums, and is crowned by the achievements of great seekers after truth. All this is so. But for such supreme achievements a magnificent environ is necessary, and what could be more majestic than the unconquered mountains with all their inexpressible radiance and all their exquisite variations of forms.

It would be a rather unfortunate and feeble effort to compare the Himalayas with any of the other splendid mountain ranges of the world. The Andes, the Caucasus, the Alps, the Altai—all the most beautiful heights will appear to be but single peaks when compared with the supreme mountain ranges of the Himalayas.

What does it not encompass, this multiform Beauty? Tropical approaches, Alpine slopes and, finally, all the incalculable glaciers, powdered with meteoric dust. No one describes the Himalayas as overwhelming; no one would dare to call them gloomy portals, nor mention the word monotony, in thinking of the Himalayas. Truly, a great part of the human vocabulary must be forgotten when you enter the realm of the Himalayan Snow—the part of one’s vocabulary comprising its sinister and effete expressions.

The human spirit, seeking to overcome all obstacles, is filled with a yearning, which irresistibly impels one onward toward the conquest of these summits. And the very difficulties that at times loom so dangerously become only the most necessary and the most desired steps of ascent, overcoming earthly conventionality. All the dangerous bamboo bridges over the thundering mountain torrents; all the slippery steps on the age-old glaciers over perilous precipices; all the unavoidable inclines before each successive ascent; and the storms, thunder and cold and heat are surmounted when the chalice of achievement is full.

Not the feelings of ambition nor boastfulness alone could inspire so many travelers and searchers to go to the Himalayas. Other difficult peaks could be found for competition and contests. But, above all, thoughts of competition and contests is a yearning toward these world magnets, an ineffable holy aspiration of which heroes are born.

The true magnets are not competitive laurels of contests nor the fleeting front pages of books and newspapers, but the attraction to this surpassing grandeur which sustains the spirit; and in such striving there can be no harm.

Is this another tribute to the Himalayas? one may ask.

But does the solemn grandeur of the Himalayas need any tributes?

Of course, in this case tributes are out of place; and any of them, even the most excellent, can be but feeble echoes. But then, why does one think of the Himalayas? Why are we seemingly compelled to think of them, remember them, and strive toward them?

Because even mental communion with their solemn grandeur provides one of the best tonics. Everything is impelled toward the beautiful in its own way. Everyone thinks about beauty, and he will feel an impulse to say something or other about it. The thought of Beauty is so powerful and moving that man cannot contain it silently within himself, but always tries to clothe it in words. Perhaps in song or in some other expression of his being, man must manifest and record his thought of the Beautiful.

From the tiniest flower, from the wing of the butterfly, from the glow of a crystal and on, further and higher, through beautiful human forms, through the mysterious sublime touch, man wants to fortify himself by the immutably Beautiful. Wherever on earth there have been beautiful creations of human hands, the pilgrim will come to them. He will find calm under their created vaults and in the radiance of their frescoes and stained glass. And if the pilgrim is captivated by mirages of nature’s far- off horizons, he will set out toward them. And if, at last, he becomes aware of these loftiest peaks shining far off, he will be drawn to them, and in this very striving he will become stronger, purer, and will be inspired to achievements for the good, for beauty, and for ascent.

The pilgrim is always listened to with special attention near the campfire or at a gathering of men. And not only in ancient chronicles does one read of the respect accorded to those who came from afar. Even now, despite all the speedy ways of communication, when the world has already become small, when people strive into higher strata or down toward the center of the planet, even now, the narrative of the pilgrim still remains the highlight of every gathering.

Are the Himalayas truly so beautiful?

Are they really incomparable?

Tell us something about the Himalayas and whether anything unusual is to be found there!

People expect something unusual in every narrative of a pilgrim. Customs, habits, immovability due to attachments depress even the coarsest heart. Even a depressed spirit strives toward movement. After all, no one thinks of movement as directed downward only.

