Sri Ramakrishna Math : The Vedanta Kesari, September 2003

The powerful influence of Swami Vivekananda's mission for humanity came forth again in an unpredictable way. K. J. Popov (1844-1918), a brilliant and famous philanthropist was serving in the Russian army at the same time that Swamiji was broadcasting the message of Vedanta in America and India. His beloved wife, a chemist, perished in her laboratory while performing an experiment. The shock was so terrible that he could not be consoled. Grief-stricken, he attempted to contact her departed soul, hoping to find her in a higher world than the one they had dwelt in together. To this end, he enlisted the help of spiritualists and theosophists and visited many spiritual centres around Europe, but to no avail. He followed the advice he received in Italy, to go to India and ask for the help of Indian Yogis.

By divine providence, he arrived in Bombay just as Swami Vivekananda was returning from America. Remarkably, their paths crossed and Mr. Popov received the opportunity to talk about his wife to Swamiji, whose comments, unfortunately, are lost to posterity. It is known, however, that after this meeting, Mr. Popov's agitated mind became calm and he abandoned the desire to contact the spirit of his wife. He received from Swamiji a higher inspiration: he would dedicate his life to God through service to mankind.¹⁴

He returned to Russia, a man transformed, and began to translate Swami Vivekananda's works. He published Russian translations of Swamiji's writings on the four Yogas and the Philosophy of Vedanta between 1906 and 1914.¹⁵ Swamiji's Lectures on Raja Yoga underwent three editions after being translated into Russian in 1911.¹⁶

Nothing remains of Mr. Popov today except his translations of Swamiji's works. Popov's archives and his notes are mysteriously absent, noticeably leaving posterity with the far-reaching effects of Swamiji's message alone. His translations of Swamiji's works reached Leo Tolstoy, Russian scientists, the famed academician B. L. Smirnov, who translated the Mahabharata, and Nicholai Roerich among others.

Nicholai Roerich (1874-1947), one of Russia's foremost artists, left a spontaneous, moving recollection in his diary of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda that he experienced while travelling in the Mongolian desert. Returning to base camp from the stony hills of Shiret Obo one day, he was struck by a compelling sight: in the vast desert expanse he noticed a towering elm tree with its broad shadow spread out upon the sand. Approaching it, he looked up and saw traces of myriad birds and creatures that harboured high in its leaves and branches; in the sand beneath, patterns of larger mammals passing by its redeeming shade could also be seen. Marvelling at the sight, Roerich's memory was stirred, and his mind vividly turned to the shadow of the banyan [the Panchavati under which Sri Ramakrishna meditated and achieved samâdhi]. The mighty branches reminded us of other great achievements of India. What a joy to think of India! Thoughts turned to the radiant giant of India--Sri Ramakrishna.... there remains over the whole world the one great name--Ramakrishna. The personal name has already changed into a great all-national, universal concept . . . in various countries has grown the understanding of the radiant teaching of Ramakrishna. Beyond shameful words of hatred, beyond evil mutual destruction--the word of Bliss, which is close to every human heart, spreads widely like the mighty branches of the sacred banyan tree. On the paths of human searching, these calls of goodwill were shining like beacons. We ourselves witnessed and have often heard how books of Ramakrishna's teachings were as if unexpectedly found by sincere seekers. We ourselves came across the book in a most unusual way.

Great power is contained in a united benevolent thought. Humanity should value such sublime manifestations, which are the cause of all these unifying and constructive thoughts.... The names of Ramakrishna, Vivekananda and the glorious host of their followers remain on the most remarkable pages of the history of the spiritual culture of India.... Many millenniums ago the words of Wisdom were already recorded in India. And how many more millenniums were they preserved even before, in verbal transmission. And in this sacred mouth-to-ear transmission they were kept perhaps even safer than on written records.

In a letter Roerich wrote to Swami Abhedananda in 1928 (the year that he emigrated to India) he confessed that Sri Ramakrishna's teachings had led him to venerate Swami Vivekananda and had drawn him to India, where he lived until his death in 1947.¹⁸ In India, Roerich became acquainted with the thought and life of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda. He also visited Belur Math, where one of his paintings can be found in the old monastery building.

