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LATVIJAS UNIVERSITÂTES RAKSTI. 2004. 666. sçj.: LITERATÛRZINÂTNE, FOLKLORISTIKA,
MÂKSLA, 258.–264. lpp.
The Idea of Synthesis of Cultures: R. Tagore’s
Influence on N. Roerich’s Thought
Kultûru sintçzes ideja: Rabindranâta Tagores ietekme
uz Nikolaja Rçriha filozofiju
Anita Staðulâne (Latvija)
Daugavpils universitâte
Vienîbas iela 13, Daugavpils, LV 5400
e–mail: anita@dau.lv
To solve the problem – to what extent R. Tagore (1861–1941) had influenced the world vision
of N. Roerich (1874–1947) – the author has investigated: firstly, the dynamics of their relations
and, secondly, the history of the idea of synthesis of cultures. Basing her work on the
exchange of letters between the Russian artist and the Bengali poet, analysing their world vision
and documenting the usage of the notion “synthesis” in their works, the author of the
investigation proves that N. Roerich has become the prophet of the Future Culture due to the
influence of R. Tagore.
Keywords: Tagore, Roerich, Theosophy, Synthesis, Culture.
N. Roerich’s (1874–1947) vision of a future world reunited on the basis of culture,
is closely connected with the ideas of the Bengali poet and philosopher
Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941). N. Roerich has pointed out: “In Tagore we see a
wonderful synthesis of the thinker, the poet, the bard, the artist, and the teacher of
life” 1 . In order to determine how deeply R. Tagore exerted an influence on N.
Roerich’s thought, let us pay attention, firstly, to their relations, secondly, to their
ideas.
1. Relations between N. Roerich and R. Tagore
The Europe to which R. Tagore brought his translated religious verse2 proved to
be extraordinarily receptive to his modernized Hindu outlook. Before he met
R. Tagore, N. Roerich was already familiar with R. Tagore’s poem “Gitanjali”:
She [H. Roerich] often through her great intuition, found in bookshops
something new, needed, and inspiring. Thus she brought Tagore’s
“Gitanjali” in translation of Baltrushaitis3 . These beautiful sonorous poems
radiated like a rainbow, and in the Russian translation of
Baltrushaitis they sounded as a clarion call. Up to that time Rabindranath
Tagore was not known in Russia in his entire scope; it was known that
Tagore’s name was acclaimed all over the world, but we, Russians, had
no occasion to cognise the depth of the heart of this great poet4 .
N. Roerich who was already familiar with the idea of cosmic unity announced by
Theosophy, was fascinated with R. Tagore’s mystical experience of oneness with the