I recall the story that a traveler once related having begun the descent of the Grand Canyon in Arizona: surrounded by most beautiful colors, he was oppressed

by the very thought of such endless descent: We descended lower and lower, and this thought of descending even prevented our admitting the country.

Of course, exaltation and transport is primarily connected with ascent. During ascent there is the urgent desire to look beyond the snow peaks that soar before you. But when you descend, each parting summit pronounces a sad goodbye. Therefore, it is so joyous not only to ascend a summit, but at least to follow the ways of ascent in thought. When we hear of new travelers to the Himalayas, we are thankful even for that, for they remind us of the summits of the call ever beautiful and ever necessary.

Himalayas, let me send once more my heartfelt admiration!

Likewise, India, all beautiful, let me send thee another greeting for all the greatness and inspiration, which fill thy meadows, thy ancient cities and sacred rivers!

Kailasa, Manasarowar, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Trilokinath, Ravalsar—these glorious gems of the Highest always fill the heart with special blissful tremor. When we were within a day’s journey from Manasarowar, the entire caravan already became uplifted—thus far around does the aura of a holy ashram act.

Another vivid recollection arises from the path to Trilokinath. A long line of Sadhus and Lamas stretches along this road—the old sanctuary, the site of pilgrimage and prayer. These pilgrims have met here from many different roads. Some already completing their spiritual journeyings, are walking along with a trident; some carry bamboo staves; others are without anything, even without clothing. And the snow of the Rotang Pass is no impediment to them.

The pilgrims proceed, knowing that the Rishis and the Pandavas dwelt here. Here is the Beas of Vyasa; here is Vyasakund—the place of the fulfillment of all wishes. Here Vyasa Rishi compiled the Mahabharata.

Not in legend alone, but in reality, did the great Rishis live here. Their presence breathes life into the cliffs that are crowned with glaciers, into the emerald pastures where the yaks graze, and into the caves and the roaring torrents. From here were sent forth those spiritual calls of which humanity has heard through all ages. These calls are taught in schools; they have been translated into many languages—and this crystal of acquisitions has been stratified on the cliffs of the Himalayas.

Where can one find words with which to praise the Creator after seeing the incomparable beauty of the Himalayas? sings the Hindu. Along the paths of the Guru, along the peaks of the Rishi, along the mountain paths of the pilgrims of the spirit, lies that treasure, which no torrent of rain can wear away, nor any lightning turn to ashes. He who walks toward the Good is blessed on all paths. How touching are all the narratives which tell of the meeting of the righteous ones of various nations! The tops of the deodars in the forest touch each other in the wind. Thus, everything that is of the highest meets without injury and harm. Time was when quarrels were settled by single combat, and decisions were reached by a conference of chiefs. So do the deodars discuss matters between themselves. What a meaningful word: deodar—the gift of God. And this significant name is not without reason: for the resin of the deodar has healing powers. Deodar, musk, valerian, roses, and other similar substances comprise the beneficent medicines of the Rishis. Some have wanted to do away with these medicines by substituting an invasion of new discoveries; however, humanity again reverts to the foundations.

Here is a photograph of a man who walks through fire without harming himself. This is not a fiction. Witnesses will tell you of the same trials by fire in Madras, Lucknow, Benares. And not only does the Sadhu walk harmlessly on the flaming coals, but he leads behind him those who desire to follow him and hold on to him.

In Benares a Sadhu sits in sacred posture upon the water of the Ganges. His crossed legs are covered by the brim of the water. The people flock to the banks, amazed at the holy man.

