On November 26-27, 2007, the Roerich Readings were held at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

They were opened by I. V. Zaitsev, Deputy Director of the Institute of Information Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Recalling that this year marks the 105th anniversary of the birth of Yu. N. Roerich, a well-known Russian Orientalist, Tibetologist, indologist, and Buddhologist, he noted that one of the characteristic features of the readings is loyalty to the traditions of Yu. N.Roerich.

V. V. Vertogradova (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) announced in her opening speech that this year's Roerich Readings are also dedicated to the memory of Tatyana Yakovlevna Elizarenkova, a world-renowned indologist who recently passed away. An outstanding Indo-European linguist, a specialist in the history of Indian languages, and primarily in the Vedic language, Vedic literature and culture, Tatyana Yakovlevna left a huge legacy, including six volumes of translations into Russian (with research and commentary) of the main monuments of Vedic literature - the Rigveda and Atharvaveda, for which she was awarded many Russian and foreign awards, in particular the Order of Padma Shri ("Lotus"). from the Government of India. These works, in addition to their undoubted research value, created, one might say, a "Vedic field" in Russian culture. At present, the early works of T. Y. Elizarenkova, which have not lost their scientific significance, have become a bibliographic rarity. In this regard, it would be desirable to raise the question of their reissue. This is first of all: "The Aorist in the Rig Veda "(Moscow: Ed. letters. V. V. Vertogradova recalled that T. Ya. Elizarenkova was at the origin of the birth of the Cabinet of Yu. N. Roerich (1960) and the organization of the "Roerich Readings", in which she was also a permanent organizer.

V. Vidunas (Vilnius University, Lithuania) noted T. Y. Elizarenkova's invaluable contribution to the reconstruction of the material world of the Vedic Aryans. His report "Small domestic fauna in the Rig Veda" continues this line of research to some extent. According to his observations, in the Rig Veda, most often among the small domestic fauna there is a ram/sheep, denoted by several lexemes. The avi m.f. or avika f token. It is found in the Rig Veda 25 times. These are mainly hymns from the oldest part of the monument (family and IX mandalas). In most examples, this word refers to sheep's wool, which was used as a filter during the preparation of the soma drink. The lexeme mesá m. occurs 15 times in later mandalas and has the meaning "ram" as a sacrificial animal or as the meat of this animal; mesi f. it occurs several times in the IX mandala and means sheep's wool for straining soma. Cases of using other lexemes (urana m., ura f., pétua m.) are rare. Apparently, the most ancient word for ram/sheep was the word ávi. Other animals mentioned are the goat / goat (ajú m., aja f.), donkey, dog. The bee insect is also mentioned several times, but in the oldest period of Vedic culture it is still wild.

In the report "Judges in the "Arthashastra" of Kautili and Dharmashastra" A. M. Samozvantsev (IB RAS) examined the references in these monuments to the so-called three judges and came to the conclusion that this name is derived from the number of Vedas, which initially numbered three, and ultimately from the collection of three learned Brahmins - experts in the Vedas. He showed how the tracing paper of the three Vedas overlaps with both the term and the institution of the three learned Brahmin judges.

E. V. Tyulina's report "Wood as the foundation of the world and home" was made on the basis of treatises of the IV-IX centuries devoted to architecture and sculpture, which are part of the Agni Purana,

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The Matsya Puranas and the Garuda Puranas. In these treatises, the archaic vertical model of the world tree, which was associated with the image of a house with a roof resting on a central pillar, is replaced by the spatial model of vastu. Vastu is a multi-valued term that literally means "a place to live", "housing", from the verb " vas " - to live. As a philosophical concept, it means a certain substance or essence underlying life. Often the term vastu was used to refer to a vastu mandala that was drawn before building a house. It becomes fundamental when searching for wood for construction, when arranging wooden parts in the house, when planting trees around it. All actions were aimed at designing a place where all the components contribute to prosperity, success, wealth, i.e. the cosmogonic model of the world in the Middle Ages is replaced by the image of the universe in the form of vastu-a place favorable for habitation. This is one of the examples of the transfer of cosmological concepts to the sphere of everyday human life.