Tiny insects silently quench their thirst from dewdrops sprinkled on flowers and leaves. A few sporadic words about Sri Ramakrishna in the letters of Elena and Nicholai Roerich virtually transformed the life of a Russian journalist and granted her the greatest satisfaction in her labour. We turn to the fourth of these fascinating accounts, each of which illustrates the eternal spiritual power of Truth which manifested through Ramakrishna- Vivekananda. This truth arouses the latent divinity in receptive minds, reveals our inner potentiality and brings fulfillment and success, as it did in the life and work of Natalia Tots.

'Yato Mat Tato Path.'

The story of Natalia Tots, a news correspondent from Moscow who came across a few references to Ramakrishna Paramahamsa while reading, illustrates the subtle influence of Sri Ramakrishna in Russia in recent times. Russian Translates Kathamrita, an article describing her unique experience of a dramatic transformation in her life and work, appeared in the Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture as an abstract from the December 6, 1997, issue of The Asian Age:

A few stray letters written by Elena and Nikolai Roerich, which were sprinkled with references of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, changed the life of Natalia Tots. A correspondent of Tass News Agency, who was busy reporting on crime and punishment till 1990, she gave up her job to know more about the philosophical preacher of the nineteenth century.

The fruit of her in-depth study is now in Gorky Sadan--an 80-page book on the basic philosophy of Ramakrishna. The Teachings of Ramakrishna, as the book is called, is not a literal translation of the voluminous Kathamrita. 'This would have been a Herculean task. All that I have attempted to do is capture the essence of Ramakrishna's preachings into an easy-to-read book,' says the Muscovite, who is in the city to release the book formally.

The Teachings of Ramakrishna looks at the life of the preacher and contains impressions of Swami Vivekananda and Swami Lokeswarananda. It also carries articles by eminent Indologists Nikolai Roerich and B. Rybakov. "I was absolutely bowled over by the philosophical message of Yato Mat Tato Path ["As many minds, so many paths"]. In a world torn apart by religions, I found this to be the only answer to peace," says the robust lady with a smile. So impressed was Ms. Tots with the message, that, in a seminar hosted at the Institute of Oriental Studies, she read out the Russian translation of Yato Mat Tato Path to an audience of five hundred people.

Ms. Tots, who is also the editor of a Russian philosophical journal, Delfis, says she will carry translations of articles written on Paramahamsa. In one of the issues the quarterly had carried poems by the Tamil poet, Ramalingam.

The book, which was published in 1993, hit top-of-the-charts within a few months of publication. 'All the 10,000 copies that we had published had sold out,' Ms. Tots says. A copy of the book has also been distributed to each of the libraries in Moscow through the Library of Foreign Languages. The book has won a good response among the Muscovites.

'All the books which were available earlier on Ramakrishna were elaborate philosophical essays. Now for the first time, a book which even the general mass[es] could understand was published. Naturally, the people took to the book well,' Ms. Tots says.

She receives letters from people asking her to tell more about Ramakrishna. Some have even mistaken Ramakrishna for Krishna.¹⁹

We have offered a mere glimpse into that wonderful reality of profound association with the inexhaustible fountain of love in Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda. That which was experienced in a special way by Romain Rolland, Madame Calvé, K. J. Popov, Nicholai Roerich and Natalia Tots is open to any one who is developed spiritually to receive it. Religion is not only an abstract philosophy. That it is tangible, solid fact--life itself--that can be conveyed by the Avatârs to others is being demonstrated in modern times by the gift of spiritual power bestowed to humanity through Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda. We want to end the article by quoting Romain Rolland in another context:

The man himself was no more. His spirit had departed to travel along the path of collective life in the veins of humanity.

14. Dr. Rossov Vladimir Andreevich, "Vivekananda's Way to Russia," Prabuddha Bharata, August 1991, 349-51.
15. Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Oct. 1999, 477.
16. S. D. Serebriany, Leo Tolstoy and Sri Ramakrishna (Kolkata, 1987), 24; Alexander I. Shifman, Tolstoy and India, Eng. trans. (Delhi, 1969) 36-7, 40-1. Cit. from Bulletin, Oct. 1999, 477.
17. Sri Ramakrishna in the Eyes of Brahma and Christian Admirers, Nanda Mookerjee, ed. (Kolkata, 1976),
18. Bulletin, Oct. 1999, 479
19. Bulletin, Jan. 1998, 40