Still another Sadhu has been buried alive for many days; another swallows various poisons without any harm. Here is a Lama, who can levitate himself; another Lama by means of tumo can generate his own heat, thus protecting himself against snow and mountain glaciers; there a Lama can give the death stroke with his deadly eye to a mad dog. A venerated Lama from Bhutan relates, how during his stay in the Tzang district in Tibet, a Lama asked the ferryman to take him across from Tzampo free of charge, but the cunning man replied: I will gladly take you over, if you can prove that you are a great Lama. A mad dog is running about here, doing great harm—kill it. The Lama said nothing; but looking at the dog, he raised his hand and said a few words, and the dog fell dead! The Bhutanese Lama saw this himself. One hears frequently in Tibet and in India of the same deadly eye and the eye of Kapila. And on a map of the seventeenth century printed in Antwerp, by authority of the Catholic clergy, is mentioned the name of the country, Shambhala.

If one can walk through fire, and another can sit on water, and a third remain suspended in the air, and a fourth repose on nails, and a fifth swallow poison, and a sixth kill with a glance, and a seventh lie buried without harm, then one may collect all those grains of knowledge in himself. And thus the obstacles of lower matter can be transmuted! Not in a remote age, but now, right here, where Millikan’s cosmic rays, Rhine’s thought-transference, and the reality of finest psychic energy are also being studied and affirmed.

Every Rishi pronounced in his own language the sacred pledge for the construction of a revived, refined, and beautiful world!

For the sake of a single righteous being, a whole city was saved. As beacons, lightning rods, and citadels of God stood the Rishis of various nations, of various creeds, of various ages, yet one in the spirit of salvation and ascension for all!

Whether the Rishi came upon fire, whether he arrived home upon a stone, whether he came upon the whirlwind, he always hastened for the general good. Whether he prayed on mountain summits, or on a steep riverbank, or in a hidden cave, he always sent out his prayers for the unknown, for the stranger, for the laborers, for the sick and the crippled.

Whether the Rishi sent out white horses to save the unknown pilgrims, or whether he blessed unknown seafarers, or guarded a city by night, he always stood as a pillar of light for all, without condemnation and without extinguishing the flame.

Without condemnation, without mutual suspicion, without weakening each other, ever upwards, the Rishis ascended the eternal Mount Meru.

Before us is the road to Kailas. There rises one of the fifteen wonders described in Tibetan books: The Mount of the Bell! Along sharp ridges one climbs to its summit. It stands higher than the last junipers, higher than the last yellow and white mountain ranges. There Padma Sambhava once walked—this is recorded in the ancient monastery Gandola. It is exactly here that the caves of Milarepa are situated. And not one but many have been sanctified with the name of the hermit who hearkened before dawn to the voices of the Devas. Not far away are also legends which surround Pahari Baba. Here also are the spiritual strongholds of Gautama Rishi. Many Rishis walked here. And he who gave the mountain its enticing name, Mount of the Bell, also thought of the call of the Bell for all, of helping all, of the Universal Good!

Here Rishis lived for Universal Good!

When Rishis meet on the mountain paths, they do not ask each other: From where do you come? Is it from the East, or West, or South, or North? This is quite apparent: that they come from the Good and go to the Good. An exalted, refined flaming heart knows where is the Good and, in it, what can be found.

Some of the travelers in our caravan were once discussing the qualities of the various Rishis, but a gray-haired pilgrim, pointing to snowy peaks, effulgent in their complete beauty, said:

"Are we to judge the qualities of these summits? We can but bow in admiration before their unattainable splendor!

Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram.

The Upanishads affirm: There is no joy without infiniteness. There is no joy in the finite. Joy is infinity. But it is needful to wish to cognize infinity.

The lofty spiritual mood in which a Hindu recites the words of the sacred tradition is something not easily forgotten. The great poet Tagore, whose sensitive heart is a storehouse of these great rhythms, knows how to evoke all their beauties.

In India, when the verses of the Mahabharata, the Upanishads, and the Puranas are being recited, then there is joy, despite all troubles; and even if the modernization of India is inevitable, the beauty of such sacred poetry will live on forever.

This inner joy of the heart is something that we have to cultivate and learn how to retain so that it takes up its abode in the heart, and this beneficent joy of the heart becomes a lasting power to disperse all the forces of darkness.