In his report "On the evolution of the image of Rudra-Shiva in the sacred texts of Shruti" A. A. Mekhakyan (Yerevan State University) identified three periods of formation of the cult of Rudra-Shiva. In the first Vedic period, the Rig Veda data do not provide an exhaustive description of the image of Rudra-Shiva. In the Vedic pantheon, it has an isolated position. This he retains even in the second stage - in the Brahmanic period. However, in some brahmanas, he is beginning to be regarded as one of the main deities. This is facilitated by the fact that he begins to identify with the god of sacrificial fire Agni. The trend of increasing popularity of Rudra-Shiva continues and strengthens in the third period-the upanishads. In some Upanishads, there is a tradition of philosophical and metaphysical understanding of Rudra-Shiva as the Absolute and the first foundation of the universe. The most important monument in which these trends can be seen is the Svetasvatara Upanishad. It is also the first time that the term bhakti appears, but it has not yet received the meanings and colors that it acquired in the later currents of bhakti.

The transformation of the Vedic god Rudra-Shiva into an absolute divine principle played a crucial role in the development of the Shaivite schools of Hinduism, especially the Advaita-Shaivism movement in Kashmir. The report " A World without Another. One philosophical possibility of India" by S. C. Ofertas (MSU). The speaker noted that in European philosophy and psychophysiology, the Other was perceived as a judging and objectifying view. Indian philosophy also tried to find a solution to the problem of the Other, both philosophically and practically, as was demonstrated by the corpus of texts (VIII - XII centuries) of the "radical Advaita", sometimes incorrectly called "Kashmiri Shaivism". The report analyzed the works of Somananda ("Shivadrishti"), Utpaladeva ("Ishvarapratyabhijna"), Abhivanagupta ("Tantraloka"," Tantrasara"), which suggest ways to realize the initially existing state of identity with Shiva. In the system of representations of these works, the " I " is Shiva, the point of being that manifests the world out of itself, and since there is no world other than this, there is no Other. Deep knowledge of the studied texts allowed the speaker to clarify the understanding of the main terms and concepts that he operates with.

V. G. Lysenko (Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences) in her report "Some problems of interpretation "of Vimshatika" Vasubandhu" noted that in the Indian tradition, the name Vasubandhu is associated with two major areas of Buddhist tradition: the Abhidharma tradition (Vaibhashika and Sautrantika schools) and the Mahayana yogachara or Vijnanavada school. Vasubandhu is the author of the Abhidharmakoshi and the commentary on it, the Bhashya. Most scholars believe that he also wrote the famous short Yogocharina treatises. These include Vimsatika-karika-vritti ("Twenty Verses with Commentary"), the most important of the yogacara texts. The report was devoted to the interpretation in the Vimshatika of the vijnapti-matra ("only representation") or chitta-matra ("only consciousness") formulas, which contain the main idea of yogocara. Special attention was paid to the term vijnapti, which in the philosophy of Vasubandhu takes on its own meaning. Among many translations of this term, V. G. Lysenko chose the word "representation". Based on this, she translates the vijnapti-matra formula not as "representation only", but more neutrally as "representation only". In the report, she justified her opinion and spoke about the main provisions of the philosophy of "Vimshatika".

N. V. Alexandrova (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) made a presentation on "Traditions about disputes in the chapter" Magadha "in Xuanzang". The main content of the "Notes on Western Countries" by Xuanzang is Buddhist traditions associated with certain toposes. In chapter VIII, devoted to Magadha, which is the center of Buddhist shrines, among the legends associated with this place, it is mentioned:-

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there are a number of legends about disputes between Buddhists and "non-believers", whose characters are very well-known representatives of Buddhism-Ashvaghosha, Gunamati, Nagarjuna. The plots of the legends are based on stereotypical motifs of a mythological nature; there is practically no evidence of historical content in them. The observed "mythological nature" and stereotyped plots about disputes demonstrate trends inherent in the formation of the local Buddhist monastic tradition, which, apparently, is transmitted by Xuanzang. Identifying patterns in the construction of such plots allows us to get closer to understanding the structure of Buddhist tradition as a whole, as well as to identify ways to introduce various characters, including many historical figures.

D. I. Zhutaev (IB RAS) in his report "Sacred topology of the Buddhist universe" spoke about the emergence of a developed model of buddhaksetra ("Buddha's field"). It is associated with a change in the interpretation of the idea of the multiplicity of Buddhas: from a small number of teachers of the past to a multitude of Buddhas extending along all spatial and temporal axes. This radical change is most evident in the Mahasangika tradition (texts from the Mahavastu - Bahubuddha-sutra and Dashabhumika). The formation of a developed model of buddhakshetras leads to the fact that the Buddhist teaching itself, the narrative about the Buddha, and the ideas about sacred texts become cosmic phenomena and set the spatial structure of the Universe. In historical and literary terms, this leads to the emergence of new genres of sacred texts: sutras about the names of Buddhas, individual dharani and their collections, "eschatological" literature (including the sutras about Buddha Amitabha). All these genres are united by yet-to-be-fully-clarified structural and genetic connections.

