Russia's Interest in the Bhagavad-Gita

The Bhagavad Gita was introduced in 1787 by its first Russian translation by N. I. Norikov

His work relied on Charles Wilkins' English version. (Indology and Its Eminent Western Savants, p. 163) Count Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy (1828-1910), the mystic literary voice of Russia, was also a herald of Indian thought. He was greatly influenced by the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Tamil Tirukkural and the modern Indian spiritual literature of his time. Milan Markovitch, author of Tolstoi et Gandhi, wrote that

"there is not one of Tolstoy's works written after this period" of his life referred to in the Confessions "which is not inspired, in part, by Hindu thought . . . His was a Christianity underpinned by the great Hindu doctrines." (Oriental Renaissance, p. 451)

The Bhagavad-Gita: A World Scripture

This magnificent poem, with its dramatic background, its psychologically convincing arguments, its universality and rationality, has been appreciated by the enlightened minds of the West. It is regarded by westerners as a "World Scripture." Mascaró, a Spanish scholar and admirer of the Upanishads, said:

"If Beethoven could give us in music the spirit of the Bhagavad Gita, what a wonderful symphony we should hear."

  For other parts of this article, see How Vedanta Came to the West

Comments on this article can be sent to: VedantaSoc@aol.com

1. The Vedanta Society of New York -- A Brief History, 2000
2. Mahabharat--Katha (Bengali), 1998
3. Ramayan Anudhyan (Bengali), 1996
4. Healthy Values of Living, 1996
5. Meditation on Swami Vivekananda, 1994
6. Meditation on Shri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda, 1993
7. Albert Einstein and His Human Face, 1993
8. Glimpses of Great Lives, 1989
9. Shubha Chinta (Bengali), 1988
10. Smaran--Manan (Bengali), 1987

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