Whether we think of those sublime temples of southern India, of the grandeur of Chittur and Gwalior, and the great strongholds of Rajputana, or the solemn spirit of the Himalayas, everywhere we shall find the joy of great thoughts.

On the moonlit Ganges, in the mystery of Benares seen at night, and in the great cadences of the Himalayan waterfalls, we shall find the same lofty sense of joy.

In the repetition of such ancient names as Manu, Rama, Vyasa, Arjuna, Krishna, of the Pandavas, Rishis, heroes, creators, and great constructors, we recognize a loving respect for the past.

From the Mother of the World, from the Queen of Peace, we receive this delicate flowerlike joy of the heart.

Marvelous India! Splendid in outer beauty, most beautiful in its secret inner life.

Beautiful, beloved India!

INDIA

DURING the days of the present Armageddon, I have been asked to send my message to several art exhibitions in India. My message was: "Art should be protected by all means. Armageddon is roaring. Art and Knowledge are the cornerstones of Evolution. Art and Science are needed always; but in our days of Armageddon, they must be especially guarded by all the powers of our hearts. It is a great mistake to think that during troubled times culture can be disregarded. On the contrary, the need of culture is especially felt in times of war and human misunderstandings. Outside of Art, Religion is inaccessible; outside of Art, the spirit of Nationality is lost; outside of Art, Science is dark. This is not a utopia. The history of humanity gives innumerable examples of Art being a great beacon of light in times of calamity. Scientists assert that color and sound are a panacea. By beauty and harmony even wild beasts were tamed. Let the sacred flute of Sri Krishna resound again. Let us visualize that peace in which the majestic frescoes of Ajanta were created. In times of war, let us think of future peace, affirmed by creativeness, labor, and beauty.

"Traveling through blessed India we once passed along a road in the shadow of mighty chinars. Our guide told us: ‘The great emperor Akbar thought of the future travelers who will be sheltered by these beautiful trees. He looked into the future.’ ‘To regard the beautiful means to improve,’’ said Plato. ‘Man becomes that of which he thinks,’ preordained the Upanishads.

"A renaissance of art is the evidence of the renaissance of a nation. In a declining country, art becomes only an abstract luxury. But when a country is in its full progress, art becomes the real motive power of its people. Let us imagine the history of humanity without the treasure of beauty. We will then readily realize that the epochs are left meaningless, denuded of their soul. Without a manifestation of the spirit of the beautiful, we shall remain amid the ugliness of death. And when we proclaim that beauty–art is life–we speak about the coming evolution of beauty. Everything accomplished for art is an attainment for evolution. Every coworker in this field is already a hero.

It is a great praise to this country that the roll of its creative workers cannot be expressed in one list but merits an entire great series, even with the briefest appreciation. We are happy to feel what a vast material is before us, and what a joy it is to show to the young generation the brilliant legion that has constructed the most beautiful achievements. Wherever art and knowledge flourish, we may be enthusiasts. And in this joyful enthusiasm we may greet the true creative forces of the nation. An exhibition is not only a monument to the creator, the worker, but it is the best evocation for the youth to come. I am happy to greet the brilliant artists, to hail the essence of beautiful creative thought, and to salute the young generation to which this creative thought brings its coming happiness."

O Bharata, all-beautiful, let me send thee my heartfelt admiration for all the greatness and inspiration that fill thy ancient cities and temples, thy meadows, thy deobans, thy sacred rivers and the Himalayas.