M. S. Fomin (Great Britain) in his report "The theme of religious conversion in Pali monuments and medieval Irish literature" conducted a comparative analysis of the mythological plots of Pali and early medieval Irish sources. He dwelt in the most detail on the plots of the" conversion " of new territories, in which there are similarities both in the construction scheme and in individual motives and attributes of the actors. The motif of "spreading the cloak", which is closely related to the meaning of "conversion", "conquering new lands", is found in the Irish early Christian literature, and in the Pali "Mahavamsa", and in the jatakas. Having traced the genetic roots of these motifs, the speaker compared them with elements of Vedic rituals of royal initiation, as well as with the evidence of the Irish tradition associated with pre-Christian royal rites. He concluded that these analogies are typological, reflecting similar processes of ritual development and mythological narrative formation.

E. G. Vyrshchikov (IB RAS) in his report "The Black Ones and the twice-born (based on the Pali Canon) "noted that the Buddha, according to the Pali Canon, is undoubtedly a kshatriya. In this regard, the Pali term kahha (Skt. krsna) - "black". This word is used as an insult to the Buddha by the brahmans. It is closely related to the term ibbha ("servant, worker"). However, the term ibbha is still found in the Ashoka inscriptions: it is an official who is mentioned in the same category as the brahmans (as opposed to the kshatriyas). This term does not carry a negative load here. The word krsna in Sanskrit sources also does not carry any negative load, rather the opposite. Based on these observations, the speaker concluded that the content of Pali social terms (including khatiya, Skt. ksatriya) is not the same as Sanskrit and Prakrit. When analyzing texts, they require continuous refinement.

D. N. Lelyukhin's report "New finds of Lichchava inscriptions in Nepal" was devoted to the last of the inscriptions discovered near Kathmandu related to the period of the Lichchava rule in Nepal. Information about the discovery of an inscription (485) made by a Gupta Brahmi on a stone at the Ratneshvor lingam first appeared in 2000 in the local press (Gorakhapatra), and in the same year Shyam Sundar Rajavamshi published an approximate transliteration of the inscription. The label contains six lines, which are preserved in different ways. The speaker questioned the correctness of the translations of this inscription, which were based on the translation of the well-known Nepalese author S. R. Tiwari. The main mistake, in his opinion, is that the preserved fragments are presented as a coherent text. From the final part of the inscription, it follows that it is mistakenly considered royal, since the author of it was not King Manadeva himself, but a certain sarthavaha (head of the caravan guild), mentions of which can be found in other inscriptions of the time of Manadeva. It is also clear from the inscription that the donation was made to the Saivite Sangha. This is the first mention of-

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there is no such community. The rest of the label can't yet be presented as a coherent, understandable text.

In the report of A. M. Dubyansky (ISAA at Moscow State University) "Vedic reminiscences in Tamil poetry", cases of mentioning the Vedas and Vedic Brahmins in the so - called Sangam poetry (I-IV centuries) were noted. In panegyric poetry, many kings are praised for performing Vedic sacrifices and patronizing the brahmanas. The Vedas are called either by their own name or by the Tamil word "marei", which means"something secret, hidden". There is no doubt that they were respected in Tamil society, but it is difficult to say to whom, other than the Brahmins, and to what extent they were known. It should be noted that four Vedas are mentioned, often associated with the name of Shiva. During the development of Shaivism (VI - XII centuries), the works of Nayanar poets were mainly focused on the Vedic canon. The main poetic form of padigam takes on some features of the structure of Vedic hymns. In general, the complex of Shaivite poetry "Tirumuram "("Sacred System") already at the time of its creation is given the meaning of the Tamil Veda, and Shiva in the poetry of the Nayanars is revered as the creator, guardian and expert of the Vedas.