FRIENDS OF THE EAST

YOUR letter came just at a time when I was finishing my essay, Tolerance , with the following passage:

Let us remember the instructive from a Chinese. Legend: A famous artist was invited to the Court of the Chinese Emperor in order to paint his best possible painting. The expenses connected with remuneration and traveling of the artist were great, but the Emperor—the Protector of Art—wanted to have the best masterpiece, and spared no effort to give the artist the best conditions. The artist agreed to complete the picture within a year. Special apartments were allotted to him. Here he spent day after day in contemplative thinking, so that everyone became worried as to when after all he would begin to paint. All material was long ready, but the artist apparently had no intention to start work on the canvas. Finally they decided to ask the artist, in view of the approach of the term, but he merely replied: ‘Don’t disturb me.’ And two days before the expiration of the year, he got up, and with precise touches of the brush accomplished his best masterpiece, stating afterward: ‘To make does not take long, but one has to visualize first what one wants to make.’

It seems that sufficient time has elapsed for humanity to realize the impracticability, the baseness, and meanness of intolerance. Let us hope that past centuries have already taught us to see and realize the harm which is continuously done. Let us hope that in accordance with the saying of the wise Chinese artist: To visualize takes a long time, but to do takes little.

Is it not a happy coincidence that just at the time of receipt of your letter, I was mentioning three important principles: Chinese wisdom; The Ruler as a protector of Art; and striving toward achievement. If I wouldn’t have written this article at a time, I still would have had to mention these three basic points. And I may also quote in addition the following passage from Agni Yoga: According to ancient wisdom, patience is a gift of Heaven. And no doubt you have read in my book Altai-Himalaya, my quotation from the Tao-Te-Ching about the distinctions of a sage, which closes with the phrase: He who possesses the quality of Tao is like a child—the venomous insects will not sting him; wild animals will not attack him; birds of prey will not strike him! The great wisdom of Tao is also reflected on the great ancient Chinese Art. What a wonderful example for the future this unfading wisdom can give! The perfection of quality, if once already attained can always be easily renewed. How wonderful are all the teachings of the East, revealing the power of the heart with all mighty flames and achievements.

It is so gratifying to see that also in our times such great conceptions are obtained, and they can transmute the dull twilight into radiance of the future.

And Agni Yoga indicates again: We do everything, and we exist only for the future. How beautiful is it to realize our great responsibility in face of the future. First of all, this responsibility should express itself in safeguarding the great treasures of Culture. This is a heavy task but we should rejoice at being entrusted to accomplish something great. Numerous are the obstacles on the great Path. But by these we learn, through them we ascend and develop in us vigilance, resourcefulness, and creative abilities. In everything, from the smallest to the largest, we have to affirm untiringly this glorious call: create, create, create! May this call be transformed into an imperative stimulus of life. Bringing into existence these virile commandments, let us not forget the young generation, for whom it is our duty to prepare the path of ascent.

Thus, gathering all the best treasures of the past and creating a new image of heroism, achievement, and spiritual beauty, we shall point out to the young ones where are the true treasures, where lies the Great Reality, and where the human spirit is to find its justification.

Verily, verily, Beauty is Brahman. Art is Brahman. Science is Brahman. Every Glory, every Magnificence, every Greatness is Brahman.

Thus exclaimed the Hindu saint coming back from the greatest samadhi. A new path of beauty and wisdom shall come.

And we are not alone in our struggle. The great Swami Vivekananda tells us: Don’t you see I am above all a poet. That man cannot be truly religious, who has not the faculty of feeling the beauty and grandeur of art. Non-appreciation of art is gross ignorance.

Illumine yourself with the light of knowledge. (Hosea, 10–12)

Man has to become the co-worker of heaven and earth.

All beings nourish each other.

Consciousness, Humanness, and courage are the three universal qualities, but sincerity is needed to apply them.

Does there not exist a panacea for everything that exists? Is it not love to humanity? Do not do unto others that which you do not wish done unto you.

If man would know how to govern himself, what difficulty could he encounter in governing a state?

An ignoramus proud of his knowledge, a nonentity excessively desirous of freedom, a man who returns to ancient customs are subject to unavoidable calamities. (Confucius)

It is not better in the world. Verily it is so! The world structure is cracking. But where there are pilgrims, where there are stonemasons, where there are creators, there hope itself is being transmuted into straight-knowledge. This knowledge speaks of the undeferrableness of the hour. Let us hasten and be not afraid.