Yu. M. Alikhanov (ISAA) in her report "Early Theoretical Tradition and Bhamakhi's treatise "Poetic Ornaments" focused on the problem of early literary and theoretical tradition and its reflection in Bhamakhi's work (circa the fifth century). In her opinion, at least two fragments of Bhamaha's treatise (the section on the disadvantages of comparison in chapter 2 and the description of the first six ornaments in chapter 3) are extracts from an earlier theoretical work (possibly Medhavin, who is mentioned by Bhamaha in connection with the teaching on the disadvantages of comparison). This is indicated by the lack of definitions in them (the phenomenon described is shown by example, but not defined) and the use of quotations as illustrations (Bhamaha himself gives his own examples everywhere, which he specifically notifies the reader). In addition, both fragments are separated from the rest of the text of "Poetic Ornaments" by two lines.

Report by V. V. Vertogradova ""Dreams of Mother Gina "At the origins of Jain hagiography" was devoted to Jain visual materials in comparison with epigraphic monuments and texts of the Svetambara canon in the Ardhamagadhi language. It examines the Jain visual complex, represented by a sacred set (metric) of signs-objects (eya ruve), which correlates verbally with the popular mangalika complex "blagodatnoe". By determining the semiotic characteristics of the eya ruve complex and based on the study of a number of Jain sutras, the report revealed the correlation of the set of signs of this complex with the matrix of dreams of Mother Jina (Queen Tisala), described in the canonical Jain work "Kappa Sutta", where signs-objects turn into elements of the narrative structure. This construction is carried out through a description-the use of signs as objects that are used for divination-a prediction associated with the royal ritual of prophesying the birth and reign of an heir. Thus, according to the author's conclusion, through the royal ritual of prophecy, the biography of the king and the hagiography of the Jain saint are built up. In this regard, it is possible to talk about the composition of the literary genre "Dreams of the mother of the king-hero/Jain saint", which has found echoes in the Buddhist tradition.

The starting point for N. A. Zheleznova's report "Jain Mysticism: towards a problem statement" was the definition of an Indian specialist in Jainism, K. A. Khomeini. C. Sogani, who understands Jain mysticism as the attainment of the state of arhat or siddhi and believes that in the Jain tradition, the term "mysticism" is equivalent to the concepts of "suddha-upayoga", "paramatman", etc. Based on his own translations of texts by Digambara author Kundakunda (III-IV centuries), as well as on the classification of images of mystical experience As suggested by E. Underhill in her book "Mysticism", N. A. Zheleznova showed the ambiguity of using the term "mysticism" in the Jain tradition. First of all, this term is absent in it as such, and the equivalents proposed by K. C. Sogani in the texts of Jain authors have quite a clear meaning (for example, "pure orientation of consciousness", "higher atman", etc.), which do not correspond in general to the meaning of the concept of "mysticism". Secondly, if we try to isolate the mystical component in Jain religious and ascetic practice, it makes sense only as an interpretation of transformation (the" Great Work " of Spiritual Alchemists in the terms of E. Underhill) or the realization of the nature of the soul, which is possible only through knowledge, but not through religious practice.
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In his report "On poetic translations of Ancient Indian poetry" A. N. Koval (Moscow) spoke about the difficulties of translating from Sanskrit to Russian. In his opinion, a significant gap is that Russian translations did not develop ways to convey the metrics and stanzas of Indian poetry, as was done, for example, for the transmission of ancient Greek poems. Many researchers believe that a poetic translation of Sanskrit poetry is impossible, and translate it in prose. The speaker showed the ways in which various translators conveyed the most common word in Sanskrit poetry, shloka, and illustrated his report with excerpts from translations by T. Ya.Elizarenkova, M. L. Gasparov, A. Ya. Syrkin, and V. G. Tikhomirov. The report also included A. N. Koval's own poetic translations of the Rig Veda hymns, excerpts from the Bhagavad Gita and the Laws of Manu. However, the unsolvable problem, in his opinion, is that Indian poetry is generated by a different culture, unfamiliar to the modern reader.

In her report "Kadambari in the Modern World", G. V. Strelkova (ISAA) reviewed the interpretation of Bana's classic Sanskrit novel Kadambari in Hindi literature. Using the example of two novels - Hazari Prasad Dwivedi's Autobiography of Banabhatta (1946) and Alki Saraogi's Shesha Kadambari (2001) - she demonstrated how the traditional plot and poetics of classical Indian literature can be used to solve the problems of modern literature. The main theme of H. P. Dwivedi's novel was the position of women in society and the possibilities of their self-realization. Alki Saraogi's novel also deals with the fate of Indian women, but the theme of generational continuity is brought to the fore. Just as Bana's unfinished novel was "finished" by his son, the novel started by Alka Saraogi's heroine, Ruby, should be finished by her granddaughter, Kadambari. Thus, it is literary co-creation that becomes one of the main tools for achieving mutual understanding between generations.