Rabindranath Tagore finishes his book (What Is Art) with such words: In Art the person in us is sending its answer to the Supreme Person, who reveals Himself to us in a world of endless beauty across the lightless world of facts.

There is no other way. O friends scattered! May my call penetrate to you. Let us join ourselves by the invisible threads of the Beautiful. I turn to you, I call to you: in the name of Beauty and Wisdom, let us combine for struggle and work.

During days of Armageddon let us ponder on Eternal Values, which are the cornerstones of Evolution.

In the name of Culture I send you from the Himalayas my heartiest greetings!

SCRIPTURES OF ASIA

IN the torn and yellow manuscripts of Turfan, we find hymns to The God of Light, To the Sun, To the Eternal Living Soul. We find prayers of peace and quiet and ascension, where the word peace is often repeated.

Besides an immense collection of Buddhist texts, discoveries were also made of many Chinese, Manichean, Nestorian, Tibetan, Iranian, and other Central Asian manuscripts.

The deserted temples are now in ruins, and the vestiges of towers and ramparts buried beneath the sands, indicate the sites of flourishing cities. The frescoes have gone, the libraries have been scattered, and all their treasures ransacked. The traveler today, who goes by another route, no longer sees those brilliant colors, that shining metalware, but only darkness.

These manuscripts have suffered as much from the hands of vandals as from dampness and decay, and yet their mildewed pages still remind us that these dark and deserted ruins were at one time the abode of clean and luminous thought. The soul of many an ancient scribe is still enshrined in lofty messages.

A recent translation from one of the Turfan hymns reads thus: (Omissions shown by...)

"A hymn to the Living Soul... all the sins, all the hesitations, internal and external, all the thoughts, all that has been thought and said mixture of good and evil thoughts, unconsciousness. ‘Know Thyself,’ the pure word that leads to the soul. Through the soul understand all the wicked words of the Master of Evil, which are likely to lead you toward the eternal Darkness.

"As a judge, weigh every word that is said and manifested. Understand the transmigration of the soul and behold the depths of hell where the souls suffer torments.

"Preserve the purity of your soul and the treasures of the Word....

"O devouring fire of Man! And you luminous-winged Free Soul.

"Predestination and transmigration defend your heart and thought from all wicked impulses.

"Go to the land of Light by the road of Peace....

"I sing Thee O God omnipotent, O Living Soul, O gift of the Father.

"By the saintly path return to thy home. O Power so generously dispensing happiness.

"Wisdom... all... Herself... Trembling... hearing... peace... you the Son of the Almighty.

"All the persecutions, all the torments and poverty and need which you have assumed, who could endure them? Thou art the Luminous One, the Gracious One, the Blessed One, the Powerful and Noble Master....

"Proceeding from the Light, from God, I have lost my native land, I have been exiled.

"Be blessed he who will deliver my soul from tor-ments....

"You will receive Eternal Life.

"Purify your luminous soul, and she will liberate you.

"Sing beautifully and rejoice in the thought: ‘O Luminous Guide of the Soul’!

"Sing that beautiful hymn, the hymn of Good for peace, for confidence.

"With the trumpet declare with joy: ‘Guide our souls in unity toward salvation.’

"To the call of the trumpet the sons of God will joyfully respond.

"Say Holy! Holy! Holy! Say Amen, Amen!

"Sing O Luminous Wisdom: Repeat the pure saying, ‘The Living word of Truth will liberate the prisoners from their chains.’ Glorify the Truth.

"Sing ‘Be ardent in the fear of God; unite in the commandments.... Light... call... the herald... the great peace, treasures, which the souls, the eyes, the ears... Invite the Son of God to the Divine Banquet, decorate the beloved groves, show the way to the Light.’

"Group your members in numbers of five, seven, twelve. There they are the seven glittering noble stones on which the world is based. Through their power the worlds and all beings