S. S. Dylykova (IB RAS) spoke about the history of the first Buddhist texts in Tibet, which, according to tradition, appeared there in the IV-V centuries. She briefly described 11 works that were first known in Tibet and translated into Tibetan.

In her report "Language contexts: Structure, communication in the light of Yu. N. Roerich's Grammar of the Tibetan language", I. M. Komarova (Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences) noted that the Tibetan language, which belongs to the Sino-Tibetan family of languages, has typological features peculiar to agglutinative and inflectional languages, which is especially evident in the system of word formation and inflection. inflections. Yu. N. Roerich, combining the study of the Tibetan language with its ethno-cultural specifics, identified such significant phenomena for speech activity as language consciousness, national mentality, and national and cultural values. Studying the social orientation of speech, he took into account not only the participants in the communication process, but also language texts as a result of communication and communication conditions. He attached great importance to the main social factors that determine the choice of language tools: linguistic, situational, and social parameters (social roles and status of communicants). In the" Grammar of the Tibetan Language "(Calcutta, 1952), in the essay" The Tibetan Language "(Moscow, 1961), in the fundamental" Tibetan-Russian-English Dictionary with Sanskrit Parallels " (Moscow, 1963 - 1993), Yu. N. Roerich brilliantly developed the concepts of the linguistic picture of the world in its cognitive and cultural aspects.

The report of E. D. Ogneva (Lutsk, Ukraine)" Vajravidarana" Buddhist sculpture from Kalmykia " was devoted to the attribution and history of three metal sculptures from the collection of the N. Roerich House-Museum in Odessa. Two of them depict a fairly well-known character Amitayus, and one in its iconography could be perceived as Vajrasatva, Vajrapani, and Vajravidarana, since they all have the same attributes - vajra and bell (ghantha). According to some nuances in the pose and manner of holding the attributes, E. D. Ogneva was able to prove that this sculpture depicts Vajravidarana (Skt. vajra - vidarana - "purifying vajra"), one of the hypostases of Vajrapani, the bodhisattva of Power. According to the iconography, the sculpture is closest to the image of the so-called Shyamanila, or Dark Blue Vajravidarana, which is additionally confirmed by the remains of dark blue paint on the vajra. The sculpture of Vajravidarana and one of the sculptures of Amitayus are multicolored, which makes it possible to connect their origin with Kalmykia, where there was a practice of coloring metal sculpture. Both sculptures have traces of a long stay in the ground, which suggests that they were found near the place where they were purchased (an-

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tikvarny shop in Yalta). In this regard, the report examined evidence of the presence of Kalmyks on the lands of Ukraine and Ukrainian-Kalmyk contacts.

V. M. Yakovlev (Moscow) in his report "Yrk bitig and fragments of the Tibetan divination text"spoke about the study of the ancient Turkic divination book "Yrk bitig", dating back to the Tang period and found in Xizhou in the book depository of the Qian fo dong cave complex (Cave of a Thousand Buddhas). The speaker tried to identify possible written sources of this fortune-telling book. He analyzed all the parallels and similarities with Tibetan divination texts and the Chinese "Book of Changes". In his opinion, the coincidence of a number of positions of the oracles of the ancient Turkic " Divinatory Book "and the hexagrams of the" Book of Changes " indicates that the order of divinatory symbols of the latter was very important for the compiler of the former and that he knew it well. The "I Ching" was probably the main source in his divination practice, for the sake of which he adapted and supplemented some other source that was in circulation in East Turkestan and was at his disposal.

Yu. M. Drobyshev's report "Ancient Turks and the environment" was devoted to the ancient Turks as carriers of a typically nomadic Central Asian culture. It briefly described their way of life and features of farming. The speaker paid considerable attention to the picture of the world of the ancient Turks, and also compared it with Chinese and shamanic ideas about the universe. The Turkic culture is often called ecophilic in the scientific literature. But this can be traced only in the behavior of the Turks in relation to their own lands, which, as it was believed, were under the protection of the Great Sky. This did not apply to foreign lands: there you could not care about the state of the natural environment.

The organizers of the Roerich Readings proposed publishing a collection of articles based on the results of the readings over the past five years in connection with the 105th anniversary of the birth of Yuri Roerich. The collection is supposed to include the most successful performances of their regular participants and dedicate it to the memory of T. Ya. Elizarenkova.

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